Walking with God: Lessons on Intimacy Which I Have Learnt Along the Journey

Copyright © 2019 Modupe Sanusi. All rights reserved.

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Scripture quotations marked KJV are from the Holy Bible, King James Version (Authorized Version). First published in 1611. Quoted from the KJV Classic Reference Bible, Copyright © 1983 by The Zondervan Corporation.

Published by AuthorHouse 03/08/2019

ISBN: 978-1-5246-7779-4 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5246-7780-0 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-5246-7778-7 (e)

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Contents

Growth

Walking with God

God has a Personality

Interested in The Nature of God

Enoch

Two Types of Knowledge

Moses The Man of God

Moses Sought Intimacy

The Burning Bush

Logos and Rhema

Dependence

Fruit of Dependence

Humility

Pride Is A Deterrence

Daniel and Nebuchadnezzar

Benefits of Humility

Pride Results in Demotion

Focus

Focus of Jesus

Seasons of Focus During Examinations

Mary of Bethany

Jesus on Focus

The Eyes of The Lord

Cultivating Focus

Preparation

Love

Holy and Harlot

All We Need is Jesus

Lovers

Lovers are Loyal

Lovers Submit

Love is Superior to Works

Self Love as a Conduit to Love Others

Idolatry

The Golden Calf

A Way that Seems Right to Man

Appreciation

Murmuring

Remaining Thankful

Intimacy with God is The Most Important

Trusting in God/Reliance in Christ

Why Should I Trust in God? The Gospel

Rest: The Presence

Growth

Virtue is not an end in itself. Virtue is not the most important thing we are seeking to possess on this journey towards Christ. This is where the majority of ethicists and philosophers have gone wrong. Virtue and justice is a means to an end and the end is God, or more namely an intimacy shared with God. God is who we are looking to enjoin ourselves to and God is He who we are looking to become unmistakably identical to. We want to know God like Moses knew Him. We want to be so similar, so completely identical to Him, that like the Lord Jesus Christ we may unashamedly affirm I and my Father are One [Jn 10:30]. We need to know how we might achieve this, and whilst the first step in this journey is to cling unto a faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, there are additional steps – in terms of our moral disposition – which must be exercised daily in order to improve our communion with God.

In the second epistle of Peter the Apostle exhorted the church to grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ [2 Pet 3:18]. He also exhorted the church to grow in faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness and charity. He told them: for if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ [2 Pet 1:8].

This is something the Apostle Paul instructed his disciples too. To Timothy for instance he told him to follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart [2 Tim 2:22]. And in another epistle to Timothy the Apostle gave a similar exhortation, instructing him to follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness [1 Tim 6:11]. These are some of the virtues we will be examining over the course of this text. They are clearly important because Timothy was already a fervent believer who had gained a good reputation in the faith. Before Timothy meet Paul and was taken under his arm he was already well reported of by the brethren that were at Lystra and Iconium [Acts 16:2]. Timothy was in the faith of Jesus Christ before he meet Paul and he was already known for his good character by those who maintained fellowship with him. Paul discipled him further and they became formidably close over the course of their respective lives. Timothy was a very trustworthy man and Paul could not find many comparable to him. Subsequently he was safely entrusted with large responsibilities and jobs to complete in overseeing some of the churches which were established by his spiritual father.

In the epistle to the Philippians Paul said this of Timothy. But I trust in the Lord Jesus to send Timotheus shortly unto you, that I also maybe of good comfort, when I know your state [Phi 2:19]. Paul was in prison when he wrote and sent this epistle. He had planned to send Timothy to the church at Philippi to help oversee their ongoing progress. Paul knew a lot of men in the faith and he had worked tirelessly to disciple many growing believers. But out of a large pot of believers he decided to choose only Timothy. Here is why: For I have no man likeminded, who will naturally care for your state. For all seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ’s [Phi 2:20-21]. Timothy was completely sold out to serve Jesus Christ. He did not do so from a place of selfish ambition or vainglory, he did not do so as a means to an end, to receive some other baser good such as money or esteem from men, but he did so because he was intimate with Christ and loved him.

But despite all of these good remarks Paul still exhorted the disciple to grow in righteousness and virtue.

We should never believe we have reached perfection and that there is no more room to continue growing. Paul acknowledged this when he conceded to the Philippians that he had not yet attained perfection but he continued to press on towards the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus [Phi 3:13-14]. The truth is that there is always space to grow. We can always become wiser, stronger, kinder, more meek, more patient and gentle. We should never say we have fulfilled all of our potential with regards to spiritual growth. If we do so then we will never leave space for future growth. If I already think I am wise or if I already think I have learnt all knowledge then I will not desire growth in these areas. But if I like to learn and I understand that there is still a lot more to learn then I will be incentivised to pursue more knowledge. It is wise therefore to always maintain a space for spiritual growth.

It is good to continue learning. A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels [Pro 1:5]. Nobody knows everything. For we see in part, know in part and prophecy in part. The same thing most obviously applies to our knowledge of God. Who among us can say we know everything about God? Everyday we should strive to learn something new about God. There is still much more to discover about God.

