In the fifteenth episode of "Defenses Against Deception," Duane continues teaching on the third defense against deception—the fear of the Lord. Our culture has become so saturated with deception that it has infected many in the church because they lack discernment. We need an awakening to come out from darkness and be separate as children of light.

The first defense covered was the Word of God. The second defense was discerning the voice of God. This episode focuses on the third critical defense - the fear of the Lord. The fear of the Lord causes us to depart from evil rather than depart from the faith into deception.

Jesus equated fearing the Lord with worshipping and serving Him alone (Matthew 4:10). Fearing God means being in awe of His glory, majesty, and greatness, as exemplified in the Psalms. It produces a thankful, worshipful heart.

According to Proverbs 8:13, the fear of the Lord means hating evil, pride, arrogance, and perverse speech. Proverbs 6:16-19 lists things the Lord hates:

A proud look

A lying tongue

Murdering the innocent, wicked imaginations

Eagerness for evil

A false witness

Sowing discord

The fear of God aligns our hatred with His hatred of these evils that destroy people.

Many people, even in churches, do not truly fear God by hating evil. Instead, they deny God's holy wrath and justice against sin. Some wrongly claim a God of love could never send people to hell, failing to understand people choose hell themselves by rejecting God's love and sacrifice.

God's wrath flows from His love, as He hates anything that harms His beloved people. Just as a loving parent warns their child against danger, our loving God warns against the eternal danger of embracing evil.

Romans 12:9 commands believers to hate evil and cling to good with sincere love. We are to hate evil deeds, not people. Developing a healthy, reverential fear of the Lord protects us from being deceived onto the path of darkness and a reprobate mind. Instead, it aligns our hearts with God's heart to love what is good and hate what is evil.