For decades after joining a church whose pastor preached a message of fear, I kept God at a distance, as I was frightened by the Almighty. Even though I only belonged to this congregation for a little more than a year, the preacher’s messages crowded out what I’d known instinctively by feeding into my insecurities. Ideas such as:

  • Satan lurked around every corner and God permitted it to test our devotion.
  • We had to be diligent, almost perfect, to gain the Most Divine’s approval.
  • The Almighty punishes those who don’t follow one specific path.

Fearing God

Those faulty teachings led me to fear the Almighty. I relegated God to the heavens, distancing myself from the Most Divine. Enough space between us, I thought, to worship and love God without putting my soul in peril.

That mindset extinguished the divine love I’d encountered regularly as a child. No longer did I feel the rush of pure adoration or bask in the knowledge that I was loved unconditionally. Perhaps as an adult it was easier to buy into the “I’ll never be good enough” mentality.

By the time I reached middle age, I thought I’d moved forward. That I’d eschewed the concept of a God ready to smite me at the slightest infraction. After all, I’d attended other churches that weren’t negative and I’d studied the Bible nightly. I’d convinced myself that I loved the Almighty. God and I were tight. I was sure of it. It didn’t matter that I’d kept the Divine confined to heaven where everything, I thought, made sense.

That was until September 2007 when life threw the preposterous in my way, blind-siding me and shattering my views on spirituality and reality. The Goldfield Hotel showed me it was folly for me to think I’d kept God at a distance.

God’s domain is infinite

That paranormal experience taught me that God is always with us. All of us. Presenting opportunities. Nudging us in the direction of positive spiritual growth. Teaching us the power of divine love.

Even though the Most Divine oversees all realms and dimensions, God still walks beside us every day. We are that important.

A scholar told that the translation of the word “fear” in the Bible can also be “respect.” This sounds correct to me. Respect and love coexist. Fear and love cannot.

So forget about fearing God. Instead, embrace this special relationship and take strength from it to help you move forward.