Mary Craig Ministries - Walking with God

October 2011

Dear Friends of Mary Craig Ministries,

Amos 3.3 asks, can two walk together unless they be agreed? Many Christians today think of themselves as "walking with God," but what does it take? What does it look like? And is there any kind of reward for it?

In Genesis 5.21-24 we read of Enoch. He was the father of Methuselah and is said to have walked with God. "And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him." (Genesis 5.24) We get the idea that Enoch walked with God at least 300 years after he had Methuselah, and maybe before. Hebrews 11.5, 6 tells us that it was by faith that Enoch was translated that he should not see death. "And was not found, because God had translated him; for before his translation he had this testimony; that he pleased God." (Hebrews 11.5)

Jude 14, 15 gives us a little more information about Enoch. He was the seventh from Adam and prophesied that the Lord would come with ten thousands of His saints to execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.

Enoch is not the only one. Genesis chapters 6-9 tell us that Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. "Noah was a just man and perfect [having integrity] in his generations, and Noah walked with God." (Genesis 6.9) God spoke with Noah, and Noah "did according unto all that the LORD commanded him." God remembered Noah, blessed him, and saved his family from devastation. God made a covenant with Noah and every living creature of all flesh. God promised to remember this covenant with Noah.

At age 99 God told Abram, "walk before Me and be perfect [have integrity]." (Genesis 17.1) God continued to speak with Abram, cut a covenant with him, granted him great grace to obey, and gave him great promises. Abraham became the friend of God.

But you, Israel, are my servant,
Jacob whom I have chosen,
The seed of Abraham my friend. Isaiah 41.8

In the days when Hezekiah was sick unto death, Hezekiah beseeched the LORD to remember how he had walked before Him in truth, and with a perfect heart, and had done what was good in God's sight. (2 Kings 20.3) In Psalm 16, in an appeal for preservation, David purported that he had set the LORD always before him. (Ps 16.8) When rescued from death, the psalmist in Psalm 116.9 determined to walk before the LORD in the land of the living.

Walking with God takes determination, a strong overriding desire, great grace, listening, heeding the voice of God, and awareness of God's constant presence. This walking with God is in spite of the culture, the pull of evil and the flesh, the temptations of the world and Satan, and in spite of what is popular, prevalent, pervasive, and pressuring around us.

"Walking" means to go on habitually. Walking with God is to be a way of life, our habitual way of life. Thus we end up "living" before God. The Scripture tells us what this walk looks like, and every believer can learn to walk with God by heeding the following from the Word of God:

1. Delight in the law of the LORD and meditate on it day and night. (Psalm 1)
2. Walk uprightly. (Psalm 84.11, Proverbs 15.21)
3. Walk in the light. (Isaiah 2.5)
4. Walk humbly, as worthy of the gospel/calling (Micah 6.8, Ephesians 2.2, Philippians 2.17, Colossians 1.10, 1 Thess. 2.12)
5. Walk honestly, in truth, with integrity. (Romans 13.13, 2 John 4, 3 John 3, 4)
6. Walk by faith, in the Spirit. (2 Corinthians 5.7, Galatians 5.25)
7. Walk in good works, in love and in wisdom, not according to the ways of this world, pleasing God.(Ephesians 2.10, 4.1-3, 5.1-21)
8. Walk in the fear of the lord, even through the valley of the shadow of death, fearing no evil. (Psalm 23.4, Psalm 91, Acts 9.31)

Do not walk in the counsel of the ungodly (Psalm 1.1), in craftiness (2 Cor. 4.2), walking after your own lust (2 Peter 5.3). Do not defile your garments (Rev. 3.4, 5).

The basis for our being able to walk in agreement with God today is the atoning work of Jesus Christ. We must believe like Abraham. (Romans 4) As we repent of our sins and turn in faith to Jesus Christ alone for our salvation, we are given the Holy Spirit and the grace to walk with God, to live before Him, living in Christ (Romans 12.1, 2).

To walk with God, in agreement with God, as His friend, we must not be God's enemy. Whenever we are friends of the world (James 4.4), have pride (James 4.6), are engaged in the works of the flesh (Galatians 5.17), are engaged in works of darkness/the devil (1 John 3.8, 9), whenever we are not walking in love (1 John 3.11ff, 1 John 4.7ff), are disobedient to God (Romans 1.6, Ephesians 2.2, 3) and are worshiping and serving the creation and not the Creator (Romans 1.18ff), we are the enemy of God.

What does God promise as a result? Psalm 34.15; 145.18, 19; Prov. 15.29; Jeremiah 29.12; Mt 7.8; 21.22, Mark 11.24; John 14.13; John 15.7; 1 John 3.22, 1 John 5.14, Revelation 3.4, 5 I'll let you discover the good things that will come to you on your own!

You have a few names even in Sardis which have not
Defiled their garments;
And they shall walk with Me in white: for they are worthy.
Revelation 3.4

Those who walk with God enjoy Him and enjoy glorifying Him. They are in constant communication with Him and desire to worship and obey Him. They run to Him, not from Him, though maintaining a healthy fear of Him, in awe. They know they have found grace in His sight and that what they enjoy is not earned or merited, but of highest value. They want to be His friend. They understand that today we not only walk before God, but walk in the Spirit and live in the Spirit, Christ in us, the hope of glory.

And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with
The affections and lusts.
If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Galatians 5.24, 25

We need your generous gifts to enable us to carry the gospel of Christ around the world (Central America and South Africa next) and across backyard fences and hope you will give today. We know you will be blessed. You are touching lives through your gifts to Mary Craig Ministries. Many are being saved, healed, and delivered as the gospel of Christ is preached and taught freely and faithfully. We sincerely thank you for giving.

Living by His grace,

Mary Craig

P.S. Go to www.marycraig.org. Order books from our Catalog section using PayPal. Worship with us 4:30 p.m. Sundays. Grow and flourish in small group ministry at Craighouse®, located in the Pompano Plaza at 114 E. McNab Road, Pompano Beach, FL 33060. Log on to www.craighouse.org for a map and more events and Bible studies. Reach MCM at 954-491-7270. Send in your prayer requests.

And the glory which You gave Me
I have given them; that they may be one, even as We are one:
I in them, and You in Me, that they may be made perfect
In one; and that the world may know that You have sent Me,
and have loved them, as You have loved Me.
John 17.22, 23

Mary Craig Ministries is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization