What a Walk - Martin Wiles

And Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him. Genesis 5:24 NKJV

He was the first to do what I longed to do . . . but probably never would. And what a walk it was. 

In his book, Walking with Spring, Earl Shaffer details his account of being the first person to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail—a footpath extending more than 2,000 miles from Springer Mountain, Georgia, to Mount Katahdin, Maine. The new trail was a mess and not as well attended as it is today. Nor did he have the modern equipment available presently. 

I once dreamed of taking a walk like Earl. Taking six months off from work and living in the wilderness, enjoying God’s creation. Although I’ve hiked numerous sections of the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Virginia, I’ve never hiked the entire trail. Now, age and health concerns would prevent me from doing so. 

Enoch took a walk of a different variety. A walk with God. And when his time came to leave this earth, God just took him. He didn’t have to pass through the scary experience of death. He merely disappeared into God’s hands and entered heaven. 

To take a walk with God means going in the same direction as he does. God is characterized by holiness and righteousness. Walking with him means we must pursue the same traits. While we can’t be purely holy and righteous in practice as he is, we can be in position by accepting what he allowed his Son to do on Calvary’s cross: pay for our sins. When we accept that act, Jesus’ righteousness—which was as pure as God the Father’s—is applied to our lives.  

Walking with God is often taxing, as it was for Earl Schaffer as he maneuvered a rough and unkempt trail. But God promises to walk with us and give us the power to make it through the rough spots. 

Taking a walk with God requires obedience. Jesus says if we love him, we will obey his commands. Doing so isn’t always easy, but he will give us strength to do that as well. 

When we walk with God, we can also expect rewards. God gives us the desire to serve him, the power to obey his commands, and then rewards us for his accomplishments through us. The assurance of his presence and love now and throughout eternity keeps us taking another step. 

Walking is good exercise. Take a daily walk with God and reap the benefits.

Father, thank you for the privilege of walking with you. 

If you seek hope and healing because of hurts you have faced, then Hurt, Hope, and Healing is for you. Click on the title above to order your copy. And thanks to all our faithful followers who share our posts on Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin.

Looking for Evidence - Martin Wiles

I won’t believe it unless I see the nail wounds in his hands, put my fingers into them, and place my hand into the wound in his side. John 20:25 NLT

We were looking for evidence, and it was overwhelming. Yet, we followed something we feared.

Panthertown Valley is just outside Cashiers, North Carolina. But if someone is looking for a directional sign, they’ll be disappointed. But my brother and I had directions. Numerous trails run through more than 10,000 acres of protected land, and we planned to hike one of them.

As we made our way along the trail, we noticed scat. Since it was filled with berries, we knew which animal left it. Although we enjoyed the scenery, our eyes roamed our surroundings. Every noise made our hearts race and our eyes dance. When we reached the end of the trail, a tree with claw marks greeted us. A bear scratching post. We never saw Smokey, but the evidence convinced us he was near.

The evidence convinced us, but not Thomas. Jesus had been resurrected from the grave. Women saw him, as did some of the other disciples, but eyewitness reports weren’t enough for Thomas. He wanted to see the marks. So Jesus showed him. Then Thomas felt ashamed that he’d asked.

The evidence for God’s existence seems overwhelming to me—but not all agree. When I look at nature and how natural laws operate according to an unseen plan, I wonder how anyone could doubt, or even deny, the existence of a Higher Being. Theologians disagree over the methods God used to create. Did he initiate a Big Bang or perhaps use evolution as his process? Or was everything a fiat act of creation out of nothing?

Jesus showed Thomas the evidence he asked for and listened as Thomas shamefully confessed him as Lord and Savior. He should have believed without the evidence. God won’t appear to us and say, “Yes, I exist and created,” but he has given enough evidence to know he does and did.

The evidence at Panthertown Valley convinced my brother and me that a bear was in the area, whether or not we physically saw him with our eyes. The universe, along with a still small voice that speaks to my spirit, convinces me God exists, loves me, and wants to be included in my life. What I do with the evidence is up to me.

Evidence for God’s existence is overwhelming. Believe he exists and invite him into your life.

Father, I acknowledge you as the Creator and Governor of the universe and my life. 

If you seek hope and healing because of hurts you have faced, then Hurt, Hope, and Healing is for you. Click on the title above to order your copy. And thanks to all our faithful followers who share our posts on Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin.

Series: Oh, the Things We Say: Fear the Lord - Martin Wiles

You must fear the Lord your God and worship him and cling to him. Deuteronomy10:20 NLT

Being around something or someone I’m scared of is not my favorite thing to do. Nor was my favorite thing being told to fear the Lord.

