Agreement With God

Amos 3:3  Can two walk together, except they be agreed?

A few years ago I had an experience where I saw a vague picture of the back of a person that I believed to be the Lord Jesus.  I heard, “Come, walk with Me.”  Then I saw myself step up beside the person and put my hand in His.  At that moment I heard, “How can two walk together, except they be agreed?”  With that I found myself on the floor with my face planted in the carpet repenting concerning the many ways I was not in agreement or alignment with Jesus. I really thought I had been doing ok with God, but I was soon well aware that it was the little things that were out of agreement or alignment with God.  It is the little foxes that spoil the vine.   

Song of Solomon 2:15 Take us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vines: for our vines have tender grapes.

The dictionary defines agreement as harmony of opinion, action, or character.  Alignment is defined as the proper positioning or state of adjustment of parts in relation to each other.   

A New Decree

In the same way that Mordecai refused to bow to the evil Haman, the righteous remnant will stand and not bow to the evil forces at work in the land.  And like Mordecai the righteous remnant will "mourn in sack cloth and ashes" as a result of the evil decree meant to bring destruction to God's people.  Like Mordecai, this people will challenge Esther to arise and petition the king. The result will be those who have perpetrated this evil will be hung upon the same gallows they have built for Mordecai.  And a new decree will be released that enables the people of God to stand and defend themselves against the intended evil.  The result will be great victory for the people of God and His Kingdom.  (In this case I believe Mordecai and Esther can be the same people.)

Since reading of the ruling by the Supreme Court I have felt a great grief and tears rising from deep within for the past couple of days.  Yesterday, while in prayer I began to write what is recorded above.

The spiritual battle we are in just ramped up to a new level.  In this fight we must remember that our fight is not against flesh and blood but against the evil forces at work behind the people functioning in the earth realm. So I do not believe it is prudent to attack the individuals involved in the ruling or those who are rejoicing over it. Our fight is against the evil forces that have deceived these people and have captured them and taken them into bondage.  Yes, some of the fight will manifest in the earth realm, but the real war is won in the spirit realm.  We must petition our King and receive a new decree by which we can stand in victory in the days ahead.

Mourning for the sin of the nation is in order, true repentance and not a pointing of the finger.   Repentance like that of Daniel and Nehemiah (Daniel 9:3-22; Nehemiah 1:4-11) who identified themselves with the sin of their people, as if they had committed the sin themselves.  They were connected to the people who had committed those sins.  So in prayer they repented as if they had been the perpetrators.  They stood in identificational repentance.

2 Chronicles 7:14  If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

WALKING IN AGREEMENT

Amos 3:3  Can two walk together, except they be agreed?

Several months ago I had an experience where I saw a vague picture of the back of a person that I believed to be the Lord.  I heard the Lord say “Come, walk with Me.”  So I saw myself step up beside the person and put my hand in His.  At that moment I heard, “How can two walk together, except they be agreed?”  With that I found myself on the floor with my face planted in the carpet repenting concerning every way in which I was not in agreement or alignment with Jesus. I really thought I had been doing ok with God, but I soon saw that it was the little things that were out of agreement or alignment with God.  It is the little foxes that spoil the vine.   

Song of Solomon 2:15 Take us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vines: for our vines have tender grapes.

The dictionary defines agreement as harmony of opinion, action, or character.  Alignment is defined as the proper positioning or state of adjustment of parts in relation to each other. 

 

When I am in agreement and alignment with God I will be at peace with Him, walking in victory over the forces of darkness, and in proper relationship to other Christians. 

RIGHTEOUSNESS EXALTS A NATION

Proverbs 14:34 Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people.

Proverbs 29:2 When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn.

Righteousness does indeed exalt a nation.  We are praying for righteous leaders to be elected to places of leadership within our government.  That is a very good thing.  I am greatly encouraged to see the number of prayer initiatives from various Christian groups leading up to the election, because we have realized that our country is in great trouble.   I am joining my prayers with those of the multitudes of others across the nation. 

But I believe God is looking for righteousness not just amongst our leaders in government, but for righteousness amongst those in leadership in the church and amongst all of us who are called by His name.  

