covenant makers and covenant breakers
Psalm 50:5 “Gather my saints together unto me, those who made a covenant with me through sacrifice.”
The Lord gave this prophetic scripture when we built our first Victory Church in Lethbridge, Alberta. We all made major financial and material sacrifices to build a beautiful facility on 43 Acres of prime land. Sacrifice always releases the miracle-working power of God. Many years later we can look back at what the Lord has done. The hearts of multiplied thousands of people have been knit with this work and what has come out from it. The covenant we all made with the Lord through sacrifice is eternal and is still in effect. God is a Covenant-Making, Covenant-Keeping, Covenant-Enforcing God!
Covenant Versus Contract
Contracts are enforced by courts, but covenant is enforced by character. One requires giving your name, the other giving your life. We are in a covenant-relationship with God and with one another as Christians. All of our Victory Churches are in Covenant-Relationship with one another. God takes covenants very seriously. Character weaknesses cause some people to break covenant over and over again, with devastating consequences for all involved. That is why God grows and tests our character before fully releasing our calling.
Much of the breakdown in family and church today, can be traced to the failure to give honor where honor is due. “Children obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother which is the first commandment with a promise: that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.” (Eph 6:1-2)
Absalom failed to honor his father and broke the familial covenant, with disastrous consequences. Mike Murdock says, “I have always been able to trace someones success, back to the place where they honored someone they should honor. And I have always been able to trace someone’s failure, back to the place where they dishonored someone they should honor.”
“But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy.” (2 Tim 3:1-2)
In California, we built a large and powerful church. During that time, I was training a young man to take over. He was tall, handsome, and very gifted, but he began to think more highly of himself than he ought. I confronted him about some areas he needed to change, but instead of taking counsel, he took offense. He turned against me and left the church. Others that I had placed under his care left with him.
A few years later this young man made a post on Facebook. The post said, ‘Nobody has ever treated me as good as Pastors George and Hazel. They treated me like a prince, and I betrayed them. I was a Judas, an Absalom, a Korah, and a Jezebel. Lord, please forgive me.’ One of my associates saw it and urged him to talk to us, and he did. He came to my office and asked for forgiveness from Hazel and I, and our staff. Then we all broke down and wept! I thank God, this young man had enough courage and fear of God to come to us and make things right. We prayed for him and released him with our blessing to go on, grow on, and fulfill his God-given destiny.
Yours for Strength of Character and God-Fearing Covenant-Keeping Relationships
Dr. George Hill,
President and Founder, VCI