When I first heard the phrase “fear of God,” I used to think it meant to be afraid of Him. Before I became a Christian, I had a deep understanding that God was real. Growing up, my mom would always tell me that authority was a part of life. There was no getting away from authority in one’s life. She said, “Everybody has to answer to someone.” Being young, arrogant, and hating authority, I did not like this statement one bit. I would gnash my teeth every time she brought it up. However, deep down, I knew she was correct. Many of us can fall into a mentality of thinking we answer to nobody or won’t be held accountable for anything we do. You, my friend, are dead wrong (in love). Even if you are not held accountable by a human being, you will be by God. My parents also instilled in me from a young age that if you don’t respect your parents, you won’t respect any other type of authority in your life. This proved true when I came to realize it in my own personal life. I did not have a “fear” of my parents. Later on, this translated when I moved out of their household. I thought if I just ran away from everyone, I’d be “free from accountability.” I had no regard for anyone or care about how all my actions had consequences. Having a lack of respect for others and myself led me down a path of foolishness. This went even deeper as I saw this lack of “care” or “caution” in my life reflected how I viewed God. I was truly a rebel at heart. When I became a Christian, the Lord showed me up close that my actions, whether big or small, affected everything and everyone around me. Yet, I still did not have the fear of God as I thought I did, even as a Christian! My lack of fear in God translated into the way I lived, treated people, and respected those in authority.

Let me now try to explain the fear of God in simple terms. As I dug into the Scriptures, I found some interesting examples of this being lived out. Most people think having fear of God means fearing going to hell, so as a response, you follow all God wants you to do. This is only part of the whole scope. Let’s begin with the word “fear” in the Bible. We first need to know what the word means in the original language, which is Hebrew, to get a foundational definition. The word “fear” in Hebrew can mean awe, respect, reverence, worship, or trembling, depending on the passage. The actual word in Hebrew is written as yirah. In this definition, we see it refers to having a deep respect for the authority of God in our lives. This respect should guide us in how we live daily. You can clearly see those who have a fear of God by how they live their lives—how they act, behave, and treat others. People who don’t fear God are those who simply don’t take the Word of God seriously. They don’t actually apply it to their daily lives. The ways of God are disregarded and treated with no seriousness. For example, I think of the police and how we respect them because of their authority and the power they have to punish you for wrongdoing. I also think of fathers or mothers. We are not afraid to talk to our parents, but we do show respect to them. If one does not respect the authority God has placed in their life, then they don’t fear God’s authority in their life.

Consider the example of Nehemiah rebuking the officials during the rebuilding of the wall in Jerusalem because they were taking advantage of each other by charging interest on the money and grain they were giving to their own people! He says something interesting that caught my eye. In Nehemiah 5:9, he says to the people, “So I continued, ‘What you are doing is not right. Shouldn’t you walk in the fear of our God to avoid the reproach of our Gentile enemies? I and my brothers and my men are also lending the people money and grain. But let us stop charging interest!’” Nehemiah calls the people to walk in the fear of God. Those who walk in the fear of God are those who do what is right in the sight of God. Interesting. Another aspect from this verse I found is that one ought to live a life as if God is always watching (which He is). People around you are always watching your every move—how you speak, how you hold yourself, your presentation, actions, and the words you speak. Every single thing, even the tiny things. The Bible says God looks at the heart, but man looks at the outside. A clean heart produces a clean cup on the outside. Jesus also refers to this by telling the religious leaders of his time to clean the inside of the cup first so the outside becomes clean as well. Nehemiah backs his words up by walking in the fear of God in verses 15-16: “But the earlier governors—those preceding me—placed a heavy burden on the people and took forty shekels of silver from them in addition to food and wine. Their assistants also lorded it over the people. But out of reverence for God, I did not act like that.” Nehemiah had the freedom and right as governor to tax the people for their money. He chose not to do this out of “reverence for God.” Nehemiah had the fear of God.

As a minister, I often hear the fallacy: “Fear should not be a motivation for me to follow God’s Word.” I agree with this statement partially. This is not the full truth. The main motivation for following Jesus should be the cross of Christ and His death setting us free from our sin so we can have a relationship with Him. The full truth is that both are exercised in a relationship with God. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5:14-15, “For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.” Christ’s love’s effect on a person should compel them to follow the Word of God. Another word for “compel” is actually “urge,” which in Greek is synecho. Imagine if you embrace God’s love in your life but do not “reverence” or “respect” Him. This would be the equivalent of a spoiled brat of a child. This reminds me of Romans 1:21: “For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.” If not careful we can receive God’s love but abandon His ways because of our lack of reverence for Him.

To further this claim, we find something amazing in Hebrews 11:7. The Bible says, “By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith.” Noah showed his faith in God when he heeded His warning by obeying His command to build the ark. What moved Noah to obey God’s Word? holy fear. Noah knew God wasn’t playing games, and he got to work building the ark as He commanded. If Noah had brushed off God and didn’t build the ark, he and his family would’ve died in the flood. Noah was a man we all should imitate—taking God's Word seriously. A clear example of a man who didn’t have the fear of God was Pharaoh in Exodus 7:22-23: “But the Egyptian magicians did the same things by their secret arts, and Pharaoh’s heart became hard; he would not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the Lord had said. Instead, he turned and went into his palace, and did not take even this to heart.” He didn’t take anything God said to heart. As a result, he would later be washed away in the Red Sea due to his hard heart toward God.

Let me be clear: I’m not saying I’m perfect in these areas, but I’m simply sharing what I found. I can find myself at times reading and living out some passages in Scripture but neglecting others as well. This is why I constantly need to remind myself daily through studying Scripture and getting guidance from others to show me what I am lacking. I pray this can help you better understand the importance of having a deep reverence for God in how we live our daily lives.

