WHO REALLY IS A GOD-FEARING PERSON? ~ Precious C Philip

Proverbs 8:13 says: "To fear the LORD is to hate evil...." In other words, whoever fears God hates evil. Can you remember anyone telling you they're God-fearing or writing on their social media profile that they're God-fearing? Now, do they hate evil? How about you? Do you consider yourself a God-fearing person? If yes, do you hate what is evil in God's sight? Cohabitation between unmarried people, abortion, homosexuality, same-sex marriage, polygamy, divorce, dirty jokes, nudity, provocative dressing, murder, fornication, adultery, idolatry, envy, stealing, lying, unforgiveness, backbiting, extortion, blackmailing and defrauding people, fighting, violence, is evil in God's sight. Do you hate these things?

The word "EVIL" in the Bible stands for ungodliness, sin, unrighteousness, immorality, wickedness, and iniquity. Therefore, when anyone says they're God-fearing, they're simply saying they hate evil, thus, eschew evil. Any Christian who claims to fear God or to be God-fearing must hate evil.

When a professing Christian says they're God-fearing, yet they love evil, they promote what is evil in God's sight, they encourage evil, and they practice evil, they're simply lying to themselves and those listening to them. Take Job in the Bible for instance, the Bible says this about him: "There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job. And this man was blameless and upright, fearing God and shunning evil." Job 1:1. Please pay close attention to the last statement: "fearing God and shunning evil." Job feared God and demonstrated this by shunning evil. If you truly fear God, you'll shun whatever is evil.

Another Scripture says, "Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and turn away from evil." Proverbs 3:7. Fearing God and turning away from evil goes hand in hand. They're inseparable. They go together. The Scripture above stresses this important truth yet again: whoever fears the Lord MUST turn away from evil. An individual isn't God-fearing because he/she is a Christian, or a worker in church, or a pastor, or a prayer warrior, no! One is God-fearing (regardless of their title in church or position in the body of Christ) because they hate evil and depart from evil.

The Bible goes further to reinforce what is expected of everyone who says they are God-fearing: "By loving devotion and faithfulness iniquity is atoned for, and by the fear of the LORD one turns aside from evil." Proverbs 16:6. The Bible keeps stressing in these passages of the Scripture we have read that any man who fears the Lord MUST hate evil and depart from it.

Moreover, you don't claim or confess "I am God-fearing" rather, you cry out to the Holy Spirit in prayer to help you fear God, to make you hate evil and love good, to strengthen you to shun evil and embrace righteousness, and you deliberately study the Word of God to be conformed to God's nature. 

Please stop claiming to be God-fearing when you still enjoy evil: sex before marriage, living together with someone you're not legally married to, having sex outside your matrimonial home,  unforgiveness, envy, greed, love of money, hatred, lying and cheating, slander and rumor-mongering, giving and receiving bribes, lusting after someone who's not your spouse, coveting what belongs to another, blackmailing people, watching pornography, castigating and lambasting men of God on social media, pulling down the church of Christ on social media, wishing/praying that something evil happens to someone who has or has not offended you, collecting charms from native/witch doctors and false prophets, engaging in money ritual...

A God-fearing person is not someone who says they're God-fearing with their lips, but someone whose lifestyle of hatred for evil and abstinence from evil (arising from the deep reverence they have for God) shows they're God-fearing. However, you can only be able to correctly identify a truly God-fearing person when you're God-fearing yourself. Aside that, you'll label everyone who quotes the Bible, every churchgoer, prayer warrior, and every religious person God-fearing.

Final word: You are not God-fearing because you go to church regularly or on Sundays.

You are not God-fearing because you're a prayer warrior or a prayer giant.

You are not God-fearing because you read the Bible.

You are not God-fearing because you post Scriptures, Christian quotes and messages on social media.

You are not God-fearing because you preach the Gospel and go out for evangelism.

You are not God-fearing because you pray morning and night.

You are not God-fearing because you are afraid of God.

You are not God-fearing because you serve in church.

You are not God-fearing because you attend church programmes.

You are not God-fearing because you fast and pray.

You are not God-fearing because you respect your pastor and pay your tithes and give offerings.

You are God-fearing because you have deep respect and love for God which causes you to obey God totally, hating and eschewing evil and everything that offends God, and embracing righteous and holy living which pleases God.

Key note: Every God-fearing person hates evil (sin, unrighteousness, immorality, ungodliness, iniquity, wickedness) and departs from it. Are you a God-fearing person? Judge yourself. If yes, well done! If no, you have a chance to repent today and make a firm decision to truly fear God.

Shalom.