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  THE FEAR OF THE LORD
  by Charles Stanley
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Summary: The fear of the Lord is a quality of awe and reverence for God
that brings many benefits to our lives, including wisdom, a strong
family, and protection from divine angels.

Topics: "Fear Of God", "Spiritual Growth"
Scripture References: Psalm 34:7, Psalm 111:10, Psalm 112:2, Psalm 112:4, Proverbs 1:7, Proverbs 8:13, Proverbs 14:26, Proverbs 22:4, Luke 1:50

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DESCRIPTION
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Charles Stanley preaches on the importance of fearing the Lord,
emphasizing that it involves appropriate awe and reverence for who God
is, rather than terror. He highlights how the fear of the Lord leads to
hating evil, acquiring wisdom, and growing in love for the Bible and
God's commandments. Stanley also discusses the blessings that come from
fearing God, such as a strong family and divine protection in times of
darkness and distress.

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CONTENT
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Psalm 112:1-9

As we saw yesterday, the fear of the Lord does not have to do with
terror or trepidation, but rather refers to appropriate awe and
reverence for who God is. It is a quality that we as Christians should
seek and nurture. Though we don't hear the expression often enough
today, it should still be a great compliment to be known as a God-
fearing man or woman.

To fear God produces all manner of fruit in the Christian's life. It
leads to our hating evil as God does, and the Bible also tells us that
the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. (Psalm 111:10) The more
we acquire divine understanding, the greater will be our love for the
Bible and God's commandments.

In addition to all these assets, we find that the person who learns to
fear God will have a strong family (v. 2), with children who grow to be
courageous for the truth.

God-fearing people also find that "light arises in the darkness for the
upright." (v. 4) This doesn't mean that we will never have dark times or
periods of distress in the valley - we will have trials, headaches, and
tears like the rest of mankind. But in our hardships, we are promised
the light that comes from God's angels of deliverance. These protective
messengers encamp around those who fear the Lord. They surround
believers above and beneath so that nothing can get at you without
divine permission. Ask God to help you have a proper, reverential fear
of Him. It is a request He will be pleased to honor.

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Source: https://sermonindex.net/speakers/charles-stanley/the-fear-of-the-lord/
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