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The word “Fear” usually causes an unpleasant stir in us with whatever subject matter it is associated with. Many may even associate fear with only things that are bad, horrible, or scary. In many cases, this is understandable and I would agree with these premises.
However, I am here to lay out a different outlook on Fear. Before I get into the crux of what I want to discuss, let’s lay out scenarios where Fear is extremely beneficial. Some of these examples will be common sense, but the common-sense part of it is not what I want to focus on. Instead, I want to stay focused on how the actual emotion of Fear is what makes these scenarios make sense. It’s the emotion of fear that helps us in each scenario. For instance, why do we make decisions like staying away from a downed electrical wire? We know the result of this could kill us, sure, but the reason we stay away is the actual fear of it killing us. Why do we lock our doors at night? Is it because we know an intruder will enter our home and try to harm us if we don’t, or is it the fear that this could occur? It’s obviously the fear because leaving a door unlocked doesn’t guarantee an intruder will enter the home. Why do we watch our kids while they swim when they are young? It’s because we fear something bad might happen to them if we are not watching them. I could use example after example of where Fear is a very positive emotion to have. One that helps us make very intelligent, sound decisions that have very positive results in our lives.
I have mentioned in previous blogs about the healthy fear of my father and his discipline growing up. The reason that fear was very healthy is because it kept me out of trouble. Not only that, but it also helped shape certain things in me such as hard work, being truthful, finishing what you start and not quitting, being respectful, being honest and honorable, the importance of keeping commitments, and trying always to do the right thing. If I didn’t have a healthy fear of my father’s upbringing who knows where I would be. Why does a child, who gets no discipline in his home, end up getting into deep trouble out in the real world? Because they never feared discipline growing up. Therefore, Fear was never there to stop them from doing things that got them into trouble.
I have seen interviews after interviews with inmates who are incarcerated for some of the worst crimes a human can commit. They testify to the one thing they wish they had growing up. Almost without fail, they bring up that they didn’t have loving parents who cared enough to discipline them. Many of them testify that, if they did, they are confident they would not have ended up in prison. Why do they think this? Because their parents would have instilled a Fear of their discipline in them which would have helped them make the right decisions over the ones they ultimately made. I would argue one of the true differences between those inmates and me, is the healthy fear I had for my father’s loving discipline.
I will take this one step further before I get to the heart of what I want to discuss. The most dangerous prisons are ones where the inmates are either on death row or in prison for life with no chance of parole. Why is this? Because at that point, sadly, those inmates no longer have any Fear of any consequences. Why is it so dangerous to be a corrections officer in these prisons? Again, because the inmates incarcerated there have no Fear of any consequences. When there is no fear of consequences that is when the worst behaviors can flourish. At that point, there is nothing more to be afraid of. Once Fear is removed, evil can run amuck…and it does!
I say all of that to get to the real heart of the matter when it comes to Fear. The Bible tells us many things about Fear. The Bible lays out one very important truth about Fear and how beneficial it is to us. The correlation between what the Bible tells us about Fear and everything I laid out above is incredibly accurate and quite outstanding. The book of Proverbs is a fascinating book that speaks to being wise and what it takes to have wisdom. In the first chapter, Proverbs 1:7 (NIV) says, “The FEAR of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.” It then goes on to say in verse 8, “Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.” How do those verses ring true to the inmates in prisons that I mentioned earlier or to the examples of my own life I gave you as well? Proverbs 9:10 also states, “The FEAR of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” I would encourage you to look up the word Fear and the subject of Fear in the Bible and how it is used and described. Ultimately, what we learn is Fear is not only very healthy but intelligent for us when we Fear God. A lack of Fear of God allows evil to rule the day. It’s that simple.
So why must we Fear God to have wisdom? To me, it’s very simple. If we Fear the God who made us, then we will listen to what He tells us about who we are, why we are here, what is right and pleasing to Him, and what He tells us about eternal consequences of a life without Him. We will Fear his discipline of us. We will fear His wrath which will lead us down the road of trying to follow Him…to submitting our life to Him. We will understand the only way to Him is through salvation in Jesus Christ. It will keep us from evil as we listen to God’s counsel. It will keep us from our sins and the eternal consequences we face because of our sins. It will help us in our battle against the evil one who wants nothing more than to steal your soul away from God. Ultimately, Fear of the Lord has eternal rewards whereas a lack of Fear of the Lord will have eternal consequences.
I hope that you will highly consider looking at Fear in a very different way if you thought of the word Fear only in terms of something nightmarish or horrible. Instead, I would hope what you take from this is that Fear is the start of wisdom when you have Fear of the God who made you!
My hope for all of us, myself included, is to Be Wise…Fear ONE!
Have Character!
J. Noah Russell
HAVE CHARACTER™
