To Walk With God

 

    To walk with God is to walk in the knowledge that He loves us and desires our companionship, for it is God Who created us from the beginning and continues to transform us into His own image, just as He created Adam in His own image. 

    To walk with God is to walk without fear, without doubt. It is to walk in faith, trusting that God knows what He is doing and where He is taking us. The river has many bends and may even fall over the cliff in stunning waterfalls, but if that is where God wants us to go, then we will follow Him wherever He leads us. For it is not God's intent to cause His children harm, but to nourish us in His Word and cherish us in His heart.

    To walk with God is to walk boldly, fearing no person, no place, no thing. The Bible tells us that "where two or three are gathered together in The Name of The Lord" that "He is there with us". The Lord Jesus did not send His disciples out alone into the cities to share the gospel, but in pairs. It seems in that way there would always be two gathered together and Jesus would be right there with them: in The Spirit. 

    To walk with God is to walk in The Way of Holiness, the old path which God has laid out from time past that He would have His people to walk in. It may sound strange to some folks, but not all paths are physical pathways. There are spiritual and spirit-filled paths, as well. The Way of Holiness is Spirit-filled, for it the path which God designed for His people to walk in that they may obtain righteousness and be made holy, much needed requirements for entering into God's rest.

    God's righteousness is the wedding garment which the invited guest wears to the marriage of The Lamb and The Bride (Christ and His church). Holiness is the attire we wear over our garment of righteousness: without holiness we will not see God and live. Therefore we must walk the old path, the strait and the narrow path, which leaves no room for frivolous accoutrements.

    To walk with God is to walk in integrity, living a holy and righteous life not only in our churches, but in our homes, in our workplaces and in our communities. Every aspect of a Christian's life must match God's example of being Christlike, as noted in The New Testament. Our words and our actions must exemplify the grace which God extended to us through His only begotten Son Jesus Christ. To do less would be the actions of a hypocrite, a fake, a pretender. 

    To walk with God is to walk in humility. We do not need recognition from our peers for we know that when we are working for God, He sees our hearts and will reward us in heaven. It is to accept being overlooked and underappreciated in this life. It is to be silent in the face of rejection and hate. 

    To walk with God is to know pain and suffering, sorrow and grief. It is to know healing and wholeness, joy and laughter. To walk with God is to know God a little more clearly each day that we walk together. It is to have His hand in mine, as a Father walks with His little child. 

    To walk with God is to walk with purpose. A random encounter to us is a designated destination to God. It is an open door through which we can share the gospel. It is an opportunity to tell someone new what God has done for us. 

    To walk with God is to walk in His Light. In His Light, darkness flees. In His Light His Word is clear to see and understand. His Word is Light for our steps. When His Word is in our hearts, His Light is in our hearts, too. When we accept and believe the gospel of salvation through Jesus Christ, God's Light lives in us and shines through us, scattering the dark thoughts and sending them all packing. Though we get downhearted at times, we cannot stay there: we cannot dwell on regret, nor can we quench our thirst for God with tears of bitterness. We must decide and declare whether we want ot live in darkness or live in Light; whether we want to live in fear or live in Love. 

    To walk with God is wonderful. It is the most wonderful way to walk. 

WALK WITH ME - Randy Travis 

WALK WITH ME - Jesus Culture

A Crucified Life - - Longing To Be Clothed

 

2 Corinthians 5:2-3

For in this tent we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked.

*Strong's Ex. Conc. No. 1971 & 1902

Longing: strain after, desire greatly, have affection for, intensely crave

From the Greek word 'epipotheó' (pronounced  ep-ee-poth-eh'-o): to have a yearning love for

To Be Clothed: to have on over (oneself)

From the Greek word 'ependuomai' (pronounced ep-en-doo'-om-ahee): refers to the glorified body the Lord gives (puts on) each believer at Christ's return. 

DEATH NOT OURS TO WEAR

    Being the body of Christ is a spiritual thing. Having risen from the grave and being clothed in a glorified body, Christ has ascended to be with His Father in heaven, seated on His right hand, where He intercedes for His followers: all of His followers: we who are alive and have come to Christ until this point in time and we who will be His followers until His enemies are annihilated.

