Being as active as possible for Christ seems impossible. Did you watch a movie this week? You could have spent that time in the Bible. Did you go to the store and not witness to everyone you saw? Did you go on a hike with the family and not pull a fellow hiker aside and share the Gospel? Did you glorify the Lord in all your communications this week? Did you talk about the saving power of Jesus Christ with a co-worker? Did you have a conversation about your day, about your health, car trouble, a loved one, your spouse or kids or hobbies or weekend plans or literally any subject that did not include a bit of your testimony?
Could you do more for God’s glory in your life?
Imagine if the members of your body acted like you do. What if the heart decided it needs some free time in the evenings to relax, so it just stopped pumping blood for a couple hours? What if your lungs decided to take two weeks off for vacation? What if your stomach was only fed three times on Sunday and on Wednesday evening?
These are members of our bodies, and they are constantly working. As members of the body of the Lord Jesus Christ, are we constantly working?
The way we “pursue” in our daily lives determines our spiritual health. Just as we must exercise our bodies, we must exercise our spirits, so that we will not faint when the times get tough and so we can have the endurance to serve the Lord a little more and answer the call when other members of the body are distressed.
That is why this week, I would like to focus on the Daily Walk of the Christian.
Taken for Granted Assumptions
One of the big takeaways from my sociology courses was the idea of “taken for granted assumptions.” When we really sit down and think about our beliefs, it is likely that there are many things that we take for granted.
- Relationships – with our spouses, kids, parents, each other.
- Church – fellowship with Christians, being “fed” spiritual food from the pulpit.
- Jesus – we treat the Lord like a magic genie.
- Doctrine – why do we believe what we believe?
- The Bible – I was raised in a KJV home and never really looked into or understood the ins and outs of textual criticism until I was in my 30s.
- “Christian home privilege” – many of us were raised in Christian homes in a Christian country.
- Bible study – how often and how deep?Prayer – we pretend like we can hang up.
- Testimonies – we can demonstrate the power of salvation to family, friends, and co-workers, but we often keep quiet about our relationship with the Lord.
- Soul winning – not just going out with the church, but always witnessing to the lost.
- Our daily walk
Daily means every SINGLE day and NEVER taking a day off.
Walking is something that we often take for granted.
Daily physical walking is healthy. It is the primary mode of human transportation, it is easier on joints than running, it improves blood flow and joint flexibility, and it could save your life in the long run (no pun intended).
Walking is a sign of maturity as well. Babies must learn to roll over and crawl before they walk, just as baby Christians need to get the basics down before walking. Not everyone matures at the same pace, and some never learn to walk (they are perpetual spiritual babies) – they are no less a child of God if they’ve undergone the “new birth.”
Physical walking can be difficult at times. It requires time and energy that you might not have. Injuries or illness can severely impact your ability to walk. Have you ever tried to hike when your lungs are filled with fluid or when you cannot seem to stop coughing? Some are born without use of their legs or lost limbs in combat or in an accident. If physical walking is limited in so many ways, how about spiritual walking? This is where we turn to the Bible to learn more about walking.
The first method of spiritual walking is literally walking WITH God.
Genesis 3:8 implies that Adam and Eve walked with God in the garden of Eden. Enoch (a “type” of the Raptured Church) walked with God in Genesis 5:22 before he was ultimately taken by God (Raptured) in verse 24.
Noah walked with God in Genesis 6:9. The Lord walked “among” the Jews during the Exodus from Egypt and in the tabernacle (Leviticus 26:12).
The Lord Jesus Christ walked side by side with the disciples and will walk with us Christians during the millennial reign and in eternity.
The second manner of spiritual walking is walking BEFORE God. Abraham and Isaac did so, according to Genesis 48:15. We Christians also do so, as Abraham did.
There is walking IN different things throughout the Scripture as well.
Under the Old Testament Law, the Israelites walked in ordinances (Leviticus 18:4), statutes (Leviticus 26: 3), commandments (1 Kings 6:12), in His ways (Deuteronomy 5:33), and in His paths (Micah 4:2). Remember, “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.” (Psalm 119:105).
The Hebrews could not walk in ordinances, statutes, commandments, ways, or paths without Scripture. This can be spiritually applied to Christians as we look to the New Testament.
Under the New Testament dispensation of grace, we Christians walk in wisdom (Colossians 4:5), in love (Ephesians 5:2), in Christ (Colossians 2:6), in the Light (John 12:35), and in the Spirit (Galatians 5:16).
Matthew 9:2-6 presents a wonderful example of walking under the New Testament dispensation of grace. In this passage, some men brought a sick man to Jesus for healing. Because they demonstrated faith, Jesus healed the man. Though this was a physical healing, I do believe there is a spiritual application here as well.
The first thing that Christ did was forgive the man’s sins. It was only after this happened that the Lord instructed the man to rise and walk. Think about this in your own experience. Forgiveness is healing. When we forgive or are forgiven, the healing process begins. This can be physical, but is primarily emotionally or spiritually. When our sins are forgiven, we can “rise and walk” with the Lord Jesus spiritually in this life and the physically in the next.
There are other methods of walking in the New Testament, such as walking after the Spirit (Romans 8:4), as children of light (Ephesians 5:8), honestly (Romans 13:13), by Faith (2 Corinthians 5:7; Galatians 5:16, 25), worthy of the Lord (Colossians 1:10), and walking circumspectly (Eph 5:15).
The Bible also warns us how NOT to walk. We are to “walk not,” in the counsel of the ungodly (Psalm 1:1), in the way of sinners (Proverbs 1:15), after the flesh (Romans 8:1), and there is an entire list of things to not walk in according to Romans 13:13. These include: rioting, drunkenness, chambering (aka, the bedchamber; meaning infidelity), wantonness (which is a disposition to willingly inflict pain on others), strife, and envying.
Biblical walking is an action with purpose. Walking without purpose is wandering, like the Hebrews in the wilderness, and one cannot “walk” by doing nothing. “Standing” (Ephesians 6:11, 14) can be described as moving forward in the face of opposition. In a way, to stand (or, take a stand, rather) is to walk with purpose.
The Devil walks with purpose.
Job 1:7 says, “And the LORD said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.”
1 Peter 5:8 tells us, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:”
We MUST walk with purpose as well.
Satan and his forces do not tire. They do not grow weary or need rest as we do. Our flesh is weak and will continue to decompose with each day that passes. As our bodies weaken, we must strengthen our spiritual selves so that we can better fend off the spiritual wickedness in high places. That is why we must exercise our spirits. It is why we must stop crawling like infants and walk circumspectly in the Holy Spirit, in Christ, in wisdom and love, by faith as mature Christians should. It is why our walk must be a daily priority.
The Bible makes it abundantly clear that spiritually walking with, before, and in the Lord is essential in the life of a Christian, just as physical walking is essential to the life of every living creature.
The benefits of a daily walk cannot be undersold. I will discuss more about a healthy daily walk in part two of this series.
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