6 powerful truths about fearing God that transform Christian leadership

Tom Harper July 7, 2025

my saved content

VIEW AS
A PDF

John Bunyan's The Fear of God, though published in 1679, speaks directly to us today.

Fearing God is foreign to most people—even to Christians. But when a leader grasps the concept and imbues it into his or her life and work, they see a grander vision, a deeper purpose in what they do.

There's so much I personally highlighted in chapter four of Bunyan's book. Following are several of his paraphrased points that stood out to me:

1. Fear is called "the beginning of wisdom" (Ps. 111:10) because with it we become spiritually wise. What true wisdom is there where the fear of God is not?

2. To fear the Lord is to hate evil, sin and vanity. Fearing him also helps us avoid sin. "By the fear of the Lord men depart from evil" (Prov. 16:6).

3. Fearing him is called a fountain of life (Prov. 14:27). It is like a spring that continually supplies the soul with thoughts of God, death, and life eternal, as to keep us in constant exercise of virtue.

4. Godly fear gives us singleness of heart toward God. We obey and seek to please him because we love him, not for anything we get out of it.

5. This fear increases our compassion for believers in need or distress; it also produces constant and fervent prayer in us (see the story of Cornelius in Acts 10).

6. Finally, and perhaps most importantly for leaders, Bunyan says godly fear leads to humility. It reminds us we are sinners requiring mercy; that we must have a constant flow of God's grace to meet our many needs; that our own abilities are nothing in light of his grace; that we should not think too highly of ourselves. It keeps us in a continual posture of praying for counsel, protection and help from heaven.

May we fear God more than we want to be seen as great leaders. May we lead wisely, hating evil, with singleness of heart toward the Lord.

With you,

Tom Harper
Founder, BiblicalLeadership.com
LinkedIn profile | My books

my saved content

VIEW AS
A PDF

Tom Harper is publisher of BiblicalLeadership.com and executive chairman of Networld Media Group, a business-to-business publisher and event producer. He has written five books, including Servant Leader Strong: Uniting Biblical Wisdom and High-Performance Leadership (DeepWater Books, 2019) as well as the Christian business fable Through Colored Glasses and its sequel Inner Threat (DeepWater, 2022). Learn More »

• Does God have a new calling for you? (by Tom Harper)
• How to pray while you’re waiting on God (by Tom Harper)
• Are you waiting on God for something? (by Tom Harper)
• The power of perseverance (by Tom Harper)

Free eBook

Success Unlocked: The Transformative Power of Questions

This isn’t just another leadership book—it’s your invitation to discover how Christ-centered questions can transform the way you lead and live. Packed with real stories and timeless wisdom, it shows you how to grow your influence, deepen your faith, and lead with the same life-changing impact Jesus did.

Download Now