How to Walk with God in 2020, Part 1 - I

The following message from Pastor Greg Laurie is made possible by harvest partners, helping people everywhere know God, to find out how to know God personally go to know God.org K NOW know God.org he would you do me a favor sure this message was someone who needs to hear what is amenable to walk with God means I'm in harmony with God's lead singer of the rock singer coming up with new beginning regulatory reminders we follow God's leading, not vice versa.

We want to view where works with God think God hears one when you come with me to walk with God. Lord, were you going to want to go with you before we begin walking with God. Beginning will ask Pastor Greg to help us have a more heavenly view of the earthly issues in our world today. Can you help us with that right Dave everybody below semi truck. Romans 828 is still in the Bible right some object quick.

I think it's their what is it say it says all things work together for good to those love God. Another called according to his purpose within the goes on to say, for whom God did for know. He also did predestined to be conformed to the image of his own dear son, here's the thing were going through a trial in our nation together were going through a storm together and the storm is called covert, 19, also known as the coronavirus. This storm is going to have a beginning, middle and an end. Where are we in it. We don't know but we know will get to get through it and we know that God can even take this event that were going through and work it out for our good.

Ultimately, in his glory, and ultimately his in game if you will, is to make us more like Jesus. Remember all things work together for good to those that love him and all the called according to his purpose in whom God foreknew he wanted to conform into the image of his own dear son, so folks hang on to Jesus working to get through this together. Let's keep praying and let's offer others the hope that we have found in Christ and the hope that we want to extend your listeners goes beyond the boundaries of this radio program is not right, especially on the weekend. That's right, Dave and Fecteau. We have a weekly broadcast every Sunday we call it Harvest at Home. It's a special message that I'll be giving to all of the folks that wanted to then and watch. It's like having church in your home. It's like every me over giving up home Bible study in your front room and I'll tell you what the Lord is blessing that a lot of people are tuning in, and I hope that you will tune in, because what you can do is you can download the harvest up for Apple TV or the Roku box or get the harvest up for your tablet or your phone and you can watch us anyway you want but one thing I know a lot of people are doing. Dave is inviting people over their homes on Sunday morning and are having church in their home.

You know we want everybody to come to church.

That's a great thing. But Jesus did not say that the whole world should go to church but he did say the church should go to the whole world. This is a way to bring church if you will, to your neighborhood church to your neighbors church to people that you care about. So join us for Harvest at Home this Sunday. Just go over the harvest.org we start early in the morning and we got all day long even into the evening. Hope to see you there. Yeah that's right again. You can get the details@harvest.org well, let's get into today's study. Pastor Greg titles it how to walk with God and 2021. Let's grab our Bibles and turn the Hebrews chapter 11, you know there's some amazing and somewhat frightening things happening with the rent rent should be of interest to Christians because she is specifically mentioned in Scripture.

Not every nation is mentioned in the Bible. For instance, there's no mention of the reigning superpower in the face of the earth in the Bible, the United States of America. However, other nations are mentioned, like Israel very specifically I think you can make a pretty good case for mentioned in Scripture of the great nation of China. Maybe even Russia, but without question Iran is specifically mentioned over in Ezekiel 38 five.

So why should we care about this because the Bible tells us in the last days, but overdue. Ezekiel 37, 38, 39, a large force from the north of Israel will attacker and many scholars believe and I would include myself among them and become a scholar, but I would agree with your assessment that Magog and Ross in particular may be referring to Russia. But here's what I do know one of the allies that marches with Ross against Israel is none other than Persia which is modern day rent. By the way I ran is only had that name since 1935. Up to that point. For centuries she has been Persia I ran as long stated her primary objective which is to drive Israel into the sea to wipe Israel off the face of the map. Here's what interest me because in my understanding of Bible prophecy. I believe that the rapture of the church will happen right before or right after the attack of Magog and Ross on Israel. So if I see any hostility toward Israel. I pay extra careful attention. What is the rapture of the church.

It's the moment when were caught up to meet the Lord in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, and were reunited with loved ones that have preceded us to have it so would push back and say you can't find the word rapture in the Bible right but for that matter you can't find the word Bible in the Bible and you can't find the word Trinity in the Bible so there is a Trinity presented in Scripture. Obviously, father, son and Holy Spirit. But the teaching of the rapture which comes from the Greek word, a harp also is done many times in the Bible that event with the Lord calls us up to heaven, will I bring this up because I want to look at a man that experience what we might describe as a solo rapture. He was caught up to meet the Lord in heaven all by himself and his name was Ina and E Nick is a fascinating character. The story is found in Hebrews 11 and also in the book of Genesis here in Hebrews 11 we read these words about them starting a burst pipe by faith. E Nick was taken from this life, so we did not experience death.

