Month: September 2023

I ended my previous blog (Dying to Death Daily) with the words: The Fear of God. I’ve been meaning to share this for a while but the timing wasn’t quite right until now. As I share, I pray that God fully fills us with the Fear of The LORD – it is the Strength (Grace) with which we die to death daily and the resulting Joy that we inherit and experience. Moreover,the Fear of God is Our greatest treasure(God’s as well as ours) – we must NOT take it for granted.

Prior to June 2021, I didn’t quite know what the Fear of God meant. While I can’t say that I fully understand it now – I most certainly don’t, I’m grateful that God gave me Grace by way of sufficient understanding that has since left me with a holy desire, an increasing longing to be FULLY filled with the Fear of God! O how I want it!

Prior to this God-given understanding (which I’ll be sharing shortly), the disconnect for me was the word fear. I got the respect and reverence for God part, but I was hung up on the word fear. 1 John 4:8B reveals the truth that God is Love. 1 John 4:18Asays that perfect love casts out all fear – there is no fear in Love. 2 Timothy 1:7tells us that God has not given us the Spirit of fear. Putting these scriptures together, alongside the number of times the bible records God encouraging us to NOT be afraid, it was evident that the word fear in the context of the Fear of God couldn’t be (and is NOT) the earthly definition nor the manly experience of fear. However evident this was, I still didn’t know what this Godly Fear meant.

Fast forward to June 2021, one thing led to another and then toHebrews 5. As I readverse 7, God opened me up to the beautiful Truth that is the Fear of God …

Thank God for the Amplified Classic (AMPC) translation of Hebrews 5:7!

Here’s what I saw:

The Fear of God is a Love(and longing)for God SO MUCH SO that the thought of separation from God is dreadful. It’s a longing for God that results in a simultaneous dread of the tiniest/slightest thought or possibility of separation from God.It is aLove for Godthat stems from the Love of God. God is Love … in other words,the Fear of God is aLove for Godthat stems from Who God IS.

Separation from God is (and ultimately leads to) death – I don’t mean a physical death. Instead, an eternal death – a fall from Grace, a fall to disgrace (a place of NO GRACE, a place devoid of GRACE). I can’t accurately describe this place and the gravity/impact of being there BUT,Matthew 25:30paints a picture of outer and eternal darkness: no Light, no Hope, no Water … I suspect it’s a place where dry bones don’t live again.

It is important to note that the Fear of God is NOT the same as fear-based responses to God and/or the things of God.

Before my 20s, I responded to many-hands-full of altar calls, particularly those made after preachings about the rapture and/or the second coming of Jesus (our Bridegroom-KING). Intentionally or not, these preachings were presented (and received by me) in a fearful way. For those who are not familiar with the term altar call, simply put, it is a call (an invitation) to come forward to give/surrender one’s life to the leadership of Christ, accepting Him as Lord and Savior. In truth, when God is the One doing the calling (through whichever means He chooses), it is the best invitation ever! 2 Peter 1:3 (MSG) … an invitation of Love, extended in Love, and to be responded to inLove for God – The Fear of God.

In my at-the-time ignorance (lack of the knowledge of God and, by extension, lack of understanding – Proverbs 9:10B), I responded in fear to those altar calls because I did not want to go to hell nor miss the rapture! Sometimes, I’d “re-surrender” my life to Christ before going to bed at night – just in case! The only times I was confident to sleep without some form of re-dedication were times I was visiting my paternal grandmother; this was because I slept in her room. She prayed almost all through the night. Convinced that she prayed for me – by name, my long and full first name😁, I wasn’t afraid on those nights. Thank God for praying grandmothers!

Back to the point: this fear-based response (responding to altar calls out of fear of going to hell or missing the rapture), and others like it i.e. praying, going to church, or giving offering/tithes/first-fruits out of fear that if you don’t something bad might happen to you, is NOT The Fear of God. On the contrary, it is an ungodly fear.

The same kind of fear was expressed in Peter’s response when Jesus revealed a few details about His death to His disciples –Matthew 16:21-23. Jesus’ response to Peter calls out a key characteristic of any ungodly fear – it does NOT account for the nature and quality of God.

Another characteristic of any ungodly fear is that it takes one’s attention off of God. We see this with Peter while he was walking on water and just before he started to drown where he once walked –Matthew 14:28-30– in the moment that he considered his manliness (his perceived impact of the wind on him) V30, his attention was taken off of Jesus. Same as with Peter, I too start to drown when I look at my manliness as opposed to keeping my eyes fixed on God’s Godliness.

