MEN - Prayer For You

Caring Father, thank you for teaching us from your word through the lives of Enoch and Noah. They walked with you. In your Word, we see the various ways in which they pleased you in their walk. We have learned and we are making a quality decision this day to begin walking with you and for those who are already walking with you, we will aim higher, we will improve, we will grow, we will study and properly represent you.

We have decided to make decisions today that will have a godly, positive and lasting impact on us and generations to come. Like Enoch and Noah, we will walk with you, we will establish a solid foundation, we will leave a legacy, we will finish strong, we will aim higher and we will be practical in our relationship with you through obedience, prioritizing, properly leading our families and more.

We use this opportunity to pray for the men in every household - receive grace to become all that you need to be; be the example in your circle; be the change you want to see in the lives of others; separate yourselves from amongst them, standout and be unique; live on purpose and with purpose; pursue godliness; raise the standards; influence the people around you with the Word; lead with godly authority and wisdom from above; challenge those who look up to you with your words and lifestyle. For the glory of the Lord.

Father, we will be the light of the world; letting our light shine so bright that men will see our good works and glorify You. Thank you for the Word that is readily available to us. Thank you Holy Spirit for being our teacher. Indeed, we are grateful for the grace that has been available to us.

In Jesus Name. Amen.

MEN - Be Practical

Walking with God is a quality decision worth making. The effectiveness of this decision can be demonstrated through maintaining godly standards and values. It will require setting the pace, pioneering new territories, daring to be different even when the majority settle for the status quo. It may even require losing some companionships. Live an exceptional lifestyle irrespective of what those around you chose to do with their lives. We are told that Enoch and Noah walked with God. They made the most out of what was available to them.

Even more, has been made available to us in this dispensation. By implication, we can dare to aim even higher. We have the privilege of referring to God as Father by virtue of our relationship with Him, Grace has been made available to us, as His children, we have the Holy Spirit living within us, we have access to the Word and when we chose to study, we can be guaranteed that He will teach us if we ask Him, there are numerable promises in His word for us, we also have the privilege of knowing His unchanging character over time. The list goes on.

Very little is said about the lifestyle of Enoch, however, let’s examine and learn a few qualities of Noah’s life that made him outstanding in his walk with the Father (read Genesis 6,7,8,9,10)

-Noah had godly values, he reverenced God the Father and lived in obedience to Him even when the wickedness around him seemed to be increasing. (Gen 6).

-God the Father could entrust Noah with specific instructions and also trust that the instructions will be implemented, unaltered. (Gen 7:5; 7:9c).

-Noah’s obedience led to his household being saved from the flood. (Gen 7:1; 7:7).

-Noah prioritized the things of God. When Noah, His family, and all the animals got off the ark, the first thing Noah did was to build an altar to the LORD. (Gen: 20).

These are just a hand full of things Noah did which were practical outstanding steps in his walk with God the Father.

So, what will it take to structure your life such that you give attention to your walk with the Father? If your testimony is that of one who is walking with the Father, how can you improve? An attempt to live in mediocrity in any aspect of life is a huge disfavor to yourself and your generation.

MEN - Aim Higher

Enoch walked with God. The bible does not say much about his lifestyle. What was it he did, that qualifies him as someone who walked with God? Could it be that the extra spring to his walk with God was his knowledge of God’s character and God’s reward system?

Hebrews 11:5-6 (NKJV)

By faith, Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, “and was not found, because God had taken him”; for before he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased God. But without faith, it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

Emphasis Mine

If you have not begun walking with the Father, consider starting today. However, if your testimony is that of one who walks with the Father, you can make your relationship with Him abound more and more. Set aside time to study and understand the character of the Father over time and the Father’s reward system.  These two aspects are guaranteed to add the extra spring to your steps as you walk with Him.

-It is godly to expect a reward as a result of walking with Him. It will be unfair to make His reward the only reason why you walk with Him. Amen.

-Genesis 8:22 talks about the aspect of seedtime and harvest; a scripture that communicates to us both the character of our Father (as in being faithful) and His reward system. It will be a mockery to His character as a faithful Father, to sow and not expect harvest because he has told us in Galatians 6:7 that He is not mocked and that we will reap that which we sow. And it will also be a mockery of His character to not and expect to reap.

Here is the encouragement. Enoch walked with God and he was no more because God took him. You are still here, make a quality decision by choosing to walk with the Father and by all means, boost your walk with Him and aim higher in your walk with Him by understanding His character over time and His reward system. By so doing, you are relating with knowledge and wisdom. Amen.

MEN - Finish Strong

It is equally important to start strong and finish strong. Enoch and Noah had an incredible start – walking with God. The bible says of Enoch…

Genesis 5:24 (NKJV)

And Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him.

Emphasis Mine

Genesis 9:20-25 (NIV)

Noah, a man of the soil, proceeded to plant a vineyard.  When he drank some of its wine, he became drunk and lay uncovered inside his tent.  Ham, the father of Canaan, saw his father naked and told his two brothers outside.  But Shem and Japheth took a garment and laid it across their shoulders; then they walked in backward and covered their father’s naked body. Their faces were turned the other way so that they would not see their father naked.

