The mark of having a deeper walk with God is being commended as one who pleased God (Gen 5:24; Heb 11:5).  To this end, what is the motive that drives our life?  Paul makes it a point that he is not trying to please men, but God (1 Th 2:4).

Scripture declares those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God (Rom 8:8).  Before we despair on this subject; though, we can turn to Scripture  for instructions as to how to live a life that is pleasing to God (1 Th 4:1). On the other hand, if we are blessed to be walking such a deeper walk with God, Scripture urges us in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to do so even more and more (1 Th 4:1).  

We don’t need to be short sighted by focusing on what we can DO. Instead, we focus on what we can BE. This is a life of faith for it is written that it is impossible to please God without faith (Heb 11:6).

“There is no fear in love; instead, perfect love drives out fear” 1 John 4:18

Both faith and fear are about believing one way or another. Faith is believing the truth of the Word of God as the Holy Spirit ministers to our spirit. Fear is believing the lies of the devil working out their way into our mind, the battle field.

We are plagued by fear when we tend to neglect focusing on the Lord, fail to meditate on His Word, and unable to excercise our faith. Unless we walk in His love, we are always vulnerable to the vicious attack of the devil that inevitably produces fear.

There is no justification for fear to torment us for God has not given us the spirit of fear (2 Tim 1:7). Lets take heed to the prescription provided in Scripture to drive out fear. The key to living a life without fear is a function of our falling and remaining in love with the Father. At times we slip, but the point is to get up and be on track as we walk closer and deeper with God in love.

“Thou he slay me, yet will I hope in him” Job 13:15

What do we do when we have crisis in our life that tempt us to worry? What is the way out when the “what if?” magic question continues in our mind with no apparent solution in sight? Well, praise be to the Lord, we have the option to totally surrender to the Lord. 

The best approach when there seems to be no way out is to declare that we will honor  and hope in God no matter what. Remember the three men of God who were thrown to the fire in the book of Daniel? They were so much in love with God that they declared it didn’t matter even if God had no plan to deliver them from the fire.

The devil has no more arsnel to fight us with when we take such a stand on the will of God. Therefore, let us settle in our mind that we choose not to bow down in fear to the devil with panic and anxiety no matter what the outcome of our fate is. We have safety in being at the center of His will regardless of what happens.

At the end of the day, we come to see His goodness. In the mean time though, let us praise Him in hard times for He is worthy to be praised for who He is. He is a loving Father. Let’s throw ourselves into His caring hands and say, we love and praise You no matter what!

We can trust the Lord. Let Him guide us to the center of His will and rest assured that He causes everything work out for good. Just get lost in His love and silence the devil by declaring that He is worthy of our praise no matter what!

Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. 1 Peter 5:7

God is a beloved dear Father who knows how to take good care of His children.  He watches over us day and night.  It is beyond imagination to walk through life with such an amazing Father by our side.

His timing may not match our timing, but we come to appreciate His ways with our lives. We see the darkness around us; yet rest in the knowledge that He brings the morning bright sunrise in a short while.  We laugh at shut doors for there comes one door that no one can dare to shut.

We settle with less; but then He showers His blessings on us that we cannot contain any longer. We humble ourselves below His hands; but then we find ourselves lifted up in His glory.  We despair that we are left for dead; but then we blossom in the newness of His life.  We reach the end of ourselves only to realize that it is just the beginning for Him.

Deeper walk with God is a journey of a lifetime of discovering His mysterious ways.  It is typified by a life continuously bombarded with His shaping, healing and loving touches.  

And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. Mt 14:29

We like to stay comfortable and stay where we feel is under our control.  The moment we decide the journey of a deeper walk with God, there then comes the call that makes us nervous.  God wants us to move into the next dimension that pushes our comfort level. This is required to keep our tendency to depend on Him sharp.  It is also the only means to make our faith grow.

Yes, there is a big risk if we step out of the boat. For one, we never experienced walking on water in the past.  Second, life as it is, has not been easy when we remember our rocking boats. Now to leave our rocking boats altogether for yet a greater risk is unnerving to say the least.

But if we want to see His glory, we need to catch the passion for stepping out of the boat.  We are meant to draw power from on high and live a supernatural life here on earth.  For that, the Lord wants us to step up and walk by faith.

We are destined to experience the touch of Holy Spirit on a daily basis, doing things that cannot be performed by our strength.  For complete surrender and total abandonment on the Father, we need to accept the challenge to get out of our comfort zone and walk on water.

With the greater adventure, our capacity to be in control diminishes.  As a result, we are motivated to fix our eyes on the Lord Jesus more and more.  Losing our focus on the Lord cannot be tolerated any longer for it threatens our existence.  The moment we get our eyes off Christ, we sink – there is no safe position at all.

When we get to embrace a deeper walk with God, we enjoy such utter dependence on Him.  We feel like we are on a life support – the Lord Jesus Christ – without whom we cannot even envision living.  That is why walking on water cannot be considered optional but an indispensible experience for us all to bring heaven down where we live.

But as for me, I trust in you. Psalm 55: 23

Deeper walk with God is not a leisurely journey that exempts us from pain and suffering. Sometimes, the Lord will allow problems and troubles into our lives to shape us and to demonstrate His power and love in the process. Every problem is an opportunity for Him to express His majesty and for us to reap blessings in disguise.

In the past, when we have troubles, we cry for the solutions. We used to think of God as a harsh God who can’t put up with our happiness. In so doing, we broke His heart while the devil rejoiced in getting away with his lies.

Now, things are changing. This time we know that the challenges are an announcement for the arrival of the wonder working God in action. We, being in deeper love, choose to trust Him. Trusting, we look beyond the circumstances and wait to witness His marvelous hands. Instead of crying for the solutions, we cry for His grace to abound so that we cooperate with Him to go through whatever He plans.

The Lord bestows His grace: we rejoice in the midst of troubles. The Lord looks at our confidence in Him and smiles on us. The devil gets perplexed and asks: what is going on? We understand it is a new game this time. It is a love game, where His beloved children have learned to put their trust in the Lord. As to the devil, he is confused with his lies exposed!

Through it all, though, we see the track record of God. We see His faithfulness. Whether in fire or through sea, one thing stands out – the unfailing love of God. He never fails. There is nothing that is impossible for God. Our needs and troubles create the opportunity for God to show us His mercy and kindness. Praise the Lord.

For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it. Hebrew 4:2 

Scripture, for example, in the first three chapters of Ephesians alone declares we are blessed with all spiritual gifts at the heavenly places and positioned at the right hand side of God in Christ among the many blessings listed.

All these amazing promises and blessings are already available in Christ for us to walk in them by faith. The good news is not only what we are hearing the Lord speak through the Word, but also the fact that these out of this world “good news” can in fact be realized in each one of us through His amazing grace. 

Walking by faith is realizing the spiritual blessings that are already been made available in Christ in the spiritual realm manifest in our physical world. 

Having faith; that is – trusting in God, we appropriate everything Christ has already secured for us through His blood at the cross.  Let’s pray for the gift of faith from above so that we live glorifying the One who died for us.