Prayers of Agreement

The Kingdom of God

So Where Are We Going Today?

1. What is “Prayers of Agreement”?2. Learning how God communicates today.3. Hearing the voice of God4. Learning to evaluate the difference voices

What Is Praying?1. Two way communication with God2. Dialogue not a monologue3. We talk to God and God talks to us.4. We never pray to one another but we can

pray (intercede) for one another.5. Scriptures say we should pray to God alone.

What Is the Prayer of Agreement?

• Many Christians would like to have everything go their way in life and think the Bible says it will happen.

• They will get all green lights and a parking space will just open up just as they pull into the grocery store parking lot.

• Friends will are always there to support them. • Their finances will be blessed and even the weeds in

their garden of life will be easily removed.

What Is the Prayer of Agreement?

• This false teaching comes from isolating on one passage in Matthew 18:19

• "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. “

• So they grab a prayer partner and begin to agree on everything they both want and then wait for their lives to change like magic.

What Is the Prayer of Agreement?

• The Prayer of Agreement in Matthew 18:19 is a not a formula or a way to manipulate God into doing things OUR way.

• We can’t use this scripture to control God.• Some people have a tendency to teach scriptures in

such a way that it is to their own advantage and for their own purpose.

What Is the Prayer of Agreement?

• When we agree together with God's purposes our prayers are very powerful.

• When two or more followers of Jesus seek God’s heart and agree with each other to support, work with and encourage one another they will see God answering their prayers.

• They key to being successful is having Jesus’ presence in our group

Jesus

What Is the Prayer of Agreement?

• Matthew 18:20 says; "For where two or three have gathered together in My name, there I am in their midst. “

• The presence of Jesus is the important part. • It's actually the critical detail that everything else

hinges on. • That's what produces the answers to prayer that we

are looking for. If we ask for his input, his presence and ask what he is doing.

What Is the Prayer of Agreement?

• The best outcome occurs when we pray in agreement with Jesus

• We cannot have any prayer answered that God is not behind.

• Jesus himself said; "I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. “ John 5:19

• Jesus consulted his Father we should too.

What Is the Prayer of Agreement?

• Finding God's direction is important before coming into agreement with another person on a matter.

• Once we have God's heart about our issue there is another scripture promise that kicks in which seals our success.

• "This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us - whatever we ask - we know that we have what we asked of him.“

I John 5:14-15

Hearing God Speak to Us

Hear God's Voice Tuning into God's Frequency

• How can we hear the voice of God so that we can pray in agreement with Him?

• God is willing to speak to us all the time.• He created us so he could fellowship with us and

enjoy our company.• Our sin causes God's voice to go "out of tune" or

we turn God “off”.• God's desire is to restore our "hearing" so we can

have deep fellowship with Him once again.

Hear God's Voice Tuning into God's Frequency

• We also have to tune out all the other signals • Within each one of us there are three possible

voices we can tune into.• God's voice, our own voice, or the enemy of

God's voice from the demonic realm.• It is of course very important to be able to tell

the difference.

Hear God's Voice Tuning into God's Frequency

• The truth is: we CAN tell the difference but it may take some fine tuning.

• Jesus said; "But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.

• And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers." John 10:2-5

Hear God's Voice Tuning into God's Frequency

• Our Bible is the place to start "hanging out with God" in order to become familiar with his voice.

• He isn't going to say anything to us that is different or at odds with what he has said in his Word.

• The more we read the Word of God, the more we begin to see how God thinks and feels and speaks.

Hear God's Voice Tuning into God's Frequency

• Besides the word of God how has God communicated with you?

• If you are not used to hearing from God but you desire to, it may take you some time to become attuned to his voice and his ways of speaking to you but it can be done!

Confirmations

Prophecy

DreamsVisions

God Communicates

Circumstances

An Audible

Voice

Need to prayAn Impression

An Another Person

A Quite Voice

A Picture

God Communicates

Hanging Out with God• Time and experience will make us proficient. • Being patient with our self and realize that we

will "miss it" sometimes and not hear accurately.

• That's not all bad because we learn that way too - we learn what is NOT the voice of God through our mistakes.

Conflicting Voices• We all have preferences and plans and dreams and it is

natural to read into those things what we really want to hear. • The enemy's voice causes us to lie or compromise the truth• He can use our human desire or weakness against us. “ God

wants you to have this ……., doesn't he? Look how all these things fell into place; that must have been God's doing; you couldn't have arranged all this on you own.”

• An uneasy feeling could be our own voice – our conscious that helps us navigate right and wrong or it could be the Holy Spirit.

• God's voice and a sense of peace often work together.

Conflicting Voices• When we finally choose to listen to God, a sense of relief and

peace comes back.• This is a way to tell if something was from God. • All the various methods that God uses to speak to each one of

us today are not nearly as important as discerning whether it is really God speaking rather than ourselves or enemy of God.

Evaluating the Various Voices• As we evaluate the various voices that are coming

at us all the time, remember that God loves us.• The Holy Spirit is always on our side, encouraging

us, guiding us in the right direction and drawing us closer to Jesus.

• We can expect loving communication from him.• His voice and his direction will never propose sin

and will never contradict the Word of God.

Evaluating the Various Voices

• When something comes from God it will bear good fruit. The final outcome will be right and will feel right.

• When making a major decision, bounce what you are feeling off someone you trust.

• It is a good rule of thumb to make the decision and then let it rest for 24 hours before acting on it to see if God's peace confirms it.

• If you feel uneasy or agitated, back away.

Evaluating the Enemy’s Voice• The enemy of God and his demons are robbers,

destroyers, discouragers, and liars. • Their main method of snaring us is deception. • Sometimes they can make something rotten

appear good for a time.• Pray and examine the issue deeply and ask God

to reveal any deception. Proceed slowly.• A feeling of pressure to do something NOW

should be a red flag.

Evaluating the Enemy’s Voice

• Ask yourself if you would mind people knowing about this. Do you feel okay to tell your children or your nieces and nephews?

• Is it something you will later be proud of or ashamed?

• If you feel like hiding what you are doing, the enemy of God is no doubt somehow involved.

• Ask yourself, “What if everyone did what you did what would be a consequence?”

This Week• All home groups are running• After Celebration service you are invited to

join us for light refreshment and to go out for lunch with us!

• Invite someone next Sunday