THE KEY TO BREAKTHROUGH
Verse of the week: Psalm 128:1-4
“Blessed are all who fear the Lord, who walk in obedience to him. You will eat the fruit of your labor; blessings and prosperity will be yours. Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your children will be like olive shoots around your table. Yes, this will be the blessing for the man who fears the Lord.”
Fear is not a word we usually associate with something positive. By definition, it’s described as “an unpleasant emotion cause by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain, or a threat.” So it’s kind of ironic that today’s message discusses the fear of the Lord, since He literally wants the opposite of this for us. He doesn’t want to cause us pain – He wants to bring us peace. He isn’t a threat – He is our hope.
Don’t get me wrong, worldly fear is necessary. It prevents us from getting into risky or dangerous situations, and ultimately keeps us alive. But to fully receive from this message, we need to rewire our brain’s understanding of the word fear with regards to God. Fearing God doesn’t mean living in terror. It’s viewing Him with holy reverence – a face-down posture of awe at His glory.
Just like worldly fear, the fear of God can be a motivator. When we live in a full view of who God is, we desire to be more like Jesus, and our character gets refined. God wants the best for us, and so He calls us to live in that intersection between His loves (which saves us), and the holy fear of the Lord (which refines us) so that we don’t drift away from His plan.
That being said, it’s not always easy to stay in His lane. There are distractions in life, and we can become motivated by the wrong things. To determine our primary motivator is, let’s look at the three images of our lives:
Perceived image: how people see us
Projected image: how we want people to see us
Actual image: who we really are
Of these three, what’s your focus? If we’re honest with ourselves, while we should be motivated by #3, we are often swayed by #1 and #2. However, God doesn’t want us performing for other people. He wants us focused on who we really are, and most importantly, who He created us to be. And He wants to take away the anxiety that comes with what others think of us.
That doesn’t mean we completely disregard the first few images. You can still have a good fashion sense, pursue healthy hobbies, and overall look presentable. PLEASE do not stop showering – that isn’t what this message is about. Those other images, however, get in the way of serving Christ.
The key to breakthrough in our lives is living in the holy fear of God. That holy reverence is our primary motivator, and allows us to stay rooted in the Word, and keeps us from focusing on people pleasing. Because God’s calling on our life is not connected to people pleasing. Paul even goes so far in Galatians 1:10 to say ,”If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.”
So, do you want to live for people, or do you want to live for God? As we begin to grasp exactly the love He has for you and the good He wants for you, the answer becomes clear.
Make sure to check out the full message below!
