“Many of the people I’ve talked to also had an awakening when they saw the controlling power of other people. They awoke to an epidemic of the soul called, in biblical language, the fear of man. Although they were avowed worshippers of the true God, below the surface they feared other people. That is not to say that they were terrified by or afraid of others (although sometimes they were). “Fear” in the biblical sense is a much broader word. It includes being afraid of someone, but it extends to holding someone in awe being controlled or mastered by people, worshipping other people, putting your trust in people, or needing people … However you put it, the fear of man can be summarized this way: We replace God with people. Instead of a biblically guided fear of the Lord, we fear others…
Edward T. Welch
The most radical treatment for the fear of man is the fear of the Lord. God must be bigger to you than people are. This antidote takes years to grasp; in fact, it will take all of our lives.”
Reflection:
The fear of man—an overly invested concern for others’ opinions, judgments, and feelings—is a very common struggle for the sinful heart. It often feels like walking around constantly worried about what others think. At times, it shows itself when we know what God wants us to do, but we end up doing what people tell us to do instead. The fear of man is powerful and toxic.
The only way to repent of the fear of man is to grow in the fear of God. We worship our way toward a larger vision of who God is. As God’s greatness grows in our hearts, the opinions, judgments, and feelings of others shrink. It’s only when we learn to live before the face of God that we are set free from living before the faces of other people.
Get your copy of When People Are Big & God Is Small by Edward T. Welch HERE!
