the COVENANT
of
PROTECTION
ISAAC JOHN AKAGU
The Covenant of Protection
ISBN:
Copyright 2016
By:
Isaac John Akagu
+234 703 6999170, 701 1165671
Published by:
All Rights Reserved.
Unless otherwise stated, scripture quotations are taken from the King James Version of the Bible. Other versions as used include:
WEB: World English Bible
NLT: New Living Translation
TLB: The Living Bible
HCSB: Holman Christian Standard Bible
The Good News Bible.
CONTENTS
DEDICATION
INTRODUCTION
Chapter One: There is an Adversary
Chapter Two: There is a place of safety
Chapter Three: Meet the God of Justice
Chapter Four: You need a strong spirit
Chapter Five: Angels; God’s Agents of protection
Chapter Six: Two forces of protection
Chapter Seven: Prophets; God’s human Agents of protection
Chapter Eight: I’m crucified with Christ; what are you waiting for?
DEDICATION
To my dear mother; Deaconess Ladi Akagu. You have been a soldier of Christ and a proven conqueror. More grace to you.
INTRODUCTION
Many people all over the world today are concerned about their safety and protection. Most governments have made this one of their top priorities. Individuals are seeking a sure refuge because there is chaos looming in most of our societies. Everyone is observant not to become a victim, as wars, riots, terrorist attacks, accidents and all sort of rebellious protests have stolen headlines in major news agencies around the world.
In the typical African setting, individuals are not only trying to protect themselves from wars and crisis; they are even more concerned about spiritual arrows originating from their villages. Many have gone to seek refuge in absurd places as a result. People are wearing all sorts of charms in order to protect themselves. Many have lost their rest of mind; some have even lost their minds.
I want to tell you that true protection comes from God. I also want to show you in this book, how you can get on God’s side to secure His protection. You must know that your protection is just as important to God as your salvation. It’s also as important to Him as your prosperity. God does not want you any less protected than He wants you prosperous. Think about it. Of what use is prosperity when you are not sure of your safety?
Your protection is a top priority on God’s agenda. That’s why He stated clearly in Isaiah 32:18(NLT); “my people will live in safety, quietly at home. They will be at rest”. God’s will for you is to live continuously in safety; spirit, soul and body. He doesn’t want any of us to have troubles in our minds, sickness in our bodies or restlessness in our spirits. He wants all round safety because that’s His will for us.
The days of scary nightmares are over in Jesus Name! No more being chased around in dreams and breathing heavily out of them! No more spiritual unrests! No more trying to commit suicide! No more losing your mind! No more! No more! Hallelujah, Amen!
YOUR PROTECTION IS IN GOD’S VERY WILL
The Bible tells us in Ephesians 5:16-17; “…redeeming the time because the days are evil: Wherefore, be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of God is”.
Many years back, I resided in Bauchi, North of Nigeria. In my years there, there was a lot of inter-religious riots; most notably between Christians and Muslims. Due to the fact that the Muslims outnumbered the Christians, many Christians were victims of post-riot casualties. A lot of them even left town. I was troubled in my spirit throughout those years.
I went in search of scriptures to discover what God’s divine plan was –as regarding the preservation of His children. Then I found the verse quoted above. It dawned on me that God’s divine will is for me to live a terror free life. I also read in 2 Timothy 3:1 that we are in perilous (dangerous) times; but I however discovered God’s divine provision for His children in these perilous times. It is your understanding of God’s divine intention that unfolds what it holds to you!
During my time in Bauchi, I also found this scripture: “say to them that are of a fearful heart, be strong, fear not! Behold God will come with vengeance, even God with recompense. He will come and save you” (Isaiah 35:4). Here, we are charged to be strong and not be afraid anymore. God’s will and intention has been unveiled. He is eager to avert every evil plot against you right now! (Isaiah 41:11, 43:3-4, 2 Thessalonians 1:6, Genesis 12:3). You don’t have to be attracted to secret cults for any form of protection anymore. They will only add to your misery. The time has finally come when the wicked will be made a ransom for the righteous and the transgressors for the upright (Proverbs 21:18). God’s intention is to give light to those that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death. He has come to guide our feet into the way of peace (Luke 1:79, Jeremiah 42:11, 8:2). That is the will of God.