If there is one thing I love about the spiritual life is that we are constantly evolving. Constantly discovering layers of God which lie dormant within. Constantly labouring until Christ is perfectly and wholly formed within. Because he is so vast and so enthusiastic about the opportunity of teaching us more of his righteous ways, he will often give us much more revelation than we initially expected or desired. This is why Paul says He is able to do exceedingly and more abundantly than we can think or desire [Eph 3:20]. But never must we say that we have learnt everything which ought to be ascertained. This will only stifle any spiritual growth.

If we are still alive on this earth then it must mean that there is still something for us to do which God wants us to achieve before we die. If you remain alive on the earth and you have yet to be taken up by God then it simply means that you have not yet fulfilled your purpose and that there is still more growth and learning which must be undergone before you stand before the Lord in judgement. When Jesus Christ was on the cross he cried it is finished [Jn 19:30]. And when he prayed to the Father shortly before he was betrayed by Judas and taken into imprisonment he proclaimed I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do [Jn 17:4]. Because Jesus had accomplished the work which God had sent him into the world to do, there remained no more reason for him to stay upon the earth. The same applied to Enoch, Elijah and John the Baptist. They finished the work which God had ordained for them to do and so he took them into the comfort and peace of his heavenly chambers.

There were a number of times when plots were made against Jesus to take his life. But we often heard of how no man laid hands on him because his hour was not yet come [Jn 7:30]. There is a similar story of two witnesses whom will arise in the last days prophesying for 1260 days. They are sealed by God and will withstand all persecution plotted against them until they have finished their God ordained testimony. They will only be killed once they have finished their testimony.

God will not let us die until we achieve what he has purposed for us to fulfil. God wants us to bear fruit and to bear fruit in abundance. Without the fruit of the Spirit we cannot enter into heaven. So God will often wait patiently until we begin producing the fruit of righteousness which he so desperately desires. Behold the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain [Jas 5:7]. When we begin producing the fruit of the Spirit and fulfil our specific mandate upon the earth, God will not tarry in leaving us here. But instead he will send forth his sickle to reap the well-anticipated fruit of the earth. This is a principle which is alluded to in the gospel of Mark. In the gospel of Mark we are told by Jesus: but when fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come [Mk 4:29].

God will not take us until the fruit of the Spirit is flourishing in our life! This of course does not apply to everybody; for we will not all bear good fruit. Some trees bear no fruit and some trees bear bad fruit. But every tree which God waters will one day bear good fruit: and when the harvest has come, with its fruit in abundance, he will surely not tarry before sending his angels to thrust his sickle into the earth.

This clearly shows us that we must continue to grow until God takes us. If we are alive today then it must mean God wants us to still develop our growth. And if we refuse to grow into the likeness of his Son then we will face severe repercussions. There is therefore ample space and grace for us to continue learning.

But let us not be like those who are ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth [2 Tim 3:7]. For there is a big difference between those who learn for mere theological information and those who learn the things of God because they want to apply his word and thereby grow into his likeness. Let us be doers of the word and let us immediately put into practise everything we learn from God on a daily basis.

Everybody must undergo growth in the kingdom of God. Even Jesus had to, and in his youth he increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man [Lk 2:52]. Jesus was able to achieve this because he was continually learning from God and applying what he had learnt from Him on a practical basis. There are some deeper things God cannot teach us until we have learnt to apply what he has already told us before. God can only teach us deeper things when we have first learnt to apply the basic foundations. This is how all learning works. As an English Teacher I cannot teach you how to write a story if you have not first learnt how to write a sentence. And as a Mathematics Teacher I cannot teach you about algebra if you have not first learnt about the application of addition and subtraction. The same principle applies to the things of God. He cannot teach you about love if you have not yet learnt how to apply faith. He cannot teach you about prayer if you have not yet learnt about forgiveness. And he cannot teach you about heavenly secrets from above if we have not yet learnt about obedience. This is why it is so crucial for us to hearken unto every word of the Lord; so that we might progress rather than stagnate, so that we might move forward rather than backwards.

The Kingdom of God is about growth. Jesus Christ says that the Kingdom of God is like a mustard seed which is the least of all seeds but later grows into the greatest of trees [Matt 13:31-32]. When we are in the kingdom of God we will not be the same person we were yesterday but we ought to progress everyday as God teaches us something new each day. He is a God who loves you and who desires to impart new revelation into you each new hour. When we hearken unto these new revelations, and his continual counsel, then we are compelled to continually grow.

We do not need to wait a long time before we flourish into the fruitful trees which God seeks to glorify in the midst of men. We must learn how to abide in him so that he might abide in us. Jesus was 30 years old when he began his ministry and only needed to work for around three years before accomplishing his own assignment. He was able to achieve this because he learnt quickly and immediately applied everything which he was taught. This is such an important principle which we cannot underestimate. I can remember when I was learning how to play a trumpet. I had never learnt how to play a wind-pipe instrument before and I found it tremendously difficult to blow it and make the right sound. In the first two lessons, I had still not learnt how to blow it properly. The teacher was teaching me the particular technique I had to apply with my lips, chin and tongue but I could not learn anything else; any notes, any songs, any pitches, until I had first learnt the most basic requirement. The same thing holds true in the Kingdom of God. We cannot accomplish greater assignments when we have not yet accomplished the smaller and more foundational ones.

