Fear Jehovah All the Day Long

My son, if thine heart be wise, my heart shall rejoice, even mine. Yeah, my reins (inmost being) shall rejoice, when thy lips shall speak right things. Let not thine heart envy sinners: but be in the fear of Jehovah all the day long. For surely there is an end (a hereafter); and thine expectation (hope) shall not be cut off. Hear thou, my son, and be wise, and guide thine heart in the way (Proverbs 23:15-19).

I was unsure what I was going to write today. It's not that I don't have plenty to write about, because I have more than enough. But, none of it seemed fitting for today. Then, I knew when I read this from the bible this morning. I read a chapter of Proverbs each morning to my son, and though I read the same thing month by month, different parts speak to me at different times.

I really do fear God (Yahweh or Jehovah) all the day long. I am constantly aware of my transgressions and am in continual prayer to ask for grace, forgiveness, and help. When I awake, the first thing I think of is God. Pleasing my Father is at the top of my list all day. I strive to be like my Lord Jesus and walk as he walked (I John 2:6).

I do strive to be wise and guide my heart in the right way. I do delight in doing God's commandments and love them (Psalm 119:47).

A little over a year after my baptism and conversion my life started taking a side road. I would have ups and downs where I'd be close to my Father and my Savior and times when I would not be very close. The enemy has tried so hard to hijack my relationship with God and the work my Father has called me to do, to be one of many fellow workers (co-laborers) with God (I Cor. 3:9).

For a while I had forgotten what it was to "fear Jehovah all the day long." Looking back on the treacherous path I walked for awhile and comparing it with the straight path on which I walk again today (and have for some time), I can definitely say I was not fearing my God all day. No, not at all.

For anyone who does not truly know the meaning of this, I want to explain. Fearing God all the day long means that the Spirit God has given to join with the spirit in man is constantly aware of God and His law that is imposed upon us on earth. That means EVERY moment of EVERY day, I am keenly aware of what I should NOT be doing. If I start losing my patience with anything, I am immediately convicted. If some foreign thoughts enter into my mind to tempt me to think about things I ought not (wrong thoughts of hate, sexual immorality, anything that breaks the spirit of one of the Ten Commandments), I immediately am aware that I should NOT listen and should not make them my own thoughts. I have learned the only way to do this is to immediately reject them. Do not entertain them for a second. Whenever evil thoughts, no matter how "minor" they seem, are introduced into my mind, I have to repudiate them and treat them as the abomination they really are. Once a person takes the bite from the evil tempting thoughts, it's often hard to escape. I fought one of the hardest thought battles during the year of 2005 and finally won sometime in 2006. I could have avoided it all together.

When thoughts and actions are each compared alone, thoughts will get us into more trouble with God than actions. Let's evaluate two scenarios:

1.) I murder someone in a spontaneous fit of rage.

2.) I think indefinitely of how much I'd love to murder a certain person but never physically do it.

Which is worse? Let's look at it first from man's point of view.

In man's system, the former example would be seen as a greater transgression. I might be punished in a court of law. Many would say of the second example that it doesn't matter, because as long as I keep those thoughts to myself and don't actually cause bodily harm to the person, it's no big deal. Of course, if I don't ever say anything, no man would even know my thoughts. But....

God knows my thoughts. In God's court I'd be forgiven of the first example a lot more easily than the second example. The second example shows premeditation of the act, and even though it is never acted out physically, it's the spiritual intent that matters most. The only thing stopping me from acting it out would be fear of man's punishment. There are many people in the world with wicked thoughts, and the only thing stopping them from physically acting out their evil is the judgments of the letter of the law. The punitive clause is enough of a deterrent to keep them from physically acting out their thoughts.

But Jehovah said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for Jehovah seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but Jehovah looketh on the heart (I Sam. 16:7)

That's why man would see the example number one as worse, but God sees example number two as worse. God looks on the heart. That's what matters to Him.

The spirit of man is the candle of Jehovah, searching all the inward parts of the belly (Prov. 20:27).

For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart (Heb. 4:12).

I wrote a study article earlier this year on the heart (http://www.endtimecog.net/articles/hearts.html). There is plenty of scripture there that shows that it's the HEART that matters. We must love and serve God with our HEARTS. If our heart is right, the actions will follow. But, a person can have seemingly good actions and still have a wicked heart.

Every way of a man is right in his own eyes: but Jehovah pondereth the hearts (Prov. 21:2).

There are millions of people who think they're good people and they're destined to have eternal life. They think that God will surely accept them as they are, because THEY see themselves as good. This is a great deception from the adversary.

