Modern Spirituality

You might think you’re living in a time when nothing seems certain. Plenty of people who once said they followed God have decided to step away. Over the last 23 years, more than 40 million in the United States have left their faith. Many now call themselves spiritualists, agnostics, or atheists. This number isn’t small. It’s enough to fill large cities more than once. That kind of drift from belief doesn’t happen by chance. It often comes from a missing piece. What is that piece? It’s the fear of God. Not fear that makes you run, but respect that draws you closer.

You might see love as the warm part of faith. Love is kind, gentle, and patient. Without love, faith gets stiff and cold. It turns into a list of rules you try to follow without any heart. No one wants that. God doesn’t want that. That’s not what He made you for. But there’s another side. Fear of God isn’t about being scared. It’s about knowing God is bigger, stronger, and so full of truth that you never want to turn away. With that fear, you stand firm. Without it, people can drift right past God’s love into a place where nothing seems real, and the words of the Bible look weak and empty.

Long ago, even those close to God walked away because they lost this fear. Adam and Eve stood in God’s presence yet chose their own path. The angels around God’s throne had seen glory with their own eyes, yet some followed Lucifer. This pattern didn’t stop. It showed up again in people who left the faith, people who were once close but didn’t stay. This isn’t about certain churches or certain groups. It’s about not holding both sides of faith: love and fear. Love stops you from getting lost in strict rules that crush your spirit. Fear stops you from feeling so free that you become careless. Fear says God is mighty and you’re meant to follow Him, not yourself.

Proverbs 9:10 says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” That means real wisdom starts when you know who God is and honor Him. Without this sense of awe, you’re just guessing at truth. You might chase the newest ideas or the smoothest talks. You might call anything that sounds nice “spiritual,” but you lose the weight and depth that faith is supposed to have. If you want your faith to be strong, you must hold God high in your heart. He isn’t small, and you aren’t in charge. When you accept that, you become wise. You start to see the difference between what is eternal and what will fade.

Now think about the words of Luke 12:5: “But I will warn you whom to fear: fear Him who, after He has killed, has authority to cast into hell; yes, I tell you, fear Him!” This isn’t about living in panic every day. It’s about knowing God has the final say. Everything in your life stands under His authority. Your future, your hopes, and all that you love rest in His hands. That should calm you and keep you alert. You shouldn’t see God as an angry ruler waiting to punish, but as a mighty King who wants the best for you. If you realize He holds that kind of power, why would you turn away from Him?

When love and fear come together, it changes how you live. Love brings you close, fear keeps you steady. Love helps you trust God’s kindness, fear helps you respect His rules. Without love, you might become hard and strict, counting each good deed like a score. Without fear, you might slide into thinking sin doesn’t matter. God wants more for you than empty rules or cheap grace. God wants real faith that can stand strong even when life shakes you. With love and fear, your faith doesn’t blow away like a loose leaf in a storm.

Hebrews 12:28-29 says, “…let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.” These words show that what you do for God must come from both love and fear. When you worship, remember He deserves your whole heart. You’re not just singing songs or praying. You’re coming before the One who made you. He isn’t small. His fire is not something to shrug at. It can burn away empty words and light up truth. Don’t let that scare you away. Let it bring you closer, knowing that if you trust Him, you have nothing to fear.

The world tries to press its own shapes onto your faith. It tells you God’s way is too old-fashioned or too strict. It might even say that you should go your own way because freedom is found without God. That’s not true freedom. True freedom isn’t living without rules, it’s living with a heart guided by love and kept straight by holy fear. Without fear, you risk sliding into lawlessness. That’s not real living. That’s just throwing away the good path God laid out. If you start to think you’re above God’s word, you’re in trouble. You need the fear of God so you don’t drift into confusion.

Jesus said in John 14:6, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life.” These words aren’t soft phrases meant to make you feel fuzzy inside. They tell you something important. Jesus is the only way. That means your own mind isn’t the way. Your feelings aren’t the way. No teacher, no speaker, no group of people, no so-called spiritual wisdom compares to Him. If He says He is the truth, then it’s to Him you turn to check everything else. If He says He is the life, then it’s with Him you find the power to keep going when life hurts.

You might wonder how to bring this fear of God into your heart. Start by opening your Bible. Don’t treat it as a book of rules or stories. Treat it as God speaking to you. Look at who He is. He created all things, holds all authority, and still calls you His child. That should fill you with awe. Pray and ask God to help you see Him as He really is. Ask Him to give you a heart that loves Him and respects Him. As you do this, you’ll find that what pushed so many away from faith no longer pulls at you. You’ll stop drifting and stand firm in Him.

When 40 million have walked away, it might feel like faith is losing ground. But that’s not the truth. God isn’t smaller because people turned their backs. He’s still the same. What’s missing in many places is a proper balance. People need to know God’s love without falling into dry rule-keeping. They also need to know God’s power without diving into chaos. If you hold on to both love and fear, your faith won’t crack. It will grow stronger. You’ll move closer to God, resting in His mercy and standing firm under His holiness.

Let the fear of God shape how you live each day. Let it guide your words, your actions, and your choices. Don’t treat it as a chain that holds you down. Treat it as a guardrail that keeps you on a safe path. When you respect God’s Word, you don’t stumble around. You see what matters. You let His truth guide you. Read your Bible and learn who He is. Turn to Jesus for life and truth. Follow Him fully. If you do that, you won’t be counted among those who walked away. Instead, you’ll be someone who stands firm and never looks back.