Not long ago, one of the highest compliments an individual could receive was to be called a God-fearing person. Today, to say that an individual is a God-fearing person would bring ridicule and scorn. As Christians, we must not lose touch with how important fearing God is to our spiritual success.

Defining the Fear of God

• “Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him” (Psalm 33:8). In this passage the Psalmist defines the fear of the Lord as “standing in awe of Him.” Having the fear of God is to have an awesome reverence of Him due to His being the glorious Person that He is. We are overwhelmed when we think of His greatness—His infinite knowledge and power, His complete sovereignty, His holiness, justice and goodness. We are nothing compared to Him. He is awesome and being aware of that fact produces awe and reverence for Him.

• A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If then I am a father, where is my honor? And if I am a master, where is my fear? (Malachi 1:6). The Lord teaches us what it is to fear Him by using two earthly examples. A child is to honor their father. A servant is to fear their master. Honor and fear come from recognizing authority. The child is not equal to their father neither is the slave equal to their master. God is both our Father and Master. We are to honor and respect Him due to His rightful authority over us. This is another part of fearing God.

• I tell you my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do. But I will warn you whom to fear: fear Him who, after He has killed , has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear Him! (Luke 12:4-5). If someone put a shotgun to our head it would be normal for us to fear that person because our life is in their hands. Just as we would tremble in the presence of one who could take our life, Jesus taught us to fear the Lord and more so. Jesus says that another human might be able to kill your physical body but they cannot kill your soul. God, on the other hand, can not only kill us physically but He has the power and authority to destroy our soul in hell. He can make us suffer for eternity and that should cause us to have a fear of God!

There is a difference in fearing God and fearing man. It is natural to run away from another human being that we are afraid of. However, our fear of God should not cause us to run away from Him but to run to Him. Our fear of God should cause us to desire to draw closer to Him. Yes, He can punish us in hell, but He is the only One who can save us from hell. He is the One who offers us salvation. In Psalm 103:10-12 we read, “He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His steadfast love toward those who fear Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does He remove our transgressions from us.”

How to Show Our Fear of God

Let’s consider how we can show that we are a God-fearing person:

• Seek Divine Instruction: “Surely you will fear Me; you will accept correction” (Zephaniah 3:7). The first thing we can do to show our fear of God is to seek and accept instruction from Him. Our awe of God’s infinite knowledge and wisdom should make us want look to Him to see how we should live our lives. Furthermore, our honor and respect for Him should motivate us to want to learn how to live so that we can be pleasing to Him. God will teach us how to live so that we can live a happy and successful life. “Who is the man who fears the Lord? Him will He instruct in the way that He should choose” (Psalm 25:12).

• Obey God’s Will: It is not enough just to learn what the commandments of God are. We must put the things that we learn into practice. “Oh that they had such a mind as this always, to fear Me and to keep all My commandments, that it might go well with them and with their descendants forever!” (Deuteronomy 5:29). “Praise the Lord! Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who greatly delights in His commandments!” (Psalm 112:1). “The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man” (Ecclesiastes 12:13).

• Hate and Depart Evil: It is not only important to obey God and follow His commandments but we need to show the fear of God by avoiding evil. We will not avoid evil unless we first hate it. “The fear of the Lord is hatred of evil” (Proverbs 8:13). Here is a reason why some Christians still have sin dominating their lives: They are in love with it! Have you reached a point where you hate evil? Or do you flirt with sin and continue to be corrupted by it? Instead of hating evil do you spend your time and money filling your mind with evil? If we truly fear God we will hate evil in all its forms. “Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil” (Proverbs 3:7).

Based on these points, are you a God-fearing person? If you are, that fear is not in vain. Living your life in the fear of God will lead to an eternal reward. “The reward for humility and fear of the Lord is riches and honor and life” (Proverbs 22:6).

Did you know that there is another kind of atheist? An intellectual atheist will openly say, “I do not believe that there is a God.” While I completely disagree with them, I do appreciate their honesty; I can respect someone who is honest. The other kind of atheist is known as a “practical atheist.” A practical atheist says “I believe that God exists,” all the while living a life that is opposite of how God would have them to live. It is one thing to quote, “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added to you”, but another to actually seek His kingdom first. Are you living your life with God in first place or are you living as though He does not exist? If God is not first in your life, He is not in your life at all. God does not accept second place; by not making Him first, you deny His existence altogether. Jesus said, “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money” (Matthew 6:24).

If you are living your life how you please and are following after every desire of your heart without consulting God’s will for your life, you are a “practical atheist”; this is a dangerous and spiritually deadly way to live.

So, let me ask the question again: are you an atheist?