Every man has a spirit, and with that spirit man is often convicted of wrongful things (sins). This becomes even more true in some of mainstream Christendom, because they have a "form of godliness" (2 Tim. 3:5), and they think they are serving God. Some Catholic and Protestant Christians think they have God's Spirit, because they do undergo a change. This, of course, is not proof of having God's Spirit. Devout Hindus, Muslims, other religions, and even atheists have undergone significant changes to better morality. Before I received God's Spirit I had already made significant changes in my life and thought I was on God's side and thought I had the Spirit of God. I "felt" the difference. The truth of the matter is that anyone can change themselves for the better. They can stop acting out sin physically. People can even somewhat tame their thoughts. But, without actually having God's Spirit DWELLING within me, I certainly could not battle the things I've had to battle. I made changes on my own when I was being CALLED by God's Spirit. I repented, but I had to actually be BEGOTTEN (conceived) with His Spirit in order to help me keep His law. I know people who keep God's laws in a PHYSICAL sense, for the most part, anyway, but who do not have God's Spirit and so do not have the help they need to keep what MATTERS--the spirit of the law. My husband is a prime example. He was baptized when I was, but I have no idea why the brother who baptized us baptized my husband that day. It is obvious to me, now looking back on it, that he should not have baptized him. He was NOT ready for baptism. He was NOT being called at that time. He DID see some of the errors of Catholic and Protestant teachings, but he wasn't seeking with his whole heart. He didn't have an understanding of God's plan. He clearly acted unsure of whether he wanted to be baptized. That alone should have been enough to refuse him baptism. But, my husband does keep most of God's laws in a physical sense. There are many people who do this. Many of these people ARE being called (and I think my husband is being called now at this time), and they do have a heart of repentance and do start keeping God's law, but they are not going on to baptism and the laying on of hands to receive the HELP they need.

I know both ways, so I know the difference between my own spirit convicting me of wrongdoing or God's Spirit working outside of me to draw me to conviction and then God's Spirit actually being INSIDE of me.

When the Spirit of God inside of me is fed and it grows, I am acutely aware of my thoughts every moment of the day. This is to keep me in line. I don't HAVE to follow the Spirit's lead. I still have my own free will. But, it's there to guide me and to convict me. It's there to help me. That is how I fear Jehovah all the day long.

To keep evil thoughts away and to keep the heart pure in love toward God, one must MEDITATE on God's law ALL THE DAY.

O how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day (Psalm 119:97).

The more a Spirit-begotten child of God studies the Word and tells his or her Father how much he or she wants to please Him and to be praised as He has praised his firstborn, our Lord Jesus, and the more we ask for help and to DESIRE to grow in grace and knowledge and DESIRE to do what pleases Him; the more we will be acutely aware of good and evil. We must be willing to correct anything in our lives that we discover is wrong. The life of a true servant of God is a life of SACRIFICE. It is a life of FAITH.

Jesus' words:

Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. And a man's foes shall be they of his own household. He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me (Matt. 10:34-38)

Sacrifice. It demands sacrifice, even if the whole world hates me, I will serve my Father and strive to walk as my Lord walked. And I will continue to fear Jehovah all the day long.

An added note: My son sometimes rejects correction and so ends up getting struck with a switch. Neither my husband nor I like his having to be punished, just as God doesn't like to punish us but would rather us correct ourselves and obey. But, once the time of punishment arrives, it's too late, and you can't talk your way out of it. This is exactly what my son tries to do, though, just as that's what MANY self-professing Christians will try to do (Read Matt. 5:21-23), but it's just TOO LATE when it reaches that point. My son will then say, "I'm afraid, I'm afraid!" and will often cry. (I wonder whether many in that day will do the same thing before our Lord.) I tell my son, "If you really feared us, you would have obeyed. You would have corrected yourself the first time (or sometimes several times) we told you to correct your actions.

If someone fears man, he will follow man's law with his actions (and often with his thoughts, if he's deceived into believing man's law is good). If someone fears God, he will follow God's law, first and foremost with the HEART and MIND with the HAND (physical reactions) reflecting the heart and mind. If someone fears God and loves His law, he will even be willing to DIE at the hand of man when he disobeys man's law that contradicted God's law. Study Revelation 13:16-17; 14:1; Deut. 6:8; 11:18; Exodus 31:13-17; Ezekiel 20:12; Exodus 13:9

I fear Jehovah all the day. Now read Matt. 10:28.