The fear of the Lord is presented in scripture by two contrasting roads in life. One is marked by demands of righteousness, justice, and equity; the other is a way of distortion that twists truth into dishonesty, deviousness and self-deception. The first four proverbs focus on the fear of the Lord and quickly move into verses contrasting the way of wisdom with the ways of seducing spirits, characterized by immorality and highlighting the ways of the wicked in Proverbs 6.

The fear of the Lord delivers us from way of evil and preserves us from taking the wrong path.

The fear of the Lord gives us understanding and protects us from being deceived by seducing spirits that want to lead us away from the straight paths of God.

The fear of the Lord can keep us from getting caught in a snare, and there is a promise of safety if we keep to the ways of truth and righteousness.

The fear of the Lord gives a promise of blessing the home of the just, contrasted with a curse resting on the home of the wicked.

The fear of the Lord causes us to treat others with mercy and truth, which causes us to find favor with God and others.

The many benefits of wisdom begin with an understanding of how well we adhere to the ways of God, and walking with the fear of the Lord because it causes us to live with a conscious awareness of how we treat others, knowing we are accountable for every word and deed. Even believers have to give an account. If we have been careless with our words, those words are documented by scribe angels. How else would every word we have spoken be called into account? Indeed, they are recorded and bear witness in heavenly courts.

Matthew 12:37 (ESV) Jesus: “I tell you, on the day of judgment, people will given an account for every careless word they speak…”

Romans 14:12 (ESV) So then each of us will give an account to God.

1 Peter 4:5 (ESV) [He] is ready to judge the living and the dead.

Often times people never stop to consider how the words coming out of their mouth might impact someone else, or how it can boomerang back into their own life as a judgment that blocks their prayers from being answered. These are emotional words, not truth or based on facts. Therefore, those word are equated to giving false testimony against the reputation of another God has called into the kingdom, to live victoriously. Speaking negatively against others is no small matter! In a court of law many other factors are taken into consideration before a verdict is issued. Speaking out of frustration, anger or hurt causes offense. It is not only hurtful to those we speak about, it also grieves the Holy Spirit. Those careless words must be expunged – completely erased – from the records because when we judge others, according to Luke 6:37, a judgment is placed on the books under our name. Words spoken carelessly about others can become a judgment against us, making us guilty until we repent.

Recently, I was speaking with a friend of mine and she was telling me about how she had been watching these programs about life after death. She said that one common theme that everyone spoke about was standing with the Lord Jesus Christ during a review of their life. From birth until the time of their death, they watched and reviewed everything they did. The shame they felt at things they did when they thought no one else was watching. They saw how their deeds affected others. They witnessed the ripple effect their behavior had on others, the pain that it caused, and how their actions caused others to sin. Sometimes that sin had an effect over generations. Most of these things the individual was not aware of, as they had not stopped to consider the power of their words and action had on others. My friend said that in each of these cases where people gave their testimony of life after death experiences, they said the pain of conviction and the shame at watching their life review was mortifying. Truly full of the fear of the Lord. The Lord Jesus was standing by and not speaking a word, but everyone judged themselves of their own sin because through the lens of eternity, watching as an observer, they could see what they couldn’t see when they were alive on Earth.

What a sobering thought. We cannot possibly judge ourselves righteously if we try to do it by our own reasoning. We see from our own selfish perspective, putting our emotions and sense of well-being before that of others. I think if we could, there are so many things that we would not say or do knowing that we must stand and give an account for how all our actions have affected others. If we understood the fear of the Lord better, I think we would straighten up and be more mindful of how our words and actions can affect others.

Do they lash out and hurt others because we hurt or offended them?

Or do they hurt themselves because they internalize that hurt?

Do others turn to a sinful response because of something we have done?

