Our daily character in our spiritual life is characterized in the Bible as walk. Through our daily walk we get to the place where God wants us to be. God doesn't wants us to be stagnant, but rather he wants us to be productive. He wants us to grow in grace and the more we grow and the more productive we are, then the more we can accomplish, And the more we can accomplish, then the more we will used by God to accomplish his purposes.

And so in our daily walk, our chief goal is to please God, not man. This is where some people get their hang-ups. They got so close to the pastor or somebody in the congregation that when their gone, They don't know where to go.

OUR GOAL IS TO PLEASE GOD

Amos 3:3-Can two walk together, except they be agreed?

Amos asks the question, and in this question lies the principles of walking together in order to be successful.
How can we walk together with God?
How can we walk a walk that is pleasing to him?
First, of all, we need to be in agreement with him. To be in agreement with him means that we have to come to his terms. To agree means to admit, concede, to settle upon common consent, to come to terms. It means to be in harmony,to share the common cause.

Quoting from ISA 55:8-9---it says God's ways and God's thoughts is higher than our ways and our thoughts, so it is not to be desired and it is not to be expected that God's purpose should bend to man's but rather our purposes should bend to God's.

In the relationship between God and man agreement can only be attained by the conformity of our mind and will to God.
Where there is no agreement, one will walk a different road than the other. That is why we have so many backslider (a person who has known and accepted truth and turned his back from it.) They don't want to be in agreement with the pastor and the rest of the congregation. That is why we have so many cases of divorce, husband and wife have disagreement. There is no harmony, there is no sharing of common cause. That is why we have so many runaway kids. They don't want to submit and agree with their parents. That is why we have so many churches today, members of the church won't agree with one another so they multiply by division and the result is addition of churches. We could go on and on and on....

But in our relationship with God agreement can be attained only by conformity of our mind and will to his will and purposes. In Bible terms it is called RECONCILIATION.

To reconcile means to bring back into harmony or cause to be friendly again. It also means to adjust or settle as in reconciling differences. In Greek the meaning of the word is make otherwise different or to change. Therefore, we can say that reconciliation is a change of relationship (between God and man, between man and man). It involves at least 3 things:
1.Confession of sin to God and to any others who have been offended.
2.Forgiveness by God or by the one who has been offended.
3.Establishment of a new relationship between the offender and God or between the offender and the offending parties.

Reconciliation with God is necessary because an alienation had existed dating back to the times of Adam. There is a separation. There is a lack of harmony and of friendly relation and more than that, a state of enmity. And if this is our condition then we cannot walk a walk that is pleasing to God.

2 Cor 5:17---Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

What makes a man to be in Christ?
It is the change, the change of nature. The nature has been changed from a sinful one to that nature which is acceptable to God. The man is born again by the spirit of God and so all the things that belong to that sinful nature are gone. God opens up new ways and under new condition he has new principles of the soul, new impulses, new association, new help. He has been reconciled to God. And so, from this point you have to walk accordingly as a new man. Old things have passed away, behold all things are become new. So it is the change that makes a person to be in Christ.

In thinking about the change, the scripture indicates that the change takes place not merely when certain changes occur but when there is a change. The change of activity is not the same as the change of a person.

e.g..What do you call a person who lies?
We all know that the answer is a liar,t hat is correct.
What do you call a person who steals?
Of course, the answer is a thief. Now, when is a thief not a thief? When is a liar not a liar?
When he is not lying? When he is not stealing? Precisely not. There is no assurance whatever that a thief who is not stealing or a liar who is not lying ceased being a thief or being a liar. All the cessation of stealing indicates is that for the moment or at present he is not stealing. Perhaps all this means is, that it is not strategically wise for him to steal or lie at this time. Or it may mean that he has made a good resolution to stop. Yet what he will do when he finds himself in economic pressure is another matter. In other words thieves don't steal all the time. Liars don't lie all the time and the drunkards are not always drunk. Cessation of this activities is no indication that there has been a permanent change.

A thief who stops stealing is a-----thief.
A liar who stops lying is a -----liar. Why? There is no change.

CHANGE IS A TWO FACTORED PROCESS. THIS TWO FACTORS MUST ALWAYS BE PRESENT IN ORDER TO EFFECT A GENUINE CHANGE. THESE TWO FACTORS ARE:
1.PUTTING OFF
2.PUTTING ON

Going back to our example--a liar who stops lying is still a liar because there is no change. He just stops lying. He just put off the old habit but he did not put on a new one.

A. Putting off will not be permanent without putting on. If that is the case you are just stopping your old habit, and given time and opportunity you will go back to that old habit.

B. Putting on is as hypocritical, as well as temporary without putting off the old habit and again given time and opportunity you will go back to where you are before.

2COR 5:17---If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature. Old things have passed away (that is putting off) behold all things are become new. (putting on).

In Eph.4---Paul is exhorting how we ought to walk. Then he deals with unity which is an important factor in our walk. Then he deals directly with the problem of change.

In v1 Paul says Ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith you were called. What Paul meant to say is that since we are called to this vocation or divine calling, then our manner of life should be in accordance with our calling....2 Peter 1:3 says God has given us all things that pertains to life and Godliness. Basically what that mean is that we have all the power and resources to live a holy life. Then again in Eph.4:17 Paul said that we are to walk not as other Gentiles walk. And we know that the Gentiles are the unconverted so what he meant to say is that since we have accepted the truth our manner of life should be in accordance with that truth. And in verses 17-21 Paul describe the Gentiles way of life.

So throughout the the rest of the chapter Paul is speaking of a change which is directed toward a way of life, not merely toward some activities involve in such living. Paul speak of it as a walk in V17,former manner of life in v19,old man in v22.In describing the change, as one must become a new man v24,one that has been renewed in mind in v23,in righteousness and holiness in v24,and Paul said that this changes issue from the truth. And what do we have---A man like Jesus. The change is a change in the man. It is a change of nature, a change of mind, a change of heart. And his new lifestyle must conform to the image of Christ, so that in our new manner of life it truly reflect God. Nothing else will do.

Eph.4:22---That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lust.

Eph.4:23 and be renewed in the spirit of your mind.

Eph.4:24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

Did you see how to change in these verses. The key fact is that Paul does not say Put off the old man but also says put on the new man. Throughout the scripture the two factored process appears. Notice what Paul says about anger in v26-27.Put off resentment (hiding anger in) and put on dealing with problems daily. In v29 consider his words about speech. Put off corrupt communication and put on that which is good to the use of edifying. You can also check the following scriptures regarding this subject.

Gal.5
IPet1:14-15
1Pet2:11-12
1Pet3:9
1Pet4:2
1Pet5:2-6
Rom12:16-21
Rom 13:12
Rom14:17
Rom15:12
Gal.6:3,4:8

God's plan is for us to walk with him so he has given us a pattern on how we are to walk with him. And so in our walk with God the only pleasing to him is if we follow the footstep of Christ. He is our example, He is our leader, He is the author and finisher of faith. Are you walking a walk that is pleasing to God? Which way are you walking right now?