To have a better understanding of this matter, just take a look at a set of wedding bands being held by a groom, as he stands at the altar about to get married. What does this symbolize? He is about to sacrifice his single life to embark on a new journey of total surrender because of the love he has for his bride. It is not just a love of words, but of actions that prove and show the mutual love they have for one another. A journey of loyalty in good times and bad; the two will cling to one another more than ever to overcome the challenges that life brings them.
The act of entering into a marriage requires a person to give their all. How could a couple live happily and in full communion with one another if one spouse is unfaithful? If there is no sacrifice and total surrender for one another, their marriage will not withstand!
The word covenant appears three hundred and twenty-eight times in the Bible, and this suggests its exceptional importance for us to delve deeper into this subject and understand the conditions required to have a covenant with God.
A covenant is, according to the Bible, a pact, agreement or contract between two or more people who have assigned duties and obligations between the parties involved. A covenant with God follows the example of a marriage, not like nowadays where people easily get married and unmarried, but in an agreement where loyalty prevails until death. It is a clear demonstration of true Sacrifice.
The same way a couple begins to build a life together after their marriage is sealed, God also wants to find people to make a pact with them and manifest His existence with Authority in this dark and cruel world.
“For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him…” 2 Chronicles 16.9
God established rules in the building of His Kingdom, and this requires the cooperation of man. He would not be able to establish His Kingdom here on Earth without the participation of man; God is Spirit and He wants to manifest Himself in our lives to show His Greatness through us!
God will not invade anyone’s life, much less force man to live for Him. However, those who turn to the Lord, and surrender completely to Him, like a living sacrifice, just like a bride surrenders completely to a groom on their wedding day, God, in the person of the Holy Spirit, will fill that person’s being with His Spirit and make him His dwelling.