Copyright © 2014 Enoch Adejare Adeboye This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. It may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please go to ChristianLivingBooks.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author. Published by Christian Living Books, Inc. Largo, Maryland United States of America ISBN Electronic Version 978-1-56229-957-6 Printed Version ISBN 0-9711760-2-7 Unless otherwise marked, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version ®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked NKJV are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
PREFACE Taking a walk usually implies choosing a destination and working toward it. Walking with someone else creates a kind of partnership. When you walk before someone, they see all the moves you make and can act as a support in reaching your destination. God told Abraham to walk before Him in a partnership, with God being the senior partner. After all, He created all things, He is the Almighty and He has the final say. As a junior partner, you are to fear Him, walk in His ways, love, serve and praise Him. You are to work hard and be ready to provide an account of all the assignments given to you by God. You will find that, as soon as He hands out your assignments, the means by which to bring them to pass will be made available. However, in this partnership–just as God told Moses–you must be ready to be absolutely perfect and remain steadfast till the end. If you are upright with God, He will support you and will always be there as your reliable “rear guard.” It is our humble conviction that this book will be a source of inspiration to all Christians, especially ministers of God who are ready to go into partnership with Him. God bless you. –Pastor E. A. Adeboye
CHAPTER ONE WALKING BEFORE GOD When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to him and said, "I am God Almighty; walk before me and be blameless. (Genesis 17:1)
When you decide to walk, it’s usually because you want to get somewhere. The walk must lead to a destination. For example, Paul said: Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. (1 Corinthians 9:26)
In other words, Paul had a goal. To walk, you must have a goal, one you have seen with either the physical eye or the spiritual eye (often called the mind’s eye). When I travel, I visualize my destination through the eye of the mind before I start the journey. All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth. People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them. (Hebrews 11:13-16)
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob all saw their destinies from afar. We too can see far away, namely where we are going to end. You can see Heaven in your mind’s eye. The person walking toward a destination must be willing to reach that goal. Not everyone is. You must believe that the destination can be reached. What motivates those who want to reach their objective? It may be to achieve some change in status or for the comfort that the goal brings. Jesus’ motivation model can be found in Hebrews: Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:2)
Jesus endured the cross to earn the Name above all names. He knew the cost and he knew the good that would come of His sacrifice. It helps us to imagine the benefits that come once our goal is reached. Those who strive must count the cost of reaching their objective and be willing to pay the price. For example, if it is raining and you need to reach an adjacent building through the rain, you must be willing to get wet. You will have to weigh getting wet against the importance of the mission you need to accomplish next door. Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, saying, “This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.” (Luke 14:28-30)
It is a glorious thing to be God’s favorite, but if you go through the Scriptures, you will discover that it is His favorites that God chastises the most. For example, the way He deals with Israel is different from the way He deals with all other nations of the world. Therefore, once you become His favorite, you had better be upright because you are under His strict supervision. Those of us willing to reach our goals must be willing to fast, pray and study the word of God. We must live in a holy manner and be in absolute obedience to God.
After counting the cost and finding yourself willing, you must then put your efforts into walking. Many people think they are willing but never make any effort. They want to enjoy well-being without the work. In Luke 15:11-19, the prodigal son made the effort to go back home. Images of the servants in his father’s house having a feast crowded his mind while he starved. He knew that going home would bring him shame but he reckoned only the living have an ego as well as a body to feed. He was willing to go home and made the effort, and he had counted the cost before making up his mind. Even before we make the effort to walk, we first must stand. The next thing is to take a step, then step after step. Do not stop until the destination is reached–something that often requires patience. The writer of Hebrews encourages us: Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. (Hebrews 12:1)
PARTNERSHIP WITH GOD Walk before me and be blameless. (Genesis 17.1)
"Before me" means that there is a partnership between you and God; the two of you are on a journey. You are walking in front as the junior partner and He is right behind you as the senior partner. The apostle Paul said it this way: For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, God's building. (1 Corinthians 3:9)
And in Matthew, Jesus Christ said: Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. (Matthew 11:29-30)
He says that His yoke is easy because He is already carrying the burden. You must never forget that God is the senior partner and you are the junior partner in your relationship with Him. You may say you will never forget that, but when you begin to succeed, when miracles begin to happen through you, it’s easy to think that you are an equal partner. God forbid that your amnesia ever gets to the stage where you think that without you He will not be able to do what He wants to do! If that time comes, try to remember that He never said "walk beside me" but "walk before me." You will never be God’s equal; He will always be the senior partner. Colossians should remind you: For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. (Colossians 1:16-18)
