Standing Against Evil: Repentance, Rebuke, and the Fear of the Lord (Part 3)

A Prerequisite for the Courage Christians are About to Require.

“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.” (Proverbs 1:7)

This is the hinge. The deep breath before the Church steps back onto the field.

We began by saying repent—because judgment begins with us. We followed by saying rebuke—because evil must be resisted in the open. But neither repentance nor rebuke will hold their shape without the fear of the Lord. Fear of the Lord is the load-bearing wall. Without it, repentance collapses into PR, and rebuke curdles into rage. With it, the backbone returns. Courage returns. Clarity returns. Worship returns.

And yes—courage is the child of holy fear. Call it the “virtue from which the other virtues flow”: fearing God reorders the entire interior life so that boldness, fidelity, chastity, justice, temperance, and mercy can actually live there. Fear of God dethrones fear of man, and brave obedience starts to feel normal again.

So Church, here’s my point: it’s time. But not for the “fight” the world expects. We fight by kneeling first, standing clean, speaking straight, and obeying fast. We fight by fearing God more than headlines, mobs, algorithms, bullets, or our own comfort.

What We Mean by “Fear”

We watered “fear of the Lord” down to respect. We slipped it into etiquette. We made it polite enough to bring to a potluck. Scripture won’t let us. “Fear” means the weight-in-the-gut awareness that God is God and you are dust—and loved dust, yes, but dust that will answer to Him. It is the brace in your knees that keeps you from posturing. It is the pause that arrests your tongue before you baptize your feelings or anger as truth. It is the narrowing of the path under your feet because you know the Judge, the Savior, the Consuming Fire is here (Hebrews 12:28–29).

The Bible calls fear of the Lord the beginning, not the end, “of knowledge” (Proverbs 1:7) and “of wisdom” (Proverbs 9:10). It’s the first reordering. Get it wrong, and everything downstream bends out of shape.

Perception Isn’t Lord. Truth Is.

We church folks repeat the hallway mantra: “Perception is everything.” I understand why. Perception influences responses. If someone believes a lie about you, they will behave as if the lie is true. But we’ve promoted perception from data to deity. We’ve enthroned optics over obedience.

It’s not only what people think about you. It’s what they think about right and wrong—their entire moral map—that forms how they see you. If their “right/wrong” is upside down, they will inevitably misperceive those who stand on the Bible. Of course they will. Light exposes; darkness hisses. Jesus promised this friction (John 3:19–21).

So yes, perception will trail you like a weather system. But it cannot be your north star, because truth is not negotiated. “We must obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29). “Do not fear what they fear… the LORD of hosts, Him you shall honor as holy. Let Him be your fear” (Isaiah 8:12–13). Make God the largest reality in the room, and perception returns to its proper role: a factor, not a master.

And since we carry the truth—Christ Himself (John 14:6), the Scriptures He authored and affirmed—we also carry a moral structure that doesn’t flex just because the world declares up to be down. That means their misperception of us is, in a way, baked in until repentance cracks their lens. Which is why rebuke exists: not to win a thread, but to call for repentance so the Spirit can rebuild their moral map. If they repent, your rebuke becomes a mercy. If they won’t, your obedience remains a witness.

Someone once put it this way: Live so that when rumors fly, no one believes them. Scripture calls it being above reproach (1 Timothy 3:2). This is not image management; it’s integrated holiness. It won’t prevent slander, but it robs slander of oxygen. Fear of the Lord produces that life. Holiness makes noise all by itself.

The Hierarchy of Fear and the Birth of Courage

Fear is a hierarchy. You always choose the greater power and the stronger love.

Jesus says the quiet part loud: “Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear Him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” (Matthew 10:28) That is not a refrigerator verse; that is a spine verse. When this settles, courage is born. Not recklessness; courage. The kind that counts the cost and obeys anyway.

Think of it like this. My wife, Melissa, hates snakes. Not playfully, viscerally. Tall grass, ponds, woods (so pretty much anywhere at my parents, lol): high alert. That fear isn’t silly; it’s informed. Some snakes are venomous. Her fear shapes decisions. Sometimes she stays home. But most of the time she goes with us, because her love that is born out of a fear of the Lord outranks her fear of man. Fear ordered by love is called wisdom. And fear of God ordered by love for God is called courage. The fear doesn’t vanish. It bows.

