Free Chapel Young Adults Podcast | Ep 5: Fear of God

((music playing))
 why 
((music playing))
 y'all what's going on Free Chapel young adults welcome again to the Free Chapel young adult podcast I'm one of your hosts my name is Aaron Marshall if I haven't had the honor and privilege of meeting you I am the global young adult Pastor here at free Chapo as well as the Director of Free Chapel college but I'm here with some special special people they're not guests they're family go ahead and introduce yourselves um my name is Courtney B and um I'm on staff here at the church uh I work in our media department for Jensen Franklin Ministries and yeah I speak sometimes as well so a little bit of everywhere all over the place my name is Skyler I'm on our young adult team and I'm on staff with our college and youth yes my name is Hamilton um I am one of the youth pastors here at our Gainesville Campus and so I get to uh hang out with the middle school and high school students a lot see they're toning it down a little bit and they're being a little modest y'all we got like some Legends here on the podcast this morning we have the legendary y'all he's legendary he's leg you know what I'm saying like Pastor Hamilton I'm only 31 guys I'm not legendary trust he preaches he teaches yes but he's such a great man and a great leader and bro I'm honored to have you you know here with the podcast you excited to be no I am I am you know I love anytime we get to chop it up yes sir and then we got the online Talent okay Mary herself okay not that sky and but y' she preaches she teaches too and then she going to be mad at me for doing this so y'all we got the Evangelist the apostles the prophet tell the first family Miss Courtney b y you've been your preaching bad lately Courtney yeah a little bit a little bit I mean I get it honest right how has it been though just a side note stepping into that space of like ministering the gospel not just in house here Free Chapel but going around and traveling and doing some preaching yeah it's been really special I mean um I'm a church girl I love this house I love building the local church in any way that I can um my whole life has been built around this place and intend to keep it that way until I go home amen um to heaven but uh it's been really special it's been special getting to do it here at Free Chapel obviously um uh but it's been special this past weekend my dad and I got to speak at a youth conference together and we've never done done that before um we we've done Divine conference here at the church together but um kind of getting to travel just he and I and that that was really special very special that's awesome that's awesome well we got to give a shout out we joke around we say our sponsors but um we couldn't do this without our church free chavel and our senior pastor Pastor Jensen and Sharice Franklin we just want to say from the bottom of our our hearts thank you thank you thank you um for what you guys do how you lead the heart in which you lead in um and thank you for allowing us and trusting us to um steart um parts of the ministry I.E the Young Adult Ministry so thank you thank you we love you shout out to you hopefully we get your dad on this that's what I was about to say probably worth mentioning they are my parents see I I I was trying to hold back but I a want I didn't technically hyphenate my name when I got married millions of years ago it feels like but um uh 14 this year but uh but yes shout out to Tyler out to Tyler yo by the way again full of talent around Free Chapel but Tyler plays a mean guitar he's actually played a couple Young Adult Services youth as well very very very goodlooking as 
[laughter]
 well we'll say that for our marriage podcast on the way but no excited to have you guys excited to get into our topic um today we're going to be talking about about the fear of God um which is a topic that is sort of near and dear to Mo heart um because as I kind of told you guys in prepping for this that um pastor preached this message uh I think a couple years ago about marking moments and there were several marking moments in my life but those marking moments sort of created this internal fear of God and I don't mean sort of this fear of like I'm scared of God but a reverence and a awe so to get the ation started like when I think of fear of God um I feel like it's something that's not necessarily talked about with consistency I feel like um people are kind of scared of that topic especially in this day and age of mental health where oh don't fear because fear causes anxiousness worry anxiety but I think we have to get back to a foundational sort of understanding and principle that as Believers of Jesus Christ we are called to fear God and in that I just want to give a quick synopsis from my perspective that you know fearing God you know obviously the Bible says um fear of God is the beginning of wisdom but to me when we talk about fearing God it's really all a reverence a respect for God yeah it's like God you are the greatest God you are worthy God you are literally everything and I know we you know I've heard people kind of teach and preach on that aspect but there's an aspect of fear of God I feel like we need to sort of talk about a little more and that's sort of the applicable side to fearing God that yeah I can have a honor and a reverence to God but in having that I must now apply that fear in my everyday life meaning that how I approach my marriage with my wife I should have the fear of God in in the Forefront of my mind how I Steward my children I need to have a reverence in a fear of God my conversations must be through the fear of God how I Steward leadership and pastoral ship or whatever it is I've been called to do or relationships I have it must come from fearing God so I'm just curious from your perspective like how would you define fear of God if you had to explain it to someone know me I'm let the P kick it off yeah yeah I mean I think for me um the fear of God is Is Love on your knees that's one of my favorite ways that I've ever heard it expressed and so yes it's a holy reverence