The 7 Spirits of God: Spirit of the Fear of the Lord

As you are aware, we are studying the Seven Spirits of the Lord mentioned in Isaiah 11:2.

The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him,

The Spirit of wisdom and understanding,

The Spirit of counsel and might,

The Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord. (Isaiah 11:2)

Today, we are going to study how the Holy Spirit reveals Himself as the Spirit of the Fear of the Lord. The word “fear” in Isaiah 11 means to have a holy fear and reverence for the Lord. The Spirit of the fear of the Lord is also referred to as the Spirit of reverence. (Psalm 111:9 KJV)

I remember as a little boy wearing shoes that made a funny noise and have lights on them. I was so excited with them that I was moving all over the church when the priest in charge was offering prayers. My mother appeared out of nowhere and gave me a gentle pinch on my backside, and whispered to me something that I will never forget for the rest of my life. She said, “Son, remember to always have a deep reverence for God and His presence. If you do that, God will always be close to you.”

One of the manifestations of the Spirit of the fear of the Lord is that when He comes into a place or upon a person, He brings a deep reverence for God. People suddenly fall to their knees in awe, sometimes tears streaming down their faces.

Over the years, I have seen people who walk into a church service anytime they feel like it. When the worship is going on, some are busy checking their social media accounts, checking their email. God will never tolerate such an irreverent attitude.

When the Spirit of the fear of the Lord is upon a person, such a person will walk in humility. The apostle Paul said, "Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God." (Ephesians 5:21) Notice carefully, submitting ourselves to one another cannot happen without the presence of the Spirit of the fear of the Lord. By nature, human beings never want to submit to anyone. Rebellion comes more naturally to us. In short, the Spirit of the Fear of the Lord gives us the reverence toward God that will keep us on the straight and narrow path.

When the Holy Spirit reveals Himself as the Spirit of the Fear of the Lord, we reverence Him, stand in awe of Him, fear Him in a holy way–and delight in Him, all at the same time.

The 7 Spirits of God: Spirit of the Fear of the Lord

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