“Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him away” (Genesis 5:24 NIV84).

If we would walk into heaven like Enoch, then we must, like Enoch, walk with God on earth. Enoch struggled with the same carnal natural as us. Enoch lived in a sinful world like us. Enoch was surrounded with such evil, decadence, rebellion and wickedness that God found it necessary to destroy the world with a flood. Yet, despite all the obstacles, Enoch walked with God.

We live in a sinful world. We are surrounded by evil, corruption, conflict, threats on all sides. We experience opposition, sorrow, pain and illness. But do we walk with God?

Do we take time away from the battles to quiet the mind and be with the Lord?

Do we turn off the electronics, silencing the stream of news, entertainment, and social media updates to hear the voice of the Lord saying, “Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalms 46:10 NMIV84).

Do we take time from our ministry, duties and life’s righteous responsibilities to walk with the Lord?

It is only by walking with God, spending time communing with Him, talking with Him, listening to Him, abiding with Him, rejoicing, praising, and loving Him that we are transformed to be like Him.

It is by walking with God that the things of this world lose their power over us. It is by walking with God that our hearts are renewed in love for God and the things of heaven. It is by walking with God that our minds are healed, that fear and selfishness is cut out or our hearts and our confidence, faith and trust in God is established.

And it is through faith, through an abiding trust in our Creator God who loves us, that we are enabled to overcome every temptation and even though we are in this evil world we don’t walk with evil, we walk with God.

“By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death; he could not be found, because God had taken him away. For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God” (Hebrews 11:5 NIV84).

We are to be like Enoch, walking with God through faith. And even though, like Enoch, we live in an evil age surrounded by threats, temptations and assaults, we walk with our eyes fixed on Christ, our minds filled with His truth, and our hearts overflowing with His love. We walk as shining lights of God’s kingdom in a dark and dying world. And just like Enoch, those who walk with God today will be commended as those who please Him and through that walk of faith, will, like Enoch, walk with God right into heaven.