That is why the more someone sees God the more he believes in Him and fears Him and becomes courageous and patient and his hope strengthens and all the nice things of faith come to him. In the moment faith is born it is born immediately the divine fear of God`s Law.
`You gave inheritance` Meaning that you gave inheritance as a father gives to his sons. What sons are worthy of the inheritance? Those who are always faithful to their parents offering them everything with respect and obedience.
In the same way the Christians who have divine fear in their soul keep the Law of God and become worthy to inherit chances in the coming inheritance of the Kingdom of Heaven. For this reason Christ said: `Many places are in the house of My Father. [1]
That is why we must try and do our best to become His true sons. Of course God created us and the entire world but His sons are those who believe in His existence and consider Him their Father, they love Him and show Him obedience. When we have fear of Him within us we take heed at His commands. Who is the one who loves Me? The one who keeps My commands. These are His sons who have their chances in the eternal richness of God from the afterlife.
And what is the richness from the afterlife? The good things which saint Paul the Apostle saw in his revelation: `
What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard and what no human mind has conceived the things God has prepared for those who love him[2].
Saint Andrew the fool for Christ who was led by God to heaven described how those from that place are. The human mind is amazed looking at the things found there, at those prepared by the Most Elevated One. And blessed is that one who will become worthy of this inheritance!
Thus for our spiritual life it is required to have fear of God and when we commit something wrong with our thought, word or deed – and I am the first one who is wrong and I must repent – let us raise the eyes of our soul to God and say: `I have sinned, my Lord, forgive me, I have sinned. I shall correct my ways. I am only human and I fell. Give me Your help, give me Your hand and take me out from where I fell.` And who slides and doesn`t fall? Only God is without mistake.
Think that we have a demon, our own ego, the second one is the demon himself and the third is the world. Three big demons, three enemies we have, who fight without cease against our soul to destroy it. According to the fear of God someone has within himself it is his vigilance in his life. Some has a divine fear like a light, others have less, as a torch and others much less, as a lamp and some others some more as a luxury.
For this reason let us ask from God to give us more fear of Him as the Apostles asked from Christ to strengthen their faith: Increase our faith. [3]
Let us ask from God to help us to live practice a correct ascesis so that we may receive adoption. And when we will pass through the customs and we will have the attributes of true sons of God the demons will not be able to stop us because we will not be like them. Our features will be divine and we will ascend unimpeded to the heavenly ones. Amen
[1] John 14, 2.
[2] 1 Corinthians 2, 9.
[3] Luke 17, 5.
Excerpt from the book The Art of Salvation published by Evanghelismos.