Live Long!

Be determined to enjoy to the fullest the many productive years the Lord has promised you.

God has a good, long life planned for us. His will is that we live out the full number of our days. But if we don’t have that revelation, when we reach 60 or 70, we may start winding down and thinking it’s time to go. Proverbs 23:7 says, “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he” (NKJV). We need to be thinking life-long life!

Traditionally, Psalm 90:10 is quoted as an indicator of how long a man is to live. It says: “The days of our years are threescore years and ten (seventy years)-or even, if by reason of strength, fourscore years (eighty years)” (The Amplified Bible). But reading this verse out of context can lead to misunderstanding.

A footnote to Psalm 90 in The Amplified Bible explains: “This psalm is credited to Moses, who is interceding with God to remove the curse which made it necessary for every Israelite over 20 years of age (when they rebelled against God at Kadesh-barnea) to die before reaching the Promised Land (Num. 14:26-35). Moses says most of them are dying at 70 years of age.

“This number has often been mistaken as a set span of life for all mankind. It was not intended to refer to anyone except those Israelites under the curse during that particular 40 years. Seventy years never has been the average span of life for humanity.

“When Jacob, the father of the 12 tribes, had reached 130 years (Gen. 47:9), he complained that he had not attained to the years of his immediate ancestors. In fact, Moses himself lived to be 120 years old, Aaron 123, Miriam several years older, and Joshua 110.”

From this we see that the Israelites who died at 70 were living under the curse caused by their own disobedience. According to Galatians 3:13, Jesus has redeemed us from the curse, being made a curse for us.

If we have made Jesus our Lord, freedom from all the conditions the curse causes belongs to us-that includes freedom from sickness, destruction and early death. Think about what happened to Moses: When he reached the age of 80, God gave him a mission that rejuvenated his health and strength, and he remained strong until he died. Deuteronomy 34:7 says, “And Moses was 120 years old when he died; his eye was not dim nor his natural force abated.”

So don’t have the mind-set that you should live to be only 70! Scripture gives an indication that when you are 60, you are just middle-aged (see Gen. 6:3). That’s not the time to start slowing down. Instead, confess and believe Psalm 103:2-5: “Bless the Lord … who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from destruction, who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, who satisfies your mouth with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s” (NKJV).

Be determined to enjoy to the fullest the many productive years the Lord has promised you. Don’t quit because of numbers!

Psalm 91 is a picture of the person who receives the promise stated in verse 16: “With long life will I satisfy him, and show him My salvation.”

This person loves God and stays connected to Him. He doesn’t fear but trusts the Lord to be his refuge and says so. The truth of God’s Word is his shield and buckler. He dwells or abides under the shadow of the Almighty in obedience, and God shows him His salvation.

The word “salvation” means material and temporal deliverance from danger and apprehension; preservation; pardon; restoration; healing; wholeness and soundness. God will satisfy you with good things, including healing, protection and long life when you are living and abiding in Him.

And He can give you a new assignment at any time, just as He did Moses. So if you’ve noticed that you’re slowing down because you’re getting older, double up on the Word. Let the Word be spirit and life to you (see John 6:63). And get involved with what God is doing. That’s the best way to live a long, strong life.

Gloria Copeland is co-founder and vice president of Kenneth Copeland Ministries in Fort Worth, Texas. She and her husband, Kenneth, are known for their teachings on faith, healing and victorious Christian living. Their daily TV broadcast, Believer’s Voice of Victory, airs globally on more than 300 stations. Gloria is also an internationally known author whose works include To Know Him and Blessed Beyond Measure (Harrison House).