and it's um it's understanding his power and his might but I think at the same time it's simply love on your knees in Deuteronomy it says um serve the Lord your God and fear Him um and so with that it's obedience um it's understanding that um my yes to him is more important than than anything else and so um but when you understand his yes to you and what that cost him um it makes that fear of God a little bit easier to deal with and like you said it's it's fear and trembling in the sense of holy yeah love on your knees that's that's one of my favorite ways I've heard um the fear of God explained yeah I I love how you said you added love and there because again I feel like sometimes we may fear this so like yeah the most loving thing that God can allow us to sort of understand is his love for us and in knowing that he loves us there is that like you said that reverence that awe that like man God you are a loving God but in that you're just the best thing that ever happened to me but anybody else yeah I know I I agree I love how she said that because so often times you know there's so much tension and statements when considering character traits of our heavenly father like you know even what we're called to do as Believers we worship in spirit and in truth and then I think about how Jesus is fully Grace but he's also just um as of course God is as well and so I I love how you know you bring the love into the equation because his only agenda is from a place of love right and so um I you know when I think think of fear of God I I think of Jerry Lorenzo if you're watching this podcast shout out to XL what size do you wear you can send us some stuff um no but in all seriousness um you know I think about reverence um I think as as you know you suggested I think about more of a recognition of our desperate need and dependence on him um and it's it's funny you know I I feel especially Western Christianity we do a really good job of celebrating the lamb that was slain um and I this is not my words I've heard this said before um but we we think very little and are not very conscious of the line that is to return that will devour his enemies yeah and so I think of the lordship of of of our heaven L father the role that he plays in our lives and what that looks like in terms of our response of obedience submitting to that Authority knowing trusting that um he really has our best interest in mind at all times yeah um and so I to sum it up I think of reverence having that awe um and it being there is such thing as healthy fear right and that's what we're talking about today yeah absolutely what about you Scott I'm curious I was gonna just Echo what Pastor Hamilton said about like the both and of God The Lion and the lamb I think of it on the most practical level of like my mom I love her so much but she has always taught me she's not the one so she will H hold me and hug me if I'm hurting and broken but also I know if there is something that needs to happen or if there's like a a mandate yeah that I must honor that it's not really an option thankfully with the Lord obviously he gives us all free will to choose him but I kind of have that obviously not to the same level it's a reverence a holy reverence with the Lord but on that practical level it helps me to understand fear of the Lord is not being scared like we're all saying it's literally the highest form of honor and respect and I think something for young adults that keeps us from fear of the Lord is humility it it's it's this lack of humility that keeps us from fearing the lord it's like I fear man more than I fear the Lord's commands or I fear how I'll be perceived if I stop doing this more than I care about how maybe the Lord might feel about me putting myself in certain situations yeah so I feel like again it's humbling ourselves lifting God up following him in holy reverence and honor and not again putting ourselves above the Lord or anyone else above the Lord's command yeah cuz you you said something and I'll transition this way like do you guys feel like Humanity the church just the C like culture do you feel like we've lost this fear and reverence in all of God you feel like we have is this a rhetorical question cuz some will argue and say no I feel like we're more on fire for God than we've ever I meant depending on what sphere you are or denomination you're in it could change but do you feel like we've lost that fear and reverence of God just kind of as a whole yeah I just I mean to be frank I just think that it's not sexy like it's it's not it's not um celebrated because it's the you know it requires what you know what did John the Baptist say he said I must decrease yeah so that he must he must increase and so I think that you know it's just one of those things that because of where culture is headed and you know I know that I I I am young and we have a tendency being in the generations that we respectively are to feel like this is the worst that it's ever been you know and maybe that is the case and and and some versions of it um but you know sin has been around a long time yes and so has Pride um and so I but I do think that now more maybe more than ever more than I can ever remember or recall um in my 31 years that that we really our bent is to follow our feeling our emotion our convenience um our agenda our you know it's like it's it is about it's about me it's about Hamilton and so naturally um you know when I mean self-preservation is a real thing you know and and so when that's our tendency um it can only cause us to draw away to pull away and and lose that perspective of us having a Heavenly Father a holy God that is actually worth fearing and it's funny you say that cuz I think this is beautiful like I think we all agree that there is a lack of fear and reverence of God I think we all would agree in that um and I think we're starting to tap into the why you know you said lack of humility um you're saying self-preservation and I do I believe we are are in this space of even in the church we're we're making even like God about us yeah we've become so like I think it's John B he said