John Bevere - Under cover

Copyright 2001 by John Bevere

All rights reserved. Written permission must be secured from the publisher to use or reproduce any part of this book, except for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles.

Published in Nashville, Tennessee, by Thomas Nelson, Inc.

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations are from THE NEW KING JAMES VERSION. Copyright 1979, 1980, 1982, Thomas Nelson, Inc., Publishers.

Scripture quotations noted NIV are from the HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations noted NLT are from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations noted NCV are from the New Century Version.

Scripture quotations noted KJV are from the King James Version.

Scripture quotations noted TLB are from The Living Bible, copyright 1971. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations noted CEV are from THE CONTEMPORY ENGLISH VERSION. 1991 by the American Bible Society. Used by permission.

Scripture quotations noted The Message are from The Message: The New Testament in Contemporary English. Copyright 1993 by Eugene H. Peterson.

Scripture quotations noted AMPLIFIED are from THE AMPLIFIED BIBLE: Old Testament. Copyright 1962, 1964 by Zondervan Publishing House (used by permission); and from THE AMPLIFIED NEW TESTAMENT. Copyright 1958 by the Lockman Foundation (used by permission.)

Scripture quotations noted NASB are from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE (R), Copyright the Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977. Used by permission.

ISBN 0-7852-6991-6

Printed in the United States of America
04 05 06 07 08 PHX 28 27 26 25 24

CONTENTS

My deepest appreciation to...

My wife, Lisa. For the hours you spent editing this work. But most of all thanks for being my dearest friend, most faithful supporter, wife, and mother of our children.

To our four sons, Addison, Austin, Alexander, and Arden. Each of you have brought tremendous joy to my life and are special treasures. Thank you for sharing in the call of God, and encouraging me to travel and write.

To my parents, John and Kay Bevere. Thank you for the godly lifestyle you have continuously lived before me. You both have loved me not only in word but most of all in your actions.

To Pastor Al Brice, Loran Johnson, Rob Birkbeck, Dr. Tony Stone, and Steve Watson, thank you for serving on the advisory board of our United States and European ministry offices. The love, kindness, and wisdom you have selflessly given has touched and strengthened our hearts.

To the staff of John Bevere Ministries. Thank you for your unwavering support and faithfulness. Lisa and I love each of you.

To David and Pam Graham, thank you for your sincere and faithful support in overseeing the operations of our European office.

To Michael Hyatt and Victor Oliver, thanks for your encouragement and belief in the message God has burned in our hearts.

To Cindy Blades, thank you for your editing skills in this project as well as your encouragement.

To all the staff of Thomas Nelson Publishers. Thanks for the support of this message and for your professional and kind help. You are a great group to work with.

Most important, my sincere gratitude to Jesus, my Lord. How can words adequately acknowledge all You have done for me and for Your people. I love You more than I am able to express.

Often the painful words, not the smooth ones, ultimately bring the greatest freedom and protection.

U nder cover this phrase can apply to a vast number of situations. In its simplest form it could describe a small child nestled under the warmth and protection of a blanket, or behind the protective frame of a parent in danger. A civilian description may include a city under police or military protection. It could describe an animal hidden away in a thicket, cave, or subterranean refuge. Or it could describe a family enjoying the shelter and safety of their home while a storm rages just outside.

As a child I remember living in an area where we experienced frequent storms. We would watch the dark clouds roll in from our picture windows to the accompanying beat of distant thunders. In a matter of minutes the storm was on top of us in full force. Lightning flashes were followed by immediate explosive thunders. The rain sounded like thousands of tiny hammers pounding away at our roof. The storm actually made our house feel that much more safe and secure. Everything outside the windows was wet, cold, and in danger of fatal lightning strikes. Yet inside we were safe and dry shielded by our roof from the tyranny of the storm. We were under cover.

Taking this point further, we can pull these two words together and come up with another term undercover . This term describes the safety found in hidden identities. An agent who is undercover can move freely about without being apprehended by his enemy. His government has put him under the cover of an alias, and he is a free agent in a hostile area. In short, no matter how we use this word or phrase in its vast applications, they all seems to include protection and freedom .

But how does this term Under Cover apply to Christians? David writes, He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in Him I will trust (Ps. 91:12). Again we see protection for those under His cover. However, from the initial words of his statement, He who..., we discover the all important question, Who is under His cover? The book you hold in your hand is a quest for this most important answer. To put it briefly, the one who is under cover is the one who is under Gods authority.

Adam and Eve enjoyed freedom and protection in the garden under Gods cover. However, the moment they disobeyed they found themselves in great need of the very thing they had voluntarily slipped out from under... it was the need, to cover themselves (Gen 3:7 NLT). Their disobedience to Gods authority robbed mankind of the sweet freedom and protection theyd once known.

Lets face it. Authority is not a popular word. Yet by rejecting or fearing it, we lose sight of the great protection and benefits authority provides. We shudder because we dont see it from Gods perspective. Too often our attitude toward authority reminds me of a situation that occurred with my third son.

When Alexander entered first grade, he had a bad experience with his teacher. She was constantly on edge with the classgrumpy and out of control, yelling and screaming at the students frequently. Too often Alexander found himself the focus of her outbursts because he is a creative and energetic young man who would rather talk than be still. To him school was a wonderful social gathering. Needless to say, his approach to school clashed with the teachers personality and impatience.

Many times my wife and I ended up in her room after school for consultation sessions. We worked with the teacher, encouraging Alec to submit to her rules and to cooperate, but the whole stressful process hindered his love for structured academic learning.