What does it mean to fear the LORD? According to Scripture, to fear the LORD is to greatly delight in His commandments. God's Word says, "Praise the LORD! Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who greatly delights in his commandments!" (Psalms 112:1 ESV). So, when you see the phrase, "fear the LORD" in the Bible, you can substitute it with the phrase, "delight in His commandments." Delighting in His commandments is the beginning of wisdom: "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight" (Proverbs 9:10 ESV).
The person who fears the LORD will have a hunger for God's Word and search it, as a hidden treasure, for wisdom and instruction. They will obey God's Word. According to Jesus, we reveal our love for Him by obeying His commandments. Jesus said, "If you love me, you will keep my commandments" (John 14:15 ESV).
The main problem in today's society is not a lack of the Word (God's commandments). The problem is that there is a famine of hearing the Word. Amos prophesied, "'Behold, the days are coming,' declares the Lord GOD, 'when I will send a famine on the land-- not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD'" (Amos 8:11 ESV).
I believe that we are living in the days that Amos was prophesying about. It's a day when there is very little fear of the LORD, or delighting in His commandments. Many desire to delight in God's blessings, but not His commandments. Today, a preacher can build a huge church by just proclaiming God's blessings while totally ignoring the proclamation of the LORD's commandments. Sadly, that approach has been taken in some cases, and those churches have grown large in our day. They look successful because of their size, programs, and events, but the fruit has been unchanged people, neighborhoods, communities, and cities. Never attribute church success to church size. Instead, evaluate success on what is being preached. Is the fear of the LORD present? If it is present, lives are being changed, and cities impacted.
We live in the day where there are church buildings on almost every street in America and Bibles in nearly every home, but yet there are many people who do not fear the Lord; they are not delighting in His commandments. These people base right from wrong on what feels right, instead of fearing the LORD (delighting in His commandments). God's word declares these people foolish: "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction" (Proverbs 1:7 ESV).
I dream of a day when multitudes will not just delight in God's blessings, but also delight in His commandments. I pray, "Father, bring a revival that produces the fear of the LORD in our land. Amen!"
Beloved, continue to fear the LORD -- Delight greatly in His commandments. The blessings are eternal!
I am thankful that we are one day closer to the return of our Lord Jesus Christ. Media has utilized the date setting false prophets of our day to desensitize society to the reality of the return of Christ, but that does not negate its truth. I feel the Holy Spirit compelling me, more and more, to remind people that Christ is returning as He promised, and we are to always be ready.
So many in our day, both inside and outside the walls of the church building, base what is right from wrong on what feels right instead of on Scripture. They are not hearing much different coming from behind the pulpits, and they are not reading the Bible on their own. I often ask myself what Jesus would be preaching in our day. Would Jesus preach on love, grace, and joy, but neglect preaching against sin? Would He preach only about heaven or would He include the reality of a place of eternal torment for unrepentant sinners to reside? Many go to church and only hear about receiving God's blessings; this message mimics many of the popular books written today by popular pastors. What would Jesus preach? Beloved, His message has not changed. Yes, Jesus preached about the blessings of God, but He did not leave out the reality of hell for unrepentant sinners -- He preached about the consequences of sin.
Jesus preached, "Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the close of the age. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers, and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear" (Matthew 13:40-43 ESV).
The glorified Christ delivered a fiery message near the conclusion of Revelation that spells out some specific sins that will send unrepentant hearts to an eternity of torment. This message is a balance of God's grace and the consequences of sin: "It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son. But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death" (Revelation 21:6-8 ESV).
Jesus has given us everything we need to conquer our sin problem; He has given us His life, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit. To live ready for His return, which Scripture declares is imminent, we must allow Jesus to live through us; we must know and obey Scripture; and we must rely on the strength of the Holy Spirit to overcome each temptation to sin that comes our way.
In our day, may we echo the message Jesus preached from village to village -- "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel" (Mark 1:15 ESV). I pray, "Father, lift up those in our day who will preach and live this timeless message. Amen."
I wonder if we sometimes get so wrapped up in our situations that we forget who we are walking with on our journey from earth to glory. Martha did when her brother Lazarus got sick. They sent word to Jesus, but He did not come. In fact, He intentionally waited. When He finally came, Lazarus had been dead and in the grave for four days. Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died" (John 11:21 ESV).
Like Martha, our faith is tested by what we go through, and there are times when it's easy to loose faith even if it is only briefly. We may question God. Where is He in my time of need? Why is He not answering my prayers? Why do I or those I love have to go through this? Please know today that through it all, and in His grace, mercy and love, Jesus is perfecting your faith.
