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FAITH THAT WALKS WITH GOD

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“By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.”
‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭11‬:‭5‬ ‭KJV‬‬

A. In the spirit of honesty…

The first time I was led to write about Enoch, I wasn’t too sure what I would write about - but I went with it.

Almost like clockwork, every sermon and Bible plan I came across mentioned him. My Pastor also mentioned that he read his book - so I did as well.

All this to say; (a) God is in the detail, and (b) I am still being learning about Enoch.

Here is what I have learnt so far.

B. Who was Enoch?

Enoch descended from the lineage of Adam and was born to a one Jared. Although he lived a total of 365 years, Enoch did not walk with God until he was 65 and right after begot Methuselah, his son.

As to whether the birth of Methuselah had a direct impact on Enoch’s decision to walk with God is a whole different story, but there are no coincidences in God. At least I do not believe so.

The report written of Enoch is that he walked with God. If you are anything like me, this begs the question of what it actually means to walk with God.

C) Walking with God

There is so much to walking in God. Picture this though, my first day at university - I made a friend. One of the key markers of this friendship is that we spent so much time together.

We constantly walked to and from school, talking about everything and anything. As time went by, our conversations got deeper, more intimate. Such a friendship is high value, and we were careful not to breach each other’s trust.

Our characters started to sync, we spoke the same language, laughed at the same jokes, were grieved by the same situations. She had an influence on me and vice versa.

So it (almost) is when it comes to walking with God. It is a life of complete devotion and constant communion with Him. The disciples for example, laid their lives to the side and walked with Jesus everywhere He went. As a result, they related with Him on a more personal level, and He constantly taught them so much more than He did the rest of the crowd. The same is true for Moses, who spent the greater part of his life with God, including forty days on a mountain.

So it was with Enoch. The name ‘Enoch’ means ‘dedicated’ and reflects the kind of life that he lived, fully surrendered to God.

It truly is a thing of glory to walk with The Creator of the universe.

D) Our exceedingly Great Reward

The manner in which we seek God is a direct reflection of our faith. The Lord loves an ardent seeker. He has promised that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. (Hebrews 11:6)

The use of the word ‘seek’ implies that something has been hidden from plain sight. This is why God will always be found in the Secret Place, and a seeker must be willing to go the extra mile to find Him.

The men of old often sought and found God after days of going up mountains, or places of deep solitude. God is not found in the noise, but in the stillness. He is found in the laying aside of every weight until our eyes are fully set on Him.

“Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? Or who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; Who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.” Psalm‬ ‭24‬:‭3‬-‭4‬ ‭KJV‬‬

God Himself is the reward for those who seek Him.

“After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.” Genesis‬ ‭15‬:‭1‬ ‭KJV‬‬

God promises us that He will be found by us when we seek Him with all our hearts. (Jeremiah 29:11-12) This means that it is impossible to diligently seek God and not find Him.

Once we find Him, we must believe Him. When we believe Him, our natural response is to walk with Him. For example, I cannot walk with God as my Saviour if I have not believed in His ability to save me to the uttermost.

Walking with God comes from a place of believing in Him. [“Can two walk together, except they be agreed?” Amos‬ ‭3‬:‭3‬ ‭KJV‬‬]

A life of walking with God is therefore a life of full devotion to the One in whom we have believed. A life dedicated to God arises from the faith that ‘He exists’ and He is worth every single thing. It is a life of death to self.

“Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭16‬:‭24‬ ‭KJV‬‬

The ambassadors of our faith dedicated their lives to God, forsaking everything else, considering Him to be the greatest reward of all. He is the greatest reward.

“The kingdom of heaven is like a [very precious] treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid again; then in his joy he goes and sells all he has and buys that field [securing the treasure for himself].” Matthew‬ ‭13‬:‭44‬ ‭AMP‬‬

This is perhaps why, when Moses speaks to God, his desire is for nothing else but ‘to see His Face’. David too, constantly spoke of a desire to dwell in The Presence of His Lord.

There is nothing quite like encountering The Lord. Everything else pales and literally disappears in comparison.

The more we walk with God, the deeper we grow in intimacy with Him. A growth in intimacy implies the sharing of one’s deepest secrets and mysteries. The Word reports that God spoke to Moses as He would a friend.

When God perceives the plan to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, He tells Abraham about it, saying;

“The Lord said, “Shall I keep secret from Abraham [My friend and servant] what I am going to do,” Genesis‬ ‭18‬:‭17‬ ‭AMP‬‬

Enoch too stewarded the mysteries of God, and the revelational insight in his book is simply… intimate. John, the beloved of God, walked with Him and received revelational insight into the end times. Noah walked with God, and received the revelation of a flood 120 years before it ravaged the earth. David walked with God, and prophesied of the coming of the Messiah long before He did.

I have come to learn that the deeper we walk in God, the deeper we experience Him. There is a place where encounters become inevitable. He becomes our Source. The disciples, their lives were transformed from mere fishermen to powerful demonstrators of the power of God. A healing shadow?

Nothing is impossible in this Life.

E) Walking with God versus reverence

“And [in reverent fear and obedience] Enoch walked with God; and he was not [found among men], because God took him [away to be home with Him]. [Heb 11:5]”
‭‭Genesis‬ ‭5‬:‭24‬ ‭AMP‬‬

Walking constantly with God requires a deep reverence for Him, not borne out of ungodly fear, but rather a deep seated awe of who He is.

The secrets of The Lord are with those who fear Him. This is why men like John were constantly found on the floor in His Presence. Isaiah could barely contain Himself in the Throne Room. Paul. Gideon. Abraham.

Reverence also reflects through our service and obedience to God. When deciding to tell Abraham about His plan to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, The Lord refers to him as ‘His servant’ in addition to being His friend. This same man who immediately obeyed the command to sacrifice his only son.

Service and obedience to God with humility and meekness is not negotiable if we must walk with God.

F) Enoch was translated, so he did not see corruption

According to The Word, Enoch walked with God, and he was not - because God took him. In other words, Enoch did not die before going to heaven.

Today, this promise more often refers to avoiding the death that comes with both sin and eternal damnation, because we have been translated to the eternal Life of God.

One of the translations of the term ‘death’ in Hebrews 11:5 refers to ‘the misery of the soul arising from sin, which begins on earth but lasts and increases after the death of the body in hell’.

However, I do believe that there will be those who will be equally translated to Heaven without dying first. First, because nothing is impossible with God. Second, The Word says so.

“Then we who are alive and remain [on the earth] will simultaneously be caught up (raptured) together with them [the resurrected ones] in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord! [John 14:3; 1 Cor 15:52; 2 Cor 5:8; Phil 1:23; Col 3:4]”
‭‭1 Thessalonians‬ ‭4‬:‭17‬ ‭AMP‬‬