How to stay youthful and radiant in life?

How do you stay youthful and radiant in life, no matter what your age? 

The key here is to receive from Him! 

Yes, you can eat health food, you can eat well, you can sleep well, you can exercise well, you can do all that you can do in the natural (in the physical realm). Nothing wrong with all these. 

But nothing beats receiving directly from Him! Because He is a God who is always fresh, full of life, full of energy, full of radiance, and full of glory!

How many of you know that our God is a God who never gets old? No doubt, this earth will get older and older, but our God is not!

Where is the proof? 

Revelation 4:2-3 (NKJV) says, 'Immediately I was in the Spirit, and behold, a throne set in heaven, and One sat on the throne. And He who sat there was like a jasper and a sardius stone in appearance, and there was a rainbow around the throne, in appearance like an emerald.' 

By the way, 'rainbow' here speaks of our God being a covenant-keeping God. He is a God who keeps His covenant, and He is a God who keeps His promises. 

How about 'emerald'? The word 'emerald' here is from the Greek word 'smaragdos', and it simply means 'green gem'. In other words, a precious stone that is green in color. 

Now, 'green' is the color in Hebrew for 'life, new life, renewal, refreshing, freshness, healing, victory, prosperity'. 

If you look at the verse here, 'emerald' or the color 'green' is the color around God's throne! It means He is full of life, freshness, health, victory, and prosperity! 

Therefore, when you look to Him, and as you open your heart to Him and receive from Him, you are receiving all that is in Him and around Him! 

Do you see that? 

Another revelation I want to share with you from the Bible is our God never gets old! He is eternal and everlasting! He is immortal and timeless (i.e. not bound by time)! 

You might ask, "Where in the Bible says so?" 

Revelation 4:8 (NKJV) says, 'The four living creatures, each having six wings, were full of eyes around and within. And they do not rest day or night, saying: "Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!"'

You see, the living creatures in the spiritual realm are so full of life and energy that they do not rest day or night! It means they can keep going on and on, and yet never grow tired or weary. Wow! And who is their Source? The Lord God Almighty!

Revelation 4:9-11 (NKJV) says, 'Whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne and worship Him who lives forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying: "You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power; For You created all things, and by Your will they exist and were created."'

Aren't you glad that you worship a God who lives forever and ever, who never gets old, and who is full of life and full of glory? 

Psalm 90:1-2 (NKJV) says, 'Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever You had formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.' 

Notice the words 'from everlasting to everlasting' here? We humans are used to things getting old on earth. Our belongings can get old. Our car can get old. Our house can get old. Everything in this fallen world gets old. The earth itself gets old. But I tell you what, our God never gets old!

Isaiah 40:28-29 (NKJV) says, 'Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength.' 

Maybe at the moment, you are feeling weak, and you feel like you cannot carry on anymore. But I want to encourage you today. Look to the Lord and receive strength from Him. 

By the way, this word 'everlasting' here is 'olam' in Hebrew. Indeed, the Lord our God is the El Olam, the Everlasting God! He is a God who is forever and ever! 

The word 'olam' can mean 'timeless (not bound by time), perpetual, eternal, always there'. In other words, He continues forever and ever, and He is always there for you!

Isaiah 40:30-31 (NKJV) says, 'Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall, but those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.' 

The word 'wait' here is 'qavah' in Hebrew, and in this context, it can mean 'collect from the Lord, gather from the Lord, expect from the Lord, hope in the Lord, bind together with the Lord, or look patiently to the Lord'. 

As you 'qavah', your strength shall be renewed! It's an all-rounded strength from the Lord that money cannot buy and no one on earth can give it to you, because it comes only from the Lord!

Let's go all the way to the very first chapter and first verse in the whole Bible. Genesis 1:1 (NKJV) says, 'In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.' 

Look carefully at this verse: 'In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.'

You see, this verse is not talking about God's beginning. After all, God is Self-Existent. But rather, this verse is talking about the beginning of the heavens and the earth! In other words, He existed even before all these were created! 

