12 REASONS “SPIRITUAL COVENANTS” ARE NOT OF GOD AND UNAUTHORIZED
By Steven Lambert
Fourteen years ago, almost to the day, I wrote and published in an article titled, The Curse of Unauthorized Covenants, a strong warning against engaging in so-called “spiritual covenants” relative to what some Christian leaders refer to as “Covenant Relationships,” which we subsequently published on this site as well as various other websites we maintain. In that article, I referenced and quoted from a portion of one of the last books world-renowned international Bible Teacher Derek Prince authored prior to his death on September 24, 2003, Blessings and Curses. Prince, as I stated in that article, was one of the originators of what became known as the Discipleship or Shepherding Movement, transpiring in the 1970s. To his credit, when the doctrines associated with that movement were challenged and repudiated by numerous prominent church leaders in the mid-‘70s, the highly-respected Bible scholar was the very first of the “Fort Lauderdale Five” to publicly acknowledge the teachings were patently erroneous, recant them, personally repent of propagating them, release everyone who had submitted themselves to him, and ask fellow believers for forgiveness from the spiritual harm he had been instrumental in wreaking upon the Body of Christ.”
In 1995, I published, CHARISMATIC CAPTIVATION—Authoritarian Abuse & Psychological Enslavement in Neo-Pentecostal Churches, systematically dissecting and thoroughly repudiating the hyper-authoritarian doctrines and practices associated with that pseudo-movement that wreaked untold spiritual devastation and destruction to individuals, groups, churches, and the universal Church-at-large, much of which remains to this day. In addition to refuting the erroneous doctrines proliferated by the proponents of the movement, the book also proffered the salient signs and symptoms of authoritarian abuse as well as clear, concise steps for recovery from the psychological trauma and restoration from the spiritual damage victims experienced. Thousands have read and been blessed by the book over the course of the nearly three decades since its release. As the back-cover blurb states, it “has been praised and appraised by scholars, ministers, and laymen as the most comprehensive and convincing volume written to date on the prevalent problem of Neo-Pentecostal authoritarian abuse.”
Two years later, in response to the myriad requests I received for a shorter, distilled version of the “big book” readers could give to friends, family, and loved ones as an eye-opener and appeal to “get out” of the many controlling Charismatic cult-churches existing particularly at that time, I published a booklet titled, CHARISMATIC CONTROL—Witchcraft in Charismatic Churches. That booklet, which is also available as an Audible audiobook, delineates 33 Signs & Symptoms of Authoritarian Abuse and 15 Common Control Mechanisms employed by these cult-like groups.
Fortunately, less of those churches exist today, in most cases because attendance gradually declined as more and more churchgoers became increasingly aware of just how unbiblical, psychologically destructive, and spiritually deadly these dastardly doctrines and practices are.
Albeit, that in no way infers that the problem has in any way ceased to exist; not by a long shot. As I repeatedly iterated in the two volumes I wrote, the effect of the Discipleship/Shepherding error was covert systematic infusion of the false hyper-authoritarian concepts into the very fabric, foundations, and functions of the Pentecostal/Charismatic streams. Many are still deceived by hyper-authoritarian teachings and practices latently deployed in local churches and parachurch networks, though overt propagation is waning due to decades of disrepute and disapprobation, as well as the aging and resultant abating influence of senior Discipleship principals, proponents, and pupils, some of whom have departed the scene and some who soon will. Both the prophetic and apostolic movements were/are impacted by these unorthodox teachings and practices because their leaders were directly associated with or strongly influenced by the Shepherding principals and proponents or their associates.
The Body of Christ is the loser for the lack of a successful direct frontal assault aimed at exposure and evasion of these satanic “waves” of impetus and “winds of doctrines” (Eph. 4:14-15) that were engendered by the Discipleship/Shepherding El Niño of the 1970s. The unfortunate result is that its effects remain with us as part of the Pentecostal/Charismatic landscape and ecosystem yet today.