like our motives nowadays are either what is it self-promoting um self-protecting and then the third one I believe was like self-rewarding so we're all about self-promoting like oh I got you know oh look shout out I'm promoting me but I'm putting little God on there little Jesus shout out to Jesus but look at me I'm Rob he blessed me or self-protecting anytime there's a conflict or something happen I got to look out for me it's me me me my this or self-reward everything we do and sometimes you see it in church in like church leadership it's not about like the name of Jesus it's about the name of this name the brand so it's like it's not about his will but it's about my will and what I can accomplish and what I can do and I think we're putting way more focus on man Humanity than we are God and I believe that's one of the many things to your humility Point um and to your self-serving Point that's causing this sort of desensitizing of fearing God any other perspective on that yeah I mean I think um yes and no I guess would be my answer um and I think a lot of that with the self-preservation I mean you look at that Jesus addressed that yeah if if you want lay down your life he never talks about preserving your life he talks about giving it up um for things that are his ways and and they don't often make sense and so I there's a scripture in Hebrews 11 and it's probably not somebody we think a lot about when we're thinking about someone who feared the Lord but they he talks about Noah and um the Bible says in Hebrews 11 by faith Noah when warned about things not yet seen in holy fear built in Arc to save his family and so you know we talk about the end times that I feel that we're living in so the Bible talks about how it's like birthing pains in a woman and so yes I do believe that we're seeing culture get further away from the reverence and fear of God but I do believe um we're seeing a very sweet tenderness to come um back to the fear of God um and I think about Noah's you know his obedience in holy fear he built an ark that saved his family and you know and again we we Breeze right over this but when you look believe it's in Genesis 2 it talks about they had not had flood or rain uh so he and and I think we think the art was built in maybe like a year or two it took him around 75 years to build that art yeah so for 75 years he built this massive boat out of fear of God because God told him to do it out of obedience and 75 years people mocked him people judged him people thought you are insane and none of that deterred him from doing what he knew God told him to do being obedient to what God had called him to do and that was build the ark and so when the flood came he was able to save his family why because he feared the Lord and so he feared the Lord and he built an ark that saved his entire family and so I think that that's something that um we have to look at in our lives like he he's called us to live a different way and he's enabled us to do that and so I mean yes there's a lot of like gloom and doom and yeah we've pulled away from it I think you see it um my dad talks about this a lot in worship um and we kind he kind of touched on it there's these songs are great like do not get me wrong the like you know come fix me me me oh what you've been to me tell the devil know not today yeah I mean I I love all I think there's a place for them but in congregational worship especially and if during your time uh there's not a Hallelujah moment a lift up the name um if there's not a that's the holy reverence is we're going to we're going to put the name where it should be put and that's above it all it's not about me me me and what you give me it's about you you you and how holy and how powerful and how Mighty you are and that's love on your knees in my opinion um it's keeping him in his rightful place and saying it doesn't matter what it costs me it doesn't matter how long it takes 75 years is a long time for there not to be one drop of water while you build a boat yeah no I'm upset I'll be honest I'm I'm probably upset I mean you know you know he doubted at some point like these people think I'm crazy I mean that that that had to again I think we take these Bible stories we take this book and we try and put it in like this like caricature that's not what it was like a Marvel it's real life yeah know it was real he he was just like us he wasn't any more elevated than than our way of thinking or how we live our life um he just chose holy fear of God he called me to do this and whether the rain's coming right now or not whether any of it makes sense or not my response to you is yes my obedience to you is not in question and my pride like you said doesn't come above my calling and when you keep those things in order that's where the fear of God it guides and leads your life into the purpose that he had if he had not chosen to fear the lord he wouldn't have built an ark that not only saved him it saved his entire family in a time in a culture where again why did the flood come because he was living in a Time where the Bible said it was wicked wicked and I mean we look at our culture today it's wicked but that doesn't mean that he won't give us a word to build a boat and so we have to build our boat we have to be and and my boat will look different than your boat and that's okay as long as we're building the boat the bride of Christ the church together that's the goal that's beautiful because I feel like I me you basically tapped into the why we should fear no and that it's so important think that think we that gives a a why we should fear I think of what is it Psalm 25:14 it says the secrets of the Lord start with fearing him that if you want revelation if you want intimacy if you want perspective if you want the mysteries of God it all starts with fearing him and there's no other choice there's no other option and I think of what Paul says I think it's 2 Corinthians 7 he says bringing Holiness to completion in the fear of God so we know you know fearing God obedience as one of you guys mentioned all sort of aligns on this path of what we have been called