My eleven-month-old grandson is on the verge of walking. In fact, by the time this blog is posted, he’ll probably have the run of the house, literally! But until he’s mastered the skill, I’m sure he’ll have plenty of bumps and bruises.

Walking is definitely a skill that takes practice. It takes strength, coordination, balance, and perseverance. Walking daily with the Lord takes practice as well.

Scripture teaches a lot about walking. The prophet Micah wrote, “All the nations may walk in the name of their gods; we will walk in the name of the LORD our God for ever and ever” (Micah 4:5). We choose who we walk with.

Walking with the Lord means we confess, love, obey, and rely on Him. Confession helps us stay in a right relationship with God. We need to regularly admit and deal with temptations and struggles.

The apostle John wrote, “And this is love:  that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love” (2 John 6).

When we rely on the Lord, we’re not doing life on our own. Instead, we are following His lead. The book of Proverbs has a lot to say about the benefits of allowing wisdom to guide us. “When you walk, your steps will not be hampered; when you run, you will not stumble” (Proverbs 4:12).

On the flipside, walking in the way of the wicked is to be avoided since its consequences include darkness, stumbling, falling, and violence (Proverbs 4). “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin” (1 John 1:7).

May we grow spiritually, making forward progress, as we walk daily with the Lord.