Proverbs 8:13(ESV)

13 The fear of the Lord is hatred of evil.

Pride and arrogance and the way of evil

and perverted speech I hate.

FDR once said, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself”.  I believe that one thing every Christian SHOULD be fearful of being prideful.

The kind of pride that King Solomon is talking about here is not the kind when one is proud of achieving something great, or the pride that a parent shows towards their kids.  This kind of pride is a rebellious attitude that believes that an individual doesn’t need GOD and can follow his/her own way.

We must all be careful not to develop a prideful heart that is numb towards God because before you know it, you will follow a path that leads you away from life and towards destruction.

The fear God is different.  It’s an attitude that isn’t afraid of what God might do if I do something wrong, but rather it’s an attitude that is afraid of knowing a life without God because of all of the good that He has done in one’s life.  I personally cannot imagine life without my wife and kids.  The same goes with God.

To fear God also means to HATE sin.  It means that you are in agreement with what God call good and evil.  To fear God is to have a healthy understanding of sin and it’s destructive consequences.  Christians should hate sin because God hates sin.  And the reason He hates sin is because He loves people and sin hurts people.

Application:

You might have a disagreement with someone on what SIN is.  Many of these are cultural differences.  But if you feel a sense of conviction about doing something, you should avoid it.  Pray today and ask God to give you a heart for His own heart.  Ask the Holy Spirit to change your desires and hate sin so that you may walk in the love of God in a more intimate way.