“Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits— who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.” (Psalm 103:1-5 NIV)
“But those who trust in the LORD will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.” (Isaiah 40:31 NLT)
“My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments; For length of days and years of life [worth living] and tranquility and prosperity [the wholeness of life’s blessings] they will add to you. (Proverbs 3:1-2 AMP)
I am currently 60 years young. I am just starting to understand what my life is all about. I am looking forward to the next 60 plus years of abundant Kingdom living. Since Abraham is my spiritual father, I am planning on following in his footsteps toward 175 years of life worth living until I am completely satisfied. Then I will simply go home to be with the Lord. When I made this proclamation to my beautiful wife of 37 years, Melody, she without hesitation asked me, “Eric, who do you know, other then one of the Bible characters, who lived that many years?” My answer was a no-brainer, “nobody.” My follow up thought was, “I guess I’ll have to be the first one.” But Eric, what if you’re wrong? What if I’m right? What if it doesn’t happen? What if it does? We will know some day won’t we? Until then, I will hold on to what I believe the Lord has given me.
Faith is spelled “r – i – s – k.” Once the Lord has dropped something into your heart, and you have chosen to accept it, you have to be willing to take a risk and step out of the boat. Even if you are wrong, the Lord will be right there to pull you up before you drown. There are so many promises in scripture that are bigger than our minds can comprehend. Renewed youth is definitely one of them. We are trained to temper what we believe by what seems realistic and within the realm of reason. If we can’t grasp something with our senses we tend to either shrink it down to a manageable size or redefine it to be more reasonable. Faith refuses to be limited in this way.
Each day that I wake up I plan on choosing life, and that more abundantly. I learned a little saying years ago that helps to get the “youth” flowing through my mind and body each morning, “I’m awake! I’m alive! And, I’m excited!” I also like to hear myself confess, “This is the day the Lord has made. I will rejoice and be glad in it! The Lord’s mercies are brand new today. Yesterday is gone, tomorrow is not here yet, so I will enjoy today to the fullest! I am strong. I can run and not get weary and I can walk and not faint. I am forgiven, healed, redeemed, crowned, and satisfied so that my youth is renewed. I will soar like an Eagle today. Even better days are ahead of me because the best is yet to come!”
Since January 1, 2018 I have been meditating on the benefits of being a child of the King and so far it has resulted in a renewed mind (no more depression or need for the prescribed medication – confirmed by my counselor and physician), a strengthened/healed body (over 100 pounds lost, no more high blood pressure or need for prescribed medication – confirmed by my physician), and more abundant “youth” than I have had in over 20 years (and I am just getting started).
Meditate on the benefits. Memorize them. Claim them as your own. Speak them over your life every day. Expect them to become your “new normal.” Soon you will have the full manifestation of…
…Eric’s Life Lesson # 40: There are benefits to living in the Kingdom of Heaven today (and even more yet to come) Part 9: Youth…Renewed conclusion