Jordan Peterson is a brilliant psychologist and deep thinker. When asked if he believes in God he replies: ”I live my life as if God is real.”  Then he explains what he means: He operates as if there is an all powerful God who is watching everything he does and will hold him accountable for any harm he causes others. From what I have learned, that is a pretty decent start.

So what is a fear of God?

Fear of God is a reverent deep respect and commitment to action we get once we embrace an image of God as the ultimate supreme being who:

1. Invested energy to create this place
2. Sent His son to save us form sin
3. Put us here at this time and this place for a reason
4. Knows everything we think, say, and do
5. Will hold us accountable for how we have lived this life
6. Determines how and where we will spend eternity

There are several aspects of accountability addressed in the bible: Judgement, Salvation, and Sanctification.  They are often blurred together but I find it useful to look at them individually and then see how they connect.   

Let’s build up the image from scripture.

Works and Judgement –  Accountable

God is omnipresent – He is everywhere watching everything you do

“The eyes of the Lord are in every place, Watching the evil and the good.” (Proverbs 15:3)

“You scrutinize my path and my lying down, and are intimately acquainted with all my ways.” (Psalm 139:3)

You will be held accountable for how you live your life – what you think, say, do, and intend.

 “So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.” (Romans 14:12)

What you do matters: Your “works”

“And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.” (Hebrews 4:13)

“And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books.” (Revelation 20:12)

What you say matters:

“But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” (Matthew 12:36-37)

“Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit.” (Proverbs 18:21)

Your purposeful thoughts matter:

“…whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Matthew 5:27-28)

The intentions in your heart matter even more:

“Keep your heart with all diligence,
For out of it spring the issues of life.” (Proverbs 4:23)

“I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.” (Jeremiah 17:10)

“A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.” (Luke 6:45)

It is clear from this series of verses, that works matter.  That what you think, say and chose to do matters. This is not talking about salvation,  this is talking about sanctification – purifying. Rooting out any evil that remains in you, aligning you with God’s agenda for you, positioning you to be useful for His kingdom. 

“For this is the will of God, your sanctification…” (1 Thessalonians 4:3-6)

“But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honor and some for dishonor. Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work. (2 Timothy 2:20-21)

Sin and Salvation – Faith:

God set expectations of right and wrong for you:

“‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'” Matthew 22:37-39)

Deviating from God’s commandments is a sin, it is breaking His divine law.

“Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness. (1 John 3:4)

Sin has consequences, those who break the law earn punishment.

“The wages of sin are death” (Romans 6:23)

Everyone has sinned, All fall short

“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23)

“None is righteous, no, not one” (Romans 3:10) 

 “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. (1 John 1:8)

You can not save yourself from sin, you need a savior

“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9)

Jesus is the savior, Believe in him and be saved.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16) 

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)

“And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)

Salvation is a matter of faith. You must believe that you are a sinner condemned to death and eternity in hell.  You must believe Jesus is God’s son, He came here in human form as a baby, Lived and died for you on the cross, and is resurrected and is now at the right hand of the Father fulfilling the scriptures. Once you have this knowledge in your mind, need to make a conscious decision to accept Him as your lord and savior in your heart and ask forgivness of your sins. this decision becomes faith when you choose to take action and confess it with your mouth. Once you have converted knowledge into faith by taking action, You have opened the door for Him to come in through grace and begin to do His work in you.   

“…if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9) 

Why is a fear of God important? 

Fear of God is the beginning of a process, it provides motivation for you to invest your energy to learn about God, to understand  His expectations for you, and to draw you onto His desired path.

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” (Proverbs 9:10)

Learning about God requires an investment. It comes from reading the bible, listening to sermons, purposefully thinking and interpreting the messages. The big change happens when you ask God in earnest to help you gain understand and discern the truth; You will need a way to capture all He tells you. You then need to reflect on what you are learning, embrace the truth in your heart, and apply the truth in your life.

