The Journey Part 2 – “Walking with God”

            Chic Shaver writes, “Once a child is born, he or she begins to grow. An important step in this process is learning to walk. The same is true for spiritually. The child of God must learn to walk with God. To describe the Christian life as ‘walking with God’ indicates that Christianity is a relationship that is going somewhere every day, if only one step at a time. Micah, the Old Testament prophet, said you should, ‘walk humbly with your God’ (Micah 6:8)”

            This brings us to the second part of our study entitled “The Journey”. To break this down a bit further, we begin with the thought that our walk with God is a walk of single steps. Here we can understand three of the very first steps taken as Christians. The first is a Step to see. John 1:35-39 “35 The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. 36 When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!” 37 When the two disciples heard him say          this, they followed Jesus. 38 Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, “What do you want?” They said, “Rabbi” (which means “Teacher”), “where are you staying?” 39 “Come,” he replied, “and you will see.” So, they went and saw where he was staying, and they spent that day with him. It was about four in the afternoon.” May you see in Jesus prompt you to follow.

            A second step is to step forward. In John 5:14, following His healing of the man at the pool of Bethsaida, Jesus states, “See, you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you.” As we walk with Jesus we are intended to move in a direction that does not cause us to return the pain and dysfunction of sin. It was enough that the man struggled physically but sin causes the worse situation of spiritual death.

            Walking with God also includes a step into understanding. In John 8:12 Jesus states, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” There is much in our lives that makes little to no sense. Through the gospel and the illumination of the Holy Spirit the clouds begin to lift. When life makes little sense, we can live in the hope that God is a revealer of truth in due time.

            As we walk with God step by step, we make several turns that in all honesty we would not make on our own. Many of these turns are in the direction of danger. Walking with God is a walk through temptation. Notice the words of Matthew in the fourth chapter of His gospel. Here he writes, “Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil”. This may seem unimaginable that the Holy Spirit would led into temptation but that is exactly what happened. This is not our venturing off into temptation on our own, but as we follow God we will encounter temptation. It is here that we must follow Jesus’ example of relying on the word of God to fight and reject the temptation that comes from the devil.  As we do, may we understand that sin and temptation are not the same thing. Find comfort in Hebrews 4:15-16 where we discover, “15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. 16 Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

            Our faith amid temptation is also strengthened by the fact that the devil can be resisted. James 4:7 help us understand this by saying “7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” Notice who is doing the fleeing! This being the case, temptation is not only the devils fault. We must not blame it all the devil, because in James 1:13-15 we become aware that sin if often our own fault. He writes, “13 When tempted, no one should say, ‘God is tempting me.’ For God, cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; 14 but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. 15 Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.”

            Dealing with temptation is important for many reasons. One of those is the idea that our walk with God is a walk of obedience. Sin rightly defined is James 4:17 which reads. “17 If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them”. Also worth noting in this discussion is the idea that choosing to sin is a choice rejecting God’s way out of temptation. Notice the words of Paul in 1 Corinthians 10:13 as he teaches, 13 No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.

            Please remember that if you make such a choice, obedience can be restored. John who writes much on the love of God in Christ reminds us that, “if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9)”. Furthering our hope is the idea that our walk with God is a hand held walk. We learn this as Jesus speaks in John 10:27-29 saying, “27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. Not only is it a hand in hand walk, but it is also a face to face dialogue. Exodus 33:11 provides this teaching as we read, “11 The LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend. Then Moses     would return to the camp, but his young aide Joshua son of Nun did not leave the tent”. May you walk hand in hand and speak face to face.