So, I reiterate that this verse is not talking about God's beginning! Instead, this verse is talking about creation's beginning! It means God was already there even before the earth, the whole universe, or the heavens were created! And that's what Genesis 1:1 tells us!

Therefore, the Bible is very clear that God has always existed! There has never been a time when He didn't exist, and there will never be a time when He stops existing! 

There is none like Him!

He is great, and greatly to be praised! 

And whatever your situation (or problem) may be at the moment, He is more than enough for you!

So, what's your part right now? What can you do right now? Keep receiving from Him! Never stop receiving from Him! Receive life! Receive refreshing! Receive renewal! Receive all that He wants you to receive from His throne!

And you too shall be full of life and full of the glory of the Lord! Hallelujah!

Click here for the full teaching in TiC YouTube Channel

The secret of being radiant & youthful

Daniel 1:12 (NKJV): "Please test your servants for ten days, and let them give us vegetables to eat and water to drink."

The word 'vegetables' here is 'pulse' in King James Version, i.e. 'zeroa' in Hebrew, which means 'something sown'. It's from the word 'zara', which means 'to sow, seed'. By the way, 'pulse' means 'seeds of various plants'.

Let's now see this verse from the spiritual point of view. There's definitely a spiritual meaning here, and it's not literally talking about being a 'vegetarian'! You see, some people eat lots of vegetables but aren't 'radiant' at all, because they may also have lots of hurts, unforgiveness, or condemnation inside. Of course, on the other hand, people who eat much meat may not necessarily be 'radiant' either! So, it's not physical food we are talking about here, even though you should take good care and be a good steward of your body (which is the temple of the Holy Spirit).

Every name, object, item, or place in the Old Testament has its meanings. The exciting part is these are for you to discover and unlock! You see, the New Testament is mainly direct and literal in its meaning, but more often than not, the Old Testament is symbolic in nature, being the 'shadows' of the things to come. Your Bible-study becomes very much alive when you learn to 'trace' and 'find' Jesus as you read through the Bible. Jesus is the Word, and He is in the Old Testament concealed, and in the New Testament revealed.

So, what does eating vegetables (i.e. 'zeroa') in Daniel 1:12 mean?

It means feeding on the 'seed'!

Let Scripture interpret Scripture now, and let's go all the way to Matthew 13:3-23 about the Parable of the Sower. Here, you see that 'seed' means the Word of God! And he who receives the 'seed' (i.e. being the 'good ground' he is) bears fruit and produces, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty (Matthew 13:23).

At the end of ten days, Daniel and his friends appeared more 'radiant' (i.e. shining brightly, full of youthfulness and life) and better in flesh than all the young men who ate the portion of the king's delicacies (Daniel 1:15).

Now, if 'zeroa' represents the Word of God, then 'the portion of the king's delicacies' represents the 'food' that one feeds from the world (e.g. newspaper, tv, etc). You see, that made a whole lot of difference between Daniel (and his friends) & the rest! Not only that, Daniel 1:20 says, 'And in all matters of wisdom and understanding, the king found them ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers who were in all his (the king's) realm'. Praise God! May you also be the 'Daniels' of today. Amen!

2 Corinthians 3:18 says, '... beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord (i.e. the radiance of the Lord), we are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord'. The 'mirror' here speaks of the Word of God as well. It means as you meditate on the Word day and night, you'll also be transformed into the same image, i.e. you'll be changed according to what the Word says about you!

Unfortunately, the opposite is also true when one 'beholds' from sources that are contrary to the Word of God!

Here are some of the verses personalized for you to increase in radiance & youthfulness:

1. I behold the glory of God and am transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord (2 Corinthians 3:18).

2. God gives power to me and He increases my strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall, but I wait on the Lord and be renewed in my strength; I mount up with wings like eagles, I run and I am not weary, I walk and do not faint (Isaiah 40:29-31).

3. My youth is renewed like the eagle's (Psalm 103:5).

4. The Spirit of God who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in me, and God who raised Jesus Christ from the dead gives life to my body through His Spirit who dwells in me (Romans 8:11).

