FEAR: Two Kinds — and Only One Leads to Life
- karenjuly1965
- Jan 15
- 6 min read
Not all fear is the same — one kind destroys, but one kind protects.
Lately, I feel led to write about the word fear.
Because the world is full of fear right now
—cautiousness, confusion, rumors of war, pressure, anger, division…
But the Bible shows us something powerful:
There is a fear that destroys
—and there is a fear that protects.
1) The fear of the Lord is not panic — it is honor.
Biblical fear is reverence.
It’s respect.
It’s the kind of fear that comes from knowing God is holy
— and trusting Him enough to obey Him.
It’s not terror.
It’s order.
And honestly… I learned this through my dad.
My dad protected us.
He provided.
He taught us.
We lived in a home he worked for, repaired, and built into something safe.
He spent time with me. Took me places. Helped me personally.
I knew my dad — not just what people said about him.
But listen…
When I got out of order — loud, arrogant, bossy, mean to my brother
—my dad’s voice became like thunder to me.
And it didn’t confuse me.
It didn’t traumatize me.
It didn’t make me wonder who was right.
It immediately set order to disorder.
And do you know what we did?
We complied.
Not because we were abused.
But because we knew:
Dad was right.
And we had to come into agreement with him.
That kind of love — Biblical love — carries structure.
It brings peace.
It calms what is chaotic.
2) Disorder is not from God — and James tells us how to recognize it.
James says it plainly:
Where you find bitter envy and selfish ambition, you will find:
confusion, disorder, and every evil practice.
That wisdom is earthly.
Sensual.
Devilish.
But the wisdom from above?
It’s first pure — and to me that means:
it doesn’t leave you double-minded about wanting God’s help to change your mind.
Then it becomes:
peaceable
gentle
easy to be entreated
And that is what my dad was like…and that is what God is like.
Biblical fear doesn’t torment — it protects.
3) God doesn’t want you trapped — He wants you to know Him.
Evil distracts people from seeking — from truly seeking —to know God personally,
and believe the love He has for them.
Jesus came so we wouldn’t have to go through man-made systems of “religion” to reach God.
Jesus is our High Priest, in the order of Melchizedek.
We are called by God to know Him personally.
And this is why I love what Jesus said:
“And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.”
(John 17:3)
Most people only attach this to eternity later…
But LIFE ETERNAL is NOW.
Knowing Jesus is not just for when you die — it’s for when you are living.
This is your time to know Him.
4) Which spirit are you honoring as “father”?
God is Spirit.
And there are many spirits in this world.
But only ONE Spirit is the Spirit of Truth —the One who guides us into all truth:
the Holy Spirit.
The human heart is deceptive — that’s why we must seek the Lord.
Because the enemy comes to kill, steal, and destroy
… and he targets the soul.
So here’s what I want to ask you gently:
If you’re reading this and you feel something stirring inside your spirit —conviction, hunger, discomfort, longing…
That may not be “fear” at all.
That may be God drawing you near.
And then you have a choice:
Will you seek the One who loves you?
Will you come to Jesus and be saved — not only from the world
…but from your own self… your own confusion… your own vulnerabilities?
5) Peace is the gauge.
Peace is a gauge that we are with God.
And joy is not against us.
So the question becomes:
If you’re chasing the other kind of “fear”
…the fear of man
… fear of losing
… fear of the future…
How is it working out for you?
But if you seek the Lord — even with trembling
—you will find Life.
Scripture that anchored this in my heart:
“By humility and the fear of the LORD are riches, and honour, and life.
Thorns and snares are in the way of the froward:
He that doth keep his soul shall be far from them.
Train up a child in the way he should go: And when he is old, he will not depart from it.”
(Proverbs 22:4–6) (KJV)
And I can testify… that is true.
My dad was a good man — he did good.
And even though he didn’t know Jesus as Christ until the hospital
…he lived like the man Jesus saw under the fig tree.
And now he lives in the place that waits on me too — with Jesus.
There is still hope in today.
Even in chaos.
Even in rumors of war.
Even when the world is shaking…
There is still Hope in Today in the name of Jesus.
And you can trust your life with the One who died and rose again
—by the Spirit of God who brings light to the heart to see Truth.
Because that Light is not just information.
That Light is Life.
And that life is the light of men.
To God be the glory.
If you want to grow with me in the Word and learn together what it means
to fear God the right way —
not in panic, but in peace —
👉 Come see.
Jesus is not leading you into panic — He is leading you into peace.
Before we close, I want to leave you with one last comfort.
Jesus said:
“For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”
(Matthew 6:21)
And that is why seeking God matters so much — because what we seek reveals what we treasure, and what we treasure is what our heart is following.
That brings us right into:
“But seek ye first the kingdom of God…”
(Matthew 6:33)
More to come.
Come back tomorrow — we’re going deeper into what it means to seek Him, and to live from a heart that truly rests in Jesus.
Pause right here
— I believe Jesus wants you to hear this personally:
“I can hear the Lord say…”
Karen, I have prayed for you.
— Love, Jesus
(John 17 — Jesus’ prayer for His people)
Insert your name; and speak that to your heart.
Even here… even now… God is still with you — and you can rest in Him.
Closing
I hope this is a blessing to you — and to many — and that it helps you see God’s heart more clearly, and rest again in Him.
Love in Christ,
Karen Rowe
Hope in Today Ministries, Inc.
Soli Deo Gloria.
Thank you, Jesus.
Scripture References (Truth Anchors)
📖 Wisdom From Above — James 3:13–18
Earthly wisdom produces confusion and disorder; wisdom from above is pure, peaceable, gentle, and full of mercy.
📖 Guided Into Truth — John 16:13
The Holy Spirit guides us into all truth.
📖 The Deceptive Human Heart — Jeremiah 17:9
The heart is deceitful above all things
— we need the Lord to search us and lead us.
📖 Why the Enemy Comes / Why Jesus Came — John 10:10
The enemy comes to steal, kill, and destroy
— Jesus came that we may have life abundantly.
📖 Seek — Matthew 6:33
Seek first the kingdom of God. God is not hiding from you
— He wants to be found.
📖 Come and See / Under the Fig Tree — John 1:46–49
“Come and see.”
Jesus saw Nathanael under the fig tree
— and called him a man with no guile.
📖 Not Fear — But Power — 2 Timothy 1:7
God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
Even here… even now… God is still with you — and you can rest in Him.
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