The fear of the Lord is a subject that has been pondered, discussed and considered from so many different directions. John Bevere wrote a whole book on the subject, to help us understand what God is saying with the five simple words the fear of the Lord.

Reading Genesis 22, the Holy Spirit highlighted to me that when Abraham was willing to sacrifice his promised son, Isaac, on the altar, the angel stopped him and said, “Now I know you fear God.” Here we get the words, the fear of the Lord, but it is not until we continue on in the story that we find what the fear of God is.

Genesis 22:17-18 says, “Indeed I will greatly bless you, and I will greatly multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your seed shall possess the gate of their enemies. In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.” Blessings followed the fear of the Lord, which is identified as obedience to the voice of God.

I bring this up, because the call to the fear of the Lord is packed with resources for those who are willing to obey the voice of God. Our obedience to the word of God and the voice of God unlocks untold treasures. When people say, we need the fear of the Lord back in the church, I am not sure what they are saying, but God is saying, “I want my people to obey my voice and My word.”

Friends, don’t let pop psychology, life coaching, or a counseling culture tell you what the voice of God is saying, for all of that is self-serving. Obedience to the voice of God is death to self for the flesh does not want to forgive, does not want to apologize, does not want to love again, but when we obey the voice of God, blessings upon blessings flow.

The fear of God is obedience to the voice and word of God. May we, who call ourselves Christians, return to the fear of the Lord. Www.apostolicresourcecenter.org