to do in terms of be holy for he is Holy to be Sanctified to operate in righteousness none of that it it's not in our works it's not how many times we do this or that it's not it's all in the foundational sort of start and principle of fearing God you want Holiness fear God you want the secrets of God fear God you want wisdom fear God you want to build a boat and save your family fear God and understand there is no other way yeah there's no other option no other option you about to say something well no I just I think that um you know right now too at least I know this is probably one of my Tendencies and maybe others can relate is the lack of perspective and unwillingness to view and consider things through the lens of Eternity yeah like so many so much of what we do you know everything is it's temporal it's like it's here it's in front of us um and so I just think about us lacking that perspective and everything that because you know when you think about eternity when we live and operate with with Kingdom in mind it's it changes everything it changes how we walk it changes how we talk we think about passages of scripture where Jesus says that you'll be judged by we will be judged by every Idol word yeah the words that we don't even think about it's like those are the things that we're going to be called to account for and so again not not to create not to fear-monger and create fear of we should be shaking in our boots because God is waiting to strike us with a lightning bolt that is not the god that we serve um but I I do think that there is a call and what did Jesus do you referenced Jesus earlier what did he do he consistently John the Baptist was known for this the Kingdom of Heaven is near he was having to remind the people of that day like this is not as far away as you think that it might be um and so you know I think it it is us reminding ourselves and allowing the Holy Spirit of course to remind us of that reminded of the Paul man he just his letters man he's just he was in there he was in that vein and it it came from a fear God but he says focus on the things uh unseen oh focus on the things seen not the things unseen for the things seen are Eternal but the things or the things unseen are Eternal but the things seen are temporary and to your point we focus on what we see MH if Noah would have focused on what he saw he would have been like man I ain't doing this boat like I got splinters like no I would stopped on year five I'm one I'm maybe but it was focusing on the Unseen that man I don't know what this entails or what's going to happen but I'm in such fear honor and reverence of my God that I'm going trust him anyhow cuz again there's no other way but we can't help but to look at circumstances and begin to focus on the circumstances which create a unhealthy fear you know a unhealthy worry and an unhealthy anxiousness to like oh but if we fear God like he will cast out all this other stuff man and he will add everything we need even down to getting the right perspective and the right understanding that like God you got it you take care I have a funny story I feel like our young adults will be able to kind of relate um sometimes fear of God looks like those big things and then sometimes it looks like the dayto day so for in case you're watching and we don't know each other personally yet I love sleep I'm sure you guys probably all love sleep too but I love sleep and sometimes God I miss sleep we all have children I was going to say that I was going to acknowledge that there's like a reverence here for going toled that I understand great for you Skyler I'm so so happy for you get to enjoy that shout out to the single young adults with no kids getting B please but any I say that to say I like I will literally plan my day around a nap I will plan my if I can if I can see a nap in the future I'm good I'm like grateful but anyway I say that to say God will usually make me choose between time with him and sleep which one are you going to choose and in those sweet little funny moments of the Lord like really God so anyway um literally last night I woke up at like 5: and that's not me I was I woke up ready to turn back around and go to sleep and I feel the Holy Spirit say Feast on my word like first of all that's very dramatic sounding for 5:00 a.m. and second of all God I'm lit I have to wake up I have to go to the college I have to and then I'm just like let me submit right now and I'm like God where do you want me to go and he says Psalm two and I'm like okay I don't really know about Psalm 2 I'm reading through it um it's talking about Kings and how God's uh you know going to SC I said the Lord scoffs at them and he mocks them and it's like okay God what is going on where do you want me to go and then the last part of Psalm 2 I'm going to read it it says this now therefore o Kings act wisely be instructed and take warning o leaders judges rulers of the earth Worship the Lord and serve him with reverence with awe inspired fear and submissive Wonder yet do so with trembling and obviously I knew that this podcast recording was coming and I was thinking I don't think I've ever heard about the awe inspiring fear that's like Beauty in that submissive Wonder we usually take um fear and submission in a negative context of like getting in trouble but a inspiring and submissive Wonder there's love in that like you're saying loving on it's just so incredible and something that I think is so evident through the conversation we're having is on the other side of fear of the Lord is Abundant Life on the other side of laying down my understanding as of Noah I'm like on the other side of laying down his understanding was life more beautiful than he had ever experienced before and I think for each of us for the young adult listening on the other side of submission is a beautiful Journey with the Lord that you don't even have half a clue of what God has in store I think of exceedingly abundantly above all that we could ask our imagine is on the other side of fear of the Lord and submission and I think if we would teach the beauty in submission before we