SEVEN COVENANTS THAT BRING BLESSING TO YOUR LIFE
Perry Stone

I AM REVEALED
B. Childress
Jun 17 2012

But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established
upon better promises.   (Hebrews 8:6)

THROUGH OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH Jesus Christ, we have entered into a new covenant.  Many Christians view their
relationship with God as a sinner saved by grace battling the devil on the road to heaven, knowing that if they can hold
on and endure the test and trials, they will make it.  As a teenager, this is how I viewed my relationship with Christ – that
is, until age eighteen when I came across a small booklet on the subject of our covenant with God.  The information in
that booklet changed my understanding.

I discovered that I was in covenant with God, just as Abraham and God had entered a covenant (Genesis 15:18).  In a
covenant relationship, people exchange their names, their possessions, and their power.  God changed Abram’s name
to Abraham, began to bless him with possessions, and demonstrated His power throughout Abraham’s life.  A covenant
relationship is what my wife and I entered when we exchanged marriage vows.  My wife, Pam Taylor, exchanged her
name Taylor for my name Stone.  All I owned became hers, and all she owned became mine.  In the marriage vow we
said, “For better or for worse, for rich or for poor, in sickness and in health.”  It was a commitment to stay glued to each
other in good and bad times.  Our marriage is based on unconditional love one for another.  We do not demand
anything from each other, but seek to make one another happy and keep the covenant bond firm.

All biblical covenants have certain conditions placed upon the promises.  In the Abrahamic covenant, God required that
the fathers circumcise their Jewish sons in the foreskin of their flesh eight days after their birth (Genesis 17:12).  This
fleshly circumcision was a token (sign) of the child’s relationship with God through the Abrahamic covenant.  If a Jewish
man was not circumcised, then he would be cut off from among the people:

    And the uncircumcised man child whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that soul shall be cut off from his
    people; he hath broken my covenant.   (Genesis 17:14)

In the time of Moses, God brought the Hebrew nation out of Egyptian bondage.  He did so based upon a promise given
in Genesis 15:13.  Once free, within weeks, the Hebrews built a golden calf and angered God.  The Lord was prepared
to destroy the entire nation and raise a righteous seed through Moses:

    And the LORD said unto Moses, I have seen this people, and behold, it is a stiff necked people: Now therefore let
    me alone, that my wrath may wax hot against them, and that I may consume them: and I will make of thee a great
    nation.   (Exodus 32:9-10)

Although these were God’s covenant people, He was willing to destroy them, not because they were not circumcised,
but because they were worshiping an idol.  When the Hebrews crossed the line and willfully disobeyed God, the
Almighty was under no obligation to honor the promises of His covenant.  The blessings of the covenant are always
based upon the condition of obedience.  It is these conditions that inspire us to follow the Word of God.

THE “IF” FACTOR

The word if is used 1,541 times in the King James Version of the Bible.  The word can mean, “in the event that, granting
that, or on the condition that.”  There are three areas where the word if is used that are significant:

  • The “if” of Satan

  • The “if” of man

  • The “if” of God

The “if” of Satan

During the temptation of Jesus, Satan used the “if” twice.  In each instance he was attempting to create unbelief in Christ’
s mind concerning His relationship to God.  Satan was demanding that Jesus prove He was the Son of God:

    If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.   (Matthew 4:3)

    If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down.   (Matthew 4:6)

The “if”of Satan is designed to cause you to question the Word of God.  When things are falling apart, people often
have thoughts such as, “If God loves me, why is this happening to me?” Or, “If God answers prayer, why is my answer
delayed?”  Some question why they are not healed or why family members are not yet converted.  When the adversary
brings an “if” into your mind, it will always be to plant a seed of doubt toward the promises of God’s goodness and His
faithfulness.

