I Will Choose the Fear of the Lord

Sep 27, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: When the Pistol Kicks Back

A healthy respect for God’s boundaries begins by trusting His wisdom over our instincts. Like learning to handle a firearm’s recoil, fearing the Lord means recognizing His authority over what’s right and wrong. This isn’t about rigid rules but trusting the Designer who knows how life works best. Adam and Eve’s downfall started with doubting God’s “good” and “evil.” To walk in reverence is to believe His boundaries protect, not restrict. True freedom comes when we stop negotiating with what He calls death. [13:37]

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil.
(Proverbs 3:5-7, ESV)

Reflection: Where have you been “leaning on your own understanding” instead of trusting God’s boundaries? What practical step can you take this week to honor His definition of good and evil?

Day 2: The Bema Seat and Eye Black

Living before an audience of One reshapes every hidden choice. The NFL player fined for “All Glory to God” eye black chose eternal accountability over earthly approval. Our daily faithfulness—in parenting, work, or secret struggles—matters more than we realize. Like Paul urging believers to work “as unto the Lord,” the fear of God turns mundane moments into eternal offerings. What’s done in darkness will meet light at the bema seat. [16:37]

Therefore we make it our aim to please him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.
(2 Corinthians 5:9-10, ESV)

Reflection: What habit, thought pattern, or relationship would shift if you visualized Jesus personally reviewing it? How does eternal accountability free you from people-pleasing?

Day 3: Delighting in the Fear

Jesus didn’t begrudgingly obey—He “delighted in the fear of the Lord.” The Messiah’s character was shaped by awe, not obligation. Isaiah’s prophecy reveals a Savior fueled by reverence for the Father’s heart. To follow our Rabbi means exchanging the drudgery of rule-keeping for the joy of alignment with God’s perfect ways. His yoke isn’t a burden but an invitation to walk step-for-step with Wisdom Himself. [27:05]

And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. And his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord.
(Isaiah 11:2-3, ESV)

Reflection: What area of obedience feels like duty rather than delight? How might viewing God’s ways as the path of joy change your approach?

Day 4: Grasshoppers and Eternal Arithmetic

Even a preacher’s frustration with insects reveals our battle against small fears. The world’s chaos—from viral ideologies to personal anxieties—demands discernment rooted in reverence. Proverbs links the fear of the Lord to avoiding evil’s snare. Like grasshoppers sparking unholy reactions, daily irritations test whether we’ll default to human frailty or God’s perspective. True protection begins when we fear Him more than circumstances. [07:10]

The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the Lord are true, and righteous altogether.
(Psalm 19:9, ESV)

Reflection: What “grasshoppers” consistently trigger unhealthy responses in you? How could anchoring your reactions in God’s eternal character bring peace?

Day 5: Unqualified Disciples and the Rabbi’s Yoke

Jesus chose the unremarkable—fishermen, tax collectors—to carry His yoke. His disciples didn’t earn their place but received a Rabbi’s invitation to reinterpret life through His lens. Taking His yoke today means adopting Christ’s view of power, success, and identity. When we kneel to His lordship, we rise from the weight of worldly expectations. The fear of the Lord isn’t cowering but following the One who redefines what matters. [28:40]

Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
(Matthew 11:29, ESV)

Reflection: What worldly “yoke” (expectation, standard, or measure) have you been carrying? How might Jesus redefine success in your current season?

Sermon Summary

The fear of the Lord is not the same thing as the fears that control people, from spiders and flying to fear itself. Scripture names a negative fear that Christ repeatedly drives out, but it also calls believers into a good fear, a clean fear, a fear that endures forever. The fear of the Lord means having a healthy respect for what God calls right and wrong, good and evil, and living with reverence and awe before the God who is loving, good, and all powerful.

Proverbs refuses to let anyone be wise in their own eyes. God calls His people to trust Him with all their hearts, acknowledge Him in all their ways, fear the Lord, and turn away from evil. Genesis 3 shows what happens when humanity stops fearing God: the serpent first questions God’s word, then questions God’s character. Adam and Eve chose the tree of death because they believed God was holding out on them, and that same lie keeps getting repeated.

The fear of the Lord brings accountability of the highest order. The fear of man brings a snare, but accountability to God reaches beyond a difficult boss, public opinion, or whether anyone else is looking. Christ’s judgment seat is not a judgment of salvation for His people, but a rewards ceremony for faithfulness. God sees faithfulness in the little things: in marriage, parenting, work, church, community, and private integrity.