He could not be dumb because God had taken him away before he was taken, he was commended as one who please God. So we Nick was taken, meaning he was taking a walk with the Lord, and he was caught up to glory. Maybe Lord's anybody were closer to my house than yours. When you come home with me and he did and he is also mentioned over Genesis 5 verses 21 to 24 which says Enoch live 65 years and begot Methuselah that free become Methuselah even walked with God. 300 years and had sons and daughters and all the days of unit were 365 years Enoch walked with God and was not for God took him don't understand this. Enoch lived in what we might describe as the last days. Now his last days were the days before the great flood. We too are living in the last days but were not waiting for another flood because God will never judge yours again with water, but he does say he will judge the earth.

The next time with fire, so he was the last days believer in that sense and it was a time before God's judgment on earth mankind was so wicked that God said of them in Genesis 66 I'm sorry I even made him because his thoughts and intents of his heart continually wicked and also here to see that living a godly life in an ungodly time and I don't want you to miss this at this theme spiritual resources that Ina CAD you have affect all humans even see you are more because in the old covenant. They did not have Christ living in them.

Christ did not yet come, and died for the sins of the world with the believer in the new covenant does have Jesus living inside of them and the Holy Spirit empowering them. So how did Enid do it. Here's my primary point for this message. Enoch walked with God and that's what I want to encourage all of you to do in this coming year to simply walk with God. You know it doesn't say unit sprinted with God.

You know, many believers have their burst of energy for a few moments and then the collapse in the heat. That's what we need to learn how to walk with God, to walk is something that speaks of making progress. You know you're you're moving somewhere it it's not as dramatic as running but you are moving in a certain direction, it means you're making progress and I think as he lived a long life 365 years at the hundred and 50 year mark he had made some progress, but he realized that he had a long ways to go. You know, this phrase walking with God is used many times in the New Testament for someone seven says if we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another and the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin them first onto thick says he that says he abides in him ought to walk as he walked in Colossians 26 is as you received Jesus Christ as Lord, so walk in him builds upon him established in the truth. Galatians 5 reminds us to walk in the spirit and we will not fulfill the lust of the flesh and then Romans 1313 says walk properly as in the day don't participate in the darkness of wild parties and drunkenness or sexual promiscuity or a moral living or in quarreling or in jealous so is okay I get it now. I want to do that. But what does it specifically mean to walk with God. Let me sum it up this way to walk with God means I cooperate with God, to walk with God being Simon harmony with God, to walk with God, beads, and communicating with God speaking to him in hearing from My wife will go on long walks with her girlfriend so say I'm going on a walk and show return literally three hours later not say that that is a very long walk.

When we got coffee and then it was lunchtime you know so and I said why don't you just call it what it is. Don't say you're going on a walk.

Say you're going on a talk that's what happened. You know you you get out with your friends and you want and you talk and so you know, I've come to this amazing conclusion. Girls talk more than guys to write in my runabout that that's generally true, is it not in the experts tell us is because their brains are more developed than men. I don't know if I can dispute that. But in this case the girls have it right. They understand that you going to walk is the going to talk okay so what we say go to walk with God. The ideas still there going to talk with God, spend time with the objective is not just to get some exercise. The objective is to spend time together to get to know one another to open your heart to him. It's all about communication. Pastor Greg Laurie will have the second half of today's message just a moment. Pastor Greg can you give us a verse to hang onto when the news down. What would be your go to section of Scripture you know when it seems like were walking through the valley of the shadow of death. Yesterday we had just quoted a verse from Psalm 23 which is a favorite Psalm of so many people, and for good reason. It's just a beautiful picture of how God our father is a shepherd who cares for us. Little David was a shepherd and he was probably watching this flock of sheep one day and that you know what those sheep those silly skittish fear. Sheep are just like me and then he wrote these words the Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul he leads me in the paths of righteousness for his namesake yay though I walk to the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil for you are with me your rod and your staff they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies you anoint my head with oil my cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Listen, you're going through a valley right now, we all are. It's called the coronavirus working to get through the valley and you're not alone in this valley. The Lord is with you. So hang on to him. Good encouragement. Let's continue. No recognition out here is a key verse in understanding what it means to walk with God is found in Amos 33 and it simply says this and it's loaded with meaning. Amos is akin to walk together unless they are agreed akin to walk together unless they are agreed. There's important shades of meaning in the original language in healthcare. It means a God and man walking together as a single unit, bringing me to my first point walking with God means I get in sync with him. I told her the story before but I only have eight stories, so here we go again. I was scuba diving in Hawaii years ago and I went to a little island off of Maui called moly Keeney and it's a diving spot and I was going to go for 100 foot dived hundred feet down. That's a long ways down so I got my tank on and I got my aqualung and you know all the goodies that you wear when you go diving in, we had an instructor with us and and so we have first you have to descend down to around 80 feet and then you bruise around and look efficient different things and you go back up okay so I got down to around 80 or 90 feet and they looked at my cage and I used up almost all of my air that you can't just go to the top again.