Even more unfortunate is the irrefutable fact that the manifestation of the blessings of the Kingdom as well as the anointing emanating from the Shekinah Glory of God upon the Body and Betrothed of Christ has been and is being impeded from the degree of manifestation God desires for same. Simply put, much of the Body of Christ is not free, but rather encumbered by the effects of spiritual and psychological enslavement by fellows, i.e., ecclesial leaders.
Though some have been wise enough to flee or avoid churches where such authoritarian abuse is transpiring, whether overtly or covertly, many have yet to heed the Pauline admonition to the Galatian believers: “It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery” (Gal. 5:1). Paul invokes the word “again” here in reference to the fact that as genuine Born-Again believers, when these Galatian believers received Christ into their hearts, they were literally spiritually liberated from all forms of religious and psychological bondage, according to the impassioned and definitive declaration of Christ Himself: “Therefore if the Son shall make you free, you shall be free indeed” (Jn. 8:36). But, if one by the exercise of his/her free will chooses to revert back unto the slavery of obedience to anything or anyone after being set free by Christ Jesus then that person has willingly subjected him/herself once again to a yoke of slavery and the control and rule of whatever or whoever it is he/she submitted him/herself.
As I have written in numerous other articles and books, as a deliverance minister of more than four decades, I have many times discerned the “yoke of slavery” upon people. Though it is spiritual and of the spiritual realm, the yoke of slavery is nonetheless very real, and has a spiritual substance and weight. It is entirely satanic and the bondage it imposes upon its victims is real and very weighty. The end result is that the victim is a spiritual and psychological slave of the person to whom he/she has submitted him/herself: “Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience [to God] resulting in righteousness?” (Rom. 6:16; bracket added). To regain freedom, the slave must be convicted of his/her error, repent from it, and recant whatever or whoever it is he/she has submitted him/herself. In the case of another human, what their submission has created is a demonic “soul-tie,” which can be extremely powerful, because it is not merely the flesh that is involved, but demons as well.
In the case of “covenant relationships” between a spiritual leader and his/her voluntary indentured servant, if the soul-tie involves two individuals of the same gender, it opens the door to demonic incursion by homosexual spirits and actually takes on the characteristics of a homosexual relationships, to include a very strong demonic carnal “love” and same-sex attraction. In the case of opposite-sex covenants, the unauthorized covenant is an open invitation and open door to incursion by various spirits of impurity, fornication, adultery, and sexual deviance.
While all this may seem far-fetched or extreme to the uninformed regarding the realm of demonology and unexperienced with respect to deliverance ministry, I can tell you without any reservations or equivocation, it is true and is a much more common occurrence than the vast majority of people would ever imagine! I also prophesy that one day God is going to pull back the veil that has been covering the eyes of the church at-large to the jarring reality of what I just described and the shocking extent of its prevalence. I tell you prophetically that homosexuality and heterosexual misconduct exists and is a problem in both the prophetic and apostolic movements, just as it has been for decades in other streams of the church at-large. The apostolic-prophetic will have its “Me-Too Movement” soon, and when it comes, it will not be the devil behind its exposure, but God! The ecclesial realm is the worst of all at covering up and “protecting its own,” primarily because so many are themselves corrupted or compromised by their own sin and misplaced loyalties to men over God. As with our national government, wholesale corruption and compromise exist at the highest levels, across-the-board, and across all political lines.
Natural occurrences precede spiritual occurrences (1 Cor. 15:46), and judgment BEGINS with the household of God (1 Pet. 4:17). Judgment is coming; indeed, it’s at the door (cf., Rev. 4:1)! The One “whose eyes were like a flame of fire” and whose “voice was like the sound of many waters” (Rev. 1:14) trumpeted a commendation for each of the Seven Churches of Asia (Minor) AND a condemnation for each but one for which they would be judged lest they repented.