2 Chronicles 7:14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

This verse is the basis for the prayer that is being sent up across this land.  God is looking for more than just petitions for a change in our land. God is looking for a change in our hearts, then He will bring a change in our land.  We are to seek His face and turn from our wicked ways.  As we seek His face we will see things in our lives that are not in alignment with His heart and His ways, that we must do something about.  That is part of humbling ourselves as we pray.  We must repent of our own wicked ways and not just pray about the wicked ways of some in our local, state, or national government. Then righteousness will lift up our nation from the place it has fallen to.

Psalm 139:23-24 Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: ²⁴ And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

Preaching Repentance As An Act of Love

Preaching repentance does not seem to be popular.  It may make some people uncomfortable. Although preaching the need for repentance may be unpopular today, it is very scriptural.

-John the Baptist preached repentance in preparation for the revelation of Jesus Christ. (Matt. 3:1-2 In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.)

-Jesus preached repentance.  (Matt. 4:17 From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. )

-On the day of Pentecost, Peter preached repentance.  (Acts 2:38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.)

-Jesus preached repentance again in the book of Revelation, in the letter to the Laodiceans.  (Revelation 3:19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.)

It is at this verse I want to stop and say more.  In this letter to the Laodiceans, Jesus is saying that it is because He loves them that He rebukes and chastens in order to bring to repentance.  Our God is always motivated by love, because He is love.  For some reason we seem to get the idea that confronting someone with their sin in order to see them repent is unkind or unloving.  Now it can be done in a very unkind and unloving way. But done appropriately under the leading of the Holy Spirit is truly an act of love.

The Bible says to speak the truth in love. (Eph. 4:15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, [even] Christ)  This speaking the truth in love is for the purpose that we may grow, so that we may mature as the body of Christ. Also in Proverbs 27:6 we are told "Faithful [are] the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy [are] deceitful."  Sometimes the truth hurts.  So does surgery to take out a cancerous tumor.  But that surgery can be the very thing that saves your life and leads to health. 

So we see from these scriptures that preaching repentance and confronting sin is a very loving act that can lead to health and growth.

Freedoms and Repentance

We just celebrated Independence Day and the wonderful freedoms we have in this country. I want to say, "Thank you God for all the freedoms we still have in this country." We still can go to church freely and openly. We can still buy and read the Bible without being jailed. We can still legally preach the gospel.

I know our freedoms as Christians in this country have begun to be eroded in recent years. But whose fault is that? Is it because we as Christians have failed to stand up? Have we become apathetic? Have we tried to be "politically correct" in our churches? Have we failed to preach the truth of God's Word in our churches, the truth that salvation is only through Jesus Christ? We can stand around and point fingers and say that our freedom is being taken from us, but I think in some cases we have given it up, by our failures.

Again, I must say that I believe there is room for repentance within the church within this country. The Bible says "If MY PEOPLE, WHO ARE CALLED BY MY NAME." That is us the the church of Jesus Christ.

2 Chronicles 7:14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

We need God to heal our land. What are we going to do about it?

Oil Disaster Needs Prayer and Repentance

I recently read that a prophetic person stated that the Lord had showed
him in 1997 that after Oral Roberts would go home to be with the Lord there
would be an oil spill disaster in the Gulf of Mexico that only the "thumb of
God " could stop.

So I am praying for the thumb of God to come down and stop this. But I have a feeling it is not going to be until man acknowledges there is nothing he can do to stop this oil from continuing to gush out of the sea bed.

I have a sense that this is the hand of God's judgment on our nation and perhaps the best thing any of us can do is repent. 2 Chron. 7:14 speaks of "my people who are called by my name" needing to humble themselves, and pray, and turn from their wicked ways. I certainly have been in a place laying my heart open before the Lord to see if there is any wicked way in me. (Psalm 139:23-24)

In the mean time I am concerned for and praying for those living along the
Gulf Coast. I am praying for the Christians to hear a clear word from the
Lord about how best to protect themselves from the toxins in the air from the gases being released from the oil well and the very toxic dispersant that is being sprayed.