Living with the fear of the Lord

Hey there! It’s been another incredible week here in Guatemala—time is truly flying by. For this week’s blog, I want to share something that’s been on my heart over the past two months. It’s something that’s challenged me, brought me so much joy, and sparked a deeper desire to grow: the fear of the Lord. I grew up hearing about it but never really understood it. Even now, I feel like the Lord is teaching me more every day.

Before training camp, I wasn’t really engaging with the Bible. Sure, I’d read it, but my heart was more focused on checking off a box than actually spending time with God. I was doing what I thought was “right,” but I wasn’t receiving anything from Him. Then, at camp, I met a woman named Ari, who completely changed my perspective. She talked about Scripture like it was her favorite thing in the world, like Jesus was her closest friend. I kept thinking, How can I get to that place with God? I talked to her about it once, and our conversation lit a flame inside me to truly fall in love with reading the Bible. She suggested I start in Mark, so that’s what I did. I began reading each morning, just me and Jesus. This time, I wasn’t reading to cross it off a list—I wanted to know the Father’s heart better. And everything changed. I started looking forward to my time in the Word, applying it to my day, and even laughing out loud sometimes at what I read!

A couple of weeks ago, during a Thursday activation, I read Acts 7 in the morning, and God started speaking to me about the fear of the Lord. I didn’t fully understand, but I wrote in my journal, asking God to fill me with this reverence. I closed my journal and went on with my day. Not even two hours later, someone on staff gave a message—guess what it was about? Yep, the fear of the Lord!

One of the most powerful things I heard in that message was, “There’s no shortcut to knowing the Lord.” Relationships take time, and you have to spend time with someone to truly know them. That’s just as true with God. If we don’t spend time with Him, we don’t know Him, which means we don’t actually love Him, trust Him, or obey Him—and we miss seeing Him work in our lives. Wow! That really hit me. Do we spend time with God to know Him, or do we just go through the motions? When we open the Bible, are we trembling at the Word of the Creator who holds all power and authority?

I don’t know who’s reading this, but I feel like I’m supposed to share it, so if this resonates with you, then it’s for you. I didn’t fully understand what it meant to fear the Lord at first, so here’s what I’ve learned: The fear of the Lord is recognizing just how big God is, and out of that awe, living in obedience to Him.

This might sound overwhelming, but God showed me a beautiful truth: when we fear the Lord, we don’t have to fear anything else. Isn’t that amazing? Fearing God leads to obedience, and that obedience allows Him to work through us even more. God is a gentleman—He won’t push His way into our lives unless we’re open to Him. Let that sink in for a moment! Below I am putting a picture they gave us. Look at it and let it blow your mind.

I hope you enjoyed that beautiful picture! If your mind isn’t blown yet, ask God to reveal Himself to you through it, and read it again. I can’t get over this! This is something we have to continually work on. We never “arrive.” The moment we stop renewing our minds to who He is, we stop fearing Him. Then we stop obeying, and that’s when we stop seeing His fruit in our lives.

Oh, here’s something that rocked me, and I think a lot of Christians need to hear it: Obedience that only obeys when it’s comfortable isn’t obedience. Oof, read that again. I want to be someone who truly fears the Lord, who obeys Him because I know His thoughts are higher and His ways are better. True obedience obeys immediately, even when it doesn’t make sense, when it’s painful, when there’s no personal gain, and when it requires full surrender. That’s what I’m striving for!

God has also challenged me not to worship my calling. I’ve often heard that God has big plans for me, that I’m going to do amazing things, and that I’m gifted. I went through a season where I was so focused on reaching my “calling” that I lost sight of God in the process. I stressed about what I’d do after the Race, feeling like I had to find something even bigger to get “closer” to my calling. But over the past two weeks, God has shifted my perspective. I’m learning to be faithful where He has me today, without worrying about tomorrow. He has great plans, but I don’t need to exhaust myself striving to reach them.

We also talked about how ministry can get so busy that we lose sight of the One who put us there. Someone needs to hear this: God doesn’t need us in our roles—He’s God; He can do anything on His own. But He loves us so deeply that He wants to use us. He’d rather see us face down at the altar than busy in ministry without Him or “doing the right things” while disconnected from Him.

Life with Jesus is amazing! We have a best friend we get to know more every day. We walk with Him daily and partner in what He’s already doing here on earth. These past two weeks have been so encouraging—I’m falling more in love with Him, getting hungrier for His Word, and growing in obedience. I hope this blog encourages you to do the same. You don’t have to be on the World Race to experience the powerful love of God!

If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out!

With love,

Ashlyn

Pictures from this week!