Recently, I interfaced and interacted with a group whose primary commonality is their claim to be apostolic leaders, which, in my view, is extremely dubious in the case of but only a few. In the aftermath, a great disappointment and matter of dismay to me was my being made aware that some of their number, including some of their senior leaders, continue to employ in working/relating “covenant relationships” with “submitted” ministers such “spiritual covenants” of the ilk described and referenced herein, despite the decades of disapprobation and disrepute of same from the majority of national and international leaders of the church-at-large. I was deeply grieved in my spirit by what I saw, discerned, and experienced at that conference. A major part of my concern regarding this group (as a group), is their ostensible lack of spiritual discernment and understanding regarding worldly, theological, and demonic influences that are apparently part of their theological and belief systems. It would be impractical to delineate those issues here, but many that concern me are listed in another article I wrote/published in 2015 titled, “A Prophetic Prognosis,” which I highly commend to you. As a result of almost continual prayer for several weeks after the conference, I was impelled by the Spirit to unburden my spirit by the writing of this article (and others I will be writing) to articulate some of what the Lord has shown me (very troubling and disconcerting matters) regarding the nascent apostolic-prophetic movements, past, present, and future.
The following are some major reasons men-to-men or human covenants are unauthorized, extremely detrimental, and spiritually destructive.
- They amount to spiritual idolatry. This is true because they ascribe undue, undeserved, and imprudent deference/veneration to fallen men, consigning to them, whether implicitly or explicitly, intentionally or inadvertently, the attributes and characteristics only God Himself possesses.
- They dishonor God. “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” Such covenants that give homage or tribute to mere humans elevate them, at the minimum, into demigod status.
- They do not emulate God’s covenant with Man. God’s covenant with Man is the only legitimate covenant, except the marriage covenant between a man (husband) and a woman (wife). The ways human covenants differ from God’s with Man are many, too many to enumerate here. Leaders are compelled to do all they can to emulate the Word, Will, and Ways of God in everything. God’s purpose for giving the Body of Christ His written Word was/is: to express and reveal to “whosoever will” accept, believe, and walk in it, His Will for and covenant with them.
- Righteousness cannot be legislated. The tenets of human covenants invariably call for conduct and the manifestation of character that are the very essence of true righteousness, which is of and flows from the Spirit of God. Only the genuinely righteous (redeemed) are genuinely righteous and capable of consistently walking in genuine righteousness. The genuine righteous behave righteously because that is who they are; no human contract can in any way enhance it. God gave the Law (the tenets of righteousness) through Moses under the Old Covenant, knowing full well Man could not obey or comply with it on his own without the “Help” of the indwelling “Helper,” The Holy Spirit. Righteousness is the essence or nature of The Holy Spirit, “the divine nature” (2 Pet. 1:4) of which Born Again believers are partakers.
- They are not based on the dynamics of genuine faith. God’s covenant with Mankind is founded upon and its efficaciousness is based on genuine spiritual faith (trust, reliance) between the parties. God is inimitably and perfectly faithful, trustworthy, reliable, unfailing. The arm of the flesh, however, will invariably fail you in some way. Redeemed Man is commanded to walk in the fruit of the Spirit of faithfulness in both his relationship with God and with fellows. Carnal covenants remove or negate faith (trust, reliance, confidence in) between the parties, do not reflect, and are not predicated on the faith God’s relationship with Mankind is predicated on. If they were, the notion of a written contract would be intrinsically self-defeating. The primary goal of human covenants of any kind is to bind the parties to a set of agreed upon conduct, behavior, and “benefits” in order to at the minimum mitigate the prospect of antipathy and enmity and at the maximum license penalties for violations of the terms. However, the fact is that the prospect of treachery, disloyalty, and betrayal is a very real and entirely unavoidable element of every sort and kind of relationship in existence, including God’s with humans, due to their fallen nature. As indicated in reason Number 4, righteousness simply cannot be legislated by any agreement in any form no matter how “iron-clad” the terms appear. Faithfulness, as all other attributes of righteousness, is intrinsically a heart issue and therefore cannot by any means or amount be truly coerced or forced. Rather, coerced submission is nothing more than surrender and subjugation, whether so-called “voluntary” or not. In nation-to-nation dealings such aggression by a stronger nation against a weaker nation is called “hegemony” and the instrument that codifies such surrender is called a “treaty.” Such aggression by one predominant “leader” over another leader perceived to be of lesser status and standing is nothing more than “spiritual hegemony.” Totally invalid attempts by false apostles and prophets in the 20th and 21st Centuries falsely claiming to be appointed and authorized by God to impose so-called “spiritual authority” over local churches and their leaders, emanating from this ilk of “spiritual hegemony,” is one of the primary reasons the prophetic and apostolic movements have fallen into such widespread disrepute and disfavor.
