Putting Fear in it’s Rightful Place

I think a lot of people have it backwards. People are afraid of the Devil and have no fear of God. We have reduced God to a kitten and made the devil a lion. It is misplaced fear. This is not healthy. Nor is it helpful in our approach to living a victorious, productive, meaningful life. I am going to begin a series on Victorious Living. Most of us live way below our potential. We have unhealthy fears, we worry about stuff that is of no consequence, and we sell ourselves short on who we are, what we can accomplish, and the greatness that resides in us. Fear is an emotion that can be either healthy or unhealthy. The outcome of fear in a person’s life is entirely determined by where it is placed.

I have fear of pain, so when I climb a ladder, the higher I go, the more careful I am. This is healthy fear. This fear doesn’t prohibit me from climbing a ladder, if it did we could say it is unhealthy fear, (although some might argue this point), but it makes me careful, attentive, and aware of my surroundings and conditions I am putting myself in. Fear in this case produces wisdom. It keeps me safe and protects me from harm. It is for this reason I fear the Lord. God has my best interests at heart. He cares for me, and he warns me that if I want to become all that I have designed to be, I need to be careful how I climb the ladder of life (getting to a higher level).

The scripture teaches us, “fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom”. (Proverbs 9:10) However, fear of the devil is the route to slavery regarding ones own lusts, emotional dysfunction, and compromised values and integrity.

So why do we fear the devil? That is a good question and deserves an answer. However, you won’t find it in this blog; but I will give it on Sunday morning. So if you want to take the first step on that ladder of Victorious Living, make your way to KCF this coming Sunday. We look forward to seeing you there.