“My son, do not forget my law, but let your heart keep my commands; for length of days and long life and peace they will add to you.” (Proverbs 3:1-2 NKJV)
“So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours? The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this. So God said to him, ‘Since you have asked for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment in administering justice, I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be. Moreover, I will give you what you have not asked for-both wealth and honor-so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings. And if you walk in obedience to me and keep my decrees and commands as David your father did, I will give you a long life.” (1 Kings 3:9-14 NIV)
“Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.Honor your father and mother, which is the first commandment with promise:that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.” (Ephesians 6:1-3 NKJV)
As I continue to share my heart, be reminded that…
…I have been called…
…to help the children of God realize that it is our Father’s desire that as His children we live strong long lives worth living, without limit or end, with nothing missing or broken; therefore He designed us to live lives filled with purity, passion, power, and purpose; as in partnership with Him we expand the manifestation of the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth (here and now); regardless of our current age or condition.
This statement is completely based on the witness of Scripture and the Holy Spirit as He has been revealing truth and teaching me. I am not the same person that I was seven years ago. The Spirit has been taking me through a process in which He has been tearing down the way I think, speak and act, and building me back up into the image and likeness of Jesus. He has been shedding light on every hidden area and every darkened corner of my soul (mind). He has been making it glaringly obvious where I have been thinking with the carnal (earthly-natural) mind of Eric rather than the spiritual (Kingdom-natural) mind of Christ. This is especially true in the area in which I have been given my “Late Life Assignment.”
In order to embrace and experience the desire and design of my Heavenly Father to live long and strong I must begin by humbling myself and approach the Kingdom of Heaven as a child. Only with the humble openness of a child will I accept from the Holy Spirit truths that confront my current way of looking at my life as it is today. I have been especially challenged to rethink everything that I have believed about aging and death. As I continue to share, all I ask is that you begin as a child with an open mind seeking truth and then move into the practice of the Bereans who were commended by the Apostle Paul for testing the messages that he was giving them to confirm that they were true (the Apostle John echoed Paul when he directed his readers to “try the spirit” behind the message to ensure that it was coming from the Holy Spirit).
I am going to simply make two bold statements here in order to get you thinking. I will follow up in my next entry to begin explaining how I came to these conclusions. Ready? Here we go…
…Living from the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth (here and now) I do not have to age as the world ages; and…
…I do not have to die.
Ponder that as you think about…
…Eric’s Life Lesson # 370: Late Life Assignment: Part 6 – The Promise: Strong, Long Lives: Part 2