Fear God pt.1
Fear:
Deep respect; reverence
Following Christ can sometimes feel like a lonely journey. Not because you are truly alone—you always have God—but because genuine friendships can be harder to come by, and your relationships with family may not feel as harmonious as they once did. This may not feel like God’s will for your life in this season, but Scripture tells us that walking with Christ means choosing Him and His will above the expectations of loved ones. That will inevitably create friction in some of our relationships (see Matthew 10:34–39).
The closer you get to God, the easier it becomes to discern insincerity in others. If you’re anything like me, this can make you want to retreat into a safe cocoon—just you and God against the world—because at least there you don’t have to tiptoe around those who hide a scowl behind a smile, right?
As a fellow retreater… I hate to break it to you, but no—that’s not the right response. Though God cherishes alone time with us, complete isolation is not His design for life on this earth. Scripture tells us: it’s not good for man to be alone, two are better than one, and a cord of three strands is even stronger. Where two or more are gathered, God hears them.
Discernment is a gift. It doesn’t always feel like a gift, but it is a blessing. I’ve spoken on discernment before, but recently as I was talking to God, He sent some correction my way, and I felt led to share it.
We are called to fear the Lord. “Fear” here means reverence, honor, or deep respect. As humans, we often show reverence to those who mean the most to us—and that’s natural. There’s a level of respect we should show to everyone we meet, but respect can cross the line when reverence for another person becomes detrimental to your soul. This is when your fear of upsetting them leads you into disobedience toward God.
At some point in your walk with Christ, God will call you to step out in faith based on what He has personally revealed to you. Your loved ones may not be on board with your decisions. They may think you’re irrational, stubborn, delusional, or “holier than thou.” But their opinions carry no eternal weight in the grand scheme of things. This is your life, and if everything falls apart because you feared their disapproval more than you feared disobeying God, you will have to live with that—not them.
When it comes to obeying God despite the opinions of loved ones, I often remind myself: At the end of the night, when I am alone, it is not them I will have to answer to for my disobedience—it is the Lord.
So hear me clearly: you may feel tempted to appease family or friends over God just to avoid feeling alone, but it is not worth your future, and it is certainly not worth your soul. Trust God. Trust that He will bring the right people into your life—people who understand your convictions and your desire to honor God above all.
It won’t be easy while you linger in the “in-between,” where only God truly understands you. But don’t lose hope. It gets better. It gets easier. In fact, it can later become almost too easy to be alone with the Lord—but that’s a topic for another day.
God is building your tribe. Just be patient, stay obedient, stay the course, and remain authentically you. Your tribe will not recognize the version of yourself you perform for acceptance—they will recognize the unapologetic, God-called version of you.
Scripture to reflect on:
Genesis 2:18
18) The LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”
Proverbs 3:7
7) Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and shun evil.
Ecclesiastes 4:9-12
7) Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: 10) If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. 11) Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? 12) Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.
Matthew 10:34-39
34) “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35) For I have come to turn “ ‘a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law— 36) a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.’ 37) “Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. 38) Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39) Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.
