7 Key Steps in Learning How to Walk with God (When you can’t walk.) 

Before I was diagnosed with a chronic illness that limited my physical capabilities, one of my favorite activities was going on a walk with a good friend.  

There’s nothing better than being outside, getting some exercise, and sharing the journey with someone you love by your side.  

Another great thing about walking with someone is the opportunity it brings for great conversations.  

You can share your struggles, hopes, and dreams, or even about something you notice as the two of you travel along.  

It’s one of the things I miss most about my former life . . . when I was healthy.  

But even though, I can’t enjoy a walk with a good friend right now. There is someone I can still take a walk with figuratively every single day . . . and His name is Jesus. 

How to Walk with God Daily

When we think about walking with God, we can start by considering what we do when we are on a walk with a good friend. 

In general, when we walk with someone, we do 3 things.

• Walk in the Same Direction
• Talk to Each Other.
• Pay attention.

And these 3 things are the first key steps we need to take in our walk with Jesus.  

1) Walk with God By . . . Walking in the Same Direction.

I don’t know about you, but I struggle a lot with this in my relationship with God. I tend to meet with Jesus in the morning, and then I just take off to get all the things done.  

But that’s not how it’s supposed to be.  

We’re supposed to follow God’s leading. He is the only One who knows where we are going on this walk. Which is why we must learn to pay attention to Him. 

To see where He is moving and working.  

Walking with God involves aligning our will with His. (Amos 3:3) And resolving to head in the same direction as Him. 

“Can two people walk together without agreeing on the direction?” 

-Amos 3:3 NLT

2) Walk with God By . . .Talking to Each Other.

When we walk with a good friend, we tend to spend most of the time talking. It feels good to share with them. To discuss what’s going on in our lives and even vent about things that are bothering us. 

In the same way, walking with God involves communicating with Him and sharing what’s on our hearts. 

But keep in mind, just like when we are chatting with a friend, we shouldn’t be doing all the talking.  

Prayer is supposed to be a conversation. Which means we shouldn’t just talk to God. We also need to listen.  

Which, to be honest, is probably what nearly all of us struggle with the most.  

3) Walk with God By . . . Paying attention to Him.

When we walk with a friend, we’re focused on them.

In the same way, walking with Jesus involves seeking an intimate friendship with Him. Paying attention to Him. And sharing every part of our life with Him. 

Which means we must avoid things that might interfere with this. Things that might try to steal our focus.

We walk with God by letting go of distractions such as: 

• Sin. 
• Harmful habits. 
• Worldly passions. 
• Unhealthy relationships. 
• Or anything else that could hinder our relationship with Him. 

And keep in mind even good things can keep us from walking with God. 

Serving in the church is a very good thing. BUT if it makes us so busy that we skimp on our quiet time. Or we’re stressed out and losing our cool with our families . . . then it needs to go.  

By walking in the same direction, talking with, and paying attention to God we can learn how to walk closer with Jesus every day.  

Characteristics of Someone Walking with God.

If we want to learn how to walk with God according to the Bible, we can start by looking at two people.  

Enoch and Noah were a couple of people the Bible says walked with God.  

While we don’t know a lot about Enoch. (The Bible simply says He walked in close fellowship with God and then was taken up by God to Heaven – Genesis 5:24.) We can see that he walked with God so closely . . . that God spared him from facing death. 

Which is pretty neat.  

“No, O people, the Lord has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.” 

-Micah 6:8 NLT

We know a little bit more about Noah. And we can see from his life that he followed and obeyed God even when it was inconvenient. Or unconventional.

The term “walked with God” in the Bible means being dedicated to God. It means to respect, love, and follow Him.   

People who walk with Jesus are different from the rest of the world.

They display characteristics such as: 

• Humility, faithfulness, and loyalty.  
• Living with integrity. 
• Showing others mercy and grace. 
• Growth in the fruits of the Spirit – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23)  
• Being yielded to the Holy Spirit. Following His lead and relying on Him to guide them. Allowing the Holy Spirit to influence their life. Not resisting or grieving Him. 

People who walk with God take their cues from Jesus. They live in full submission to God. And spend their time loving God and others.  

But one of the most important characteristics of someone who is walking with God is the fact that people can tell they’ve been with Jesus. (Acts 4:13) 

The Cost of Walking with Jesus.

Walking with God doesn’t mean life will be easy. In fact, it often seems to get more difficult.  

And yet, it is worth it. 

• You must not live to please your own sinful, selfish desires. (Romans 13:14) 
• You must give up relationships that have a negative influence on you. (Psalm 1:1-3) 
• You must work hard to eliminate distractions in your life. (Hebrews 12:1-2) 
• You must do everything for God’s glory . . . even the dishes. (1 Cor. 10:31) 

This is how we walk humbly with God. By submitting to Him and letting Him change our life so every part of it is a beautiful reflection of Him. 

