Deuteronomy 10:12
And now, O Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all of his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart, and with all your soul.


I have been thinking about the fear of the LORD. I am wondering how I learned it and how I imparted it to our four children. It’s funny how we walk into some truths without struggling and with only very little knowledge of how to do it. I recently recalled a childhood memory that included walking in the fear of the LORD. I think in the beginning it was strictly a reverence for his house which was drilled into me through the nuns in our parish school. I didn’t exactly know why I was to be quiet, still and reverent but I was quick to obey! It turns out that this was a great discipline learned early on. Later in my life as I came into a sweet relationship with Jesus it was a natural response to the King of Kings. I had understanding of how much I had been delivered from; and I was in awe of the One who did this for me. Those who have been forgiven much love much. There is a reckoning of how things could have been so different had He not saved my soul and made me whole again!

Deuteronomy 11:18-21
Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Write them on the door frames of your houses and on your gates, so that your days and the days of your children may be many in the land that the LORD swore to give your forefathers, as many as the days that the heavens are above the earth.

April 25, 1986 the above scripture was given to me by the Holy Spirit. He said to me, this is a new ministry that I am calling you to. It is to your children. Teach them. I took Him seriously even though they were toddlers at the time. I began reading to them the Bible stories and telling them about Jesus. I would pray with them and teach them Bible verses. They were like little sponges taking it all in. I know that when God gave this command through Moses to the Israelites, they took it literally. They would wear the scriptures in little pouches attached to their foreheads! They were definitely walking in the fear of the LORD. They wanted to obey whatever the cost! I believe that as we learn the scriptures, and are obedient to them, we develop a healthy desire not to disappoint the LORD. God is creating a conscience in us; this makes us socially and morally good people. Thus, we live a long prosperous life here on earth.

When I hear that another young person has murdered or has lost his own life due to drugs and gang activity, I know he has been cut off due to disobedience. Many days are promised to those who fear the LORD. This is an incredible truth that needs to be taught from an early age.

Proverbs 1:7
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools (morally deficient persons) despise wisdom and discipline.

Another way of learning the fear of the LORD is through retelling our God stories to our children, grand children and spiritual children.

Joshua 4:21-24
He said to the Israelites,”In the future when your descendants ask their fathers, ‘What do these stones mean?’ tell them, ‘Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground.’ For the LORD your God dried up the Jordan before you until you had crossed over. The LORD your God did to the Jordan just what he had done to the Red Sea when he dried it up before us until we had crossed over. He did this so that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the LORD is powerful and so that you might always fear the LORD your God.”

Wow, these are great stories, to tell and retell, to build our faith and also increase our awe of God. Then as we begin to have our own God stories, we tell and retell them to our children, grand children and spiritual children. Also, encouraging them to step out in faith and see God’s hand move on their behalf. We are now telling some of our children’s stories, because they are powerful and show a powerful awesome God!

Of course first and foremost to have a fear of the LORD you should be in relationship with Him. Now what does that look like? Well for me at age seven it was knowledge of God without relationship. It was a good beginning. God does welcome us at any stage of faith. We should encourage relationship with God at an early age. Little children have the ability to hear from God early on. We would pray openly with our children, but we encouraged them to pray and hear from God personally at a young age. This also develops a good healthy fear of God. A reverence of someone that is much bigger than themselves and their parents!

So, let’s be diligent to teach our children. This includes those coming into the Kingdom. There are many people who walk justly and rightly in the schools, marketplace and everyday life without knowing it is a fear of the LORD. They just know they are to obey authority and treat others as they would want to be treated. Even though we call it conscience, it really is walking in the fear of the LORD. It is doing what is right because we have that inner voice telling us it is right. God’s awareness keeps us from many evils.

You know we are made in the image of Almighty God and bear his characteristics; so therefore we have a predisposition to do good. I know that we are born in sin and have a sinful nature, but we also have the DNA of our Father God. We desire someone bigger than ourselves to lead and direct us; God fits perfectly!