Are You Living Covered?

Several years ago, we lived in a house that had a wooden fence which ran the perimeter of our backyard. One spring, we had a series of storms that blew through our area, leaving several of the fencing slats damaged and in need of replacement.

My husband completed the tedious work of removing the old, broken boards and exchanged them with lovely, new slates. I could see this part of the fence from my kitchen window and while cleaning the dishes one day, I realized how nice the fence would look if all the slates were the same, beautiful, fresh wood color.

The fence had been present when we bought the property and the effects of weather and nature could easily be seen. The once vibrant, golden color had long been replaced by a gloomy grey. It had seen better days for sure and really needed a covering of stain or paint to protect the wood from the harsh, outdoor elements.

Since our backyard was rather large, the fence line was extensive, so staining all that wood was on the honey-do list somewhere, but most likely at the bottom. I’m sure we are not the only ones to put off home projects that seem a little overwhelming.

Several months later, standing in my familiar spot at the kitchen sink, I glanced at the fencing and was shocked to see how quickly the new slats had changed to weathered grey, making it hard to discern which were old and which were new. “Man, that didn’t take long.” I thought to myself.

We live in a world of harsh elements. There is so much pollution all around us; and I am not speaking of air quality. We are bombarded with images on TVs, phone screens, billboards, advertisements, etc., that fill our minds with graphics best left unseen.

We hear hateful language, negative messages, self-centered rhetoric and filthy dialogue almost everywhere we travel. This world is screaming at us from all different, directions and force feeding its ideology down our throats until we want to vomit. If we are not covered, this worldly environment will change our radiant light to dim darkness, making it hard to discern if you belong to Christ or the shadows.

As believers in Jesus, we are meant to stand out. Created to display a bold, color palette, which refuses to blend in with the surrounding background. This is a total juxtaposition, from a culture that demands conformity. Think, behave and speak like everyone else, or you will be cancelled.

What Is Our Covering?

Just as my old, wooden fencing needed a covering of stain for protection, we need to remain covered to deflect what this world throws at us. How do we do this? Where does our covering come from? Before you give me the Sunday school answer of “Jesus” (which is true), let’s dig a little deeper and discover a more mature response to the question.

We learn from scripture our covering not only comes from Christ, it actually is Christ. Romans 13:14 states, “But put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.”

And Isaiah 61:10a reads, “I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God, for He hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, He hath covered me with the robe of righteousness.”

When you surrender your life to the Lord, you are “to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds, and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” (Ephesians 4:22-24)

You traded your grave clothes, for the righteous robe of Jesus Christ the day you received the free gift of salvation; however, all the trappings of the culture seek to dress you again in those old, filthy rags; you must remain diligent. When Paul commands us in Romans to “put on the Lord Jesus Christ”, he is calling us to a different standard of living than what is reflected in the world.

Imagine you are assigned a part in a stage play. You are given a costume, handed a script and told by the director to behave in a manner that brings life to the character you are portraying. You are to feel, show emotion, speak and act as if you are this new person.

This is the same mindset Paul was trying to represent for Christ followers. Salvation should be a life changing experience; therefore, we are not to look, act, think, behave or talk as we once did in our old flesh. The new garments we have been given, indicate transformation has occurred. Desires should change. Ungodly activities we once loved participating in, should become empty and lose its appeal. Friends should be able to clearly identify habits, emotions and attitudes that have taken a complete 180 within your life. We should look like Jesus.

Why Do We Need A Covering?

There is an unseen battle raging daily for the souls of men and women. When you make the decision to follow Jesus, the war zone immediately expands to include the territorial ground of your life. The devil and his demons now see you as the “enemy traitor”, who just defected from camp. Before you argue you were never on the side of darkness, you better reflect on the words of Ephesians 2:1-3.

“And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience- among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.”

And Ephesians 5:6-8.

“Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience; therefore, do not become partners with them, for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light.”

God sent Jesus across enemy lines to snatch us out and bring us safely home. Just like the prodigal son’s father who covered his boy with a splendid garment in celebration of his return, our Lord places a beautiful robe of righteousness upon us at the moment of salvation for our protection. The dirt of this world, will not stick to the holiness which is Christ Jesus.

Not only are we given a robe, but we also receive a helmet, sword, shield, breastplate, belt and new shoes. (Ephesians 6:11-17). We are to use all of these tools to keep our heart, mind and soul pure before Christ.

Putting on Jesus, also should remind us of our call to “therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” (Matthew 28:19, words of Christ). Our Savior came to set free the captives, we are commanded to do no less. Tell the world about the good news of the gospel. Allow your hands and feet to be lead by God to complete His purpose on this earth.

Submit your will to the Father, just as Jesus demonstrated in the Garden of Gethsemane the night He was to be crucified. Wrapped in the Light of Christ, we are able to produce much fruit, so let your light shine before men! (Matthew 5:16)

Wrapping Things Up (Pun Intended)

The main goal of Satan, who is the hater of our soul, is to coax and persuade us to remove our righteous garments, lower our shield and drop our sword. He doesn’t hit you all at once, but focuses on small, seemingly insignificant areas to cloud your judgement, and trick you into making a poor decision.

Slowly he creeps in, little by little; trying to remain undetected. This is why several times throughout scripture we are told to stay alert, remain diligent, and keep watch.

To quote the great theologian Glinda, the Good Witch of the North, “Keep tight inside of them. Their magic must be very powerful, or she wouldn’t want them so badly.”

Cling tightly to the coverings you have been given, they must be very powerful indeed; for why else would the devil fight so hard to remove them?