WALKING WITH GOD-3

HINDRANCES TO WALKING WITH GOD – Gen.6: 1-22; 7: 1-24; Lk.17: 26-30

Enoch was the first man mentioned in the Bible to ever walk with God. Noah was another man who walked with God. We surely have some great lessons to learn from the life of Noah because the Lord Jesus Christ likened our time – the end-time to the time of Noah and Lot. The life of Noah (and also Lot) show us certain hindrances to walking with God but if Noah could walk with God in his generation despite these hindrances, we can walk with Him in our time too.

1. The Problem of Large Population and Widespread Sin: 
Generally, sin hinders our walk with God. At the time of Noah, the whole world was full of sin and corruption that only Noah was perfect and just before God. Sodom & Gomorrah also were so vile and corrupt that only Lot was fit for rescue with his family.
Large number can be deceptive! Men turned the blessing of God (in increasing and
multiplying them – Gen.1: 28) against Him. The world now like the time of Noah is facing the problem of overpopulation. It is not easy to manage growth or success e.g. the Rich Fool – Lk.12: 16-21 & Early Church – Acts 6: 1; Ps.62: 10. Let us multiply for God and be rich toward Him and not against Him – Prov.29: 16. That was the problem at Babel also. Any idea at all, like infectious diseases spread faster in densely populated cities. We must be careful! The fact that everybody does something or majority of believers accept certain behaviors or practices does not make them right (Exod.23: 2). We must not conform to the world in any way but be transformed by renewing our minds – Rom.12: 1-2. Like Noah, our life must testify for God against the world.

2. The Problem of Unequal Yoke, Sexual immorality & Perversion:
Here we see for the 1st time, a strange form of mixed marriage between fallen angels or demonic beings and daughters of men. This in itself broke the law of procreation as God’s command and blessing was that everything should bring forth fruits after its kind – Gen.1: 21-28. Then, it is an unequal yoke forbidden by God – Exod.34: 12-16; Deut.7: 3-4; 2Cor.6: 14-18. It was also a form of sexual perversion the products of which were depraved giants or supernatural beings that were half human and half demons. God forbids such cross-breeding and mixed-cropping – Lev.19:19. Angels don’t even procreate in the first place but these demons needed human bodies to express their depravity and lawlessness.
So, God decided to wipe out that entire generation except Noah and his family who were not involved in such perversion and pollution. The Bible already prophesied in 2Tim.3: 13 that in the end-times, men shall wax worse in seduction and evil, and that is already happening. All manner of sexual perversions unheard of in the past are now common place in the society – prostitution, rape, orgies, husband/wife swap, homosexuality, lesbianism, bestiality, transgender, baby-sale, etc. As we near the end and begin to see a repeat of the events of the time of Noah and Lot, we must make every effort to keep ourselves pure as enjoined in scripture – 1Tim.5: 22. We must flee all forms of sexual immorality – 2Cor.6:18-20.

3. The Problem of Idolatry:
Idolatry is a sin that provokes God so, the Bible warns us to flee from it – Exod.20: 1-
5; 34: 14; 1Cor.10: 14. God commanded the Israelites not to marry the Canaanites in the first place to prevent idolatry – Exod.34: 17; 1Kg.11: 1-4. We must understand the fact that in every form of idolatry, beyond the material objects that men worship is
‘spiritism’. According to Paul (1Cor.8: 4), the material idol in itself is nothing, it is
these fallen angels or demons behind these material objects that seek for worship from men. And that is what God forbids. (Please, take note that true angels of God don’t accept worship from men).
Idolatry and sexual immorality are related and usually intertwined. That is why idolatry
is always referred to in scripture as spiritual adultery e.g. the classical parable of Aholah and Aholibah representing Samaria and Jerusalem in Ezekiel 23. An unfaithful Christian who dabbles into idolatry (directly or indirectly) is like a whore or an unfaithful wife!
There is doctrinal seduction also that lures people into what the Bible calls the doctrines of devils – 2Tim.3: 13; 1Tim.4: 1-2. We must shun every form of unfaithfulness and avoid every deception and anything that could remove us from the narrow way or make us stray away from God and His word. We must hold on firmly to the wholesome truth of the word of God to the end – Eph.4: 11-15; Gal.1: 8-9; 2Tim.2: 2. We must be committed, dedicated and faithful to God to the end of our lifetime. Psalm 48: 14
should always be our watchword and song!

4. The Problem of Unbelief or Lack of Faith in God:
Hebrews 11: 6 clearly declares that, “…without faith it is impossible to please Him”. And we know that throughout the Bible and in history, all those who walked closely with God have always been men and women of faith. It is therefore obvious that Noah was a man of faith. While the entire world around him sank in unbelief and ungodliness, he believed God. Noah believed God and His sure word of impending judgment by flood and warned the people around him but they would not heed his warning. In faith, he obeyed God and constructed the Ark from the scratch till he finished it against the odds of cruel mocking of ungodly men around him. In faith, Noah obeyed God and carefully selected every species of animals and birds – two by two; male and female, and eventually moved into the Ark after it was completed.
Meanwhile, the unbelievers around him did not believe God and His warning through Noah until the flood came and destroyed them all. Truly, it is not impossible to walk with God or please Him without faith. We therefore have no option in life than to always believe God and His word irrespective of our feelings and experience. It doesn’t matter really, the level of unbelief in the world now; we must hold tightly to God and His word and never allow our faith in God to waiver at anytime. And without any doubt, the fruit of faith is obedience to God. If we believe God like Noah; we would also obey God like Noah!
We would be patient like him also because Noah was patient in constructing the Ark; he patiently selected all the animals and birds – two by two, male and female. He patiently endured the rain that lasted 40 days and 40 nights, and waited patiently for another 3 months until the water subsided before coming out of the Ark. Surely, we cannot walk with God without faith and patience for, you show your faith by patience!

#WalkingWithGod1-3 #Revealed by An Envoy #Grace and Peace be multiplied unto you this week