When I first heard the phrase “fear of God,” I used to think it meant to be afraid of Him. Before I became a Christian, I had a deep understanding that God was real. Growing up, my mom would always tell me that authority was a part of life. There was no getting away from authority in one’s life. She said, “Everybody has to answer to someone.” Being young, arrogant, and hating authority, I did not like this statement one bit. I would gnash my teeth every time she brought it up. However, deep down, I knew she was correct. Many of us can fall into a mentality of thinking we answer to nobody or won’t be held accountable for anything we do. You, my friend, are dead wrong (in love). Even if you are not held accountable by a human being, you will be by God. My parents also instilled in me from a young age that if you don’t respect your parents, you won’t respect any other type of authority in your life. This proved true when I came to realize it in my own personal life. I did not have a “fear” of my parents. Later on, this translated when I moved out of their household. I thought if I just ran away from everyone, I’d be “free from accountability.” I had no regard for anyone or care about how all my actions had consequences. Having a lack of respect for others and myself led me down a path of foolishness. This went even deeper as I saw this lack of “care” or “caution” in my life reflected how I viewed God. I was truly a rebel at heart. When I became a Christian, the Lord showed me up close that my actions, whether big or small, affected everything and everyone around me. Yet, I still did not have the fear of God as I thought I did, even as a Christian! My lack of fear in God translated into the way I lived, treated people, and respected those in authority.

Let me now try to explain the fear of God in simple terms. As I dug into the Scriptures, I found some interesting examples of this being lived out. Most people think having fear of God means fearing going to hell, so as a response, you follow all God wants you to do. This is only part of the whole scope. Let’s begin with the word “fear” in the Bible. We first need to know what the word means in the original language, which is Hebrew, to get a foundational definition. The word “fear” in Hebrew can mean awe, respect, reverence, worship, or trembling, depending on the passage. The actual word in Hebrew is written as yirah. In this definition, we see it refers to having a deep respect for the authority of God in our lives. This respect should guide us in how we live daily. You can clearly see those who have a fear of God by how they live their lives—how they act, behave, and treat others. People who don’t fear God are those who simply don’t take the Word of God seriously. They don’t actually apply it to their daily lives. The ways of God are disregarded and treated with no seriousness. For example, I think of the police and how we respect them because of their authority and the power they have to punish you for wrongdoing. I also think of fathers or mothers. We are not afraid to talk to our parents, but we do show respect to them. If one does not respect the authority God has placed in their life, then they don’t fear God’s authority in their life.

Consider the example of Nehemiah rebuking the officials during the rebuilding of the wall in Jerusalem because they were taking advantage of each other by charging interest on the money and grain they were giving to their own people! He says something interesting that caught my eye. In Nehemiah 5:9, he says to the people, “So I continued, ‘What you are doing is not right. Shouldn’t you walk in the fear of our God to avoid the reproach of our Gentile enemies? I and my brothers and my men are also lending the people money and grain. But let us stop charging interest!’” Nehemiah calls the people to walk in the fear of God. Those who walk in the fear of God are those who do what is right in the sight of God. Interesting. Another aspect from this verse I found is that one ought to live a life as if God is always watching (which He is). People around you are always watching your every move—how you speak, how you hold yourself, your presentation, actions, and the words you speak. Every single thing, even the tiny things. The Bible says God looks at the heart, but man looks at the outside. A clean heart produces a clean cup on the outside. Jesus also refers to this by telling the religious leaders of his time to clean the inside of the cup first so the outside becomes clean as well. Nehemiah backs his words up by walking in the fear of God in verses 15-16: “But the earlier governors—those preceding me—placed a heavy burden on the people and took forty shekels of silver from them in addition to food and wine. Their assistants also lorded it over the people. But out of reverence for God, I did not act like that.” Nehemiah had the freedom and right as governor to tax the people for their money. He chose not to do this out of “reverence for God.” Nehemiah had the fear of God.

As a minister, I often hear the fallacy: “Fear should not be a motivation for me to follow God’s Word.” I agree with this statement partially. This is not the full truth. The main motivation for following Jesus should be the cross of Christ and His death setting us free from our sin so we can have a relationship with Him. The full truth is that both are exercised in a relationship with God. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5:14-15, “For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.” Christ’s love’s effect on a person should compel them to follow the Word of God. Another word for “compel” is actually “urge,” which in Greek is synecho. Imagine if you embrace God’s love in your life but do not “reverence” or “respect” Him. This would be the equivalent of a spoiled brat of a child. This reminds me of Romans 1:21: “For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.” If not careful we can receive God’s love but abandon His ways because of our lack of reverence for Him.

To further this claim, we find something amazing in Hebrews 11:7. The Bible says, “By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith.” Noah showed his faith in God when he heeded His warning by obeying His command to build the ark. What moved Noah to obey God’s Word? holy fear. Noah knew God wasn’t playing games, and he got to work building the ark as He commanded. If Noah had brushed off God and didn’t build the ark, he and his family would’ve died in the flood. Noah was a man we all should imitate—taking God's Word seriously. A clear example of a man who didn’t have the fear of God was Pharaoh in Exodus 7:22-23: “But the Egyptian magicians did the same things by their secret arts, and Pharaoh’s heart became hard; he would not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the Lord had said. Instead, he turned and went into his palace, and did not take even this to heart.” He didn’t take anything God said to heart. As a result, he would later be washed away in the Red Sea due to his hard heart toward God.

Let me be clear: I’m not saying I’m perfect in these areas, but I’m simply sharing what I found. I can find myself at times reading and living out some passages in Scripture but neglecting others as well. This is why I constantly need to remind myself daily through studying Scripture and getting guidance from others to show me what I am lacking. I pray this can help you better understand the importance of having a deep reverence for God in how we live our daily lives.