Protect Your Own
Carlton Foster – January 2011
I want to show you something that the Lord – Jesus Christ has revealed to me a few days ago. This information is very touching; I did not realize the importance of the impact of these activities until the Lord showed me what is going on. I and many others that I knew were offenders of these actions. Once the Lord shows me the principle, I repented and decided not to be an offender, and to show others that these actions are devilish. Since then, I have employed the technique and can testify that it is definitely the best thing to do.
Let’s read what the inspired words in Psalms 32:1-2 says “Blessed is the one whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord does not count against them and in whose spirit is no deceit (NIV).” Also in Psalms 9:3-6, “Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings, you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday (NIV).” The key in these two inspired scriptures is “He will cover you”! Again in Proverb 10:12 “Hatred stirs up strife, But love covers all sins (NKJV).” And in Proverb 17:9 “He that covereth a transgression seeketh love; but he that repeateth a matter separateth very friends (KJV).” 1 Peter 4:8, “And above all things have fervent love for one another, for ‘love will cover a multitude of sins.’”
It is clear to see what the Lord is showing me: it is Godly to protect our loved ones, our brothers and sisters who may have fallen victim to Satan’s temptation. The Devil’s tactics are to show-up the mistakes of others, especially our loved ones. In Genesis 3:4, the Devil said to Eve, “Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil (KJV).” Here, his main effort is to expose God for doing something wrong to Adam and Eve, instead of protecting God. Next, his plan is to tempt Eve, then once fallen, to expose her to Adam. So what happens? Eve yielded to the temptation, now she (who was always naked) now can see that they are really naked! The main aim of the Devil is to expose Adam and Eve they can see their nakedness (or sinful tendencies).
Today, he is doing the same thing, and he is using you and me to accomplish his goals by exposing the sins of our loved ones. While the Devil is doing this, God is doing something different: in Genesis 3:21, it is recorded, “Unto Adam also and to his wife did the Lord God make coats of skins, and clothed them.” God will cover and protect the shame and sins of His repentant children. Another example of the Devil using us is seen in Genesis 9:21-22 where he enticed Noah to sin, and “One day he (Noah) drank some wine he had made, and he became drunk and lay naked inside his tent. Ham, the father of Canaan, saw that his father was naked and went outside and told his brothers (NLT).” Noah was exposed and Ham helped the Devil by exposing Noah’s nakedness to his brothers. That is devilish! What he should have done is what his brothers did. Genesis 9:23 reported that “Then Shem and Japheth took a robe, held it over their shoulders, and backed into the tent to cover their father. As they did this, they looked the other way so they would not see him naked (NLT).” This action is Godly!
The Devil, his demons, and his supporters are there to make sure our sins are exposed, but God, His angels, and His saints are here to protect us. Jesus admonished us when he said, “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect (Mat 5:48) (KJV)”. God wants us to do the same things that are Godly: be perfect! God wants the husband to protect his family. Anything that happens in the family that is sinful, the father is NOT to take it an expose it to the whole world; he wants the father to protect the family. If the father exposes their sins, he is being a devil’s advocate. Instead, be godly and protect your family: love covers a multitude of sins. Likewise, the wife should be godly and protect the family from exposure of nakedness to the world. She should not take it and tell her friends and other relatives. Also, children should protect their brothers and sisters’ wrongdoings.
The church is also a family. We are our brothers and sister’s keepers. You are my church brothers and sisters. When a brother or sister in the church is doing something wrong, it is not for us to go around the church and tell everyone what the brother or sister is doing wrong, but it is for you and that person to come together and try to resolve the issue. If that doesn’t work, you take a third person. If that still doesn’t work, that’s when you call a church family meeting (the church board). We are being a devil’s advocate when we rush to reveal each other’s sins. We are to protect one another.
“When Christians accuse and condemn their brethren, they show themselves to be in the service of the accuser of the brethren. When they talk of their faults and failings, they plant roots of bitterness, whereby many shall be defiled. It is through this kind of work that brother becomes suspicious of brother, and variance arises in the church. Love cannot exist where the conversation of the professed people of God is largely made up of talk concerning the errors and mistakes of others. – E. G. White, RH July 22, 1890 Par. 12”
This message was given to me by the Lord; it may be a shocker to you. In the past, chances are, you were guilty of such conduct. The message is not focusing on the repercussion of one’s sins, because you know that the wages of sin is death and there are repercussions for sinful actions! “Whatsoever a man soweth, so shall he reap”. In 1 Peter 4:7-8, the Bible said, “The end of the world is coming soon. Therefore, be earnest and disciplined in your prayers. Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins (NLT).” Love each other deeply means to sincerely protect each other from the devil’s sneers. Pledge that from today onward, that you will be godly and protect your loved ones: family, brothers, and sisters, and church members from exposing their sinful actions to the world – from being a Devil’s advocate.
My brother in Christ…thanks be to God for His revelation to you. And thank you being obedient to share with others. Very very imperitive measage beloved. To God be the glory.