Acts 23:1 And Paul, earnestly beholding the council, said, Men and brethren, I have lived in all good conscience before God unto this day.
What a bold statement Paul was able to make. Could you make the same statement if you were in the place of Paul? The thing is, Paul not only could make the […]

Acts 19:17 And this was known to all the Jews and Greeks also dwelling at Ephesus; and fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified.
The seven sons of Sceva attempted to cast out an evil spirit in the name of Jesus. However, the evil spirit told them that it […]

Acts 5:5 And Ananias hearing these words fell down, and gave up the ghost: and great fear came on all them that heard these things.
Ananias and his wife Sapphira sold a portion of land. They agreed that they were going to keep back a portion of the proceeds and give the rest to the apostles. […]

Acts 4:19-20 But Peter and John answered and said unto them, Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.
The religious leaders recognized that God had performed a mighty miracle through Peter […]

Psalms 147:10 He delighteth not in the strength of the horse: he taketh not pleasure in the legs of a man.
God does not need your talents. God has given you your gifts and abilities, but God does not need them. When you do something in your own strength, you are the one who receives the […]

Psalms 139:7 Whither shall I go from thy spirit? Or whither shall I flee from thy presence?
Jonah was instructed by God to go to Nineveh. Jonah decided to run away from God so he went the opposite direction. Jonah tried to hide from God and God sent a storm. Jonah understood that the storm was […]

Psalms 130:6 My soul waiteth for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning: I say, more than they that watch for the morning.
In this Psalm we see the Psalmist calling out to God for mercy. He is calling out to God for mercy because he realizes that he has sinned and fallen […]

Psalms 128:1 Blessed is every one that feareth the Lord; that walketh in his ways.
Do you desire to be blessed of the Lord? This Psalm describes some of the ways that God will bless you if you fear HIM. God will bless you financially if you fear HIM and walk according to HIS will. God […]

Psalms 111:10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever.
Do you desire wisdom? The foundation of wisdom comes from the fear of the Lord. The fear of the Lord enables you to choose to do right in the […]

Psalms 96:3 Declare his glory among the heathen, his wonders among all people.
How are the heathen going to know the fear of the Lord unless you tell them about HIS power? The world is quick to worship the most powerful thing and as such, they need to hear about how powerful God is. If the […]

Psalms 79:10 Wherefore should the heathen say, Where is their God? Let him be known among the heathen in our sight by the revenging of the blood of thy servants which is shed.
Multiple times throughout scripture you see someone challenge Israel about just how powerful their God really is. One example occurred during the reign […]

Psalms 76:11 Vow, and pay unto the Lord your God: let all that be round about him bring presents unto him that ought to be feared.
There is only One who ought to be feared and that is the Lord your God. God desires to receive your gift. One gift that you can give to […]

Psalms 67:2 That thy way may be known upon earth, thy saving health among all nations.
David asks God to do three things for him so that God’s way may be known in the world. In verse one, David asks God to be merciful, to bless, and for God to cause HIS’ face […]

Psalms 56:11  In God have I put my trust: I will not be afraid what man can do unto me.
What is the worst thing that man can do to you? What is the worst thing God can do to you? Jesus told us that we are to “fear him which is able to destroy both […]

Psalms 27:11 Teach me thy way, O LORD, and lead me in a plain path, because of mine enemies.
Have you ever prayed to God and requested that HE show you HIS will for your life? Throughout scripture, God promises to show you the way if you have applied yourself to developing certain godly character in […]

Psalms 25:4 Show me thy ways, O LORD; teach me thy paths.
Have you ever been at a fork in the road and wondered which way was God’s best for you? Have you ever cried out to God for direction in your life? Have you ever longed for God to show HIMSELF strong in your life? […]

Psalms 22:23 Ye that fear the Lord, praise him; all ye the see of Jacob, glorify him; and fear him, all ye the seed of Israel.

How grateful are you to God for the things HE has done for you? When was the last time you sat down and thanked HIM for the good things HE has done for you?

You are made in the image of God. There are so many books on the market today teaching the importance of praising your spouse, or your children, or your employees. It is a proven fact that the relationship grows as individuals sincerely seek out the good in others rather than constantly complaining about perceived faults. Just as you need to hear the praises of others in order for your relationship with that individual to grow, so you need to sing forth God�s praises if your relationship with God is going to grow.

