Fearing God - #270

When you hear the phrase “fear of God,” what comes to mind? 

Transcript

When you hear the phrase “fear of God,” what comes to mind? For many of us, that phrase feels a little uncomfortable. It can sound harsh; even intimidating. However, the fear of the Lord does not involve living in dread of God, and it is not a casual respect. Those who fear the Lord see Him clearly.

Welcome to The Point of Purity Podcast—a weekly Bible study packed with practical truth from God’s Word to help you pursue lasting purity, spiritual integrity, and genuine freedom in Christ. I’m your host Steve Etner – author, Certified Professional Mentor TM and Purity Coach for The Pure Man Ministry and this is Episode #270 – join me as I begin a powerful series on “Fearing God.” 

When you begin to truly see God for who He is—His holiness, His authority, His power, His goodness—it changes something inside you. It reshapes the way you think, the way you live, and the way you relate to Him.

This series is not just about understanding the fear of God as a concept but learning how it actually works its way into everyday life. The fear of the Lord is not meant to be a theological category; it is meant to shape your heart.

You see, the fear of the Lord starts with where we place our attention. When we intentionally fix our thoughts on God (who He is, what He has done, and what He says) our understanding of Him begins to grow. We start seeing Him more clearly.

As that clarity grows, our hearts respond. We start lifting Him higher, exalting Him far above our circumstances, above our fears … above ourselves. Exaltation is simply agreeing with the truth about who God is and giving Him His rightful place in our lives.

When we truly see God and begin to exalt Him, awe naturally follows. We are no longer just thinking about God; we are moved by Him. His holiness, His power, His wisdom, His grace and mercy begin to stir something deep within us.

Here’s something powerful: Awe does not stop at admiration—it leads to reverence. Reverence is the response of a heart bowing before God. It is the way we choose to live as we recognize that we are always in His holy presence. Reverence shapes our attitudes, our decisions, and our obedience.

Here’s the progression … When you see God clearly, you will lift Him higher. When you lift Him higher, you will stand in awe of His majesty. And when awe settles into your heart, reverence becomes the way you live.

The fear of the Lord is not something God asks of us to make life harder, but something He invites us into because it leads to blessing. Over and over again, Scripture connects the fear of the Lord with wisdom, joy, stability, peace, and with a deepening relationship with God Himself.

As Christians, fearing God anchors us. In a world that constantly pulls our attention in a hundred different directions, in a culture that encourages us to center everything around ourselves, in moments where anxiety, and uncertainty try to take over, the fear of the Lord realigns us. It reminds us of who God is and who we are, bringing everything else back into proper perspective.

Understanding God creates transformation. When the fear of the Lord takes root in your life, it begins to show up everywhere. It changes how you think. It changes how you respond to pressure. It changes how you handle success and failure. It changes how you pray, how you worship, and how you make decisions. It shapes your private life just as much as your public one. You begin to live with a steady awareness: God is here. 

The goal of this podcast is to help you see God more clearly.  If you can begin to see Him as He truly is then the rest will follow. Your heart will respond. Your perspective will shift. Over time, your life will begin to reflect that reality.

As we walk through this series together, I invite you to let the truth from Scripture settle deep into your heart. Let it challenge you. Let it reshape the way you think about God. Because the fear of the Lord is not something to avoid, but something to embrace. Learning to live in the fear of the Lord may be one of the most important and life-giving journeys you will ever take.

Fearing God is not presented in Scripture as an optional spiritual “extra” for the particularly devoted believer. It is not something reserved for a few mature Christians, or for people who are exceptionally serious about their faith. The Bible actually speaks about it as something every follower of God is called to do.

Simply put, fearing the Lord is not just a suggestion—it is a command. Throughout Scripture, God calls His people to live with this kind of reverence toward Him. As we walk through this study together, we are not just exploring an interesting idea or a theological concept. We are looking at something God Himself tells His people to embrace as part of their relationship with Him.

For example, Jesus said, “Don’t be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot touch your soul. Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matthew 10:28 NLT).

Jesus is making a clear distinction here. He is saying not to center your fear on people who can only affect your physical body. Instead, place your fear where it truly belongs—with the holy, sovereign, righteous, majestic God, who has ultimate authority over both your body and your soul. But notice what He is doing. He is not trying to stir up anxiety in you. He is actually correcting your focus. He is helping you see reality more clearly so you can be freed from those fears that were never meant to control your life in the first place.

We waste emotional energy worrying about people. We dwell on what they think of us, whether they approve of us, what they might say behind our backs, how they might react if we stand firm in our convictions, or what we might lose if we do not go along with the crowd. Reputation, comfort, opportunities, relationships—those things can feel incredibly powerful. But Jesus gently confronts that tendency, telling us our fears are misplaced. Human power is limited. It is temporary. People may be able to affect circumstances for a while, but they cannot determine eternity. God’s authority, on the other hand, is ultimate. It extends beyond this life and into forever.

Fearing God does not mean shrinking back in dread. It means recognizing His character and attributes; understanding that He is holy, sovereign, and that your life, your soul, your future, your eternity are all ultimately in His hands. Once that truth settles into your heart, it begins to recalibrate everything. When God becomes the One you take most seriously, other fears start to shrink.

