People used to fear God, but it seems like they don’t anymore. Yet, one of the sevenfold manifestations of God’s Holy Spirit is that He is the Spirit of the Fear of the Lord. Do you think it is time for us to pray for the Spirit of the Fear of the Lord to be poured out?

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We read that Holy Spirit shows Himself as the Spirit of the Fear of the Lord in this prophecy about Christ:

There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse,
And a Branch shall grow out of his roots.
The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him,
The Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
The Spirit of counsel and might,
The Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord (Isaiah 11:1-2 NKJV).

Related: Read more about each of the sevenfold manifestations of God’s Holy Spirit here.

If you think about how Jesus lived as a man on earth over 30 years without ever sinning, one can imagine how essential it must have been for Him to have been filled with a holy fear of God.

Jesus knew Who He was; He knew that He was about His Father’s business. Yet, everything He did on earth, He did as Spirit-filled man. If He had chosen to sin at any point, He would have been lost and condemned to eternal damnation, just like we would have been. The plan of salvation would have been doomed.

Yet, He did not sin. And we read in Isaiah 11 that He was filled with the Spirit of the Fear of the Lord. Coincidence? I think not.

It is quite difficult to sin when gazing at the One whose throne has eyes without and within; who is the very concentration of all power in the universe; the One from Whom life itself proceeds. When you are overcome with awe and fear of God, you have no time for anything else. The revelation of God Himself puts you out of the sinning business.

Well, that revelation of God Himself—and His mighty works and terror—can fall on lost people, too.

And when it does, it can bring them to salvation.

Think about the Biblical battle of Jericho. When the two spies went into Jericho to spy it out, taking refuge with the prostitute Rahab, Rahab told them that she and the other people of Jericho were terrified of the Israelites because of the Lord. Read Joshua 2:8-11:

Now before they lay down, she came up to them on the roof, and said to the men: “I know that the Lord has given you the land, that the terror of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land are fainthearted because of you.

For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were on the other side of the Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom you utterly destroyed.

And as soon as we heard these things, our hearts melted; neither did there remain any more courage in anyone because of you, for the Lord your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath” (Joshua 2:8-11 NKJV).

The people of Jericho knew the fear of the Lord. In this one passage, we read that:

• The terror of the Lord had fallen upon them;
• All the inhabitants of the land were “fainthearted” because of the Israelites;
• The wicked people of Jericho had heard about all God’s mighty works which He did for and through His people; and
• “As soon as” they heard these things, their hearts melted!

The people of Jericho were utterly stripped of courage and could not resist God’s people. Why? Because the Spirit of the Fear of the Lord had fallen upon them. Most of them were condemned to death. But, Rahab and her family were saved alive—and Rahab yielded to the God of Israel, with God actually placing her in the lineage of Jesus Christ Himself.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. It can impact everyone—young and old, lost and saved, hopeful and hopeless alike.

And if we want people in our nation to give their lives to Christ, they are going to somehow have to receive a little download of “wisdom from above” that makes them willing to do so.

But in order to receive that wisdom that yields to Christ, they will have to first be filled with the Spirit of the Fear of the Lord. The fear of the Lord is the first step; it is the gateway to wisdom.

Fortunately, God’s Holy Spirit—the Spirit of the Fear of the Lord—is excellent at helping people develop a holy fear and awe of God!

I think an outpouring of the Spirit of the Fear of the Lord could be a gateway to another massive Jesus Revolution. Imagine with me what it would look like if every American heard about the mighty works of God and feared. Perhaps, just perhaps:

• News would spread far and wide about how this Jesus opens blind eyes, makes the lame to walk and the mute to speak, and raises the dead!
• People would hear again—just like happened in the healing revivals of decades past—about how Christians go into hospitals and heal everyone there, leaving the hospital empty.
• Even the wicked would tremble at the news that young, aborted babies are being raised from the dead, perfectly healthy!
• Widows and widowers would have their spouses raised back to life! News of it would be blared on every outlet, including mainstream media!
• Charity hospitals for sick children would suddenly become unnecessary, for the children would be healed by believing believers in Jesus Christ!
• Photographs of churches would be on the news everywhere—not for scandals or compromise, but for the heaps and piles of crutches and wheelchairs piled outside as a memorial to God for healing the lame and infirm!

