Whom Do You Fear?

How does the fear of God help us to overcome fear of man? Well, humans may mock us or even persecute us for doing what is right, which puts pressure on us. But a respectful fear of God will put pressure on us to stick to a right course, since we do not want to displease him. Moreover, a love of God will urge us to do what brings pleasure to his heart. Additionally, we remember that God rewards us richly for doing what is right, which makes us love him all the more and makes us want to do his will. Hence, a balanced view of God helps us to overcome any fear we may have of men.

For example, many are pressured into doing what is wrong because of fear of what their peers think. Young people at school may smoke, use bad language, boast of sexual experience (real or imagined), and even experiment with alcohol or drugs. Why? Not always because they want to, but because they are afraid of what their peers would say if they acted differently. To a teenager, mockery and ridicule may be as hard to endure as physical persecution.

In both cases, a healthy fear of God and respect for his commands would prevent the Christian from being paralyzed by fear of man. And a love of God would restrain him from engaging in acts that God has forbidden. (Proverbs 8:13) Moreover, his faith in God would assure him that if he acted according to his Bible-trained conscience, God would support him no matter what the outcome. The apostle Paul expressed his faith with these words: “For all things I have the strength by virtue of him who imparts power to me.”​—Philippians 4:13.