The “if” of man

A diseased leper who came to Christ took a great risk when he did so.  Leprosy was considered contagious, and Jewish
law said a leper had to stand one hundred to three hundred paces away from a clean person, depending upon the
direction of the wind.  On this occasion, the leper fell at Jesus’ feet and said, “If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean”
(Luke 5:12).  In response, Jesus removed the “if” and said, “I will: be thou clean” (verse 13).  Jesus removed the “if” of
doubt, and the leper was immediately made whole!

The “if” of man is connected to knowing the will of God.  Satan’s “if” attempts to make a person doubt the promises of
God, but the human “if” begins to doubt the willingness of God to perform what He has spoken.  It does little good to
believe that God can if you do not believe that God will.  Think for a moment.  God can save the lost, but will God save
your family?  God can baptize believers in the Holy Spirit, but will God baptize you in the Holy Spirit?  God can heal, but
will God heal you?  The “if” of man questions the willingness of God to perform His promises.

The “if” of God

The “if” of God, on the other hand, is a question about your willingness to be obedient to God’s requests.  While Satan
plants doubt concerning God’s promises and the human mind questions God’s willingness, God’s “if” is based upon
your obedience.  At times an “if” plays an important role in receiving a promise from God; for example, the Lord
promised:

    If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from
    their wicked ways then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.                             
    (II Chronicles 7:14)

    If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.   (John 15:7)

    If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and
    abide in his love.   (John 15:10)

The “if” of God is always a condition we meet to receive the blessings promised us.  If we do not humble ourselves and
repent, then we cannot claim the promise of seeing our land healed.  If we do not abide in Christ, then we cannot claim
the promise of asking what we desire of Him.  If we do not abide in the vine (Christ), then we cannot bear fruit.

The Covenant we have with God contains promises and conditions.

  • Hearing the Word is the first condition.

  • Believing the Word is the second condition.

  • Acting upon the Word is the third condition.

  • Obedience to the Word is the final condition.

I have often wondered if the miraculous results in Christ’s ministry would have been different if those needing miracles
had not fully obeyed the Lord’s instruction prior to the manifestation of the healing or deliverance.

If the disciples had asked for the little lad’s lunch and said, “Jesus needs your lunch,” what if the little fellow had replied,
“If I give you my food, I won’t have anything to eat!”  What if the widow of Nain had told Jesus, “don’t interrupt my son’s
funeral; You know if You touch this coffin You will be unclean according to the law,” would her son have been raised
from the dead?  When Jesus spit in the blind man’s eyes and said, “Go wash,” what if he had complained and said, “Are
You crazy? I’m already blind, and now I’ve got mud stuck in my eye sockets!”  Each miracle included an act of
obedience.  At times, it may seem foolish to the flesh and to some Christians when we act out our obedience and do
what the Lord commands us to do.  However, God loves and honors our obedience.

YOUR PERSONAL COVENANT RELATIONSHIP

Your personal covenant relationship with Christ is the root of all spiritual, physical, emotional, and financial blessings
that will flow from the heavenly storehouse into your life.  This covenant requires you to follow the scriptural instructions
in the New Testament.  Understanding how Satan, your human mind, and God use the word if is important to claiming
the benefits that have been promised.  Again:

  • The “if” of Satan question the Word of God.

  • The “if” of man questions the will of God.

  • The “if” of God is a condition of your obedience.

It is important to understand the “if” factor because God’s “if” is a condition, and any covenant comes with certain
conditions attached.  Every covenant has three elements:

    1.  Promises:  what you will receive from the covenant

    2.  Agreements:  what is expected from you out of the covenant

    3.  Conditions:  what you must do in order to receive full benefit from the covenant

Just as marriage is a covenant with these three aspects, so your walk with God is a covenant with the same three
important concepts.

1.  Promises

On their wedding day, a couple repeats a series of vows to publicly affirm their lifelong commitment to one another.  
These vows are made before a minister, before people, and before God.

Both the Old and New Testament covenants consist of promises.  God promises to release His blessings and His gifts to
those who will enter into covenant with Him.  As Scripture says, “The promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen”
(II Corinthians 1:20).