I have real and perceived fears. My fear was real when bears entered a fellow camper’s campsite and devoured their food—twice. My son and I were camped in a three-sided shelter a mere fifty feet away. The same bears could have easily walked into our shelter and devoured us.

As a child, my fear of the dark could have been real or imagined. Although Dad was fond of saying there was nothing in the dark that wasn’t there in the light, I never believed him. Some dangers are present at night that are not present during the day. But I did imagine some of my fears associated with darkness.

Early in life, Dad taught me to fear the Lord. At the same time, he wanted me to love the Lord. I don’t typically love or choose to be around those I fear. If I fear them, I perceive that some danger hangs around them. Loving and fearing God seemed like an ironic situation, and I was unsure of how to do both.

The command combines fear, worship, and association. If we usually avoid what we fear, but God wants us to worship and associate with him, fear must have another definition. And it does. Fear can involve being afraid of something or someone. Defined in such a manner, we would avoid that person or thing. Fear can also mean to reverence. And this is the definition God has in mind when he tells us to fear him.

When we reverence God, we stand in awe of him. In one sense, we should fear him. He has life and death power over our existence. With the utterance of one command, our hearts would stop and our breath cease. He is sovereign over people and the universe.

Although fear can involve fright, God wants us to love and revere him. So great was his desire for fellowship with people that he allowed his Son to die for our sins on Calvary. We should stand in awe of Him, but we also consider him as our Savior and friend. He has accepted us into his family and invited us to come into his presence as often as we like.

Let your fear of God lead you to him, not away.

Father, I love you for who you are and for what you’ve done on my behalf. 

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How to Deal with Life's Slow Leaks - Martin Wiles

I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth, you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart because I have overcome the world. John 16:33 NLT

My wife and I had felt the feeling before—and things didn’t turn out well.

On one camping trip, our mattress died. My wife and I were tent campers. Not that we didn’t want to be camper campers, but we couldn’t afford the camper at the time. We could, however, afford an air mattress, which was better than sleeping in a sleeping bag on top of a small pad lying on the ground. I had done that before, too, but the aches and pains of aging made that impossible now—if I wanted to get off the ground the following day.

This time, we had awoken to a squishy feeling in the middle of the night. Air mattresses are known to leak a small amount, making it necessary to refill them every several days, but this was different. We had both sunk into the middle of the mattress. No holes appeared; the mattress was simply worn out from age and use.

So, we purchased a new mattress, anticipating our next camping trip as summer arrived. Since we were also in the process of moving three doors down, we figured we would give our new one a try the last two nights in our old place. We inflated the mattress, decorated it with sheets, threw in a few pillows, and settled in for a good night’s sleep—or so we thought.

Two hours into the night, we awoke to that squishy feeling again. Surely not, I thought. This was a new mattress. We got up, mashed the on button, and refilled the mattress. My wife turned off the fan, and a hissing sound broke the night’s silence. After careful inspection, we uncovered the culprit: a pinhole just next to a seam. No way to patch this—and we wouldn’t anyway since the mattress was new. A slow leak, but a slow leak that would eventually land us on the hard floor.

We retired to our recliners for the remainder of the night. The following day, we deflated the half-deflated mattress, boxed it up, and returned it for another. Even slow leaks can take the fun out of sleeping.

Jesus doesn’t sugarcoat one vital truth about life: it’s filled with trials. Sin in the world and people’s lives assures us of that. Besides, God can send trials to teach us important lessons and grow our faith. But Jesus also doesn’t leave out the good news: he has overcome the world—and its trials. If we follow him, we can too.

Sometimes, life’s trials come simultaneously, like the air that suddenly left our old mattress. When that happens, the trials take the air out of us. A tragedy occurs. A child dies. A spouse has a stroke. A pandemic hits the world. We lose a job.

But more often, the trials mimic a slow leak, like our new mattress. They mirror pin holes, which slowly cause our joy to escape. We don’t plunge full-blown into depression and discouragement, but they both creep in gradually. We don’t see them coming, but suddenly, one day, we’re in their grasp.

Life’s trials make refilling necessary. Even air mattresses with no holes need refilling if slept on for more than one day. Weight causes air to escape somewhere. The peace Jesus references comes with the refilling. 

And the refilling comes through the same spiritual disciplines God has commanded from the beginning: regular prayer (not just when we’re facing trials), Bible study, and hanging out with others who will support us and give us beneficial spiritual advice.

Joining a small group Bible study and reading good spiritual books are also good ideas.

