There are a plethora of Scriptures that teach believers to fear God, but not man. This includes all areas of our earthly existence: illness, relationship problems, financial troubles, emotional issues and every kind of pain and, perhaps most of all, death.

Fears of illness, death, and so many other sorts of disaster have never been as accentuated as they are today and this is a highly unfortunate condition, because when we abide in the fear of man, it makes us weaker and greatly increases the likelihood of our losing our way:

"The fear of man brings a snare, But whoever trusts in the Lord shall be safe." (Proverbs 29:25)

The fear of man brings a snare, but fears that are based in Truth and practicality, like the fear of walking across train tracks when a train is coming or the fear of fire making contact with our clothing are useful and even beneficial to our overall well-being, therefore, these are based in godly fear. God uses/allows these common sense fears to keep us safe from harm, thus, they are good for us and consequently DO fall into the category of the fear of the LORD. Therefore, those natural dangers in simply living life are integral to our healthy sense of fear and safety.

And, moreover, when abiding in the fear of the Lord, we are wise, safe and blessed and see His Goodness in our lives:

"Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.” (Deuteronomy 31:6)

"The secret of the Lord is with those who fear Him, And He will show them His covenant." (Psalm 25:14)

"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!" (Psalm 31:19)

"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; A good understanding have all those who do His commandments. His praise endures forever." (Psalm 111:10)

When we fear man, we are inhibited, misled, confused, on a potentially dangerous path, and may end up discarded and feeling alone. But when we trust in the Lord for our protection and provision and ALL ELSE, we can avoid the pitfalls brought on by the fear of man:

"Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me." (Psalm 23:4)

Moreover, not only does the Bible teach us that we do not have to fear death, it even tells us that for those in Christ, to die is gain:

"according to my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain." (Philippians 1:20-21)

Further to this end, this verse in Proverbs reveals that the fear of the Lord keeps us from death, that is permanent death:

"The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life,
To turn one away from the snares of death." (Proverbs 14:27)

"The fear of the Lord leads to life,
And he who has it will abide in satisfaction;
He will not be visited with evil." (Proverbs 19:23)

Other Scriptures on this subject:

Psalm 112:1, Psalm 115:13, Deuteronomy 6:24, Proverbs 1:7, Proverbs 9:10, , Proverbs 3:7, Proverbs 15:16, 2Samuel 23:3, Luke 1:50, Luke 12:4, Job 28:28, Hebrews 2:15, Philippians 2:12-13 & Acts 18:10

"For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:38-39)

NKJV

Linzy is a certified Bible Counsellor, with countless republications on her viewers blogs, Bible Studies, Ezines and the like. Her portfolio includes, non-fiction articles, short stories for all ages, and Christian poetry.