- They reflect hierarchy or rank. A fundamental error of the Discipleship/Shepherding Movement was the misunderstanding and therefore misrepresentation of the Fivefold Ministry as being hierarchical in nature. There is absolutely nothing in scripture to support the notion that the Fivefold Ministry Offices (functions) are vertically or hierarchically aligned, but rather there is an overwhelming preponderance of scripture that makes it irrefutably clear that they are in fact horizontal in relationship. First of all, scripturally and therefore spiritually speaking, ministry offices are functions by individual people and do not exist in the abstract. Fivefold ministry offices delineated in scripture are descriptions of functions, vis-à-vis honorific titles of entitlement. In Charismatic Captivation, I devote an entire chapter (Eight; 38 pages) to a fairly extensive explanation of “The Role of Fivefold Ministry,” specifically why the misconstruing of that matter was/is one of five “erroneous concepts” on which the hyper-authoritarian heresies are predicated. Obviously, it would be impractical, not to mention redundant and unnecessary, to even begin to relate the content of that chapter here, but the essence of it is that the role of Fivefold Ministers is NOT to be de facto mediators between God and men, for only one Man alone has ever been worthy to occupy that office—the Lord Jesus Christ—and I provide extensive scriptural evidence that the Fivefold Ministry Offices are indeed horizontal relationships rather than vertical rank. There is no such a thing as “big me, little you” in the Kingdom of God, including among Fivefold Ministers. The fact that all believers are designated and identified in the Word of God as “joint heirs with Jesus Christ” Himself is ample proof by itself that rank among fellow humans is non-existent in the Kingdom of God. Jesus summarily ended the first big dust-up between the Apostles of the Lamb not long after Jesus chose them when the Sons of Thunder (obviously so named by Jesus due to their mercurial or intemperate personalities), James and John, came running to Him demanding that He resolve the dispute of who among the apostles was the greatest, granting that the two of them should sit one on His right (the greatest) and one on His left (the second greatest) when He inherited His Kingdom. Jesus ended the controversy by stating firstly that they (the apostles) were “all on the same level as brothers (Mat. 23:8; LB),” secondly that the greatest is the one who positions himself as the lowliest of servants unto all, and thirdly that “whoever exalts himself shall be humbled and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted” (cf., Mat. 23:11-12)! This shows conclusively that it is up to the person (or leader) to “position” him/herself—if he/she positions him/herself beneath others in order to serve them, preferring others in agape-love, that attitude will exalt you in the eyes of God, but if one’s attitude is the opposite, regarding oneself as above others, you will (eventually or ultimately) be humbled (i.e., humiliated), because no one can in reality serve others with an attitude of servitude from that self-exalted position of ascendency and superiority.
- Cheap, carnal, unspiritual counterfeit. The moment the tenets of a covenant of the heart is codified to paper, it becomes a cheap and totally carnal counterfeit “covenant” and therefore ineffectual pledge. God’s covenant (the model), and therefore all valid covenants, are heart-to-heart, spirit-to-spirit, and of the Spirit; their efficacy is rooted in them being Spiritual (i.e., a product of the Spirit). Thus, ratifying/codifying them in writing relegates them to the carnal/fleshly realm and denudes the Spirit from them. Jonathan’s covenant with David – the most cited of biblical examples of a “covenant,” was soul-to-soul, akin to heart-to-heart: “the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as himself.” Jonathan and David’s covenant was by no means a written document (1 Sam. 18:1-5); even the suggestion of such doubtless would have offended both men!
