COVERING YOUR SPHERE OF INFLUENCE
(week 39/15)
OLUBI JOHNSON
Covering is the power of the Holy Spirit that brings divine protection, healing and health and provision.
It is symbolically described in
Isaiah 32:1-2 NKJV: Behold, a king will reign in righteousness, and princes will rule with justice. (2) A man will be as a hiding place from the wind, and a cover from the tempest, as rivers of water in a dry place, as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land.
Spiritual Kings and Princes reigning in righteousness will provide spiritual cover for those under their sphere of influence: giving them divine protection, healing and health, and provision. These things are symbolized as covering from the tempest; rivers of water in a dry place and the shadow of a great rock in a weary land.
This power of the Holy Spirit is released through their spirits as they prayer and walk in the Spirit as shown through Paul in
1Corinthians 5:2-5 NKJV: And you are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he who has done this deed might be taken away from among you. (3) For I indeed, as absent in body but present in spirit, have already judged (as though I were present) him who has so done this deed. (4) In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when you are gathered together, along with my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, (5) deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.
Notice here that, even though Paul was not physically present, his spirit with the power of the Lord Jesus was a channel through which God’s power was providing protection for the brethren in the Corinthian church.
So to deliver this particular brother to Satan, all Paul had to do was to remove the spiritual covering of protection over that particular brother. This Paul did without being physically present, simply by asking God to do it in prayer, since it was through Paul’s spirit that the power of God was being channeled to provide covering for that church or assembly of God’s people in Corinth.
Now, when ANY CHRISTIAN is praying, some measure of the power of God is being released which can be used as covering for others.
However, the MEASURE of the power being released DEPENDS on the level of spiritual maturity of the saint and so LIMITS THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE he/she can provide covering for and HOW EFFECTIVE the covering will be.
This truth of INCREASING SPIRITUAL CAPACITIES is symbolized in
Deuteronomy 1:15 NKJV: So I took the heads of your tribes, wise and knowledgeable men, and made them heads over you, leaders of thousands, leaders of hundreds, leaders of fifties, leaders of tens, and officers for your tribes.
These correspond to the 4 levels of spiritual growth:
Babies—leaders of tens
Little children—leaders of fifties
Young men—leaders of hundreds
Fathers—leaders of thousands
1John 2:13-14 NKJV: I write to you, fathers, because you have known Him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you have overcome the wicked one. I write to you, little children, because you have known the Father. (14) I have written to you, fathers, because you have known Him who is from the beginning. I have written to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the wicked one.
1Peter 2:2 NKJV: as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby,
So even spiritual babies/little children can provide covering for a few people symbolized by the number 10:
Immediate nuclear family: husband/wife, children, parents.
As you grow spiritually this can increase to include: siblings and their immediate families, 1st cousins and immediate families, business associates and colleagues at work and school reaching numbers up to 50’s, 100’s and even 1000’s.
This is one reason you should not head a church or ministry until the CAPACITY of your spirit is large enough to provide ADEQUATE spiritual covering for those under you.
The Holy Spirit, through Paul, points to this same truth in
2Corinthians 10:13-15 NKJV: We, however, will not boast beyond measure, but within the limits of the sphere which God appointed us—a sphere which especially includes you. (14) For we are not overextending ourselves (as though our authority did not extend to you), for it was to you that we came with the gospel of Christ; (15) not boasting of things beyond measure, that is, in other men’s labors, but having hope, that as your faith is increased, we shall be greatly enlarged by you in our sphere,
How then will you know your present capacity?
By the quality of the EFFECTIVENESS OF THE COVERING you can give; covering enables those under it to enjoy:
1. More protection and so long life (Is.65.20).
2. More healing and health (Mt.15.22-28).
3. More provision (Is.65.21).
It is crucial NOW to EFFECTIVELY provide covering for our immediate family and those under our sphere of influence because we are entering into the season of the TRIBULATION OF THE CHURCH: during which many in the church will be cut-off (Zech.13.7-9), die prematurely (1 Cor.5.5) and the love of many will wax cold (Mt. 24.9-14).
We provide this covering by PRAYING IN THE SPIRIT WITH TRAVAIL (OR GROANINGS) DAILY (Lk.9.23), WEEKLY AND MONTHLY (1 Chr. 23.30-31) for the people and groups of people in our sphere of influence.
Romans 8:26-28 NIV: In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. (27) And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will. (28) And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
This praying releases some significant measure of the blessings of the age to come upon those under our sphere of influence, whether they are born-again or not BECAUSE THEY ARE CONNECTED TO US UNDER THE SPHERE OF OUR INFLUENCE SO THEY ENJOY PART OF THE GOOD GOD IS WORKING FOR US!
Matthew 5:45 NIV: that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.
The sun (gives light and power) and the rain (gives water and food) here symbolize divine protection and provision.
It is instructive to note that this goodness of God will preserve many lives and ultimately lead many to repentance (Rom.2.4).
So our providing this covering will make us (‘Saviours’ from ‘Mount Zion’! (Obd.1.21)
Furthermore, observe that as more and more of us, BORN-AGAIN, SPIRIT-FILLED CHRISTIANS provide EFFECTIVE covering for those in our sphere of influence; these spheres will begin to overlap and after a while, ALL the earth will be covered fulfilling:
Number 14:21 NKJV: but truly, as I live, ALL the earth shall be filled with the glory of the LORD—
Isaiah 4:5-6 NKJV: then the LORD will create above every dwelling place of Mount Zion, and above her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day and the shining of a flaming fire by night. For over all THE GLORY there WILL BE A COVERING. (6) And there will be a tabernacle for shade in the daytime from the heat, for a place of refuge, and for a shelter from storm and rain.
This spiritual climate of TIME-LIMITED (because we are not yet in millennial reign when Satan will be PERMANENTLY bound in the bottomless pit (Rev.20.1-3) universal (over Nations, but not necessarily over ALL individuals) covering (Is.25.7) will facilitate the discipleship of ALL TRIBES, TONGUES AND KINDRED (Rev.7.9) and so close this age (Mt.24.14)!
