Galatians 1:10 Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.
Over recent years God has been testing my level of obedience and my loyalty to Him. At times, He has told me to do and say things that have caused a lot of flack. If I had allowed a fear of man to rule me, I would have chosen to disobey God rather than face the wrath of man. However I am coming to a place in my life where I do not care what people think. I am more concerned with what God thinks of me. I fear God more than what people think or say about me. My obedience may cause people to hate or despise me but I will not be swayed from being obedient to the voice of the Lord. Proverbs 29:25 tells us the fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe. A snare is a trap or something that entangles. The fear of man will cause us to fall short of the will of God. The fear of man will cause us to sin and fall short of the glory of God. We must fear God more than man.
The fear of the Lord is what guided the early church. There was a greater level of annointing and power upon the early church because of the level of holiness that they walked in. There was a greater glory of God upon the early church. Glory and the fear of the Lord (reverence) go hand in hand.
There is too much sin and compromise in the church today. Where is the fear of the Lord? Church has become more about entertaining the people than entertaining the presence of the Lord. Pastors are so worried about offending people with the message of truth that they have watered down the gospel of Christ. This has bred lukewarm Christianity and a people who have a form of godliness and are powerless and ineffective in a sinful, fallen world.
It’s time to once again raise the standard of righteousness and holiness. God is coming to judge the world and He is starting with His church. He is going to cut off every branch that is unfruitful. He is going to sift the wheat from the chaff. He is going to burn up the works of darkness in His holy fire. The Lord will judge His people. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. (Hebrews 10:31) May God have mercy on us!
What dominates your life? The fear of man or the fear of the Lord? Something to think about…
