WATCHING IN FEAR

A few weeks ago I picked up The Fear Factor by O.S. Hawkins. I believe this is the most important book I have read this year. Hawkins showed how important it was that the church throughout the book of Acts walked in the fear of the Lord. The theses of The Fear Factor springs from Acts 9:31.

“So the church throughout Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up, and walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit it multiplied.”

If any single statement characterizes the church in America it is the absence of the fear of the Lord. We are much more into preventing fear. That may be because we do not understand the difference between the fears of the world and the Fear of The Lord. A good place to see these two highlighted is at the end of Mark 4. After Jesus had taught all day the disciples took Him in their boat across the sea. He lay down on a pillow in the bow and went to sleep. A terrific storm descended on the sea so that experienced fishermen were afraid. They went and woke Jesus, “Master, you not care if we perish!” Jesus woke and standing out on the deck rebuked the storm. Immediately the wind calmed and the storm ceased. The final verse of Mark 4 says the disciples were more afraid. They were terrified. “What kind of man is this that even the wind and the sea obey him!”

Now notice this final fear. It was not fear that Jesus would punish them. It was a greater, all-consuming fear that caused them to tremble because they were in the presence of God. Do you tremble in the presence of God? Such fear will affect our thinking, our living and yes our watching and praying.