Blog EntryWalking by Faith (By Charles Stanley)Aug 12, '07 9:27 AM
for everyone
The Scriptures frequently speak about the "Christian walk" as a description of believers' behavior. For example, we are told to walk as children of light, walk in the truth, walk according to the Spirit, and walk in love.

Colossians 2:6 uses this expression to give us an important command:"Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him."
The question we must ask is, What does it mean to "walk in Christ"?

Here, the word in does not have a literal usage, like "the hammer is in the toolbox." Rather, it refers to a vital relationship-a union between the believer and the Lord. Just as a wedding marks the beginning of a new relationship for a man and a woman, receiving Christ as Savior commences an intimate fellowship between the Lord and His follower. What God desires is not simply to forgive sins, but to develop a close and ever-deepening personal relationship with each of His children. He wants us to realize that the Son of God is the source of everything-Jesus Christ is to the believer what blood is to the human body:indispensable to life.

Therefore, "walking in Christ" refers to a dynamic relationship with the Lord. Just as it is impossible to walk while standing still, believers are either moving forward in their Christian life or falling backward. The key for how to make progress is found in that same Colossians verse: "As you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him." How did you and I receive Christ? By faith. In order to be born again, we trusted the testimony of the Word of God. The Christian life is to be "walked"-or lived out-in the same way.

Most people are guided by their natural senses, but that is not effective because from our human viewpoint, we are unable to see the big picture.

Instead, our heavenly Father wants us to trust Him daily for whatever need we may have. That is why followers of Jesus Christ are to "walk by faith, not by sight" (2 Corinthians 5:7). We must take the first step by faith, and then another, not knowing exactly where it will lead us, but trusting that our omniscient, loving God has our best interest in mind. To walk in faith means having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ that results in trusting Him for every circumstance of life. When we consistently live with that kind of confidence in the Lord, we will believe He will do what is right and what is for our benefit every time, without exception.



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