CHAPTER ONE
THERE IS AN ADVERSARY
In any sports event where two individuals or teams compete against each other, wise contestants get as much information about their opponents in order to know the strengths and weaknesses of the opponents. This is the only way to hit them hard when they are less ready and that’s the only way to emerge triumphant.
In Revelations 12:17, we learn that we are in a war against the devil. He is in a rage, and though he is powerless (Psalms 62:11), he is very strategic. He uses his subtlety to trap many believers and make victims of them. You therefore need to be aware of his strategies in order to conquer him.
The Bible says we should not be ignorant of his devices (2 Corinthians 2:11). So the devil has devices, plans and schemes that we must be aware of. He is so crafty that Jesus warns “…be as wise as serpent…” (Matthew 10:16) and the serpent is the devil (Revelations 12:9). That is to say, don’t allow the devil to outsmart you. Be aware of his strategies before he comes at you so that you will emerge victorious. Thrice, the devil tempted Jesus when He returned from the wilderness. Jesus was however ready for him because He was aware of the devils subtlety. That’s why He could overcome the devil.
The devil is the adversary and believers should not be ignorant.
WHERE IT ALL STARTED
It’s important to know where the devil lost it with God and why he is in such a rage at the children of God right now. The devil has a well-documented history as narrated in the Bible and every true believer must be smart enough to know it in order to properly place the devil where he belongs.
Jesus recounts the fall of the devil from heaven in Luke 10:18. He said “…I beheld Satan as lightening, fall from heaven”. So Jesus confirms that the devil was thrown out of heaven and that He saw it when it happened. In Revelations 12:8, the Bible tells us that there was no place found for him anymore in heaven. So the devil is in a rage because he lost his place and he’s warring against those that took his place.
In 1 Peter 2:9, we are told by scriptures that God has appointed us the believers as His worshippers, to show forth his praises. That was Satan’s original place in heaven; before he lost his place through pride and rebellion. When he was thrown out of heaven, that responsibility was handed to the believers –you and I.
That explains why the devil is in a rage with the believers. We’ve been given the responsibility that was taken away from him. We simply took his place. We replaced him. There was an exchange and he was on the losing side. That’s why he is in wrath against the believers that keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus (Revelations 12:17).
HE IS ON A MISSION
There was an interesting conversation between God and Satan in Job 1:7-8 (NLT). “Where have you come from? The Lord asked Satan. And Satan answered the Lord; I have been going back and forth across the earth, watching everything that’s going on”. We can conclude from the words of Satan here that he is not a passive being. He is very active; -going back and forth across the earth. That’s why it’s dangerous for a believer to be passive, because the adversary is active. Satan confirms that he is watching everything that is going on. He watches to see when the believer will be asleep and less active so he can take advantage.
In the epistle of Peter, we are charged; “Be sober (i.e. serious, not playful), be vigilant (i.e. be on alert); because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom to devour” (1 Peter 5:8, emphasis mine). The devil is not just going back and forth for nothing. He is on a mission; to devour. He is looking out for destinies to destroy. He is looking out for homes to tear apart. He is looking out for jobs to devour. He is on the lookout for ministries to terminate.
Jesus sheds more light on Satan’s mission. “The thief only comes to steal, kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and may have it abundantly” (John 10:10, WEB). Satan has a threefold mission according to the words of Jesus; to kill, to steal and to destroy. When he comes at believers, he wants to steal their joy, damage their hopes and destroy their lives.
HE HAS A STRATEGY
Having established that Satan has a mission, we must also know that he has a strategy. Remember we mentioned earlier that he is powerless because power belongs to God only. However, he is strategic because Serpent is wise according to scriptures.
