The other day, my friend told me a story about a time his wife (who happens to be afraid of spiders) saw a spider up on their bedroom wall while getting ready for bed. Upon seeing the spider she proceeded to announce that she would be sleeping on the downstairs couch for the evening. That same woman, my friend tells me, was staying at a friend’s house another night and woke up at 3 in the morning to see a spider running across the floor. She immediately got out of bed, got in the car, and drove an hour and a half home because she couldn’t bear the thought of a spider being in the same room as her while she was sleeping.

Fear is a very powerful thing. It can greatly influence the decisions we make in our life for good and for bad. It can also be the driving force behind us making decisions we would have never made otherwise. Hearing these stories got me thinking. What should we fear more: Spiders or God? And more importantly, does our life reflect that?

There are many biblical stories that show us we should definitely fear God:

• Uzzah (2 Samuel 6) was killed for touching the Ark of the Covenant to stop it from falling when he was told not to.
• Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5) lied about how much offering they gave and were struck dead.
• Lot’s wife (Genesis 19:26) became a pillar of salt for looking back at Sodom and Gomorrah.

Along with these stories, the Bible also tells us explicitly to fear God.

• Proverbs 1:7 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; Fools despise wisdom and instruction”
• Matthew 10:28 “Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”
• Ecclesiastes 12:13 “The conclusion, when all has been heard is fear God and keep His commandments because this applies to every person.”

So the question is…

Why will we not sleep in our bed out of fear of a spider but not change aspects of our life that need changing out of a fear of God?

I’m not suggesting we’re all “off the deep end.” Most reading this are Christians who have obeyed His gospel. But what in aspects of our life do we demonstrate less of a “fear in God” than others? What movies or music do we still allow ourselves to listen to even though they are unsavory? What gossip do we partake in with our coworkers or family members? What language do we use when we’re not around our Christian brethren? How much time a week do we spend focusing and meditating on Him? Should we fear more about missing a TV show we like or not getting in His word?

Let’s not forget that our God, although loving, should absolutely be feared. Let’s use this fear to help steer ourselves towards being a better Christian every day.

Jeff Wiant