A blog where women are inspired and encouraged to grow in their relationship with Christ.

Monday, December 31, 2012

A Radical Walk With God


A Radical Walk With God

Are you radically determined to walk closely with God?

Picture yourself and your husband (if not married, a friend) walking amongst the hustle and bustle of downtown New York City. You’re walking on one side of the street, and your husband is all the way on the other side. You’re separated by hundreds of nameless people and loud, exhaust-producing cars. How intimate a conversation can you have shouting across the street at each other?  There’s so much he wants to tell you, but you can’t hear him, can’t see him. You know he’s there, but it’s impossible to feel connected. 

What do you do?  Do you push, shove, and do whatever it takes to cross the street, find him, take his hand, hold tightly, and never let go? Or, do you continue your separate walk, knowing he's there, but, either not knowing how to cross the street, or not caring enough to get to the other side.

Does your walk with God ever feel like that? By faith, you Know He’s there, you know He wants to talk with you, but you allow yourself to walk on the opposite side of the street, feeling separated... Why? By what?

Knowing myself, and having counseled and coached many precious women, I can safely say that in most of our lives, there are times when we just aren't walking intimately with the Lord. 

Why do so few have a consistently close walk with God?

1.  The painful truth:  We don't want it enough to pursue it. {Ouch!}
A close, consistent walk with God isn't a priority. We allow 'life' to become more important than our Lord.

2.  We don't know how.  We try, but can't seem to 'get there'.

The reality is, a close walk with the Lord requires an intense pursuit.  We may not begin the pursuit with passion, but through our obedience, the Holy Spirit will enable us to develop a deep and abiding love for Jesus. We must (with the help of the Holy Spirit) become radically determined to walk closely with God.  

It's not an occasional stroll. It's a radical-lock-arms
don't-let-Him-out-of-your-grip walk!

"No, O people, the LORD has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: 
to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.  
Micah 6:8
A Radical Walk With GodGod has a no-bounds, radical love for us. And by His grace, this is what He wants for you and for me: 

To Be in His Word, or
Meditate on His Word

"...for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true."  Acts 17:11

"Now I commit you to God and to the word of His grace, which can build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified."  Acts 20:32

To Give Thanks and Praise
“Be joyful always; give thanks in all circumstances, 
for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”   
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

To Pray Without Ceasing
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, 
present your requests to God.”  Philippians 4:6

To Confess Our Sins and Forgive Others 
"Have mercy on me, O God, because of Your unfailing love,  
Because of Your great compassion, blot out the stain of my sins."  Psalm 51:1

To Surrender Our All
“So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you;  Take your everyday, ordinary life-your sleeping, eating, going to work and walking around life–and place it before God as an offering.  Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for Him.”  Romans 12:1

To Listen For His Voice
“Be still and know that I am God.”  Psalm 46:10

To Believe Him and Soar
“Great and mighty things He has for me, things my eyes cannot see.”  Jeremiah 33:3

"This is the account of Noah and his family. Noah was a righteous man, the only 
blameless person living on earth at the time, and he walked in close fellowship with God.  
Genesis 6:9

Where are you with the Lord, today?  Are you walking in close fellowship,
or are you on the other side of that crazy-busy street?  
How close do you want to be?  
 I'd love to hear from you! 
Living in His grace, 
Mary
My dear sister, I'd like to ask you for two quick favors. 
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Each woman who stops by WtoW (I'm talking about you!) is so precious to our Lord and to me.  
I can't tell you how much I appreciate your comments, emails, and FB messages.

Are you new to this blog stuff?  You can leave a comment by going down just a little further, right under the 'social media' bar.  You'll see 'comment' ... it's small and easy to miss.  
I look forward to hearing from you!
'Daily' source:  Professional Life Coaching 201 Series p. 45 
Picture Source: 1, 2 

17 comments:

  1. This is a great post, Mary. I love the analogy you give in the beginning of the crowded street. My desire is a deeper walk with the Lord.

    Happy New Year!

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    1. Stacie, I'm with you, sister! I want to do whatever it takes to have a more intimate walk with Him. I so appreciate your desire for a 'deeper' walk and I look forward to hearing about it this year! Thanks so much for stopping by and leaving a comment. Happy New Year!

      Blessings to you ! Mary

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  2. Hi Mary,

    Thanks for this reminder to be radical in making time for our Creator. I am enjoying the book of Matthew currently. :)

    Happy new year!

