WALKING WITH GOD
Scripture Reading: Genesis 5:24 ‘Enoch walked with God.’
1. DEVELOP A LIFESTYLE OF WALKING WITH GOD
– We have this wonderful privilege that we do not need to ‘do life’ alone.
– Everything is not just up to us.
– We have a Heavenly Father Who loves and cares for us, and He wants to direct, lead, guide and watch our progress.
– If we look at this story in the book of Genesis, we see a man by the name of Enoch. Very little is actually known about this man, but what we do know tells us a lot about him.
We know that he walked with God – he enjoyed a living, daily, on-going relationship with the Lord.
There is nothing vague or questionable about how he lived his life, it is clear and unquestionable.
What we do know about this man called Enoch, tells us everything we need to know.
– Imagine if people could say this about you: ‘……He/she walks with God!’
– It also tells us that this type of relationship with God is a real possibility in our lives.
– Walking with God should be a lifestyle choice on a daily basis.
– In all likelihood, Enoch developed this way of living over a period of time.
– In the end it could be said of him that ‘walking with God’ was his way of living.
– I believe that we can also develop this aspect of our lives.
2. DON’T WALK ALONE
– The alternative to a lifestyle of walking with God is walking alone.
– Walking alone may seem like a good idea, but it is not how God designed us to live.
– When God created Adam in the Garden of Eden, He said: ‘It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him.’
– God knows that we need companionship and help.
– I believe we need this on a physical level (with our spouse, friends, and family) but we also need it on a spiritual level (with God).
– I remember talking to a certain lady years ago. She had had a difficult life. Her father had died suddenly when she was 7 years old and her mother had struggled to raise this large family of about 7 children. It was years later that she married and was unable to have children of her own. Then she lost her own husband at a young age. I remember asking her how she had managed and I will never forget her answer. She said: ‘Oh you don’t have to worry about me, I have broad shoulders!’
– Somehow her answer was not comforting. Her answer left me feeling even more sorry for her that she had had to struggle through all these challenges and carry them all on her own shoulders, in her own strength and in her own ability.
– Perhaps people have let you down and so you prefer to walk alone without their help.
– But God will never let you down and you can always walk with Him.
– Don’t walk alone, be like Enoch and walk with God.
3. DO IT GOD’S WAY
– Sometimes we want to walk alone because we want to do things our way.
– I often watch how people run ahead of themselves, and of God, and do their own thing. Then they stop and want God to catch up to what they have done in their own strength. Then one day when their own plans fail, they look to the Lord for a solution.
– Perhaps we need to go back to that point where we ran ahead of God and did our own thing – we can meet Him there and resume our path with Him from that point.
– When we walk with God it means that we walk according to His plan, we make sure that we follow His instructions, and we do it His way.
– Walking with God does not mean that He does it our way. God’s ways are always higher than our ways.
– Isaiah 55:8-9 ‘For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways,’ declares the Lord. ‘As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.’
– The implication is that God does not fit into our box, but we can fit into His unlimited plans.
– I believe that God is calling out to each one of us and He says: ‘Come, walk with Me!’
– Walking with God brings great reassurance into our lives, especially when we reach those points in the road where different paths intersect, or when we reach a T-junction or even a dead end. At that point, all we need to do is to turn to Him and ask Him: ‘Which way are You going Lord, because I’m also going that way!’
– In this way we will not be distracted by other options, regardless of how attractive they may appear.
4. STAY IN STEP WITH GOD
– Have you ever gone for a walk with someone who has not walked in step with you?
– Walking in this way can be very frustrating.
– I often used to go hiking. It was a great activity, to be out in nature and walk and discover new places and see new vistas. I soon discovered that there were usually three groups of people in every hiking party. The fast ones, the normal ones, and the slow ones. For the ‘fast ones’ it was a race (a competition) to complete the distance. Their only thought was to get to the destination in the shortest possible time. The ‘normal ones’ kept pace and enjoyed the experience en route to the destination. The ‘slow ones’ frustrated everyone else and had to be constantly coaxed and encouraged towards the end goal. I learned that hiking was a skill that had to be acquired so that I could keep pace and enjoy the journey. I learned to appreciate the journey more than the destination.
– When we walk with God the same principles apply. We must not run ahead of Him, we must not hesitate and delay following Him, we must stay in step with Him. It is here that we will find the journey is not too demanding or too frustrating, but it is a joy and a delight, and we can know that we have nothing to fear.
– One aspect I have found difficult is that sometimes we have to wait for God. He is never in a hurry and His timing is always impeccable. Human beings, on the other hand, are always in a hurry and want everything to happen now. The waiting may seem unproductive and a waste of time, but if we are waiting with Him, and in His presence, no time is ever lost.
5. WHY SHOULD WE WALK WITH GOD?
– 1. Because nothing is too difficult with God.
Jeremiah 32:17 ‘Oh, Lord GOD! You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too difficult for You!’
– 2. Because He will help you.
Isaiah 41:10 ‘So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.’
– 3. Because He will never abandon you.
Hebrews 13:5 For God has said, ‘I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.’
– 4. Because He is with us no matter what we face.
Psalm 23:4 ‘Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for You are with me…’
– 5. Because your end will be glorious.
Genesis 5:24 ‘Enoch walked with God, and then he disappeared because God took him away.’
By Pastor Andrew Roebert
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