5. My body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, and God's name is glorified both in my body and in my spirit, which are God's (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).

6. I am without spot or wrinkle or any such thing but I am holy and without blemish. My body is a member of Christ's body, of His flesh and of His bones (Ephesians 5:27-30, 1 Corinthians 6:15).

7. My whole spirit, soul and body is preserved blameless at the coming of my Lord Jesus Christ (1 Thessalonians 5:23).

8. Christ is magnified in my body (Philippians 1:20). 
Note: It means "Christ's health, radiance, and youthfulness increases in my body". 

9. God satisfies me with long life and shows me His salvation (Psalm 91:16).

10. Just as Moses' eyes were not dim nor his natural vigor diminished, my eyes are not dim nor my natural vigor diminished (Deuteronomy 34:7).

11. My eyes will not be dim at all. The words of God are pure, enlightening my eyes (Isaiah 32:3, Psalm 19:8).

12. My teeth are like a flock of shorn sheep which have come out from the washing, every one of which bears twins, and none is barren among them (Song of Solomon 4:2).

Meditate (by speaking under your breath) and confess aloud these verses over and over again to yourself, and that's how you'll be transformed into the same image as the Lord's. Notice that Jesus continued to increase (Luke 2:52) until He has fulfilled all of God's purpose on earth, and only then He went up! He never diminished, and of course, was never sickly! As He is, so are you in this world. Believing, you'll be likewise. Amen! 

You are shining more and more unto the perfect day!

Proverbs 4:18 (KJV): "But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day".

As a believer, you are ‘just’ not because you can justify yourself, for all have ‘fallen short of the glory of God’ because of sin. You are ‘just’ because someone justified you, and His name is Jesus. ‘To be justified’ means ‘to be made righteous’, i.e. you are made ‘in right standing’ with God, reconciled to God again.

The word ‘path’ in this verse here means your ‘walk with God’. ‘Shining more and more’ means ‘more and more of the glory of God’ as you walk with God, until the perfect day, i.e. the day God says to you, “Playtime on earth is over! You’ve completed what you needed to do here. You’ve reached your destiny!” and God says, “Now is the time I’m bringing you to a better ‘playground’, a perfect one, one with the fullness of joy!”.

As a cross reference, Isaiah 60:1-2 says ‘Arise, shine; for your light has come! And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you. For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people; but the Lord will arise over you, and His glory will be seen upon you’.

Notice the word ‘but’ both in Proverbs 4:18 and Isaiah 60:2. In spite of the ‘darkness’ and ‘wickedness’ that surround us in this end-time, God says ‘your light will shine’, and Proverbs 4:18 says ‘even brighter and brighter’! People of God, you are living in such a time now! Step into it! In spite of what you see in the world, or despite what people may say, God says ‘you are not diminishing, but you are increasing’! And you know what it means? You’ll be healthier and healthier, wealthier and wealthier, stronger and stronger day by day, not the opposite! Your marriage life, your business, your career, or your ministry will not diminish, but increase, all the way till that 'perfect day'! That’s what God says you are, ‘shining’ brighter and brighter each day! Will you believe for it?

In Psalm 105:37, the Bible says “there is none feeble (weak) in God’s family”, and in Psalm 103:5, it says “your youth is renewed like the eagle’s”. Eagles are strong creatures. They shed old and worn-out feathers and get renewed with new feathers, and that’s how they keep their speed and efficiency! God's Word says you too are being renewed like the eagle! Imagine people coming to you and say, “Hey, you look younger than ever!”, or “Your age betrays your look!” This is happening, because the glory (‘shining light’) of the Lord has risen upon you! Will you believe and receive this too?

God is definitely a ‘youthful’ God. He is as 'energetic' as ever, and He still does new things today. And just because people get old, wrinkled, bended, and die with a ‘walking stick’, it doesn’t mean heaven is full of such! And man, you’ll have a new body, an immortal one! And it’s going to be a youthful one; one that shines like the sun at full strength! Hallelujah!

And the good news is you can have a taste of 'heaven' even right now, yes, here on earth!