John Bevere - The Keys to Finishing Well in Life
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The fear of the Lord lengthens one’s life. Yes, the scripture actually says that. I’m going to read it to you. Okay, we just finished chapter 41, and you’re only one chapter away from finishing this journey. I want to go a little deeper. The fear of the Lord lengthens one’s life. Yes, the scripture actually says that. I’m going to read it to you: Proverbs 10:27 states that the fear of the Lord lengthens one’s life. Proverbs 9:1 says that the fear of the Lord will multiply your days and add years to your life.
So, not only does it add years, but it makes you more productive. When it says «multiply your days,» it’s talking about your productivity in a day. So, when you walk in the fear of God, it will give you the wisdom, understanding, and insight to be more productive. I mean, these promises are overwhelming. But remember, you have to contend. I know you’re probably thinking, «I know someone who feared God, and they died at a young age.»
Now wait a minute; let’s stop and talk about this. First of all, did they really die? No, they’re living forever. But the Bible does say it will add years to your life on this earth because the Bible says that if you honor your father and mother, you will be successful and live long on the earth. John, you’re just building the case that I know people who honored their parents and walked in the fear of the Lord, but their years were shortened on this earth. How is that? I want to return to the fact that the promises of God are not automatic; they must be appropriated by faith.
Rather than getting upset and arguing about this point, I think what we need to do is say, «Wow, look at this promise that God has given me that I can stand on the word of God and say, 'Devil, I honored my mom and dad. I’m walking in the fear of the Lord. The word of God states I will live long and be successful, ' so cancer get out of this household in the name of Jesus.» You can do that just as Isaac cried out to the Lord, and God opened up his wife’s womb. He took a barren woman and made her fruitful. Even so, you can take the word of God and fight the good fight of faith, declaring the word of God in your body, in your home, among your children, and in your workplace. You can declare what God states, and it will come to pass.
So listen, don’t heed the naysayers who say, «Oh, you know you don’t know what God’s going to do.» Wait a minute; He gave us a whole book because He wants us to know what He wants to do. Don’t listen to those people. Listen to what the scripture says; believe what the scripture says. Here’s the big stumbling block that I have seen with so many lives: they base their faith on others' experiences or their own experiences rather than on the word of the living God. My Bible says that the fear of the Lord will lengthen your life. My Bible says that if you honor your parents—I’m reading it right now—things will go well with you, and you will have a long life on the earth. Fear God and contend for this wonderful promise to multiply our days and have a long life.