    Jennifer Dougan
    www.jenniferdougan.com

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    1. Jennifer, I love the book of Matthew. I'm currently reading/living Mark. Lately, God's been chiseling the words 'radical determination' on my heart... We'll see where it leads!
      Thanks so much for coming by today!
      Happy New Year to you!
      Blessings ~ Mary

      I just got back from your beautifully written site!

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  3. Hello Mary, I found your blog via Jottings by Jennifer. I plan on reading through the Bible this year. I haven not done this in a while. We could always use encouragement to grow closer to the Lord. Thanks for the encouragement. Hope you will take a look at my blog hisheartandhome.com Happy New Year! Jayne Evans

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    Replies
    1. Jayne, God's word is so encouraging! Reading through the Bible in a year is such a wonderful goal. I pray that, like Noah, you will walk in close fellowship with Him.
      Thank you for coming by and leaving a comment!

      Happy New Year!
      Blessings ~ Mary

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  4. There have been many times when I have given into not "feeling" close to God. I took my "feeling" as truth and didn't pursue Him like I know He wanted me to. Now, I have a death grip on Him and I cannot imagine life any other way.

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    1. Jen, I'm so glad to hear that you have a 'death grip' on Him. It's beautiful that He holds you in the palm of His hand... And it's awesome that you're in close fellowship with Him. Like you, I can't imagine life any other way!
      Thank you so much for coming by!
      Blessings to you ~ Mary

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  5. This is a wonderful post and you have put so well into words what is on my heart at the beginning of this year. My family won out over blogging in late December and I am just now getting back into the routine. Thanks so much for linking up over at WholeHearted Home. Your post is so pertinent to the begging of a new year.

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    1. Judith, it sounds as if the Lord's been taking us both in the same direction! He's so good to do that. I hope you had a wonderful Christmas season with your family and are having fun transitioning back into 'everyday' life. Thanks so much for hosting the linkup! I enjoy getting to know you and some of the other delightful ladies!
      Thank you for coming by!
      Blessings to you ~ Mary

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  6. Hi Mary,

    Thank you! Glad you enjoyed my post "In the Mornings After." Yes, the presence of Jesus brings joy!

    Thanks for stopping by.

    Jennifer Dougan
    www.jenniferdougan.com

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  7. Mary, I'm Diane from Deep Calls Unto Deep. I must apoligize to you for not responding. Please forgive me. A note of explanation is on the blog along with your comments. I look forward to getting to know you and reading your blog. I can already tell you are a woman after my own heart! Thank You, Jesus!

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    1. Diane, thanks so much for coming by! Congrats on re-launching your site. I look forward to following and getting to know you!
      Blessings to you ~ Mary

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  8. Hi Mary,
    What a great post! Sometimes it feels like I look around and don't even know when I crossed the street to have been walking on the opposite side. This is a really good visual reminder. Thank you. :)
    Blessings,
    Laura

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    1. Thanks Laura! I know what you mean... Sometimes it takes a while to realized we've wandered across the street. God is so faithful to draw us close again. I'm glad you found your way here today. I'm on my way over to your place!
      Blessings to you ~ Mary

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  9. So glad I checked out your blog this Monday morning. I am headed out for a walk in a few minutes and it has given me food for thought. My life verse is I Cor. 2:2 I am determined to know other then Christ Jesus and Him cruified. Confession is good for the soul and I am here to confess it's so easy to stray from this verse. The new year makes some goals made, walking (exercise) being one but the main goal is to turn my eyes back on what I have learned from my past to what does God want to teach me today. Only others put missionary up on a higher standard and are shocked to find out I struggle often with the very same things they do. I need His NEW MERCY every morning for I always use up yesterday. Thanks for the shake up with your wise hearted words. Blessings my sister, blessings.

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    1. Betty, it's so easy to stray from the precious and powerful words that God has placed in our hearts. He's so wonderful to turn us around and help us REMEMBER what He's done for us and where He wants us to go. Thank you for your beautiful, obedient service as a missionary. I'm sure that, in your humanness, you struggle with many of the same areas as I. It's wonderful that our God graciously pours out His mercy anew each morning in each of our lives... That's surely something to rejoice over!!
      I'm so blessed that you stopped by today.
      Blessings to you, my friend ~ Mary

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