Martha quickly recovers and in the next breath she says to Jesus, "But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you" (John 11:22 ESV). In all appearances this seemed like a full recovery of her faith. After all, didn't she say the right thing? Maybe she did. Maybe those around heard her comment, and they thought, "What a person of faith!" Sometimes we can say the right words but be dying inside with lack of faith. Despite her words, Martha's faith was still deficient, and Jesus would need to perfect it a bit.
Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again."
Martha said to him, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day."
Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this? (John 11:23-26 ESV)
Jesus got right to the point; He wanted Martha to see that no matter how bad the situation, He is the resurrection and the life. Nothing changes that -- absolutely nothing. Jesus spoke a word that day and called her brother out of death and back into life. Lazarus came walking out of the cold, dark tomb in response to Jesus' command. Death was defeated, and life came forth out of the darkness.
Beloved, no matter how dark your situation may be today and no matter how little faith you may have, Jesus is still the resurrection and the life. He walks with us, and He talks with us. He leads us, and He guides us. He is our shepherd, and we know His voice. It's the voice that brings calm in the storm and calls life out of death. May we say as David said, "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me (Psalms 23:4 ESV)."
Let Jesus bring comfort to you today in the midst of your crises. In His grace, mercy, and love, He is perfecting the faith that He has already deposited within you. He knows just what you need and the time that you need it. He is never late. He is always right in time.
Under dark skies with the wind wildly blowing and causing the waves to be hurricane like in size and strength, they were all together in the boat. Their pulses raced with anxiety. Fear was on the verge of overpowering and overwhelming them as they frantically tried steering the vessel through the madness and the fierceness of the raging sea. They would row in one direction only to have to row in the other direction as the unrelenting, powerful winds were swirling all about them. The spray was stinging their eyes, and the waves were lapping up over the sides of the boat. The boat was taking on water, and the question of survival was racing through their minds. It was the storm of a lifetime for them and they could not rely on any past experience or self ability to get them through it.
The one they had been following had stayed on the land to spend time in prayer. Jesus had known that the storm was coming when He sent them to go across the sea, but they had to learn to trust Him, even when they did not see or feel His presence. They would have to expend all of their self before they could realize that He was all that they truly needed.
Jesus came to them in the darkest, most alarming hour of their storm, and He came in the most surprising way -- walking on top of the rough sea. As Jesus got close to the boat, the disciples were frightened. Jesus said to them, "It is I; do not be afraid." Then they were glad to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going" (John 6:20-21 ESV).
As I studied the account of Jesus walking on the water in the Gospels (Matthew 14:22-33, Mark 6:45-52, John 6:16-21), the Holy Spirit revealed to me the actions of Jesus that will help us as we trust Him during our storms of life: Jesus was watching out for His followers even when they did not realize it; Jesus was not threatened by the storm; Jesus rose above the storm and became prominent in the midst of it; Jesus gave them comfort; and Jesus got them safely through the storm. As Jesus spent time in prayer that night while the disciples toiled in the storm, I imagine that they were the focus of His prayers.
Jesus has not changed; He cares and watches over His followers just the same today coming to us and making His presence known in all the chaos, confusion, anxiety, fear, worry, and depression the storms of life can bring our way. Sometimes it's in the last half hour of the storm, but He always comes right in time. It may be in surprising ways, but He will come to us; He is never far away from His followers.
Beloved, Jesus knows what you are going through today and is constantly interceding to the Father on your behalf. He is making a way out and before you know it, He will have you safe and sound on solid ground. Don't let the fear of the storm overpower or overwhelm you. Jesus is teaching you to trust Him in all situations and to rely on His grace and peace that He freely gives to those who will receive. Everything around you may be falling apart, but you can rest assure that Jesus is on the way!
Recently, I was contacted by a man in Texas who had lost his business, home, wife, and children in the last seven years; he was unemployed and homeless. He told me that the devil wanted him to kill himself, but he knew that the devil was a liar and that he would trust Jesus to bring him through. So many precious people are in similar situations.
I have a word of encouragement today that is fresh from the Lord. It is for all who are found in seemingly hopeless situations, or may be in one tomorrow, next week, next month, next year... Please share it with those you know.