- They are redundant and unnecessary. The tenets of such covenants, particularly those specifically related to personal conduct, are already expressed explicitly in the Word of God, and that very fact should be the sole motivation of every genuine believer in Christ to walk accordingly and comport his/her life to them. The desire to obey every dictum of scripture, engendered by and producing expression of, their love and worship of God, produced by and the expression of their love and worship of God, should be of such high priority in the hearts and minds of believers, that reiteration of its tenets specified in a human, carnal covenant crafted by and directed toward any mere human is actually offensive and insulting. The genuine believer treats others the way God instructs them to treat their fellows for that very reason that it is what God instructs them to do. God’s Agape-Love is “shed abroad” in our hearts and through us unto others by virtue of the fact that the Spirit of God, the Source of that Agape-Love, dwells in us, and it is His Presence within us that governs us and motivates us to be vessels and expressions – as living epistles – of Agape-Love to all men, “read by all men” (2 Cor. 3:2).
- God’s Covenant with Man is efficacious by His Faith. God’s Faith in the Faith He has imparted to, resides in, and flows out of the redeemed human spirit of every genuinely Born Again, believer is comprehensive and complete. No written document can in any way enhance God’s Faith. God has faith in His Children because He has faith in His Faith that He’s filled us with by His indwelling Spirit. God-Faith cannot be codified or ordered to a document. “Now faith” is spiritual, emanates from God, and just IS (Heb. 11:1). No other accoutrements required.
- They are unbiblical and antibiblical. No semblance of “Covenant Relationships” and “Covenant Agreements,” the instruments employed to so-called “ratify” them, as theorized by those who advocate, teach, promulgate, and adhere to them, exists anywhere within the pages of Holy Writ (Scripture). Thus, they are part and parcel of spiritual mythology, and anyone advocating, employing, or party to them promotes, promulgates, and participates in spiritual mythology.
- They bring curses. As delineated in, The Curse of Unauthorized Covenants, entering into human covenants other than marriage will engender a curse upon you and your life. As the article explains, “oaths such as these bear little dissimilarity to the secret oaths and pledges required of initiates into secret societies such as the Free Masons, Ku Klux Klan, and the La Cosa Nostra (Italian Mafia), which essentially bind the inductee to that group for life, or in other words, “Til death do us part.” Furthermore, “The ultimate result of such a “pax idolatrus” is that that person has in actuality made the pact, not with that leader, but with demons….” Consequently, “A plethora of spirits of bondage, witchcraft, and idolatry saunter right through the door willfully opened by the person who enters into such demonic “covenants” of allegiance to men.”
- They bring reproach. “Covenant Agreements,” today, are broadly regarded (and rightfully so) as arcane trappings of the Discipleship/Shepherding Movement, the teachings of which have since fallen into strong disrepute and disfavor, thus bringing significant reproach upon those still advocating or employing them. Therefore, written ecclesial covenants between men would best be eliminated entirely from the nascent prophetic and apostolic movements. Inarguably, they are authentically neither prophetic nor apostolic.
My sincere hope and prayer is that every minister in the Church Jesus is building will give due consideration to the arguments herein, earnestly and sincerely pray, and seek the Lord concerning the validity of the conclusions proffered here, and immediately withdraw from every human covenant or agreement to which they are a party, tear it asunder, recant it, repent from it, repudiate it, and release every person associated with any such covenants, asking forgiveness for their error and any spiritual hurt or harm they have caused them.
Allow no sleep to your eyes,
No slumber to your eyelids.
Free yourself, like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter,
Like a bird from the snare of the fowler. (Proverbs 6:4-5)
Dr. Steven Lambert was ordained in 1977 and holds several earned graduate/post-graduate degrees. Over more than four decades in ministry, he has served as a pastor, radio/TV host, adjunct-professor, Board Certified Doctoral Diplomate Christian Therapist/Counselor, and a speaker/commentator on a range of social, political, and theological issues, particularly as a recognized authority on the matter of ecclesiastical authoritarian abuse. He is the founder/Overseer of Ephesians Four Network (ephesiansfour.net) and its subsidiary, Ephesians Four Network of Deliverance Counselors (efndc.ephesiansfour.net). Dr. Lambert authored several books (catalog at realtruthpublications.com), many published articles, and is the founder/editor of Spirit Life Magazine (spiritlifemag.com). His bio, extensive blog, and scheduling information are available on his ministry website at: http://www.slm.org. You can follow him on Twitter and Facebook.
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