Follow In Fear
lesson 3 in the "Full Trained" Series
by Daniel Rendelman
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The
loving and sometimes tumultuous bond between a husband and wife is a
perfect picture of our relationship with our Master Y'shua. Over time,
two polar opposites join together to become a union of love in order to
be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. That's you with your
spouse and with your husband Y'shua. You were meant to grow up into
maturity to become a spiritual spouse of Y'shua and parent to other
believers. The Almighty doesn't save anyone just so they can trudge
through life without hope, sit on a pew awaiting the rapture, or remain
immature. You were rescued from an eternity of death so that you can
know YHWH and make Him known. Like it or not, when you prayed to accept
Y'shua as your master and Savior you were actually speaking wedding
vows.
A
little boy was attending his first wedding. After the service, his
cousin asked him, "How many women can a man marry?" "Sixteen," the boy
responded. His cousin was amazed that he had an answer so quickly. "How
do you know that?" "Easy," the little boy said. "All you have to do is
add it up, like the preacher said: 4 better, 4 worse, 4 richer, 4
poorer."
Wedding
vows are sacred words shared to express a covenant agreement to stick
together through thick and thin or good days and bad. Of course these
promises aren't a magical spell that guarantees lifelong commitment or
love. To have a lasting relationship takes work, work, and more work.
This is true for our physical union and your spiritual union.
We
have learned spiritual maturity isn't measured by what you know, how
long you have been saved, what deeds you perform, or your righteous
standing before YHWH. (Read parts 1 & 2 of this series if you
haven't yet.) Our measurement is defined by Messiah in Matthew 5:48
when He said to "be perfect as your heavenly father is perfect." To be
perfect means to be "complete" and without blemish. You can't be
sinless like Y'shua but you can be perfect for moments and maybe even
longer. Perfection comes as you strive towards maturity in the faith.
The
Scriptures are clear that each believer should progress from death to
life and from an infant to a parent in order to reach spiritual
maturity. The pattern for achieving the abundant life promised by
Messiah Y'shua is to first become a disciple and then make other
disciples. You start your relationship, learn the truth, walk in the
knowledge of what you know, and then share that with others. Growth
takes place as we learn the Bible and apply its message to our life. It
does not happen automatically over time. In Hebrew the word for
"disciple" is the term "talmid." A talmid is a student, apprentice, and
follower of a Teacher that learns the teacher's words and ways and then
makes other followers. He is accountable to someone and holds others
accountable. The pattern that Y'shua used to define discipleship is
easily found in Matthew 4:19 when He said, "follow me and I will make
you fishers of men." This is a key passage to dissect and understand if
you want to know about discipleship. It is actually a type of wedding
proposal. Y'shua offers his life's blood as a mark of engagement and
begs you to accept His proposal.
The
phrase, "follow me" indicates the first step of discipleship.
Following Y'shua is more than just believing Him or accepting Him. To
follow Y'shua means you walk after Him until you die and are resurrected
as a new creation. This is a duty of the mind that will affect your
emotions, will, and thinking.
To
be like Y'shua is the purpose of discipleship. And it's the reason why
you were saved from eternal damnation in the first place. Luke 6:40
says, "every disciple / talmid fully
trained will be like his teacher." This one verse encompasses this
entire subject. The Messiah often presented "do or die" scenarios to
those who came to him. You can't have a girlfriend and a wife at the
same time, nor can you follow Y'shua and be selfish. Once he told a
person to sell all of their belongings and give up the good life to
follow his dusty sandals across the land of Israel. Priorities can
easily get out of whack as we learn the tenets of the Bible and relearn
the various issues that have been manipulated. Many of these areas are
good to consider and are noteworthy for learning, yet there are some
things that should take precedence and need attention first. There are
weightier matters of the Torah that we should consider. We must be
careful not to get the proverbial "cart before the horse" if we want to
go anywhere in our own personal spiritual life.
In
Matthew 4 Y'shua approached a few guys that were out fishing on a
boat. The Messiah worked a miracle before their very eyes and then
challenged them to 'come and follow me."
