“Then the LORD God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed the breath of life into his nostrils, and the man became a living being.” (Genesis 2:7 BSB)
“The last enemy that will be destroyed is death.” (1 Corinthians 15:26 NKJV)
“He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in Him I will trust.” Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the perilous pestilence. He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler. You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, nor of the arrow that flies by day, nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday. A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand; but it shall not come near you. Only with your eyes shall you look, and see the reward of the wicked. Because you have made the Lord, who is my refuge, Even the Most High, your dwelling place, No evil shall befall you, nor shall any plague come near your dwelling; for He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways. In their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone. You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra, the young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot. “Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him on high, because he has 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 honor him. With long life I will satisfy him, and show him My salvation.” (Psalm 91:1-16 NKJV)
“Children, obey your parents in the Lord [that is, accept their guidance and discipline as His representatives], for this is right [for obedience teaches wisdom and self-discipline]. HONOR [esteem, value as precious] YOUR FATHER AND YOUR MOTHER [and be respectful to them]–this is the first commandment with a promise– SO THAT IT MAY BE WELL WITH YOU, AND THAT YOU MAY HAVE A LONG LIFE ON THE EARTH.” (Ephesians 6:1-3 AMP)
“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)
“How much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself unblemished to God, purify our consciences from works of death, so that we may serve the living God!” (Hebrews 9:14 BSB)
“My enemies did their best to kill me, but the LORD rescued me. The LORD is my strength and my song; he has given me victory. Songs of joy and victory are sung in the camp of the godly. The strong right arm of the LORD has done glorious things! The strong right arm of the LORD is raised in triumph. The strong right arm of the LORD has done glorious things! I will not die; instead, I will live to tell what the LORD has done.” (Psalm 118:13-17 NLT)
“That your days may be multiplied, and the days of your children, in the land which the LORD sware unto your fathers to give them, as the days of heaven upon the earth.” (Deuteronomy 11:21 KJV)
Today I am going to list some things that I know about life and death based on my current understanding of scripture.
- Death does not originate from God, and is not His design or desire for me.
- Death is my enemy.
- Death due to sickness, disease, accidents, calamity, etc. is not to be my expectation (I do not have to die that way).
- Death at a “young” age is not to be my expectation (The first commandment with promise that I was given promised me a long, blessed life).
- Death consciousness, like sin consciousness, is not to rule my life (I was not born with an awareness of death. It is natural to think that I will live forever.)
- Life originates from God, and is His design and desire for me (He breathed life into me, and sent Jesus to give me abundant life, not death).
- Life is my friend and Allie.
- Life, free from sickness, disease,accidents, calamity, etc., is to be my expectation (I base my expectation on the promises of the Word, not the experience of the world).
- Life, both length of days and long life, is to be my expectation (anything less comes from my enemy).
- Life consciousness, like righteousness consciousness, is to rule my life (I focus on life and blessing, not death and cursing) .
I have learned that living a life dominated by faith and hope (fervent expectation of “good” for today and for the future), based on the finished work of Christ (death, burial, resurrection, and ascension) increases the amount of “Heaven on Earth” that I experience. I expect the best (to be blessed), and rely on God’s Grace to deal with the rest (when troubles come my way). I expect health, not sickness. I expect abundance, not lack. I expect peace, not turmoil (even though I know persecution is a part of following Jesus). I expect life, not death! I no longer plan for anything less than “Garden of Eden” living. I get my hopes up as high as I possibly can and trust the Lord to see me through on days when things fall short.
So Eric, if it is even remotely possible to avoid death by sickness, accident, calamity, etc.; if all of this is true then how do I die? Great question!
Let’s try to answer that tomorrow after we take some time to ponder…
…Eric’s Life Lesson # 100: “Removing Death’s Stinger.” Part 3