In Revelations 12:9, the bible said about him “that old serpent called the devil, which decieveth the whole world”. So he has a strategy called deceit. He is a deceiver. He deceives saints to turn their backs against God through sin; because that’s the only way to get them off God’s divine covery.
It was through this strategy that he plotted the exile of the first man from the Garden of Eden. He deceived Adam and Eve to turn their back against God’s instruction. In fact, in Genesis 3:1, we are told that he was more subtle (cleaver) than any other creature of God.
Jesus did not only face temptation from the devil after He returned from the wilderness. He was tempted all through his time in the wilderness; “and he was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted of Satan” (Mark 1:13). So His forty days in the wilderness were days of resisting very serious temptations.
Before Ananias, husband of Sapphira died, Peter asked him; “why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost?” (Acts 5:3). So, Ananias did not just lie, Satan filled his heart to lie. He was tempted of Satan to lie, and he could not resist the temptation like Jesus did. Note: the devil did not force Ananias to lie; he filled his heart to lie.
Judas Iscariot did not just betray Jesus. The bible said “Satan entered into him” (Luke 22:3). When the deed had been done and he came back to his normal senses, it dawned on him that thirty pieces of silver was not worth betraying his revered master; and then he hung himself.
WHAT ARE HIS CHANCES?
I like for you to know that you are in charge! The devil is not in charge, you are. He can only do his best to persuade you, but you make all the choices. He tried to persuade Jesus to turn a stone into bread. He could not force Jesus to do that however, because he was not in charge, Jesus was in charge. Jesus knew he was in charge and so he took charge of the situation.
Therefore the devil can only succeed the extent to which you let him. His chances lie within your choices. If you choose to heed to his temptations, you’re bound to fall. If not, he’s got no chance.
The Bible says “…resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). The devil only has a chance when you fail to resist him. If you resist him, he must flee from you. If you don’t, he will stay. The ball’s in your court. Jesus said to Satan; “go away from me…” (Matthew 4:10, NIV). And the devil left him. The devil hasn’t left you because you haven’t vehemently asked him to go away. The devil has no chance until you give him one.
CHAPTER TWO
THERE IS A PLACE OF SAFETY
I shared in the introduction my experience in Bauchi state many years back. Due to the frequency of religious riots as at that time, people often slept with one eye opened. In fact, they often fled to the army barracks for safety; every time the riots got intense.
As soon as they got to the barracks however, there was such calm. There wasn’t any form of agitations or worries. People could sleep there with both eyes closed. It was a safe place. It was a place of refuge.
I want you to know that there are designated cities of refuge that God has reserved for His children in these end times. When believers acquaint themselves with those places, they are sure of protection; spirit, soul and body. All they need do is take refuge.
This is confirmed in Numbers 35:11-12: “then ye shall appoint you cities to be cities of refuge for you…and they shall be unto you cities of refuge from the avenger”. As a believer, you must attach yourself consciously to God’s designated city of refuge in order to be guaranteed safety.
Where is this city of refuge? “For the Lord has chosen Zion” (Psalms 132:13). That is God’s reserved and appointed city of refuge for His children. No one takes refuge there without experiencing rest from satanic torments. In the next verse, God said “this is my rest forever”. 2 Samuel 5:7 calls it a stronghold.
The word Zion is figuratively used in scripture for the Church (Psalms 126:1, 129:5, Isaiah 33:14, 34:8, 49:14, and 52:8). The end time Body of Christ is appointed by God as a refuge for all saints. Anyone who is not in Christ is on his or her own. Your access to God’s city of refuge is only granted by your recognition and acquaintance to the Body of Christ.
I’m not talking about just going to church and listening to sermons. I’m talking about being involved in the work of Christ on earth. That’s what gives you access to divine protection. When you take your place in the church, you take your place in God. In fact, God will now refer to you as Zion (Isaiah 49:14-16), assuring you that even if a mother forgets her sucking child, He will never forget you.
