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Day 15 - The Secret Of The Lord

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Conviction Is Light

When conviction shines into our lives, it is God's light illuminating our way. If we respond to conviction by aligning our life with what God is telling us, the light of conviction will often reveal secrets we would never discover without God's help.

Day 15 - Article

The Secret Of The Lord

Psalm 25:14 says, "The secret of the Lord is with them that fear Him, and He will show them His covenant." Many of us would like to hear the secret of the Lord: the engineer who needs wisdom to develop a new product; the retailer who needs an idea that will bring more customers into the store; the student who has to come up with a topic for a term paper; the father who needs grace and wisdom to rear teenagers.

Daniel 2:28 says, "there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets." Certainly Daniel was a man who walked in the fear of God; no wonder the secret of the Lord was with him. But what is the fear of God?

Most of us know that God hasn't called us to be afraid of Him. He calls us into the warmth of friendship, not the fear of slavery. With this in mind, many scholars define the fear of God as a reverential awe. It took years of searching and pondering, but I've found a definition that's easier to grasp: the fear of the Lord is the conviction of the Holy Spirit. Plug this phrase - "the conviction of the Holy Spirit" - into a few well-known verses that mention the fear of the Lord, and watch what they tell us:

"The conviction of the Holy Spirit is the beginning of wisdom." (Proverbs 9:10)

"The conviction of the Holy Spirit is clean, enduring forever." (Psalm 19:9)

"By humility and the conviction of the Holy Spirit are riches and honor and life." (Proverbs 22:4)

We could list many other verses, but the fear of God is more than just a reverent attitude we choose to adopt. It is communication from the Holy Spirit as He challenges us with heaven's value system. If we want to hear from God clearly and often, we may need to begin by embracing the conviction of the Holy Spirit whenever it comes. After all, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.

And there are secrets God wants to reveal to those who fear Him. He loves us, and He wants to show and tell us things that will lift burdens from our own lives and from the lives of others.

God is not a machine, so there is no formula we can use to get Him to disgorge His secrets. But we can cultivate a friendship with Him that will cause Him to feel free to share secrets with us. A good first step is to cherish the conviction of the Holy Spirit.

Day 15 - Action Step

Act Quickly On Conviction

Act on conviction as quickly as possible. If God has made the effort to convict you, cherish this work of the Holy Spirit by responding with action.
Look through the list of ten benefits of the fear of the Lord, and pick out a few that are particularly relevant to you. Then ask God to give them to you you as you embrace and cherish the convicting work of the Holy Spirit.

10 Benefits Of The Fear Of The Lord

The action step calls for you to ask God for the benefits in this list. The key is to be a person who responds to the conviction of the Holy Spirit -- that's the best way to cultivate the fear of the Lord.

As you listen to the language of conviction and respond, it will set you up to receive all these blessings. And often, the key to receiving is to let God direct us -- He alone knows how to position us to receive. He will tell us what we need to know.
  1. Generational Blessing. "Oh, that they had such a heart in them that they would fear Me and always keep all My commandments, that it might be well with them and with their children forever!" [Deu 5:29]
  2. God's teaching, that leads to prosperity. " Who is the man that fears the LORD? Him shall He teach in the way He chooses." [Ps 25:12-13]
  3. Revelation in the scripture, and revelation gifts of the Holy Spirit. "The secret of the LORD is with those who fear Him, And He will show them His covenant." [Ps25:14]
  4. A storehouse of God's goodness. Oh, how great is Your goodness, Which You have laid up for those who fear You, Which You have prepared for those who trust in You In the presence of the sons of men! [Ps 31:19]
  5. Mercy. Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear Him, On those who hope in His mercy, to deliver their soul from death, And to keep them alive in famine. [Ps 33: 18-19]
  6. 7. Deliverance. The angel of the LORD encamps all around those who fear Him, And delivers them. [Ps 34: 7]
  7. Provision. Oh, fear the LORD, you His saints! There is no want to those who fear Him. [Ps 35: 9]
  8. Forgiveness and Father's Tender Care. For as the heavens are high above the earth, So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him. As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us. As a father pities his children, So the LORD pities those who fear Him. For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust. [Ps 103: 11-14]
  9. Fulfilment. He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him; He also will hear their cry and save them. [Ps 145:19]
  10. Healing. But to you who fear My name The Sun of Righteousness shall arise With healing in His wings. [Mal 4: 2]

Day 15 -- Video

The Secret Of The Lord

This is one testimony among many I could give to show an example of the secret of the Lord. The flow of secrets began in my life when I responded -- not just once, but many times -- the the conviction of the Holy Spirit. I share my testimony because the same God will do the same for you. Respond to conviction -- that's how you invest in the fear of the Lord -- and a flow of secrets will follow.
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Day 15 - Guestbook

Questions? Comments? Testimonies?

  • GospelSmith Jun 30, 2011 @ 9:35 am | delete
    Hi James -- thanks for your testimony. It's a fulfillment of what God spoke to me when I was having an MRI -- that He was knocking at the doors of our hearts and would take us to more fellowship and intimacy with Him. I'm honored to have a small part in this wonderful work that God is doing with His people. Blessings -- Stan
  • James Jun 30, 2011 @ 8:43 am | delete
    You talked about the conviction of the Holy Spirit and yielding to it over a period of time. I have a meeting once a week, just a bible study, but it's not just a bible study. I don't want people to get together talk about a couple things in Scripture and go on our merry way. I want lives to be transformed. I want Christ revealed to us. I want people brought into a closer relationship with Jesus.

    I also really enjoy your interpretation of the “fear of the Lord”, the conviction of the Holy Spirit.

    Thank you so much for your obedience to the Lord and this devotional. My relationship with Christ has deepened since I began this.
  • Maddie Dec 27, 2010 @ 3:20 am | delete
    You mention in the action step to visit the link that lists the benefits of the fear of God? Were you referring to the following links below?
  • GospelSmith Jun 30, 2011 @ 9:33 am | delete
    Hi Maddie -- I was planning to post the list on another blog, but chose instead to add the list directly below the action step. I hope it's clearer this way. Thanks -- Stan
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Week 3 -- Links

The Language Of Conviction

"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." Many people quote this verse, but what is the fear of the Lord? A good working definition is what Jesus called the conviction of the Holy Spirit. As we yield to conviction, it opens a fountain of divine wisdom to us.
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GospelSmith

Maybe you wonder, "Who is this guy that's putting up so much material about hearing God's voice?" There's more on my webpage than I'll write here -- s... more »

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