Today we continue our series, “Progress On Purpose.” I told you that God wants us to walk in “NEW LEVELS IN 2021!” But if we are going to do so, we must be intentional about our progress. With that in mind, as we lay the foundation for the year, I told you that I would discuss “Leveling Up” in five areas:
1. Spiritually
2. Financially
3. Physically
4. Internally
5. Externally
We have covered the first two thus far. Today we start the third: leveling up physically. In this section, I will cover the following:
1. Is health and wealth good or bad
2. Healing is the will of the Father
3. God wants you to live long and strong
4. Some things you can do to live long and strong
Of these four, I have covered the first two thus far. Today I will address the fact that God wants you to live long and strong!
So what does this mean for you today? A few things
1. Why do some Christians today only expect to live to 70 years old?
Many Christians claim a 70-year because of the 90th Psalm. However, this Psalm does not apply to us today.
(Psalm 90:1-10 CEV) Moses’ prayer birthed out of pain
1 Our Lord, in all generations you have been our home.
2 You have always been God – long before the birth of the mountains, even before you created the earth and the world.
3 At your command we die and turn back to dust,
4 but a thousand years mean nothing to you! They are merely a day gone by or a few hours in the night.
5 You bring our lives to an end just like a dream. We are merely tender grass
6 that sprouts and grows in the morning, but dries up by evening.
7 Your furious anger frightens and destroys us,
8 and you know all of our sins, even those we do in secret.
9 Your anger is a burden each day we live, then life ends like a sigh.
10 We can expect seventy years, or maybe eighty, if we are healthy, but even our best years bring trouble and sorrow. Suddenly our time is up, and we disappear.
Background: The LORD told Moses and Aaron to give the following message to the people of Israel.
(Numbers 14:26-35 CEV)
“You sinful people have complained against me too many times! Now I swear by my own life that I will give you exactly what you wanted. You will die right here in the desert, and your dead bodies will cover the ground. You have insulted me, and none of you men who are over twenty years old will enter the land that I solemnly promised to give you as your own – only Caleb and Joshua will go in. You were worried that your own children would be captured. But I, the LORD, will let them enter the land you have rejected. You will die here in the desert! Your children will wander around in this desert forty years, suffering because of your sins, until all of you are dead. I will cruelly punish you every day for the next forty years – one year for each day that the land was explored. You sinful people who ganged up against me will die here in the desert.”
— This is written in the causative sense, but it should be in the permissive sense.
— What God did was remove His blessing of protection from the people who were over a certain age (scholars believe over 20 yrs. old)
— The entire nation of Israel wandered around in the desert for 40 years, waiting for this group to die-off, so the younger generation could go into Canaan
— Now we can understand Moses’ prayer in Psalm 90
— Those who were 30 yrs. old when they left Egypt died at 70.
— Those who were 40 yrs. old when they left Egypt died at 80.
*** This DOES NOT apply to us today.
*** We are under the New Covenant, and we get to enjoy God’s blessing.
2. It is clear that something changed in the earth after the flood.
Scholars and many scientists believe that the earth’s atmospheric conditions before the flood were drastically different.
— Whatever happened during the flood, when the entire earth was covered with water, it changed the earth forever.
Before the flood, we see:
— Adam lived for 930 years: (Genesis 5:5 KJV) And all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years: and he died.
— Seth lived for 912 years: (Genesis 5:8 KJV) And all the days of Seth were nine hundred and twelve years: and he died.
— Enos lived for 905 years: (Genesis 5:11 KJV) And all the days of Enos were nine hundred and five years: and he died.
— Cainan lived for 910 years: (Genesis 5:14 KJV) And all the days of Cainan were nine hundred and ten years: and he died.
— and etc.
After the flood:
After the flood, we see something different. Some interpret Genesis 6:3 to mean that we can expect to live around 120 years.
(Gen 6:3 KJV) And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years.
