Right Fear!

Right Fear!

Proverbs 29:25 KJV

[25] The fear of man bringeth a snare: But whoso putteth his trust in the LORD shall be safe.

Solomon, the man who wrote the words of the verse above would know a thing or two about the fear of God, and the fear of men. He was a man who was helped by God to become great and powerful; the witness of the Scripture is that there would be no other king like him in all of Israel's history. In fact, in terms of the display of wealth, as well as the international dimensions of his knowledge and wisdom, it is clear that there has not been any quite like him. That is the thing with a man that God helps; God can make a new path for a man who walks with Him. It does not matter what has gone before, or what is happening right now. What matters is that I submit to God and allow Him have His way in my life. There is no limit to the impact such a surrendered life can have. 

Unfortunately, like all things human, you must not take your eyes off the goal. The devil too is very smart; all he wants to do is to take a man's eyes off God and onto other 'nice' things such as position, power, possession and privilege. All of a sudden, the things that should not have mattered become so big that they cloud our eyes from seeing God for who He is. All of a sudden, we are more concerned with men's views and opinions, rather than the immortal and immutable principles of God's Word. We now want to please men, because we think we need them to get ahead. This is where the fear of man becomes a snare and a trap. You cannot start a viable project in God, and somehow expect that you will finish it by your own schemes and devices. Like Paul asked the Galatians, 'having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh'?

There is a good fear, and a bad one. There is a right kind, and a wrong one. Any fear that keeps your eye only on the mountains, and not on the Lord of all creation, is the wrong one. Any fear that keeps you from being able to hold on to God alone, to the total exclusion of all other options, is the wrong type. The fear of man will lead to further disgrace, as it is a slippery slope of which there is no way to define its end. There is the right kind of fear that keeps my heart focused on the awesome power of God, and His ability to change things, people and circumstances, only as He sees fit and when He sees fit. There is nothing in all of creation that can resist the authority of the One who made it. Why would I fear the created? Why would the created be so powerful that it can control my life or my emotions? The mandate is to trust in God alone; in Him, I am truly safe. Outside of Him is only trouble and distress. As always, the choice is mine. God's time of favour is here.