What do you fear?

True godly fear of the LORD has an effect you might not expect in the lives and heart of believers. Rather than making them timid, it makes them bold to the point enduring humiliation, and even torture and death for the sake of the Truth of the Gospel.

"They that are truly Christians, so fear God, that his displeasure is far more terrible than all earthly afflictions and sufferings. - When Christ is telling his disciples what sufferings they should be exposed to for his sake, he says to them, 'Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do; but I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed, hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, fear him' (Luke 12:4,5) And so, again, it is said by the prophet, 'Sanctify the Lord of hosts himself; and let him be your fear, and let him be your dread' (Isaiah 8:13). Now they that are truly Christians see and know him who is so great and dreadful a God, and they know that his displeasure and wrath are far more dreadful than all the temporal sufferings that can be in the way of their duty, and more dreadful than the wrath and cruelty of men, or the worst torments that they can inflict. And therefore they have a spirit to suffer all that can be inflicted, rather than forsake God, and sin against him who can inflict upon them eternal wrath." Jonathan Edwards - Charity and Its Fruits

"And he said to me, 'It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son. But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death." Rev. 21:7-8

Boldness and eternal life are the heritage of those who fear the LORD. The lake of fire is the heritage of "the cowardly," those who fear man. Let us ask ourselves this question today: "Who do I fear?"