teach God's not the one like obviously we can take that cuz we you know we've walked with him and all that but I think if for someone who maybe doesn't know God yet and then they hearing about they're hearing about fear of the Lord they're thinking of it the same way they view fear of man or you know people trying to boss up and be respected and whatnot but that's not the heart and nature of God it is in his love that he invites us to submit to his will it's we have we can only see things partially but God has the view of the beginning from the Hamilton really puts that in perspective for us and our you students and all that but I think if we would just trust that beautiful perspective and as young adults if we could get it now we can help our friends to get that and it's like it's through my fear of the Lord it's through my submission to him that I don't want to go to just any place with you and it's I love you but I don't think that we should go there or I personally will not be going there and I love you so much but it's because I've submitted my life to the Lord's instruction and the Lord's Direction it's not Skylar's not in the driver seat anymore and once we make the decision to receive Jesus we have decided to be I sometimes I was going to say passenger seats sometimes I feel like I'm in the trunk God just driving me where we need to get to literally taped up crying Lord help let me out the destination is always better when God's the one leading us there so I think we should just talk about the beauty of submission more cuz I think Hamilton was talking about it too cuz you were talking about eternity and again not the bringer to a downer perspective but like Heaven is our Eternal reality yeah and as we have fear and reverence of God he doesn't want us bring in this sinful Earthly junk to his Heavenly courts he's like fear me so we can cleanse that so because like you said there's Beauty but in that beauty the reality too is that we are going to be held accountable yeah for how we Steward the things of God here on Earth but in fearing him he's going to sort of guide us and direct but in that he doesn't just want us to have a Heavenly perspective of like man Heaven's going to be beautiful no sickness no pain think about the Lord's Prayer as it is in heaven that we can experience Heavenly realities here on Earth and I think that's the part I wish people grab a hold on to you life may be jacked up right now I meant you may be going through craziness like if you're married your marriage may be sort of on a rocky place if you're in a single place or in I me you may be hammered with culture and temptation but I'm telling you when you fear and reverence God and step into the awe and Beauty life with God is one of the most beautiful Journeys you can ever experience and I think that's what I want to kind of ask you guys what was a marking moment or experience you had that brought you to this place of like reverence and awe or intimacy with God is it something that happened that you remember that you're like man it changed my life forever M I want to get personal yeah you go first okay I'm looking I'm like um so there there are probably a few that come to mind um one of them I'll be extremely brief you know how this goes you can talk about this stuff for hours even days um one of them that comes to mind sophomore in college I grew up in church here at Free Chapel um Mom and Daddy had me here every time the doors were open and you know I was high school early college I was quote unquote living my life I was you know I was I was worried about me and um I was just kind of doing my thing irregardless of what I knew I knew what was right and wrong but you know that just didn't matter all that much to me then sophomore in college um one of my teammates uh knowingly had a relationship with God he found out about my background of being raised in church wanted um for us to to talk and really honestly just like presented opportunities and create space for us to grow in our relationship with God together finally honestly to get him to shut up um I was like whatever dude okay and so we were on the this will mean nothing to anyone if you've never been to B Haven University in Jackson Mississippi um but we were on the front steps of Preston Hall it was an ad Administrative Building that we had at our University and he said a lot of things I didn't say a lot of things um but there was something that absolutely just it it it was the light bulb moment it wrecked me there was a fear um in hearing these words and they were not his words they were it was scripture and it was Galatians too and he made a statement that I'd probably heard before I'm I'm certain Pastor Jensen has probably preached an unbelievable sermon you know on on around that conversation but he said in so many words that if righteousness could be obtained through the law in Christ he died for nothing it was in vain and I don't know what it was about that statement but it convicted me to my core um I think it was because I've always struggled with the performance mentality growing up in the sports athletic stuff you know trying show you know who I am and what I'm capable of um but it it messed me up and that that changed my life that night those words it changed my life um and then I can think of one other time that I'll say briefly um I was out of college my wife and I Morgan um we were married at that time no babies so naps were kind of a part of the equation and um we were um serving at a a smaller local church um here in North Georgia and um basically I was an accountant she was a school teacher Ministry had never been a thing this like what I'm doing right now was not even wow in peripheral vision like it was just not ever a thing um but one night we were at my younger brother's basketball game North Hall go Trojans shout out to Harry shout out to Harry dog as he's known by his nie his niece and Ne graduated from the high school that beat him at everything scho Red Elephant stomp those TR I'm like somebody pull up the stats pull regularly it's like stepen a Smith slides in and he's like well you know