The fear of the Lord also brings blessings of the highest measure. Wisdom begins there because God knows what is best. Discernment grows there because the world is full of ideologies, false theology, and garbage that needs to be recognized for what it is. Protection comes there too, not as a promise that believers never suffer, but as spiritual grace and power to endure even persecution without surrendering the soul.

God’s goodness and wisdom make this choice possible. God is not trying to rob His children of life. God is protecting them from what leads to death and giving them what leads to life. Jesus is the perfect example because He delighted in the fear of the Lord. Christ calls ordinary people, including those who feel like they did not make the cut, to take His yoke and learn from Him. His yoke means taking on His view of life, His understanding of Scripture, and His way of walking with the Father.

The fear of the Lord finally calls every competing allegiance into view. Fear, worry, anxiety, sexual sin, greed, strife, and unforgiveness all ask for a bent knee. Jesus alone deserves that posture. Every knee will bow, and bowing before Christ means refusing to bow before the lesser things that once ruled the heart.

Key Takeaways

1. Fear God, not lesser fears The fear of the Lord does not add another burden of anxiety to life. It puts every other fear in its proper place before the God who is all powerful and all loving. Perfect love drives out fear because God’s character becomes more solid than the threats that try to control the heart. [08:06]
2. God’s boundaries protect life Genesis 3 shows that temptation always questions both God’s word and God’s goodness. Sin begins to look reasonable when people assume God is holding something back from them. The fear of the Lord trusts that God’s commands are not arbitrary restrictions but protection from the tree of death. [11:49]
3. Private faithfulness matters to God The judgment seat of Christ gives weight to ordinary obedience that nobody else notices. God does not reserve His rewards for platform ministry or public achievement. Faithfulness in work, family, integrity, and the hidden places of life is precious to Him. [17:27]
4. Wisdom begins with holy reverence The fear of the Lord keeps people from being wise in their own eyes. God gives discernment for recognizing the spirit behind ideas, ideologies, and false theology. A heart that reveres God learns to see evil clearly without becoming ruled by panic or confusion. [20:07]
5. Jesus calls disciples to His yoke Jesus does not merely save His people from sin; He teaches them how life really works. His yoke means receiving His worldview, His interpretation of Scripture, and His way of delighting in the Father. Those who feel unqualified or overlooked are still personally called by name to follow the Rabbi.

## [29:43]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[04:12] - Common Fears and Phobias
[07:44] - Two Types of Fear
[10:36] - What Is the Fear of the Lord?
[11:49] - The Garden and Distrusting God
[12:55] - Reverence and Awe Before God
[15:06] - Accountability of the Highest Order
[19:13] - Blessings of the Fear of God
[20:07] - Wisdom, Discernment, and Protection
[24:26] - Believing God Is Good and Wise
[25:29] - Following Jesus the Rabbi
[30:31] - Bowing the Knee to Jesus
[32:43] - Prayer of Reverence and Allegiance

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Proverbs 3:5-7
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil.” [10:48]

Genesis 3:1-6
“Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God actually say, 'You shall not eat of any tree in the garden'?" And the woman said to the serpent, "We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, but God said, 'You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.'" But the serpent said to the woman, "You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.” [11:49]

Isaiah 11:2-3
“And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. And his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide disputes by what his ears hear,” [26:47]

Observation questions

In Proverbs 3:5–7, what actions are connected with trusting and acknowledging the Lord, and what action is connected with fearing Him? [10:48]
In Genesis 3:1–6, what two things does the serpent cause Eve to question about God? [11:49]
What does Genesis 3 show about the connection between being “wise in one’s own eyes” and choosing what God has forbidden? [12:24]
According to Isaiah 11:2–3, what does the passage say about the Messiah’s relationship to the fear of the Lord? [26:47]

Interpretation questions

Proverbs 3 connects fearing the Lord with turning away from evil. Why is a healthy respect for God’s definition of good and evil different from simply trying to avoid consequences? [10:32]
The serpent first questions God’s command and then suggests that God is holding something good back. Why is distrust of God’s character often at the center of temptation? [12:08]
Isaiah says that Jesus delighted in the fear of the Lord. What does it mean that Jesus’ reverence for the Father was a delight rather than a burden? [27:02]
If Jesus’ yoke includes His view of Scripture and His way of life, how might taking His yoke challenge the assumptions a person receives from culture, social media, or personal experience? [29:43]

