Walking with God by Faith -Hebrews 11:6 (AMP)
What do we mean when we talk about walking with God? Who is God to you? What do we truly know of him? God is a Spirit, right? So when we kneel to pray or talk to him while we drive or work or walk, how do we know he hears us and he listens? Is God real? Why is he allowing me to go through what I am going through? Why is He silent?
Walking with God by Faith. These are many questions and more that we have asked at some point in our lives. Through religion, we have been conditioned from birth to believe that there is a greater being higher than us who is sitting up so high that he controls the universe and everything within it and we must recognize that indeed we must. But do we ever stop to see that subconsciously, we have been taught to do a particular set of activities, give, pray, do good, be nice, live our life, and we never really think that we could have a loving relationship with this God?
Can we walk with Him truly as Abraham did? God called Abraham his friend. Can I do anything without revealing it to my friend? God said. Do we think about the relationship Moses had with God? Until Moses’ face glowed with the presence and glory of God. Can we walk with him truly as Jesus upon the earth walked with him? Is this truly possible?
The answer to all these questions and more is that Yes indeed we can have that kind of relationship with God our Father and even more. Through His Holy Spirit, we can walk with Him. But we must do this by faith. Why? What is Faith?
Hebrews 11:6 (AMP)But without faith it is impossible to [walk with God and] please Him, for whoever comes [near] to God must [necessarily] believe that God exists and that He rewards those who [earnestly and diligently] seek Him.
Is it impossible to walk with God or please him without Faith? Do we truly believe that God exists? It requires a certain faith of a lack of proof of that which we can see, feel, or touch to validate that experience. It requires a higher level of revelation to truly believe in a God who is Spirit that we cannot phantom, and desire to even have a relationship with HIM. This is the beauty of what God put in Man. To seek HIM and love Him even though we don't see or feel him like the angels do. What is a man that you are mindful of?
Our responsibility in our walk with God is to believe that he exists (HE IS) and believe that he rewards those who earnestly and diligently seek Him. There is a reason God told Moses his name was I AM THAT I AM. Walking with God requires a certain state of being of believing and knowing that he is the I AM THAT I AM in any given situation. He is the JEHOVAH JIREH our provider, He is also JEHOVAH ELOHIM our God. He is JEHOVAH RAPHA, our healer. I could go on and on with his names. But one thing is certain, He is the I AM THAT I AM.
It is impossible to walk with God, know him, and please him without FAITH. What is this faith? Hebrews 11:1 (AMP) Now faith is the assurance (title deed, confirmation) of things hoped for (divinely guaranteed), and the evidence of things not seen [the conviction of their reality—faith comprehends as fact what cannot be experienced by the physical senses].
Faith is the substance of THINGS HOPED FOR… the EVIDENCE of THINGS NOT SEEN… Think about that statement for a moment. That goes against everything we know about investigations, fact finding, scientific perspectives, perception and inferences of any type of study. It is indeed foolishness to the mere mind.
But it is only through FAITH that we can get a glimpse of the heart of the Father. It is only through faith that we can draw close to him to know what he is doing in the earth today, it is only through faith that he rewards those who diligently seek him. We must seek him daily. We must believe that HE IS. HE EXISTS. Walking with God by Faith. We can only be justified before God by faith in that which his SON Jesus did for us on the cross on that fateful day. Faith is not the absence of fear but the ability to trust and lean on God in the midst of chaos. Listen to my episode of “Calm in the Midst of the Storm”.
