What It Means to Walk with God

“Noah was a righteous man, the only blameless person living on earth at the time, and he walked in close fellowship with God.” Genesis 6:9 (NLT)

There’s only one way to get the kind of courage it took for Noah to keep going after receiving such a big dream from God: He had to stay close to God.

Hebrews 11:7 says, “Faith led Noah to listen when God warned him about the things that he could not see” (GW).

Noah heard God speak. Do you ever wonder why you don’t hear God speak? I hear God by getting near to God. I can't hear God when I'm far away. I’ve got to get near to God.

That means I spend time with God every day—reading and studying the Bible, talking to him in prayer, being quiet, and just listening to God.

The Bible says that Noah “walked faithfully with God” (Genesis 6:9 NIV). Another translation of this verse says that Noah “walked in close fellowship with God” (NLT). When I walk with someone, that means I am near to them.

Walking with someone implies several other things. First, it implies affiliation. In other words, I'm not ashamed to be with them. I'm not worried about telling people I follow Jesus.

Second, the Bible tells us in Amos 3:3 that two people cannot walk together unless they agree. When I walk with God, I agree to go where he wants to go and do what he wants me to do. I am obedient to his will.

Third, walking with God means I'm in alignment. If I'm walking with God, I'll be out of step with the world. I'll do things differently than other people because God’s way is counter-cultural.

Walking with God is affiliation, agreement, and alignment with his Word and his will. Noah walked with God, and he wasn't afraid of disapproval or rejection or criticism or even a worldwide flood. He knew that when you’re walking with God, you're near to God, and there is nothing to fear.

In summary:

Genesis 6:9 and Hebrews 11:7 highlight Noah as a man of exceptional character who stood in stark contrast to the corruption of his era through his "walk" with God. This intimacy wasn't just a feeling; it was a disciplined lifestyle of proximity that allowed him to hear divine instructions others missed. By maintaining constant affiliation, agreement, and alignment with God, Noah developed the resilience to pursue a counter-cultural mission despite public ridicule. The text argues that hearing God’s voice is a direct result of physical and spiritual nearness, requiring daily habits of prayer and study to remain in step with a divine pace rather than a worldly one.

Bottom Line:

Spiritual clarity and the courage to pursue "big dreams" are not sudden gifts, but the natural byproducts of a daily, disciplined walk in close fellowship with God.

Next Step:

Commit to a "Proximity Review" this week. Identify one specific time of day where I currently allow "worldly noise" (social media, news, or work chatter) to crowd out my ability to listen. Replace just 15 minutes of that time with intentional silence or Scripture reading to realign my identity as someone who prioritizes God's voice over public opinion. This disciplined action ensures that when God gives me my next "impossible" instruction, I'm already close enough to hear the whisper.

Humility: The Antidote to Pride

“Be humble and give more honor to others than to yourselves.” Philippians 2:3 (NCV)

Pride destroys relationships. It shows up in a lot of different forms, like criticism, competition, stubbornness, and superficiality.

The problem with pride is that it’s self-deceiving. When I have too much pride, I won't see it in my life—but everyone else does!

Proverbs 16:18 says, “Pride leads to destruction; a proud attitude brings ruin” (NCV). I love that same verse in The Message paraphrase: “First pride, then the crash—the bigger the ego, the harder the fall.”

While pride destroys relationships, humility serves as its antidote, and relationships are built instead. Philippians 2:3 tells me how to combat pride by choosing humility: “Be humble and give more honor to others than to yourselves” (NCV). 1 Peter 3:8 gives more details: “Everyone must live in harmony, be sympathetic, love each other, have compassion, and be humble” (GW).

How do I grow in humility? I let Jesus Christ begin to control my thoughts, heart, attitude, and reactions. Ephesians 4:23-24 says, “Let the Spirit change your way of thinking and make you into a new person” (CEV).           

The basic law of relationships is this: I tend to become like the people I spend time with. If I spend time with grumpy people, I get grumpier. If I spend time with happy people, I get happier.

If I want to become a new, humbler person, I need to spend time with Jesus Christ, because he is humble. By building a relationship with him through prayer and reading his Word, I'll get to know him and become more like him.

Philippians 2:5-6 says it like this: “You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to” (NLT).

Jesus is the ultimate example of humility. He came from heaven to earth to become a man, live for me, give his life for me, and be resurrected for me. When I spend time with him, it makes me humble. That humility, in turn, builds my relationships.

In summary:

This explores the destructive nature of pride—noting its capacity for self-deception and relational breakdown—and positions humility as the essential remedy for a life of harmony. Grounded in the Christ-model described in Philippians 2, the text argues that humility is not a self-generated trait but a byproduct of intentional proximity to Jesus Christ. By shifting focus from self-exaltation to honoring others and allowing the Holy Spirit to renew the mind, an individual moves from the inevitable "crash" of a big ego to the sustainable growth of compassionate, Christ-centered relationships.

Bottom Line:

Relational health is sustained not by the strength of my ego, but by the depth of my humility cultivated through daily fellowship with Jesus Christ.

Next steps:

Identify one specific relationship where I have recently been critical or competitive, and intentionally offer a word of sincere honor or perform an act of service for that person within the next 24 hours to consciously align my attitude with the humility of Christ.

How to Become a Trustworthy Person

In Proverbs 20:6 it says, “Many people claim to be loyal, but it is hard to find a trustworthy person.” (NCV)

Trust is the emotional glue that draws me closer to friends, family, and a small group. Without trust, I’ll never have the intimate relationship that God wants me to have. Teamwork without trust is impossible.

Proverbs 20:6 says, “Many people claim to be loyal, but it is hard to find a trustworthy person” (NCV). This verse was written thousands of years ago, and yet I have the same dilemma today: Who do I trust? How do I find a trustworthy person? More importantly, how do I become a trustworthy person so that people trust me?

First, I earn people’s trust by being consistent. The Bible says in Luke 16:10, “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much” (NIV). Today everybody wants to serve God in the obvious and showy ways. But God says I build trust by being faithful in little things. Even when no one is watching me, God is. He sees what I’m doing. And he says that if I’m faithful in little things, he will give me greater and greater responsibility.

Secondly, I earn people’s trust by being trustworthy. People trust me when I can keep information confidential. One of the most important rules for small groups is that what is said in the group stays in the group. My group trusts me to keep private whatever they share. Proverbs 11:13 says, “A gossip betrays a confidence, but a trustworthy person keeps a secret” (NIV). 

Lastly, I earn people’s trust by being close. To be close I have to spend time with people in order to earn their trust. The Bible says, “Friends love through all kinds of weather, and families stick together in all kinds of trouble” (Proverbs 17:17 The Message). That implies proximity. Distance creates distrust. I don’t trust people I don’t know! So if I want people to trust me, I’ve got to spend time with them. Time creates trust. 

So, If I want people to trust me, I can ask God for help to be more consistent, trustworthy, and close to the people he has placed in my life.