Jesus is the author of Life and not death. COSTLY in His eyes is the death of His saints - which means His heart grieves every time a destiny abruptly ends. So then who is responsible for death?
Recently I was reading 2 Samuel 6:7-8 where it speaks about a man called Uzzah who touched the ark of God to steady it when the oxen carrying it stumbled. And the next verse says: Then the anger of the LORD was aroused against Uzzah, and God struck him there for his error; and he died there by the ark of God.
As I was thinking about God’s instant judgement and Uzzah’s death, I heard the Lord speak to me saying: I take no pleasure in the death of wicked people. I only want them to turn from their wicked ways so they can live. Ezekiel 33:11
Many times we read one passage or incident in the Bible and draw conclusions about the nature of God, forgetting that there are dozen other scriptures and incidents contradicting it. That’s why the whole counsel (Acts 20:17) of the Bible is so important.
Do you know how many times the Bible speaks of God’s mercy and patience? Psalm 103:8 says: God is merciful, and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love
Micah 7:18(NLT) states, “He delights in mercy and in showing unfailing love.”
God is the author of life and not death. Uzzah’s public demise was a result of his private failures. I talk about this incident extensively in this video below. CLICK TO WATCH…
Stop blaming God for death. Stop making silly statements like, “If God doesn’t take me away then I will do this or that” or “God took that young man away as his time was up.”
It is the thief that comes to steal, kill and destroy lives, but Jesus came to give life, and life in all its abundance! (John 10:10)
In fact every funeral service that Jesus walked into, He caused a resurrection to happen! God is not the one bringing death.
Psalms 116:15 says Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints.
I have lost count of how many funerals where the above verse is quoted.
Do you know the root Hebrew word for precious is “Yakar” which means prized or costly!
That means the death of God’s children is way too costly for Him. You see God has no work for you in heaven, but earth is where your assignment is and here is where you are called to function as His light. Every time a destiny is thwarted by death, I can almost picture God looking at it and grieving saying, “This calling was too costly. This was too expensive for the kingdom to lose.”
In fact earlier, in the same chapter of Psalm 116, , verse 8 – the Psalmist says God is the one who has delivered him from death, “For you have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from years, my feet from falling.”
How then can God’s hand be in death of someone? He is a good God and only goodness flows out of Him.
God is not the one bringing death.
Proverbs 18:21 says *Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.*
Death and life are not in God’s hands but in your tongue!! So the length of your life on earth and the kind of life you will have is determined by YOU.
God says in Deuteronomy 30:15-19,
See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil, 16 in that I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments, His statutes, and His judgments, that you may live and multiply; and the Lord your God will bless you in the land which you go to possess. But if your heart turns away so that you do not hear, and are drawn away, and worship other gods and serve them, I announce to you today that you shall surely perish; you shall not prolong your days in the land which you cross over the Jordan to go in and possess. I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live.
Stop inviting death with your tongue. Stop declaring fear and unbelief over yourself. Stop repeating the lies of the enemy. We are hung by our tongue!
Child of God, you have a great call on your life. May you live long and cause your light to pull many others out of the pit of darkness. May you live a full life span and one day meet God only to hear Him say, “Well done”.