Hebrews 10:38 (AMP) But My righteous one [the one justified by faith] shall live by faith [respecting man’s relationship to God and trusting Him]; And if he draws back [shrinking in fear], My soul has no delight in him
If we are indeed justified by faith, does that mean we do not need to do any “works” at all for any sense of good or feeling of righteousness? Why tell us Faith without works is dead (James 2:17). We will come back to that. But in Galatians 2:16 (AMP) yet we know that a man is not justified [and placed in right standing with God] by works of the Law, but [only] through faith in [God’s beloved Son,] Christ Jesus. And even we [as Jews] have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the Law. By observing the Law no one will ever be justified [declared free of the guilt of sin and its penalty]
Works of the law are what is not accepted by God. What is “works of the law”. It is called RELIGION. This is a very dicey topic because if we are not careful, religion could keep us away from truly having a sincere and pure relationship with God that bypasses Man’s influence over our lives. A topic for another day. Galatians 2:16 tells us that it is only through FAITH that we are justified not by the works of the law. No one can be declared free of the guilt of sin and its penalty just by observing the LAW. Food for thought. Galatians 3:11 (AMP) Now it is clear that no one is justified [that is, declared free of the guilt of sin and its penalty, and placed in right standing] before God by the Law, for “The righteous (the just, the upright) shall live by faith.”
We see that also in Romans 5:1 (AMP) Therefore, since we have been justified [that is, acquitted of sin, declared blameless before God] by faith, [let us grasp the fact that] we have peace with God [and the joy of reconciliation with Him] through our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed).
Lets bring it closer home. James 2:14-24 (AMP) 14 What is the benefit, my fellow believers, if someone claims to have faith but has no [good] works [as evidence]? Can that [kind of] faith save him? [No, a mere claim of faith is not sufficient—genuine faith produces good works.] 15If a brother or sister is without [adequate] clothing and lacks [enough] food for each day, 16and one of you says to them, “Go in peace [with my blessing], [keep] warm and feed yourselves,” but he does not give them the necessities for the body, what good does that do? 17So too, faith, if it does not have works [to back it up], is by itself dead [inoperative and ineffective]. 18But someone may say, “You [claim to] have faith and I have [good] works; show me your [alleged] faith without the works [if you can], and I will show you my faith by my works [that is, by what I do].” 19You believe that A reference to the Shema, the Jewish confession of faith.God is one; you do well [to believe that]. The demons also believe [that], and shudder and bristle [in awe-filled terror—they have seen His wrath]! 20But are you willing to recognize, you foolish [spiritually shallow] person, that faith without [good] works is useless? 21Was our father Abraham not [shown to be] justified by works [of obedience which expressed his faith] when he offered Isaac his son on the altar [as a sacrifice to God]? 22You see that [his] faith was working together with his works, and as a result of the works, his faith was completed [reaching its maturity when he expressed his faith through obedience]. 23And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and this [faith] was credited to him [by God] as righteousness and as conformity to His will,” and he was called the friend of God. 24You see that a man (believer) is justified by works and not by faith alone [that is, by acts of obedience a born-again believer reveals his faith].
Faith without works is dead- What does that mean? If I am trusting God for healing and I still eat crap and do not exercise, take good care of my body, that is faith without works. When you believe God for a job and you do not even apply for any jobs or make any applications. When you believe God for a blessing and you do not seek him to hear what he tells you and who to go to. For indeed, as a preacher once said “true riches comes from God to Man through Man”. Seeking God brings a reward. See Hebrews 11:6. We must draw close to Him and then he will draw nigh unto us.
Above all, according to Ephesians 6:16 (AMP) 16Above all, lift up the [protective] shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Faith is a shield that is a primary weapon in the arsenal of the armor of God which you can use to shield off all the fiery darts of the enemy (Doubts,unbelief, negative thoughts, incantations, accusations, enchantments, depression and oppression, aspersions). Listen to my episode on “Fight We Must Fight”. And finally, praying in the spirit at all times with all kinds of prayers builds your faith. See Jude 1:20 (AMP) But you, beloved, build yourselves up on [the foundation of] your most holy faith [continually progress, rise like an edifice higher and higher], pray in the Holy Spirit, Walking with God by faith is drawing from the wells of the secret place- as described in Psalms 91:1 (AMP) He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High Will remain secure and rest in the shadow of the Almighty [whose power no enemy can withstand].