I have a BC an inflatable best to get the button looked but you you can't do that you could you kill yourself actually.

So I went over to my instructor and you learn little signs that you give underwater and I use the universal sign for meeting their and I cannot see in the mask into the glass of his mask. I saw him roll his eyes like 80 feet on his own role as I think idiots anything so I gauge I hardly have any gear so he pesters like this and hanging off of his state was an octopus, not a real octopus, but another aqualung another regulator on a short little hose which meant I would not refuse their so I grabbed onto it took mine up breeding up with this but the problem was because the hose was so short wherever he went.

I had to go so he would swim forward and I did a little shallow and he would you be a beacon of above him just floating burning up all his air. You know, finally, we went to the top and we got in the boat me slightly really are doing should've been my friend said you were going down you would like five times more bubbles coming out your regulator than I did.

I think I was a little bit nervous but not tell you what I stated in sync with my instructor underwater for one simple reason. If I did not I would die. What does it mean to walk with God means I'm in cooperation with God, I'm in sync with God to be in rhythm with God to keep peace with God. You could compare to see. I am very aware of music wherever I am. I listen to music in the elevator like I'll say oh I did.

I love this on my way with your listening to a song in an 11 I just noticed music five in a restaurant and summons playing there.

I'll be aware of it and if they're not very good. I'm all very aware of that as well.

And if someone goes out pitch, I noticed I notice when harmonies are right it tenant catches my ear and then it seems like when people are out pitch. They often sing louder than other people. I don't know why that is but they sometimes do that. So the idea of being in sync with God is being in harmony with God. I don't know if you've ever heard of Leonard Bernstein is a celebrated orchestra conductor.

It was once asked the question what is the hardest instrument to play. His response was interesting.

He said second little I can always find plenty of first violinist, but to find someone who placed second violin with as much enthusiasm.

That's a problem." Okay, so God is the first violinist your second fiddle using God the lead singer, you're the backup singer God plays lead guitar you're just rhythm it. We want to be in the spotlight. We want to be in front. We want God to back us up.

That's not the way it works to walk with God is nothing God hears one when you come with me to walk with God is to say, Lord.

Where are you going and I want to go with you getting in sync with God walking in communion with God. That is the picture of walking with God and you could take this word walking and interchange it with the word abiding because we already read it first on to succeed that says he abides in him ought to walk as he walked spellbinding for different picture to give planting something.

Let's say you planted a beautiful tree in your front yard and it look great in your very happy with it for about a week and you thought you know I think you be better my backyard so you Doug to give your backyard replanted it you really liked it there another week went by and you know that was a mistake. I should put it back in my front yard again and you do that again and then you change your mind. 10 more times that she's going to die that she needs to be left alone and needs to be taken care of. It needs to be watered and he needs to get its roots deep into the soil. So what we talked about abiding in Jesus.

It means we sink our roots deep in his soil and I'm telling you something when you understand what it means to abide you'll start seeing your prayers answered in the affirmative God answers prayer. Three ways, yes, no and wait till we see how I get my prayers answered in the affirmative. Here's the answer from Christ himself is this if you abide in me. Secure roots deeply in me and my words abide in you, you can ask what you will and it shall be done unto you from the original Greek. It would go along the lines of Christ speaking.

If you maintain a living communion with me and my word is at home and you and you you can ask at once for yourself.