Rebuke the Spirit with Love for the Person (Mark 8)

Part Two taught us to rebuke. But fear of the Lord teaches us how. Jesus turns to Peter and says, “Get behind me, Satan” (Mark 8:33). Did He love Peter? More than anyone could—unto death. But Jesus wasn’t condemning Peter; He was rebuking the spirit twisting Peter’s words against the cross. Holy fear gives this discernment: compassion for the vessel, fire for the lie. We refuse to dehumanize image-bearers even as we denounce the powers deforming them. Our rebuke is because of our love.

Revelation Over Optics (Joseph & Mary)

Perception is powerful, but revelation is stronger. Joseph’s perception: Mary was unfaithful. His plan: divorce quietly. A kind, “wise” call given what he knew. Then heaven intervened: “Do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; what is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.” (Matthew 1:20) Perception said betrayal; revelation said Messiah. Joseph obeyed, traded dignity in the eyes of a small town for dignity before God, and stepped into destiny.

We must recover that posture: open to the supernatural as normal Christian wisdom. Dreams that align with Scripture, prophetic confirmation neither vague nor manipulative, doors that swing open or clamp shut on God’s timing. When the Lord speaks, perception sits down, and that’s how God rescues us from tyranny by optics.

Courage You Can See

Courage has a shape; it shows up in schedules, risks, and scars. That’s part of why Charlie Kirk’s life and death are rattling the country. He kept showing up, campus after campus, knowing his events drew protests and security headaches, yet insisting on open dialogue in public squares. Reports and timelines are clear on the setting: an outdoor UVU stop on his “American Comeback Tour,” a crowd of thousands, a single shot from a distance, hateful propaganda notes written on the bullet casings, and a manhunt that ended in the arrest of a 22-year-old man the next day.

I’m not here to canonize talking points; I’m here to call out courage. The kind that flows from fearing God more than you fear a room, a mob, or a rifle. Courage doesn’t mean you’re careless; you rank your fears rightly, then do what obedience requires. That hierarchy… God over man, truth over optics, eternity over safety… that is what made his presence polarizing and his absence deafening.

Why “Perception Isn’t Everything” Must Be Said

Perception isn’t everything because truth is Someone. And when you stand with Him, the world’s moral map will judge you before you speak. Their perception of right and wrong will roll you into a villain if you refuse to call darkness light. That’s not fixable with optics. That’s only fixable with repentance (Part One), which is why rebuke (Part Two) exists. We call people to turn because only turning can change what they call good and evil. Until then, misperception is inevitable, and the Church must stop groveling for approval God never promised.

So we release the tyranny of being understood. We choose clarity over control, obedience over optics. Yes, we value clarity. Love cares about being understood. But we refuse to be ruled by perception. We are ruled by God.

Method vs. Mission

Should we ignore perception entirely? No. Perception helps shape method. Shepherds strategize. If a sheep wanders, you might circle wide, you might whistle for the dog, you might bait with grain (according to Wikipedia). Good. Wise. But mission is set by God, not optics. If the Spirit assigns an urgency, the method flexes to match the moment. The goal is not to get the room to like you; the goal is to get the sheep back in the pen. Perception can generally inform the route. The Lord determines the move.

The Snare of Man and How Fear Snaps It

“The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is safe.” (Proverbs 29:25)

Fear of man is the quiet trap that tightens when you try to move. It edits your sermons until they’re safe and sterile. It inflates your disclaimers until your courage is anemic. Holy fear cuts the wire. Suddenly you’re free to:

• Speak without swagger and without apology.

• Love people without needing them to be your jury.

• Repent quickly because you’re guarding a heart, not protecting a brand.

• Move when God speaks, even if explanation has to trail obedience.

Note: I’m not saying that you shouldn’t be as courteous as possible. Jesus was courteous, not because He wanted to be, but because His Father was courteous. Read John 5:19-20. So we will follow His lead: Don’t act on emotion. Emotion often ignores the grace that is required with truth.

Holiness, Then Boldness.

