Psalm 111:10

Our text tells us that without the fear of God, there’s no wisdom. When even the wisest king, Solomon of Israel, who was given great wisdom by God lost the fear of God, his wisdom was nowhere to be found. He went into idolatry. This brought tremendous calamity to himself, his household and the entire land of Israel. Christian leaders should be careful of what they do, for their actions negatively or positively affect their followers, depending on what their actions are. When a Christian ignores the Word of God, he or she will lose wisdom. Wisdom is not the beginning of the fear of God, but rather the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom. You can only have true wisdom when you fear God.

 

In the year 2023, we must all yearn for, pray for and cultivate the fear of God. Any Christian without the fear of God will easily go into any evil thing, including idolatry, adultery, fornication, lying, deception, getting money through all devilish means, envy, bribery, corruption, uncleanness, backstabbing, all sorts of betrayals, unforgiveness, self-worship, selfishness, all sorts of pride, arrogance, malice, anger, fame-seeking, eye-service, money rituals, murders, the love of money, the love of the world, and all kinds of works of the flesh.

 

“Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God” (Galatians 5:19-21).

 

When you lose the fear of God, you will lose respect for God, yourself, authorities, other people, and humility becomes a taboo to you. Feeding the flesh becomes the order of the day. Even when you find yourself on the wrong track, your conscience doesn’t prick you anymore after a long period of suppressing it. Instead you continue to make excuses for your bad actions, then you keep digging yourself deeper and deeper into the hole of iniquity.

 

Paul the Apostle tells us in 1 Timothy 4:1-2 that people may so much hate the truth of the gospel of Christ that their consciences will be “seared with a hot iron.” These are people who deliberately work against their consciences. They know exactly what they are doing. They are indeed apostates. What a sad spiritual state. Such people believe the doctrine of demons. They deceive and they also allow other deceivers to deceive them. After all, they believe in “speaking lies into hypocrisy.” Such people call good evil and call evil good. May God deliver His people. Those who lose the fear of God always pay allegiance to the god of this world. They pretend to be Christians, but the truth is that they have abandoned Christ completely. They always weaken the faith of believers in Christ who are so vulnerable in the church and everywhere, including in their families. Don’t fall prey to them. When you lose the fear of God, anything goes. You won’t even want to be corrected whenever you are wrong. You are going to hate those who tell you the truth and love the company of sinners. The year 2023 should be the beginning of a new relationship and fellowship with Jesus Christ. Amen!

 

There are pastors or whatever titles in the five-fold ministry that people bear who have entirely lost the fear of God. They don’t think that God’s Word applies to them. They can even dish out false prophecies to people in order to frighten them and sap them of their money and wealth. God will surely judge them. They worship and serve the devil in order to get fake power and wealth, and perform fake miracles to deceive the gullible who may belong to the evil generation that seek signs. They end up producing religious zombies who cannot discern right from wrong or left from right. What a pity! Ladies and gentlemen, without the fear of God, the anointing of God will not be there, God’s presence will depart from His people, and the true gospel of “Christ and Him Crucified” will not be preached. Souls will not be nurtured for the rapture. Spiritual coldness will hold sway. The glory of God will depart from His church. Knowing this, those who have been saved by Jesus Christ must depart from iniquity, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.

 

“Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity” (2 Timothy 2:19).

 

God tells us in Numbers 15:40 to “be holy unto our God.” We should all remember to be holy and fear God. Our hearts must be pure. Our interactions and actions must be acceptable unto our God.

 

Any Christian that does not have the fear of God is spiritually doomed. Consider what the Lord is telling us in Ecclesiastes 12:13-14:

 

“Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.”

 

Happy and joyful is the man, woman, boy or girl that fears the Lord. Nobody can be a true follower of Christ without the fear of God. The Bible tells us not to have any other type of fear. The only fear we are instructed to have as Christians is the fear of God. If you lose it, you are in deep spiritual trouble. As a Christian, the fear of God restrains you from sin.

 

Finally, if you are born-again, you love the Lord and fear Him, listen to what awaits you in the New Jerusalem:

 

“And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him: And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads. And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever” (Revelation 22:1-5).

 

Let the church say, “Come, Lord Jesus!” Remember, in everything you do, factor in the coming of the Lord. Let’s serve Him with a Holy Fear.

 

Happy New Year!

 

Yours in His Vineyard,

Ernest Godfrey