How do I start walking with God?

Walking with God means being in close communion with Him. Which sounds amazing.

But how do we do that?  

Especially when our lives are busy and chaotic. When we have families to care for. Jobs to get done. And to-do lists to complete.  

Well, by following these 4 additional key steps we can learn how to walk with God . . . even in the chaos of everyday life.  

We walk with God by:

• Focusing on the relationship.
• Connecting with Him throughout the day.
• Meditating.
• And resolving to keep walking.

The first step is to:

1) Walk with God by . . . Focusing on the Relationship.

We connect with our friends as we talk, laugh, and even cry together. And we can do the same things with Jesus.  

God wants to be our best friend.

He wants us to talk with Him about everything. The good. The bad. And even the downright ugly.  

(After all, He already knows it all so we might as well talk to Him about it all.) 

And being able to share everything with Jesus illustrates how wonderful it is to walk with God.  

To be able to bring it all to Him.  

To know that if we’re ever struggling with what to say when we pray. . . we can just think about what’s in our heart. And start right there. Because God really does care.  

If we are stressed . . . we can give Jesus our mess.  

Hallelujah! 

“Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.” 

-1 Peter 5:7 NLT

2) Walk with God By . . . Connecting with Him throughout the day.

Meeting with God once a day isn’t enough. The goal is to be in continual fellowship with Him.

We can start by meeting with Him in the morning. Because what we do for the first 5 minutes of our day has a profound effect on our mood.  

(This is why it’s important to connect with God through Scripture reading and prayer right away . . . before we start our day.) 

But when we’re done, we shouldn’t just rush on and leave Him behind.  

God wants to be a part of every single moment of our lives.  

So, we need to find ways to stay connected with Him like: 

• Taking prayer breaks throughout the day. Pray in the shower, in the car, while doing dishes or folding laundry. 
• Turning on worship music as everyone gets ready for the day. 
• Reading books about God. Listening to Biblical teaching through podcasts or sermons. 
• Putting up Scripture verses around the house.  
• Going for a literal prayer walk with God (if we are able) by walking around the neighborhood while praying. 
• Spending time in nature and marveling at what creation reveals about our God.  
• Spending time with other Christians who are also learning to walk with God.  
• Wrapping up the day by reading a few verses and taking a few minutes to pray before falling asleep.  

3) Walk with God By . . . Meditating.

Meditation is deep breathing while focusing on either a key verse in Scripture or an attribute of God.  

Jesus said:

“Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.”

-Matthew 4:4 NIV

Sometimes reading Scripture is like grabbing a quick snack. We only have time to read a couple of verses.  

Sometimes it’s like sitting down for a meal. We have time to read a few chapters.   

And sometimes it’s like a dog gnawing on a bone.  

This is meditation.  

It’s sitting with a passage for a while. Chewing on it. Turning it over in our minds. Pondering it. Contemplating its meaning. And listening to hear if the Holy Spirit has anything to say about it.  

By taking the time to meditate we can keep our thoughts focused on God. Which helps us stay in step with Him.  

4) Walk with God By . . . Resolving to Keep Walking.

Don’t give up. The road ahead might be hard. But the view at the end will be totally worth it.  

There are going to be good days when we’re walking on sunshine. And hard days when we’re walking through the pouring rain.  

But no matter where the walk takes us in life . . . we know that:

• God loves us (1 John 4:10),
• He is for us (Romans 8:31),
• And He is with us (Hebrews 13:5). 

Walking with God Is a Lifestyle.

As we follow God. As we listen and obey it becomes easier to hear from Him and stay in step with Him.  

Walking with God is a lifestyle.  

It’s living life WITH Him.

Learning to follow Him through perseverance and experience. As we lean on the Holy Spirit who is always with us . . . ready to guide us.  

“Your own ears will hear him. Right behind you a voice will say, ‘This is the way you should go,’ whether to the right or to the left.”  

-Isaiah 30:21 NLT

This doesn’t mean we’ll be perfect at it. There are going to be days when we walk closely with God. When we stay in step with Him.  

And then there are going to be days when we either run ahead of Him . . . or lag behind.  

This is a journey, remember.  

So, the point is not perfection. But consistent progress. (Gal. 5:25) 

God knows our hearts. And if our heart’s desire is to please Him, to let His Holy Spirit conform us to His image, and to learn how to walk in step with Him . . . then He is delighted.  

It’s okay if we don’t always get it right.  

We learn how to walk with God faithfully when we just keep putting one foot in front of the other as we follow Jesus. 

If you found this encouraging, then please share so it can help others! 

Don’t miss out on these other inspiring reads: 

• Living with Faith and Perseverance: 10 Steps to Steady Progress
• 10 Fabulous Ways to Pray to Strengthen Your Prayer Life 
• What is Spiritual Health? (It’s more important than you think!)