“Do not fear; for God has come to test you, and that His fear may be before you, so that you may not sin.” — Exodus 20:20

There are two very different kinds of fear: the spirit of fear and the fear of the Lord. One drives us away from God, while the other draws us closer to Him.

When the Israelites stood at Mount Sinai and saw God’s power, they backed away in terror. They told Moses, “You speak to us, but don’t let God speak to us.” They were afraid of God. But Moses responded by drawing nearer into God’s presence. He understood the difference between being scared of God and honoring Him with reverence.

Being scared of God causes distance. It makes us hide, just as Adam and Eve hid in the garden after they sinned. Shame, guilt, and condemnation always push people away from God. But the fear of the Lord is different. It is not terror of punishment—it is a deep awe, love, and reverence for God that makes us hate anything that would separate us from Him.

The fear of the Lord says, “I don’t want to drift away from God—I want to remain close to Him.” It produces holiness, wisdom, obedience, and deeper intimacy with Him. It keeps our hearts tender and our lives aligned with His ways. As we grow in awareness of our need for God, we begin to understand the danger of living without His presence and learn to guard our hearts against religious deception that could draw us away from Him.

God did not deliver Israel from Egypt merely to free them from slavery. He delivered them to bring them near to Himself. He wants intimate connection with us! In the same way, Jesus has delivered us from sin so we can live in close relationship with Him through His empowering Spirit and Love.

Today, reject every unhealthy fear that causes you to withdraw from God. Instead, ask Him for a holy fear—a reverence that keeps you near, obedient, and filled with His Spirit, His love, and wholehearted devotion to Him only, with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.