“My son, if you receive my words,
And treasure my commands within you,
So that you incline your ear to wisdom,
And apply your heart to understanding;
Yes, if you cry out for discernment,
And lift up your voice for understanding,
If you seek her (wisdom) as silver,
And search for her (wisdom) as for hidden treasures;
Then you will understand the fear of the Lord,
And find the knowledge of God.” (Proverbs 2:1-5)

“If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.” (James 1:5)

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you” (Matthew 7:7)

Once your fear of the lord brings you to actively purse understanding and you ask the Lord for help in earnest, He can begin to work inside you to build understanding and guide you onto the right path.

“for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.” (Philippians 2:12-13)

As you come to understand God you learn that He has some expectations for you.  He summarizes those expectations in two  commandments.  Love God with all your heart, and Love your neighbor as your self. 

When you follow these commandments you align yourself with God’s agenda, you enable His love to flow through you, and create results that are useful to God and His kingdom.

“If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.” (John 15:10)

When you chose to deviate from them it is always for selfish reasons, you are putting your agenda above God’s agenda. You are at war with Him in your mind, and that has consequences. 

You can then seek to understand the harm you have caused others. You can seek to understand the motivations that drive you. You can learn that all undesirable personality traits are rooted in self-centered/selfish agendas that remain in your heart. These agendas operate against God’s will for you; These agendas are rooted in evil and reinforced by forces operating in the world. Each selfish agenda has a name (Pride, Envy, Lethargy, etc.) and each is a sin.

“The fear of the Lord is to hate evil;
Pride and arrogance and the evil way
And the perverse mouth I hate.” (Proverbs 8:13)

Once you recognize them as sin, and that the consequence of sin is eternal death, you will figure out you need a savior. Once you repent of those sins, choose to turn from them and accept Jesus as your lord and saviour, you have opened the door to sanctification. Once you figure out what Jesus did for you, you will be compelled to live your life worthy of the price he paid for it. Once you do that, He will take you on a journey of discovery, reformation, and regeneration.

So how does this accountability work?

Near death experiences reveal one way this accountability takes place, it is through what is called a life review. When you pass away, the Lord and several senior angels will stand with you and review key events in your life in virtual reality. You will experience those events from the perspective of those who were impacted. You will see the harm caused to others by selfish or self-centered decisions you made. You will feel the impact of mean words you spoke to another person. You will see the impact of your negative thoughts and intentions on those around you. You will be significantly impacted by the disappointment you feel as all of this plays out in front of Jesus and the angels and you will hold yourself accountable.

What happens next is even more significant. Jesus will wrap his arm around you, convey His love for you and all those you impacted.  He will ask what you learned from what you just saw and experienced. If you figure out that your selfish agendas got you in trouble and can learn the lessons, you will be move forward towards heaven. If you convince yourself that your selfish agendas were somehow justified and reject Jesus love for you and all His children, you will be uncomfortable getting any closer to heaven.

I encourage everyone to watch a few NDE testimonies and see how this process works… see what kind of lessons the participants learned:

• You are an eternal spiritual being
• God loves you unconditionally
• The Why for your life matters – Your intentions create your future
• Don’t waste time, every moment is precious
• Every human being is a cherished child of God deserving compassion
• Your Words, and Actions impact the people around you and the planet
• Don’t dwell in the past, don’t fear death, Become Love in action now

Here are a couple favorites:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nMe0T6TgNo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2QEXUIYL-U

An opportunity here and now

The opportunity you have in front of you is to do some of the life review process now. You will accelerate your learning process in this life and avoid embarrassment in front of the Lord then.  If you effectively repent of your errors now so you can change going forward, Jesus will erase your prior errors from the record.

Two practical ways to do it, one purposefully being led by the spirit, the other trying to use your rational mind. I address them in that order.

Lead by the spirit: Approach the Lord in your quiet place of prayer, be ready to capture what He tells you as you work through it.

1 – Position yourself and state your intention: Lord, Thank you for putting me here, for Loving me, and for never giving up on me. Lord, I want to be the best person I can be; The person you intended me to be when you put me here; Living a life worthy of the price you paid. Lord, You promise to provide wisdom and understanding generously to all who ask; well I’m asking. Lord, You know me inside and out. Please help me identify the flaws in my ways so I can work them with you here and now.

