FEAR THE LORD

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge. Proverbs 1:7 Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. Ecclesiastes 12:13 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding. To him belongs eternal praise. Psalm 111:10.

Two Biblical principles stand out in the above verses; one, is that true knowledge begins with keeping God's commandments and the other principle is that we fear the Lord by giving Him eternal praise which is the whole duty of man. In other words, our sole purpose for existence is to obey God out of praise and worship for who He is.

As always, we will go to the Word of God to be instructed in His command to Fear the Lord.

Psalms 34 gives us some insight into what is meant by fearing God. Verses 1 through 3 give the following commands:

1. Extol the Lord at all times

2. Praise will always be on my lips

3. Boast in the Lord

4. Hear and rejoice in the Lord

5. Glorify the Lord

6. Exalt His name

Notice each version is in present tense and the words all and always makes it clear that we are to live in a continuous state of praising God. In other words, we should be committed to praising God.

Praising God should not be something we do only at church. For what good is it to clap, sing, shout, dance and raise "holy" hands in praise and worship on Sundays when your life Monday to Saturday is a mere reflection of God. Can the unsaved outside of the boundaries of your church see God in you. This question was put to a congregation of a church I attended several weeks ago. The minister's challenge to us was "When was the last time someone saw your excitement in the Lord and wanted to follow you to church?" He made it clear that our lifestyle should be such that the glory of God can be seen in us to draw others to Christ.

Verses 4-9 lists promises of God for those who continually praise and fear Him:

1. He answers their prayers

2. He gives them joy in place of shame

3. He saves them out of all their troubles

4. He sends angels to encamp around them and

He delivers them

5. He blesses them

6. He provides good things and they lack nothing.

Verses 11-15 give instructions on how to fear the Lord and have a good long life:

1. Keep your tongue from evil

2. Keep your lips from speaking lies

3. Turn from evil and do good

4. Seek peace and pursue it

The remainder of this Psalm is a wonderful picture of God's compassion and concern for the righteous and His judgment on those who do evil:

1. His eyes are on the righteous - and He hears our cry.

2. His face is against the wicked and they will be cut off and forgotten

3. His comfort brings Him close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

4. He promises that even though we may have trouble - He will deliver us from them all.

5. He will fight our battles and promises victory in spiritual warfare by condemning our enemies.

6. Finally, Praise God, He redeems His servant and they take refuge in Him.

Call to Salvation

Won't you take refuge in the Lord today? All the promises of Psalm 34 and many others can be yours to claim today.

God loves you so much that He gave His only begotten Son to die for your sins, so that once you believe in Him, you will not perish but have everlasting life. John 3:16. God has a plan for your life. He wants you to have not only eternal life but an abundant life here on earth. A life full of peace and joy which comes from a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. John 10:10.

But, because of your sin, you are separated from God. Romans 3:23. The penalty for your sin is death. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ Romans 6:23. However, Jesus paid the penalty for your sin and died for you in your place. Romans 5:8.

If you would repent of your sin, confess and trust Jesus as lord and Savior, you will be saved from your sins. For whoever call on the name of the Lord shall be saved Romans 10:13. You will need to confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead Romans 10:9,10. Visit the Call to Salvation Web Page for the Prayer of Salvation, read it and pray with a sincere heart to God and you will be saved.

Now you are a new creation and must begin to grow in the knowledge and understanding of the Bible and your walk with Christ. First, be baptized and join a Bible teaching and believing Church where you can study the Bible and present yourself approved workman before God and not be ashamed when He returns. Begin to share your faith with others, giving witness to how Jesus has changed your life. See you in Heaven where we will meet the other saints that have go gone on before us.

Songs of Praise

The Bible is full of songs, prayers and declarations of praise to God. You need only read the Book of Psalms should you find yourself looking for words to praise God. I have found that only the words of God are worthy of expressing His greatness. I often pray a Psalm to God during my quiet times and I feel as if God has accepted my prayers and blesses me with His presence. This is not just talk, the Bible says - God inhabits the praise of His people.

Have you ever experienced a warm, peaceful presence when praying, or when listening to someone else pray? That is the Presence of the Lord.

Let's test this, turn your Bible to 2 Samuel 22:1-4 and join David in prayer as he expresses his praise to God for having given him victory in war. David never lost a battle in all his 40 years as King of Israel. Let's see why.

Before each battle, David often prayed to the Lord for guidance and direction. This is where I used to fail so many times. I would set out to do something and then realize that I did not seek the Lord's guidance beforehand. I found that I was making this mistake because I believed that God was only concerned with my spiritual life, but this is not true. The Bible says in ALL things by prayer ... with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. Philippine 4:4.

DAVID'S PRAYER:

"The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;

M y God is my rock, in whom I take refuge,

my shield and the horn of my salvation.

He is my stronghold, my refuge and my savior--

from violent men you save me.

