Walk in God's Ways

God told His people to walk in HIS WAYS; 

Deuteronomy 11:22 “Be careful to obey all these commands I am giving you. SHOW LOVE TO THE LORD YOUR GOD BY WALKING IN HIS WAYS and holding tightly to him.”

But, people disobeyed BY GOING THEIR OWN WAY. 

Matthew 22:5-9 “But the guests he had invited ignored them and WENT THEIR OWN WAY, one to his farm, another to his business. Others seized his messengers and insulted them and killed them. “The king was furious, and he sent out his army to destroy the murderers and burn their town. And he said to his servants, ‘The wedding feast is ready, and the guests I invited aren’t worthy of the honor. Now go out to the street corners and invite everyone you see.’”

Therefore, God appeared in human form to teach us HOW TO Walk in His Ways and FOLLOW HIM to Salvation. 

Galatians 3:23-25 “Before THE WAY OF FAITH in CHRIST was available to us, we were placed under guard by the law. We were kept in protective custody, so to speak, until the way of faith was revealed. Let me put it another way. The law was our guardian until Christ came; it protected us until we could be made right with God through FAITH. And now that the way of faith has come, we no longer need the law as our guardian.”

Micah 4:2 “People from many nations will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of Jacob’s God. There HE WILL TEACH US HIS WAYS, and WE WILL WALK IN HIS PATHS.” For the Lord’s teaching will go out from Zion; his word will go out from Jerusalem.”

The First Most Important Step; REPENTANCE. Jesus Christ never sinned. So to be like Him, we need to confess all our sins, and repent, and trust in the Lord to transform us into blameless and holy in His sight. 

Matthew 3:8 “PROVE BY THE WAY YOU LIVE THAT YOU HAVE REPENTED OF YOUR SINS AND TURNED TO GOD." 

The Second equally important step is having received the Holy Spirit. This step happens only if the first step is completed in genuine faith. 

Proverbs 21:2 “People may be right in their own eyes, but the Lord examines their heart.”

Proverbs 16:2 “People may be pure in their own eyes, but the Lord examines their motives.”

How do we know if we have received the Holy Spirit; Jesus Christ reveals Himself in His Glory. It needs to be witnessed with eyes. This event would prompt us to call out "Abba Father," followed by a public testimony of having witnessed Him. There is absolutely no doubt when it happens. It is not imaginary.

1 John 1:2–3 “THIS ONE WHO IS LIFE ITSELF WAS REVEALED TO US, and WE HAVE SEEN HIM. And now we TESTIFY and proclaim to you that HE IS the one who is ETERNAL LIFE. He was with the Father, and then he was REVEALED TO US. We proclaim to you what we ourselves have ACTUALLY SEEN AND HEARD so that you may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.”

🔥 Without faith, repentance, and the Holy Spirit baptism a person CANNOT walk in God's ways. 

2 Corinthians 13:5 “Examine yourselves to see if your faith is genuine. Test yourselves. Surely you know that Jesus Christ is among you; if not, you have failed the test of genuine faith.”

THE WAYS OF GOD

➡️ JESUS SPOKE THE TRUTH AND EXPOSED HYPOCRITES AND LIARS

John 7:7 “The world can’t hate you, but it does hate me because I accuse it of doing evil.”

Matthew 23:15 “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you cross land and sea to make one convert, and then you turn that person into twice the child of hell you yourselves are!”

Matthew 23:33 “Snakes! Sons of vipers! How will you escape the judgment of hell?”

Luke 13:15 “But the Lord replied, “You hypocrites! Each of you works on the Sabbath day! Don’t you untie your ox or your donkey from its stall on the Sabbath and lead it out for water?”

Ephesians 5:10-14 “Carefully determine what pleases the Lord. Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, expose them. It is shameful even to talk about the things that ungodly people do in secret. But their evil intentions will be exposed when the light shines on them, for the light makes everything visible. This is why it is said, “Awake, O sleeper, rise up from the dead, and Christ will give you light.”

Matthew 6:22–23 “Your eye is like a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is filled with light. But when your eye is unhealthy, your whole body is filled with darkness. And if the light you think you have is actually darkness, how deep that darkness is!”

John 9:39-41 “Then Jesus told him, “I entered this world to render judgment—to give sight to the blind and to show those who think they see that they are blind.” Some Pharisees who were standing nearby heard him and asked, “Are you saying we’re blind?” “If you were blind, you wouldn’t be guilty,” Jesus replied. “But you remain guilty because you claim you can see.”

➡️ JESUS LIVED WITHOUT POSSESSIONS

Matthew 8:20 “But Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens to live in, and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place even to lay his head.”

Matthew 19:21 “Jesus told him, “If you want to be perfect, go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

1 Corinthians 7:30-31 “Those who weep or who rejoice or who buy things should not be absorbed by their weeping or their joy or their possessions. Those who use the things of the world should not become attached to them. For this world as we know it WILL SOON PASS AWAY.”

➡️ JESUS SHOWED UNCONDITIONAL LOVE AND PATIENCE

Matthew 5:43–48 “You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike. If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much. If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? EVEN PAGANS DO THAT. But YOU ARE TO BE PERFECT, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.”

Luke 22:49–51 “When the other disciples saw what was about to happen, they exclaimed, “Lord, should we fight? We brought the swords!” And one of them struck at the high priest’s slave, slashing off his right ear. But Jesus said, “NO MORE OF THIS.” And he touched the man’s ear and HEALED HIM.”

Matthew 7:12 “Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you. This is the essence of all that is taught in the law and the prophets.”

Matthew 5:9 “God blesses those who work for PEACE, for they will be called the children of God.”

