03 April 2011
The Power You Have — Part 1: Agreements
04/08/11 03:03 PM
PART I. THE POWER OF YOUR AGREEMENTS
Remember - MAKE NO AGREEMENTS!!!
Hebrews 4:2 - "For indeed we have had the glad tidings [Gospel of God] proclaimed to us just as truly as they [the Israelites of old did when the good news of deliverance from bondage came to them]; but the message they heard did not benefit them, because it was not MIXED WITH FAITH (with the leaning of the entire personality on God in absolute trust and confidence in His power, wisdom, and goodness) by those who heard it; neither were they UNITED IN FAITH with the ones [Joshua and Caleb] who heard (did believe)."
Exodus 33: 1-2 - "The Lord said to Moses, Depart, go up from here, you and the people whom you have brought from the land of bondage, to the land which I swore... to give...I will send an Angel before you, and I will drive out the Canaanite, Amorite, Hittite, Perizzite, Hivite, and Jebusite."
Exodus 23:22-33 - "I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries. When My Angel goes before you and brings you to the Amorites, the HIttites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, and I reject them and blot them out, You shall not bow down to their gods or serve them or do after their works; but you shall utterly overthrow them and break down their pillars and images. You shall serve the Lord your God; He shall bless your bread and water, and I will take sickness from your midst. None shall lose her young by miscarriage or be barren in your land; I will fulfill the number of your days. I will send My terror before you and will throw into confusion all the people to whom you shall come, and I will make all your foes turn from you [in flight]. And I will send hornets before you which shall drive out the Hivite, Canaanite, and Hittite from before you. I will not drive them out from before you in one year, lest the land become desolate [for lack of attention] and the wild beasts multiply against you. LITTLE BY LITTLE I will drive them out from before you, until you have increased and are numerous enough to take possession of the land. I will set your borders... for I will deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hand and you shall drive them out before you.YOU SHALL MAKE NO COVENANT WITH THEM OR WITH THEIR GODS. They shall not dwell in your land, lest they make you sin against Me; for if you serve their gods, it will surely be a snare to you."
We just finished another Awake & Arise weekend, March 18-20. It is always such a deep experience for me and our team, and every time is brand new! One of the main themes that came up again and again as we focused on the weekend in intercession several weeks in advance was THE POWER OF OUR AGREEMENTS! This is really on God's heart - and on mine.
He made it really simple: He said to us that our simple 'agreement' is powerful - He brings the seeds of fresh revelation, fresh belief - whatever we need - and all we need to do is say 'yes' or 'I agree' to have an ignition of His power within our lives! And the power of our corporate agreement (unity of faith) makes more possible than we can imagine! This is the power of The Body of Christ. This is the power of Community. This is the power of the intercession team around all we do during an A&A weekend!
A few months ago, during worship on a Sunday morning, I felt God's strong Presence and was aware of His arm reaching down and handing me something in the spirit realm. It looked like a big martini glass. I heard the words: "Mixed drink"and saw the words "Mixed with faith" from Hebrews 4:2. The Lord spoke to my spirit: "I am releasing a new mixed drink from Heaven - it is a new level of faith - to empower my people for breakthrough in every circumstance!" How do we 'mix our circumstances with faith'? - by our simple agreement - our YES!
Dr. Charles Kraft, in his book Confronting Powerless Christianity, states: "It is a principle of the spiritual world that both the devil and God have need of finding a person through whom they must work in agreement to accomplish their desires."
We can agree with Heaven, "Your Kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth (in my life today) as it is in Heaven," or scripture says we can agree with Hell or 'give place' to Hell by granting demonic presence with their lies a 'safe place to dwell' within our lives! (i.e., Ephesians 4:26-27 and John 14:30)
John Eldredge, one of my favorite authors, in my favorite book of his, Waking The Dead; The Glory of a Heart Fully Alive, says it this way: "Be careful what or who you are agreeing with! The whole plan is based on agreements. When we make those agreements with the demonic forces suggesting things to us, we come under their influence. It becomes a kind of permission we give the Enemy, sort of like a contract. I'm serious - maybe half the stuff people are trying to "work through" in counseling offices or pray about in their quiet times is simply agreements they've made with the Enemy! Some foul spirit whispers, "I'm such a stupid idiot", and they agree with it; then they spend months and years trying to sort through feelings of insignificance. They'd end their agony if they'd treat if for the warfare it is, break the agreement they've made, and send the Enemy packing!!!!"