The
first step of maturity in the faith is making the choice to leave the
world and follow Messiah. When Y'shua called the disciples he said
"come and follow me." To follow someone you must first leave.
Separating yourself from the world means that you leave "normal"
routines and habits to "come" to Messiah. As you walk with YHWH you
will become "holy" or "kadosh." The ancient word "kadosh" literally
means "set apart." When you are kadosh you are set apart from this
world and the things of this world. There are many distractions or
better yet, "distractSINS" that stop us from focusing on our spiritual
maturity. Remember the words of Y'shua - "every disciple fully
trained will be like his teacher." Are you fully trained and fully
like your Messiah Y'shua in thought and deed? If you are not fully
trained then do you really have time to entertain yourself, jump into
learning the Hebrew language, take a trip to Israel, or tell everyone
you meet about your faith? If you are not fully trained should you live
as if you are fully trained?
The
original talmidim were with Messiah for about 12 hours every day for
three and a half years. Following Y'shua takes total commitment and
total abandonment. In the book of John we see three distinct duties of a disciple. These describe our ideal life as follower of Messiah. First,
we must be abiding in YHWH's word. "So Y'shua was saying to those Jews
who had believed Him, "If you continue in My word, then you are truly
disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make
you free," John 8:31-32.
To
abide in YHWH's word is to remain or to hold fast the teachings of His
word. Discipleship is not a simply a decision of belief at some point in
time but an ongoing process of thinking on the word and obeying the
word. The result of abiding in Messiah's word is freedom ... spiritual
freedom from the bondage of sin until we are dead to sin and alive to
Y'shua. Victory over sin comes as our heart and emotions are totally
set unto YHWH. Abiding is the first duty of a disciple.
Then
as we are walking in the Word and leaving our life of sin behind we will
bear fruit. And finally, a disciple turns his affection and devotion
for YHWH towards other people. Loving one another is a duty of a
disciple. "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another,
even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all
men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one
another," John 13:34-35.
Love should be what really sets us apart from the world as kadosh. When
you are fully trained you will be like Y'shua. That's your goal as a
follower. You are to walk in His ways and reflect his life in this dark
world. All of this will lead you to love one another with selfless
devotion. Selfless devotion. Think about those two words for just a
minute. What relationship should be characterized by "selfless
devotion?" Our bond with YHWH and our marriage to our spouse should
embody this concept.
A
good spiritual relationship with your husband Y'shua and a good
marriage relationship doesn't happen by accident. You must be
intentional with your spiritual growth. Abiding in the Word requires
intentionally seeking YHWH when it is convenient and when it is not.
Being a good husband requires loving when it's easy and when its not.
You can't abide in YHWH if you allow the weekly worship service define
your spiritual life. Imagine that you lived for yourself six days a
week and then on the seventh day you simply spent an hour with your
spouse and spoke sweet words of love to her. Would that last for long?
No, a lasting relationship requires time and effort. Once a week
worship doesn't cut it for those who are to be fully trained. The
Scriptures must be in our mind and on our mind every single day. This
starts with a quiet time to listen and learn from YHWH in the morning.
When was the last time you took a few minutes to sit and soak up YHWH's
goodness before the day got a hold of you? Dedicating some time each
day to begin in YHWH's Word with prayer sets the tone for the remainder
of the day.
To
be fully trained you must be fully committed to YHWH. Being committed
to any relationship requires time and effort. If you are dedicated to
your relationship with your spouse then you will meet their needs and
persevere through the thick and thin. When things are good with your
wife you will enjoy the closeness. As things get tough you will dig in
and endure. Your partner's needs and desires will be on your concern.
Loyalty and allegiance turns a selfish life into one of love and
service.
Marriage
is a solemn covenant between a man and woman. It's a decision to love
that shouldn't be entered into easily and certainly shouldn't be ended
easily. Today, over 50% of marriages end in messy divorces that damage
children and rip apart families. Most of these marriages occur because
someone stops being devoted to their lover and finds attention somewhere
else. To be married is a decision that is made over and over again.