The same applies to us believers when we do not learn the most basic requirements for our walk with God. If I do not know how to love, walk in humility, and forgiveness, then there is no way God will advance me into deeper things. This is a major problem which has stifled much spiritual progress within the body of Christ. Intellectual knowledge may increase but experiential knowledge stagnates or even diminishes and there is no ostensible evidence of the power of God. All of this happens because of our inability to apply the word of God: because many of us believers are hearers of the words but not doers. Jesus Christ was rich in experiential knowledge of God, as well as intellectual knowledge. This is because he learnt the word of God daily and he also applied it into his life regularly. This is why he did not need to stay on the earth for too long. Jesus understood that effectiveness is better than longevity. In other words it is better that we leave a formidable and exceptional legacy even if we live for a short period of time than if we live for a long time and yet make little or no far-reaching improvement before we die.

You will be surprised how far God can take you in the space of one year if you but only obey his word and daily seek to learn his ways. Look at the example of Isaac, the son of Abraham who sowed in the land of the Philistines and received in the same year an hundredfold [Gen 26:12]. The great thing about this story is that Isaac managed to do this whilst the world was facing a famine. The same is surely promised to us when we continually learn and adhere to the principles of the kingdom of God.

And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him. [Lk 2:40]

And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man. [Lk 2:52]

And the child Samuel grew on, and was in favour both with the Lord, and also with men. [1 Sam 2:26]

And Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him, and did let none of his words fall to the ground. [1 Sam 3:19]

PRACTICAL STEPS FOR GROWTH

• Read the word of God every day. Read it and obey it. Look for ways to make the word of God practical in your life. Do not strive for head knowledge but always look for opportunities to profit from the word of God in every area of your life.

• Pray in the Spirit for at least one hour each day.

• Stay in fellowship with other like-minded believers who are also interested in growth. Find a prayer partner who will stir you to increase your spiritual growth.

• Find a mentor who you can become accountable to. If you find this difficult then pray to God that he will find you somebody to help mentor you.

• Strive to improve every day. You should be a better, more productive person than you were yesterday.

• Evaluate your life daily in comparison to the Lord Jesus. Whilst it is helpful to compare yourself to other believers who are doing exploits for the Kingdom it will always be better and more useful to ultimately compare yourself to the works which Jesus did.

• Document your plans and objectives. Are they being meet? Are you accomplishing less or more than what you set out to achieve? Speak to God to discover which areas of growth He wants you to focus on. He will provide grace for you to become better. But daily evaluate your progress.

Walking with God

In the book of Genesis we are given a small glimpse into the life of a holy man who walked with God. His name was Enoch. And Enoch lived sixty and five years, and begat Methuselah. And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters. [Gen 5:21-22].

Enoch did not always walk with God. But when he was 65 years old he made the choice to consecrate his whole life unto God. He decided to offer up his body as a living sacrifice unto the Lord. He choose to dedicate everything which he said or did unto the name and cause of the Lord. He genuinely wanted to please God and know him more intimately. He subsequently walked with God for 300 years. He did not walk with God from the day of his birth or from his adolescence but he made the decision to do so at the age of 65.

We too can make the decision to walk with God today. We should never make the mistake of saying we will give our lives to the Lord when we are older, sometime next year or when we have finally overcome the familiar lusts of adolescence. We should not make this mistake because tomorrow is not guaranteed to anybody. We ought to remember that man is like to vanity: his days are as a shadow that passeth away [Psa 144:4]. Our lives are very short and the sooner we decide to give our all unto the Lord then the more we will be able to achieve for Him during this brief sojourn called life. It does not matter whether we are old or whether we are young. We are alive and as long as there is life there is still hope for change. Enoch made this decision and chose to walk with God for 300 years. He made his decision when he was comparatively old. A similar story is recounted in the life of Abraham who started walking with the LORD when he was seventy five. Whereas our Lord Jesus made the decision to walk with the LORD from a very young age. I believe the younger we give our lives unto God the better.

Nevertheless during the time Enoch walked with God, God revealed to him many things. God taught him something new every day. Enoch was surrounded by the peace and wisdom of God during every step he took. Enoch spent most of his time with God alone. For lovers love to be alone. They enjoyed communing with one another and they subsequently became very familiar with one another. We can say they became good friends.

And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years: And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him. [Gen 5:23-24]

When you walk with somebody for a long time you will undoubtedly learn a lot about that person. You will not only have intellectual knowledge of that person but you will also gain experiential knowledge of them. Enoch walked with God for 300 years and there was still so much more for him to learn by the time God took him. But God filled him up with a lot of revelation and a lot of heavenly mysteries because Enoch hungered for His truth and he had come to prioritise fellowship with Him above all other things. God is said to be rewarder of those who diligently seek Him [Heb 11:6] and Enoch certainly discovered this principle during his life. Jesus reminds us today: blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness; for they shall be filled [Matt 5:6]. The same can be said for those who hunger and thirst for companionship with God. The same can be said for those