WALKING WITH GOD (Part 2 of 2)
Note
All around Enoch, mankind grew increasingly ungodly. Yet as men changed
into wild beasts full of lust, hardness and sensuality, Enoch became more and
more like the One with whom he walked -- How can two walk together, unless they
agree.
Our brother Enoch had no Bible, no songbook, no fellowship member, no
teacher, no indwelling Holy Spirit, no prayer group or “personal pastor”. But
he knew God!
"He that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a
rewarder of them that diligently seek him" (Hebrews 11:6). God is a
recompenser, a remunerator, that is, one who pays well for faithfulness. How
does the Lord reward his diligent ones?
Rewards
for walking with God in faith.
1. The first reward is God's
control of our lives. The person who neglects the Lord soon spins out of
control as the devil moves in and takes over. If only he would fall in love
with Jesus, walking and talking with him! God would soon show him that Satan has
no real dominion over him and this person would quickly allow Christ to control
him.
2. The second reward that
comes by faith is having "pure light." When we walk with the Lord, we
are rewarded with light, direction, discernment, revelation—a certain "knowing"
that God gives us. eg. Abraham, Lot and
Noah
3. The third reward that
comes with a walk of faith is protection from all our enemies. "No weapon
that is formed against thee shall prosper" (Isaiah 54:17). eg. David, Joseph and Daniel
4. As you draw close
to God, he will not likely take you up to heaven as he did Enoch but He will
open the Scriptures to us through the Spirit of wisdom and revelation and
reveal to us the light of the glory of God that is to be found in Him.( Ps.73:17).
5. When we walk with God, we enter the
dimension where God unfolds the secrets of his kingdom. These are the paths
that the ancients trod before us. Noah knew the secret of walking with God
(Genesis 6:9), as did Abraham (Genesis 24:40). Through Christ, you can explore
the glorious riches of knowing God like they did—and to even a greater degree
because of the Spirit which has been given to us!
The Problem
Many people attempt to walk with God, but they bring along selfish
conditions- like habits, sins, worldly entertainments, or unhealthy
relationships. They know these things are not God's choice for them, but they
pretend everything is fine. The relationship is not satisfying to either of
them. To walk with God means that you and God are in agreement about your life.
“Can two walk together, except they be agreed?” (Amos 3:3, KJV). When the
Bible speaks of "walking," it often refers to a lifestyle. We can
walk in the ways of the world as well (2 Kings 8:27; Ephesians 2:2; Colossians
3:7). In the New Testament, walking with God is often called "walking in
the Spirit" (Galatians 5:16; Romans 8:4). To walk with God means we choose
to glorify Him in every way we can, regardless of personal cost.
Cost of
walking with God
But there is a cost associated with walking with God. Walking with God also means we cannot also
walk with evil people as companions (Psalm 1:1-3). We choose the narrow road over the broad way to destruction
(Matthew 7:13-14). We don't live to please our sinful flesh (Romans 13:14).
We seek to eliminate from our lives
everything that does not enhance our walk with Him (Hebrews 12:2). We will be
shunned, persecuted, will lack, there will be trial and even death.
But we apply 1 Corinthians 10:31 literally:
"So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory
of God." God’s ways are reflected in our thoughts, our actions, our
motivations, and our life choices because we spend so much time with Him.
Finally
It is not difficult to identify people who walk with God. Their
lives are at sharp contrast to the world around them (Philippians 2:15). They
produce the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22) rather than the fruit of
fleshly desire (Galatians 5:19-21). In Acts 4:13 Peter and John had been
arrested for preaching and were brought before the authorities. "The members of the council were amazed when
they saw the boldness of Peter and John, for they could see that they were
ordinary men with no special training in the Scriptures. They also recognized
them as men who had been with Jesus." When we walk with God every day,
the world cannot help but recognize that, in spite of our imperfections and
lack of knowledge in some areas, we have been with Jesus.
Are you walking with God?
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