To walk with God means to walk by his side in communion and faith during the journey of your existence. Focusing on God and following His teachings will keep you on the right path.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Understanding the Concept
Step 1. Imagine that you are walking with someone in the physical world
To understand what it means to walk with God on a spiritual level, consider what it literally means to take a walk with a friend or family member. Ask yourself how you relate to that person. What do you expect from that individual, and how do you speak and behave in turn?
When you go for a walk with someone, you both head in the same direction. Proceed at the same pace, so that neither of you is left behind. Talk to each other and each listens to what the other says. In other words, there is a sense of complete harmony, union and communion between you during the walk
Step 2. Look for prominent examples of people who have walked with God
The Holy Scriptures contemplate some examples of men and women who followed God, but to understand what walking with God really means, look for specific examples where the exact phrase "walking with God" is used.
- Enoch was the first man in the Bible to walk with God, and as such is probably the most common example used to illustrate the concept. According to the Scriptures, "Enoch walked with God for three hundred years and begat sons and daughters. The whole life of Enoch was three hundred and sixty-five years. And Enoch walked with God and was no more, because God took him with him" (Genesis 5:22 –24).
- The substance of this passage is that Enoch lived in communion with God throughout his life, to the point that God took him to Heaven at the end of his days. While this passage does not suggest that anyone who walks with God will be led to Heaven, it does imply that walking with God opens his doors.
Part 2 of 3: Focus on God
Step 1. Get away from distractions
Before you can focus on God, you must move away from all earthly things that distract you from your relationship with God. These distractions are not just "sins," but include anything that you intentionally or subconsciously prioritize over God.
- Think again about walking with a friend. If your friend spent all his time on his cell phone, instead of interacting with you, the walk wouldn't be very pleasant, and you wouldn't be walking constructively together. Likewise, the distractions that you let yourself go to, instead of making you focus on God, can keep you from truly walking with Him.
- Obviously the sins you commit are a distraction, but they are not the only obstacles to overcome. Even things that might be positive can turn into harmful distractions if you don't pay attention. For example, working hard and making money to support your family is good. However, if you are obsessed with work and money, to the point of neglecting your family and your relationship with God, then you have allowed work to turn into a distraction as well.
Step 2. Read the Holy Scriptures
Christianity holds that the Bible is the word of God. It may not give you specific instructions regarding the direction you have taken, but it represents a good picture of what God wants for and from humanity.
Since God will never invite anyone to do something that contravenes the Scriptures, having a thorough understanding of what the Bible says can help you avoid harmful missteps
Step 3. Pray
Prayer allows the believer to establish direct contact with God. Prayers of thanks, praise and supplication all deserve attention. The important thing is to pray what you feel in your heart.
Think again about how you behave when you walk with a friend. Sometimes you may walk in silence, but often you talk, laugh and shout together. Prayer allows the believer to speak, laugh and shout with God
Step 4. Meditate
Meditation might be a complicated concept, but it essentially means spending time in God's presence and reflecting on His works.
- Meditation practiced today involves deep breathing exercises, mantras and exercises aimed at purifying the mind. While these practices alone do not have the same significance as spiritual meditation, many believers believe they are a great way to cleanse the mind of distractions so that you can focus more deeply on God.
- However, if this kind of meditation doesn't work well for you, just do what you can to escape earthly temptations and spend time thinking about God. Listen to music, take a walk in the park, etc.
Step 5. Pay attention to providence
While at times God might seem distant or silent, there are also times when God is able to interrupt the normal course of events in such a significant way that it disrupts the entire path of the person. These signs of providence can sometimes be subtle, so you will need to keep your eyes and heart open to tell them apart.
Consider the story of Isaac and Rebecca. Abraham's servant went to look for a wife among Abraham's relatives. God led the servant to a well and while he was praying for the right girl to come, Rebekah came and offered him and his camels a drink. The meeting was too important to be considered a mere coincidence. Actually, providence led Rebekah to the well at the right time and guided her to do the right actions. (Genesis 24: 15-20)
Part 3 of 3: Follow God's Example
Step 1. Analyze your steps
Consider the way you live your life. Ask yourself which aspects of your life respect God's will and which are taking you off the right path.
- Find time to sit back and reflect on your path. Think of the times you felt "in harmony" with God. Those days were probably the days you were walking with God. Then think of the times you felt lost, unguided, or distant from God. Ask yourself if you have done things that have distanced you from God, even if they were simple things, such as not finding the time to pray, to go to church or to meditate.
- Try to stick to the attitudes you have assumed when you have walked with God in the past and try in every way to avoid the behaviors that have led you to deviate from the right path.
Step 2. Obey God's commands
To walk with God, you must keep up with him. To do this, you must behave like him and follow the directions he has provided to all humanity.
- Part of this process involves obeying the commandments regarding moral behavior. Although some consider these commandments restrictive, they are intended to preserve humanity and keep it spiritually linked to God.
- The other significant aspect of following God's commandments is love for one's neighbor but also for oneself. Base your life on the same love that God has shown and continues to show for humanity.
Step 3. Be guided by the Holy Spirit
While some passages can be grasped through the scriptures and Church tradition, others are more personal. To understand them you will have to pray and ask God to point them to you.
- Children rely on their caretakers to lead them on the right path. They may think they know all the answers, but inevitably there will come a time when they realize that they should have listened to the advice offered by their parents, grandparents, etc. instead of getting into trouble or danger.
- Similarly, believers rarely rely on the Holy Ghost to guide them along spiritually positive paths.
Step 4. Have patience
The answer to a prayer or the solution to a difficult situation may not come promptly. In order to walk beside God, there are times when you need to slow down and keep up with him.
Eventually God will lead you to where you want to go at the time you should arrive. You may be in a hurry to arrive, but if you want to walk with God, you must trust that God's chosen time is better than yours
Step 5. Walk with others on the same path
While you must certainly love those who have no faith, it is important to accompany those who share your dedication to God. These people can become your support on Earth and you theirs.
- Other believers may help you keep the commitment to walk with God.
- Remember that God often uses someone in your life to guide you.
Step 6. Keep walking
No matter how many times you fall and stumble, you need to get back up and continue your path. God will not turn away from you even if you temporarily lose sight of the way to go.
