“No man is an island, no man stands alone” is a portion of the song we sang at our eight grade graduation ceremony. That’s been many years ago and I’ve learned that to be true. Man is not meant to be alone but some people stay while others go their way. The good news is that there has been one that’s been steady…when I place my faith in God and Walk with Him, I’m never alone.

Come with me as I explore how to get the best out of your walk with God by looking at those who walked with God in the Bible.

Enoch’s Walk

Genesis 5:22-24 (NIV)

²² After he became the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked faithfully with God 300 years and had other sons and daughters. 

²³ Altogether, Enoch lived a total of 365 years. 

²⁴ Enoch walked faithfully with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.

I’ve read this passage concerning Enoch many times and often wondered what made Enoch so special to God? So special that God just took him.

Admittedly it evoked my curiosity and a bit of jealousy. To have a relationship like that with God? Is it achievable today? To achieve it one would have to know what it was.  It seemed out of reach since there was not much detail about Enoch’s relationship with God.

My mission was set. Through the study of others who “walked” with God I would indeed uncover the mystery behind Enoch’s walk with God. Then the question remains, can a person achieve a relationship with God as Enoch had? I will endeavor to answer that.

The Search

Another scripture that gave a clue of their relationship was Hebrews 11:5,

⁵ 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.

From the passages of scripture in Genesis and Hebrews, their relationship was built on one principle.

The Principle

He walked faithfully with God. (Genesis 5:24), and in doing so pleased God (Hebrews 11:5).

This “walk” with God is indicative of more than going on a stroll. The key to deriving its meaning is to find another person who “walked” with God that would provide more insight.

Adam’s Walk

The first person designed to “walk” with God was Adam. Why do I conclude that? Look at Genesis 3:8 (KJV),

⁸ And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden.

It can be presumed this wasn’t the first time God’s voice came walking through the garden. Adam was familiar enough with it to hide from it because he had disobeyed God. He had done something he knew would not please God, so he hid himself and his wife. Sin provides the barrier that hinders one from walking with God as seen with Adam.

Looking back at Adam’s relationship with God before the Fall one can hone in on the utopic “walk” God desires with us.

The Walk Factors  – Two Legs

Studying Adam’s “walk” led to a two-legged approach to walking with God.

First Leg:  Administrative – What God needs you to do, Do-Leg

Second Leg:  Relational – How God needs you to be, Be-Leg.

Do-Leg: Administrative

After creating Adam, the first thing God did was to tell him what to do. He gave Adam,

1. Authority – dominion over animal life and land; told him to name the animals.
2. Responsibility – take care of the garden.
3. Guidelines – eat of all the trees in the garden except one.
4. Help – provided the woman for companionship and help.

Be-Leg: Relational

While the Do-Leg nurtured acts of obedience, the Be-Leg nurtured intimacy and trust. The Be-Leg engaged in,

1. Conversation- daily exchange between God and Adam.
2. Communion – intimate interaction that is absent of words.
3. Sense of Presence – even when God’s voice did not walk through the garden Adam had no fear or need of protection because God’s impression was upon everything that surrounded him.
4. Familiarity – Adam knew all he needed to know about God. He was satisfied with what he knew, until he believed Satan’s lie that God was holding out on him.
5. Trust – as in clinging to; adhere strongly to (a particular pursuit or belief).; become very strongly involved with or emotionally attached to (someone).
6. Obedience – if you love God, you will keep His guidelines/law (John 14:15).

I get the sense that Enoch’s relationship with God was akin to the relationship Adam first had with God.

Let’s move on to others in the Bible who “walked” with God.

Noah’s Walk

Genesis 6:9 (KJV)

⁹ These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.

Noah met the Two-Leg criteria.

• He was a preacher in a land where evil dominated. (authority, communion, conversation)
• God told him to build an ark to prepare for rain. Neither of which he had no knowledge of what either were, i.e., the ark or rain. (guidelines, responsibility, obedience, trust)
• He was told to gather animals of every kind which obviously seemed an impossible task (obedience, trust).
• Convinced his sons (help) that what he was doing was sane, that he wasn’t crazy.
• Endured mockery and laughter from people and embarrassment from his own family for 100 years. But he believed what God told him (trust).
• Flood waters were on the earth 150 days (communion, communication, trust)
• Had to hear from God when to get on the ark and when it was safe to get off (communication).

