A couple of years ago God stopped me dead in my tracks as He put a spotlight on my sin.  Have you ever had that happen to you? As Christians we enjoy the gift of GRACE that comes through faith in Jesus Christ.  It’s a wonderful gift! But if we’re not careful grace can turn into an excuse to stay stuck in our sin.  

At the beginning of 2018 God drew me to the book by Jess Connelly, “Dance Stand Run.”  Jess suggests that as Christians we have forgotten about holiness.  Our lives don’t necessarily reflect that we serve a holy God. When we recognize God as HOLY (worthy of complete devotion as one perfect in goodness and righteousness) our lives will change to reflect Him.  His perfect holiness shines on our dark sin and shows us what our sin REALLY looks like.

This year God took me even deeper as He pressed into my heart the FEAR OF THE LORD.  The “fear of the Lord” is a challenging concept to grasp. We can think of fear as ASTONISHED REVERENCE.  As we revere (or are in awe of) who God is, we will be moved to follow Him and obey Him. Walking in the fear of the Lord will help us discern quickly if we are following God’s wisdom or our own wisdom.

There are so many benefits from living in the fear of the Lord:

The beginning of wisdom and knowledge.  Psalm 111:10 & Proverbs 1:7
Keeps us from sin. Exodus 20:20
Blessing and delight!  Psalm 112:1
Live a long life. Deuteronomy 6:2
Unity with others and covenant relationship with God. Jeremiah 32:38-40

Here at Revelation Wellness we like to say, “Get Free, Stay Free, Set Others Free.”  God has called all of us to live holy lives and understand the fear of the Lord so we can participate in His calling to help set others free. 

As a small group leader at Revelation Wellness Instructor Training Retreat, I share my testimony and intimate details of the sins I struggle with. Each time I share, God reminds me that my obedience matters.  My sin holds me back and hurts others (even if it seems hidden). I have a few close friends in my life that hold me accountable. I am not perfect, but my goal is more FREEDOM in my walk with the Lord. Freedom from sin.  Freedom from bondage. Freedom to love God and others well. I want to please Him. I want to live a life of wisdom and knowledge. I want to love God’s Word! It is food for my soul.

As I move forward in my desire to be holy, God reminds me to keep my eyes on Him.  He will shine His perfect light on my life and show me which way to go. Whether it’s my thoughts, actions, and attitudes, He cares about it all.  And when I’m struggling in a particular area and feeling pretty bad about myself, I try to go to God and ask Him what His perspective is on this/me.  I want to see my life from His holiness. As a child of God, He won’t condemn me, but He will show me how to move toward Him.

If you would like to dig deeper into the fear of the Lord, I highly recommend the book by John Bevere, “The Fear of the Lord.”

In the comments below, share a book that teaches you more about God and your purpose. 

Beth Sloan is a wife of 33 years to a wonderful husband, Doug; mom to 3 awesome grown sons, and Beba (aka grandmother) to an incredibly cute grandson, Elijah.  She enjoys working with Revelation Wellness as the Finance Assistant and being on the Revelation Wellness Louisville team. You can find her at beth4jesus on IG and Beth Price Sloan on FB.  bsloan@revelationwellness.org

Thank you for reading the Revelation Wellness Blog! Next week is the beginning of Advent and the Christian year. Be sure to subscribe to the blog to receive an Advent Calendar and weekly Advent devotionals!

Workout with us in this #wednesdayworkout! For more workouts like this visit, RevWell TV!

JESSI’S FOOT HEALTH (MOBILITY/FLEXIBILITY) – “JESUS PRAYS”

Let’s just get back to the joy of movement, shall we? You will enjoy reconnecting with the various ways God has created our bodies to move. We will focus on how we plant our feet, our toe position, stretching & light massage techniques. Do this workout with great purpose in heart, mind, and body – your inner strength will come alive! (ALL LEVELS) (JOHN 17; YOGA MAT, STRAP & TENNIS BALL)