Spiritually, we must choose to build our relationship by deciding to
walk in covenant with YHWH every single day. Indeed, something you need
to decide each morning before you get out of bed is if you will be
faithful to YHWH. No wonder believers are called the bride of Messiah.
As
followers, as the spouse of Y'shua we choose to be faithful and to keep
YHWH in mind. Psalm 16:8 tells us to "continually set YHWH before
you." Life is different when you are ever mindful of Y'shua's presence
in you and with you. Don't you behave differently when you know that
someone is watching and could be influenced by your behavior?
Setting
YHWH before you is a natural by product of abiding in the Word. The
more you read, study, think on, and share the Scriptures you will notice
that you mind will be renewed and your life transformed before your
very eyes. The first step of this process is to choose to come after
YHWH to follow Him. As you choose to seek Him you must leave your life
of convenience and comfort to be united to YHWH. Like marriage, the two
shall become one through willfully abiding in the Word. In marriage
respect must be given and received. The man's position as the head of
the household should be respected. The woman as the emotional caregiver
needs to be honored for her delicate qualities.
The
Hebrew concept of respect is woven throughout the Scriptures. Instead
of translating the ancient term "yirah" as respect or reverence the
Bible uses the English word "fear." Throughout the Bible idea of the
"fear of YHWH" is really the "respect of YHWH." To fear YHWH is to
esteem and hold Him in deep regard.
The yisar of YHWH comes as you abide in the Word and write His commandments upon your heart. Proverbs 2 explains, "My
son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you,
turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding -
indeed, if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and
if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden
treasure, then you will understand the fear of YHWH and find the
knowledge of Elohim."
The
fear of YHWH is similar to the natural fears you may have in life. If
you're afraid of spiders, clowns, or heights then you are paralyzed by
just the sight of such. Instantly you think, "what will happen to me
if..." That should be the same response we have as we walk in the
fear/respect of YHWH. The fear of YHWH understands that for every
action there is a reaction and for every cause there is an effect.
Having the yisar YHWH means that you realize that these effects aren't
usually instant. With a snake it's easy to see the instant
ramifications of getting too close. But with the sin areas in our life
we don't normally experience sudden punishment. There are curses
associated with disobedience and defiance. There are blessings that
come with devotion and observance. It is by abiding in the Word and
then allowing the fear of YHWH to be in our mind that we set out on our
journey to be made into Y'shua's image and are fully trained.
The
fear of YHWH is a concept that stretches the text of the Bible from
Genesis to Revelation. This is a subject that must be studied and
understood before a meaningful relationship with the Creator can
develop. Fear is a scary concept. It can paralyze or it can inspire.
Everyone is afraid of something. There is a difference though, in
fearing stuff or fearing man and fearing the Almighty.
To
fear YHWH is a direct command of the Scriptures, it is one of the 613
mitzvot (commandments) of the Torah, yet it is forgotten. "You shall
fear YHWH your Elohim, and serve Him, and shall swear by His Name. You
shall not go after other Elohim," Deuteronomy 6: 13, 14. We know a lot
about many of the commandments in the Torah, now it is time to learn
about fearing YHWH!
While
making a toast during a wedding reception the master of ceremonies
raised his voice and called a wedding ring the smallest set of handcuffs
in the world, then he said, "there are three rings to a healthy
marriage...the engagement ring, the wedding ring, and the suffering."
To fear YHWH is to possess an emotional trait equal to a set of
handcuffs. The fear of YHWH allows us to go and do as our Master
allows. Then, our hands will be tugged if we go a little too far on our
own. Our handcuff is pulled back when we don't see the impending danger
of our actions or if we cross a dangerous line. This is the idea of
"yirah YHWH." Scary Hebrew terminology? Not really. The phrase "yirah
YHWH" is pretty simple to grasp. It literally means to be, "terrified,
exceedingly dreadful, morally reverent, terribly frightened." We need
the restraint that the yirah YHWH provides. "And now, O Israel, what
does YHWH ask of you but to fear YHWH, to walk in all his ways, to love
him, to serve YHWH with all your heart and with all your soul, and to
observe YHWH's commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your
own good?," Deuteronomy 10:12-13. In this passage from Deuteronomy we
see that the commands and decrees were given for our own good. As we
learn of His ways we will fear Him for our own good!
