It restrains us from indulging in disorderly practices and desires. It also enables us to respect and treat the Word and spiritual things with reverence and respect. We take care that we do not violate and harm what is from the Lord. It is within our loves of doing good but remains a subtle and hidden force that prevents us from adopting practices and intentions that are not consistent with the Word. And it only becomes visible when we do violate the Lord's teachings, and then it encourages us to take the proper steps to get our lives back into order.
Fear is insinuated in all loves, good and evil.
Therefore, having fear is not a sign of weakness or a lack of character, particularly if the fears we have help us to adopt and remain in a state of order. The goal we should have is to strive to make sure that the fears that are within us do keep us in what is good and to enable us to respect the spiritual truths that are revealed from the Lord. Without fear, we would all recklessly do things that would eventualy destroy and kill us. However, when we have a holy fear within our loves and desires, we are able to have a safeguard that will keep us in order. Fear can be useful to prevent us from doing things that can hurt us and everyone around us.