2. Agreements

After the vows are repeated, the minister says, “Do you…,” and the man and woman respond with the words, “I do.”  
Those are strong English words to affirm an agreement.  Once the couple agrees to the promises, then the marriage
covenant is legally sealed in the eyes of God and the witnesses.

In the Bible, God gives the revelation of the covenants, including the blessings and the promises granted for
obedience.  In Abraham’s covenant, the fathers agreed to circumcise their sons as a sign of the covenant.  In return,
God promised to bring forth a mighty nation and prosper Abraham’s descendants in all they set their hands to do.  

3.  Conditions

While love should be unconditional, the marriage vows come with spiritual conditions.  The condition is faithfulness to
your marriage partner.  When a partner becomes unfaithful in committing adultery, then the marriage vows are broken.  
Some marriages have been restored through humility and repentance, but often the act of adultery causes the spouse
to be crushed in spirit, which leads to separation and divorce.

This was the case with Israel when God brought the nation out of Egyptian bondage.  Days later, while Moses was
interceding and receiving the law of God, the Hebrews were dancing before a golden calf.  God’s anger kindled, and He
threatened to destroy Israel and raise a new nation through Moses.  Only through intercession was Israel spared
(Exodus 32:8-35).  After years of Israel rebelling against God, the Lord finally said He was divorcing Israel:

    And I saw, when for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel committed adultery I had put her away, and given
    her a bill of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah feared not, but went and played the harlot also.       
    (Jeremiah 3:8)

In the new covenant, we are commanded to abide in the Lord and remain faithful to Him and His Word (John 15:4-10).  
As we grow in the Lord, we will experience blessings in every area of our lives.

THE COVENANT BLESSINGS

Our covenant with Christ impacts three areas mentioned in I Thessalonians 5:23:

    And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved
    blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.   (Emphasis Added)

Three New Testament words identify the area where God’s wholeness occurs:

    1.  Justification:  This is a spiritual act where God delivers the spirit from the penalty of sin.

    2.  Sanctification:  This is a spiritual act where God delivers the soul from the power of sin.

    3.  Glorification:  This is the final stage at the resurrection where we are free from the presence of sin.

Between the time of our salvation (when we are justified) and our entry into heaven (when we are glorified) we must walk
in the power of the Spirit and live by the regulations and promises of the new covenant.

THE SEVEN COVENANTS

There are seven covenants that God ordained that are designed to be a blessing for your life.

1.  The salvation covenant

This is the most important covenant in Scripture.  Without this covenant you will not have eternal life.  This covenant is
entered into when you ask Christ to forgive you of your sins and you accept Him as your Lord and Savior.  Paul wrote:

    For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.   
    (Romans 10:10)

2.  The healing covenant

Another covenant is the healing covenant.  Adam and Eve’s disobedience in the Garden of Eden produced a set of
twins called sin and death.  At the cross Christ brought a double cure for the double curse.  He defeated sin and death
and arose from the grave with the authority over death, hell, and the grave (Revelation 1:18).

There was no sickness until after the fall of mankind.  Physical infirmity is linked to the fall of Adam and the natural aging
process.  Christ provided more than victory over sin; He sealed a covenant of healing through bearing in His body the
sickness of mankind.  As Peter wrote:

    Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto
    righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.   (I Peter 2:24)

Christ’s beaten body sealed the healing covenant, and His shed blood sealed the salvation covenant.  When we receive
the body and the blood of Christ, we signify that we have entered into the salvation covenant and believe that Christ’s
healing covenant will manifest in our physical bodies.

3.  The Holy Spirit covenant

When Jesus ascended to heaven, He told His disciples that He would send another comforter to abide with them forever
(John 14:16).  The word Comforter is parakletos, which means, “One who intercedes for, one who counsels or
comforts.” Jesus is our intercessor in heaven, and the Holy Spirit is our intercessor on earth.  The Holy Spirit was a
promise to those who were in covenant with Christ.  This gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:18) is exclusively for the children
of God (Luke 11:13).  He provides a prayer language for each believer to communicate directly to the Lord (I
Corinthians 14:2).  Christ has promised the Holy Spirit as a blessing for your obedience to the covenant.

