Fear can be a funny thing.  On one hand, it can stop you dead in your tracks.  On the other, it can make you fight or run.  It is HIGHLY MOTIVATING…as are most emotions.  I’ve often said that emotions are great servants, but horrible masters and fear is a case study of that truism.

Every church leader wants to do the right things.  We typically want to lead with courage and purpose.  Many of us have a desire to be liked by people, but we have a deep devotion to God.  These sometimes fight with each other. When leading a church, two fears come to mind: the fear of man and the fear of God. When I fear God, I gain humility and confidence.  When I fear man, I gain pride and uncertainty.  When I fear God, I find wisdom.  When I fear man, I find confusion for there are so many opinions.  When I fear God, I find peace.  When I fear man, I find discontentment.  Man is fickle.  God is stable, albeit wild and untameable.

So, when facing leadership decisions, who must we fear more?  The answer is clear and unambiguous: God!  And so, how might we apply the truism mentioned above?  We allow our reverence for God above all things t0 propel us through any rejection that comes from mankind.  We let the propulsion that comes from our fear of God push through the fear of man.  In physics, we learn that the net force will determine the direction of an object.  When our fear of God exceeds our fear of man, we will lead in a Godward direction…and with that will come the benefits that will eventually remind us what we chose to follow God’s ways instead of simply chasing the approval of mankind.