The Fear of the Lord is the Beginning of Wisdom

Consider this promise made in the Old Testament of God to a son and soldier of His kingdom:

For the Lord has driven out before you great and strong nations. And as for you, no man has been able to stand before you to this day. One man of you puts to flight a thousand, since it is the Lord your God who fights for you, just as he promised you. Be very careful, therefore, to love the Lord your God. Joshua 23:9-11

If God's equipping of one man should put to flight a thousand enemy soldiers, what shall we say of the new man in Christ Jesus who stands in the most glorious covenant?

What powers and gifts has God given to His loving sons and daughters that no eye had seen, no ear had heard, nor had entered into the hearts of men prior to the revelation of Jesus Christ?

And how puny has been our regard for the Holy Spirit of Promise in whom we are sealed? This Promise is far beyond the church's commonly held view of being only a 'mere' earnest of the Spirit. It is God's guaranteed down payment of our unfathomable inheritance available to us right here and now.

If those in the inferior covenant of Law carried such manifestation of the kingdom not made with hands, what then of strength, authority, and commission is given to the sons of God in whom abides the Treasure whose power is God himself?

Do we have even a clue of the gift of grace, the magnitude of dominion God conferred to human beings when by faith they became united with Jesus Christ? It makes one shudder to contemplate the potential born into the sons of men. For the slightest appreciation of the glory made ours through God's mercy, a revelation by the Holy Spirit is required.

To see ourselves as God sees us would scare the hell out of us. We'd be struck dumb with awe at what royal honor and righteousness He has ascribed to us. It would humble us to oblivion, and empuddle us in shameless, adoring worship.

The condemnation that so frequently thwarts our approach to God's presence is usually a pack of lies about our identity. What we believe about ourselves determines everything.

We must intentionally die to every idea we hold about ourselves that contradicts God's pronouncements about us. Refusing to say, 'I am a saint, chosen of God, and dearly loved; a righteous king and witness, I am the blessed of the Lord,' is not humility, it's defiance. We must put on courage and dare to run into the stark, astounding state of being fully embraced sons in union with our Father - lacking nothing of all the good He means for us.

I know of not one believer audacious enough to embrace, believe or behave like he is hidden with Christ in God, or seated (enthroned) with Christ in heavenly places. Who, pray tell, do these words describe? Who will put them on; wear and walk in them?

Such thoughts are fearsome, terrifying, holy - so staggering and glorious - they must be true. And Paul's context confirms, they must be true, NOW.

No man in his natural strength could survive the atmosphere of privilege and place given him by the eternal God. He must be surrendered in humility to the Holy Spirit lest he explode with a repulsive, hideous pride. Living in God's declaration of our identity is a climate that suffocates and incinerates every notion of human exaltation.

When Moses descended from the mountain of Sinai where God presented him with the Law, so blazing brilliant shone the light from his face that he covered it with a veil to keep from blinding the people. How should we then appear if the veil of our flesh were lifted, and men beheld the original Light whose uncreated, resident glory shines from inside us? 0 Mercy! Do we venture to whisper the Name of the Treasure whose deliberate delight is to make our heart His home?

If we get this, if we lay hold this present and future destiny purchased by the Worthy Lamb, then devils and diseases would act appropriately. They'd shriek in our presence, and hop off like grasshoppers. Each of us would bear true witness to our King; making His name glorious. One of us put to flight a thousand.

How can we let such promises lay uninhabited?

Are you scared yet?

I am. But I'm goin' in anyway.