THE POWER OF AGREEMENT BY Larry W. Peebles August 24, 2018 18.22
Over a period of many years, my wife and I have learned a simple but very effective platform for mutual decision making. In many cases those decisions involve money. We pray and seek the Lord’s will until we both receive an answer upon which we can agree. When we ask for His wisdom on the matter, we believe He will give it and He does. When we both are in a position to say we may have been given the answer, we compare. When our answers agree, we move forward confidently, knowing we asked, He answered, and we have unity in the decision. Then watching the results of those decisions is jaw-dropping. We serve an amazing God.
Two of our most recent examples come to mind. As I said in the opening paragraph, we have seen this work repeatedly over the years. The first of these recent examples occurred several months ago. A ministry we love and support was about to launch a series of revival meetings in another city. A meeting venue had been reserved, a worship team engaged, and workers had been prepared to assist. Our dear friends who were to lead the revival had made their plans to travel to the city where the event would be held.
My wife and I had planned to lend support financially, but had not yet acted. On Monday of the week the revivalists were to leave for the meetings, my wife and I both sensed in prayer the urgency to contribute. When we realized we both felt the same urgency, we prayed more earnestly until we agreed on the amount of support we would send. It only took a few minutes to agree. I remember we did not feel we had to do this, but rather God was saying “if you want to get in on the ground floor of what I am about to do in this particular city, now is the time.” We did not have to, but if we wanted to make a good investment in revival for this nation, this was it. I wrote the check and immediately drove to the post office to send it Priority Mail to the ministry P.O. Box.
Tracking indicated the mail arrived on Wednesday of that week, one hour before our ministry friends boarded their flight. They did not know of the check. They made the flight on Wednesday, and rested and prepared on Thursday. The meetings started on Friday and lasted through Sunday. At the end of the meetings the expenses were gathered together with the offerings received during the meetings, and everyone got on the plane on Monday to come home. Many others, ourselves included, had prayed for the spiritual success of these meetings, and that the financial support and offerings would cover the expenses. Our friends checked their P.O. Box when they got home, and found our check along with some others that had come. They immediately sat down to pay the bills. The meetings were a strong spiritual success. The moment had come to see if God had provided enough to cover the costs for the meetings.
That is exactly what God did. We gave what He asked us to provide in support. I can only conclude that others did as well. God knew the expenses, and He knew the offerings that would be taken at the meetings. To cover the difference He laid out an opportunity for supporters who wished to invest, and they responded. All the bills were paid. They were not only paid, the financial support was in motion before our friends boarded the plane to go. This was evidenced by the fact the potential shortfall was covered by checks already in the P.O. Box upon returning from the meetings. There is great power imputed to any situation where two people pray, decide in agreement with God and each other, and act in obedience. There is great amazement in watching the outcome.
The second example came during our recent trip to Kenya. We had determined to provide a bit of financial support to a pastor and his church we would visit near the end of our trip. My wife and I prayed and agreed on the amount. I put the money in an envelope, and gave it to our host pastor where we began the trip. Our host and the pastor we would visit last were good friends, and I knew he could get the gift to him before we ministered at his church. At the meeting on the second night in our host pastor’s church, the pastor of the church where we would make our last stop was in attendance. I was pleased but surprised to see him. After the service I greeted him, and asked how he was, and how his church was doing. He said my message that evening was intended for him, and that there were “challenges” at his church. We parted and I told him I would see him at his church the following weekend.
He told me later what had happened that night. He said during that service, even while I was preaching on what to do when trouble comes, he had received a phone call. The contractor who had laid the new tile floors in his church had called expecting his payment. The pastor had to report that the church did not have the money, but was praying for a miracle. This weighed heavily on the pastor when I spoke to him after the service, and this was the “challenge” he had mentioned. He went on to say that after I spoke to him and we separated, his friend the host pastor then greeted him and gave him the envelope. The money in the envelope was the exact amount he needed to pay the bill for the tile. God used our financial support to instantly deliver the miracle he needed for his church. Something powerful happened, and all we did was pray, agree, and obey what God wanted to do. The church needed a miracle, and had been praying. We had also been praying for the amount of money to give to bless the church. God heard both prayers and used the financial gift to miraculously meet the exact amount the church needed. The pastor was emotional and deeply touched even as he relayed the whole story to me.
Jesus says in Matthew 7: 7-8- “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.” Again Jesus says in John 10:27 – “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” Then in Matthew 18:19 Jesus says- “Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three come together in my [Jesus’] name, there am I with them.” Taking these verses together, we can easily see that knowing and doing the will of God is a matter of asking Him what He wants us to do. This implies an underlying interest in knowing our God-given purpose, and carrying out that purpose at any point in time. When we seek wisdom from above, He [Jesus] answers. It is not only possible, but rather it is normal to hear His voice. Praying in the name of Jesus and praying in agreement with another believer such as my wife causes the presence and power of Jesus to come into the situation.
I share these two stories to give the glory to God for what happened. I want to be clear that these gifts were not part of our tithe to our local church. The Bible is explicit that we are to give a tithe of our income to the church. These gifts were offerings above the tithe. For offerings, my wife and I like to take the matter before the Lord, and agree on the amount. Once the offering is given, we can then take no credit for anything God might do with that offering. My purpose in sharing all of this is to encourage that we become more relational and intentional with God. We were created by God for a purpose. We must find that purpose. Pastor and author Bill Johnson says “If we do not fight the battle we were born for, we will find ourselves fighting battles we are not equipped for.” In order to find our purpose, we must ask our Creator. He will answer. When we act in accordance with His instruction, we find much more satisfaction. Indeed we find miraculous results. This approach works not only in giving offerings, but in every aspect of our life. Each day, the simple question to ask the Lord is- “What do you want me to do today?” His answer will not only come, but our obedience will produce that great satisfaction and those miraculous results. Our disobedience leaves us fighting battles that are of our own doing. His answer will always bring us a step closer to our destiny and purpose. The way to tap-in to God’s great plan for our lives is to ask a simple question and act in agreement with His answer.
