In the mid 1990's, not long after we were married, Chad and I were leading praise and worship sets for our home church in the Tucson community and at local and tribal Christian events. These outreaches developed into teaching times as well as playing worship sets, and people began to ask us what our ministry was called. Hmmm.... we never thought about labeling ourselves!
We began to think about what our ministry name should be and how it would best suit us. After thinking up some goofy names, not worth mentioning, we turned to the Bible for inspiration - what a concept! I know that we both regularly read Psalms and there was one Psalm that really spoke to us, Psalm 119. Here is what it says in Ps 119:1-5:
Psa 119:1 ALEPH. Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the LORD.
Psa 119:2 Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart.
Psa 119:3 They also do no iniquity: they walk in his ways.
Psa 119:4 Thou hast commanded us to keep thy precepts diligently.
Psa 119:5 O that my ways were directed to keep thy statutes!
Wow! Verse 3 really came alive! I shared this with Chad and he was in agreement. Little did we know that years later, this ministry verse would expand into a Hebrew understanding of the Bible way beyond where our faith was at that time. In our songs and our teachings we tried, and still try, to encourage people to follow the Most High God (Yahuah), with all their heart, mind and strength.
One of our favorite songs to sing is, "More Love, More Power", by Jude del Heirro. The words are almost a direct quote of Deu. 6:4 which coincide with walking in His ways. It would be another 10 years before we would learn that that song was a derivative of the most important verse in the Bible - the one that Yahusha quoted, Deut 6:4.
In another portion of the Torah or OT, these words, "walk in His ways", is originally spoken by the LORD (Yahuah) to Moses (Moshe) to give to the 2nd generation of those who came out of Egypt, who would take the Land as promised:
Deu 8:1 All the commandments which I command thee this day shall ye observe to do, that ye may live, and multiply, and go in and possess the land which the LORD sware unto your fathers.
Deu 8:2 And thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no.
Deu 8:3 And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live.
Deu 8:4 Thy raiment waxed not old upon thee, neither did thy foot swell, these forty years.
Deu 8:5 Thou shalt also consider in thine heart, that, as a man chasteneth his son, so the LORD thy God chasteneth thee.
Deu 8:6 Therefore thou shalt keep the commandments of the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways, and to fear him.
Deu 8:7 For the LORD thy God bringeth thee into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and depths that spring out of valleys and hills;
What an amazing promise to the children of Israel! As a believer in Messiah living in the 21st century, it can be hard to believe these promises are still available to us today. Why? Because as believers in Messiah, we are grafted into the Commonwealth of Israel and have the same rights or blessings as the earlier generations. See Rom. 11, Gal. 3:26-29, Eph 2:12.
As for the blessings that come to us as believers in Messiah and walking in His ways, which is keeping His commandments, here is what Deu 11:22-28 declares:
Deu 11:22 For if ye shall diligently keep all these commandments which I command you, to do them, to love the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, and to cleave unto him;
Deu 11:23 Then will the LORD drive out all these nations from before you, and ye shall possess greater nations and mightier than yourselves.
Deu 11:24 Every place whereon the soles of your feet shall tread shall be yours: from the wilderness and Lebanon, from the river, the river Euphrates, even unto the uttermost sea shall your coast be.
Deu 11:25 There shall no man be able to stand before you: for the LORD your God shall lay the fear of you and the dread of you upon all the land that ye shall tread upon, as he hath said unto you.
Deu 11:26 Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse;
Deu 11:27 A blessing, if ye obey the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you this day:
Deu 11:28 And a curse, if ye will not obey the commandments of the LORD your God, but turn aside out of the way which I command you this day, to go after other gods, which ye have not known.
Again, The Most High confirms His blessings upon His children. The only stipulation is that we obey the commandments. When we do, we will be blessed. Our Father is so loving, yet, He does not force His Will upon us. We must follow and obey because we love Him.
See the words of Yahushua from Joh 14:15, "If ye love me, keep my commandments." And again in Joh 15:10, "If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love." Or read the 5 chapters of the book of 1st John and see his resounding emphasis on keeping the commandments. So how do we follow commandments when many teachers say the "law" has been done away with because of the blood of Yahusha or Messiah?
Good question! Well, there is a way and it is true and right. More about how this plays out in one's life in another post.
As for our ministry name, "Walk in His Ways", you can do a Bible search for yourself and see how this phrase comes up at least 7 times. Much more could be said about our ministry title because the Hebrew words carry such deep meaning. Again, that is a weightier matter meant for another post.
My final verse is Deu 8:6 as follows:
Deu 8:6 Therefore thou shalt keep the commandments of the LORD thy God, to walk in His ways, and to fear him.
Together Chad and I have purposed to live our lives according to the Holy Bible and to promote such a devoted life first to our children, then to extended family, and finally to our community or workplace wherever the Holy Spirit leads us. Let's lift up the Name of The Most High and love His people as we all endeavor to Walk in His Ways.
