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February 5 - July 20, 2025
If we’re unaware of grace’s empowerment, we will continue to attempt to please God in our own ability. We will have received God’s grace in vain.
to tremble at God’s presence and to tremble at His Word.
“I will bless those who have humble and contrite hearts, who tremble at my word.” (Isaiah 66:2)
The phrase “I will bless” is the Hebrew verb naḇaṭ, which is defined as “to look, to watch, to regard. It has the sense of looking somewhat intensely in a focused way at something.” God, in essence, is saying, “This is the person whom I will pay close attention to.” Three virtues are listed: humility, a contrite heart, and those who “tremble at my word,” which will be our focus in this section.
The one who trembles at God’s Word always exalts what He says above anything else. Nothing is more important. It’s the true evidence of holy fear. This person is most blessed.
“always obeyed”; it means unconditional.
you tremble at His Word, you will obey no matter the circumstances because there is no greater precedence. This indicates you walk in holy fear, for “by the fear of the LORD one departs from evil” (Proverbs 16:6 NKJV
The God-fearing man or woman not only obeys but greatly delights in doing so. Obedience is not a burden; it’s a joy.
The person who fears God always obeys. This person, at the core of his or her being, is unmovable from the following foundational truths: God is the One who knows what’s right for me. God is pure love, and I am the focus of His love. God will never tell me to do anything that is detrimental. Whatever He says will always end up best. Therefore, no matter what He says, I gladly choose to obey.
Trembling at His Word involves joy and gladness in the core of our being. If absent, it’s only a matter of time before circumstances reveal the lack of joy.
five sins that kept Israel from its destiny: craving evil things, worshiping idols, sexual immorality, testing God, and complaining (1 Corinthians 10:6–10).
“Son, complaining is a serious sin in My eyes.” He showed me that complaining protests,
Do all things without complaining
complaining is the antithesis of holy fear;
We dishonor God and His Word when we think or speak from the posture of discontent.
Those who fear God are firmly established that there’s nothing more important or beneficial than obedience. They obey no matter the cost and don’t filter God’s Word through the culture or trends of present-day soci...
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how other believers behave; they ...
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The evidence of holy fear is obedience, which entails both a right attitude and follow-through in action, no matter the circumstances.
major attribute of godly fear is unconditional obedience to His Word, which will have startling benefits in our lives.
There are five distinct aspects of trembling at God’s Word,
Obey God immediately.
what’s important to God is priority to me.
Jesus emphasizes that we
shouldn’t initiate “doing something for God” while neglecting to obey what He has already told us to do.
We think lightly of God when we delay or neglect to obey His Word.
God views as trivial what’s important to us who think lightly of His Word.
To repent means to change the way you think—and thus act—in order to come in line with God’s Word.
when what is not sin takes precedence over the Word of the Lord, it becomes sin.
even harmless things can detour us from fulfilling God’s will. This easily occurs when the fear of the Lord is absent from our hearts.
“God has been dealing with me about this matter for a couple months.” They smile and sometimes even laugh it off, as if it’s a cute thing. If only they realized they were
bragging about their lack of holy fear, I don’t think they’d take it so lightly.
when we tremble at His Word, we obey God immediately.
If we delay our obedience to God’s Word for personal excuses, we communicate that His will is secondary in importance.
It’s possible that seemingly harmless things can detour us from fulfilling God’s will. When what is not sin takes precedence over the Word of the Lord, it becomes sin. Have I allowed myself to be distracted by personal interests and therefore delayed my obedience? How can this change?
Once I know the will of God, I will immediately obey it.
We’re not called to live by human reason. All that matters is obedience to God’s Word and His leading in our lives. When we are in His will, we are in the safest place in the world.
Obey God immediately.
Obey God even if it doesn’t make sense.
The Lord’s wisdom far exceeds our own; therefore, we shouldn’t depend on our own understanding. We can easily be swayed from obedience that will ultimately benefit us when we are instructed to do something that’s not logical. The person who fears God obeys, even when it doesn’t make sense.
There are times God will tell us to do something that just doesn’t make sense in our minds. But His wisdom is always confirmed by the results.
The Lord’s wisdom far exceeds ours; therefore, we shouldn’t depend on our own understanding. It can easily sway us from beneficial obedience. The person who fears God obeys, even when it doesn’t make sense.
I choose to obey God’s wisdom over my own and the voices of those who trust in mankind’s ability over God’s.
Obey God immediately.
Obey God even if it doesn’t make sense. Obey God even when you don’t see a personal benefit.
All too often, to get believers interested in obedience, benefits must be emphasized.
In shunning God’s wisdom, we actually hurt ourselves. His commands, counsel, and wisdom ultimately bring the greatest blessings, both in this life and the one to come.
You can never outgive God; the benefits are far greater than anything you can do for Him.
This is why the fear of the Lord is so crucial; it motivates obedience, whether a reward is obvious or not.
It’s a heart posture that is developed and lived by. It is our default in even the seemingly insignificant decisions we make moment by moment. We choose, even in the small matters, to obey God’s Word and the Holy Spirit’s leading.
The question is, will you consistently obey God in response to the holy fear that burns in your heart, or will you wait until you see a personal benefit?
