Scripture takes a very stern view of sin because it is failure to live up to God's standard and destroys relationships, especially our relationship with God.

Even before we acquire the necessary building blocks of faith, hope, and love, we must acquire the fear of God, which unlocks the treasures of God.

Many have inadvertently adopted a soft concept of God, disrespecting and showing contempt for God's authority and power. Godly fear is a gift of wisdom.

The fear of God is the first line of defense, keeping us from profaning God's name, tarnishing the image of the Lord, and defending us from pain and/or death.

We must have established some relationship with God before we can rightly fear Him. A holy fear is the key to unlocking the treasuries of salvation and wisdom.

After the Spirit of God is imparted, removing the fear of men and installing the life-sustaining fear of God, the real dramatic growth takes place.

When people allow fear to rule them, they lose their mind. Fear of God, however, is not mind killing, but inspires a reverential awe of the Creator.

Even though a Christian's potential is so wonderful, it is still necessary for God to motivate His children to reach it. This begins with the fear of God.

Here are four qualities of character that our full acceptance of God's sovereignty will build and that will prepare us for whatever work God may choose for us.

Eternal life is to live a quality life as God lives, having developed a close relationship with God, living by faith and accepting His sovereignty over all.

Formality and decorum (in terms of dress and behavior) are part of godly standards and sanctity. We must always look for the spirit and intent of what God commands.

Since God is sovereign over His creation, we need to be careful about reviling someone in authority, even someone who may have been appointed to bring evil.

Some may doubt that God is in control, but God's sovereignty over His creation is complete. The course of world events are moving according to His will.

God spoke audibly to Moses and the people, intentionally testing their faithfulness, to instill the fear of the Lord in them, and to keep them from sin.

God's faithfulness is the foundation of our faith. We cannot live by faith unless we believe we have a God who is faithful in everything He does.

Deuteronomy, which is to be reviewed every seven years, provides us with vision and instruction for living in our spiritual Promised Land.

Both Tabernacles and Unleavened Bread keep us off balance so that we remain humble, seek stability, and trust in God's providence for our ultimate destiny.

Fearing God leads to a determination not to bring shame on God's name or offending and hurting the relationship between God and us.

Observing oneself in the mirror is useless unless one makes appropriate changes based on the observed image. We must do a thorough self-examination.

Sin creates estrangement from God, causing us to fail in everything we attempt. Sin always produces separation; it never heals, but causes death.

We will be kings and priests, responsible for those coming out of the tribulation. We must prepare now to fill the entire earth with the knowledge of God.

If we learn to fear and love God, loyalty, faithfulness and commandment-keeping will naturally follow, and we will instinctively hasten to depart from evil.

The church of God is not immune to the deterioration of doctrine. Minor deviations from doctrine bring about irreparable, disastrous consequences.

The Israelites lost their identity when they went into captivity. They failed to teach their children, to keep the Sabbath, and to remember who they were.

The Feasts of God are not vacations, but are holy convocations when God assembles His family for the purpose of enabling us to learn to fear and honor Him.

We must not construe the term, "whatever our heart desires," as a pass to sin, but we should use every occasion to grow in thinking and acting like God.