And as word got out, people everywhere—young and old, rich and poor, people of every nation, tribe, language, kindred, and ethnic group—people everywhere would be filled with the Spirit of the Fear of the Lord.

They would tremble at this mighty God we serve, and they would suddenly find themselves standing at the gateway of wisdom (for, remember, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom) and staring Salvation Himself—Emmanuel, God With Us—in the face. And Father would draw them to Himself.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Would you pray with me today for an outpouring of the Spirit of the Fear of the Lord?

Let’s pray very simply as follows:

“Dear Heavenly Father, we come to You in Jesus’ name.

Father God, Your works are great and meant to be remembered. Thank You for manifesting Your power to us through Your Christ. We praise You today for Your mighty works. And we thank You for having compassion on the sick, the lame, the brokenhearted, the downtrodden, the stranger, the orphan, and the widow. Thank You.

Abba Father, we know Your mighty works—and we know You deserve to be feared. Everyone should know about Your works.

Therefore, we first ask today:

• That You would fill US—Your people—with the holy awe and reverential fear of the Lord so that we cannot help but preach Your Gospel.
• Make us bold and vibrant witnesses for Your Son Jesus.
• Cause us to stand in so much awe of You that our fear of You overcomes our fear of talking to others.
• Make us flaming witnesses for You.
• As John Wesley prayed of old, fuel us daily with the enthusiasm of Your Word so that people will come from far and near just to watch us burn.

But also, Father God, we ask today in Jesus’ name that You would pour out Your Spirit of the Fear of the Lord on the lost here in America.

Let every person hear about what You have done, both today in modern times AND across the ages. Impress deeply upon them the truth of the accounts of Your mighty works; sear the knowledge of the works of Your hand upon them so deeply that they cannot possibly refute them or disbelieve them.

As they hear about who You are and what You have done, Father, we then ask that their hearts would quail before You.

Just as You did to the citizens of Jericho, let the terror of the Lord fall upon every person in America. Let the question “What will I do with Jesus?” burn in the heart of every person who has not given their heart to You. Cause their hearts to faint within them at the mere thought of You, and help them to know that You are great and worthy to be worshipped.

Father, please let Your Spirit of the Fear of the Lord fill every person in America. Help each one of us to know that You are the Only True God. Let every person tremble before the name of Jesus Christ, and bring them to know that there is no other name in Heaven or on earth by which men must be saved.

O God, bring back holy fear and reverential awe of You.

Let every person, lost and saved, know that the Lord is in His holy temple. Let all the earth keep silence before You, O Lord, Judge of all the earth. Let them know that You, Jesus, are coming back—returning for Your pure and spotless Bride. And let all the peoples of the earth make ready for Your soon return. Help them to bow their knees to Your Son Jesus, giving them His rightful place as Lord, Savior, Bridegroom, and King of their hearts.

Thank You, Heavenly Abba Father, for Your Spirit of the Fear of the Lord. Thank You for hearing and answering our prayer. It is in Jesus’ name we pray today. Amen.”

Beloved, we are not to dwell in unholy fear. God’s perfect love casts that kind of fear out. But we ARE to be filled with the Spirit of the Fear of the Lord.

Ask the Lord to fill you today with His Spirit of the Fear of the Lord, and pray that He will keep you that way.

Did you pray this prayer for an outpouring of the Spirit of the fear of the Lord? If so, leave a comment below!

Jamie Rohrbaugh is the founder and CEO of From His Presence. She is the author of Getting to Know the Sevenfold Holy Spirit, and she seeks to equip you to carry His manifest glory everywhere you go. Her resources have been published by YouVersion Bible Plans, Charisma Magazine, The Elijah List, Spirit Fuel, and various other ministry outlets. You can find free mentoring on her podcast, Take Your Territory with Jamie Rohrbaugh, which is available through your favorite podcast streaming app. Download her free prayer tool, Praying the Names of God: 555 Biblical Names of God and How to Use Them in Prayer and Worship, here. Photo Credit: Canva.