That translation is not all that clear. However, the Message Bible reads:
(Gen 6:3 MSG) Then GOD said, “I’m not going to breathe life into men and women endlessly. Eventually they’re going to die; from now on they can expect a life span of 120 years.”
Examples:
— Sarah lived 127 years: (Gen 23:1 CEV) When Sarah was one hundred twenty-seven years old, she died in Kiriath-Arba, better known as Hebron, in the land of Canaan. After Abraham had mourned for her.
— Abraham lived at least 137 years: (Gen 25:8 CEV) Then Abraham gave up the ghost, and died in a good old age, an old man, and full of years; and was gathered to his people.
— He was 10 years older than Sarah, and he lived on for two more chapters, so he was at least 137 yrs. old, but probably lived longer than that.
— Isaac was old and full of days: (Gen 35:29 CEV) And Isaac gave up the ghost, and died, and was gathered unto his people, being old and full of days: and his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.
— Jacob lived at least 130 years: (Gen 47:9 CEV) Jacob answered, “I have lived only a hundred thirty years, and I have had to move from place to place. My parents and my grandparents also had to move from place to place. But they lived much longer, and their life was not as hard as mine.”
— Joseph lived 110 years: (Gen 50:26 CEV) So Joseph died, being an hundred and ten years old: and they embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt.
— Moses lived 120 years: (Duet 34:7 CEV) Moses was a hundred twenty years old when he died, yet his eyesight was still good, and his body was strong.
— Note that if Moses meant that EVERYONE was supposed to die at the 70 or 80-year mark, then why did he live until he was 120?
— He was not part of that curse. Neither was Joshua.
— Joshua lived 110 years: (Joshua 24:29 CEV) And it came to pass after these things, that Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died, being an hundred and ten years old.
3. Does God desire for us to live a long and satisfying life?
(Psalm 91:14-16 KJV)
Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name. He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him. With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation.
— The 91st Psalm is a Psalm of protection and deliverance.
— Why would God promise to protect and deliver us if he wanted us dead?
— He gets glory out of our life and living.
Satisfy: This word means “To gratify the need, desire, or expectation of; “to fulfill to complete.”
— God promised to satisfy us – to fulfill us to complete, to gratify our desire and He said it would do it with LONG LIFE!
— Part of our salvation is LONG LIFE!
— But you must receive it, believe it, and stand on it – by faith!
Long life is part of the benefits package:
(Psalm 103:2-5 KJV)
Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies; Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
— Have you ever seen an old eagle?
— Eagle’s youth is renewed because they lock their wings, soar above the storms, and spend time in the sun. The sun rejuvenates the eagles.
— We can also lock our wings, soar above the storms, and spend time with the SON! Our time in the SON rejuvenates us!
God likened us to eagles for a reason:
— Stress-free living.
— Eagles don’t flap – they just ride the wind.
— They don’t manufacture the wind; they just ride it when it comes.
— If you want to live a long and prosperous life, you need to know when the wind of God is blowing, ride it above your circumstances, and enjoy life!
— God can’t renew youth in someone who is a youth. But God can take someone who is well pasts those days and RENEW us back to the vigor of our youth!
— Why would he renew your youth if he wanted you to die? He renews your youth because He wants you to live long and strong.
*** Tomorrow we will see that our lifespan actually does not have anything to do with a number. It has everything to do with our purpose. We can DIE when we are DONE!
Declaration of Faith:
Father, You sent me to this planet for a reason. That reason is my divine purpose. I am here on assignment, and I am laser-focused on getting it done BEFORE I DIE! My lifespan is not tied to a number. My lifespan is tied to my purpose. I will walk this planet until I get OUT OF ME, everything You placed IN ME before the world began. I will not die because I am old. You renew my youth like the eagles. I will not die because I am sick. You are the Lord God who heals me. I will only die when I am DONE! That’s it! I LEVEL UP this year in every area. I live long and strong! GREATER IS COMING FOR ME! I declare this by faith, in Jesus’s name. Amen!
This is Today’s Word. Apply it and prosper!
