WALKING WITH GOD

“And Enoch WALKED WITH GOD; and he was not; for God took him” – Genesis 5:24

To walk in Perfection is to practice WALKING WITH GOD: “And Enoch WALKED WITH GOD: and he was not; for God took him” (Gen.5:24). Although Enoch is mentioned few times in the Bible, the testimony that he pleased God in his walk reverberates eternally! Genesis 5: 21-24 speaks about him. Then, Hebrews 11:5 mentions him amongst the heroes of faith in superlative terms: “By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, ‘and was not found, because God had taken him’; for before he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased God.” The word “walked” literally means “to be conversant,” indicating a special relationship between God and Enoch that resulted in Enoch not dying. He stood out from the crowd, walked with God, pleased God and was raptured! He is the only one on the list that never tasted death!

What an amazing testimony! Could there be a higher mission in life, when juxtaposed with the pollution of his generations? Enoch lived in the days shortly before Noah, when: “the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and… every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Gen.6:5). It meant a lot, that seeing how low humanity had fallen and been contaminated, there was still a man who walked with Him and intended to please Him! What an amazing model we have in Enoch: by faith he walked with God, allowed Him to direct his paths, and pleased God! Jesus our Lord is Emmanuel – “God with us” (Mt.1:23). We can walk with Him not only today but forever, like Enoch.

God calls us to walk with Him in a world full of self-centred “lovers of pleasure, rather than lovers of God” (2Tim.3:1-5). His heart is delighted to see those who faithfully walk with Him: “blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world?” (Phil.2:15). Amidst this wicked world, we can have the testimony of pleasing God. This demands giving up worldly lusts and being driven by love to serve God in obedience to His will. We are to seek the things which are above, and reject carnality and worldliness in their entirety (Col.3:1-2; 1Jh.2:15-17).

To walk with God connotes the following:

Reconciliation: This essentially means “God moving towards us.” Through the cross of Jesus Christ, God has already made His move in our direction (2Cor.5:18). We reciprocate by placing faith in the Saviour.

Agreement: There was no controversy between God and Enoch. It takes agreement for two to walk together (Amos 3:3). To walk with God, we must agree with Him – His Word, Will, and Ways.

Fellowship: is the fabric of relationship; even human relationships fall apart without regular contact and intimacy.

Direction: going in the same direction with God. He always moves in the way of righteousness and in firm hostility toward sin or whatever destroys and wrecks human life. We must take a stand against sin, and never permit it to rule or reign.  

Pace: keeping in trustful step with God, neither lethargic nor impatient. We count on Him to come through and keep us steady. If He is not there to support and strengthen us, down we go. God always ventures out; never satisfied with the status quo or content to remain idle, indolent or at ease. Let’s forever move at His faith-pace.

Walking with God is possible, but it must be a daily giving of careful attention to the details of our Christian life. God wants to be our constant companion, not a mere appendage. We must intimately immerse ourselves in His Word, always turn to Him first for all instruction, comfort, and strength (Psa.18:2); seeking and doing His will (Lk.11:2). We must dig deep on how to best serve and please Him. As we daily, faithfully walk with God, we shall walk with Him right into eternity. Let’s cherish Enoch’s testimony, not for ego’s sake, but to honour and glorify God as a people who walk with God and live to please Him.