Resolving Personal & Spiritual Conflicts

 It was established in the first part of this series that our fall from grace as minsters of God’s word and as children of God is due mainly to our slackening on the fear of the Lord. And that the fall is not a sudden one but a glide into sin. Since the fear of the Lord is our strongest pillar against yielding to temptations, it is therefore necessary to cultivate it. This is the focus of this week’s message.
A positive attitude towards God and His word is the foundation of the fear of the Lord. A high estimate of God and His word means that we obey God and His commandments.  We cannot be wilful, stubborn and independent in our attitudes, speech and actions toward God and His word and claim we fear God. Showing a reverential attitude towards God involves regarding Him as the final authority, as one who has our best interests at heart, as one who loves us fully and as the ultimate object of our trust and faith.
When faced with the temptations of his mistress, Joseph did not resist by appealing to anything lower than God Himself. Joseph overcame her advances saying, “How could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?” And this was his strongest defence against temptations. His defence was not based on his credentials as an individual or on the fear of man’s bitter revenge or punishment. He valued God’s presence in his life as a vital necessity that could not be traded for anything else. He had gone through thick and thin but God’s presence in his life meant that he merged a winner out of all the rough times.
The import of what Joseph was saying is that every sin committed is much more against God than the individual perpetrated aga-inst it.
The great Overlord will plead the cause of everyone whom we sin against because vengeance is His. The apostle Paul must have had the same injunction of treating everything with the fear of the Lord when he taught us to do everything as unto the Lord (Colossians 3:20-22). He knew that if the fear of the Lord is our controlling motive then everything will be fine.
In cultivating the fear of the Lord we also need to renounce trust in false securities like riches, man and weapons. We weaken our defence system when we put our trust in carnal security.  Paul denounced trust in uncertain riches (1Tim. 6:10ff). King David vowed never to be moved by his prosperity. He advised, “If riches increase, set not your heart upon them” (Psalms62:10).
Prophet Jeremiah declared the man accursed who put his trust in man (Chapter 17). Love of gold and silver are apt to replace the fear of the Lord. And Job steered clear of it. It was Chuck Swindoll who said: “To stay balanced in adversity, resiliency is required. To stay balanced in prosperity that demands integrity.”    
Purity is better than power. The fear of the Lord is cultivated by emphasizing character building more than the demonstration of power. This priority should be observed if longevity on the pathway of the fear of the Lord is our goal. The statement ‘power corrupts’ is true. When we begin to walk in greater power, we must seek to walk in greater humility at the same time. Power needs the control of character. And humility is the thermostat of the boiling power.
Wise dealing with our enemies, rivals, rebels and competitors is a key to our survival in the ministry. David dealt wisely in all his affairs. Wise dealing when in power prevents us from using power and authority to serve our interests instead of serving God’s interests. David, though anointed replacement king, could not kill Saul for the sole reason of the fear of the Lord. He let God deal with Saul Himself rather than running ahead of God and mess up things as Moses did when he killed an Egyptian. Vengeance is God’s; ours is the wisdom of forgiveness and committing our cause into God’s hands. Some of our opponents are used by God as sandpaper to refine our character.
Lastly, a high dependency syndrome is required in our walk with God. God does not want us to depend on man or on things but on Him. This invests our lives with the need to always inquire of God before we make every important move.
Cultivation of the spirit of the fear of the Lord will not be complete without mentioning the need to sincerely repent whenever we fail. Our glory is not in never falling but in rising up every time we fall. And repentance is the crane that lifts us back into grace.

– Contact Pastor Mairos on 0772889766 or email mairos78@yahoo.co.uk