Courage isn’t a personality type; it’s a byproduct of holy fear. Biblically, courage grows as at least five streams converge:

1. Scripture reheats the spine. “Be strong and courageous… for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9) “Even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them… but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy.” (1 Peter 3:14–15)

2. Worship puts God back on the throne of your attention. “Let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.” (Hebrews 12:28–29)

3. Repentance clears the signal. Unconfessed sin siphons boldness. Clean hands carry courage.

4. Witnesses raise the temperature. “When they saw the boldness of Peter and John… they recognized they had been with Jesus.” (Acts 4:13) Courage is contagious.

5. Obedience compounds. Each step of faith thickens the next, like spiritual callouses in the best sense (hello guitarists). You learn that God meets movers.

Fight

So yes, Christian, it’s time. Enough. Fight. Yes. But not with the weapons of this world (2 Corinthians 10:3–5). Not with rifles. Not with knives made of snark or fists made of memes. Not with the mob’s glee when a rival falls.

Our fight looks like this:

• Repent first. We clean our own house.

• Rebuke evil. We name the lie and refuse its script.

• Fear God. We obey even when the room is loud, the timeline cruel, or the risk real.

We overcome evil with good (Romans 12:21). We refuse to be baited into lawlessness dressed up as zeal. We are bold and clean at the same time. We are tender to people and merciless to the lies strangling them.

Practicals for a God-Fearing Life

1) Begin with a holy pause. Before the email, the meeting, the post: Is the Lord larger than this room? Say it out loud. It reroutes the brain.

2) Open your Bible till it burns. Isaiah 8. Matthew 10. Acts 4–5. Let those texts set the thermostat for your courage.

3) Ask for wisdom, not consensus. James 1:5 promises wisdom to those who ask in faith—not to those who crowdsource.

4) Invite fierce counsel. Seek out people who fear God more than they fear you. Their words will sting, and save you.

5) Expect the supernatural. Don’t chase fireworks; ask for revelation. If the Lord interrupts—through a dream, a word anchored in Scripture, a providential door—move. Test everything; obey what’s from Him. At any cost.

6) Choose above reproach. Private holiness silences public slander. Live in such a way that rumors die of starvation.

7) Obey first; clarify if there’s time. Processes can certainly be the wisest choice at times, but again, our wisdom comes from fearing the Lord in the first place. You are not called to the tyranny of being understood. You are called to be faithful. Trust Him.

A Word to the Outrage Machine

Some cheered when a man was murdered on a campus stage. Others swelled with “enough is enough” chest-thumping. Both are wrong. Both spring from the same root: fear of man. One side craves the laugh; the other craves the punch. The kingdom offers a different center: fear God. That fear produces grief, not gloating; courage, not chaos; rebuke, not revenge; intercession, not incitement.

And yes, the facts are grim and public. None of that is theory. It is the world we live in. And in that world, the Church does not cower or copy; she stands.

Citizens of Heaven

This trilogy wasn’t written to trend. It’s a field manual.

• Repent because God is holy and we are His.

• Rebuke because evil is real and people are worth rescuing.

• Fear the Lord because only the fear of the Lord can make courage sustainable and obedience inevitable.

So here is our vow:

We will fear God more than perception, trolls, or bullets.

We will live above reproach so that lies can’t stick.

We will speak truth without swagger and without apology.

We will love enemies as image-bearers while rebuking the spirits twisting them.

We will obey fast when the Spirit says now, and act in wisdom.

We will expect God to interrupt optics with revelation.

We will carry courage because we carry fear. Holy fear.

“The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.” (Ecclesiastes 12:13)

That sounds like an ending. It is also a beginning—a beginning of knowledge, of wisdom, of revival. May the Lord put His holy fire in our hearts again. May He break the snare of being understood. May He give us Joseph dreams, upper-room courage, and the peace that rests on the far side of obedience. We must stand firm in the Armor of God and call to the other side, even as they run at us with weapons drawn. The great Lord of the universe has our back, and against Him, no weapon will prosper.

So rise up, Church of God. Do not shrink back. Do not bow to the false gods of this age. Stand firm in the fear of the Lord, for it is the beginning of wisdom and the root of courage. May we be the people who tremble at His Word and march with holy fire, unashamed of the gospel, unmoved by the world, and unwavering in our allegiance to Christ our King.

Glory be to God. Amen.