Keeping the Awe

By Pastor John Mateos Ong

Awe is a very powerful word. Sometime you think you are in awe of something when in fact, you are not. And it is important that as you go to church, as you worship, as you face your God, your awe is still in tact. No matter how long you have been a Christian, the feeling of awe should be the same. Keeping the awe of God is important. As a Christian, you should be able to keep your awe of God throughout your life.

Malachi 3:14 says, ““You have spoken arrogantly against me,” says the Lord. “Yet you ask, ‘What have we said against you?’” Who will admit that they have spoken arrogantly against the Lord? The chapter continues in verses 14-15, ““You have said, ‘It is futile to serve God. What do we gain by carrying out his requirements and going about like mourners before the Lord Almighty? But now we call the arrogant blessed. Certainly evildoers prosper, and even when they put God to the test, they get away with it.’ ”” Christians ask if they really need to do the things they are doing. Their serving becomes optional, and that is arrogance. You have already lost the awe of God. Your sacrifice is blemished already.

When do you show arrogance towards God?

1. You treat worship casually.

2. Scripture has no effect on you.

3. You pray half-heartedly.

4. You have a casual attitude toward church.

5. Yoy don’t honor each other.

6. You don’t steward well what He entrusted to you.

7. You claim to have the Holy Apirit in yoy but life shows otherwise.

Psalm 33:8 says, “Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the people of the world stand in awe of Him.” God wants everybody to stand in front of Him with awe. God designed His children to wake up everyday in awe of Him. K,m.Are you excited to read the Bible and hear His word? Or has it just become a ritual for you? The gospel is not just about restoring your sonship; it is about restoring your awe in God. A church without awe becomes simply busy but empty, active but shallow and inpressive but powerless.

Symptoms of Awe-loss

1. Worship becomes a routine.

2. Obedience becomes a checklist.

3. Prayer becomes mechanical.

4. Faith becomes conditional.

Your relationship with God is like a marriage.  Everytime you leave Him, it’s like you’re divorcing Him. Your love for each other should be unconditional.

How do you not lose your awe in God?

1. You need to decide to be in awe. James 4:9 says “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” Following Jesus is a decision you make every moment.

2. You have to go all out. Do not make a decision that is half baked. James 4:7 says, “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” You want the devil to run from you but you did not give yourself completely to God. Give all of yourself to God. Matthew 6:33 says, “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” Put God first and He will take care of you. The only way to really experience the blessed life is to go all out. Are you fully surrendered to the Lord?

3. Don’t lose focus. There is no problem with going all out; but most of the time, the problem is consistency. There will still be a lot of problem and trials along the way and these are the things that will shake you. It will be easy to follow if they were not there. But it is in those things that you san truly say to God that you trust Him. So when trials come, don’t lose focus. Colossians 3:2 says, “Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.” Remember that everything you have on this earth, one day, you will leave them behind. So set your mind on things in heaven. Do not limit your goals to only those on earth. Have eternal planning too.

Hebrews 12:28-29 says, “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our “God is a consuming fire.”” Have an attitude of gratefulness. Remind yourself always that this world is not your home and one day, you will leave it behind. One day, you will lose everything on earth. Make your heavenly kingdom beautiful also.

Psalm 8:4 says, “what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?” When you get what you don’t deserve, you sometimes become entitled. That is how you lose the awe. Just like how Adam and Eve ate from the one tree they were not supposed to ear from, sometimes you even want what you do not have. Do not lose the awe from just one thing that was kept from you. Keep your focus on Christ alone.