Jesus gifts us an eternal life of fellowship at the moment we make our personal decision to follow Him! As a new believer, we’re infused with the Holy Spirit who teaches and guides us on our faith journey. But our walk with God is as unique as our personalities. There will be times we veer off His path or race ahead of Him. How can we have a closer walk with Jesus and experience the close fellowship He desires for us?
Walking with God is not merely following a set of rules or performing good works. We see what Jesus thought of the Pharisees and their approach to walking with God.
Jesus loves all people and wants us to know Him, follow His ways, and live with Him forever.
Importance of Walking With God
Our heavenly Father shows us what He desires in our walk with Him starting with His close relationship with Adam and Eve. God would walk with them “in the garden in the cool of the day” (Genesis 3:8) for the purpose of fellowship and enjoyment.
They actually took a physical walk together- they were speaking together and sharing thoughts.
I love to daydream about how that would feel. God walking by my side, asking me how my day went, pointing out a gorgeous plant or flower, and encouraging and teaching me.
He desires it for you and me as much as he did with Adam and Eve.
Besides Adam and Eve, only two great people of faith are have said to “walk with God.”
Only Enoch and Noah earned that distinction. Genesis 5:24 and 6:9- “Enoch walked with God” and “Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God.”
Don’t let these two great men discourage you in your own personal walk. We know they are human, and therefore, even they were not without sin.
We can, however, improve our own walk by learning what made them so exceptional.
“When Enoch had lived 65 years, he became the father of Methuselah. And after he became the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked with God 300 years and had other sons and daughters. Thus all the days of Enoch were 365 years. Genesis 5:21-23.
We’re not sure what happened in Enoch’s life that caused him to make the decision to devote his life to walking with God. It seems to coincide with the birth of his son.
Whatever the reason, Enoch made the decision to walk with God as a way of life.
Hebrews 11:5 says, “By faith, Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death; he could not be found, because God had taken him away. For before he was taken he was commended as one who pleased God.”
Enoch walked with a complete and total faith and trust in God; He lived his life in obedience to God.
Above all things, he cared most about pleasing God.
Noah lived a godly, faith-filled life even though evil surrounded him. Noah showed his complete trust in God’s word to him.
In faith, Noah built a gigantic ark in a completely landlocked area! He did everything that God asked of him. Noah was obedient and completely faithful even though the circumstances seemed ridiculous to those around him.
God is always trying to draw us closer to him. ♥ He wholeheartedly desires to walk with us daily! He wants to transform your life into a joyful relationship with Him regardless of your circumstances.
How To Build a Stronger Relationship with God
Here are 5 steps you can take to build a stronger relationship with God.
●Cultivate the faith of Enoch and Noah in your Christian walk.
Enoch and Noah pleased God with their absolute and constant faith in him. The hallmark of our faith is fully trusting in Christ Jesus- who He is, His teachings, and His work on the cross to redeem us from our sins.
Our faith is a lifelong commitment to be in an active relationship with Him. The Christian life is a life of faith. It can be hard work; keep your eyes on Jesus!
Hebrews 12:1-2
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”
●Take in God’s love with a renewed spirit.
The apostle Paul prays we would comprehend the enormity of God’s love:
Ephesians 3:18
“And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep His love is.”
The Lord God’s perfect love banishes fear, strengthens and leads us, gives us confidence, and the motivation to obey Him. His love is like no other. The things of the world fade away and we become content to live in His love.
We never need to feel insignificant or unworthy, but bask daily in the warmth of His unconditional love for us.
Put a favorite love verse on a post-it note in a prominent place, change the wallpaper on your phone, do verse searches or whatever it takes, but get His words of love in front of you. Make His love for you a daily reality.
●Read and study the Word of God.
It seems like a simple statement, but God preserved His Word so we would know Him better, understand His character, purposes and plans, know His promises, correct wrong ideas and thinking, and receive guidance (just to name a few!)
I can’t stress enough the importance of not only reading but studying His Word. False teachings abound and we won’t recognize them if we don’t know God’s truth.
The enemy prowls around trying to pull you into the ways of the world. Knowing and understanding the ways of God allows us to resist the devil, and he will flee.
Jesus had this to say about knowing Scripture:
Matthew 4:4
“Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes for the mouth of God.”
His Word is life!
●Speak to Him about everything.
Prayer is our direct, 24/7 lifeline. Pour your heart out to Him, tell Him your struggles. Be honest and open about where you’ve sinned.
Turn off your phone, the TV, whatever distracts you. Speak out loud if your thoughts/surroundings easily distract you. Sit quietly in God’s presence and listen for His voice.
Evaluate how much time you spend talking to others, then compare it with the time you spend speaking to the One who loves you most.
Philippians 4:6-7
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
●Serve in His Name
Acts of service bring you closer to the heart of Jesus. When you serve others you are in essence, serving Jesus as well.
Serving not only expresses His love and compassion to others, but helps us become more like Him. We become aware of how we fit into His plan to heal the world with His love and care.
Serving brings joy and hope into the lives of others and into our own. It takes our mind off personal worries and problems by bringing a deeper understanding and appreciation of the blessings He has given us.
Matthew 25:40
“I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.”
Enoch and Noah had loving, trusting, and humble spirits and lived their lives seeking the will of God. Walking with God means aligning ourselves with his will. We need to cultivate those same attributes into our everyday life.
One last thing about these two men stands out to me. They appeared different from other people around them. We see this aspect of a way of living in this New Testament story as well:
“When they (the Sanhedrin) saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.” Acts 4:13.
We won’t ever be perfect, but we can work on making our heart’s desire to be pleasing to God. When we walk with Him, we can’t drag along our bad life choices and habits.
When we are aligned with His will, we don’t want to! God’s ways will be reflected in our thoughts, actions, and choices.
Benefits of Walking with God
If we are daily walking with God in close communion with Him, those around us cannot help but see, that even though we are just “unschooled, ordinary” people with flaws and personal issues, we stand out.
We should act different and shine brighter.
The longer we walk closely with God, the better we will know Him. He will continually open our eyes to His will.
When we put these steps into action, we will see spiritual growth. Our hearts align with His, expressing His qualities to those around us. In this way, we can point others to Him.
We won’t have the hundreds of years that Enoch and Noah had, but His Spirit in us will reveal his wisdom and purpose if we make the investment of a closer walk with Him.
Really, what’s not to love about this walk??! My prayer for myself and for you is that we remember each day to give more moments over to taking His hand, asking Him for wisdom and guidance, pouring out our concerns to Him, and thanking Him for his goodness, love, and mercy.
“…Walk in a manner worthy of the Lord and please him in every way; bearing fruit in every good work and growing in the knowledge of God…” Colossians 1:10
Blessings!
AnnMarie
Reflection Questions on Your Walk with Jesus
What’s the best way for you to recreate the personal, active, deeper relationship God had with Adam and Eve in your life today?
Like Enoch, have you made a conscious decision to devote yourself to daily walking with God?
How much of your day is devoted to walking with God and living a life pleasing to Him?
In what specific ways do you show your complete trust in God in your life? How do you answer God when he asks you to do something for him? (Even the hard things, like ark-building?)
Do you daily (hourly?) tell God your concerns, hopes, dreams, struggles, and thanks? Are you consistently asking for his direction and timing?
Which of the 5 steps do you need to work on? Which steps are your strengths?
All Scripture is taken from the NIV unless specified otherwise.
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