In the fear of the LORD one has strong confidence, and his children will have a refuge. 

--Proverbs 14:26

Does your family have a healthy fear of God? They should.

The first line of defense against the dangers of this world is an understanding of the greatness and power of God.

According to Proverbs 1:7, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge.” And in our verse today, “In the fear of the LORD one has strong confidence, and his children will have a refuge.”

The fear of God is a filter, a fence built around your family to protect it. Now I’m not talking about an unhealthy or phobic fear, but a godly fear.

It is a reverence for God. It recognizes that God is holy and lives in majesty and pleasure. When you live in fear of God, you live in obedience to God.

And when you face temptation, obedience depends upon knowing the two great truths of God:

God’s love. If you truly understand how deeply God loves you and the sacrifices Jesus made for you, you realize that to break His commandments is a betrayal.

We readily teach our children about God’s love. They sing about it from the time they can speak. But many of us are only telling our children half the story.

On one hand is the love of God and on the other is God’s law. Children need to understand that God is holy and righteous and that there are consequences for disobeying His laws. 

Does your family have a healthy fear of god?