Run, Walk, Stand, and Be Still: Part 2
How are we supposed to walk as Christians? What does a Christian life look like? Well, it can actually look different from one Christian to the next.
I had bought some nice Puma running shoes from Costco for under $30 and they go with all of my sweats. it’s something about having workout clothes when you work out, you feel good about the exercise and sometimes that alone makes you want to do more. There are certain clothes for certain occasions. You don’t work out in heals, or church shoes – your feet will burn.
In the same way as a Christian we have to walk as a Christian.
The way people walk nowadays is by counting their steps and how many of you know that when you’re keeping track of your steps and you see how many calories that you’ve burned, it actually makes you want to challenge yourself to do more and do better. This is what I’ve heard. My boss told me several times that I should count my steps, because my job requires me to walk a lot, but have I done it? NO, but I need to. It’s a good idea!
The bible tells us in Galatians 5:25,
“If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. NKJV
“Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.” NIV
This means that we must walk as we talk. We have to do what we say we believe. Practice what we preach.
When you walk as a Christian, it’s not like an unbeliever, they don’t have to resist the temptation, but we have to carry our own cross as we walk through life.
2 Corinthians 11:24-28
24 Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, 26 I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers. 27 I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. 28 Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches.
2 Corinthians 12:9-10
9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 10 That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
Do you boast in your weaknesses or are you covering them up? According to the Bible we should be rejoicing in our weaknesses, because God’s power is made perfect and we become stronger.
Yes, you can live without the victory that Christ says we’re supposed to have as a Christian!
Our walk as Christians is step by step. One step at a time. Why, because every step is a decision to do or not to do something based on our values, and as a Christian our values have to be based on the bible.
Jesus told the people in Matthew 5:20,
“For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.
Why weren’t these Pharisees worthy of the kingdom of God? It’s because they were hypocrites and compromisers. They made up excuses and good sounding reasons for breaking the law of God, but in Matthew 23:15, Jesus called them a “child of hell”.
Satan Desires to Sift you!
This is exactly where the enemy wants us. Satan wants us to always be barely making it with God, devoting most of our time to the cares of the world and NO it’s not just the big sins, it’s those little compromises, like: working so much overtime at work that you have no time for your relationship with God, over-treating yourself with too many fun activities and entertainment, eating out every day and buying all the latest fashion and technology, but claiming that you can’t afford to pay tithes and offering, or even make it to church, and always putting God off instead of putting on the Lord Jesus Christ as the bible says, because you’ve filled up your to do list that has no room for God.
Did you know that satan is always walking around and he’s patient, and the bible says, “…as a roaring lion”? He has all the wrong intentions for your life? I’ve read that lions can stalk their prey and stay hidden for up to an hour, and I use this only to illustrate my point. I talk about satan and some people don’t believe he’s real, or they water down the effects that the demonic realm can have on our life – if we let them, but did you know that you’re like delicious meat to these demons and they’re going in for the kill. But what are they trying to kill? Your faith, because, “it is by grace that you have been saved, through faith…” If they can kill your faith, they can kill your effectiveness as a Christian in this world, your blessings from God, your testimony that would otherwise bring more people to Jesus, and ultimately if you allow the devil to finish the process, as Jesus said, “you will lose your very own soul.
The bible says in Ephesians 6:12,
“we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”
If you are watching your steps, as a believer in Jesus Christ, and putting into practice what the bible says about Christian living, then you will have the victory in your life.
God is not marking you down for every mistake that you make, but He does command us to learn from them, repent, and live a godly life.
Another thing that is super important, when talking about these spiritual exercises is rest and it’s not that you’re taking a break from God – we should never do that, but physical rest: getting enough sleep, eating on time, taking breaks from energy draining activities.
Dr. Charles Stanley has this acronym that you should think about, before you respond or react and It’s called, “H.A.L.T”.
Are you hungry, angry, lonely or tired? We have to examine ourselves, because we can do and say things that we wouldn’t normally do if certain areas of our lives are out of whack. I don’t know if you’ve ever snapped on somebody – usually it’s those closest to you and you thought about it like, “Where did that come from?”. Well, many times it’s because we’re not taking care of ourselves. Some of this is practical stuff, and I believe that I’m talking to real people, who are not perfect in all their ways!
When we don’t rest our trials can feel like a hurricane, even though they are only scattered showers. To resist the effects of our trials, we have to watch our step as we walk.
Our spiritual rest would be, not being so church service minded that we don’t serve ourselves with personal devotional time with God, and if you have a family – you need to take care of this ministry first and then see how much other ministry work you can do in addition, that will allow you to remain responsible with the family God has given you. You can do something, but use wisdom.
That’s what me and my wife had to do. We wanted to make sure that we are serving God and not just, being people pleasers, trying to look good. If you have kids, man time flies and you have to love your kids, love your spouse, and make sure they experience the love of God through you.
Jesus gives us a good measure on how we should serve God
Luke 14:27-30
And if you do not carry your own cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciple. 28“But don’t begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first calculating the cost to see if there is enough money to finish it? 29Otherwise, you might complete only the foundation before running out of money, and then everyone would laugh at you. 30They would say, ‘There’s the person who started that building and couldn’t afford to finish it!’
Don’t take on so much ministry that you can’t fulfill it and don’t waste your faith by being lazy, because God does not honor a lazy servant, (Matthew 25:14-30) that’s a must read.
With that said!
Here are 4 main ways we should walk as a Christians and I want you to feel free to write in the comments other ways the Bible says that we should walk:
- Walk with your Cross (Luke 14:27) – Be Faithful to God even through hard times
- Walk: Not according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit (Romans 8:1, 4) – So that we won’t be condemned like the world.
- By faith and not by sight (2 Cor 5:7) – Faith is the substance of things hoped for Heb 11:1. You must believe for that thing that you desire for God to do for you, even if it looks impossible. After Jesus rose from the dead, He said, “…blessed are those who believe and have not yet seen.” Jesus described real faith in one line.
- Walk in good works (Eph 2:10) – The bible says that, we have become a new creation in Christ, and God has already prepared good works for us to do. We are the hands and feet of Jesus, who has reached out to us to reach out to others, so that His kingdom will be full.
- Walk in victory (1 John 5:4) “For every child of God defeats this evil world, and we achieve this victory through our faith.” – We always win when we have relentless faith.
- Walk and fight | The mind is a Battlefield – The bible says change you thinking!
“And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.”
7.Walk with God
The bible says, in Genesis 5:24
“Enoch walked faithfully with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.”
In bible we see the “blessed hope” that every Christian has, that whether we live or die, Jesus will soon take out of this wicked world to be with Him, just like Enoch and we will never have to suffer again. Even if we die, none of us will miss the Rapture!
Salvation plan
If you have not accepted the promise of salvation that only comes through Jesus Christ, Satan wants to make you numb to the effects that sin has on your life, so that He can destroy you, but Jesus wants you to rise up and walk for Him. The bible says that if you repent of your sins and put your faith in Jesus Christ, then you become a child of God and when you die you go to heaven. God says today is the day of Salvation, tomorrow is too late! Don’t wait to be saved. Receive Jesus today!!!
SAY this beginning PRAYER:
God I’m a sinner and right now I turn from my sins. I ask you to forgive my sins, that I may be right with you. I believe that Jesus Christ: lived, died and that He rose from the dead. Right now, I ask you Jesus to be my Savior and Lord, that I may have eternal life in heaven. Thank you God for saving me. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen!
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