My walk isn’t right. It hasn’t been right for some time. No, I’m not talking about my walk with God. I’m talking about my physical walk.
I was born with an impaired hip. My left foot has always been a bit pigeon-toed but in the last few years I have experienced pain and now have a limp that only a hip replacement came fix. I am really looking forward to a new walk! Not only that but I look forward to wearing heels again, playing volleyball, and even getting a good night’s rest again.
In the book of Luke chapter 5, a man who wasn’t able to walk received a miracle from Jesus. As the Lord Jesus looked at this man who was let down from the roof of a house by some friends full of faith towards the Savior, He took care of the most important thing first, the man’s legs, right? No. The Lord saw a far more serious problem other than the fact that he couldn’t walk. The Lord could see into this man’s heart and saw that He was full of sin, as we all are.
Disobedience towards God is sin, which means to fall short of His perfection or standard (Romans 3:23). The Lord took care of the most important thing first. He forgave the man of his sins and then healed his legs.
This man would now have a new heart which would result in a new walk! To be able to walk again after being paralyzed is wonderful, but being able to walk with new desires to please God and walk in close fellowship with Him, is far more wonderful and absolutely necessary.
Sometimes I ask the children I teach, which is more important, to be healed of cancer or paralysis or have your sins forgiven? The eternal perspective is all that matters. Our bodies are temporary; our souls will live forever. God wants each soul to be saved and walk with Him now and then spend eternity with Him in Heaven (Acts 4:12).
I am looking forward to the day when I get my new walk, but even if for some reason it doesn’t happen, that won’t discourage me from walking with God. Walking with Him satisfies the longing of the soul. There is nothing more important than entering into a relationship with Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. When this happens, you will have a new walk too.
God will give you a brand new cleansed heart with brand new desires. Desires that will please Him and bring glory to Him. If any person is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things are passed away; and everything becomes new (Second Corinthians 5:17).
Without Christ, sin is our habit; we do it daily without even thinking about it. Sin impairs our walk. Sinful thoughts and actions come from a nature that we are born with and it expresses itself as soon as we are old enough to think for ourselves. As sinners we choose to go our own way and please ourselves instead of seeking to please God (Romans 5:12, 5:19).
God says we need a new nature and only He can give it and He delights to do so! It is not turning over a new leaf, but rather it is called being “born again”. If a person knows that they have offended God and knows that they cannot save themselves from His judgment or redeem themselves by their works in any way (Galatians 2:16), they need to ask God for forgiveness. If this person chooses to look to Christ as the One who died for them and accepts Him as Savior, choosing to turn from walking their own way, God’s Spirit comes to live within them and He comes to stay forever (Ephesians 1:13)! The new birth is supernatural and Jesus said that without it, we cannot see the Kingdom of God (John 3:3).
Wouldn’t you like to have a new walk by having God’s power to walk right? Think about all the bridges you have burned in your past. Think about the choices you have made that resulted in terrible consequences. Think about the loneliness, shame and fear our disobedience towards God produces and the burden of guilt that we carry. Jesus said, “Come to Me, all of you who are weary and loaded down with burdens, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).
Think about God Himself and how He offered His only Son as your sacrifice and took your punishment so that you wouldn’t have to have a weak walk and be eternally separated from God in a terrible place (John 3:16). He loves you more than you know, and truly can give you a new walk and a new life (Galatians 5:16).
The prophet Jeremiah said, “I know, O LORD, that a man’s way is not in himself, Nor is it in a man who walks to direct his steps” (Jeremiah 10:23). Do you agree with him? May this prayer of the psalmist be your prayer too: “Teach me Your way, O LORD; I will walk in Your truth….” Psalm 86:11.
Beckykew@outlook.com. Becky works with the youth of Sandy Bay.
