Proverbs 31:30- "...but a woman who respects the Lord should be praised." (ERV)
Proverbs 31:30- "...The woman to be admired and praised is the woman who lives in the Fear-of-God." (Message)
Yesterday we talked about how temporary charm and beauty are.
Most believe that it takes about 3-6 months for someone's true colors to show- beauty and charm can only carry you through those months, after that, it is up to the goodness of our heart. What is hidden within will eventually be revealed.
We must ensure that the quality of our heart is the most beautiful thing about us.
The Proverbs 31 woman understood that her outward appearance was necessary to care for. She made sure she was dressed nicely, always making her husband proud, BUT she also understood that this should not be our main focus. She knew that what made her a woman that 'should be praised' was fearing the Lord.
When I was growing up, I always got so confused about 'fearing the Lord.' I didn't want to be scared of Him, I wanted to love Him. That's when a man of God explained to me that there are different types of fear mentioned in the Bible.
There is the type of fear where we are terrified of something. For example, I'm scared of going in to stores alone, bees, being trapped. This is the fear that God continually asks us to let go of. 1 John 4:18 states, "Where God’s love is, there is no fear, because God’s perfect love takes away fear..." (ERV) This is the fear He wants us to pray over and remove from our lives. It takes away from life. It steals our joy.
Psalms 49:5 states, "Why should I be afraid when trouble comes? There is no need to fear when evil enemies surround me. (ERV)
And there is also a reverential fear... a reverential awe.
Job 28:28 states, "Then he said to humans, ‘To fear and respect the Lord is wisdom. To turn away from evil is understanding.’” (ERV)
Psalms 33:8-9 states, "Everyone on earth should fear and respect the Lord.
All the people in the world should fear him,
9 because when he speaks, things happen.
And if he says, “Stop!”—then it stops" (ERV)
Psalms 64:9 states, "People will see what God has done. They will tell other people about him. Then everyone will learn more about God. They will learn to fear and respect him." (ERV)
Knowing the power of God and believing it is fearing and respecting Him. Understanding His supernatural abilities, believing in His supernatural abilities, trusting in His almighty ways. These are all signs of fearing and respecting Him.
While reading about this verse, I came across a quote that literally gave me goosebumps. You all know my story. I tell it almost every single day, but I want others to know about His goodness, His faithfulness, and His ability to fix us. He changed my soul. I was the girl that struggled with fear my entire life. Even when I attended church in my youth, I still battled with the fears that overtook your life. I had no idea how to get them to stop. Of course, my relationship with God had already began to suffer by this point. And it gradually declined. Anxiety strangled me. The year 2007, I could barely leave my house. In fact, I didn't leave it for almost 3 months. Since, God has been helping me build back what the devil took from me, but it has been a process.
But this quote. It shook me inside. It made me realize what has been missing all of these years.
"The fear of the Lord tends to take away all other fears." (Sinclair Ferguson)
Well, I'm going to let that sink in for a second, because it had to sink in for me too.
LOVING Him. RESPECTING Him. STANDING IN AWE of Him.... that tends to take away any other fears we have in this life!
If we are so busy focusing on WHO He is. WHAT He can do.... we won't have the time to think about the anxieties and burdens that weigh us down.
I know I am going to think about this the next time fear starts to grip me... because it still tries. I'm not 100% better and I'm finally learning that that's okay. I have a thorn in my flesh.. and I still plan on praising the Creator, even if He never takes it from me 100%. I'm just going to trust Him to get me through the fearful times. The next time I become overwhelmed with anxiety, I'm going to switch my focus to WHO He is. Find verses that praise Him. Whatever it takes to keep my mind on HIM... NOT my circumstance.
Proverbs 15:16 states, "It is better to be poor and respect the Lord than to be rich and have many troubles."
Respecting and fearing Him should be our main focus in this life. He will supply all other needs. We just have to trust Him to do it.
Knowing the power of God and believing it is fearing and respecting Him. Understanding His supernatural abilities, believing in His supernatural abilities, trusting in His almighty ways. These are all signs of fearing and respecting Him.
While reading about this verse, I came across a quote that literally gave me goosebumps. You all know my story. I tell it almost every single day, but I want others to know about His goodness, His faithfulness, and His ability to fix us. He changed my soul. I was the girl that struggled with fear my entire life. Even when I attended church in my youth, I still battled with the fears that overtook your life. I had no idea how to get them to stop. Of course, my relationship with God had already began to suffer by this point. And it gradually declined. Anxiety strangled me. The year 2007, I could barely leave my house. In fact, I didn't leave it for almost 3 months. Since, God has been helping me build back what the devil took from me, but it has been a process.
But this quote. It shook me inside. It made me realize what has been missing all of these years.
"The fear of the Lord tends to take away all other fears." (Sinclair Ferguson)
Well, I'm going to let that sink in for a second, because it had to sink in for me too.
LOVING Him. RESPECTING Him. STANDING IN AWE of Him.... that tends to take away any other fears we have in this life!
If we are so busy focusing on WHO He is. WHAT He can do.... we won't have the time to think about the anxieties and burdens that weigh us down.
I know I am going to think about this the next time fear starts to grip me... because it still tries. I'm not 100% better and I'm finally learning that that's okay. I have a thorn in my flesh.. and I still plan on praising the Creator, even if He never takes it from me 100%. I'm just going to trust Him to get me through the fearful times. The next time I become overwhelmed with anxiety, I'm going to switch my focus to WHO He is. Find verses that praise Him. Whatever it takes to keep my mind on HIM... NOT my circumstance.
Proverbs 15:16 states, "It is better to be poor and respect the Lord than to be rich and have many troubles."
Respecting and fearing Him should be our main focus in this life. He will supply all other needs. We just have to trust Him to do it.
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