God also promised in the same verse that everything about you -your health, business, job, career, family, etc. are all graven on the palms of His hands. He watches over you every second of your life as long as you get attached to the church. You’ve got nothing to fear.
Zion does not only refer to God’s church (you and I) as a body. It also refers to God’s appointed physical places where His name is mentioned and worshipped, where He meets needs, saves sinners and blesses His saints. Wherever God’s Name is lifted and glorified with reverent awe is called Zion –a place, holy and sacred (Hebrews 12:22).
David was there ten times every day (7 times to worship and 3 times to pray). That makes it 70 times a week, 280 times a month and 3650 times a year. No wonder he won every battle. He recognized Zion and made it his home. The result was that he was on the victory side of life all through. He never lost to anyone.
Also, know that God himself dwells in Zion. Therefore, acquaintance with Zion is acquaintance with God. Remember, everything trembles before God (Psalms 114:7). So, everything must tremble before you when you are acquainted with God in Zion. You become dreadful to the devil and his agents when Zion becomes your abode (Isaiah 64:1-2).
The church is also the Vineyard of the Lord where God does not only preserve His own, he prospers them. Jesus points out in Matthew 20:4 that if you attach yourself to the vineyard (Zion, the Church), He’ll give you whatever is right. He is adding colour to your life.
We serve a mighty God who is raising mighty men in Zion; men that will break the holds of Satan on earth, men that will have total dominion over all the issues and affairs of life. You can choose to be one of those men by acquaintance or you can choose to remain out there. “They go from strength to strength; every one of them in Zion appeareth before God” (Psalms 84:7). Remember, we are in a warfare (1 Timothy 1:18) and you can only gain strength for this fight in Zion.
The secret of David’s strength was in his consistent contact with Zion. It is a place of all round rest (Mathew 11:28), divine direction (Isaiah 25:7), longevity (Isaiah 25:8), access to the blood of Jesus (Hebrews 12:22-24) and refuge (Psalms 91:1).
See; “He will keep in perfect peace all those who trust in him, whose thoughts turn often to the Lord” (Isaiah 26:3, TLB). Also, “I am placing a foundation stone in Zion –a firm, tested, precious cornerstone that is safe to build on. He who believes, need never run away again” (Isaiah 28:16, TLB).
Do you want peace? Zion is God’s spring of lasting peace. God said He has placed a foundation stone in Zion –that is Jesus. Contact with Zion is contact with Jesus and contact with Jesus is assurance for total victory (Isaiah 49:25, Genesis 12:3, 2 Thessalonians 1:6, and Isaiah 41:11).
Remember, “Then my people will dwell in a peaceful place, in safe and restful dwellings. But hail will level the forests, and the city [of the enemy] will sink into depths” (Isaiah 32:18-19, HCSB). When you stay in touch with God in Zion, you enjoy immeasurable peace while He comes down in His wrath to destroy your enemies.
CHAPTER THREE
MEET THE GOD OF JUSTICE
One of the biggest issues in societies today is injustice. Where there is injustice, evil thrives and wickedness springs forth consistently. The powerful exert themselves upon the weak, as is the case in many parts of the world today. Wealthy people acquire more, some of them through vanity, while the poor get poorer. Politicians in power exert themselves on the citizens, amercing great fortunes to the neglect of the people they lead. The voice of the poor is neglected as influential elites override them unjustly.
The same goes on in the spiritual realm. Those who have not been rooted enough in the light of God’s word have been subject to all forms of victimization from the devil and his human agents. Enchantments, evil divinations, arrows and all sort of demonic manipulations are moving in the realms, looking out for those who are spiritually passive.
There is gross injustice not only in the physical world, but also in the spiritual. The latter part of Ephesians 6:12 tell us that we are in a war against spiritual wickedness in high places. On the Devil’s agenda, there is no mercy. He is described as the resister of the saints (Zechariah 3:1) and the thief (John 10:10).