Psalms 9:20 Put them in fear, O LORD: that the nations may know themselves to be but men.

What must God do to remind the nations that HE is God and they are but men? While God does at times work miraculously apart from man like at the tower of Babel, the flood, and HIS appearing at Mount Sinai, most of the time God demonstrates HIS power through HIS children. God used Elijah to bring fire down out of heaven and put the fear of God into the Israelites. God used Moses to part the Red Sea and put the fear of God into the Canaanites. God used Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah to survive the fiery furnace so as to put the fear of the Lord into Nebuchadnezzar.

Matthew 25:30 And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Jesus had just told the parable of the traveling man who gave talents to his servants. This man gave one servant five talents, another two talents and the third one talent. When this man returned, the first servant had turned the five talents into ten, the second servant had turned two talents into four, and the last servant hid the talent and returned it to his master. The master was upset with this unprofitable servant and took the talent from him and gave it to the servant who had earned him five talents.

Matthew 21:26 But if we shall say, Of Men; we fear the people; for all hold John as a prophet.

The chief priests and the elders came to Jesus and asked HIM where HE derived HIS authority. Jesus replied that HE would answer their question if they first answered a question for HIM. Jesus asked them where the baptism of John came from, heaven or of man. The priests and elders gathered together and argued among themselves that they could not say from heaven least Jesus revealed that they knew the truth and they did not obey. They also realized that they could not say that it was from man because the people felt that John the Baptist was from God and it was the people who gave them power.

Matthew 10:28 And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

Christ teaches the importance of the fear of the Lord. Because of man�s sin nature, he naturally fears that which he can see. However, Christ is teaching about a new perspective, a perspective where you should fear that which you cannot see. How many people throughout the ages have been willing to deny their faith in order to spare their own life or the life of a love one?

Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were faced with the decision, were they going to deny their faith in order to save their lives or were they going to forsake their lives in order to remain true to God. Daniel�s three friends choose to fear God rather than man. They understood that they might die, but they also were more concerned with living eternity in heaven rather than living just a few more years on earth but eternity in hell.

Proverbs 31:30b but a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Christ commanded us that we are not to fear man but that we are to fear the One who created us and has the power to take not only your life but also your soul.

The virtuous individual understands that their thoughts must be upon that which is true, honest, just, pure, lovely, and a good report. It is not easy to keep the cares of this world from crowding your mind. However, it is by God�s grace that you can control your mind and do what is right in the eyes of God.

Proverbs 31:21 She is not afraid of the snow for her household: for all her household are clothed with scarlet.

The twelfth characteristic of virtue Solomon was to look for in a woman he desired to marry is that she is confident and does not allow fear to control her. The virtuous woman is similar to the ant described in Proverbs 6 that prepared ahead of time for the winter. One can properly prepare for winter but still fear the inclement weather. However, one who has the inner strength of virtue in their life will be confident in their preparations and will not allow themselves to be sitting around worrying about whether they should have done more to properly prepare.

Acts 27:35 And when he had thus spoken, he took bread, and gave thanks to God in presence of them all: and when he had broken it, he began to eat.

Paul is a prisoner onboard a ship bound for Rome. However, while traveling they became caught in a storm that was so severe that no one ate any food for 14 days. Paul had heard from God that while the ship was going to sink, not a soul was going to die. Paul took a leadership role onboard even though he was a prisoner.

Paul told everyone that they needed to eat and that their lives were going to be spared. Paul then gave thanks to God for the food and set an example to those around him by eating. Because of Paul�s leading, the other individuals on the ship also eat a meal.

Acts 19:13 Then certain of the vagabond Jews, exorcists, took upon them to call over them which had evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth.

The seven sons of Sceva had seen Paul cast out evil spirits. They saw the fame of Paul because the power of God was in his life. These men were proud and they desired that others would look up to them as important men. However, when the seven sons of Sceva attempted to cast out an evil spirit, the evil spirit replied that it knew Jesus and it knew Paul but it did not know these men. The evil spirit then attacked Sceva�s sons and they fled from the place naked.

Acts 15:20 But that we write unto them, that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood.

