"Take A Stand" is our series at Fusion Christian Church on having the courage to stand strong in the faith. From the book of Daniel we will learn what it takes follow God in a world that doesn't. In chapter 5, Pastor Matt teaches about the Fear of the Lord and what happens with or without it.

No Fear of the Lord.

In the story of Daniel, the King of Babylon, Belshazzar chose not to fear God. In fact, he chose to spite God by using the holy items from His temple for a party. Because of this behavior, God writes on the wall in the middle of this party a prophecy of impending doom. Even then, Belshazzar feels fear not of the Lord, but only for his own potential downfall.

Refusing to listen to wisdom.

To make matters worse, God had already demonstrated his greatness to Nebuchadnezzar and Belshazzar knew about it. Instead of learning from the mistakes of his predecessor, Belshazzar acted foolishly. He chose to mock the Most High God instead of honoring him. While the Persian army was waiting at the gates, Belshazzar threw caution to the wind and threw a party. Even when the prophecy was given, Belshazzar refused to change his ways. He chose to die in his sin and in rebellion against God.

We will all be numbered, weighed, and judged.

King Belshazzar's days were numbered, his actions were weighed, and his choices were judged. We will not escape this measuring by God. This is why it is so important for us to live in the Fear of the Lord. This means we recognize that God will hold us accountable for our decisions and live accordingly. Even so, we must recognize that living rightly will not save us. We are not good enough to earn our salvation, so part of the Fear of the Lord is trusting in him for salvation. Only Jesus lived a perfect life; we must trust in him. Our good works are a result of our faith in him; they do not save us.

This impacts your life now!

When we do all of this, we can see that the Fear of the Lord changes our lives now. This is not a distant reality, but a way of living. Choosing to live in the Fear of the Lord will affect every other choice we make in our lives. Honor and revere God first and you will begin to walk in wisdom.