Further, peace can come by remembering we won’t always sleep on air mattresses that need refilling. One day, after our death or the Second Coming of Christ, we will live in an eternal home where trials are absent. We will have overcome the slow leaks of life.

Don’t let the slow leaks of life’s trials steal your joy.

Father, I pray for strength so the slow leaks of life will not overcome me. 

Tweetable: How do you deal with life's slow leaks? 

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Ruled by Fear - Martin Wiles

Wishing all our readers a Happy New Year. 

For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline. 2 Timothy 1:7 NLT

Sleep in the backyard in a tent? And in the dark? At the time, Fred was ruled by fear of darkness.

Like many children, Fred feared the dark. His parents had talked to him, telling him nothing existed in the dark that didn’t in the light. Even as a youngster, he knew that wasn’t true. What about all those dangerous animals he never saw in the daylight? Try as he might, Fred couldn’t shake the fear.

Then, one day at school, Rad suggested a camping adventure in his backyard. The thought of sleeping in a tent at night terrified Fred—even if it was only in Rad’s backyard. Not wanting to admit his fear to my friend and risk him telling their friends, Fred agreed.

The experience was worse than Fred imagined. Without divulging his fear, Fred convinced Rad to leave a light on in the bathroom to see how to get to the facilities should they need to use them during the night. Rad agreed. However, Rad had an evil sister who somehow discerned Fred’s fear and ensured she extinguished the light before going to bed. Fred didn’t sleep a wink. His imagination inflated, and he heard every noise. By the time the first rays of daylight peeped over the horizon, he was a nervous wreck.

I’ve struggled with this and other fears myself. Darkness wasn’t my friend when I was younger, either. Dad tried to help me defeat it by sending me into the backyard alone. It didn’t work. Now a senior adult, I’m still a little nervous when confronting the darkness without some light.

Although God has instilled in us a healthy sense of fear, He doesn’t expect it to lead to unhealthy emotional reactions. Avoiding a dangerous neighborhood is just good sense. Stepping into the path of an oncoming semi and thinking God will stop it isn’t. God gives us the wisdom to avoid dangerous situations through the instilled emotion of fear. We depend on Him to protect us from those beyond our control. And He’s promised He would.

Conquering unreasonable fears starts when we admit to God that we have them. Once we’ve done that, we can lean on Him for strength to face and overcome them. 

Father, I ask you to deliver me from unreasonable fears.  

Tweetable: What fears rule your life? 

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God of the Unexpected - Martin Wiles

O God, you are my God; I earnestly search for you. My soul thirsts for you; my whole body longs for you. Psalm 63:1 NLT

He bounded into camp and revolutionized our moods.

We were doing what we once enjoyed but hadn’t accomplished lately. My daughter and I left our car in a secluded parking lot, shouldered our backpacks, and hiked inland on the Foothills Trail to Pigpen Falls. Knowing our intended campsite’s popularity, we planned to get there early. After setting up camp, we sat around for a bit before walking a couple of miles down the Chattooga River Trail.

Our attempt to lift our somber mood wasn’t working too well until a black lab suddenly bounced into our camp with a hemlock cone dangling from his mouth. He dropped it at my daughter’s feet and stood back, tail wagging. She got the message and tossed it away. He retrieved. What he really wanted was for her to throw it into the water. As we walked down the Chattooga, he followed. She continued to throw, and he continued to retrieve.

At our turnaround point, we spotted a trout fisherman. So did the dog. Leaving us as quickly as he had come, he took up with the fisherman. Later, the owners passed our camp, and we pointed them to the dog that had altered the atmosphere of our lives.

Like the psalmist, my daughter and I were searching. We had found God in the past, but we needed Him to show up in the present. Several years prior, I had watched my family disintegrate before my eyes. I still battled depression, disappointment, and confusion. My daughter also suffered. She had lost a mother and was presently adjusting to college life.

While I don’t believe we find God in all things, I do think He shows up in shapes and forms we don’t always recognize. He refuses to be confined in a box. Though God wasn’t in the dog—or even transformed into one—He used the dog's presence to bring momentary happiness and relief to two hurting people. God’s usual mode of operation entails showing His love for His creations and His concern for the hurts or tough decisions they’re up against.

Learn to find God’s presence in the out-of-ordinary things. He has a habit of showing up when we least expect it and in forms we might not imagine.

How have you experienced God in unexpected ways?

Father, thank You for noticing me and coming to me in ways I never presumed. 

Tweetable: Has God shown up unexpectedly to you? 

