“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)

“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 3:14 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)

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.

The starting point for living a strong long life is to throw everything you have seen, heard, and even personally experienced about aging out the window and replace it with what is clearly promised in scripture and revealed by the Holy Spirit. I began doing this seven years ago and my eyes are still being opened today (Psalm 119:18).

Here is a list of verses to help you get started:

Exodus 20:12; 23:25-26

Deuteronomy 5:33

1 Kings 3:14

Job 5:26

Psalm 91:16

Proverbs 3:1-2; 4:10; 10:27; 16:31

Ecclesiastes 7:16

Isaiah 65:17-20

John 10:10

Ephesians 6:1-3

1 Peter 3:10

These verses are just the tip of the iceberg. Once you have pondered this list, I recommend that you work with the Holy Spirit to keep going on your own.

The next thing is to ask the Holy Spirit to reveal “The Truth” to you pertaining to our Heavenly Father’s design and desire for aging. Our wisdom and understanding can only go so far by human intellect. There are depths of “The Truth” that go beyond human understanding and come only by revelation. This is the level of truth that comes directly from the spiritual realm and must be tested and tried by the Word of God (Acts 17:11, 1 John 4:1). When I allow the Holy Spirit to take over He leads me into the mind of Christ which I possess in my spirit, then  illuminates and enlightens my understanding. 

The last thing that I will mention today may be the hardest of the three. When my Daddy (my heavenly Abba Father – Papa) began taking me down this path seven years ago my physical and mental condition was completely the opposite of the promises that we are discussing. I was pressing in on 400 pounds, deeply depressed, and was at a point of completely giving up on any hope for the future other than my longing to get out of here and go to Heaven. When I was 55 I was physically and mentally 95 (at least that’s the way it seemed to me). At my lowest point, the Spirit gave me one of the hardest challenges that I have ever been given. Here is what I began hearing the Spirit say to my spirit (paraphrased)… 

…”Eric,  if you desire to live the abundant, overflowing life that has been deposited within you, you are going to have to take your eyes off from yourself and fix them completely on Jesus. You are going to need to look past the current condition of your body and mind and look to what has been promised by the Father. You are going to need to allow me to empty you of all of the lies of the enemy about aging and death and fill you with the eternal truths of living a strong long life worth living. You have been given life without limit or end in the Kingdom of Heaven. You are living in that Kingdom right here and right now. It is my desire that you experience a life with nothing missing or broken. I will mend your broken body and mind. I will deliver you from depression. As I do, you must work with me to start controlling your mind and emotions and disciplining your body. As we do this together I will restore your purity, passion, power, and purpose. And we will expand the manifestation of the Kingdom of Heaven (here and now) in and through you fulfilling the gifts and calls that you have been given.”

That paragraph is a compilation of what the Spirit has spoken to my spirit bit by bit since 2018. What He spoke to me at the start of this seven year journey was in seed form and He has been growing it for all of these years. With each passing day it becomes clearer and clearer. He wants to talk to you just like He does to me. Actually, He has been speaking, you just may have been distracted by the many distractions of life. Maybe you have been wrongly told that He no longer speaks to us. Or maybe, you just have not been listening. Whatever the case, it’s never too late to start.

There is always more to say, but enough is enough for one day.

Keep pondering…

…Eric’s Life Lesson # 373: Late Life Assignment: Part 9 – The Promise: Strong, Long Lives: Part 5