They who wait for the LORD... shall walk and not faint. Isaiah 40:31
A. Trevor Sutton They who wait for the LORD... shall walk and not faint. Isaiah 40:31
The mission of CTA is to glorify God by providing purposeful products that lift up and encourage the body of Christ because we love him. www.ctainc.com Man of God: Walking by Faith by A. Trevor Sutton www.atrevorsutton.com Copyright 2015 CTA, Inc. 1625 Larkin Williams Rd. Fenton, MO 63026 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of CTA, Inc. Scripture quotations are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version (ESV ), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. PRINTED IN THAILAND ISBN: 978-1-940088-40-2 M a n o f G o d : NOAH Walking with God God walks with his people. Pause, and let those words sink in for a moment. The Author of the universe wants to walk with you. That is a truly incredible invitation! This week, we explore how Noah walked with God and what it looks like for any man of God to walk by faith today.
Day 1: The First Shaky Steps Noah, Moses, Joshua, David, and Paul had to learn how to do it. You are not alone as you learn to walk with God. You are part of a parade, a long line of learners. We read early in God s redemptive Story that Noah walked with God. He walked with God when everyone else walked away from him: Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation. Noah walked with God. Genesis 6:9 4 Noah walked with God. Genesis 6:9 With tiny fingers curled around strong, fatherly hands, a child first learns to walk. Shaky steps and wobbly knees find strength in a quick upward glance at a beaming father. Any forward movement is met with uproarious applause. Learning to walk is not a solitary activity; it is a joyful challenge for the whole family. The early phases require a few bumps, several scrapes, and the shedding of tears now and again. Learning to walk by faith presents many similar challenges. You begin that walk, taking a few wobbly steps, and then bump up against the challenges of everyday life. You manage an uncertain step forward, only to scrape up against fear and uncertainty. You tearfully place one foot in front of the other as you try to follow the Lord through the valley of adversity. Men of God have always had to learn how to walk by faith. We aren t born knowing how. Even heroes of the faith Certainly Noah s first steps of faith were fraught with shakes and wobbles. Like a young child strengthened by the grip of his father s steadying hands, Noah walked with God and was supported by his heavenly Father s strong grasp. Though your first steps in Christ are marked by shakes and wobbles, you can keep walking, confident in God s care. You are not holding onto him; rather, he is the One holding you firmly in his grasp. The strength and courage you will need to walk by faith throughout your lifetime come from your heavenly Father. Your life of faith will have its share of bumps, scrapes, and tears. Your life of faith will take you through the valley of adversity. Yet, through it all, God will grasp you by the hand and lead you forward. Lord, give me courage to walk with you... 5
Day 2: A New Place Rather than come up with a million and one reasons not to follow, Noah put one foot in front of the other. He set to it: Noah did this; he did all that God commanded him. Genesis 6:22 He hammered and sawed. He measured and cut. He got blisters and slivers. Noah worked by faith, not knowing exactly where God was taking him. Yet through it all, God was preparing Noah for an adventure. God was leading Noah and his family to a whole new place. [Jesus said,] Behold, I am making all things new. Revelation 21:5 A newborn s world is small. As he takes his first few gasping breaths, an infant s world does not extend beyond the four walls of the small hospital room in which he is born. His world includes only a few people: mother, father, doctor, and a few nurses. As days and months go by, that world grows larger; the baby crawls about in a house or apartment full of strange rooms and peculiar features, each filled with opportunities to explore and make new discoveries. The world swells to an enormous size when the toddler learns to walk. That ability opens up a whole universe of new places to explore. Walking with God will take you to a whole new place in Christ. The one who makes all things new, Jesus, will continue taking you to new and greater places as you live out your life of faith in him. Christ continually brings his people to a point of repentance, forgiveness, and peace, to a place of power and service. Like Noah, you may spend months and years walking by faith, not knowing exactly where the Lord is taking you. Yet, as you put one foot in front of the other and begin walking by faith, you can be certain that your adventure has begun. God will lead you to challenges and opportunities beyond your imagination right now. Walking with God will undoubtedly lead you to new places, too. Noah walked with God to a new and largely uncertain place. This journey began when God invited Noah to walk by faith: 6 Make yourself an ark of gopher wood. Make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and out with pitch. Genesis 6:14 Father, lead me to a new place in my faith in you... 7
8 Day 3: Dry Land Again Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. Proverbs 3:5 Walking onto the ark was an act of faith for Noah. If gopher wood is anything like the animal from which it gets its name, it does not inspire confidence. Will that roof on the third deck be watertight? Can I handle months afloat with these folks? What if God forgets us? Noah had to walk away from self-doubt and onto the ark in faith. Walking off the ark was an equally bold act of faith: Then God said to Noah, Go out from the ark, you and your wife, and your sons and your sons wives with you.... So Noah went out, and his sons and his wife and his sons wives with him. Genesis 8:15 16, 18 Each step required Noah to walk in faith. Are those storm clouds on the horizon? What if God forgets his promise never again to flood the earth? When will these new trees bear edible fruit? Walking by faith means walking onto the boat, trusting that God s plan will float. Walking by faith means walking off the boat, trusting that God will provide. Walking with God by faith is not always comfortable. You will have to confront your own self-doubts: Can I be the husband my wife deserves? Can I fill my father s shoes? Will I raise my children well? Can I provide for my family in this economy? Can I lead my family forward in faith? At times you will wonder if you are heading toward dry ground or right into the mud. You will look around and question if anything you are doing will ever bear fruit. When the waters of self-doubt are rising all around, resist the temptation to retreat into trusting your own abilities. Instead, trust in the Lord, your Savior-God. He is the One with blueprints that guarantee an unsinkable life. He is the One who has proven his love and power in Christ Jesus, your Savior. The empty tomb demonstrates once and for all that God s plans will never end up stuck in the mud. No matter how high the waters rise, you can trust your Lord to lead you to dry ground. Jesus, forgive me when I trust in myself. Teach me to trust and follow you... 9