David’s Walk

David met the Two-Leg criteria:

• Cared for his father’s sheep (responsibility).
• The same God that allowed him to kill the lion and bear allowed him to kill Goliath (trust).
• David became king and ruled Israel (authority, responsibility).
• Professed to follow God’s commandments (1Kings 2:1-4) (guidelines, obedience, trust).
• David’s profession was kept in check by the law and the prophets (help).
• Refrained from harming King Saul who was in pursuit of David to kill him (obedience, trust).
• He was said to be a man after God’s own heart (Acts 13:22) (familiarity).
• Danced before the Lord disregarding his prominence and protocol as king (familiarity, presence).
• When God allowed his son with Bathsheba to die, he got up from prayer, washed his face and resumed normal activity. When God answers either ‘yea’ or ‘nay’, it is a finished work (familiarity)..
• Used his talent to write songs of his love for God (presence, familiarity).

God’s Promise to Walk with Others

Abram

• God tells Abram to walk before him and be perfect.

Genesis 17:1 (KJV)

¹And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the Lord appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect.

Israel, the Nation

• When Israel was freed from Egypt God promises to continually walk among them.

Leviticus 26:12-13 (KJV)

¹² And I will walk among you, and will be your God, and ye shall be my people.

¹³ I am the Lord your God, which brought you forth out of the land of Egypt, that ye should not be their bondmen; and I have broken the bands of your yoke, and made you go upright.

Joshua

• Joshua reminds Israel that God would walk among them.

Joshua 22:5 (KJV)

⁵ But take diligent heed to do the commandment and the law, which Moses the servant of the Lord charged you, to love the Lord your God, and to walk in all his ways, and to keep his commandments, and to cleave unto him, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul.

Cain’s Walk

You cannot separate your walk with God from what you do on a daily basis. They are not mutually exclusive. Your heart fuels your choices and what you do. Look at Cain. Cain’s Be-Leg was not in sync with God so it showed in his Do-Leg. His offering to God was lacking.

Genesis 4:6-8 (AMP)

⁶ And the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you so angry? And why do you look annoyed? 

⁷ If you do well [believing Me and doing what is acceptable and pleasing to Me], will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well [but ignore My instruction], sin crouches at your door; its desire is for you [to overpower you], but you must master it.” 

⁸ Cain talked with Abel his brother [about what God had said]. And when they were [alone, working] in the field, Cain ^[a]attacked Abel his brother and killed him.

We have looked at those who had an individual walk with God and have conclusively verified each individual’s relationship with God had an Administrative Leg, things they needed to do and a Relational Leg, emotional real estate that developed and strengthened over time. God even extended his walk corporately to include a group of people, Israel.

Enoch Revisited

Now that we are clear on what walking with God means. We can return to Enoch. It must be concluded that Enoch met all the elements of walking with God and his walk pleased God.

This leads me to another question. Does the Bible mention anything about the Church walking with Him?

Walking with God in the New Testament

It’s All in your ‘Tude

Martha’s Attitude vs Mary’s Altitude

Both women are good women but one chose to forsake everything to be at the feet of Jesus.

Luke 10:40-42 (KJV)

⁴⁰ But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me.

⁴¹ And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things:

⁴² But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.

Martha had an attitude with Mary while Mary was on the mountaintop gaining altitude with Jesus. Mary recognized who she was with and seized the moment. Like death and taxes, the dishes will always be there. She made Jesus her priority.

Do you seize the moments to be with God? Absence doesn’t always make the heart grow fonder, it can make your heart grow distant, to rely on other things instead of God.

Church Walk

Not only does God walk with His Church He walks in us! While the Spirit fell on the prophets and judges in the Old Testament when it was time for them to do something, we have the grace to have His Spirit live inside of us.

2 Corinthians 6:16

And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

Romans 8:1-4 (KJV)

¹ There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

² For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.

³ For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:

⁴ That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

Warning: No Spirit on the inside, No walk on the outside.

Romans 8:9 (AMP)

⁹ However, you are not [living] in the flesh [controlled by the sinful nature] but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God lives in you [directing and guiding you]. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him [and is not a child of God].

Conclusion – Walking with God

Sometimes we can’t see the forest for the trees! I was admiring, almost envying the relationship Enoch had with God. I wanted to know what Enoch did. Then l read how God walked with Adam, Abraham, Noah, David and I knew that walking with God was achievable!

Walking with God (Jesus) is like standing next to a heat source.  Instead of radiating heat, Jesus emits love. The closer you walk with the Lord the more intense the love you feel from Him. Love that is forgiving and non-judgmental. But it is also a love that guides and corrects when needed. When we walk close to Jesus the Do-Leg and the Be-Leg transitions from drudgery to opportunities to be love and to show love. If we understand that, then the relationship has moved from a GOD–Subject relationship to a LOVE–Loved relationship.

How’s your walk with God?

 

I Just Want You