➡️ JESUS DID NOT PRAISE HIMSELF OR CARE ABOUT BEING VALIDATED

John 8:54–56 “Jesus answered, “If I want glory for myself, it doesn’t count. But it is my Father who will glorify me. You say, ‘He is our God,’ but you don’t even know him. I know him. If I said otherwise, I would be as great a liar as you! But I do know him and obey him. Your father Abraham rejoiced as he looked forward to my coming. He saw it and was glad.”

John 5:41–44 “Your approval means nothing to me, because I know you don’t have God’s love within you. For I have come to you in my Father’s name, and you have rejected me. Yet if others come in their own name, you gladly welcome them. No wonder you can’t believe! For you gladly honor each other, but you don’t care about the honor that comes from the ONE WHO ALONE IS GOD."

Proverbs 29:25 “Fearing people is a dangerous trap, but trusting the Lord means safety.”

1 Thessalonians 2:4-6 “For we speak as messengers approved by God to be entrusted with the Good News. Our purpose is to please God, not people. He alone examines the motives of our hearts. Never once did we try to win you with flattery, as you well know. And God is our witness that we were not pretending to be your friends just to get your money! As for human praise, we have never sought it from you or anyone else.”

Luke 6:26 “What sorrow awaits you who are praised by the crowds, for their ancestors also praised false prophets.”

➡️ JESUS WAS HUMBLE

Philippians 2:6–11 “THOUGH HE WAS GOD, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he HUMBLED HIMSELF in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross. Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

Luke 22:24-27 “Then they began to argue among themselves about who would be the greatest among them. Jesus told them, “In this world the kings and great men lord it over their people, yet they are called ‘friends of the people.’ But among you it will be different. Those who are the greatest among you should take the lowest rank, and the leader should be like a servant. Who is more important, the one who sits at the table or the one who serves? The one who sits at the table, of course. But not here! For I am among you as one who serves.”

Luke 17:7-10 “When a servant comes in from plowing or taking care of sheep, does his master say, ‘Come in and eat with me’? No, he says, ‘Prepare my meal, put on your apron, and serve me while I eat. Then you can eat later.’ And does the master thank the servant for doing what he was told to do? Of course not. In the same way, when you obey me you should say, ‘We are unworthy servants who have simply done our duty.’”

Luke 18:9-14 “Then Jesus told this story to some who had great confidence in their own righteousness and scorned everyone else: “Two men went to the Temple to pray. One was a Pharisee, and the other was a despised tax collector. The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed this prayer: ‘I thank you, God, that I am not like other people—cheaters, sinners, adulterers. I’m certainly not like that tax collector! I fast twice a week, and I give you a tenth of my income.’ “But the tax collector stood at a distance and dared not even lift his eyes to heaven as he prayed. Instead, he beat his chest in sorrow, saying, ‘O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner.’ I tell you, this sinner, not the Pharisee, returned home justified before God. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

1 Corinthians 10:12 “If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall.”

➡️ JESUS LOOKS AT THE HEARTS

Matthew 9:4 “Jesus knew what they were thinking, so he asked them, “Why do you have such evil thoughts in your hearts?”

Mark 12:41–44 “Jesus sat down near the collection box in the Temple and watched as the crowds dropped in their money. Many rich people put in large amounts. Then a poor widow came and dropped in two small coins. Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I tell you the truth, this poor widow has given more than all the others who are making contributions. For they gave a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she had to live on.”

Luke 19:2–10 “There was a man there named Zacchaeus. He was the chief tax collector in the region, and he had become very rich. He tried to get a look at Jesus, but he was too short to see over the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree beside the road, for Jesus was going to pass that way. When Jesus came by, he looked up at Zacchaeus and called him by name. “Zacchaeus!” he said. “Quick, come down! I must be a guest in your home today.” Zacchaeus quickly climbed down and took Jesus to his house in great excitement and joy. But the people were displeased. “He has gone to be the guest of a notorious sinner,” they grumbled. Meanwhile, Zacchaeus stood before the Lord and said, “I will give half my wealth to the poor, Lord, and if I have cheated people on their taxes, I will give them back four times as much!” Jesus responded, “Salvation has come to this home today, for this man has shown himself to be a true son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost.”

➡️ JESUS SHOWED MERCY

John 8:10–11 “Then Jesus stood up again and said to the woman, “Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you?” “No, Lord,” she said. And Jesus said, “Neither do I. Go and SIN NO MORE.”

James 2:13 “There will be no mercy for those who have not shown mercy to others. But if you have been merciful, God will be merciful when he judges you.”

➡️ JESUS DID NOT GET OFFENDED

Mark 15:31–32 “The leading priests and teachers of religious law also mocked Jesus. “He saved others,” they scoffed, “but he can’t save himself! Let this Messiah, this King of Israel, come down from the cross so we can see it and believe him!” Even the men who were crucified with Jesus ridiculed him.”

Matthew 5:11–12 “God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are my followers. Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted in the same way.”

2 Timothy 2:23-26 “Again I say, don’t get involved in foolish, ignorant arguments that only start fights. A servant of the Lord must not quarrel but must be kind to everyone, be able to teach, and be patient with difficult people. Gently instruct those who oppose the truth. Perhaps God will change those people’s hearts, and they will learn the truth. Then they will come to their senses and escape from the devil’s trap. For they have been held captive by him to do whatever he wants.”

➡️ JESUS GIVES HOPE

1 Timothy 1:1 “This letter is from Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus, appointed by the command of God our Savior and Christ Jesus, who GIVES US HOPE.”

Romans 5:5 “And this HOPE will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.”

ABBA FATHER! 🙌🏼 💕