Right before he was murdered by a group of religionists who thought they were doing God a favor, Stephen told them, "But as the time of the promise drew near, which God had granted to Abraham, the people increased and multiplied in Egypt until there arose over Egypt another king who did not know Joseph. He dealt shrewdly with our race and forced our fathers to expose their infants, so that they would not be kept alive. At this time Moses was born… (Acts 7:17-20 ESV)"
God had raised Joseph up out of a seemingly hopeless situation. His brothers were jealous of him, selling him into slavery, staging his death, and reporting back to their father the lie that Joseph was killed. Later in life, still separated from his family by this lie, Joseph would be falsely accused and imprisoned for something he did not do. God was always working in Joseph's life and situations though, and in God's timing, Joseph was freed from prison and lifted up to a high position in government where he was reunited with his father and brothers, which would prove to save their lives. Joseph's leadership in the government preserved two entire nations -- Egypt and Israel -- from sure death and destruction due to years of famine.
Stephen reminds the religious death squad he is facing of an important piece of their history that was 400 years after Joseph's life -- the birth of Moses. The current king did not know Joseph and he mistreated the ancestors of both Stephen and his persecutors, enslaving them, beating them, starving them, and using them to build comfortable cities and palaces for the Egyptian king and his race. "At this time Moses was born" -- as I read those words, the Holy Spirit quickens them to my heart. You see beloved, God was not caught off guard and without a plan to bring His people through their seemingly hopeless situation. It may not have been quick enough for them, but it was right in time -- God's timing -- and another deliver, like Joseph, was born. Moses would go on to face his own seemingly impossible situations which would include murder and bare existence on the back side of a desert for 40 years tending sheep, but in God's time he was raised up to deliver millions of people from the bonds of slavery. God was working all along.
Beloved, God is working now; He is at work in the midst of our seemingly hopeless situations. When we can not see a way out, God is preparing a way out. We don't have to see it. We are required simply to trust Him. For Stephen's ancestors, God gave Joseph and Moses. For us, God has given Jesus. Place your trust in Jesus today; fix your eyes on Him; follow Him. He will get you through this seemingly hopeless situation, the next one, and every one. There may be a dry patch along the way, or even a dusty, hot desert, and you may get tired and thirsty, but you can always count on Him to get you through. He is working on your behalf. He is never late. He is right on time -- God's timing.
During those times when life does not seem to be working out, feeling as if life could have been different, failing to see our impact on others not to mention the world, wishing we had not even been born, we need to realize that it truly is a wonderful life. It's hard to see this throughout the entire year as we deal with the ups and downs of life regardless of the calendar. It doesn't have to be just at Christmas time as in the climatic scene in the classic movie, It's a Wonderful Life, when George Bailey, played by the one and only James "Jimmy" Stewart, found himself in a situation that seemed impossible. George was contemplating ending his life, wishing he had never been born, failing to realize that his life had impacted so many in positive ways until he was shown by an unlikely source, Clarence Odbody (Angel, Second Class) played by Henry Travers, that if he had not been born the people of Bedford Falls would not have had such a wonderful life.
Through it all, the movie projects that God had a purpose for George Bailey and was working through him to help others in ways that would not have materialized if George had not been born. The Bailey house had a merry Christmas that year because God, answering the prayers of people who loved George, sent a messenger to show George his worth just in time.
It's a Wonderful Life is a great movie recognized by the American Film Institute as one of the 100 best American films ever made. In our house, my family and I have traditionally watched it on Christmas Eve although it is a good movie to be watched any time of the year. Because of that tradition, when I think of characters of Christmas, George Bailey is one who pops into my mind.
I wrote my first book, The Characters of Christmas: God at Work in our Lives, to encourage people to realize that God is always working in our lives, even if we can not see it or feel it. The book is not about fictitious characters from a movie, like George Bailey, and it's not just a Christmas book or a book to be read at Christmas time. In the book I take real life characters and show how God worked in their life while making it relevant to each reader by showing how God is working in us, no matter what we are going through in life.
Please know today that you have value. You are favored by God. He allowed you to be born for a purpose. He is working in your life. He is working in your seemingly impossible situation. As you realize this, you will realize that it truly is a wonderful life. You don't have to wait till the Christmas season to read the book. It will speak to you no matter what season of the year or season of life that you find yourself in today. I've prayed that God will use the book as a messenger showing readers and those they recommend it to their worth. With some it will be just in time.
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, to encourage people to realize that God is always working in our lives, even if we can not see it or feel it. The book is not about fictitious characters from a movie, like George Bailey, and it's not just a Christmas book or a book to be read at Christmas time. In the book I take real life characters and show how God worked in their life while making it relevant to each reader by showing how God is working in us, no matter what we are going through in life. 
