Abundant, More Than Enough, and Exceeding

"There is no reason to dread aging, to dread living, no reason to accept any hindrance of body or mind."

WE CANNOT CHOOSE THE TIME OF OUR DEATH, but we can choose the manner of it; and we can seek a long life. The times and the seasons are in God’s hands, but the manner of them has been promised to us. We are not at the whim of very wave and tossed to and fro without relief. Some things you see coming. Some you don’t. Death approaches everyone, and until it is removed for good, men will give into it. But we can do much prevention in our misery of it. By keeping ourselves in God’s Word. By staying filled with the Spirit. By resisting the devil.

Proverbs 3:25-26 In the Knox Bible says, “Let no sudden alarm affright thee, though godless enemies press thee hard; the Lord will be at thy side, and keep thy feet clear of the snares they lay for thee.” Psalm 91:3 states the same. “Surely, he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler.” The enemy will lay snares, traps for our feet, but we do not need to fear falling into them nor stumbling on the path of life. Fear is an open door for him to work. Though it seems odd, refusing to fear what might happen is the biggest step into freedom.

“Stuff happens” is an excuse which allows stuff to happen. Don’t make an excuse for the devil. Give him an inch, and he will take a mile. And if he’s taken that inch with you, close the door and don’t allow him to move forward any further. We can, in fact, prevent him from making a mountain out of a molehill. We do this through our words. We accept the temporary troubles, saying “this is life” and “woe is me,” when Jesus came to make our lives more abundant, more than enough, and exceeding.

We play the blame game and waste energy pointing fingers at others or especially at ourselves. I have made mistakes that caused things to happen to me, and I have stepped in snares I did not see coming. But what I’ve learned from them is to SAY NO to condemnation. Whether it was my fault or not does not matter as long as I have a willingness to seek God’s face. If Jesus would look a woman in the eye, who had been caught cheating on her husband, and only say, “Go and sin no more,” if He would walk x-number of miles through Samaria to speak to a woman who’d had five husbands and was living, unmarried with number-6, then whatever my part in my troubles, His desire is to cleanse me of the sin and judgment and propel me forward in love and grace.

He is a gentle Shepherd. He can speak sharp. He chooses not to. Where we see someone in an error and hang a sign over them, then when they don’t see it, we shove their face in it, He is a soft nudge in the right direction, full of mercy. The Spirit of God is a soft whisper, and a persistent one. He lays no weight upon you but lifts it and guides you into truth. The Father’s discipline is for our good.

We are promised a long, satisfied life, our final years being “fat and flourishing.” We are trees planted by the river of God, our roots going down deep, whose leaves never wither, even when we reach the end. There is no reason to dread aging, to dread living, no reason to accept any hindrance of body or mind because “that’s just how it is.” There are those around us who show how marvelous the senior years are. Just today, I saw a story of an 85-year-old man who runs great distances.

And for those of us who are young (and younger), there is no reason to spend our days wondering if something tragic will happen. We can stand confident in faith in God’s care for us and walk for the rest of our days in complete, fantastic health. Psalm 91 says we need not fear pestilence or plague, we need not worry about where we walk and what might be there, nor what will happen to us if thousands of others fall around us. Then it caps things off with “no evil shall befall thee.” Sickness and disease are evil. Accidents which steal our health and peace of mind are evil. Psalm 121 promises, “The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul.” All is all, nothing is excepted. Including long life.

For those where Jesus is Lord, eternal life begins today, and the effects of it are daily and ongoing. It is more than a heavenly destination, although we rest our hopes and dreams in that. He has prepared a place for us after our death. But He has prepared a life for us to shine His goodness everywhere we go, walking mile-by-mile without one trace of fear or worry about what is up ahead. Our faith in Him is prevention.

“Lord, I may not see where this pace will lead, but though there is an enemy on this earth, he has no part in me, no part in my family, in my job, in my finances, in my health, no part in my future. For as long as I am on this earth, I will walk with you, a smile on my face, joy in my heart, abundance all around me.”

Expect the goodness of God and see what He will do to keep you from ever even stumping your toe.

“For in your presence they will still overflow and be anointed. Even in their old age they will stay fresh, bearing luscious fruit and abiding faithfully.” (Psalm 92:14 TPT)
“Even when they are old, they will continue producing fruit like young, healthy trees.” (ERV)
“They shall be granted a plentiful old age; and they shall be strong, and vigorous/and they shall be prosperous, and flourishing.” (WYC)

“Securely thou shalt walk, with no fear of stumbling, fearlessly thou shalt lie down to rest, and enjoy untroubled sleep.” (Proverbs 3:23-24 Knox)


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Suzanne D. Williams, Author
www.suzannedwilliams.com
www.feelgoodromance.com

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