“If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.” John 14:14
Henry Stanley was a journalist in the latter part of the 19th century. In 1871 he embarked on a quest throughout Africa in search for the missing British explorer, Dr. David Livingstone.
During his travels he encountered fierce, war-like tribes. An African man with Stanley’s party suggested that he make a covenant with a powerful tribal chief. Stanley asked him “What does that mean?” The native said, “Everything he has will become yours.” Stanley agreed. It was a solemn ceremony in which substitutes stood in for them. Their arms were cut and their blood was mingled together in a cup of wine which they both drank from. Then gifts were exchanged. The chief wanted Stanley’s goat. Stanley was in poor health and the goat’s milk was about all he could digest. In return, the chief gave him his 7-foot, copper-wound spear. Stanley thought he had been had!
However, when Stanley encountered other hostile tribes, he noticed when they saw that spear, they would reverently bow and retreat. The spear was a sign that Stanley was in covenant and he was not to be touched. That spear settled any and all issues! That’s when Stanley began to understand the power of that covenant. Covenants were a common practice among tribes in Africa as well as many other parts of the world. These covenants are held as sacred as anything can be, and, to the best of anyone’s knowledge, no covenant was ever broken; to break covenant would mean certain death.
As believers, we have a far greater Covenant than any that exist between men. Our Covenant is with God and the Blood of that Covenant is the eternal Blood of the Father. It is not a Covenant of necessity, but one of love. God will never break His Covenant. In the exchange of that Covenant, we gave Him our heart, our trust. He gave us the Name of Jesus. His Name is greater than a chief’s spear! It represents the most sacred and holy Covenant whose benefits include salvation, safety, protection, preservation, deliverance, healing, prosperity and soundness.
In this time where the voices of fear and sickness are peaking, we need to know what we
have! We need to rest confidently in the power of our Covenant and in the Name of Jesus that governs it. We have the key to all its provisions, it’s all in the power of His Name. That Name was given to us to display by the confession of our faith! Every plague and pestilence must bow and retreat from the Name of Jesus. We are in Covenant with God! The Name of Jesus is eons greater than that of Covid-19. His Name is eternal. And His eternal Covenant is loaded with all the provisions we’ll ever need. Let’s keep His yoke upon us and keep learning from Him! He will give us the Covenant knowledge of all we have in His Name!
With Love,
Pastor Tom