UNDER COVER

By: John Bevere

SUMMARY OF SUMMARIES

The book, Under Cover, has greatly emphasized the importance of obedience and
submission while we stay under God’s authority and protection. The author used many
characters in the bible and discussed how some of them obeyed and submitted, while others
did not, and how their lives were turned about according to their actions while dwelling under
God’s authority.

As God said in His word, all authority is given by Him and there is none that did not
come from Him. And in the different areas of our lives, we are able to recognize several people
with whom we submit ourselves under their authority – authority that was given by the only
One with whom all honor is due. From within the family, to the persons in the government, we
were born giving due acknowledgement to every person who is in the position and has the
authority over us.

It is understandable that before a person can submit himself under any authority, he
has to have humility in him. And on its flip side, rebellion can happen when one come short of
understanding that disobeying any form of authority is disobeying God. One can never stay
under God’s promised protection and outside His sovereign authority at the same time.

The enemy’s famous tactic is to deceive a person into believing the wrong things to be
right – by making sins appear desirable and ‘negotiable’. This is often still effective up to this
day, blinding many people to believe that there is freedom the moment they get themselves
out of authority. Submission to God starts with submitting oneself to His delegated authority.

This book is also reminding its readers, especially Christians, how to really define sin so
one may not stumble down because of a wrong perception about it. One commits sin the
moment he does something contrary to what God has said. Simply put, sin is the result of one’s
disobedience against God. The only way that we can keep ourselves from the path that leads
to deception is to stay guarded and walking through the narrow and precise path that leads
to righteousness. This is where the importance of a first-hand instruction has a great role in
our walk with the Lord. The good thing is we can always ask for it directly from Him who longs
for us to do so. But hearing His word is not only what obedience requires. It is written in the
bible that hearing the word of God and not doing it is where deception is being conceived.
Therefore, obedience requires action. Faith is lifeless without action. The evidence of true faith
is obedience.
 One more thing that can be a stumbling block for a follower of Christ is his perception
of obedience. Just as King Saul thought that he did as what God had required him to do, only
to be told by a prophet that God saw disobedience and rebellion in what he had done. A little
deviation from the Word of God is already a form of rebellion. Ninety-nine percent obedience
is not obedience at all. There is no such thing as partial with God.

Rebellion is a witchcraft. It is hard to understand this if you limit your knowledge about
witchcraft to how it is done. Rebellion and witchcraft may not be the same in terms of the
activities done to represent each, but they are closely related to the result obtained by
engaging to both. When you submit yourself to rebellion, you are opening the doors in your
life for the presence of evil and later you will find yourself controlled by a demonic power. It is
rebellion and disobedience that places plagues and tragedies in our lives. When we disobey
God, we are putting ourselves under the influence and control of witchcraft.

We must not obey someone in authority just because we know him personally, or
disobey him for the same reason. It’s not the person that we should really look at, but the
authority and the anointing that God has placed upon him. Every leader, good or bad, has
been appointed by God. There are times that God’s purpose of appointing ‘questionable’
leaders over us is to reveal what’s inside of us. We may not always readily understand God’s
logic for everything He does, but still again, He is not an author of accidents. Everything from
Him comes with a purpose. Ours is to understand that God has placed certain people to have
authority over us and understand that He has always the best intention at heart. Whether we
get to see the real reason or not, our part is to obey and submit to every God’s delegated
authority over us, and to pray and intercede for hem always.

Honoring someone in authority must be based not on the packaging, but in the truth
that God approves of him and appoints him. When we truly trust that all that God desires for
us is good, we will not be looking on the outside appearance of things. We are seeing God’s
ways and hands moving in the situation we are in. We must not put our judgment before us
and let it dictate us when and to whom we should give respect to someone. When we do, we
forget that judgment belongs only to the Lord. The way of our behavior towards the persons
in authority must be based on the perception and perfect understanding that they are
appointed by God Himself, and the authority that they have comes from God alone.

But we must also know that there is a single fine line that should tell us that we are to
disobey a person in authority. It would be when that person leads us to commit sin. We are
released from obedience to this person when he tells us to do things contrary to the Word of
God. But with this ‘legal disobedience’ our submission to this kind of appointed people of God
must remain. Our submission then will talk about our attitude towards them. Nothing, not even
their misbehaviors, could give us the freedom to dishonor them. We could always respectfully
refuse. If, in case, we have proved someone in authority is making a wrong decision, then our
part would be to humbly present what we know to him, addressing him the same honor that
is due to him, and most importantly, trusting God that He is able to turn his heart toward what
is good and true. True intercession is important with this kind of situation where a person in
authority is bound to do something that is displeasing in the eyes of the Lord, by petitioning
in behalf of him. Of course, those who do the intercession must come with pure intentions,
loyal, humble and faithful heart.

Authority is present in every aspect of our lives – starting from the family, the
relationship between husband and wife, in the social, civil and spiritual aspect. We must practice
the same submission to every form of authority over us, doing our best in everything not to
please anyone else but God alone.

A true and faithful servant brings into completion the command he was given no matter
what would come along the way. When one truly has the fear of God, his is an instant
obedience whenever God has spoken a command. That holy fear coupled with faith produces
obedience that is not easily wavered along difficult circumstances. What brings faith to its total
completion is an obedient action.

This book did well in exposing the current situations in church, in the community, and
even in a family – situations that have something to do in the spiritual realm. There could be a
pain of conviction in every kind and form of disobedience that the author discussed. But the
Word of the Lord always gives hope to everyone – even to those who has already been bruised
and feeling hopeless. The Lord is just waiting for repentance from the sins of disobedience and
He is always ready to accept our humble submission again. A change of heart is necessary to
omit any form of disobedience within, and with the divine guidance of the Holy Spirit, we can
be able to pinpoint all the areas of disobedience in our lives. And only a humble heart can be
lead from disobedience towards total submission.