Day 4: A Legacy on Solid Ground Noah walked with God after the flood. Family members leaving the boat must have noticed how Noah strode forward on solid ground following God s prompting. By walking with God, Noah taught others how to do the same: Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him, Behold, I establish my covenant with you and your offspring after you. Genesis 9:8 9 Be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. Ephesians 5:1 2 Left, right, left, right. Children learn to walk by watching others. Toddlers keenly observe how adults stand up from a seated position. With wide-eyed fascination, a young child will watch as an adult effortlessly strides from one room to the next. Though you may not realize it, merely walking across the room provides a young child a lesson in how to walk. Left, right, left, right. Noah was constantly teaching others how to walk with the Lord. Noah walked with God before the flood. Others must have taken notice of this godly man building a boat at God s command. Noah walked with God during the flood. Others on the boat, his wife and children, noticed Noah s confidence as he sent the dove out the window on the upper deck to find dry land. 10 By walking with God, you are teaching others how to do the same. Your wife notices how you make a point of praying with your children each night. Your children watch how you handle hardship by prayerfully trusting in God. Your neighbor observes your empty driveway each Sunday morning. Your coworkers see the peace that surrounds you in the midst of a chaotic day. As you walk with God, you are teaching others how to do the same. But it is God who is constantly teaching us how to walk with him by faith. In Christ, God has given us every reason to follow. In Christ, God has shown his power over the dark forces of sin and death. In Christ, God has promised mercifully to pick us up, forgiving us when we stumble and fall. In Christ, God teaches us that our many frailties reveal his all-sufficient grace. As God teaches us, we walk by faith, trusting in our Savior, Christ Jesus. Holy Spirit, teach me how to walk by faith... 11
Day 5: Walking and Waiting As we walk with God we wait for our prayers to be answered; we wait for his gifts of healing; we wait for our loved ones to come to faith. We wait for God as we walk on by faith. As Noah has shown us this week, however, waiting on God is not simply time wasted; rather, it means living in the confident expectation that the Lord will do what he has promised to do. Waiting on God means living in the full knowledge and trust that he will act on our behalf. 12 They who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength... they shall walk and not faint. Isaiah 40:31 Walking is perhaps the slowest mode of transportation. You can jet across the country in mere hours. You can roar down the highway from town to town in minutes, propelled by the hemi engine in your truck. But walking? There is nothing fast about walking. Of all the modes of transportation, walking is the least glamorous. Walking is not especially exhilarating, nor does it require any special equipment or expertise. Rather, walking requires an entirely different set of abilities: patience, determination, and a resolute spirit. Still, God has given words of encouragement to walkers. These words are not just for any walkers; these words are for those who walk with God by faith: They who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength... they shall walk and not faint. Isaiah 40:31 As you walk with God, wait for him! Wait for the floodwaters to recede. Look for that sprig of hope promising dry land ahead. Keep on expecting your labors to bear new fruit. In Christ Jesus, God has shown us that he most surely does intervene on behalf of his people. Generations ago, God s people walked with him and waited for God s intervention; their waiting was rewarded when the Savior was born in Bethlehem. Generations ago, Christ s disciples walked with him and waited for the fulfillment of his promises; their waiting was rewarded by an empty tomb on the first Resurrection morning. Now you, man of God, walk with the Lord and wait for him; your waiting will be rewarded. You have his word on that! Lord God, forgive my impatience and work hope within me as I walk with you by faith... 13
Week 1: Praying as We Walk Prayers are not just idle words spoken into a void. God hears and responds to the prayers of his people. Just as the Lord s answers come in many different ways, there are many different ways to pray. We fold our hands and close our eyes. We raise our empty hands to heaven to receive. We kneel in submission to the heavenly Father s will. We speak the words of the Lord s Prayer slowly and from our hearts. This weekend, try something a little different. Go on a prayer walk. It s as simple as it sounds: just pray as you walk. Find a park, nature trail, or sidewalk that cuts across your neighborhood. Pay attention as you walk, taking time to notice the awesomeness of God s creation and to thank him for it. Pray for the people you meet and those the Lord brings to mind. As you return home, pause to breathe in God s presence. M a n o f G o d : Moses Walking through Adversity Walking with God is no walk in the park. God never promised it would be easy, and our experiences confirm just how tough it can be at times. This week, we reflect on Moses, who walked with God through adversity. Just as the Lord walked with Moses, he has promised to walk with you through the valleys of adversity.