I share these examples NOT to throw myself or Peter under the bus, but to call out that fear is a core aspect of our manliness. When presented with information about actual or perceived unpleasant events, as well as unknowns, we tend to respond in fear … even when we are being responsible, we are often times being fearfully responsible. In relation to the things that pertain to God, this fear-based response might seem godly BUT it is NOT. In Jesus’ words (also echoed in Proverbs 29:25A): it is a snare … intended to trap, hold us back, and prevent us from honoring God’s Will, which is that we follow (imitate and be like) Him. This self-based-and-self-focused fear (aka the fear of man) seeks to prevent us from following God’s path – God’s Way is in His PresencePsalm 77:13.

Any fear that is NOT the Fear of God (that is NOT solely and entirely Love from God for God) is an ungodly fear … it is a fear-based response that does NOT account for God (WHO God IS as well as what HE has said and done). It stems NOT from Faith nor leads to faith … It does NOT position us face-to-face with God.

The Fear of God isWORSHIPFUL – it keeps our eyes of worship fully focused on God. This FULLY focusedLove for Godis what it means to love The LORD with all our heart, mind, and soul(Deuteronomy 6:5)…It is God Worship– to love The LORD with ALL our eyes (the eyes of our heart, our mind’s eye, even the eyes that represent the window to and of the soul) … to keep our heart (affection) and our mind (attention) stayed on God always … to love God the way God loves – FULLY!

This FULL-faced affection of God isthe Love that God has for God. We hear God voice this in His testimony of Jesus: Matthew 17:5 …

This Love of God that Jesus embodies, represents, and IS … this very Love of God that is being poured in our heart (Romans 5:5) is the gift of the HolySpirit, Who is our most-prized treasure: The Fear of God. Yes, you read and understood that right! Jesus Who is the Love of God is the HolySpirit Who is the Fear of God!

This FULL, flint-faced affection for God is the Fear of God – the Love that God (and god) has for God. This FULL, flint-faced affection for God is the Holy Spirit – the Spirit of Power, of Love, and of a sound mind (perfectly still and undistracted eyes – singleness of heart and purpose, like a dove). He is the PERFECT (COMPLETE, FULL) LOVE that casts out all ungodly fear and causes the sea of our hearts to be still, unshaken, and smooth as glass. This undisturbedness, this silent satisfaction, this peace is what’s promised to us in Isaiah 26:3Isaiah 54:10 (AMPC) and Proverbs 19:23

It is through this Knowledge of God that we’ve been and are made righteous …

… it is through this Knowledge of God that we’ve been given and thus have all things pertaining to life and godliness –2 Peter 1:3– The Fear of God is godliness; The Fear of God is Life. This Life is the Knowledge of God(John 17:3)and is lived in God’s Presence, through the Knowledge of God (Faith). This Life is the lover’s life that we are called to have and live:Matthew 22:37-40 …

… a life of Love from God that inevitably results in Love for God.

SOS 8:6(TPT) – Fasten and tether this fiery Love of God for God on your heart that you may never be separate from God; this is Wisdom –Proverbs 9:10A (AMPC).

This also is Wisdom: do NOT grieve the HolySpirit. He is God’s most-prized treasure: The Grace of God that we must NOT take for granted(2 Corinthians 6:1).

This Grace, the HolySpirit: our most-prized treasure, is the Spirit of Wisdom, Understanding, Counsel, Power, Knowledge, and The Fear of God(Isaiah 11:2) … The LORD Himself is this Spirit (2 Corinthians 3:17)– in and through Him we live, move, and have our being. He is our response to God, our manliness, and in all things. The fiery, FULL-faced Lover within … all-consuming as the very flashes of fire from the burning heart of God. He is our attraction to God … our guarantee of a forever FUTURE with God – The Engagement Ring (2 Corinthians 5:5), our guarantee of no separation from God as long as we honor Him by yielding to Him and letting Him have His way in us, which is to love God as God loves God. Abide in this Love of God for God.

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Thank You Jesus for giving me You – every part of You: Your body, blood, and Spirit. I understand (more than ever before) why You said it is for our benefit that the HolySpirit comes. Thank You Abba for the gift of Your Spirit … and Your Presence. Cast me not away from Your Presence, take not Your HolySpirit away from me –Psalm 51:11– I honor You HolySpirit … what a perfect Love You are … the Joy I desire. Abba, FULLY fill me with Love for You (the Fear of God). Make me a body fully and wholly filled with You. Be the constant focus of my attention, affection, and delight. Look me FULL in the face, make me Your Holy of Holies – the place where Your Name dwells and Your glory never fades, a place where Your will is done Your Way and in Your time, a place where I have no will that is separate from Your Will. Love You fully through me; drink my Love for You as Wine; take Your fill of You in me.