This becomes very practical in everyday life. When you feel the temptation to stay quiet about your faith because someone might mock you, you focus on God because His opinion is what truly matters. When you are pressured at work to compromise your integrity in order to protect your position, you begin to value obedience to God over the approval of man. When telling the truth might cost you socially or professionally, you choose faithfulness over comfort.

In other words, fearing God reshapes the way you make decisions. Instead of asking first, “What protects me?” you begin asking, “What honors Him?” Success stops being defined by applause, popularity, or personal security. Instead, success is defined by godly obedience. Your life shifts from chasing temporary pleasure to experiencing the blessing of living daily in alignment with eternal truth.

This kind of fear actually produces trust. You do not obey Him because you are terrified of Him; you obey Him because you trust Him. You know His authority is inseparable from His goodness.

Let’s take a look at one more Scripture verse in this episode. 

“O fear the Lord, you His saints; for those who fear Him lack nothing” (Psalm 34:9 NASB’95).

That simple statement has a lot of depth packed into it. When the psalmist calls us to fear the Lord, he is talking about taking God seriously enough to trust Him completely. We are commanded to live with a steady awareness that God truly is who He says He is.

The second half of the verse explains why that matters: “those who fear Him lack nothing.” The psalmist is showing us what grows out of this kind of reverence. When you order your life around God—when you daily choose to listen to His voice, respect His ways, and depend on His provision—you are not left empty. That does not mean every desire is fulfilled or that every season of life feels easy. But it does mean that God commits Himself to caring for those who truly honor Him. You can always trust Him to provide what genuinely matters.

Fearing God is evident in where you place your confidence. When financial pressure rises, the fear of the Lord leads you toward trust instead of panic. When the future feels uncertain, the fear of the Lord God steadies your heart, so you lean into His character rather than scrambling to control everything yourself. And when obedience feels costly, fearing God reminds you that being right with Him is far safer than protecting your own comfort.

This kind of fear reshapes how you think about security. The world tells you that security comes from accumulating more; more money, more influence, more guarantees. But Scripture keeps pointing us in a different direction. True security grows out of a deepening relationship with the Lord. As a Christian, you are not ultimately sustained by what you can gather for yourself; you are fulfilled by the God who promises to care for you. His presence becomes your sufficiency.

Practically speaking, this invites some honest reflection. Where do you typically tend to rely on yourself instead of God? Fearing the Lord loosens your grip on self-reliance and concentrates your heart on Him. It calls you to obey even when the outcomes are not fully clear, believing that God’s way will never leave you lacking what is truly best.

It also protects your heart from comparison and envy. When others seem to have more, achieve more, or possess more, the fear of the Lord reminds you that fullness is not measured by what you see in someone else’s life. If you walk in reverence and trust before God, you are already held securely in His faithful care.

Psalm 34:9 quietly shifts our perspective. The fear of the Lord does not lead to scarcity, but to sufficiency. When God is honored as your highest authority and your deepest trust, you begin to realize something beautiful: He Himself is your provision. When you have Him, you truly lack nothing your soul needs.

Alright, we’re going to hit the pause button here until next week’s episode. But before we wrap up, if today’s study on integrity challenged or encouraged you, I’d love for you to take the next step.

Head over to ThePurityCoach.com and check out the resources we’ve made available through The Pure Man Ministry to help men all over the world pursue purity, integrity, and real freedom in Christ.

And one resource I especially want to point you to today is my book, “Are You a Super Man? Becoming God’s Man of Steel,” available right now on Amazon.

This is a 12-week men’s Bible study designed to help you become the man God has called you to be in a world that is increasingly anti-God, anti-Christ, and anti-Bible. And yes—we use the Superman illustration throughout the study, because just like Superman draws his strength from the sun, you and I draw our spiritual strength from staying close to the SON of God, Jesus Christ.

The closer your relationship with Christ becomes, the stronger you’ll stand against temptation, compromise, and the attacks of the enemy. James 4:7 reminds us that when we submit ourselves to God and resist the devil, he will flee from us.

But let’s be honest—we all have Kryptonite. We all have weaknesses, temptations, and struggles the enemy loves to use against us. And when we toy around with those things, it weakens our walk with God and our ability to stand firm in the fight. That’s exactly what this study helps you confront.

In “Are You a Super Man? Becoming God’s Man of Steel,” you’ll learn how to identify your spiritual Kryptonite, guard your heart, grow stronger in your relationship with Christ, and become a man of integrity who stands firm in the middle of spiritual warfare.

So here’s my challenge: don’t just listen to truth—take action. Go to Amazon.com today and pick up your copy of “Are You a Super Man? Becoming God’s Man of Steel.” Or simply search my name, Steve Etner, and check out the other books the Lord has allowed me to write.

Well, if you have not yet subscribed to this podcast, let me encourage you to do so today so you won’t miss any of our upcoming episodes! So, until next time this is Steve Etner – author, Certified Professional Mentor TM and Purity Coach for The Pure Man Ministry – reminding you that if you are going to glorify God in your everyday living, He must first be glorified in your every moment thinking.