Fear: it is bravery’s counterpart, its arch enemy, its kryptonite (any comic book nerds with me?) Fear is known to do several things, two of which stand out to me.

Fear teaches a man that he is alive. It pushes a man to grave-digging depths. Have you ever felt so fearful that you want to dig your own grave and be done with it? Yeah, me too. But that same fear that pushes us to drastic measures also allows us to feel alive. Fear can cause a revolution in our hearts.

There are two types of fear. There is a godly fear, and one that distracts us from God. People say, “Shake it off. You’re fine,” which diminishes your/my very real fear. If I'm being quite honest, I hate that reaction. Knowing which kind of fear you are dealing with is always key.

As a person that struggles heavily with anxiety (this is the first time I’m being uber public about this), fear is a very real part of my life. I have dinner with it. It sits next to me while I watch movies with my wife. It speaks loudly when I allow it. That fear — the one that takes me away from God’s presence — that fear is unhealthy.

I also live with another fear — the fear of God. It's a little paradoxical to fear an all-loving God, don't you think? Why would anyone fear someone so loving? Why would anyone fear the one of whom the Psalter says, “I will enter his gates with thanksgiving I will enter his COURTS with praise!” (Psalm 100:4) The very one who sits in the judgement seat says, “Hey! You! Yes! You! Come into this courtroom and come in with praise!” How does that make sense? I have had my fair share of encounters with the law and let me tell you, it's not comfortable and I never entered a place of judgement with praise! So then, why fear God?

The difference between the unhealthy fear and the fear of the Lord is that for the believer the fear of the Lord is a fear that is full of reverence and awe!

Hebrews 12:28-29 says: “Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.”

Reverence: deep regard and respect for something

Awe: respect mixed with fear and wonder.

Here, the author of Hebrews is talking about an unshakable kingdom — a kingdom that cannot be broken or moved. Before he mentions this healthy fear, he talks about the unhealthy fear that is almost paralyzing by saying “I tremble with fear,” paraphrasing the words of Moses when he spoke to the Lord and was afraid that the Lord in his displeasure of the golden calf would destroy the people of Israel. These are two very different fears, one for the unbeliever and one for the believer.

Proverbs 1:7 says, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.”

So godly fear doesn't mean we need to be scared of God. It also does not mean to just respect God. While it entails aspects of respect, fear of the Lord is healthy for the believer