THE RIGHT KIND OF FEAR
- Key Verse
Fearing the Lord leads to life,
and one who does so will live satisfied; he will not be afflicted by calamity.
(Proverbs 19:23)
READ THE PASSAGE
Central Truth
When you fear the Lord, you do not have to fear anything else!
Reflections
I struggle with trusting God. Trusting that He is bigger and better than anything my finite little mind can come up with. Many times I find myself pursuing things that I think will bring me life. Often, I look to people, my job, movies, books, or the latest and greatest trend for my happiness. I start to think that by pleasing people, looking perfect, telling the best story, or possessing material items, I will be fulfilled and free. I care more about what others think and how they perceive me than what God thinks of me. This is dangerous because I’m essentially saying that I fear these outside things more than I trust the Lord. Even though I have had a relationship with the Lord for many years, I have put people, performance, and possessions at the center of my life instead of Christ. And this has never brought me freedom, contentment, or peace. Instead, it has brought heartache, depression, burdens, lies, and more fear into my life.
The Lord is teaching me, however, what it looks like to turn these fears over to Him. He has been gracious to meet me in the middle of these wrong thought processes. The Lord has shown me through His Word that when I put Christ at the center of my life, everything else that I fear pales by comparison. He does not want me to be burdened by the bondage of slavery (Galatians 5:1), which for me looks like living in fear of man. But the Bible tells me that “Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe.” (Proverbs 29:25, NIV)
How amazing is it that by fearing the Lord, we do not have to fear anything else! Fearing Him leads to being in awe of who He is and what He has done for us. When my focus is on thanking, praising, and trusting the Lord, I am filled with the peace of God that transcends all understanding. (Philippians 4:7)
Discussion Questions
1. Are you trusting the Lord today with every part of your life? Or are you trying to hold on to what the world says will give you life and happiness?2. What does fearing the Lord mean to you? What passages of Scripture help you understand what it means to fear the Lord?
3. What idols do you have in your life that keep you from experiencing the freedom that Christ promises? (Galatians 5:1)
jeremy
July 6, 2009 04:38 AM
Brilliant bio, Katrina! I love your honesty.
Robert
July 6, 2009 06:19 AM
What a great reminder of making sure we have the right kind of Fear and the reminder from Ph 4:7. Appreciate you sharing.
Steve Faris
July 6, 2009 07:46 AM
That bio was great! Loved the naming of the "kids" :). Too funny. Continue in your place of trust and faith. Stay in the adventure where God has you by moving into places where only God is able to meet the demands that arise. In those places, there is only One whom you must fear - and that One is good - "Selah", as the psalmists say. Keep up the heart behind your words...way to go..and again...that bio is the first laugh I had this day. Hoot. Thnx for the sense of humor.
Joel
July 6, 2009 08:01 AM
That's just genius. The commentary was good, but the bio was the best!! Well done!!
Jay Burns
July 6, 2009 08:09 AM
Well, that was one of my favorite bios ever ! I laughed out loud....however the point you are making in your devo is not a new one to me and probably not to many who read today's journey...but the way you explained it and defined it touched me this am. I am a little older than you...OK...a lot older than you and know better, but I still wrestle with the thorns and distractions of life and the lies of the devil....thanks for reminding me and encouraging me this am...by the way, my family dog died 40 years ago and I still haven't replaced it.
Jeff Ward
July 6, 2009 08:34 AM
Katrina - you're a blessing to work with. Your devo is definitely a reminder that "there is no other way, but to trust and obey". Love this quote that I read this morning... “There is no other honor equal to the estimate of truthfulness and righteousness with which we honor him whom we trust. Could we ascribe to a man anything greater than truthfulness and righteousness and perfect goodness? On the other hand, there is no way we can show greater contempt for a man than to regard him as false and wicked and to be suspicious of him, as we do when we do not trust him. So when the soul firmly trusts God’s promises, it regards him as truthful and righteous. Nothing more excellent than this can be ascribed to God. The very highest worship of God is this that we ascribe to him truthfulness, righteousness, and whatever else should be ascribed to one who is trusted.” - Martin Luther, On Christian Liberty (Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg Fortress, 2003), 16.
Ryan H
July 6, 2009 08:42 AM
Thanks for the reminder! I too frequently fall victim to the rut of pleasing man over serving Christ.
Kim A.
July 6, 2009 09:03 AM
Excellent bio, excellent devo!
Marcia Penuel
July 6, 2009 09:29 AM
Great "Journey" entry, Katrina - thanks for sharing!
Colin Lardner
July 6, 2009 11:01 AM
Awesome. Thank you for the honesty. Hilarious bio and exceptionally honest and truthful devo. We are idol making factories and a great reminder that if we confess our sins He is faithful and just.
Ann Holford
July 6, 2009 01:55 PM
Your honest description of what you care about/fear most describes all of us. Thanks for bringing truth into the meaningless things we run after! And loved the bio!!
Beth L
July 6, 2009 03:49 PM
Thanks Kat for your journal entry. Very timely for me to read that :) Love ya girl!
Nancy Allen
July 7, 2009 05:34 AM
God greatly used your devotional! I had lunch with a struggling friend and told her your funny bio which opened her heart to hear as I told her what the rest of the devotional said. She is a pivotal place of needing to decide about honoring Him first or choosing slavery. Thanks for the verse references they went together so well.. Thank you! Nancy
Page Young
July 7, 2009 02:40 PM
WOW !!!!! You touched my heart deeply. How wise you are in God's word to be so wonderfully young. Thank you for your insight, I can only pray that I keep this wisdom very close to the front of my mind....slavery has always been there before..