Taking Hold of Life — How To Enjoy Strength of Days and Length of Days

by Gloria Copeland

Faith Fundamentals

Editor’s Note: The following article was published in the Believer’s Voice of Victory magazine in January 2005. You can purchase Gloria Copeland’s new book Live Long, Finish Strong: The Divine Secret to Living Healthy, Happy, and Healed at the kcm.org online store.

Hear, O my son, and receive my sayings, and the years of your life shall be many…. Take firm hold of instruction, do not let go; guard her, for she is your life. —  Proverbs 4:10,13 Amplified

The Bible is called the Word of Life. There’s not another book like it in the world that can teach us how to live out the full number of our days in the blessing of God. By taking hold of His instructions, we can experience longevity, which means of great age; long life; great span of life; length of days. And not only that, the Bible also teaches us how to live a good life — to have a life worth living!

Whether we live long and strong, or short and weak, is up to us. It depends on what we do with the Word God speaks to us. It also depends on what we do in our natural lives. No one can expect to live out the full number of his or her days as a glutton, a drunk, or by eating only junk food. Research and studies about longevity have proven that to be true. Not surprisingly, God already knew that, and His Word addresses those issues (and others) so we can live long, productive lives!

That Your Prayers May Not Be Hindered

"But if we [really] are living and walking in the Light as He [Himself] is in the Light, we have [true, unbroken] fellowship with one another." (1 John 1:7, The Amplified Bible)

One area of our lives we believers need to particularly guard is the area of our relationships. We simply have to heed the Word of God where they're concerned. Let's not fuss with one another and criticize one another so much that we hinder the forces that God has given us to make us successful in this world.

Strife also causes trouble in the spirit realm. It opens the door to the devil. It keeps our prayers from being answered. It even keeps our angels from moving on our behalf!

Walking in Love

By Rev. Lynette Hagin

Many people refer to First Corinthians chapter 13 as “the love chapter.” Too often, we want to skip over reading that part of the Bible. I will readily admit that there have been times in my life when I wanted to ignore that chapter.

But during those times, the Lord continued to lead me to read it. First Corinthians 13:4–7 in the Amplified says, “Love endures long and is patient and kind; love never is envious nor boils over with jealousy, is not boastful or vainglorious, does not display itself haughtily. It is not conceited (arrogant and inflated with pride); it is not rude (unmannerly) and does not act unbecomingly. Love (God’s love in us) does not insist on its own rights or its own way, for it is not self-seeking; it is not touchy or fretful or resentful; it takes no account of the evil done to it [pays no attention to a suffered wrong]. It does not rejoice at injustice and unrighteousness, but rejoices when right and truth prevail. Love bears up under anything and everything that comes, is ever ready to believe the best of every person, its hopes are fadeless under all circumstances, and it endures everything [without weakening].”

Develop the Love

"And what this love consists in is this, that we live and walk in accordance with and guided by His commandments His orders, ordinances, precepts, teaching. This is the commandment, as you have heard from the beginning, that you continue to walk in love guided by it and following it." (2 John 1:6, The Amplified Bible)

Quite simply, God says love is keeping His commandments. That brings love out of the indefinite into something explicit. But God has done more than define love for you. He's given you instructions so that you can know how to love as He loves. By giving you His Word, God has given you His love manual in black and white. All you have to do is follow it and you'll be walking in love.

If you've made Jesus Christ the Lord of your life, you've already taken the first step of obedience. The love of God has been born within you. But, unless you take steps to develop it, that love will remain hidden within you. Love works in much the same way as the force of faith. Like faith, love becomes active through knowledge of the Word.

Don't Forget the Joy

"Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice." (Philippians 4:4)

Years ago, I decided I was going to walk by the Word of God. I told God that, as far as I was concerned, His Word was final and I'd confess it the rest of my life no matter what. That was the most important decision I've ever made.

Not too long after that, I decided that no matter what happened, whether I felt like it or not, I'd walk in love. Because the Bible clearly says "faith worketh by love." It won't work any other way.

Those two decisions--to operate by faith in the Word of God and to walk in love--are the two most important decisions I've ever made in my life.

Recently, though, God pointed out to me that there was something I'd been leaving out. The force of joy. He told me I have no right to walk by faith and love and just leave joy dormant in my spirit. It's too important. As He taught me about it, I soon came to realize that joy is an essential part of a life of victory. Without it, I might have an occasional triumph now and then, but I wouldn't be able to sustain them. They'd quickly slip away.