Whatever your heart desires and it will be your that we read that was so awesome with the second is predicated on you abiding in him is if you're spending time reading god's word and your spending time praying, it's can it change the things that you want in life and you're going to find yourself asking for the things that god wants for you rather than the things you merely want for yourself.

number two to walk with god means you keep your appointment to walk with god means you keep your appointment back to amos 33 it's also transit akin to men walk together unless they have made an appointment made an appointment and you have an appointment with god every day. it usually is the first thing in the morning when you open up the word of god and see what the lord has to say with you adam had an appointment with god every day as well. remember, as the sun would be setting the day was almost over. the bible tells us that the lord would show up in the garden. i don't even know what that means but it almost appears as though the lord would take on some kind of a human for an walk with adam through the guard. maybe adam would disclose some of the amazing things it seemed that they learn that i can show you these incredible flowers are wanted to cure this waterfall of this unusual creature that i just discovered that you made every day they would have that appointment. one day the lord showed up and adam was nowhere to be found.

that's because out of it sinned against the lord was hiding from the lord. he missed his appointment with god and god called out of the garden. adam where are you. you think god said that because he didn't know where anna wants off hardly remember what i would like hide and seek with my grandkids and they were much smaller.

they would hide the most obvious places they would hide behind curtains and the curtains would yell stop unit see the little feet. there then walked by calling their name acting like i didn't know where they were or they would hide in the spot that i might even show them in the second time we played hide and seek to go back to the same spot to go to find a new spot so that's us hiding from god. he knows are we are so the lord wasn't seen adam where are you, because god was confuse that to the whereabouts of his son. he said it because he wanted adam to come clean. he wanted adam to say here i am lord, hiding from you and adam did eventually come clean sort of the lord to did you eat of the tree that i told you not to eat of an adam offered the first excuse that we know in history. he said it's the woman you gave me. so my pulitzer phone i take a nap.

i wake up a rib is missing and she's here. it's a woman there was a woman there she passes the buck to pay that the serpent tricked me. no one wants to take responsibility.

the mr. appointment with god each and every day. one of the lord would say to wes as he said adam. they were are you want to speak with you this morning, but apparently you didn't have time for me your time for social media or texting her phone calls you were searching for pok�mon but you weren't searching for me and i looked it up. are people still looking for pok�mon. yes, they are in my biblical exhortation to them is simply this, get a life okay but i digress.

if you walk with god. you need to make time for god each and every day.

your great glory great insights on what it means to walk with god. such good counsel today here on a new beginning. hopefully you heard every word of the study, but if not you can get a replay by going to harvest.org is look for the message called how to walk with god.

in 2020, part one or for a permanent copy on cd. call 1-800-821-3300. that's 1-800-821-3300 and then the faster greg is a word about a special children's book set from popular british author sally lloyd jones that were making available right now will give your contact information.

just a moment, everybody. i'm in studio right now was sally lloyd jones and i'm looking at this amazing to book set that were offering to our listeners right now called found in love and beautifully illustrated and all of the copy all of the words are written by sally lloyd jones and found is based on psalm 23 and loved is based on the lord's prayer. two separate books and right now sally's going to just read to you a little bit from her book called found. listen to this god is my shannon and i and his little lamb he feeds me he guides me soft to me.

i have everything i need inside my heart is very quiet as client is lying still in soft green grass and imagine management stream even when i walk through the scary lending places i went be afraid because my ship it knows where i am you keeps me safe. he rescues me he makes me strong and brave. he's getting wonderful things ready for me, especially for me. he fills my heart so full of happiness can't hold angel inside whenever i can. i know god is never stopping navigating up and breaking always have enough okay to so that gives you an idea. would you be able to read with this fantastic book. beautifully illustrated written by sally lloyd jones and you can read it to your child, your grandchild, your knees, your nephew or some other child that will really appreciate what you are presenting to them. and sally has a special gift in bringing the message of the gospel to the little ones in a way that engages their minds and touches their hearts, our offering this to book set to you right now for your gift of any size so we can continue to preach the gospel in teach the word of god to order your set right now is right is called found and love one exploring the 23rd psalm the other based on the lord's prayer.

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Easter is the most hopeful time of the year faster.

Greg Laurie points on the pathway to eternal life. Jesus Christ came out of that empty two still aren't.

Who do you know needs. Hope this Easter season ring them to hear the good news faster.

Greg special music at the least, is the perfect opportunity to bring someone to church that does not get to know the Lord.

82% of the uninsured are likely to attend church have a friend or coworker, neighbor or family member invites and here's the big difference this year to do it all online. That's right, Easter is coming to you dear how is your tablet to your phone wherever you want to view it. Just go to harvest.org to find out more, let's work together to reach the largest group of people we have ever been able to make contact with this company.

Easter is harvest Easter on line when next time. Join Pastor Greg for more insight on how we can lay aside the weights to slow us down and walk more closely with God. As we approach Easter tune in beginning possible by harvest partners, helping people everywhere know God sign up for pastor grades free daily email devotions and harvest.org