“Enoch walked with God. . .” (Genesis 5:24).

I think you’d agree with me that there are a number of Bible characters about whom we know very little. Enoch is one such individual. His name appears in a limited fashion in the Bible. We have no record of great accomplishments on his behalf. He did not rule over a vast number of people, build great cities, conqueror the enemies of God, amass great wealth or any such thing. Yet there is something very instructive about what the Bible tells us about him. It says in very direct and simple language, “Enoch walked with God.” That phrase speaks to me. Let me explain what I mean.

I’ve come to see in my own life, as well as in others, that a very accurate barometer of faith is not what we do in the extraordinary and exceptional moments of life. What really defines a person is what he or she does in the ordinary times, when there is nothing exciting or tremendous going on. In other words, there is a sense in which faith is best measured in the “ordinary” as opposed to the “extraordinary.”  That observation is very convicting for all of us I believe, and for this reason.

Each of us craves after the extraordinary. We look for the exciting as opposed to the mundane. We’re wired to seek after the thrilling, not the humdrum. The thought of a dreary, boring, uninteresting existence makes us shudder. We’re always after something that’s more exciting than what we currently have. Such desires take a number of forms, even in the life of the Christian.

Yet we see nothing of that in Enoch. Unlike Moses who led the people out of Egypt or Joshua who conquered the land; unlike David who ruled Israel or Solomon, the wisest and richest man alive, Enoch had no such things in his life. Yet he had something far more important, something that catches God’s eye. Enoch had a consistent, unwavering, reliable, steady and constant walk with God. Enoch walked with God. In fact, Enoch’s walk with God was such that the latter part of the verse tells us that “God took him.” In other words, Enoch did not see death. God took him into eternity apart from death. Friends, that’s how much God values our walk with him.

Consider this thought for a moment. God may or may not call you to do extraordinary things as the world defines them. You may never command, build, write, preach, achieve, or become famous. In God’s way of working, that may be his best gift to you. But there is one thing all of us can do. By God’s grace, we can all walk with God as Enoch did.

“Fret not yourself; it leads only to evil” (Psalm 37:8).

There are a number of words in the English language that have a deep and significant meaning. “Fret” is one of those words. We don’t often use it; yet it often describes how we feel. The origin of the word can be traced back to the mid 12th century in England. It means “to eat or gnaw, to wear away or corrode something.” The word appears four times in the entire Bible and only in the Old Testament. Three of those occurrences are in Psalm 37.

With that in mind, what is it that causes us to fret? I think the answer to that is quite simple. When we are worried or anxious about life’s circumstances, our peace of mind is eaten away and our joy is gnawed on. I sit many nights watching my dog gnaw on bones we give to her. She will not give up until the bone is reduced to a small piece of what it was originally. That’s a good picture of what fretting does. It corrodes our peace, gnaws our joy, and eats away our focus on the Lord.

What then is the solution to fretting? Well, it sounds simplistic, but I believe the scriptures are quite clear in teaching that resting in the Lord as opposed to being swayed by circumstances is the antidote to fretting. The psalmist made it clear that fretting leads to evil. What he is saying is that fretting takes our eyes off the Lord, which always ends at some point in sin. You see, for some people it’s easy to assume that a little worry and anxiety reflects a measure of wisdom.

Friends, it’s just the opposite. Worry reflects our wickedness, not our wisdom; and for this reason. Resting in the Lord does not depend on external circumstances, but on the depth of our relationship with God. Fretting springs from a determination to get our own way. Need I remind you that Jesus never worried? He never fretted. The reason is because he was never out to get his own way, but rather to see the Father’s will accomplished in his life.

This leads us to a very important question. Do you find yourself in the midst of circumstances that cause you to fret? And further, are you of a mind that your current circumstances are too much for God to handle? If that describes how you feel right now, I have a very simple piece of wisdom for you to consider. Consciously put your fretting aside and dwell in the “shadow of the Almighty.” Deliberately tell God that you will not fret about your circumstances. Shift your focus off circumstances and onto the Lord, who has promised to never leave nor forsake you. Oswald Chambers put it this way; “All our fret and worry is caused by calculating without God.” Does that describe you? If so, tell God and ask him to make his presence so real to you that fretting fades and faith comes to the forefront. “Do not fret; it leads only to evil.”

“The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet” (Romans 16:20).

I’m certain that it wouldn’t take much for me to convince you that sin is bad. All one needs to do is to examine the current state of the world scene to observe that sin dictates the values, morals and mindset of the day; the examples of which are far too numerous to list. Yet as I’ve meditated on the passage cited above, two things came to mind for me. The first is that although sin causes untold suffering to men, the worst thing about it is that it created the need for the sinless Son of God to be crucified. The need for Christ to go to the cross is the most devastating effect of sin.

But the second thing I see in the passage is that because of the cross, sin does not win. The ultimate outcome of Satan, the one who brought sin to Adam and Eve, is simple. He will be crushed by the “God of Peace.” So on one hand sin is horrible in that it necessitated the Son of God to hang on a cross. But on the other hand, Satan will be crushed by the God of peace.

Now what does that mean for you and me? It means that Satan will never be able to defeat a person who is armed with true grace. Those who have received the grace of God in Christ will ultimately be victorious. The Holy Spirit who led Christ into the wilderness also gave him victory. What he did for Jesus, he will do for us as well.

Here’s my point. God is our very best friend as we battle against sin. No amount of personal discipline, inner resolve or established safeguards (as important as these things might be) can ever secure victory over the inroads of sin in our lives. It is only through the abiding presence of Jesus Christ living in us that we will ever be able to kill sin.

In that light, there is a partnership we must pursue with God. The partnership I have in mind looks like this; God provides the power to overcome sin, we must accept it and make choices in light of it.

That leads me to ask you a very simple question. Can you identify an area in your life where the inroad of sin is manifesting itself? In other words, if God has determined that he will crush Satan, how can you implement his power to deal with the allure of sin in your life right now? My guess is that each of us can readily identify an area of sin that we want to “crush.”

Yes indeed; the God of peace will one day “crush” Satan. He stands ready to assist you in crushing him on your behalf as well. Sin put Christ on the cross, but he didn’t stay there. He lives in you to empower you to do what he will ultimately do to Satan; crush him!