I know there are many times when someone else caused me to feel angry or upset and it had a ripple effect on how I treated others, even the people I love most. I have been guilty of this very thing more often than I would like to admit. I hate to think of standing before the Lord and giving an account for every careless word spoken. This message is not intended to bring anyone under condemnation or legalism, because for those who have received Christ as their Savior, their sins are covered by the blood of Jesus and the declaration of faith unto salvation. However, it can affect what type of reward we receive in the hereafter. We are evaluated by how well we have loved others during our lifetime. I believe that is why Jesus hung on the cross and said, “Father forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” He paid the ultimate price and gave his life, shedding his blood as payment for our sin. Let us not take that grace for granted. The fear of the Lord should compel us to repent and confess our sins and ask for forgiveness. That is not a one-time deal and never think of it again. It is to honor the Lord properly by not allowing unconfessed sin to accumulate in our life, because then not only do we make room for the evil one to gain a place of strength in our life, but to continue to cause pain to others because we have allowed the wrong influences to manipulate our behavior. Stop and think about this. It is very sobering.

The kingdom of God and the kingdom of darkness are built on words, because words are spirit. Words carry power in the spirit realm and create a ripple effect that is far beyond what we can imagine. Sound waves create vibrations and are a force that impacts other things.

The scriptures remind us, do not judge others, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn others, or it will all come back against you. Forgive others, and you will be forgiven. Since each of you are part of God’s family, never complain or grumble about each other so that judgment will not come on you, for the true Judge is near and very ready to appear! Confess and acknowledge how you have offended one another and then pray for one another to be instantly healed, for tremendous power is released through the passionate, heartfelt prayer of a godly believer!

James 4:11 is a powerful reminder that we are responsible for the words we speak.

Dear friends, as part of God’s family, never speak against another family member, for when you slander a brother or sister, you violate God’s law of love.

It’s far past time to make things right with our Lord while there is opportunity to do so. I pray this speaks to everyone’s heart today and brings both conviction and a compulsion to stop what you’re doing and pray a heartfelt prayer to your heavenly father. Do not put off until another day what is important to do today. When we confess our sin, guilt and shame is cleansed from our conscience. When we confess our sin, Christ can forgive and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. When we ask him to be our Lord and Savior, the Spirit of Christ and His righteousness is imputed to us, which enables us to take on more of godly nature and begin to love others better. We just can’t do it in our own strength.

Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not bear false witness,” “You shall not covet,” and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself. Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.” Romans 13:8-10 NJKV

If we fail to judge ourselves properly, we can become weak, sick or worse, to ‘fall asleep,’ which is a reference to spiritual or natural death, or perhaps both. Spiritual death begins where there is spiritual sleep, or a spirit of slumber. How long have we been hearing the words “a great awakening” is coming? The church wouldn’t need to be awakened if it had not been asleep!

A spirit of slumber begins with feeling disconnected to God, apathy towards the things of the Spirit, and desensitization towards issues of the heart concerning sin. A right perspective of the fear of the Lord means that we don’t use a broad brush to sweep things under the rug or casually disregard the authority of the Holy Spirit. People may tend to feel disconnected to the Lord in worship and may struggle to believe in God or His word. They may feel heavy, tired, or experience intense sleepiness when scripture is read (or preached). These things cause people to become spiritually ‘dull of hearing’ so that they cannot discern between good and evil. They begin to rationalize worldly attitudes and viewpoints. It is a progressive road to spiritual blindness, where they become blocked from experiencing the power and presence of God. A spirit of stupor, or slumber, has a numbing or blinding effect on the conscience so that people under its influence cannot understand their own need for repentance. Therefore, they cannot receive healing and deliverance. They don’t practice deliverance because they do not feel it is needed, and there is no power of God evidenced in their life/ministry. Many churches have a form of godliness, but they deny the power of God. The only way to be filled with power is by being stripped of self. Many Christians are in a dangerous place right now and fail to discern the evil influences that have been trying to lull them asleep. It’s time to wake up! Shake yourself and renounce the spirit of slumber. Renounce ungodly attitudes, careless words, and behaviors. Let the Lord do a deeper work in you. It is time to repent from being lukewarm and renew our covenant with God while there is yet time. May we walk soberly in the fear of the Lord, discerning the days in which we live. Amen.