I call to the LORD, who is worthy of praise,

and I am saved from my enemies.

In my distress I called to the LORD;

I called out to my God.

From his temple he heard my voice;

my cry came to his ears.

OUR PRAYER:

Thank You Lord that You are our Rock, our Fortress, our Deliverer. You O'God are the Rock in whom we take refuge.

We praise you O'God for being our Shield and Salvation. You are our Stronghold, our Refuge and our Savior.

Thank you Lord that you save us from violent men that are so rampant in our world today. We are saved from all of our enemies.

Thank you Lord that we can call upon Your name and You will hear our cry. You and You alone are worthy of all praise and honor. Amen.

I ask you, can you pray that prayer which is based on the Word of God and not feel His presence and a sense of comfort and peace? There should be a "knowing" that God is a Rock in whom we can take refuge.

For further study, continue reading this Scripture (2 Samuel 22:1-51 and Psalm 18:1-50). There are basically 3 major ideas:

1. God assures us of His deliverance from our enemies

2. God gives a picture of the moral lifestyle of one who is expecting His help.

3. God spells out the actual help we can expect.

Rejoicing in the Midst

A Bible Study on the Book of Habbakuk

With today's headlines of evil and disasters everywhere, we find ourselves with a similar complaint as the one made by the prophet Habbakuk. While we may agree with his complaint, let us also agree with his conclusion of a confession of trust and joy in the Lord.

Just as I am sure many of us have wondered, Habbakuk actually went before the Lord and asked the age old question. Why does God allow evil to go unpunished? Of course, if we understand anything about Scriptures, we know that sin will be punished and faith will be rewarded. The solution, of course, is to trust that God is sovereign and in complete control of all things. We are to wait upon Him and rest in Him, believing Him when He says, "vengeance is mine, I will repay...saith the Lord" Romans 12:19.

Jeremiah 29:11 tells us that God has a plan for us, one that will not harm us but one that will give us a hope and a future that is for our good. God's answer to Habbakuk confirms this message for us. In verse 5 of Chapter 1, God says "I am going to do something in your days you would not believe if I told you." God does not overlook evil and He is not powerless to do anything about it. We will see that evil, along with everything else, serves God's purposes in this world.

Chapter 1 from verse 7 through Chapter 2 verse 10, we see a portrait of the evil in Habbakuk's day and will notice that it is very much like the world today. Verse 7 begins by saying "the wicked are feared and dreaded, they are a law to themselves," meaning they are arrogant without concern for what is right or wrong. They make up their own rules as they go. Verse 11 goes on to explain that "they promote their own honor, they are "swift as leopards, fiercer than wolves", "bent on violence," and they "gather prisoners and the oppressed" while they "scoff at rulers." Sound like anyone you know? It seems as if today's entire society deny authority, rebel against religion and violence appears to be the order of the day. The Columbine murders and the Atlanta killings are sheer examples of the wickedness and evilness of the world. Chapter 2 begins to explain the personality of the wicked, verse 4 says they "are puffed up with pride," their "desires are not upright" "they are never at rest", their "greed is never satisfied," and they "plot the ruin of others." This sounds like the average John Doe today. He is self-willed, having no respect for righteousness and goodness, he is full of pride believing he is in control of his own destiny. His greed is never satisfied, the more he gets the more he wants. The restlessness of souls can be seen in the fast-past environment of today. Some of the mottos are: "get all you can get, as fast as you can get it, before anyone else can get it;" "every man for himself" and "you have to look out for #1."

In such a degenerated world, how are we as Christians are to respond?

Again, God does not leave us without an answer. Chapter 3 will direct our hearts in how we should respond and what we can expect from the Lord. Verse 1 begins by saying, "remember the goodness of the Lord in the past." Remembering the past track record of the Lord will comfort your heart every time. When looking back over our lives, we can all see times where we knew the Lord worked things out for us. I always say, if He did it once, He will do it again. Romans 1:17, Galatians 3:1 and Hebrew 10:38 all reveal that "the just shall live by faith."

The prophet Habbakuk began to recall the deeds God had performed for Israel in the past; i.e., the Egyptian oppression and God's deliverance through Moses; the parting of the Red Sea; all of Joshua, David and Solomon's conquests. Sometimes, we become so familiar with these stories that we begin to view them as only stories. But on the contrary, they are actual accounts of God's interference on behalf of His people.

We can place our faith in a God full of glory and power. How is God's glory and power revealed? Verses 2-11 says God's glory is revealed in the sunrise, clouds, thunder, storms, sun and moon. We can all expect God to be God and that He will deliver His people. He will "crush the head of the wicked, strip him head to toe and his spear will pierce his own heart." There is a end to wickedness and evil. God will deliver us. Satan will be exposed for the vile, wicked one that he is. But, I believe this is God's business. Our business is to do what God calls us to do.

