Pray the word with David Platt is a resource from Radical.net.

Matthew chapter 21, verse 46, and although they were seeking to arrest him,

they feared the crowds because they held him to be a prophet.

So this is Matthew's commentary on the chief priests and the Pharisees who heard Jesus' parables

and knew that he was talking about them. And they wanted to arrest him, verse 46 says,

but they feared the crowds. And the reason I want to lead us to pray,

according to this verse in particular. And we see the different points with these religious

leaders, but we also see it in scripture at different points in our lives. The fear of others

can drive us in so many unhealthy ways. This is what Jesus talks about in Matthew chapter 10.

Don't fear people. Fear God alone. And I just want to encourage you to pause for a moment

right now and consider any ways that you fear people. You fear what people can do to you.

Maybe in light of what people have done to you, or any ways that you fear what others think

about you, or how others might respond if you do this or that. Just take a moment to consider

any evidence of fear of others in your life and lift that before the Lord and say,

God, take this away so that I fear you alone. It is good to examine our lives periodically,

our motives, our minds and our hearts, and to ask in what way or in what ways is the fear of

others driving me, factoring into what I'm doing, and to lay that before the Lord and say,

God, take it away and hope in a fear you alone. It's set of saints of old that they feared

people so little because they feared God so much. God, we pray that that would be true of us.

We pray that you would make us people today who fear you. I think Acts 9 walking in the fear

of the Lord. God, we pray that that would be true of us. Think about Proverbs telling us the fear

of you is the beginning of wisdom. God, we pray that you would help us to live today in fear of you

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