Bible Verses about Faith Essentials
But the LORD of hosts, him you shall honor as holy. Let him be your fear, and let him be your dread. And he will become a sanctuary. Isaiah 8: 13-14
It's amazing to me that in 750 BC, Isaiah was being bombarded with conspiracy theories, same as we are now. And the reason was the same, too: people were afraid of the political climate in their country. ** God gave this advice to the prophet: don't pay attention to the conspiracy theories. Fear God instead, and you'll be safe. This is a comforting promise.
A healthy fear of God is an essential part of durable Faith. As this verse indicates, we don't need to be afraid of anything else if we've made the fear of God our priority. He is our place of safety, our reliable rock, the wings under which we can shelter, our sanctuary in the storm, and the Good Shepherd who loves his sheep. (All those metaphors are in the Bible.)
What does it mean to have the Fear of God? To me, it means that I don't want to disappoint him. I want to please him. I have respect for him, not only as an authority, but as THE authority. I bow to his wishes for my life, because I know his plan is good. I know I can trust God in a way that isn't possible with earthly authorities.
For those who don't know, the prophet Isaiah is the one who gave us many beautiful prophecies about Christ's birth, and we sing many of those words in our Christmas hymns. Isaiah is considered one of the greatest prophets in the Bible.