Life Matters - June 26, 2024
Those who rule with the fear of man are generally ruled by the fear of man.
The fear of God is reverent, trusting, is in fact the beginning of wisdom, as in Proverbs 9:10 - “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.”
The fear of God is exhilarating to courage as we begin to understand the big picture that has the love of God for its framework. When fear of God (Love) is the framework and the border courage, the big picture is wisdom. This, in Christ, is the strength of Christianity, the secret of the strength in Christian martyrs, the influence that is a kingdom in its own right, crosses borders, oceans, dry deserts, fruited plains, rocky mountains, rivers, streams, and forests in its quest to bring Life to the fearful, Life to the dead. To bring light to the darkness, healing to the wounded, the sick, and the dying, the list goes on…This kingdom is extremely formidable as it fills every need of the soul, answers every question for the searching, and promises a victory that is already sealed, a kingdom already and forever established, where there is peace and safety in its blissful beauty. Forever.
There was a time, before the beginning of time as we know it, when a war broke out in this beautiful place, when a formerly glorious angel became vain and ‘’thought to be like the most high’’ and became the devil as he was overcome and cast out. (Isaiah 14:12-14) In the account of Job the devil still had access to the throne room of God as ‘’the accuser of the brethren.’’
But no more. A man-child was born. (Jesus) Set to ‘’rule all nations with a rod of iron.’’ (Psalms 2, Revelation 2, 19:15, 12:5) Revelation chapter 12 gives account of a final war and a final victory…the devil was cast out—the accuser was cast down—forever barred from God’s presence, he now ‘’knoweth that he hath but a short time’’… he continues his war with the people of God, the redeemed of the Lord, those having the testimony of Jesus Christ. His strategy is fear. That we fear him. And that we fear the people in his dominion. That we reverence people (and by extension, him) instead of God, that we trust people too much, look only to people for wisdom, fear people (and by extension, him) instead of God. God, who says, ‘’Cursed is the man who trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the Lord. For he shall be like the heath in the desert, and shall not see when good cometh; but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land and not inhabited.’’ (Jeremiah 17:5-6)
Marshall Segal gives the symptoms of the fear of man as; spiritual dryness, restless insecurity, irrational anxiety, escalating fear, emotional isolation. Who can deny it?
By experiencing a pandemic (COVID) we have had a global stage from which to see and experience the mind-control that is possible when the fear of man is stoked and its flames fanned by government propaganda disseminated via social media. A mind-control that soon morphed into an effort for whole person, continents and world control, by climate control elitists now adding ‘’pandemics’’ to their arsenal.
As fear of God (Love) is the framework and courage the border of the big picture called wisdom; so fear of man is the framework and cowardice the border of a big picture called ignorance. When ‘’elites’’ come across as wanting to keep the general populace in ignorance by controlling the narrative, to evade reality, we can know that this is not of God. Fear of man evades facing reality, embraces ignorance as if it were a close friend, and hates being questioned by anyone of differing opinions. Fear of God faces reality, embraces courage and loves friend as well as foe, even those of differing opinions. It values hearing Truth and avoids, as much as lieth in him, being condescending to those who disagree, while he still hates lies. The fear of man is not so, its big picture is shaky, its border full of fear, and its framework is rotten. With a fear of man (hatred) framework its border of cowardice only accents its ignorance.
May our fear of God enable us to function within its framework of love, for God first, and all people, to face reality with courage, opening up to the exhilarating vistas of wisdom. Wisdom is of God. (James 1:5)
Those who rule with the fear of God are generally ruled by a trusting and reverent fear of God.
Life Matters!