June 4 – The Fear of the Lord

Proverbs 9:10

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.”

SITREP:

When you're faced with a tough decision—something that isn’t black and white—how do you know what the wise move is? True wisdom starts with reverence for God. Honor Him in your decisions, and He will grant you deeper insight and understanding.

This verse, echoed multiple times throughout Proverbs, is more than poetic language—it’s a battle-tested principle. Solomon, one of the wisest men to ever live, didn’t credit his intelligence or experience as the root of wisdom. He pointed directly to fearing God. Not fear like hiding from a threat, but fear as in standing in awe of something greater than yourself. That’s where clarity begins.

Breaking Down the Verse:

“The fear of the Lord…”
This isn’t fear that causes retreat—it’s fear that leads to respectful alignment. It’s the posture of a soldier standing at attention before his Commander. It’s recognizing that your sight is limited, but His isn’t. And that He’s not just powerful—He’s good.

“…is the beginning of wisdom.”
Wisdom doesn’t start when you’ve been through enough fights to call yourself seasoned. It starts the moment you admit you’re not the ultimate authority. True wisdom grows when you surrender control.

“Knowledge of the Holy One…”
This isn’t just about knowing facts about God—it’s about knowing Him personally. Knowing His heart, His Word, His character. That kind of knowledge changes how you process every decision, every conflict, every unknown.

“…is understanding.”
This is the result of that reverence and relationship: clarity. Not just information, but situational awareness. The kind that allows you to move through fog with confidence because the Holy One is leading your way.

How This Anchors a Soldier’s Faith:

You’ve been trained to act fast, adapt on the fly, and trust your gut under fire. That works on the battlefield. But what happens when the battle shifts—when it moves inside your mind or deep into your soul? What about the fights no one sees?

Maybe you’re carrying the weight of something you did—or didn’t do—in the moment.

Maybe you’re facing moral ambiguity in life after service.

Maybe you’re walking through grief, anger, regret, or confusion—and you can’t seem to chart the path forward.

This is where instinct won’t carry you far. This is where wisdom must lead.

And wisdom begins—not with analysis, but with surrender. It begins when you fear the Lord—when you recognize that He’s the Commander who sees more, knows more, and loves deeper than anyone else on your team. It’s asking the right questions:

“Does this choice align with God’s character?”

“Am I honoring Him in this situation?”

“Do I trust His perspective more than my own?”

That’s the shift. You’re no longer reacting like a warrior trained for war—you’re learning to follow like a soldier shaped for peace. And that peace doesn’t mean you’re out of the fight. It means you’re fighting with a different kind of weapon: wisdom rooted in reverence.

God isn’t calling you to walk blindly. He’s inviting you into clarity. But that clarity only comes when He’s in command—not just in theory, but in practice. That means obedience. That means humility. That means trust.

ENDEX:

The battlefield may be behind you, but the need for wisdom is more urgent than ever. Proverbs 9:10 is your new SOP—your standing order when clarity runs low: Fear the Lord first. Respect His authority. Know His heart. Let His wisdom outrank your instincts. In doing so, you’ll find the kind of understanding that turns fog into focus. This is how you operate with spiritual discipline. This is how you lead when others follow. This is how a warrior walks with wisdom.