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InDeuteronomy 30:19, God said:

At the time that God said this👆, (1) we had been given the option of Life and Death and (2) we were already dead because we chose death (RE: the Garden of Eden fiasco … see Genesis 2:15-17, Genesis 3:1-6). With this ‘already dead situation’ in mind, what does death mean? … what is the option of death that God set before us?

While the intent of this blog is to highlight what it means to die to death and why it is important to die to death daily, answering the first two questions provides the needed context for understanding the answers to the latter two.

Heads-up … there are questions for you(SeLaH moments)along the way. Consider taking a pause to honestly answer these zero-judgment questions. I joyfully hope that your answers will point you to God in gratitude and/or by way of asking for Grace and Faith –Hebrews 4:16(TPT, MSG).

THE MEANING OF DEATH

Short Answer:Separation from God

A separation resulting from us being distant from God, not the other way round. God is LIFE and the Knowledge of God is Eternal Life(John 17:3). By extension, death means deprivation of LIFE – to be deprived of the Knowledge of God … to perish.

It is important to note that knowing about God is NOT the same as knowing God.

Paul knew about God until he knew God (Acts 9:1-5). Job knew about God until he knew God(Job 42:5). Isaiah knew about God until he knew God(Isaiah 6:1-5). Samuel knew about God until he knew God (I Samuel 3:1-11,21). Samuel’s story calls out a key distinction between knowing about God and knowing God – we see inverse 7that, even though the temple was practically his home, Samuel did not know God because the Word of The LORD was not yet revealed to him. Then, in subsequent verses, God revealed Himself to Samuel through the Word of The LORD (verse 21). This God-given knowledge of God (FAITH) is KEY.

SeLaH: Do you have Faith (do you have a God-given knowledge of God)?

Knowing God is personal and active … it involves a personal, God-given evidence, testimony, experience, or knowledge of God that we must believe (accept, receive) AND actively apply (live by). The active application (works) of this God-given knowledge of God (Faith) is possible ONLY through God (Grace) and is the essential part of what it means to KNOW God (to live). Faith without works is dead –James 2:17

SeLaH: Are you actively applying your God-given knowledge of God?

In contrast, knowing about God is distant and through the lens of others and/or one’s own human understanding. Even though it is about God, it is distant from God because it is NOT a God-given knowledge of God (Faith) nor is it applied, if at all, through God (Grace). Whatever is not of Faith is sin – it separates us from God(Romans 14:23B Isaiah 59:2). This means then that knowing about God is, in and of itself, separation from God.

SeLaH: Do you know God OR Do you know about God?

I mentioned earlier that we were already dead at the time that God said what He said about setting before us the options of Life and Death … yes, we were already separated from God. Romans 6:23tells us that the wages of sin is death. Effectively, as a result of the sin of disobedience in the Garden of Eden Adam and Eve died. Also, since then, anyone born of human conception starts out dead. David affirms this …

Considering that we were already dead, what then is the option of death that was set before us and is still being presented to us TODAY (man’s timeline on earth)?

THE OPTION OF DEATH SET BEFORE US

Short Answer:The Knowledge of Good and Evil expressed as The law of Moses

To be explicit, it is the option of attempting to justify one’s self (to right that which is wrong) by attempting to fulfill the requirements of the law of Moses.

UNLIKE the Law of the Spirit of LIFE (God) which came from God through God (Jesus), the law of Moses came from God through Moses. However glorious and God-glorifying it was, the law of Moses is otherwise known as the law of sin and death(Romans 8:2)as well as the ministry of death(2 Corinthians 3:7-18).

The law of Moses was given NOT for any man of human conception to fulfill – none of us could ever meet/satisfy its requirements. ONLY JESUS could and did. Note-worthy point: Jesus was a man but His conception was of GodLuke 1:26-35

The law of Moses was God-glorifying in that it was given to reinforce the truth contained inZechariah 4:6B Romans 9:16 Ephesians 2:8-9and others like it. A truth that we personally acknowledge having exhausted all attempts to meet its requirements only to still fail and fall short always! I remember getting to this point … all kinds of exhausted, I acknowledged/accepted the truth thatI can NOT save myself – this truth, I believe, is the intent and essence of the law of Moses …

To choose the death option is to choose to stay dead … to remain separated from God, which eventually leads to being utterly cast out IF one does not repent.

While it is a God-given option, the resulting ultimate death of choosing the death option (being utterly cast out and irrecoverably or eternally separate from God) is NOT the Will of God for us. It’s why God encourages us to choose Life (Deuteronomy 30:19B). God does NOT delight in the death of a sinner (Ezekiel 33:11) … He does NOT want us to perish (2 Peter 3:9B). The Will of God is for us to choose Life … everlasting, eternal Life (John 3:16). We choose Life by dying to death … daily.

