Can you believe January has already come and gone?
I'm trying to find my rhythm again, sitting here in this chair. It feels good to be back on a somewhat consistent basis! I'm so glad you are here!
The Five Minute Friday community is the best gathering of Flashmob writers around! We wait for the one word prompt and we throw caution and hesitation and editing to the wind, and we let our fingers fly and our feelings feel and we just wait and see what flows out in five minutes (or so! Because, grace!) and we hit Publish without second guessing or backspacing!
Our one word prompt is: AGREE!
{GO}
I'll never forget it...
The night I learned a miraculous lesson about
The Importance and the Power of Agreement!
A friend had called from the hospital, having given birth to her newborn son too early. He was tiny and weak and his lungs were not yet fully formed. She asked me to pray. She asked me to rally others near and far to pray, too!
We were praying for fully developed lungs on the next X-ray!
I called local friends who I knew would pray and then I called a Prayer Line for a big ministry and explained the situation. Before the gentleman on the line would begin to pray, he asked me what I was believing for. I told him new strong lungs, and quickly. please!
He clarified that I had faith for that, saying that the power of agreement is vital and he had faith for miracles, but if my faith was strong in believing the doctors would have wisdom and he would get stronger over time, we should pray that way. Ultimately we wanted the same thing - but let's start at the point of agreement!
I assured him I could believe for a miracle and we dove in to prayer together.
Within a couple of hours, this new Mama called me back with this news:
I also believe in the IMPORTANCE of Agreement...
Obviously there are times and topics where we will just need to agree to disagree, but I believe whenever possible - we should strive for the power of agreement!
Here is a definition of Agree:
Still, it's helpful to see it printed out.
To agree means to accept, concede, to be in harmony, to get along, to be consistent, pleasing, healthful.
We all know how God highly values us all getting along, right? How Jesus said they would know us by our Love... How we are to be in unity... to be peaceable if at all possible and to be in one accord.
Man, don't you wish that was easy-peasy and didn't require so much laying down of our own ideas and opinions?
We talked recently about Surrender...
The Power and Importance of Agreement is part Surrender, part Compromise, and All Grace.
One of my favorite verses talking about being in agreement is found in the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 18. *
Let's look at it in a few different translations/versions:
There is something about the 'anything' in there that just gets me excited and stirs up my crazy faith! But the key is not anything or something... it is the agreeing!
And don't you know that the agreeing... the getting along or living peaceably... the unity... that is where the enemy slithers in real quiet-like and begins to sow discord, misunderstandings, offense and hurt feelings.
He is well aware that if he can create a wall... create some distance... cause us to pick at old scars or discover new wounds... then there will not be harmony or health.
He knows that the threat of the power of agreement will be (nearly) impossible!
Good thing we know what God has to say about impossible things!
{STOP}
Something about how nothing is impossible with Him!
I'm trying to find my rhythm again, sitting here in this chair. It feels good to be back on a somewhat consistent basis! I'm so glad you are here!
The Five Minute Friday community is the best gathering of Flashmob writers around! We wait for the one word prompt and we throw caution and hesitation and editing to the wind, and we let our fingers fly and our feelings feel and we just wait and see what flows out in five minutes (or so! Because, grace!) and we hit Publish without second guessing or backspacing!
Our one word prompt is: AGREE!
{GO}
I'll never forget it...
The night I learned a miraculous lesson about
The Importance and the Power of Agreement!
A friend had called from the hospital, having given birth to her newborn son too early. He was tiny and weak and his lungs were not yet fully formed. She asked me to pray. She asked me to rally others near and far to pray, too!
We were praying for fully developed lungs on the next X-ray!
I called local friends who I knew would pray and then I called a Prayer Line for a big ministry and explained the situation. Before the gentleman on the line would begin to pray, he asked me what I was believing for. I told him new strong lungs, and quickly. please!
He clarified that I had faith for that, saying that the power of agreement is vital and he had faith for miracles, but if my faith was strong in believing the doctors would have wisdom and he would get stronger over time, we should pray that way. Ultimately we wanted the same thing - but let's start at the point of agreement!
I assured him I could believe for a miracle and we dove in to prayer together.
Within a couple of hours, this new Mama called me back with this news:
The nurses are so confused. They say it's like the X-ray is from a completely different baby! His lungs are strong and healthy and he is out of the woods!That changed the way I prayed with other people from that night on. I so strongly believe in the Power of Agreement...
I also believe in the IMPORTANCE of Agreement...
Obviously there are times and topics where we will just need to agree to disagree, but I believe whenever possible - we should strive for the power of agreement!
