In Deuteronomy 8:6, Moses is speaking here to the covenant people of God and preparing them to enter in and possess the land.  He goes on and says in this sixth verse, Deuteronomy 8:6, “Therefore thou shall keep the commandments of the Lord thy God, to walk in his ways, and to fear him.”  The fear of God always demands, it dictates, obedience to all of His commandments.

We don’t sit around thinking about these things a lot, but they can get lost in this busy life that we’re living if we aren't careful, take care, watch ourselves, and examine our own hearts.  The little things matter.  God sees it all.  God knows our very thoughts before we think them.  When we fear God, we’re conscious of that and we’re careful with how we treat His loved ones, those that He shed His blood for; amen?  We’re conscious of the fact that they have a Lord to answer to, not you; amen?  They have a life to live that pleases God, not you; amen?

The fear of God overwhelms our hearts, when we glimpse His awesomeness, His majesty, the terror of God.  We’re going to stand before Him and give an answer.  I know there are different doctrines that represent that, but I want to tell you something:  the most spiritual men in the scripture were aware of that encounter and trembled.  His majesty caused them to fall on their faces before Him, becoming undone in His presence.  Each of us will experience that great encounter.

So, I would encourage us now, at this time in our lives, not to take His word under advisement; amen?  I would encourage us, in this hour, to seek every fine detail of the commandments of God, the will of God, and obey them.  When we don’t, we look and we excuse ourselves some, “Well I’m busy here and I’m a busy man I’ve got, you know, responsibilities.”  You are not too busy to obey God.  “It’s just a little matter.  Somebody will take up the slack.”  

What’s God asking you to do in your home, those that we relate to the closest?  Tragically, some of us, the closer we are to people, the less kind we are to them, sometimes, the more we’ll take these things for granted.  The Scripture says, “Don’t be sharp with them”; amen?  We do not take our wives for granted.  They are not our possession.  Our children are not our own.  They are lent to us from God.  Treat them the way God treats them.  Love them the way God loves them.  Respect them the way God respects them, those who are obeying Him.

In this verse, it goes on and says, “Keep these commandments.  Walk in His ways.  Fear Him.”  Fear Him.  This is an aspect of being hearers of the Word and not doers.  The reason we’re not moved by that more is because the deception is setting in.  If you hear, "My commandments," and don’t do them, what’s the consequence?  Self-deception.  You’re deceiving your own self.

There’s only one measure to knowing whether we fear God, and that’s the degree to which we obey Him.  How jealous are we for His glory?  That’s one reason why we can’t sit around in our most intimate circles and gossip.  If you were gossiping to your family, God is not pleased with you.  We’re going to see some of the consequences of not fearing God.  Many of us would say about ourselves, “Well, you know, that’s my shortcoming.”  That is not your shortcoming.  That is sin and that’s in your life because you don’t fear God; amen?  How do you respond when somebody brings the Word to you and rebukes you?