2 – Picture Jesus right in front of you, reach out and hold His hand if you wish. Quiet your conscious mind. Open your mind to receiving input from Him. As you work through the sequence of questions below, the answers will come as vivid memories, pictures, stories, pieces of scripture, or individual words. Write down what He shows you so you can reflect on it and process it after.

3 – Ask Him a question, open yourself to input, and record what He shows you.

 

• Lord: When have I created adverse consequences for others.
• • He will show you a specific event…look for the impact you had

• Lord: Which of my thoughts, words, or actions have caused harm?

1. 1. What did you do?
   2. What did you say?
   3. What were you thinking that allowed it to happen that way?

• Lord: How are my thoughts not aligned with your will?
  • God’s will for you is to love God with all your heart and Love others as yourself.
  • When you do both, you become your best possible you. When you miss the mark on either it becomes a problem.
• Lord: What intentions in my heart are not aligned with you and your kingdom
  • Look for any selfish agendas driving your thoughts, words, and actions
  • Doing things for my own benefit at the expense of others
  • Doing things to build my own image rather than God’s image
  • Doing things that ignore God’s role as creator, provider, redeemer, shepherd, saviour, etc

Using your rational mind: Position yourself in prayer as above, Thanking Him, and Asking for His help to make you the best person you can be. Then work through the series of questions above. Review memorable events in your recent past, notice which ones resonate. Look for adverse consequences, Reflect on the event, Look for specific thoughts, words or actions that set up those consequences. Reflect on your intentions. Look for the self-centered agendas in your heart that lie at the root of those counterproductive thoughts, words, or actions.

Use either method to gather your opportunities with specific incidents, actions, and motivations to work on. Now you want to  find the relevant scripture that resonates with the situation.

Use google and search for the topic:

       Google: Pride scripture  or Pride verses

Review what it offers. Read them, ponder them, see which ones resonate and illuminate your issues and opportunities. Often you can find two verses: One that describes the problem to be avoided:

          Ex: “Pride goes before destruction” (Proverbs 16:18);

And then one that describes the desired path to avoid it

Ex:  “…with humility comes wisdom” (Proverbs 11:2).

Process through this process until you can restate the flaw in your thoughts or intentions as a sin against God

• All sin is against God alone, it happens when we put our agenda above His.
• He wants us to love Him with all our heart and love neighbors as ourselves.
• Anything that runs counter to His agenda can be stated in terms of sin.

Some examples behaviors stated as sin :

Lie – Withhold truth from someone (Telling mistruth, Withholding truth)

Steal – Take something someone else deserves (Material, Withholding credit)

Murder – Cause severe harm (Physically, Emotionally)

Selfishness – Benefit self at expense of others

Envy – Want other peoples things for self

Pride – Focus on self image, taking / withholding credit

Arrogance – Viewing self somehow above others

Adultery – Compromise agreements with others

Idolatry – Worship things other than God (Things, Money, Work, Sports, Degrees, etc)

Fornication – Having sex outside of marriage

Repent of that sin, commit to improvement, and move forward in partnership with the Lord to live in a way aligned with His agenda 

Ex: Lord you ask that I love you with all my heart and love my neighbors as myself. I have fallen short by putting my own selfish agenda ahead of yours. My pride has gotten in the way of getting you credit for my efforts. I accept credit for my efforts and do not publicly acknowledge you as the source of my talents and strength. I thank you for helping me see the issue and understand it. I am committed to be humble and serve your children whenever possible and be a beacon for your kingdom not for my own ego. Thank you for helping me be the best person I can be and bring glory to the Father. I ask this in your name. AMEN

Continue to reflect and repent, learn and apply as you go. As you weed out the issues and truly put them behind you, you will be a better person in this life and the Lord erases them from your record so you don’t have to deal with them later.  

Having a “Fear of God” can be a bit confusing.  

Establishing a healthy fear of the God is a good first step to getting on the right track with your life.