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Smelled Up - Martin Wiles

Not a hair on their heads was singed, and their clothing was not scorched. They didn’t even smell of smoke! Daniel 3:27 NLT

The smell clung to me like a too-snug shirt.

 

I love a campfire—and evidently, many others do too when they camp. I’ve seen people build campfires at campgrounds in the middle of July when the temperatures soared into the nineties and the humidity approached one hundred percent. Something about camping just isn’t complete without a glowing—and for some, a roaring—campfire.

 

But one thing I don’t care for is the smell. I’ve cooked on a campfire, roasted marshmallows around one, lounged around one for enjoyment, and hovered near one for heat. Regardless of my purpose, the result was the same: smoke smell. When camping, I don’t always bathe every night, so that means getting in my tent smelling like smoke—and smelling the smoke all night. For some reason, the odor keeps me awake. Bathing, or dousing myself with cologne, is the only way to diminish the odor.

 

My wife and I have a favorite restaurant in town that leaves us smelling almost the same as a campfire. No matter how my clothes smell when I enter—and regardless of what I eat—they reek of smoke when I leave. No wearing them a second time. Straight to the dirty clothes they go. Some things just cling.

 

Not so with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Through trickery by some who didn’t like the three Hebrews, Nebuchadnezzar, the king, threw them into a fiery furnace. But he didn’t watch them disintegrate. Instead, he saw a fourth Man in the fire with them, and he saw them all walking around. When he called for the three to come out, they did—and without the smell of smoke or a singed hair on their bodies.

 

God wants His children to smell, too. Not a repulsive smell—although it sometimes works out that way—but a pleasant aroma. He wants the smell of holiness. This doesn’t mean we walk around acting emotional or weird. Holiness carries the idea of separation—from all things that displease God, from all things that keep Him from accomplishing His purpose in our life, and from all things that destroy our ability to live life as He planned.

 

Our smell can repulse or invite. When we smell of love, kindness, joy, peace, patience, forgiveness, goodness, gentleness, and faithfulness, people will want to know why we don’t smell like what they are accustomed to smelling in the world. They’ll be astounded—like the king was—and they’ll want to worship the same God as we do.

 

What can you do to smell a little better?

 

Father, may my smell lure others to Your love. 

Tweetable: How do you smell to others? 

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Light for the Path - Martin Wiles

Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path. Psalm119:105 NLT

Camping in the mountains without light for the path can be disastrous.

When my brother, my children, and I backpacked in the mountains, we wanted our packs to be as light as possible. But a flashlight wasn’t one of the things I chose to omit. Additionally, I’d carry extra batteries—especially if we were camping in the winter months. Flashlights came in handy when preparing a meal before daylight, making a bathroom trip during the night, looking for something in my tent, and reading before I fell asleep. Camping in the mountains without some type of light would have been unthinkable.

My life path is just as tenuous or more so as the dark paths I’ve walked in the mountains or the campsites I’ve fumbled around in after dark. Without a light, I could stumble over roots, fall, and injure a body part. Trying to find my Bible in a dark tent isn’t fun either. Nor is trying to fix a stuck zipper on my sleeping bag or cooking supper during the winter months.

I sometimes feel I’m fumbling around in the dark in life. Darkness descends when a family member dies, when a trusted friend betrays us, or when a spouse walks out the door never to return. Darkness happens when the boss delivers the pink slip or when the doctor delivers bad news. Or when the professor stamps C in our grade slot when we tried so hard for an A. Darkness surrounds us when depression sets in and happiness steps out.

Whatever the darkness, God’s Word provides a lamp for our way, shining brightly so we can determine where we need to step to avoid falling and injuring ourselves. It will shine the light of peace on our troubled situations and illuminate happiness where sadness has settled. 

God’s Word reminds us who’s in control, that life does have meaning, and that a vibrant relationship with Christ is the way to experience peace in spite of our circumstances. 

What are you using to light your path?

Prayer: Father, may we trust You to guide us along the dark paths of life. 

Tweetable: What lights your life path? 

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Soul Survivor - Martin Wiles

Don’t be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot touch your soul. Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Matthew 10:28 NLT

A sudden noise alerted me that something wasn’t right.

As my daughter and I hiked a rain-swollen trail, I felt something wasn’t quite right with my left boot. Looking down, I saw the sole had separated from the boot. It barely hung on just at the tip. My daughter got a good laugh at my situation, but I didn’t think it was so funny. At least the temperatures were warm, so walking through the water with a wet foot, although uncomfortable, didn’t give me frostbite.