4.  The marriage covenant

Marriage is between a man and a woman.  A woman who is a virgin sheds a small amount of blood the moment she
consummates with her husband.  This was so important in the Old Testament that the following morning the sheets from
the bed were presented to the elders of the city.  If the woman was not a virgin, she was stoned (Deuteronomy 22:14-
21).

This shedding of blood demonstrates that marriage was intended to be a blood covenant between one man and one
woman, for life.  Marriage is a wonderful covenant and a great blessing when a person finds their life mate.

5.  The church covenant

    For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free
    and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.   (I Corinthians 12:13)

It may seem unusual to say this, but God ordained the church, Christ predicted the birth of the church, and He gave
Himself for the church (Matthew 16:18; Acts 20:28).  The church is not one particular denomination, but it consists of all
believers who have a salvation covenant with Christ.  The Greek word for “church” is ekklesia, which means, “a calling
out for a meeting.”  The church represents the “called-out ones” who have been called to receive Christ.

While every believer is part of the universal church of Jesus Christ, it is important to find a local congregation and
become involved with the local believers.  Remember, Christ addressed seven major churches in the Book of
Revelation, and the church is His body.  Paul taught that men are to love their wives even as Christ loved the church
(Ephesians 5:25).  We must respect and love the church because it is the virgin that is espoused to Christ                    
(II Corinthians 11:2).

6.  The family covenant

God loves a family.  In the beginning of Creation, angels were called sons of God (Job 38:7).  After the fall of Lucifer
from heaven, God created Adam, and he was called a son of God (Luke 3:38).

Following Adam’s expulsion from Eden, God arranged a covenant with Abraham and brought forth Israel, whom he
called, “My son” (Exodus 4:22, NKJV).  When Israel began to break the covenant, God then sent His only begotten Son,
Jesus Christ, who did not sin; neither did He fail to fulfill His Father’s assignment.  Christ then produced a spiritual family,
and now we are called the sons of God (I John 3:2).

God desired a family.  He has a spiritual family from all nations, kindred, tongues, and people (Revelation 7:9).  God
understands the joy of having a spiritual son or daughter, watching them grow and mature, and hearing them say,
“Father, I love You!”

God has given men and women on Earth the ability to procreate and birth a family.  In a time when children are rejected
in the womb, abandoned by their parents, and abused by adults, God’s Word still says, “Lo, children are an heritage of
the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward” (Psalm 127:3).  One reason God selected Abraham as His covenant
man to birth the nation of Israel is written in Genesis:

    For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the
    LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.   
    (Genesis 18:19)

God saw that Abraham would teach his children and pass the covenant on from generation to generation.  After all, God’
s blessings are generational!

7.  The financial covenant

The seventh covenant God established is a financial covenant.  It is God’s will for His people to prosper in all they set
their hands to do.  Prosperity is established in both the first and second covenants.

    But thou shalt remember the LORD thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may
    establish his covenant which he sware unto thy father, as it is this day.   (Deuteronomy 8:18)

    Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.             
    (III John 2)

Out of these seven covenants, notice how many are connected to blood, or blood and water:

    1.  Salvation – because of the blood of Christ and the water of baptism.

    2.  Healing – by the stripes (blood) of Christ.

    3.  Holy Spirit – because of Christ’s death, resurrection, and ascension.

    4.  Marriage – blood is shed when a virgin consummates her marriage.

    5.  Church – become a member through the blood of Christ and water baptism.

    6.  Family – a child is born in a mixture of water and blood.

    7.  Finances – our offerings to God are compared to the sacrifices on the altar.

It is very clear that God loves covenants and loves to see His creation enter into covenant with Him.





Source:

THE MEAL THAT HEALS, by Perry Stone, Copyright 2008, Charisma House.
2010 - HIS GLORY REIGNS
LIFE IN JESUS-MINISTRIES