A Fresh Dose Of The Fear Of God | Jentezen Franklin

Monday, October 12



A healthy fear of God is essential for living in obedience to Him. Through the contrasting lives of King Saul and the apostle Paul, this message calls us to rediscover a reverence for God that leads to repentance and lasting change. 

Escrituras clave

I Samuel 9:1-2; I Samuel 10:22; I Samuel 15:17; Psalm 25:12; II Samuel 23:3; Ecclesiastes 12:13; Proverbs 1:7; Proverbs 9:10; Job 28:28; Proverbs 16:6; I Samuel 15:24; I Samuel 17:11; I Samuel 18:15; I Samuel 28:5; Proverbs 29:25; Isaiah 8:13; Matthew 10:28; Acts 9:5-6; Romans 11:22; I Corinthians 9:27; II Corinthians 5:10-11; Romans 3:18; Hebrews 12:28-29; I Peter 2:17; Luke 1:50; Luke 23:40-43

Puntos clave  

  • Don’t ever lose a healthy fear of God. You can’t act the way other people act or talk the way other people talk. If you lose the fear of God, it is only a matter of time before you fall. God is not just your buddy or a genie in a bottle; He is God Almighty, the Ruler of Heaven and Earth. Keep a healthy fear of God in your heart.  
  • Do everything with the fear of God. To make right choices, you must fear God. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and knowledge. Fearing God will purge and cleanse you from evil and iniquity.  
  • Fear God, not man. King Saul feared everyone and everything but God. The fear of man will bring a snare, but the fear of God will keep you from evil.  
  • You won’t make it to Heaven without the fear of God. When you fear God, you know you can’t look at or listen to whatever you want. It’s hard to defeat a demon you enjoy playing with. If you do whatever you want without the fear of God, you are not saved. You must be born again and receive a fresh dose of the fear of God. 

Introducción 

Today, we will explore Jentezen Franklin’s message, “A Fresh Dose of the Fear of God.” The fear of the Lord is not about being afraid of God but about living with deep reverence for His holiness, honoring His Word, and desiring to please Him in all we do. Through the life of King Saul and other biblical examples, we are reminded that when we lose our reverence for God, we can drift from His will. As we reflect on this message, may the Holy Spirit renew our hearts, strengthen our obedience, and help us choose God’s ways above the pressures and distractions of this world. 

 

Lets begin the discussion:  

  • What is the difference between being afraid of God and having a healthy fear of Him?  
  • How is the fear of the Lord the beginning of wisdom?  
  • In what area of your life have you lost a fear of God? 

When the Fear of God Fades 

King Saul stands as one of Scripture's most tragic warnings about what happens when the fear of God is replaced by the fear of man. Saul was elevated to the throne not because a monarchy was God's original ideal for Israel, but because the people clamored and demanded a king to be like the nations around them. Though Saul began humble—hiding among the baggage, modest, and "little in his own eyes"—his heart never anchored itself in a holy awe of God. Having been elevated by public demand, he lived in perpetual bondage to human approval. 

 

When the fear of God fades, comparison and insecurity take the throne. Saul’s fear of people didn’t stop at trying to please the crowd; it grew into an obsessive terror of David. When the women sang, “Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands” (1 Samuel 18:7), Saul lost his peace because his worth was tied to applause rather than obedience. Consumed by jealousy, he saw David’s anointing not as a blessing to the kingdom but as a threat to his position. Losing the fear of God always leads to a fall. It causes you to fear what people think and who is rising up behind you, until you trade God’s presence for your own survival. 

 

Application 

Saul's downward spiral proves that when you depend on the validation of people, everyone becomes a potential threat. Saul became so intimidated by David's gifting and the crowd's praise that he spent his reign chasing rivals instead of seeking God. In our own lives, when the reverent fear of God slips, we easily fall into the snare of comparing ourselves to others, guarding our territory, and compromising biblical conviction just to fit in or keep status. Cultivating the fear of the Lord frees us from both the pressure of the crowd and the intimidation of someone else's success—grounding our identity solely in obedience to Him. 

 

Discussion Questions 

  • Saul's fear of man showed up both in compromising God's commands to please the crowd and in feeling threatened by David's rise. Which of these two traps—people-pleasing or comparing yourself to others—tends to test your trust in God the most? 
  • Looking back at where God brought you from, how can you maintain the posture of being "little in your own eyes" without falling into insecurity or fear of what others are doing?

Fear the Lord 

Through God’s amazing grace and holiness, we are given a path to forgiveness. Atonement means restoring the broken relationship between God and humanity by covering, or paying for, sin, and Jesus accomplished this through His gracious work on the cross. Every breath we take is a gift from God, but the atonement is the greatest gift of all because it restores our relationship with God Almighty. 

A healthy fear of the Lord is a deep, reverent awe, respect, and submission to God’s holiness, majesty, and authority. He is the Creator of the heavens and the earth, and His breath fills our lungs. Job understood this when he said, “Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord” (Job 1:21, KJV). Even in loss, Job had a deep and respectful fear of the Lord. 

We show a genuine fear of the Lord through our daily decisions by choosing integrity over convenience, remembering that even when no one else is looking, God sees all. It shapes our speech as well. When we recognize God’s holiness, we become mindful of our words and think before we gossip, lie, or react in anger. We also show our fear of the Lord by resisting temptation, choosing humility, and refusing to be ruled by the fear of man. As Jesus said in Matthew 10:28 (NKJV), “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” 

 

Discussion questions: 

  • Why does the fear of the Lord lead us away from evil?  (Proverbs 16:6) 
  • How can each of us demonstrate Fear of the Lord in our daily decisions? 

Conclusión 

As we conclude our study, let us remember that we all need fresh doses of the fear of the Lord, alongside His mercy and grace. God is loving, compassionate, and gracious, yet He is also holy and worthy of our deepest reverence. His mercy is never an excuse to continue in sin, but an invitation to repent, change, and walk faithfully with Him. 

May we learn to honor God in our thoughts, words, decisions, relationships, and daily conduct. Let us seek to please Him above the approval of people, depart from evil, and remain faithful to His Word. As Luke 1:50 reminds us, His mercy extends from generation to generation to those who fear Him. 

Oración

"Lord, give us a fresh revelation of Your holiness and a renewed reverence for Your presence. Help us to walk in obedience, receive Your mercy with grateful hearts, and depend on Your grace every day. May our lives bring You honor, and may the fear of the Lord be evident in our homes, our church, and the generations that follow us. In Jesus’ name, Amen." 

Recursos  

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8T3JNIxVig 

Download Group Guide -  A Fresh Dose Of The Fear Of God