"HE who says he abides in Him ought HIMSELF ALSO TO WALK JUST AS HE [Jesus] WALKED."
1 John 2:6 (NKJV)
"You have a few names even in Sardis who have not defiled their garments; AND THEY SHALL WALK WITH ME IN WHITE, FOR THEY ARE WORTHY."
Revelation 3:4 (NKJV)
• God will deal with every character defect, or blemish, that may be found in your life—if you want to walk with Him (Genesis 17:1).
- God will not tolerate any dirtiness in your life. Your level of purity determines your closeness with Him (Isaiah 6:5-7; 1 Peter 1:15,16).
- God cannot behold Sin, when you committed a sin, something dies in your life. YOU start dropping, falling, in the ladder of leadership, when you committed a sin—without a genuine repentance (Proverbs 28:13; 1 John 1:9). THUS, it requires discipline and determination to walk with God!
- Some people, because they are lacking in discipline and do want to indulge their flesh, would not want to take a leadership position—even when they knew they had the potential to be one (James 4:17).
- If you died with God's deposit of Grace on the inside of you, God would not be happy with it. You will give an account of what you do with His Grace bestowed on you (2 Corinthians 6:1). THAT deposit of Grace on your life, is for a purpose, and you must not die with it unfulfilled!
- If you allowed complacencies and fleshly indulgences to rob you of the glory awaiting you in God, you will surely regret! There is nothing in the world that can be compared with the joy of fulfilling your purpose on earth (Matthew 16:26).
- Money cannot give you satisfaction, you could only get satisfaction and Joy in the fulfilment of your purpose on earth. Thus, discipline your flesh that you may be what God has wanted you to be! (Colossians 3:5; 2 Timothy 2:19-21).
- Do not allow procrastination, remove every dross in your life (Proverbs 25:4; 2 Timothy 2:21). Purge yourself of those things that would not allow you to shine as Gold.
- Life in the Spirit is the best (Galatians 5:16). Walking with God has no equal (Galatians 5:25). Being a labourer in God's Vineyard is a thing of honour! (Hebrews 5:4).
- Standing with God, in partnership, to change lives and destinies of other people, to better, is the BEST. Working for God is rewarding on the earth and the world to come! (2 Timothy 2:11,12; 4:7,8; 1 Peter 5:4).
• Walking with God.
- The primary assignment of a leader is to walk with God as said earlier (Colossians 2:6). Working for God emanates from walking with Him. And, If your walking with God is steady and strong (Ephesians 5:8-10), you cannot but be used of God mightily.
- God's ways: "He MADE KNOWN HIS WAYS to Moses, His Acts to the children of Israel" (Psalm 103:7 NKJV);
AND His secrets: "The SECRET of the LORD is with THOSE WHO FEAR HIM, And He will SHOW them His COVENANT" (Psalm 25:14 NKJV); would be made known to you, when you walked intimately with Him. - God will reveal things that could not have been known without Him, to you—If you walked with Him intimately (Daniel 2:17-19).
- He will confide in you, when you are faithful and consistent in your Walk with Him:
17 And the LORD said, “SHALL I HIDE FROM ABRAHAM WHAT I AM DOING, 18 since Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?" (Genesis 18:17,18 NKJV). - What people need, that is, how their needs could be met, would be revealed to you, as a leader and His representative, when you stayed with Him (Psalm 103:7). To stay with God means to fellowship and have communion with Him (Psalm 16:11).
- Note: GOD will not reveal things to someone, a minister, who is not available in His presence.
GOD will direct His people to the person, the Minister, WHOM He has revealed Himself to. And He will defend whoever He loves, who walks with Him intimately (Malachi 3:16-18). - Thus, your ministry starts with walking with God.
• The truth is, If you wanted to walk with God, you would have to stay away from some people (1 Corinthians 15:33; James 4:4).
(i) The path of walking with God is a lonely one, and it is narrow:
13 “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. 14 BECAUSE NARROW IS THE GATE AND DIFFICULT IS THE WAY WHICH LEADS TO LIFE, AND THERE ARE FEW WHO FIND IT" (Matthew 7:13,14 NKJV).
"YES, and All who DESIRE to LIVE GODLY in Christ Jesus will SUFFER persecution."
2 Timothy 3:12 (NKJV).
(ii) You will be misunderstood because your language would be different from that of others. Your reasonings would not be welcomed, in most cases (John 15:18,19).
(iii) Some would be offended with the way and manner of your life—you are weird in their SIGHTS (1 Peter 4:1-4).
a. Life in the Spirit cannot be understood by the natural persons:
"BUT THE NATURAL MAN [carnal person or believer, an unbeliever, or an unregenerated person] DOES NOT RECEIVE THE THINGS OF THE SPIRIT OF GOD, FOR THEY ARE FOOLISHNESS TO HIM; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned" (1 Corinthians 2:14 NKJV).
b. Thus, they tend to detest or hate you:
"I [Jesus] have given them [the Disciples] Your [God's] word; AND THE WORLD HAS HATED THEM BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT OF THE WORLD, just as I am not of the world" (John 17:14 NKJV).
READ: John 15:18-21
c. You will be in some people's black books! Your views about life and values in life, would be different from theirs:
14 Alexander the coppersmith DID ME [Paul] MUCH HARM. MAY THE LORD REPAY HIM ACCORDING TO HIS WORKS. 15 You [Timothy] also must BEWARE OF HIM, FOR HE HAS GREATLY RESISTED OUR WORDS" (2 Timothy 4:14,15).
(iv) You may be forsaken, isolated, and neglected; but God will not leave you. It is only God that should not leave you, humans may leave you!:
16 At my first defense no one stood with me, BUT ALL FORSOOK ME. May it not be charged against them. 17 BUT THE LORD STOOD WITH ME AND STRENGTHENED ME, so that the message might be preached fully through me, and that all the Gentiles might hear. ALSO I WAS DELIVERED OUT OF THE MOUTH OF THE LION. 18 And the Lord will DELIVER me from EVERY EVIL WORK and PRESERVE me for His HEAVENLY KINGDOM. To Him be glory forever and ever. Amen!" (2 Timothy 4:16-18 NKJV).
(v) God will defend, protect, and be your help, If you chose to walk with Him (2 Timothy 4:17).
a. You might be humiliated, ridiculed, or insulted, but God will defend you—deal with your mockers and silence them (2 Thessalonians 1:6-8).
b. God will put to shame those who mock you. He will rise to defend you from those who are against you. Evil would not be allowed to prevail in your life (Psalm 91:9-13).
(vi) God will single you out for Blessings and HONOUR!
• Decision to walk with God, also known as, living a consecrated life, is a choice life; you cannot be forced to live a consecrated and submissive life—for God.
- If you made the choice to walk with God intimately, live a consecrated life, that you may have communion with Him and hear Him always; you would have to drop many things in your Life.
- It requires a lot of discipline, but it worth it anyway! THE glory in it, outweighs the ridicules and pains in it. THE honour in it supercedes the ridicules in it!
• God has reserved a place for you at the top, you are not meant for the beneath, or under—you are to be at the top.
- Endeavour to pay the necessary prices that you may move up on the ladder and be what God has wanted you to be and where He wanted you to be.
• You will not fail in Jesus' name.
Peace!