Most religions are fear based. They set up their own rituals, laws and practices. Religion teaches people to form a relationship based on man’s work rather than based on God’s gift, Jesus. These man-made religions define specific behaviors, traits and attitudes one must abide by. If an individual does not meet these standards they are subject to be condemned, shamed or excluded from the group. These fear tactics set by religions have been taught from generation to generation, passed down blindly.
The blind leading the blind.
Religion has allowed people to live a facade by pretending to be something they are not. These practices have caused individuals to act one way in front of believers but live differently behind closed doors. Religion is founded on fear to ensure that people do not break away from these worldly traditions. They tell you what is acceptable to eat, wear or how to spend your time. Yet, they don’t show you God’s truth and ways. Religion keeps people trapped in a cult mindset.
Here’s the catch . . . God knows the heart.
Do you serve God out of love? Is your worship from the heart? Do you feel at peace in prayer or remorse in repentance? Are you filled with joy when giving thanks to The Lord? Are you a cheerful giver? Do you seek God in the midst of trouble or express gratitude when blessings come? Do you have a relationship with Jesus? If you serve God out of love than the answers to each of these questions will be YES.
Do you serve God out of fear? Do you attend church because you are forced? Do you pray in disbelief ? Do you confess your sins and continue the same sinful behaviors? Are you living with secrets? Do you feel that you would be judged by others? Have you participated in religious practices but don’t really understand why? If you serve God out of fear than the answer to any of these questions would be YES.
The fear of The Lord is the foundation of wisdom. Just as any parent/child relationship there is a healthy dose of fear. Fear of God is knowing who HE is. God is the creator of the Universe. He knew you before you were born. He designed a path of prosperity for your life. His ways are good and perfect. Fearing The Lord is knowing His power and abilities. God’s ways are not our ways and His thoughts are not our thoughts.
Serving God out of fear will produce bad fruit. Repetitive prayer, lack of knowledge or worshipping false idols can stem from serving God out of fear. God doesn’t want us to serve him out of fear, he wants us to serve him from our hearts with genuine intent. The good news is … God still loves you and you have the ability to seek him. In today’s prayer, ask God to reveal to you the ways of which you are serving him. It is never too late to transform your mind and renew your heart. Let’s start serving God out of Love with a foundation of fear!
Great post. I believe when people interpret “Fear of The Lord” the automatically go to a place of being afraid of what God will do if we sin. To fear God is less about punishment and more about submission. If you Fear the Lord you are saying that I am submissive or obedient to Him. A God-Fearing man or woman is one who is submitted to God. The Word of God says, “And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world. Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love.” (1 John 4:17-18) So you’re right. We should not fear the Lord in the traditional sense. We should, however, submit to Him. Many Blessings to you. I enjoyed the read.