We
need to understand that to yirah YHWH is to respect the results of
life's decisions. It is directly connected to our acts of service, to
the devotion of our heart, and to our love of the Saint. When we yirah
YHWH we are, in essence, acknowledging the laws that He has set in place
to govern the universe. We are seeing Him as the Melek, the king of the
universe. We are seeing the power of sin to displease Him, to warrant
His punishment upon us. In understanding exactly what yirah YHWH means,
let's consider a few verses on the subject:
- "The fear of YHWH, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding," Job 28:28
- "The
fear of YHWH is to hate evil: pride, and arrogance, and the evil
halakha (way to walk) a, and the perverted mouth," Proverbs 8:13
- "By the fear of YHWH men depart from evil," Proverbs 16:6
- "Be not wise in your own eyes: fear YHWH, and depart from evil," Proverbs 3:8
It
is easy to see that the function of the fear of YHWH is to actually
bring wisdom. The yisar of YHWH is the means by which we turn away from
evil. As we turn to YHWH and from evil we are made wise. The more we
abide in the word as talmidim the more we should fear YHWH. Why? Well,
the more of the Torah we learn the more we more we realize we don't
know. As we discover the various commandments about life we soon grasp
that we can't keep the commandments properly or in totality. The Newer
Testament says that to "know to do right and not do it is sin." Having
our eyes opened to YHWH's purpose for us to walk in His Word should make
us tremble with fear and respect for His ways. It's not easy to follow
our Master Y'shua and observe the Torah of YHWH.
The
disciples struggled as we do today. The answer to their issues was
yirah YHWH. Remember how they were once on a boat that was quickly
sinking. A storm had come up and was causing their afternoon on the
lake to become a nightmare. The winds beat the sail, the waves pounded
the hull, and the water poured into the ship. Fear gripped them as they
witnessed their craft transform into a coffin. They cried out to
Y'shua to help and the storm was calmed. With just a few words from the
Master's mouth the situation went from sudden death to suddenly sunny.
The response of the disciples is worth our attention. Luke 8:22-25
says they were amazed and awestruck at the power of Y'shua. Being a
talmid, or a fisher of men, requires the fear of YHWH while you are on
the waters of life.
The
day Y'shua told these same fishermen to "come and follow me" he was
giving them a mental choice. To decide to follow Him is a choice of
will. As the mind is renewed by the Word of YHWH then His fear should
fill us. Following is a duty of the mind that will eventually affect
your heart and your hands. When you fear YHWH you admire, esteem,
value, regard, and hold his Word in high opinion. A person who has the
yirah YHWH acts differently than one without it. It should cause us to
shudder at the idea of our actions and thoughts grieving the Holy Spirit
and dulling our hearts to holiness. Now, you might not think you
should fear your spouse but Biblically fear in marriage is a good
thing. Husbands and wives should respect and appreciate each other.
You shouldn't shake at the sound of your husband walking in the room but
it's perfectly okay to give him honor. And husbands definitely
shouldn't be afraid of their wife yet men should regard her opinion and
value her actions.
It
has been noted that the longer a couple stays together the more they
begin to think like each other. Through time and attention, wives can
finish their husband's sentences and men can finally figure out what
their bride is thinking. As you walk with YHWH and persist in the Word
your mind will be in tune with the Spirit and your thoughts will become
His thoughts. YHWH hates evil and you as well will begin to hate evil.
This implies that your decisions will be different as a talmidim who
seeks to be fully trained. As you get closer to Y'shua you will begin
to despise and be repelled by evil, murder, death, violence, sin,
perversion, jealousy, and envy. "The fear of YHWH is to hate evil"
Proverbs 8:13. Do you hate evil or do you tolerate it? Is evil
allowed to enter into your home or mind from the Internet, television,
or movie theatre?
