Agreement & “Overwhelm”

 

I’ve been thinking about agreement and the significance of who or what we give our agreement to. One key verse about agreement in the scriptures is in 2 Corinthians 1. In Paul’s introduction he speaks to the consistency of God. There is no wavering in His word. Verse 20 says: “For as many as are the promises of God, in Him they are yes; therefore also through Him is our Amen to the glory of God through us.” This verse speaks of the power of our agreement with God. We often think of “amen” simply as the proper ending to a prayer, but it is a powerful word. Amen literally means, “so be it” or “let it be so”. It is a statement of agreement. Paul says in this verse that our agreement is through Jesus. The verse begins by stating that all the promises of God “are yes in Him”, which is in reference to Jesus. Jesus is the fulfillment of the promises of God, so it is right to say that all of God’s promises have their “yes” or agreement in Jesus. Then Paul extends it to us, “therefore also through Him is our Amen to the glory of God through us.”

I recently gave a message on agreement and the significance of our agreement with God and His promises and will over our life.  We are so often tempted to give our agreement to the conclusions that our circumstances or feelings suggest.  "I'm overwhelmed" "This is stressful" "I'm too busy!" or "There is only bad news coming my way". These are some of the conclusions that have presented themselves for my agreement recently.  There are feelings and circumstances to validate each of these, and sometimes these conclusions FEEL SO TRUE!  But when I stop long enough to listen to God, I hear the truth - God whispers to me that HE is Never Overwhelmed and I don't have to be either!  I remember the truth of His character and the resources of heaven that are available to me by faith. 

The circumstances and events of my life, together with the resulting feelings support some of these conclusions. This encourages me to agree with them. A part of me wants to agree with these conclusions, because it also supports my feelings of discouragement and lack of control.

BUT, these conclusions and the feelings that they generate are in tension with things I believe to be true!  I believe that God is in control and that He is guiding and equipping me to respond and thrive in the midst of the challenges that I face in life. I believe that God’s faithfulness is with me and that His promises for me are still true. I believe that good is coming my way.

I can choose to agree with my feelings, the circumstances around me, the message the world is sending me OR I can agree with God's truth and promises!

When I return to the verse I discussed above, 2 Corinthians 1:20  "For as many as are the promises of God, in Him they are yes; therefore also through Him is our Amen to the glory of God through us."  I am reminded of how powerful our agreement IS. When we agree in faith with what God has already established, His glory in increased through us.  When we give our agreement to the promises of God, we re-align our focus on Him and His power. We are reminded of what has already been accomplished in Christ. This reality shines hope onto the places where we are still waiting to experience the fullness of God’s promises. Where promises are still unfulfilled, our choice to trust that the promise is still true and on its way is our “amen” or our agreement. We align ourselves, not with our own ability, but on the power of Jesus and what that means for our future.

Agreement brings hope and allows us to rest in the assurance of God’s faithfulness.

I pray that you hear the promises of God over yourself, your family and your ministry for this year and that you have a year marked with agreement and the blessing that comes from that choice.