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| "Much
dreaming and many words are meaningless. Therefore
stand in awe of God." — ECCLESIASTES
5:7 (NIV) |
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| In
a day when people-pleasing has become an art form, the
topic of the fear of God is often sugar-coated, or completely
dismissed, in favor of a more "comfortable" Gospel
where Jesus is more the "Pal of Pals" than
the Lord of Lords. |
| Because
of this, the condition of our hearts — and therefore,
our words, actions and priorities — often reflects
a general attitude of indifference toward God, rather
than the reverence and honor He deserves. |
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We
skip spending time with Him because of our busy
schedules... |
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We
casually throw His Name around like any common
curse word... |
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We
blandly go through the motions Sunday after Sunday,
comfortably "playing church"... |
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| This
type of "casual Christianity" quickly leads
to a stale, lackluster faith marked by boredom, frustration
and detachment, rather than the awesome, life-changing
fellowship God desires to have with each of us. |
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what does God expect? In Leviticus 10:3, the Lord
says: |
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"By
those who come near Me I must be regarded
as holy;
And before all the people I must be glorified." (NKJV) |
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| We
want intimate relationship with the Lord, but do we invite
him to share such fellowship by the reverence we show?
This month, let's take a look at both what it means to
fear God, and what a life of reverence before God looks
like in action. |
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Click
the shovel icon if you ever want
to "dig deeper" into any of the
points below. |
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| Fear
Defined [know it] |
dig
deeper » |
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| "For
who in the heavens can be compared to the
LORD? Who among the sons of the mighty can
be likened to the LORD? God is greatly to
be feared in the assembly of the saints,
and to be held in reverence by all those
around Him." — PSALM
89:6-7 (NKJV) |
In
the verse above, "feared" comes
from the Hebrew root word 'arats,
meaning, "to tremble, to dread, to
fear, to oppress, to prevail, to break,
to be terrified, to cause to tremble."
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| Going
one step further, the Evangelical Dictionary
of Theology provides these related definitions: |
| Fear = "a
reverential trust in God that makes us want
to please and obey him." |
| Awe = "profound
reverence and respect for God, tempered with
fear. This acute reverence is characterized
by solemn wonder mingled with dread in view
of the great and terrible presence of the
Supreme Being." |
| Based
on this, how would you rate your "fear
factor"? Do you stand in awe of your
Creator, or have you grown indifferent to
the greatness of the King of Kings? To dig
even deeper into what it means to truly fear
the Lord, click
here. |
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Action
Step: Use this Bible
study as a starting point for your
own study on what it means to fear
the Lord. Meditate on the Scriptures
(memorize!). Examine commentaries,
Bible dictionaries, and original
language word studies. Don't settle
for "surface study"...dig
deep! |
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| Fear
in Action [live it] |
dig
deeper » |
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"Teach
me your way, O LORD, and I will walk in
your truth; give me an undivided heart,
that I may fear your name." — PSALM
86:11 (NIV)
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| King
David, called a man after God's own heart,
gives us a clear picture of what the fear
of God looks like in action. From this simple,
heart-felt prayer in Psalm 86, we catch a
glimpse of the heart God looks for in each
of us. |
| David
doesn't ask for wealth, power, prestige,
or influence. Instead, he asks the Lord for
an undivided heart, a singular focus — that
he might give God the reverence He deserves. |
| What
does it mean to have a heart that's "undivided",
and what are the results of having such a
heart? Click
here to find out. |
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Action
Step: Commit to pray
once a day for the next seven days
that God would reveal areas in
your heart and life that fail to
show God the reverence that He
deserves. As He does so, repent
and humbly ask for the grace to
change. |
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| Ecclesiastes
12:13, one of the most poignant passages
in the Bible, sums up our study with a clear
command: |
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"Now
all has been heard; here is the conclusion
of the matter: Fear God and keep his
commandments, for this is the whole
[duty] of man." (NIV) |
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| In
a generation mired in selfishness and spiritual
stagnancy, my challenge to you is this: Resist
spiritual dullness. Conquer complacency.
Embrace humility. Make the choice to fear
the Lord! |
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| • |
HOLY
BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION ®. Copyright © 1973,
1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used
by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All
rights reserved. |
| • |
THE
NEW KING JAMES VERSION, Copyright © 1982,
Thomas Nelson, Inc. All rights reserved. |
| • |
THE
ONLINE BIBLE THAYER'S GREEK LEXICON & BROWN
DRIVER BRIGGS HEBREW LEXICON, Copyright © 1993,
Woodside Bible Fellowship, Ontario, Canada. Licensed
from the Institute for Creation Research. |
| • |
EVANGELICAL
DICTIONARY OF THEOLOGY. Copyright © 1984 by
Baker Books. All rights reserved. Used by permission. |
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THIS STUDY
within PC Study Bible |
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| 1 |
FEAR
DEFINED.
A deeper look at what it means to fear the Lord. |
| 2 |
FEAR
IN ACTION.
Examining the "undivided heart" of
King David, and why he found it a necessity
for fearing God. |
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Psalm
33:8 |
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Psalm
86:11 |
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Proverbs
23:17 |
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Ecclesiastes
7:18 |
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Ecclesiastes
8:12 |
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Ecclesiastes
12:13 |
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Isaiah
50:10-11 |
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Habakkuk
3:2 |
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What's
the first thing that comes to mind when you
hear the phrase "fear God"? |
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What
is our society's general attitude toward God? |
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Do
you think most Christians truly fear God? Why
or why not? |
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On
a scale of 1 to 10, rate your "fear factor".
How much do you fear the Lord? |
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What
do you personally need to do in order to give
God the reverence He truly deserves? |
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