we got to talk about um throwing out there I was thank you humility we're talking about we humbled you with that state championship that anyways Lord and so I was at his game though and um basketball game post game you know we go down the court you know Harry great job so proud of you and then everyone's leaving and the custodians are coming in to the gym is I mean I've played countless basketball games and countless gyms I've it's like I've seen this before this is not a new scenario and um they start picking up trash in the bleachers as they do every single time and I do not know what it was but I out of nowhere just felt like the Holy Spirit was like you need to go help them and I initially was like what are you talking about like what do you mean it wasn't even like a egotistical like I'm above them and that's beneath me it was just like a this is weird I don't know about this and so naturally because I'm like super holy and righteous like many of you I left and I didn't help them and before I could make it to my my car and the parking lot I literally started to weep wow I'm talking weep weep weep weep weep North Hall to where we were living at that time was maybe a 10-minute Drive I wept the entire way home I got home my wife was you know there at the house and she's like um so are you okay like what's going on um and and I I did not know what to say other than explaining to her what I just said to you as vague and generic as that is and me making some kind of statement like I have no idea what is ahead of us but I feel like if we are to ignore it if we are to not go on the head even tonight in this moment and predetermine US putting our yes completely on the table and already determining that we won't remove it I said I feel like we're going to miss what God's wanting to do in and through us like it's and so there was just I had never felt that kind of that that burden that conviction and it was it brought a holy reverence of dear God this is not about me I have I have made this about me but this is not about me W um and and you know there countless God has a way of humbling us um but but those are two that really stick out wow out to me W what about you yeah I mean I feel like I have a lifetime of them um but at the same time um I don't know why this one sticks out in my mind of when it comes to Holy fear um my dad walks in the woods like that's his prayer place and so we were actually in Australia in Sydney Australia and he was doing hill song conference and um he asked me which he he doesn't normally do I don't I mean we did do that when we were younger but mainly because my mom was trying to get rid of us like he'd send she'd send us out in the woods with him um and so we'd kind of tag along him but I was probably 12 or 13 years old and we went walking through this um like bamboo forest I know that I don't know why I can remember that and um I just listened to him pray and um hearing the desperation I mean he's about to get up and preach in front of 30,000 people um and seeing just him pray and cry out to God and like there was not one moment that he was kind of at a loss for words really I mean it was just and it wasn't this God touched me it was like this desperation that I could at 12 and 13 cents um and it's why I think you know like a lot of I've stepped into a different role lately as in speaking and I think a lot of people are like oh are you having so much fun are you but there's I think because I've grown up with it um there is such a reverence and a holy fear of standing in a pull pit Absol and um and that was a moment for me that seeing that and there's a million more throughout my youth and childhood but I think so many people especially now like young you know preachers and teachers and I don't want to discourage that at all but um I would encourage you almost to do everything you can like Hamilton saying like to not do this and if you cannot do this and do something else do it because if if God hasn't called called you to this you're going to be miserable one but two you have to have if it if there's any vanity or pride in you it'll be ripped out and it's probably going to be ripped out very publicly and that's a scary like that's a scary thing like that's where that Holy fear comes in and I think that's that was a moment for me realizing just if it ever becomes where you're not desperate um it's funny cuz I I I preached on Saturday and I I had studied and I had but I called one of our pastors Javon um he's somebody I talk to a lot and I called him and I said um I'm I'm feeling nervous and not that I don't get nervous or anything like that it it's and I said but it's not nerves like what you think like oh you're getting up in front of a couple thousand people and you've got to preach it wasn't about that I said I don't think I don't know if this is I'm feeling sick about if I don't portray this burden if I don't get this burden out uh The Book of Job he says uh I believe it's in job he says you were impregnated words were were full inside of your belly and I said if I I feel like there's a a kid I was teaching to teenagers I said that if I don't get I feel a holy it's a holy fear of God like if I don't get this out right what if that what this child's at stake God if I I haven't like adjusted if my heart's not really pure if my hands aren't clean is that going to affect somebody else's life and um especially in Ministry but but we can look at that and you know and he helped me and he said well you know just like Paul Paul preached it it was with fear and trembling he came before the Lord not that I might have words that essentially tickle your ears but that you have power in the holy spirit so so basically what V was telling me is I think it's in second Corinthians is your um the fear that you have it is a holy fear it's not a fear of consequence right it's a fear of God and and that's the differ grace and mercy cover the fear of consequence that's what he's covered with his blood but the fear of God it's still there that's why there's two different how many times do we hear Don't Be Afraid fear not fear not fear that's