Welcome to another day the Lord has made that we should rejoice and be glad in. (Psalms 118:24)

Today we will explore embracing FEAR.

Proverbs 9:10 (AMP) exhorts…
The [reverent] fear of the Lord [that is, worshiping Him and regarding Him as truly awesome] is the beginning and the preeminent part of wisdom [its starting point and its essence], And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding and spiritual insight.

Consider…
Fear is typically viewed as a negative emotion or feeling. However, fear has several meanings. According to Merriam-Webster dictionary, fear is defined as…

• an unpleasant often strong emotion caused by anticipation or awareness of danger
• anxious concern
• profound reverence and awe especially toward God
• reason for alarm

As I read through the definitions I saw a consistent theme of awareness, which aligns perfectly with it’s Hebrew meaning. According to the Israel Bible Center, in Hebrew, fear is defined as an ‘awareness or realization.’

With that understanding, I took another look at today’s verse. However this time I used the ERV version, which reads…
Wisdom begins with fear and respect for the Lord. Knowledge of the Holy One leads to understanding. – Proverbs 9:10 ERV

Applying the newly discovered meaning of fear, would provide the following clarity…
Wisdom begins with awareness, realization and respect for the Lord. Knowledge of the Holy One leads to understanding.

If we truly became aware, and realized who God is, we would be more reverent (respectful) towards Him. And that reverence would manifest itself in our worshipping Him and regarding Him as truly awesome.

So to help us in that awareness and realization, the Holy Spirit led me to Psalms 145:1‭-‬10 (NLT), where King David declared…
I will exalt you, my God and King, and praise your name forever and ever. I will praise you every day; yes, I will praise you forever. Great is the Lord! He is most worthy of praise! No one can measure his greatness. Let each generation tell its children of your mighty acts; let them proclaim your power. I will meditate on your majestic, glorious splendor and your wonderful miracles. Your awe-inspiring deeds will be on every tongue; I will proclaim your greatness. Everyone will share the story of your wonderful goodness; they will sing with joy about your righteousness. The Lord is merciful and compassionate, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. The Lord is good to everyone. He showers compassion on all his creation. All of your works will thank you, Lord, and your faithful followers will praise you.

Notice David began with, I will exalt you, my God and King. Proper awareness and realization of God begins with recognition of His preeminent position and authority. It’s the same thing Jesus taught us in Matthew 6:9‭-‬10 (ERV)…
So this is how you should pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, we pray that your name will always be kept holy. We pray that your kingdom will come— that what you want will be done here on earth, the same as in heaven.

When we see God as God, King, Creator and Father, it should change our tone and attitude to respect and humility. This is more than a wish by God, it’s a requirement. Micah 6:8 (AMP) says…
He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you Except to be just, and to love [and to diligently practice] kindness (compassion), And to walk humbly with your God [setting aside any overblown sense of importance or self-righteousness]?

James 4:6 (NLT) also stresses the importance of humbleness to God. It says…
And he gives grace generously. As the Scriptures say, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

Our posture when we approach God Almighty reflects our level of awareness and realization of who He is. Here’s the key, ultimately everyone will become fully aware and realize He is God. Romans 14:11 (ERV)
says…
Yes, the Scriptures say, “‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord, ‘Everyone will bow before me; everyone will say that I am God.’” Isaiah 45:23

So, it’s really just a question on which side of glory will we become aware and realize that He is God.

Perhaps we struggle to be fully aware and realize God is to be reverenced at all times because we can’t physically see Him. If we’re honest, some of us operate with the same “out of sight, out of mind” mentality that we did with our parents. You know, we act one way in their presence and a different way away from them. It’s as if they cease to exist if we don’t see them. Some of us treat our omniscient God like an absent Father. It’s like we’re unaware He is everywhere. So, like Thomas, we doubt God’s presence. John 20:25 (NLT) shares…

They told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he replied, “I won’t believe it unless I see the nail wounds in his hands, put my fingers into them, and place my hand into the wound in his side.”

We too operate from a we have to see Him to believe Him perspective. A mindset that prompts us to say things like, God give me a sign or make yourself known.

I believe Jesus is giving us the same response that He gave the Capernaum government official who begged Him to heal his gravely ill son…
Jesus said to him, “You people must see miraculous signs and wonders before you will believe in me.” – John 4:48 ERV

However, look at Jesus’ response Thomas, and us, in John 20:29 (NLT)…
Then Jesus told him, “You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who believe without seeing me.”

Therein lies the problem, we can’t physically see what can only be spiritually known. Even if you have 20/20 vision hear on earth, you need spiritual glasses to see God. Jesus explained the key to us becoming more aware of Him in John 14:17 (NLT)…
He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you.

Is Jesus saying, if we’re looking for Him (God), we actually need to look for the Holy Spirit? Yes!

Remember what Jesus told the Samaritan woman at the well, in John 4:24 (AMP)…
God is spirit [the Source of life, yet invisible to mankind], and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

That’s it, God is spirit, so we need to stop looking for Him physically and start seeking Him spiritually. We need to grasp 1 Corinthians 2:10‭-‬11 (ERV), which says…
But God has shown us these things through the Spirit. The Spirit knows all things. The Spirit even knows the deep secrets of God. It is like this: No one knows the thoughts that another person has. Only the person’s spirit that lives inside knows those thoughts. It is the same with God. No one knows God’s thoughts except God’s Spirit.

So today, if you want to become aware of God, pray Psalms 51:10 (NLT)…
Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me.

It’s impossible to know God without His Spirit. So, I encourage you today to ask for His Spirit

So today, FEAR God, which means to Faithfully Embrace the Awareness of Realizing who He is. In order to do that we must welcome and ask the Holy Spirit to make us more aware of His presence! 🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾

Today’s song is…
Holy Spirit
https://youtu.be/XPPMSfCdUng?si=U9eTOc-mGFZX9pCt

Blessings 4HG (1 Corinthians 10:31)