Isaiah 11:2-3 (NKJV) “The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him, The Spirit of wisdom and understanding, The Spirit of counsel and might, The Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord. 3 His delight is in the fear of the Lord, And He shall not judge by the sight of His eyes, nor decide by the hearing of His ears”
Unholy fear
1 John 4:18 (AMP) “There is no fear in love [dread does not exist]. But perfect (complete, full-grown) love drives out fear, because fear involves [the expectation of divine] punishment, so the one who is afraid [of God’s judgment] is not perfected in love [has not grown into a sufficient understanding of God’s love].”
Matthew 25:25 (AMP) “So I was afraid [to lose the talent], and I went and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what is your own.”
Holy Fear
When the Bible refers to the “fear of the Lord,”it means having a deep respect, reverence and awe for God’s power and authority. Rather than causing someone to be afraid of God, a proper “fear of the Lord” leads one to love Him.
2 Timothy 1:7 (ESV) “For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and selfcontrol.”
Romans 8:15 (ESV) “For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry,”Abba! Father!”
Psalm 34:4 (ESV) “I sought the Lord, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears.”
Psalm 56:3-4 (ESV) “When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can flesh do to me?”
Psalm 25: 12-14 (AMP) “Who is the man who fears the Lord (with awe-inspired reverence and worships Him with submissive wonder)? He will teach him (through His word) in the way he should choose. 13 His soul will dwell in prosperity and goodness, and his descendants will inherit the land. 14 The secret (of the wise counsel) of the Lord is for those who fear Him, and He will let them know His covenant and reveal to them (through His word) its (deep, inner) meaning.”
Proverbs 14:26 (AMP) “In the [reverent] fear of the Lord there is strong confidence.”
The fear of the Lord doesn’t make you timid. It doesn’t make you weak. The fear of the Lord gives you strength. When you fear the Lord you don’t have to fear anything else. It’s the remedy for all other ungodly forms of fear.
Proverbs 19:23 (AMP) The fear of the Lord leads to life, so that one may sleep satisfied, untouched by evil.