THE MEANING OF DYING TO DEATH

Short Answer: To Live (by FAITH) …

While we are on the subject of what God delights in, I’d like to add that God delights in the death of a believer. I know, I know … at first glance, this might seem rather harsh or maybe “off”. I’ll share more on this when I answer the fourth question. In the interim, let’s look into the definitions of a believer and the death of a believer. After which we’ll take a look at our #1 and perfect example – Jesus.

SeLaH: Do your actions say that God can NOT lie or do they imply otherwise?

Jesus fits the definition of a believer – He believed God (The Father). If He didn’t, He would not have gone along with the plan of being stripped of His divine status, to come endure the filth that is the flesh of man, let alone die the death of a criminal (Philippians 2:5-8). In coming to earth to do the Will of The Father: His God-given Knowledge of God, the very Knowledge of God that Jesus is and that He embodied, Jesus accepted The Father’s Will as Truth (absolute, perfect, right … righteous). He accepted that The Father’s Will will NOT fail, falter, or disappoint, and that He will not come up short or be short-changed. While He was on earth, Jesus trusted (held on to His belief: His acceptance of His God-given knowledge of God – to mean that he continued believing God – and lived by Faith, by His God-given knowledge of God) that God would make everything right for Him – 1 Peter 2:23. This is the Faith of the Son of God mentioned inGalatians 2:20(KJV).

Regarding Jesus’ death and the nature of it (all the bruising and crushing that ultimately led to His death), Isaiah 53:10 records that it pleased God to have it be exactly so. In other words, God delighted in Jesus’ death.

Jesus’ death fulfilled the requirements of the law of Moses AND was the only acceptable payment of the wages owed: death – this was paid in FULL. Jesus’ resurrection to Life rendered both death and its sting (sin) null, void, powerless, and of no effect to those who will believe God – it gave mankind a shot at Life.

Without Jesus’ death, there will be no resurrection to Life – this resurrection Life is the Life we experience when we die to death.

As the phrase implies, dying to death is NOT a one-time choice. It is an active, ongoing, daily, moment-to-moment choice made possible ONLY by the Spirit of God (GRACE), Who lives in every believer (Romans 8:11), AND through each person’s God-given Knowledge of God (FAITH).

In other words, dying to death is the grace-enabled righteousness (righting of wrongs) that stems from Faith (our God-given knowledge of God) and leads to Faith (Knowing God) – Romans 1:17. This is how the saved are being saved from sin and death. This is how we are translated from death to Life and transformed … This is how we live … how we know God … how we choose the option of Life.

With this option, the former do-it-my-self and have-it-my-way self-orientation is replaced with a ‘daily’ (moment-by-moment), God-do-it-for-me and Your-Will-be-done-Your-Way Spirit-led orientation. With this option, each moment and every detail of our lives is governed by the leading and working of the Spirit of Life.

Oh, that we will choose Life.

SeLaH: Are you choosing Life? In other words, Are you dying to death?

THE IMPORTANCE OF DYING TO DEATH… DAILY

Short Answer: JOY … also known as the joy of harvest!

This rich harvest is a representation of Our glorious inheritance. By ‘Our’ I mean both God’s inheritance as well as ours.

Psalm 135:4andPsalm 16:5tell us that God’s people are His inheritance and that He is ours. We see the same truth inEphesians 1:11,18 …

Where there’s a will, there’s a way there’s an inheritance. Typically, in a non-prodigal-son situation, death precedes the inheritance of a will or the inheritance of a person’s portion of a will.

Each time we die to death, God inherits His Will in us and through us … God enjoys the richness of His glorious inheritance in us. In other words, God literally receives glory and takes pleasure in us – it is for this very purpose that we were created (Revelation 4:11 KJV)… it is the reason God delights in the death of a believer.

By dying to death, we also inherit God’s Will for us: fruitfulness and multiplicity (Genesis 1:28); the Kingdom of God: Righteousness, Peace, Joy … things never before heard or seen … above all else, eternal (abundant) Life. Proverbs 22:4 echoes this by saying that: laying your life down in tender surrender before the LORD brings a satisfying life, prosperity (wealth, riches), and honor as your reward (inheritance) – TPT, MSG.

In dying to death, we inevitably give God His glory in us, we give God to God.

SeLaH: Are you giving God to God?

To give God to God is to be faithful (FULL of God, FULL of your God-given Knowledge of God) to God – He delights in faithfulness and the knowledge of God (Hosea 6:6)… To give God to God is to love God (to have the Fear of God), therein lies our inheritance …

… an inheritance of abundant Life that we have access to as we die to death ‘daily’.

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Abba, help us make a fresh start – a resurrection Life, so that we (Your people) will find joy and pleasure in You as You do in us. Enable us to die to death until death is no more. Daily renew us with and in Your love – The Fear of God.