Apostle Paul warns us however that though we are in the flesh realm, our warfare is spiritual and that we shouldn’t use physical weapons to fight spiritual battles. We use spiritual weapons to pull down strongholds (2 Corinthians 10:3-5).
Jesus warns, “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you that he might sift you as wheat” (Luke 22:31). It is never the desire of the oppressor to let the oppressed go. Until there is a divine interference by the God of justice, captivity continues. If the grips of evil must not be permitted in your life, then allow me introduce you to the God of Justice!
WELCOME TO THE COURTROOM
In any courtroom, one thing is sure at the end of every case or argument. It is called judgment. It is administered by the court judge. He declares one party guilty and another not-guilty. Where both parties are guilty of one thing or the other, he declares punishments of varying degree depending in the weight of their offences. He also ensures that damages are paid for where necessary.
Similarly, our God in heaven is the highest judge, who executes judgment –punishing the wicked and vindicating the righteous (Ezekiel 28:26). He is concerned with ensuring that the innocent is rightfully defended and liberated from the claws of the wicked.
The word Justice as used in scriptures can be described thus: “for we know him that hath said, vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, the Lord shall judge His people” (Hebrews 10:30).
In that verse, two key words are used to describe justice –vengeance and recompense. By vengeance, God means punishment and by recompense, He means to pay for damages. After that, justice is served. God is saying “I will punish those that oppress you and pay you back in damages for what you suffered.” By this, evil will cease (Ecclesiastes 8:11).
God has promised to feed all your oppressors with their own flesh and get them drunk with their own blood (Isaiah 49:26) -that is Vengeance. He also promised to restore to you the years you lost to the locust, cankerworm, caterpillar and palmerworm (Joel 2:25) –that is Recompense.
He said “I will contend with him that contends with you” (Isaiah 49:25) –that is Vengeance. Then He said “for your shame you will have double (Isaiah 61:7) and …I will render double unto you (Zechariah 9:12) –that is Recompense”.
MAKE A COVENANT
I want you to know that your safety can be enacted by a covenant between you and God. God said “and I will make with them A COVENANT OF PEACE (Ezekiel 34:25)”, and “moreover, I will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them, and I will place them and multiply them…” (Ezekiel 37:26).
God is saying here that “my protection is only guaranteed you by a covenant. If you want me to protect you, then you must agree with me on its terms and conditions.” As long as you will fulfill your own part of it, He is more than ready to fulfill His.
What are the terms and conditions of this covenant?
Jesus said; “these things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world, ye shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). Therefore, until you are in Christ, you will never have peace. In fact, as Jesus said, if you remain in the world –unsaved, you will have plenty of tribulation. If you want to be an overcomer, then you must be attached to the one that has overcome the world –Jesus.
Jesus said in another verse; “come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). John the beloved speaking again said; “ye are of God little children, and have overcome them because greater is he that is in you that he that is in the world” (1 John 4:4). So when you open the door for Jesus -the overcomer, to dwell in you, you become a winner in the world because He has conquered the world.
John was trying to say that new birth enters you into God’s family, and then “ye are of God”. After that, you can “overcome them”; -that is, those out there who are used by the devil as instruments of destruction.
You are only able to call God your father in the first place because He adopted you from the world. We were all sinners and dirty (Romans 3:23). Through His mercy, He brought us in, and we must appreciate that. That’s why John the beloved said “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God” (1 John 3:1). In other words, we were never worthy to be called God’s sons in the first place. In fact, John was so amazed that God ignored our filthiness and still adopted us that he asked “what kind (manner) of love is this”.
Then he went on to say “whosoever abideth in Him sinneth not…” (Verse 6). In other words, if you want to retain your place in God’s family, don’t give room to sin. As soon as you entertain sin, you are cast out. After that, he said “he that commiteth sin is of the devil…” (Verse 8). Meaning, sin enters you into the devils family. Sin takes you out of God and hands yo
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