This passage lists several reasons why God is the senior partner; for example, He created all things. You can only be His equal if you can say that you created all things. When you begin to create mountains, seas and animals with the word of your mouth, then you can say that you are equal with God. We are also told that all things were created for Him and not for you. This Kingdom to which He has invited you as a partner was created by Him and for Him. By his grace are you allowed to
share in it. He is also before all things, far older than you are. He is your superior in age and everything else, and it is He who holds everything in creation together. If you take Him away, everything will disintegrate. Nothing exists outside Him. God is also the Head of the Body. If you cut off any part of a man's body, he can still live. However, if you cut off the head, that is the end of the story. When the power of God begins to show in your ministry and miracles begin to happen, there will be a strong temptation to dispense with the senior partner. But if you leave Him out, your omission will result in destruction. Jesus is the beginning and the end. When many of us become successful, we tend to forget the beginning, but a house without a foundation shall surely fall flat. Without Moses, there would have been no Joshua. Without Elijah, there would have been no Elisha. The Bible text also states that He is the first-born from the dead, the first-born of God. In all the cultures of this world, the first-born is given preference. Lot ended up so badly because he did not let Abraham, a senior relative, choose first where to settle, Jordan or Canaan. (Genesis 13:1012) Lot forgot that Abraham was the benefactor and that Lot was just a recipient of the blessings. Because God is the senior partner, He always has the final say. In any partnership, there is somebody who must make the final decision. Without that guidance, it soon becomes disorganized. Whether we like the decision or not, we have to abide by it. In our own case, we are talking about the Almighty God who can never make mistakes. He knows what we do not know. Let God have the final say in your life; He knows what is best for you. He is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. Proverbs presents good advice: Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails. (Proverbs 19:21)
In a familiar cliché, man proposes but God disposes. Though He may not sack you if you are walking with Him, He can lay you aside or ignore you because He is the senior partner. Paul published a reminder in his letter to the Church in Corinth: I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize. (1 Corinthians 9:27)
People may still call you “pastor” even though God may have discarded you like yesterday’s breakfast gone bad. King Saul was still on the throne though God had abandoned him long before. But if you behave wisely, then Heaven is your only limit. You cannot begin to imagine how much God will promote you if you are a good partner. A real promotion lies in the manifestation of the gifts of the Holy Spirit and not in name or status. In the Bible, we are told that Deacon Stephen performed signs and wonders among the disciples. They never called him an apostle but I am sure that the apostles respected him. Real promotion is not in names. There might be some workers in the church far higher in God’s spiritual reckoning than their pastor. Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. (1 Peter 5:6)
The length of his arms and probably his legs determines how far a man can lift you up. It’s a different thing entirely when the Almighty God lifts you up, because He is the only One who sits on His throne in Heaven and the earth is His footstool. You can imagine the length of His arms by considering the length of His legs (Isaiah 66:1). When He picks you up, you are Heaven-
bound in all that concerns you. This is why the Bible says that He gives grace to the humble (James 4:6). Remember that no laziness is allowed in your walk with God. He will monitor your activities as you walk before Him. Jesus said to them, "My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I, too, am working.� (John 5:17)
If the senior partner is working hard, non-stop, then you must also. Spiritual leaders should know that their followers are watching them. If we are hardworking, the people of God will be compelled to work hard. His grace will be sufficient for us and we cannot afford to be lazy. God wants to work through you. The Bible says of Jesus: He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. (John 1:10) Do you see a man skilled in his work? He will serve before kings; he will not serve before obscure men. (Proverbs 22:29)
God has a way of rewarding your hard work, whether people see you or not. He will make sure you stand before kings if you are really hardworking. But if you are slothful and you are a good propagandist, God has a supernatural way of making sure that you end up before mean men and never stand before kings. Why? One who is slack in his work is brother to one who destroys. (Proverbs 18:9)
God hates idleness. If you are not working hard then you are a great waster. The apostle Paul repeats the need to be diligent: Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. (Romans 12:11)
Do any assignment that you are given with all your strength. Time equals life, and time wasted means life wasted. Any day that is not usefully spent for the Lord is a fraction of your life squandered. Let there be no more laziness in your life. Finally, our senior partner pays well. We cannot find a better partner than the Lord Jesus Christ. He pays with money, divine health, strength, wisdom and, if you really want it, He can pay you with popularity. The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing. (Psalm 34:10) For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless. (Psalm 84:11)
He will not only pay you but also your children. I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread. (Psalm 37:25)
When it is time for you to retire, He will send His chariots to bring you home. As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind. (2 Kings 2:11) Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if
I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. (John 14:1-3)
He has provided a beautiful retirement home for you. It is worthwhile being in partnership with Jesus Christ; it is a tremendous privilege.