Saturday, December 31, 2016

WALKING WITH GOD (Part 2 of 2)


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? Bottom of Form


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