Derek Melton emphasizes the importance of the 'fear of the Lord' in combating the darkness and sin prevalent in society, highlighting how fear leads to obedience and ultimately wisdom. He draws parallels between a child's fear of discipline from a father and the fear of God, stressing that even God's severity is rooted in His goodness. Melton urges for a transformation from smiting fear to reverential fear as believers grow in grace and wisdom, emphasizing that lawlessness thrives in the absence of godly fear.

Proverbs 16:6 (KJV) By mercy and truth iniquity is purged: and by the fear of the LORD men depart from evil. Once again this week I cannot help but write upon the topic of the "fear of the Lord". Darkness is brooding over our nation and sin is abounding therein and nothing will turn this tide of lawlessness save the fear of the Lord revealed to the hearts of men. I remember as a child I refrained from committing acts of disobedience against my father because I feared his belt against my backside. My acts of obedience were wrought by a healthy respect for the belt. Even though the means may be a little rough the chief end is obedience. Obedience is what God is looking for in our hearts and the fear of the Lord keeps us upon the pathway of obedience. Paul told the Romans to behold the goodness and the severity of God. Yet, we must understand, even the severity of Gods chastening hand is wrought by His goodness. As a child I surely detested the severity of my fathers chastening hand but as I look back I see the fruit of it and it was his goodness that manifested those acts of severity. I would have not learned to walk in obedience if that fear had not been bound in my heart. Thank God for that fear! Also note that we grow in the fear of the Lord. What begins in smiting fear matures into reverential fear as we grow in His grace. Let me illustrate. My obedience as a child was brought by a healthy fear for the rod of correction. Simply put, I obeyed my father because I feared what would happen to me if I did not. But now that I am older and wiser I obey my father not because of smiting fear but because of reverential fear. I would never do anything to displease the heart of my father. Why is it different now? I have grown in grace and wisdom. Proverbs 9:10 says that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. So we can understand how greater wisdom comes from fearing the Lord. In our Christian walk we will grow in wisdom and stature as we walk in the fear of the Lord. What began in our hearts as smiting fear begins to mature into reverential fear as we grow in grace and walk in increased wisdom. So we can now see why such lawlessness is abounding in our nation. There is nothing to restrain us from doing wrong. We have become as the people spoken of in the book of Judges. Judges 17:6 (KJV) "...but every man did that which was right in his own eyes." The people did what they wanted because there was no king. If there had been a king the lawlessness would have been thwarted because the people fear the king! Kings don't allow rebellion to go unpunished. We are doing much the same today. We are doing what is right in our own eyes because we have no fear in our hearts of being punished for our wicked actions. Yet, we must understand what the Word of God says. The Word of God says that the foot of the wicked will slip in due time. Also we know that: Psalms 9:16 (KJV) "the wicked is snared in the work of his own hands." Lawlessness will continue until it is confronted by the fear of the Lord. It is the duty of Christian people worldwide to pray that the fear of the Lord grip the hearts of the people. Once again we need to see men and women trembling at the Word of the Lord. Once again we need to see men and women trembling in the fear of the Lord. Lawlessness abounds where godly fear is absent. This week I encourage you to pray that this smiting fear grip the hearts of the American people so that obedience might be wrought.