“What does the Lord your God ask of you except to fear the Lord your God?” —Deuteronomy 10:12
God’s people were supposed to fear only one thing—the Lord. They were to have a reverential awe of Him. But what did they do instead? They feared the inhabitants of the land.
The Israelites were supposed to go up against the enemies of God. Instead, they rebelled against God. They were full of fear rather than being full of faith. And fear paralyzed them.
It caused them to imagine the worst. It caused them to focus on the obstacles and on themselves. “We seemed like grasshoppers,” they said (Num. 13:33). However, their focus should have been on God.
Are you focusing on the giants and your circumstances? Are you focusing on yourself? You feel like you’re just a grasshopper in your situation, and your enemies are going to crush you. If you focus on yourself, you’ll be fearful. If you focus on the giants, you’ll be fearful. However, if you focus on God, fear will dissolve and faith will remain.
Make it Personal
How has being afraid paralyzed you from following God? What are ways you can choose to show fear of the Lord as you go forward?