When Noah awoke from his wine and found out what his youngest son had done to him, he said,

“Cursed be Canaan!
    The lowest of slaves
    will he be to his brothers.”

As we can see from the verses above, the journey of each man continued and took different turns. Our walk with God is a test of consistence and persistence. We need to walk conscious of a victor’s mentality knowing that indeed it will get challenging, however, we will finish strong, no matter what. 

How would you want your entire story told? Would your story be that of one who started strong and finished strong? Examine your walk with the Father and begin making the necessary changes such that you have an outstanding story.

MEN – Leave A Legacy

Be an example and determine the outcome of your generations beginning now. Our heavenly Father is such a rewarder. If you will determine in your heart to walk with him, remain faithful, remain steadfast, live in habitual fellowship with Him, your life and your generation will be a testament to the chosen lifestyle of close communion with Him.

Hebrews 11:6c (NKJV)

…and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

Emphasis Mine

The Word says,

Genesis 5:22 a (NKJV)

“After he begot Methuselah, ” …

Emphasis Mine

Methuselah is known to be the longest lived human on earth. And he came from the generation of Enoch (he was Enoch’s biological child).

Genesis 5:27 (NKJV)

So Methuselah lived nine hundred and sixty-nine years, and he died.

Emphasis Mine

Whom you leave is equally as important as what you leave. The people from Enoch’s generation where people of substance characterized by different qualities.

Methuselah – Longest lived human on earth

Noah – Walked with God

How can you reshape your decisions today such that they have a lasting positive impact on the generations to come?

MEN – Establish The Foundation

The foundation you choose to establish will have a lasting impact on your generations. The wise amongst them will quickly learn from your successes and failures and it will ease their journey through life. They will give priority to the most important aspects in life including decision making. This can be seen in the lives of Enoch and Noah

Genesis 5:22 (NKJV)

After he begot Methuselah, Enoch walked with God three hundred years, and had sons and daughters.

Emphasis Mine

Genesis 6:9-10 (NKJV)

This is the genealogy of Noah. Noah was a just man, perfect in his generations. Noah walked with God. And Noah begot three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

Emphasis Mine

Prior to the scripture mentioning… Enoch walked with God (Gen 5:22b), it mentions that it was after he begot Methuselah. However, take a close look at the scriptural recordings of Noah, it began by characterizing his qualities and further mentions his walk with God. These differences should not be overlooked. There is absolutely no doubt that Enoch was an upright person otherwise, the bible will not say so.

The story of Enoch and Noah are very different but for the fact that the both walked with God. It also suffice to say that because Enoch dedicated himself to walking with God (after having a child), Noah was able to learn the significance of putting God first before family. He was able to make the necessary corrections and reshape his own destiny and story. The journey of walking with God had to begin somewhere. Enoch began the journey.

Therefore, the emphasis here is that let’s establish a firm foundation even in our priorities. Although we may end up doing all the good and necessary things, it is imperative to make the godly things priority.

MEN – Walk With God

Genesis 5:22 (NKJV)

After he begot Methuselah, Enoch walked with God three hundred years, and had sons and daughters.

Emphasis Mine

Genesis 6:9 (NKJV)

This is the genealogy of Noah. Noah was a just man, perfect in his generations. Noah walked with God.

Emphasis Mine

A decision to walk with God is the best decision anyone can choose to make.

-Enoch and Noah are both remembered as people who walked with God. When you examine the detailed meaning of the word “walk” as used in the scriptures, it is used as a verb with emphasis on one’s behavior; meaning “the way one walks in Life”. In this case, it has very little to do with walking upright on one’s feet but to living a righteous life. Therefore, it also communicates a decision to please God.

-Their walk with God also communicates to us whom they chose and preferred to keep close company with. Whom you walk with influences your life, your decision making, and possibly the outcome of your life.

Question

Can you be referred to as “someone who walks with God?

Are you living life such that generations later can remember you as someone who setup the foundation of walking with God in the family?

Dedicate your life to walking with God and you can be sure to receive rest on every side.

Walking with God will benefit you and generations to come.

MEN – Introduction – Enoch & Noah

The book of Genesis introduces us to several characters. Our focus of study for this series will be on two characters by name Enoch and Noah. The scriptural foundations for the teachings will be from Genesis 5:22 (NKJV) and Genesis 6:9 (NKJV).

Genesis 5:22 (NKJV)

After he begot Methuselah, Enoch walked with God three hundred years, and had sons and daughters.

Emphasis Mine

Genesis 6:9 (NKJV)

This is the genealogy of Noah. Noah was a just man, perfect in his generations. Noah walked with God.

Emphasis Mine

The biblical Hebrew meaning of the name Enoch is “dedicated” and the biblical Hebrew meaning of the name Noah is “rest”. Both Enoch and Noah are descendants from Cain’s genealogy. However, these two individuals particularly stand out because the bible states that “they walked with God”.

That phrase alone tells us what they did. A decision was made that left a lasting impact in their generation. Therefore, in this series we’ll examine the outcomes of their decision of “walking with God”, how it benefited them and their generation, and how we can learn from them.

One thing stands out; A life dedicated to walking with God will receive rest on every side.