walking with god

WALK WITH GOD

God created us for fellowship with Him and He desires us to walk with Him (Micah 6:8). Before the fall, Adam and Eve would walk and talk with God in the garden of Eden, but after they had sinned, they were ashamed and hid when they heard Him coming (Genesis 3:8). Their sin separated humanity from God (Romans 5:12). But Jesus came to offer us forgiveness and restoration. The sacrifice of Jesus enables us to have a personal and close relationship with God through the Holy Spirit (John 14:16–17). When you put your faith in Jesus, your relationship with God becomes the most important thing in your life. You want to talk with Him, seek Him, and please Him in all your ways. This is walking with God.

Enoch (Genesis 5:24) and Noah (Genesis 6:9) were called men who walked with God. When you walk with God, you factor Him into your everyday life and your decision making. You spend time praying and talking with Him throughout the day.

If you go on a walk with your friend, what do you do during your walk? Besides the obvious, walking, you are having a conversation, sharing things that are on your mind, and listening to your friend do the same as you head to your destination. You stay focused on what each other is saying and do not get distracted. As a believer in Christ, you can walk with Him throughout your entire life here on earth until you arrive in heaven. God loves to be in relationship with us, and we can converse with Him through prayer and reading His Word, hearing His love and gaining His wisdom for us as we live our lives here on the earth (Psalm 32:8; 1 John 3:1).

Walking with God means you are in agreement with Him and His ways (Amos 3:3). No one is perfect, but when you are walking with God your desire should be to see your own selfish desires die for the sake of seeing God transform you more and more into the image of His Son: "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come" (2 Corinthians 5:17; see also 2 Corinthians 3:18).

OUR CHRISTIAN WALK

The Christian walk involves Christlikeness. Christians are people who follow Christ. “Whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked” (1 John 2:6, ESV). Speaking of suffering, Peter said, “To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps” (1 Peter 2:21). Believers have God the Holy Spirit indwelling them, and He will lead them in the way they ought to go.

The Christian walk involves righteousness. Romans 8:4 explains God’s purpose “that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.” When we walk by the Spirit, we “will not gratify the desires of the flesh” (Galatians 5:16). So the Christian walk requires saying no to the lust of the flesh. The Christian walk should be characterized by good works (Ephesians 2:10).

The Christian walk involves obedience. The apostle John taught that we show our love for God as “we walk in obedience to his commands” (2 John 1:6; cf. John 14:15). There are many paths open to us as we travel through this world, but God’s commandments direct us away from the harmful paths and onto the path of life (Psalm 16:11). God’s Word, the Bible, is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path (Psalm 119:105).

The Christian walk involves faith. Second Corinthians 5:7 teaches, “For we walk by faith, not by sight” (ESV). This is a foundational truth for believers. We live in light of eternity; we focus on unseen realities such as Jesus and the rewards of heaven. We live according to what God has revealed to us, rather than trust our own understanding (Proverbs 3:5–6).

The Christian walk involves a new way of thinking. When we follow Christ, we put away the old ways and embrace the new: “Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds,” Paul said (Ephesians 4:17). The command for those on the Christian walk is “to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness” (Ephesians 4:23–24).

FIDELITY TO GOD

The Christian walk involves fidelity to the Lord—our character should “match up” to His. Ephesians 4:1–3 lists some of the qualities that will result: “Walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” In Colossians 1:10–12, walking “worthy” is tied to four personal characteristics:

1)Being fruitful in every good work

2) Steadily increasing in the knowledge

of God

3)Using the power of God to joyfully

endure and patiently persevere, and

4) Giving thanks to the Father.

Five Questions for Evaluating Your Christian Walk

Am I committed to pursuing God?
Am I committed to the community of God?
Am I willfully continuing in disobedience?
Am I easily impatient?
Am I actively serving others?

REFLECTION

In his second letter to the Corinthians, Paul instructs the church to examine themselves earnestly to ensure they’re in the faith (2 Corinthians 13). Self-examination is a critical element of walking with Jesus. It’s essential for maturing in faith and it protects us from the disastrous effects of sin.

But self-evaluation can be a difficult thing to get right. Many people who take it seriously can also be a little hard on themselves. After beating themselves up, they set expectations that are impossible to meet. So the next time they evaluate themselves, they end up frustrated again, and the cycle continues.

A lot of the growth we experience happens progressively, becoming more apparent over years or decades. So when we’re evaluating where we are right now, it’s a lot more helpful to know whether we’re moving toward Jesus at this moment. If we can confirm that our posture toward the Lord is good, we can trust everything else to take care of itself.

PRAYER

Heavenly Father

As we continue our daily walk in union and communion with You, may supernatural wisdom and revelation knowledge flood our hearts and souls. We pray for success in everything we do.

Give us the tenacity, patience and strength to reap the harvest You have so generously provided for us. We declare that everything we put our hearts and minds to will prosper! Help us to recognize the calling You have placed on our lives. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.