a thing but um I think that that that's something that's marked me is seeing that my whole life that it's lonely uh at times being obedient to the call of God on your life um seeing it at some of the highest levels um in Ministry you realize like like you said I don't get to go where other people go I don't get to do what other people do I don't get to live and so for me stepping into this people are like oh this so excited go go go and I'm like wo whoa whoo like not because I know that anything I would have to S but I know that that there is sacrifice involved and if there's not you're you can get up and you can tickle people's ears but there's no anointing and so it's like I can have all the right words to say and have all these I'm going to preach I'm going to pre I step into that with total like like it almost you know somebody's shoving me through a door and a marking moment for me was when my dad asked me to speak at the church for the first time I was having a day where um the majority of everything I do is behind the scenes people don't know me kind of thing and I just would kind of get called up last minute of come up here and pray or come up here and do this and and you know um I was having it's funny I was having a day where I was like I don't want to do this anymore like I don't enjoy this um like God you've almost this arrogance came on me of like you've been I've I mean I've literally tiled grout in this church like I mean from the time I was a child I've done everything there is to do clean the floors vacuum the floors and I had this like but I feel always overlooked like everybody else gets these opportunities and I don't and just this thing that if you know me truly is not my heart and so it's funny I got in the car and on the way home I just felt a Brokenness and I started crying and I said God I forgive me I Repent like creating me a clean spirit and heart that's towards you and God if I if if all I ever do is clean toilets in your house for the rest of my life that's all I want to do and literally that night I was laying in bed and my dad called me I answered the phone he's like hey hey Suge um so uh we're going to go out of town for our anniversary on the 4th will you preach at the church um that Sunday that might not be a big deal for a lot of people but especially for me I'm saying like for me I I understood how much he protects his pool pit I understood that he doesn't just ask anybody to come preach like it's not going to be like oh you've got a cute little call on your life and you might be together for a minute like but he doesn't he he's reverent uh about his pull Pit and the protection of the the reach that it has that's why it has the reach that it has and I felt like it was God saying like yeah if you'll just keep that attitude towards me that it's not about um you know and not trying to make this about myself I'm saying more if people are looking at if you feel called into Ministry I don't mean try to get out of it in a sense of like don't do it we're all called to serve and so maybe that's in your home maybe that's as a parent maybe that's with your spouse um there there does there's a level of obedience and reverence that that we're to have and in all of our callings and so that was a moment that marked me of not you know just to make sure I felt like a check of keep that towards me if if you ever get hottie if you ever get prideful um you know that's what cost Moses everything the the Bible says that he met with the Lord face to face the glory of the Lord because his presence was so strong when he saw he would come down his face would be glowing and he would cover his fa he drop to his face his knees and and there was such a holy reverence but he took one moment where he had tried to do a miracle that he had done before but he did it without the anointing and presence and direction of God and it was a lack of humility and a lack of obedience that cost him everything he didn't get to go into the promised land because he stopped relying on God and so with that it's I think that's something for me is there's that fear of I don't care how big the invitation is I don't care how great the opportunity looks God if you're not in it I don't want it yeah and to me that's part of that Holy fear is if if it's not what you have for me if it's not where you're sending me I don't care how good it looks if it's me building a boat for 75 years with no rain I've never even seen rain in my lifetime he lived 500 years I mean I've never even seen a a drop of rain the Bible says in Genesis 2 he had never even seen it and he's still sitting there building a boat and if that's what you've called me to do that's what that's H that's building an arc out of holy fear yeah of God I only want what you have for me and I'm going to be careful to align it number one like you with this book if you're ever in question about the direction of your life this book has the answer you can't learn what holy fear is until you open up the word of God and you learn what he says and the way that he teaches us and the way that he enables us to live um and you know being in his presence and and allowing uh submission to certain Authority in your life as well that's really important when I when I think of fear of God is he submission to the authority and the umbrella that's over you and when it doesn't make sense when when I don't agree with them when I don't like the way some I mean and it can be again in my my leaders and my pastors or it could be in for me my husband yeah yeah and looking at I don't like that I but that's part of fearing God of of reverencing God is choosing to make decisions slowly and in accordance to his word and what he has for you cuz you just don't want to step out he has a perfect will and you just don't want to step out of it because you're getting a big bigheaded you know so sorry I know that was a long no that's really good cuz I I love like I mean you preached the whole message and literally you you literally have me in years cuz you said so much but two things that literally came to me the first thing is I love toward the end