Paul and Barnabas came to Jerusalem to have the elders of the church determine whether Gentiles had to be circumcised before they were saved. After Peter had shared his personal testimony of God working through him to bring the good news to Cornelius, James used the prophets to explain how it was foretold that the message would be told to the Gentiles. James did not believe circumcision was necessary, but there were four laws that he felt that the Gentiles should abide by.

Acts 10:35 But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him.

Peter had just heard how Cornelius sought the Lord by prayer and fasting and how an angel told him to seek Peter. Peter understood that he was praying and God instructed him to go with the men who were seeking him. Peter is now acknowledging that it is not the color of ones skill or ones nationality that causes one to gain favor with God but that God is looking for individuals who fear HIM.

People of different races may be different from you. However, if you fear the Lord and another individual fears the Lord, you have the same Father and you have something in common. You should not allow prejudices to block your ability to do God�s will. Instead, when you come across one who believes, you should accept them with open arms.

Acts 10:2 A devout man, and one that feared God with all his house, which gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God always.

Cornelius was a Roman who dwelt among the Jews. However, because of the Jewish influence, he developed a fear of God that transcended to his entire house. Cornelius allowed his fear of the Lord to change himself. He no longer prayed to the false gods but prayed to the one true God. Cornelius changed so much that he used his abundance to help those who were less fortunate then him.

While Cornelius was a godly man and he feared the Lord, he still knew something was lacking in his life. He abstained from food for a period of time until an angel came and told Cornelius where Peter was and how to get him. When Cornelius had a need, he turned to God and God answered his prayer.

Exodus 1:17 But the midwives feared God, and did not as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the men children alive.

Pharaoh commanded Shiphrah and Puah, two Hebrew midwives, that if a male child was born to an Israelite, that they were to kill the child but if a female child was born, then they were to let her live. However, the midwives feared God and they refused to obey the commands of Pharaoh but instead allowed the male babies live. Because the midwives feared God more then man, scripture tells us that �God dealt well with the midwives� and �that he made them houses.�

I Corinthians 13:2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.

Great faith is not the ultimate achievement for you as a Christian. The Christian walk is not about just mastering one thing. Peter gave a list of eight items that he called precious promises. Faith was the first item and love was the final item. Paul listed nine different items which together result in the fruit of the spirit. In Paul�s list, love is mentioned first while faith is the seventh item mentioned. Throughout the New Testament, you will come across various lists for daily Christian living and you will find in almost every list both love and faith.

The Christian life is not about mastering just one thing. Jesus Christ your example was perfect in all areas of HIS life, not just one or two. HE is to be your example, and you have an obligation to God to not just specialize in one attribute of Christian living but must strive to allow all aspects of your life to be affected by Christ.

No one is able to maintain a balanced diet by just eating carrots. While carrots may be good for you, if that is all you ate day after day, year after year, your body would be missing several key nutrients that can be found in other food groups. It does not matter how nutritious carrots are, the longer you allow your diet of nothing but carrots, the worse off your health will be.

Faith is an important thing in the Christian�s life. Without faith, you would not be a Christian. Without faith you would not be able to hear and follow the will of God for your life. Without faith your life would not be a testimony to others that God is alive and powerful today and that HE desires to do great things through those who will but listen to HIM. However, while faith is important, you cannot strive to make faith your ultimate goal in life. Instead you must pursue all the precious promises.

It is important to demonstrate great faith in your life because it is by your faith that others will see the power of God. How can the world have a healthy fear of God absent they see the power of God in someone�s life. If you were to study the fear of the Lord, you would see many examples of individuals who did great things for the Lord and those around feared the Lord after seeing the mighty miracles.

Nonetheless, just because you are able to demonstrate the power of God, your life must also demonstrate the second greatest commandment of loving your neighbor as yourself. As Paul mentions in this passage, without love, your faith is nothing.

You should increase your faith. It will be very important for your Christian development for you to learn to have the power of God in your life at greater levels. However, do not focus on just faith at the expense of other aspects of your Christian life. The Christian walk should affect every aspect of your life. The world should see you and know that there is something different about you. While you will never be perfect, you should strive to allow God to be magnified in your life. By faith you obey God and do those things that HE instructs you to do. Faith is important, but it is not the only thing.