“Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him.”

Genesis 5:24

Walking with God is not a romantic pursuit. We are not holy people, and our human heart is always at enmity with the Lord. Our will does not want to cooperate and we will not conform to the image of Christ. The heart wants it own way and will wriggle and squirm and justify itself until it gets what it wants.

‘I find then the law, that, to me, while I desire to do good, evil is present. For I delight in God’s law after the inward man, but I see a different law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity under the law of sin which is in my members.”

Romans 7:21-23

The writer of Romans, Paul, is speaking to Christians. There remains in our being the indwelling presence and power of sin, which causes the Christian much discomfort. God has given His gracious Holy Spirit within us, and we now desire the good and we delight to do God’s will and obey His commands, but there is another law of sin right there, making a constant war in our minds and seeking to bring us again under its captivity.

The life of the Christian is a war zone, in the fight against this now unwanted part of our being. We desire Christ and His ways, but there is always the in dwelling influence of sin aggravating us and wanting to put itself forward to be noticed and fed and obeyed.

Walking with God always involves this fight. It is not a peaceable road with ourselves, but the constant acquiescing to the grace and mercy of God, and the putting to death the old sinful self that will carp and scratch right to the every end. Our minds will wander and deceive us, which is why we need the Scriptures to keep us right and true. Our hearts will desire any number of things that we think we need and should have, and will never be satisfied with the daily provision of the Lord.

Our desires must always be kept in check. We wander all over the world to find what we want, and in the end, nothing actually satisfies us, because we have the Spirit of Christ, which is only satisfied in God.

The daily use and skilful battles using the sword of the Spirit, is our only hope. Without this sword of the Word of God, we are without defence and leave ourselves open to attack and lack of defence without it’s eternal wisdom. We learn to wield it with skill and precision and learn to interpret it according to the truth of God, as revealed in it. As we understand and meditate and obey it, we are made strong in the Lord our God and our desires are better served to follow and walk with Him.

Everything goes on the altar. Nothing is held back, no secret or favoured sins that we justify and enjoy. The sinful part of us will hide and try to keep back something for itself, but we are ruthless with the sword and bring all things into subjection under the rule of Christ in our life. Temptations will come and we have to learn to lay straight paths for our feet, so that we do not fall into these temptations easily.

We pray against the enemy and this is our constant petition, that we enter not into temptation, but are delivered from the evil, that our pathway with God is not disturbed and interrupted with foolish disobedience and self-seeking.

The promotion of self is a big problem. The desire to be seen and known is huge within us and the idea of spending a quiet life with God, is not really what we want. The risings of the inner selfish person, must be dealt with and we examine ourselves at every point to ensure we are walking in the will of the Lord and not our own conceits.

Self will overcome and blot out the sight of the Saviour. Self will want to be seen and known, rather than allow God to shine through. Self will put itself on the throne of our lives really quickly and efficiently, for it is the great usurper.

“For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For the mind of the flesh is death, but the mind of the Spirit is life and peace; because the mind of the flesh is hostile towards God; for it is not subject to God’s law, neither indeed can it be. Those who are in the flesh can’t please God.”

Romans 8:5-8

It we pander to our flesh, it will quickly overcome us and the door will open for all kinds of iniquities that we dont even recognise or notice. The Christian who walks with God will have a sensitive conscience and will be very sensitive to the inroads of sin in their life. This is the awareness of the growing holiness that God desires and requires of us as His people.

“Therefore prepare your minds for action. Be sober-minded. Set your hope fully on the grace to be given you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not conform to the passions of your former ignorance. But just as He who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do, for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”

1 Peter 1:13-16

This is a directive and not a request. It involves every part of us, mind, emotions, desires and actions. We are ignorant no longer, for we have the very Word of God to direct us and give us the motivation and power to obey its precepts. We fight to follow them and live our life for the Lord. We have the power of the Spirit within to enable us to obey and encourage us to turn from sin and obey in every circumstance. We will do this as we learn to fight and learn to walk humbly with the Lord in each passing moment.

“Since you call on a Father who judges each one’s work impartially, conduct yourselves in reverent fear during your stay as foreigners.”

1 Peter 1:17

We don’t belong in this world any longer and do not conform to this ways and strategies. God will judge each of us in an impartial manner because he is holy and has no favourites. He does not regard one child in His family above another, and looks for holiness of life and demeanour first and foremost. We do not disappoint Him, but put down all that belongs to the old way of life that we have left to follow our Saviour and Lord.

We are redeemed by Christ away from the empty life we learned from our forefathers, and we follow the way of the Word. This is the walk of holiness with God and the sure and certain way to heaven.

There is no record in Scripture of anything Enoch said or did, only that he walked with God. There are no great exploits that he seemed to do which warranted a Bible book about him, but he remains a spiritual giant in the holy record. We learn from him and learn to walk humbly with our God and love Him first and foremost. All other loves pale into insignificance, and our life is and given over to the Lord and to follow beside Him and walk in His ways.

As we step over the threshold of life an death, there will be no difference in our soul, for we will walk close to our Master, and be so like Him, that we will want Him above all others. This is the end of life for the Christian person, who loves the Lord their God with a true heart and has walked with Him all the weary days of this present life. Glory will unfold and we will see Him, who we desire most and our fight will be over. We can lay down our weapons and enter into the joy of the Lord.

“Forever with the LORD…”

1 Thessalonians 4:17