King
David teaches the "fear of YHWH" in Psalm 34. Here he says to "Keep
your tongue from evil, and your lips from speaking guile. Turn away
from evil, and do good, seek peace and pursue it." Turning from evil
should lead to doing good. It
is possible, and indeed it should be normal, for a believer to walk in
step with the Spirit so much and so long that people can't tell you
apart from your Messiah. Is that you today? Are you a good
representation of Y'shua on this earth? What if everyone in your
congregation or family had the same spiritual life as you do? Would
they be better off or would the world be a worse place? These are tough
questions to consider but they need our attention and consideration.
By simply thinking like this we can empower the fear/respect of YHWH in
our lives.
As you abide in the Word and fear YHWH you will indeed seek to obey the commandments. "That he may learn to fear YHWH by carefully observing all the words of this law and these statutes," Deuteronomy
17:19. Abraham, Moses and others proved their fear of YHWH by walking
in His commandments. The Prophet Samuel counseled the Israelites to
"fear YHWH and serve Him in truth with all your heart." Children obey
because they do not want to be punished for their rebellion. As you
mature in your spiritual walk, you shouldn't obey just because you fear
the punishment of our sins. Instead, we should fear walking out of the
will of YHWH by disobedience and allowing our hearts to be hardened.
Sin does this. It cuts off our fellowship with YHWH and puts up a wall
between us and our Savior.
Think
of it this way, maybe the fear of YHWH is actually that - YHWH's fear.
If YHWH could fear anything, what would the Creator fear? What would
make the Almighty El Shaddai shudder? Surely being separated from your
children makes you fear and the same makes YHWH fear. YHWH fears and
hates the distance placed between us and Him when we walk away from His
goodness. That chasm is covered when we abide in YHWH's word and set
His presence always before us. Y'shua said, "If you love Me, you will
keep my commandments," John 14:15. Obedience should spring from our
love for YHWH. That is a much better motive than fear of punishment.
Maturity then sets in as you remain in YHWH's word and keep the fear of
YHWH in mind throughout your day.
A
disciple is committed to the yisah YHWH because it produces the fruit
of maturity. By keeping His Word constantly before you your spiritual
life and your married life will prosper. As you abide in the Word and
walk in the fear of YHWH you will abide the fruit of the Spirit.
Becoming "one flesh" with Y'shua is what the faith is all about.
The
Christian movie "Fireproof" tells the story of a marriage between Caleb
and Catherine Holt that is in crisis. The two finally decide to
divorce. However, Caleb's father, proposes that his son delays their
separation process for forty days and follow a procedure called "The
Love Dare" to make them love each other again. It's a daily plan of
love and devotion that Caleb's parents used to save their own
marriage. Yes, daily and intentional actions can rescue any
relationship from the pits of despair. That's just another reason YHWH
gave us His Word to read and apply daily. Instead of reading the
"Fireproof" book, perhaps you should take a reading and action challenge
unique to the Scriptures. To help progress on to maturity take the "31
Day Proverbs Challenge." For the next 31 days read and meditate on the
Proverb for the day. The details of the challenge are below. As you
do this you will abide in the Word and learn to fear YHWH, then you can
produce His fruit in your life. This
Scripture based experiment will indeed help you to walk in the fear and
respect of YHWH so that your relationship with the Savior and others
improves.
Starting
today, read the chapter in Proverbs that corresponds to today's
date. For example, if today is May 17th read Proverbs 17. If today is
May 20th read Proverbs 20. If today is May 1st read Proverbs 1. After
reading the chapter, choose one verse from the chapter that you want to
share with someone. From our earlier example, if today you read
Proverbs 17 then you might choose Proverbs 17:10 "A rebuke goes deeper
into a man of understanding than a hundred blows into a fool." Or you
may choose Proverbs 17:17 "A friend loves at all times and a brother is
born for adversity." You may find it hard to choose just one. Then go
public with it! Post it on your Facebook status or twitter account.
Add it to the auto signature on your emails. Make a point of working it
into a conversation throughout the day. Sit down as a family or with a
group of friends and share which verse you chose. Make a T-Shirt. The
possibilities are endless... Then, tomorrow, do it all over
again...for the next 31 days.
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