John Bevere has written a book specifically on the Fear of the Lord.  I have still not made it through, but it has strongly challenged me.  I heard this interview that he and his wife, Lisa, had with the children’s pastor at New Life Church regarding instilling the fear of the Lord in our children.  It was right on.  I believe it will challenge and encourage you as you raise your children to be passionate followers of Christ.

To request a CD of this interview, please fill out the appropriate information below:

Discussion Questions:

1) Are we supposed to be afraid of God? What kind of fear is the right one?

2) Name some people that we are to fear (respect).

3) Did the Philistines have the right kind of fear in this passage of 1 Samuel?

4) Did the Israelites have the right kind of fear?

5) How does fear of the Lord bring life?

Hints:

1) No, God desires us to come to Him and to love Him. A healthy respect and awe for the Lord, a realization and acknowledgement of the greatness of God and of our weakness.

2) Policemen, firemen, parents, teachers, etc.

3) No, they were afraid of Him.

4) Not always, they thought of the Ark as a good luck charm.

5) When we respect (fear) God, His life-giving presence dwells within us.

Activity:

Talk about the sun. Get some pictures to look at that highlight the awesome power it has, and how careful we need to be about looking at it.  Then talk about how good the sun is for us, giving light, heat causing plants to grow, etc. Compare that to our God and how we are to fear Him.

Discussion Questions:

1) What do we need protection from?

2) In 1 Samuel 4:12-21, what was the end result of not fearing the Lord?

3) Read 2 Chronicles 20 and the story of Jehoshaphat, how did the fear of the Lord help?

4) How much should we fear the Lord?

5) How did it turn out for Jehoshaphat?

Hints:

1) Let them talk about this...satan, temptation, illness, to name a few.

2) Eli and his sons died, and the Ark of the Lord was captured.

3) Jehoshaphat and the people respected God, and his presence brought protection against the enemy.

4) We should fear and respect the Lord and his presence above all things, even as Jehoshaphat did.

5) The Lord brought protection and rest to him and his kingdom (2 Chronicles 20:29-30).

Activity:

Act out the story of Jehoshaphat.  The more the merrier, but even just two will do. You as the big, tough parent get the swords and armor, etc. The kids can be the choir. Then have them stand out in front of you and tell them they get to go into battle first. Talk about how the Israelites worshipped God because they feared (respected) him more than they feared (terror) the enemy. God gave them the victory!

Discussion Questions:

1) What makes God great?

2) Talk about a time when God's greatness was revealed to your family?

3) In the story of 1 Samuel 5, what happened when the ark of God was put in the temple of Dagon, next to the Philistine idol?

4) What was the reaction of the Philistines?

5) What should this teach us?

Hints:

1) Have fun talking about this - His power, His love, His knowledge, etc.

2) If a father is not in the picture, talk about God as a father.

3) The statue of Dagon fell over, and then fell over again and broke.

4) They feared the ark of God, but it didn't produce faith in the one true God.

5) God is worthy of our fear (respect) because of who He is and because of what he does on our behalf.

Activity:

Build a tower out of something weak, like playing cards or popsicle sticks. Then take something really heavy and drop it on the tower. Talk about the awesome power of God. Part of fearing God is to know about that awesome power, and to respect God because of it, especially when we are so weak in comparison.

Discussion Questions:

1) How is friendship with God like others?

2) How is friendship with God different from other friendships?

3) Look at the story of Moses and the Israelites at Mt. Sinai, Exodus 20:18-21. What kind of fear did the Israelites have?

4) Why could Moses approach the presence of God when the Israelites could not?

5) How can you fear God and be His friend at the same time?

Hints:

1) We can come to Him at any time, God loves our time with Him, we can talk about anything with Him, etc.

2) Because He is God, there are certain things that are different. He is holy, and powerful. Point out that God really isn't supposed to be our buddy-buddy pal, even though He is the best friend we can have.

3) They were terrified because of the thunder, lightning, trumpet and smoke.

4) Moses had the proper fear of God, as in v.20, so he was called the friend of God.

5) Respecting God allows Him to bring His presence into our lives, and friends love to be with each other.

Activity:

Watch The Chronicles of Narnia. One of the most important lines in the movie, at the end, when Tumnus says, "He's not a tame Lion." Lucy replies, "But he is good." That is an example of this lesson, that God is not tame, either, but He's good, so we can be friends with Him and fear Him at the same time. Find other examples of how Aslan brings that out in the movie.

Discussion Questions:

1) Talk about parents. What makes parents special?

2) How can you tell if someone really loves you?

3) In the story of Mary and Martha (Luke 10:38-42), who feared the Lord more?

4) What did Jesus say about Martha?

5) Why did Jesus like Mary's choice?

Hints:

1) Parents provide for children, parents love children. Try to steer them to parents protect and guide children.

2) The one who truly care for you. Like your parents. Like God.

3) Mary did, because she wanted to be with Jesus and learn from Him, while Martha wanted to serve Him (and maybe make a good impression). Martha put the cart before the horse.

4) That she was worried and upset about many things.

5) Mary knew there was only one thing needed, to be with Jesus. She respected Him and His presence, because she knew He could take care of anything. When you know that, it's easy to love with all your heart.

Activity:

There are two ways to show God we love Him, by serving and by worshipping. Take a piece of paper and draw a line down the middle. On one side list 5 ways we can serve like Martha and on the other side list 5 ways we can worship Him to show the Fear of the Lord like Mary.