Romans 3:18

Romans 3:18
Psalm 36:1
We all have things we're afraid of, whether we should be or not. Just a few of my fears are snakes, slugs, and driving a car over a cliff. Should I be afraid of these things? The reality is, poisonous and constrictor snakes are nearly unheard of where I live, slugs can't hurt me in the least, and I have no good reason to live in fear that the car I'm in will slide off the road, let alone that it will injure me or anyone with me.
Living in fear is foolish, but even more foolish is ignoring the reality of a danger right in front of you. While it would be foolish for me to live in fear of an imaginary snake, it would also be foolish to reach out and pick up a poisonous snake without any respect for the snake's ability to seriously harm me. When someone or something truly has the power to affect whether I live or die, it is WISDOM, not foolishness or cowardice to respect that power and allow it to influence my actions. No sane person chooses to walk into a bear's own den without protection as if it were no more powerful than a bunny rabbit.
If we respect a powerful and dangerous animal and allow it to influence the way we relate to it, how much more should we respect the power and authority of God (Mat 10:28, Lk 12:4-5)! Not that we should live in trembling fear of Him, but we ought to have enough sense to honor and obey Him. As Prv 1:7 says, respect the Lord and His absolute authority over our lives if you would like to become wise (or even just somewhat intelligent).