Elect Lady's Corner

When I was growing up in a large family, going to the doctor for routine checkups simply wasn't an option. With 8 children to raise, my Mother had to rely on wisdom, discipline, and simple remedies to keep us healthy. Twice a year she would line all 8 of us up and give us a dose of castor oil. None of us enjoyed it. The taste alone could make you cringe. But my Mother understood something important: a little preventative medicine can save you from serious illness later. Did that castor oil stop every cold or flu? No!

But it helped keep our bodies strong enough that sickness never overtook us to the point of hospitalization. Spiritually, God has given us a similar medicine for the soul: the fear of the Lord. It may not always feel comfortable, but it challenges our pride; it confronts our motives; it humbles our ambitions. But it also protects the inner life from diseases like pride, selfishness, compromise and spiritual blindness. Isaiah describes the sevenfold Spirit of the Lord resting upon the Messiah, and the final expression is “the fear of the Lord” (Isaiah 11:2–3).

This fear is not terror; it is reverence, awe, and a deep awareness that God sees the motives of the heart. Without this spiritual “medicine,” the human heart becomes vulnerable to corruption. And the Bible gives us powerful examples of why daily examination of our motives is necessary. 1) Solomon: The Danger of Losing the Fear of the Lord Few people in history started with more spiritual promise than Solomon. When God appeared to him and offered to grant any request; Solomon asked for wisdom to govern God's people. 

That request pleased God deeply. So, because Solomon valued wisdom over wealth and power; God blessed him with all three. Scripture states in Proverbs 9:10a: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom…” Ironically, the very man who wrote those words eventually drifted from them. Solomon’s early life was anchored in humility and reverence for God. But over time, success, wealth, political alliances, and influence slowly eroded the fear of the Lord within him. He accumulated wives from pagan nations, built altars for their gods, and compromised the spiritual purity that once defined him.

Solomon did not lose his intelligence. He did not lose his wealth. He did not lose his influence, but he lost his guardrails. When the fear of the Lord fades, wisdom eventually becomes corrupted by self-interest. The heart that once sought God began to seek self-preservation, pleasure, and approval. Solomon’s life teaches us a sobering truth: Great beginnings do not guarantee a faithful ending. That is why motives must be examined continually. 2) Joseph: Tells Us How The Fear of the Lord Protects Integrity. 

Joseph provides a powerful contrast. As a young man, Joseph was betrayed by his brothers, sold into slavery, and later falsely accused by Potiphar’s wife. In that moment of temptation, no one was watching. No one would have known if he had given in. But Joseph had an internal compass shaped by the fear of God. He said: “How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?” (Genesis 39:9b) Notice something remarkable: Joseph did not say he would be sinning against Potiphar. He said he would be sinning against God. 

That is the essence of the fear of the Lord. It is the awareness that even when no one else sees, God does. So, because Joseph lived with that awareness, temptation did not control him. The fear of the Lord preserved his character long before it elevated his position. Eventually Joseph became the governor of Egypt, but his promotion was built upon a foundation of integrity. The fear of the Lord is not meant to restrict our lives; it protects the future God has planned for us. 

3) Daniel: Tells Us How The Fear of the Lord Resists Cultural Pressure. Daniel lived in Babylon as a captive. A culture saturated with idolatry, luxury, and pressure to conform. Everything about the environment around him was designed to reshape his identity and loyalty. But Daniel made a decision early. Daniel 1:8a said: “But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself...” The fear of the Lord gave Daniel spiritual clarity. While others adapted to Babylon’s culture, Daniel remained anchored to God's standards.

 Because of that reverence, Daniel was able to stand before kings, interpret dreams, survive political conspiracies, and even endure the lions' den. The fear of the Lord made him unmovable in a compromising culture. Today’s world is not much different. Social pressure, cultural trends, and the desire for acceptance constantly challenge believers to soften biblical convictions. Without the fear of the Lord, compromise becomes easy and gradual. But when reverence for God lives in the heart, it becomes a stabilizing force. 

So, why should we examine our motives daily? Just as my Mother gave us castor oil as preventative medicine, believers must regularly examine their motives through the lens of the fear of the Lord. The heart is subtle. Pride can grow quietly. Self-interest can disguise itself as spiritual ambition. Even good works can become platforms for recognition rather than devotion. Daily examination helps us ask honest questions: Am I serving God or seeking approval? Am I obeying truth or adjusting it to fit culture? Am I walking in humility or quietly feeding pride? 

The fear of the Lord keeps the soul spiritually healthy. It prevents the diseases of pride, narcissism, spiritual compromise, disobedience, religious performance without true devotion. Proverbs 16:6b said: “…by the fear of the Lord men depart from evil.”  This reverence becomes a spiritual immune system. It does not mean we will never face temptation or struggle, but it keeps the heart aligned with God's authority and wisdom. Solomon teaches us the danger of losing it. Joseph teaches us how it protects integrity. Daniel teaches us how it sustains courage in hostile cultures. 

The fear of the Lord may not always feel comfortable, just like that spoonful of castor oil but it keeps the soul healthy, the conscience sensitive, and the motives pure. So, when believers regularly allow God to examine their hearts, they develop something priceless. Again, although, the fear of the Lord is mentioned last of the 7 Spirits of God, it is the foundation that preserves the other 6 when challenged to operate in the flesh (outside the will of God).  Luke 13:30 said: “And, behold, there are last which shall be first, and there are first which shall be last.” 

It is the foundation upon which every other spiritual virtue is built. Therefore, the fear of the Lord is not merely a spiritual concept it is the stabilizing force of the soul. When this reverence lives in the heart, it shapes how we think, how we speak, and how we live. The fear of the Lord protects us from the subtle corruption of pride, the deception of self-righteousness, and the slow drift into compromise. It reminds us daily that our motives matter just as much as our actions. 

Without it, spirituality can easily become performance, leadership can become self-promotion, and wisdom can be replaced by human reasoning. But when the fear of the Lord governs our hearts, our desire to please God outweighs our desire to please people. It guards the heart when applause becomes loud and when temptation becomes subtle. Just as a small dose of preventative medicine can preserve the health of the body, the fear of the Lord can preserve the health of the Spirit. It keeps the conscience tender, the motives pure, and the heart aligned with God’s will. And when that reverence remains alive within us, it does more than protect us from falling it becomes the life that honors God not only publicly, but privately;  and that is the kind of life that finishes strong.