holy fear and reverence of God Is Now sort of apply in the Earthly realm submitting to leadership and mentioned kind of ministry so many times in Ministry if I don't agree then we don't we don't reverence and honor and the Bible is so clear be faithful over another man's work and I think when you have a fear of God it's going to translate in our everyday relationships marriage friendships even down to leadership having a fear that the people that God has called me to lead and Steward I have to Steward them well because I Fear God so I just think that's beautiful application and the Earthly side of it but I I'll close with this cuz you already answered the question of how do we grow and you said it get in that book yeah you know get into the presence of God because when we get in the presence of God we realize how unworthy we are and how worthy he is that's how you get love on your knees yeah just get in his proximity and learn his nature and his character and it gets real easy to get down on your knees and go God oh you're anything anything you want any small you want to F tune in me anything you want here I'll lay here and you you adjust whatever you want to adjust yes cuz when you get in proximity to him you can't help but get down on your knees I mean and that's all holy fear I in my opinion not that's not what all it is but a lot of what it is is fear is Love On Your Knees yeah yeah it's it's a response to him so good briefly it reminds me Romans 12 ver1 right says therefore I urge you brothers and sisters in view of God's mercy offer your bodies as a Living Sacrifice holy pleasing or acceptable to him and he said for this is your true and proper worship and so what's crazy is is that we actually talked about this the other day in one of the college classes is how Mercy is God holding back the things that we deserve Grace is him giving us what we don't deserve so before Grace could be given he had to he had to extend mercy first yeah so he had to withhold what we inevitably deserve Romans talks about how the penalty of sin his death and you could go scripture after scripture and so I just think that that it is in his presence it's the it I mean Paul's literally saying you the cross is more than enough like dear Jesus just look at that thing and really take into consideration the role that Hamilton played yeah mhm M and that happening and taking place that will bring you to your knees and recognize a love like we've never experienced or known on this Earth but he said you don't even have to get that far yeah you just think about what God has withheld yeah from you know what you deserve yeah and but but a lot of that too again that word yeah it is that the Bible is everything it it literally is everything I think about you mentioned this to to to start us off today the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom read The Book of Proverbs and tell me that you do not desire what Solomon suggests that you and I need all throughout those 31 chapters there's a day for every every day of the month so I read go to the I mean you know and an extra just on some months 31 so go through and read every it's such there's such good reminders every day yes go through and read them and once you've read them through I like to do like each month I'll change to a different like version of the Bible and how they word it too but yeah sorry I just and can I piggyback off that I think it's so important to give young adults practical like literally one really great piece of practical advice read a proverb a day that is literally again fear the Lord's beginning of wisdom that is so read a proverb a day great practical advice another piece of practical advice I'd leave you with is when God God invites you when he gives you an invitation to do something say yes yeah when God made the again we yes it's a command but at the end of the day we have to say yes with Noah Noah had to say yes with me waking up at 5:00 a.m. and God saying Feast on a word you have to say yes so just predetermine now that when God stir something on your heart that your answer will be yes practical advice and oh go ahead and irregardless of what he's asking you to do yes and even if it doesn't make sense to you cuz there are some of you that are going to be watching this that you've yet to say yes because you're not sure if it's God or if it's your crazy mind right and and our heavenly father is a good father scripture talks about it and he gives good gifts yeah if I know how to give good gifts to my daughter and my son how how much more Yep is your heavenly father able to know exactly what you need Scripture says that he knows what we need before we ever even ask so he is not not going to come to you um upset frustrated disappointed because you had a heart to say yes like the just say yes exactly what you're saying irregardless of what it is say yes and let me tell you something God will honor it Blow Away yeah and and we'll close with this we just want to encourage you guys no matter where you are in your walk you may be in a place of not having the Revelation or full understanding understanding of this topic we're talking about but we're here to encourage you God ain't mad at you he's not upset with you he loves you but all we can offer up is a seeking and a pursuit of him if you pursue him if you go after him he got you he will give you all that you need and he will give you the true understanding and Revelation and actually highlight a marking moment that may have already happened in your life that you'll get that and you'll be like okay and you will come to the understanding of fearing God the Bible says God grew in Jesus grew in obedience so if Jesus can grow in obedience in fear of his heavenly father so can you but thank you for being with us I want to thank the fam for being with us love you guys so much and appreciate you but again thank you for tuning in keep connecting no matter where you are we're here to pray for you and encourage you but thanks for rocking with us and we will check you next time for the Free Chapel young adult podcast see you guys peace a 
((music playing))