Verses 16 and 17 are God's direction for us. He says we are to respond in reverent awe of who God is. Like, Habbakuk, our "hearts should pound" our "lips quiver at the sound of His Word", with our "legs trembling," waiting "patiently" upon the Lord.

Now we have gotten to the real problem we have under these circumstances: Waiting on the Lord. We can all wait as long as we believe we will get an answer right away. But, should some time go by and we have yet to see an answer or the deliverance we are waiting for, we begin to panic and most times give up. We should learn the lesson of faith that Habbakuk learned from this encounter with the Almighty. He learned to trust that God will provide what he needs regardless of the circumstances and while the circumstances do not change, he is to continue to rejoice in the Lord.

Verses 18-19 gives us an analogy of situations that do not look as if they are going to change. God tells Habbakuk that he is to rejoice, even though the "trees do not bud" meaning even when there are no opportunities available at the time. Rejoice even though there are "no grapes on the vine" meaning the supply is low and your need remains. Rejoice even when the "olive crop failed" meaning even in the face of disappointment and failure. Rejoice even when the "field produce no food" and there are "no sheep or cattle." Even when we do not see a way out or the provisions that we need, we are to rejoice in the fact that God will provide because He is faithful and just. There are 2 things I know of that God cannot do. He cannot lie and He cannot change. So, we can stand on His Word and count on it never to change. We can count on God to do His part. The question is, can He count on us to do ours?

It has always surprised me to know how human Biblical folk really were. They struggled with a lot of the same hardships and weaknesses we struggle with. I do find, however, that their faith was rooted a lot deeper than ours. I am not sure of the exact reason for this, I can only guess that it has something to do with our "do it yourself" world.

Unlike Habbakuk's society, man is more self sufficient in his thinking today. With knowledge at our fingertips (i.e., computers and the internet and the many technological advances), man has been allowed to feel powerful and in control. We have lost our sense of dependence upon God. I believe because of this, God has left man to his own devices.

Although Habbakuk's society would be considered primitive in light of today's standards, I believe it is the simplicity of their lifestyle that resulted in the development of a deeper sense of God. Therefore, even in their humanness, their faith outshines ours and leave us feeling dumbfounded.

Guest Article

Her article teaches us how God views success. This is in line with the theme of this month's Newsletter where we are studying the Fear of the Lord. Surely, if we learn to fear Him we will find godly success, not as the world views it.

HOW TO SUCCEED IN GOD'S EYES

Proverbs notes two significant by products of wise living: success and a good reputation. Several verses also point out what causes failure and a poor reputation.

Quality that promote success and a good reputation

1. Goodness 10:7

2. Hating lies 13:5

3. Committing all work to the Lord 16:3

4. Speaking few words; a settled mind 17:27-28

5. Loving wisdom 19:8

6. Kindness 19:22

7. Humility and respect for the Lord 22:4

8. Godliness and righteousness 28:12

9. Willingness to admit mistakes; 28:13

Confession and forsaking sin

Qualities that prevent success and causes a bad reputation

1. Wickedness 10:7; 12:3; 28:12

2. Constant lying 13:5

3. Hatred 26:24-26

4. Praising oneself 27:2

5. Refusing to admit mistakes 28:13

Praise Reports

Dear Editor:

As I pray and ask God for things I need, He answers my prayers and sometimes with better answers. When Christians draw close to Christ, they draw closer to one another. Time spent alone with God can ease the pain of loneliness.

Jesus died for us all and we all should live for Him.

Submitted by

Mrs. Emma Newkirk, North Carolina

Dear Editor:

Praise God and to Him be the glory for He is truly divine. I am apologizing up front for not corresponding in a more timely fashion. Your newsletters have been very insightful and spiritually uplifting. Your newsletters have shown me just how wonderful the Lord is.

I read Sister Wanda Harris' testimony in the Book Review of Holding onto Heaven While Your Husband Goes through Hell. It was truly a beautiful testimony. Wanda's husband and I have formed a lasting friendship and he helped me immensely with an open ear and an open heart. I am praying that they find happiness and inner peace together for as long as God chooses to grant them breath.

In closing, I want to thank the Editor of GA Newsletter for bringing God's word into my life. God bless you and you are in my prayers.

Submitted by,

Darren Murphy

Clergy Appreciation Day

We give honor and appreciation for ministers everywhere who preach and teach the Word of God. October 10^th is Clergy Appreciation Day.

Take time this month to show your appreciation to your individual pastors. Send a card or write of note. Take time to pray for them and thank God for them.

The George's Angel Newsletter wishes all of its "Clergy" Readers a Blessed Day and may God touch the hearts of their flock to extend love and gratefulness to you, not only at this time but at all times.

I submit the following Scriptures as encouragement to pastors everywhere:

...devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching. Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through a prophetic message when the body of elders laid their hands on you.

Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress. Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.

1 Timothy 4:12-16

In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage--with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.

2 Timothy 4:1-5

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