I'm serious, too!!!!! THIS IS SERIOUS STUFF. You are responsible for what you agree with!!! I promise you, an hour and a half with a Godly counselor is not going to make a difference if you turn around and make fresh agreements with the Enemy's voice! Your life - your physical, emotional and spiritual health, your depth of recovery, the speed of your healing and whether you reach the fullness of your destiny in Christ - will be determined by the daily agreements YOU make. No one else can do this for you. YOUR FREE WILL is simply that powerful - so use your power well.
Shortly before this last Awake & Arise, I was praying one morning, and God led me to the Exodus passages quoted above. This NOW word is an amazing promise [the Gospel of glad tidings] about GOD'S WILL in our lives! He WILL DRIVE OUT all our enemies; He promises to do all the work needed... as long as we do our part, which is to MAKE NO AGREEMENTS WITH them! If you study the meanings of the 'ites' listed, it's an amazing promise indeed! He will reject and blot out on our behalf: ADDICTIONS (Canaanites), FEARS(Hittites), BITTERNESS & REBELLION (Amorites), ISOLATION (Perrizites), and VICTIMIZATION (Jebusites). In other passages He adds DISILLUSIONMENT & UNFULFILLED DESTINY (Gergashites)! He says HE WILL DO THIS for us, but very carefully... not all at once, but LITTLE BY LITTLE, in other words - in the best way and timing to ensure our safety and increase in the process... AS LONG AS WE MAKE NO AGREEMENTS!!!!!
What a Savior! What a plan! What a vital daily personal practice!
SERIOUSLY... remember... MAKE NO AGREEMENTS!!
I want to include two of my favorite prayers to help you:
Breaking agreements with Hell:
(Fill in the blank with whatever you are struggling with i.e. negative thoughts, bitterness, isolation etc...)
1) In Jesus' Name, I nail _____________________ to the cross.
2) I break the power of all agreements I've made with _____________________, and I repent for 'joining with' _____________________.
3) Father God, I ask You to send _____________________ far away from me!
...and it can be wonderful to add:
4) And I ask You, Jesus, what do You have for me instead?
Making agreements with Heaven:
(Mixing faith with all your circumstances: fill in the blank with whatever circumstance you are anxious about.)
Lord, THANK YOU that this_____________________ is going to turn out SO WELL... because You are SO GOOD!!!!
Remember - MAKE NO AGREEMENTS!!!
Hebrews 4:2 - "For indeed we have had the glad tidings [Gospel of God] proclaimed to us just as truly as they [the Israelites of old did when the good news of deliverance from bondage came to them]; but the message they heard did not benefit them, because it was not MIXED WITH FAITH (with the leaning of the entire personality on God in absolute trust and confidence in His power, wisdom, and goodness) by those who heard it; neither were they UNITED IN FAITH with the ones [Joshua and Caleb] who heard (did believe)."
Exodus 33: 1-2 - "The Lord said to Moses, Depart, go up from here, you and the people whom you have brought from the land of bondage, to the land which I swore... to give...I will send an Angel before you, and I will drive out the Canaanite, Amorite, Hittite, Perizzite, Hivite, and Jebusite."
Exodus 23:22-33 - "I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries. When My Angel goes before you and brings you to the Amorites, the HIttites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, and I reject them and blot them out, You shall not bow down to their gods or serve them or do after their works; but you shall utterly overthrow them and break down their pillars and images. You shall serve the Lord your God; He shall bless your bread and water, and I will take sickness from your midst. None shall lose her young by miscarriage or be barren in your land; I will fulfill the number of your days. I will send My terror before you and will throw into confusion all the people to whom you shall come, and I will make all your foes turn from you [in flight]. And I will send hornets before you which shall drive out the Hivite, Canaanite, and Hittite from before you. I will not drive them out from before you in one year, lest the land become desolate [for lack of attention] and the wild beasts multiply against you. LITTLE BY LITTLE I will drive them out from before you, until you have increased and are numerous enough to take possession of the land. I will set your borders... for I will deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hand and you shall drive them out before you.YOU SHALL MAKE NO COVENANT WITH THEM OR WITH THEIR GODS. They shall not dwell in your land, lest they make you sin against Me; for if you serve their gods, it will surely be a snare to you."
We just finished another Awake & Arise weekend, March 18-20. It is always such a deep experience for me and our team, and every time is brand new! One of the main themes that came up again and again as we focused on the weekend in intercession several weeks in advance was THE POWER OF OUR AGREEMENTS! This is really on God's heart - and on mine.