Here is a definition of Agree:
We pretty much knew that, I realize!
to accept or concede something (such as the views or wishes of another) agree to a planto achieve or be in harmony (as of opinion, feeling, or purpose)to get along togetherto be consistentto be fitting, pleasing, or healthful
Still, it's helpful to see it printed out.
To agree means to accept, concede, to be in harmony, to get along, to be consistent, pleasing, healthful.
We all know how God highly values us all getting along, right? How Jesus said they would know us by our Love... How we are to be in unity... to be peaceable if at all possible and to be in one accord.
Man, don't you wish that was easy-peasy and didn't require so much laying down of our own ideas and opinions?
We talked recently about Surrender...
The Power and Importance of Agreement is part Surrender, part Compromise, and All Grace.
One of my favorite verses talking about being in agreement is found in the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 18. *
Let's look at it in a few different translations/versions:
"Again I say to you, that if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven." Matt 18:19 NASB
"When two of you get together on anything at all on earth and make a prayer of it, my Father in heaven goes into action. " Matt 18:19 The Message
"Again, I give you an eternal truth: If two of you agree to ask God for something in a symphony of prayer, my heavenly Father will do it for you." Matt 18:19 The Passion TranslationI love this verse so much!
There is something about the 'anything' in there that just gets me excited and stirs up my crazy faith! But the key is not anything or something... it is the agreeing!
And don't you know that the agreeing... the getting along or living peaceably... the unity... that is where the enemy slithers in real quiet-like and begins to sow discord, misunderstandings, offense and hurt feelings.
He is well aware that if he can create a wall... create some distance... cause us to pick at old scars or discover new wounds... then there will not be harmony or health.
He knows that the threat of the power of agreement will be (nearly) impossible!
Good thing we know what God has to say about impossible things!
{STOP}
Something about how nothing is impossible with Him!
"Not one promise from God is empty of power, for nothing is impossible with God." Luke 1:37 The Passion TranslationI love the power of agreement... and the power of our testimonies and how they stir up faith and encourage us to keep on praying... keep on believing... keep on laying things down and lifting things up and aiming for unity and intention in letting Love Win!
Linking up with Kate Motaung and the #fmfparty Community today. Five Minute Fridays gives us the chance to dive right in and share what He puts on our hearts! Click HERE to read what others have to say about: "AGREE"
* = Where my Five Minutes were officially up!
The FMF lowdown: The gathering happens on Twitter on Thursday nights & then we write our hearts out & hit publish all over the interwebs on Thursday & Friday (& sometimes on Tuesdays!) It's where we encourage & uplift... where we share prayer requests & praise reports... where we talk food & friends & we find support & kindred hearts. It's where we are reminded that life is good & God is good & we're not alone... & then we all write for five minutes flat, a flash mob of wordsmiths letting our hearts & our fingers do the talking tapping & we hit publish before we can second guess it all away. We'd love to have you join us!
Speaking of Impossible things...
For your listening pleasure
...and to stir up some crazy faith:
What a powerful testimony of the power of agreeing in prayer. This encourages me to keep praying for some things I'm ready to give up on and to rally with others in prayer because community strengthens us. Thank you for these words.
ReplyDelete(Your neighbor at #58)
Oh Marvia... Keep Praying! Even when you can't see it, He is at work bringing about the answers! Praying you see His hand at work and can feel a shift and feel hope rising again... believing with you for answers long awaited for coming to pass!
DeleteAbsolutely! We should agree when we can and we should love when we can't.
ReplyDeleteMy oldest son was born prematurely and had underdeveloped lungs. (He's the 18 year old traveling to Arizona today). I LOVE hearing these kind of "Awesome God" stories. It's good for the building up of the body isn't it? Have a great day!
Oh yes... praying for your son and his travels today, my friend! The power of testimony is contagious and oh, how it stirs up faith! So glad you stopped by this morning!
DeleteYes! Sometimes it can be so easy to forget that nothing is impossible with God. The prayers of my heart are so ready to be answered. But it's hard when others aren't there yet. I need to remember that in due time God might change their hearts. Incredible! Love you friend!
ReplyDeleteTheirs, or yours... either way, He hears your words --both spoken and unspoken, and He knows your heart and He is working all things together for your good! xoxo
DeleteWhat an awesome testimony. There is beauty in the power of prayer, especially when we come into agreement with other believers. God doesn't always answer the way I hope, but he always answers. He's a good father.
ReplyDeleteAmen, Barbie! Thanks so much for stopping by, my friend!
DeleteAmen... it's so His heart for us!
ReplyDeleteWow! What a great testimony of God's miraculous, loving power!
ReplyDeleteAmazing post! Thanks for sharing at Glimpses.
He's consistently better than we think, isn't He? Thanks so much for popping on over today! You are welcome here anytime!
Delete