Confessions of a dating man. Part 1. "Fear of The Lord"

When I look at my girlfriend, (who is amazing by the way, Praise God) I see Christ and His love and power in her. I see and feel the anointing of the Holy Spirit as she speaks life and truth into my life. Oh I will talk more about this heavenly creature, full of mystery, wonder, beauty and grace later on. But there is something about a Godly woman that captivates a man, yet at the same time scares him half to death. And I mean that with the utmost respect and honor. It is a good thing.

The thought of being in a relationship has always scared the daylights out of me, and even though I am in one, it still is scary. But what is the cause of this fear? For me at least, it is the "Fear of The Lord."
It is an awesome fear, one that speaks life in truth into this almost 23year old man of God. It is good to fear God, to acknowledge His holiness, His perfectness. Now without trying to go really deep, which I probably will, I need to draw out this fear, and why it is import in the walk of a Christian.

I am sorry for sounding a bit heady here. I am a Religious Studies Major, and sometimes the academic study of religion is helpful in the explanation of biblical terms......

Father I pray, that the words that I write will give You glory, and that Your words speak through me to reach those who read this expression of my soul. Amen.

What is the "Fear of the Lord?" What does it mean?

• Robert B. Strimple says, "It is the convergence of awe, reverence, adoration, honor, worship, confidence, thankfulness, love, and fear."
• Rudolf Otto (19:17) states that the fear of the Lord can be explained as numinous, that is wholly other, which is associated with meanings such as command, or divine majesty.
• C.S. Lewis, who wrote the book "The Problem of Pain," builds upon Otto's numinous, stating that the "Fear of The Lord" is to "feel wonder and a certain shrinking" or "a sense of inadequacy to cope with such a visitant of or prostration before it".
• This is a fear of out love, love for our Father who is the great I AM.

Let us now look at some scripture to draw this out, and the benefits of fearing the Lord, who loves us unconditionally. Proverbs, to me, is the best source of explaining this "Fear of the Lord" and it does so in a simple yet so powerful way.

• Proverbs 9:10 "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding."
• Proverbs 14:26 "In the fear of the LORD there is strong confidence, And his children will have refuge."
• Proverbs 14:27 "The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, That one may avoid the snares of death."
• Proverbs 15:16 "Better a little with the fear of the LORD than great wealth with turmoil."
• Proverbs 15:33. "The fear of the LORD is the instruction for wisdom, And before honor [comes] humility."
• Proverbs 16:6 By lovingkindness and truth iniquity is atoned for, And by the fear of the LORD one keeps away from evil."

• NOTE ( Hesed- is Hebrew for Lovingkindness which equals Christ. Christ is Hesed and truth.) To me this is the nature of Christ. Hesed and Truth, what does this mean? His death, that is to say His willingness to lay down His life so that we may have life in Him and through Him, is the atonement for our iniquity. When we have a relationship with Him, and when we fear the Lord, we keep away from evil.) There is of course more going on but I wanted to present an illustration using Christ. I hope that helps, I love that word Hesed, it is one of my favoraite words.

• Proverbs 19:23 "The fear of the LORD [leads] to life, So that one may sleep satisfied, untouched by evil."

Okay, so I hope you get the point. Anyways the Holy Spirit speaks to me, and guides me in this whole relationship process.
I am spending a lot more time listening to God, which is exactly what Pastor Steven preached on this morning.
What about you? are you in a relationship with a wonderful woman of God, trying to be the Man of God that God has created and called you to be? If so, take heart, relax, and remember that God wants so badly for us to be in awe of Him, and to listen as He guides us. I mean relax in the sense not to get lazy, but to give all your fears and doubts to Him, not to Satan, the father of lies.

Proverbs 16:9
In his heart a man plans his course,
but the LORD determines his steps.

The fear of the Lord is so awesome. It builds character, builds boldness and confidence in who you are and Who's you are. I like that. Don't you?