    Death is not our garment. It merely wraps itself around our corrupted bodies, which were created with sinful natures, sin having reigned in this world since Adam and Eve disobeyed God.  Because they were the first people and all people descended from them, all people are created with a sinful nature. We needed a Savior to save us and save us Christ Jesus did. (1 Corinthians 15:55).

    When we make a decision to follow Christ, we also should be making a commitment to live a holy and blameless life/lifestyle. We decide for ourselves that it is better to live a Christ-centered, Spirit-filled life than it is to live a life without God in it. 

    Which is the life we had before we came to Christ. It was no good then, it will be even worse for us were we to turn our backs on God after believing Him for our salvation. Proverbs 26:11 warns us of this folly: "As a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats his folly." (cf 2 Peter 2:20-22).

    As we age, we groan when we sit up, stand up, stretch, sit down; basically, whenever we shift position, we groan. The groan escapes our mouths though we try not to. That's life. For now. 

    We LOOOONNNNGGG to be clothed with our eternal bodies. We anticipate living on the other side of our eternity with joy and hope, knowing that even as we are in Christ now, we will be even more so then. 

UPGRADED

    We who believe that Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior--Lord of our lives and Savior who saves us from our sins--await the day we receive our divine glorified covering/garment. We know that the garment we are currently clothed with is considered a filthy rag, a filthy garment, by God and must be taken off of us before we can receive the divine garment prepared for us. 

    In Zechariah 3 we learn of Joshua the high priest, who stands before God in his filthy garments. Satan is at one side of him ready to accuse him before God. But God knows that Joshua is innocent and demands that his filthy garments be removed so that his 'splendid' clothes may be put on him. 

    Joshua could not remove the filthy garments he was clothed in: only God could do that. Joshua could not dress himself in splendid clothes: only God could do that. This passage is a shadow of Christ being our covering. 

    We cannot in and of ourselves remove sin from ourselves: only God can do that through the sacrifice of His only begotten Son Jesus Christ. We needed an upgrade that only God can provide. So He did (John 3:16).

     We put Christ on (Romans 13:14) when we believe on His name for our salvation (Romans 10:13). But it is God who clothes us with Christ, not we ourselves (Ephesians 2:1-10). 

WEDDING GARMENTS

    Matthew 22:1-14 tells us the Parable of The Wedding Banquet. Though many of the king's servants went out into the fields to call the invited guests to the wedding feast he had prepared for his son, none would come in; each had his own excuse for not attending. 

So the king sent His servants into the streets to invite everyone else and soon his tables were full. But someone had come in who was not invited. 

See, in order to get seated at the tables, everyone had to have wedding garments on. You know, nice clothes; clean and respectable clothes. They had to be cleaned up and made presentable. It was easy to recognize the uninvited guest because he wasn't cleaned up, nor covered in the wedding garment. 

The king ordered the uninvited guest, who had no defense, to be bound hand and foot and thrown into utter darkness (cf Matthew 8:12; Matthew 25:30; Luke 13:28). 

We who will be clothed with Christ as our Wedding Garment will take our places at the heavenly wedding banquet which has been prepared for the marriage supper of the Lamb and His bride (Revelation 19:9).

Which guest are you going to be? The invited guest or the uninvited guest? It is, after all, a decision each of us has to make while the invitation is being made. 

INVITED

    

    

What Am I Wearing?

 Revelation 16:15

Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watches, and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame. 

Garments: the outer garment worn over the undergarment next to the skin, long flowing cloak, robe, mantle, apparel, raiment 

I Am Wearing Jesus Christ

Romans 13:14

But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.

Galatians 3:27

For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

I Am Wearing Righteousness & Justice

Job 29:14

I put on righteousness, and it clothed me; justice was my robe and my turban.

I Am Wearing Salvation

Isaiah 61:10

I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

Ephesians 6:17

And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. 

I Am Wearing Truth

Ephesians 6:14

Stand therefore, having girded your waist with Truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness,  

I Am Wearing Peace

Ephesians 6:15

and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. 

I Am Wearing Faith & Love

1 Thessalonians 5:8

But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.

I Am Wearing The Fruit of The Spirit

Colossians 3:12

Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with hearts of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.