He made it really simple: He said to us that our simple 'agreement' is powerful - He brings the seeds of fresh revelation, fresh belief - whatever we need - and all we need to do is say 'yes' or 'I agree' to have an ignition of His power within our lives! And the power of our corporate agreement (unity of faith) makes more possible than we can imagine! This is the power of The Body of Christ. This is the power of Community. This is the power of the intercession team around all we do during an A&A weekend!
A few months ago, during worship on a Sunday morning, I felt God's strong Presence and was aware of His arm reaching down and handing me something in the spirit realm. It looked like a big martini glass. I heard the words: "Mixed drink"and saw the words "Mixed with faith" from Hebrews 4:2. The Lord spoke to my spirit: "I am releasing a new mixed drink from Heaven - it is a new level of faith - to empower my people for breakthrough in every circumstance!" How do we 'mix our circumstances with faith'? - by our simple agreement - our YES!
Dr. Charles Kraft, in his book Confronting Powerless Christianity, states: "It is a principle of the spiritual world that both the devil and God have need of finding a person through whom they must work in agreement to accomplish their desires."
We can agree with Heaven, "Your Kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth (in my life today) as it is in Heaven," or scripture says we can agree with Hell or 'give place' to Hell by granting demonic presence with their lies a 'safe place to dwell' within our lives! (i.e., Ephesians 4:26-27 and John 14:30)
John Eldredge, one of my favorite authors, in my favorite book of his, Waking The Dead; The Glory of a Heart Fully Alive, says it this way: "Be careful what or who you are agreeing with! The whole plan is based on agreements. When we make those agreements with the demonic forces suggesting things to us, we come under their influence. It becomes a kind of permission we give the Enemy, sort of like a contract. I'm serious - maybe half the stuff people are trying to "work through" in counseling offices or pray about in their quiet times is simply agreements they've made with the Enemy! Some foul spirit whispers, "I'm such a stupid idiot", and they agree with it; then they spend months and years trying to sort through feelings of insignificance. They'd end their agony if they'd treat if for the warfare it is, break the agreement they've made, and send the Enemy packing!!!!"
I'm serious, too!!!!! THIS IS SERIOUS STUFF. You are responsible for what you agree with!!! I promise you, an hour and a half with a Godly counselor is not going to make a difference if you turn around and make fresh agreements with the Enemy's voice! Your life - your physical, emotional and spiritual health, your depth of recovery, the speed of your healing and whether you reach the fullness of your destiny in Christ - will be determined by the daily agreements YOU make. No one else can do this for you. YOUR FREE WILL is simply that powerful - so use your power well.
Shortly before this last Awake & Arise, I was praying one morning, and God led me to the Exodus passages quoted above. This NOW word is an amazing promise [the Gospel of glad tidings] about GOD'S WILL in our lives! He WILL DRIVE OUT all our enemies; He promises to do all the work needed... as long as we do our part, which is to MAKE NO AGREEMENTS WITH them! If you study the meanings of the 'ites' listed, it's an amazing promise indeed! He will reject and blot out on our behalf: ADDICTIONS (Canaanites), FEARS(Hittites), BITTERNESS & REBELLION (Amorites), ISOLATION (Perrizites), and VICTIMIZATION (Jebusites). In other passages He adds DISILLUSIONMENT & UNFULFILLED DESTINY (Gergashites)! He says HE WILL DO THIS for us, but very carefully... not all at once, but LITTLE BY LITTLE, in other words - in the best way and timing to ensure our safety and increase in the process... AS LONG AS WE MAKE NO AGREEMENTS!!!!!
What a Savior! What a plan! What a vital daily personal practice!
SERIOUSLY... remember... MAKE NO AGREEMENTS!!
I want to include two of my favorite prayers to help you:
Breaking agreements with Hell:
(Fill in the blank with whatever you are struggling with i.e. negative thoughts, bitterness, isolation etc...)
1) In Jesus' Name, I nail _____________________ to the cross.
2) I break the power of all agreements I've made with _____________________, and I repent for 'joining with' _____________________.
3) Father God, I ask You to send _____________________ far away from me!
...and it can be wonderful to add:
4) And I ask You, Jesus, what do You have for me instead?
Making agreements with Heaven:
(Mixing faith with all your circumstances: fill in the blank with whatever circumstance you are anxious about.)
Lord, THANK YOU that this_____________________ is going to turn out SO WELL... because You are SO GOOD!!!!
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