Application questions

What lesser fear most often competes for your allegiance—fear of people, failure, finances, rejection, the future, or something else? What would it look like to place that fear under the authority of God this week? [09:42]
Is there an area where you have been tempted to believe that God’s boundaries are keeping you from something good? What truth about God’s goodness needs to be remembered in that situation? [24:26]
Where does private faithfulness matter most in your life right now—work, marriage, parenting, friendships, finances, online habits, or another hidden area? What is one faithful choice you can make even if no one else notices? [17:38]
When human approval pressures you to compromise, stay silent, or fit in, how can remembering that you are accountable to God change your response? [15:41]
What voices or ideas have been shaping your thinking lately? How can you test them more carefully against the worldview and teaching of Jesus? [29:53]
Which competing allegiance—worry, anxiety, sexual sin, greed, strife, unforgiveness, or another pattern—needs to lose its hold on your heart? What practical step would help you bow to Jesus rather than to that lesser master? [31:24]

Sermon Clips

33s

#FearOfTheLord

“Young people, walk in the fear of the Lord. Have a healthy respect for what God calls right and wrong and good and evil. Because as we're gonna learn, God's good. He's and and whatever he tells us to do or not to do, it's for our safety. It's set he's protecting us from things that lead to death, and he's given us life. In Genesis three, where it all went went chaotic in the garden.”

38s

#WorkForTheLord

“When we fear human beings, then we're not fearing the Lord. We're not trusting the Lord. Even in this accountability thing, the apostle Paul in Colossians, he says that when you're working, doing your job, do it as the Lord. Know that it's the Lord you're actually wanting to please. So, you got a job you hate or a boss that's difficult. Remember, the accountability goes way above your boss to how we work as unto the Lord. Paul said this in second Corinthians five,”

63s

#SpiritualDiscernment

“And the times we are living in call for great discernment. With all the ideologies and and false theologies just the world's in chaos. And I'm sure that makes me sound like an old man because every old man begins to lament what's going on in the world ain't it awful. But it is pretty awful. There's a lot of garbage out there. The the Internet's a wonderful thing, but it's also a very bad thing too in the stuff that that it spews out sometimes. The spiritual gift in first Corinthians 12 is the discerning of spirits. Knowing what's behind an ideology, knowing what's behind a theology, knowing what's behind evil is so important in this day and age. Ask God for the gift of discernment so you can discern the times that you're in.”

46s

#GodIsGood

“Why do we walk in the fear of the Lord? How do we walk in the fear of the Lord? Two things. First of all, we will walk in the fear of the Lord when we believe that God is good. We believe that God is good and that he is all wise. He's good and he's wise. Do you believe that today? Do you believe that God is good? Do you believe he is all wise? Because if you don't, then you're not gonna walk in the fear of the Lord. You're gonna be wise in your own eyes.”

47s

#ChosenByJesus

“he chose those who didn't make the cut. He chose those who were not of noble backgrounds. He didn't choose the elite of the elite. He didn't go to Ivy League schools to pick his disciples. He picked blue collar people, fishermen, a tax collector, who the society at the time said you didn't make the cut. I wonder today if you feel like that. I I just do I make the cut? It doesn't matter what this world says about you. It's what Jesus says about you. It's what Jesus says and he calls you and he calls you by name.”

58s

#SurrenderToGod

“I wanna take a second, and I want you to think about the things in your life maybe you're giving yourself over to. Fear, worry, anxiety, sexual sins, greed, money, the desire for more, more, more. I don't know what it is. We all have stuff in our life that we we bend the need to. I was praying during worship, I got on my knees for a second, and I said, Lord, I'm not not gonna bend my knee to fear and worry and anxiety.”

38s

#AccountabilityToGod

“I would say, why do we walk in the fear of the Lord? Because of two things. Walking in the fear of the Lord, first of all, brings accountability. It brings accountability of the highest order. In life, there's accountability from, you know, husband and wife to children, to their parents, to your boss, to your teacher, to your coach. There's an accountability. Our accountability to the supreme creator of the universe is of the highest order. It's bigger than any human accountability.”

40s

#FaithfulnessInTheLittleThings

“And so, if he offers awards to us in the life to come for how we lived our life in this world, then those are noble things. Those are rewards for faithfulness. Who am I when no one's looking? Faithfulness in the little things. He's not gonna just award pastors and missionaries and people who were in ministry. It's the everyday in and out of being faithful to your kids, to your spouse, to your church, to your community, how you work.”

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