As I walked along, flapping, I suddenly heard a noise from my right boot. When I looked down, I saw the same thing had happened to it. Only this sole didn’t hang on for dear life. When I lifted my foot, it fell off. Now, I was soleless. For the next five miles, I carried my soles and walked in what had deteriorated to nothing more than moccasins.

Since the trail we hiked was extremely rocky, my feet soon began to hurt, slowing us down. We finally made it back to the car, but for the next week, my feet ached. Of course, my daughter, being an Essential Oil enthusiast, had oil that took away my pain.

The pain I experienced from walking soleless doesn’t begin to compare to the pain I will feel if I lose my other soul. The one Jesus refers to when He says to fear the One who can destroy both body and soul in hell.

Some believe our composition is three-fold: body, soul, and spirit. Others combine the soul and spirit part and view our composition as a dichotomy. And still, others believe we’re nothing but a body, which means death ends everything.

The Bible, while teaching the unity of our person, does teach that a temporary separation of our body and soul will take place at death. Our soul—the real us … our mind, will, and emotions—will live on until the final resurrection when Jesus will give us new bodies made for our eternal home and reunite them with our souls.

The larger question is not how all this takes place, but rather where we’ll spend eternity. In telling His disciples about their upcoming persecution, He warns them to fear the One who has power over the body and soul: God.

Death isn’t our end. We’ll spend eternity in one of two places: heaven or hell. Our choice for or against Jesus while we’re living determines which place we’ll go. God determines our destiny based on our choice to accept Him or reject Him.

Fear often means reverence, but in this instance, it probably means to be afraid of. Anyone who has this kind of power demands my attention and reverence.

I survived my soleless hiking trip, and we all can survive the after-death trip, too, if we choose to entrust our souls to Jesus Christ.

Will you be a soul survivor?

Prayer: Father, we thank You for providing a way for our sins to be forgiven and for us to be with You forever. 

Tweetable: Are you a soul survivor? 

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Walk-on Wednesday - Eternally Safe - Martin Wiles

Welcome to Walk-on Wednesday. By Hump Day, we are struggling, but we believe a good devotion can strengthen us to finish the week strong. 

And I will dwell in the house of the Lord Forever. Psalm 23:6b NJKV

Even when camping in the open country, I need security.

Security is a God-created basic human need. From the moment of birth, I felt it when my mom and dad cradled me in their arms. They continued to make me feel secure by changing my diapers, rocking me to sleep, feeding me, and giving me milk and juice to drink. They supplied all my basic needs.

As I got older and needed my parents less, I still needed security. I found it by getting a job so I could pay my living expenses. I discovered it by renting or buying a home to live in that kept me out of the elements. I felt it also by putting locks on my doors and windows to keep unwanted people out.

When my wife and I camp, many of those elements in a home that make me feel secure are missing. But I still need to feel secure. Instead of sleeping in the open under the stars, we bed down in a tent and make sure the fly is zipped tightly. This way, no snakes or other unwanted night creatures can slither in. Somehow, closing the tent makes me feel secure against bears also, even though I know that wouldn’t keep one out if he wanted to get in.

We also take along extension cords so we can plug our phones into a power source. We feel secure if we have a way to contact the outside world. We carry food and drink. Although we leave the comforts of our home, we still take the basic things that make us feel secure.

In Psalm 23, the psalmist takes us through an entire year in a sheep’s life. From the spring at the shepherd’s home to the green pastures of the high country during the summer and then back to the shepherd’s dwelling for the fall and winter. Throughout the sheep’s year-long journey, the shepherd has supplied all their needs, giving them a sense of security.

David experienced this same care from his Shepherd. Now, he wanted to dwell in His house forever. We often think about the church or heaven when reading this verse, but David had no church building to attend. He did, however, have heaven, as he understood it, to look forward to.

David boasted about his good Shepherd, and we should too. God gives us everything we need to feel secure, including salvation. He promises to meet our needs—physically, spiritually, and emotionally. And not only in this life but also in the life to come. Eternity is ours. He won’t take from us—salvation—what He has given to us. A part of that promise is a new heaven and a new earth.  

Telling others about our good Shepherd is one way we express our gratitude for His blessings. Loving God’s church is another. Christ died for the church, and our eternal security is represented by what the church is about and the message she proclaims.

When we’ve made our peace with God, we can dwell in His presence forever, which is the better meaning of what David says. While on earth, we enjoy the presence of God’s Spirit, and after death, we’ll enjoy seeing our Savior face to face.

Have you prepared to be eternally secure?

Prayer: Father, thank You for the promise we can be eternally secure in Your presence. 

Tweetable: Are you eternally safe? 

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