Joel Osteen - The Power of Agreement
- Watch
- Audio
- Donate
- Contact Us
I want to talk to you today about The Power of Agreement. We're all believing for a dream to come to pass, or praying for a situation to turn around, we're standing in faith, trusting that God is working. But something more powerful happens when you have someone agree with you for what you're believing for. Jesus said (Matthew 18:19), "If any two of you agree, concerning anything you ask, it will be done by my father in heaven". He didn't say, "Just believe for yourself. Just stand in faith alone and it will happen". He said, "Find someone that will come into agreement with you". He was showing us the power of agreement.
When you're believing to accomplish a dream, take your family to a new level, overcome an illness, you need people with bold faith. Not people that say, "I don't really see how that can happen. You really think you'll get well? My grandmother died of that same thing". Doubters are a dime a dozen. You need people that say, "If you're bold enough to believe it, I'm bold enough to agree with you". You need a faith partner, someone that will take the limits off of God with you, that will believe for what looks impossible. What's limiting some people is they have no agreement, they're believing on their own, that's good, but when you come into agreement it releases a favor in a new way, healing, breakthroughs, abundance that you won't see by yourself.
The scripture says (2 Corinthians 1:20), "All of God's promises are yes and amen". When God puts a promise in your heart and you believe it, you have the "Yes", you know it's going to happen. But the "Yes" alone is not enough, you need to find the "Amen". Find someone to agree with you, someone that says, "You believe God is restoring health back to you, you believe that by his stripes you are healed, you have the yes, count me in, I have the amen. I agree with you that healing is coming. I agree that you will live and not die. I agree that the number of your days God will fulfill". Or maybe you believe that you'll break the addiction, you believe that no weapon formed against you will prosper. You have the "Yes", you're standing on the promises, now find the "Amen", not and "Oh no". "You really think so? You've struggled a long time, it doesn't look good".
God's promises are not "Yes and oh no", they are "Yes and amen". You need to come out of "Oh no" agreements, come out of negative agreements, people that doubt, water down your faith, cause you to get discouraged. If you'll get rid of the "Oh no", people God will send you "Amen" people. People that say, "You believe the addiction is not permanent? That it can't control you? You have the yes? Good news, I have the amen. I agree: greater is he that's in you than what's trying to stop you. I agree that whom the son sets free is free indeed". When you have a faith partner, someone that will add the amen, it doesn't just encourage you, but it causes angels to go to work, miracles are set in motion, favor is released.
When my mother was diagnosed with terminal liver cancer in 1981, the doctors gave her a few weeks to live, that's what they told my father that there was no treatment that they could give her. Doctors do everything they can to keep people alive, and start the healing process, but sometimes they run out of options. When the problem looks too big, you don't see a way out, it's easy to get in agreement with the negative, what the expert's says. "They've given me the facts, Joel. They have a lot of experience, education, I guess that's not a lot in life". No, don't agree with the "Oh no". Respect the people, respect the training, but there is someone God has ordained for you that has the "Amen", someone that will say, "I'm not moved by what the facts say, I'm not discouraged by how impossible it looks, I know God can do the impossible".
You have to find the "Amen". You may have to bypass a dozen naysayers, friends that don't believe, co-workers that doubt, relatives that think you're too far out, but if you'll not settle and get in agreement with the doubt, then you're going to come into a divine connection, a faith partner, a power partner, someone that knows that God is on the throne, that he's fighting your battles, that he has the final say. In difficult times it's so important who you're allowing to speak into your life. When the battle is raging, you can't afford to have "Oh no". Voices "I don't see how. The opposition is so strong, it doesn't look good". Be respectful, but get out of there. Don't spend your time with people that drain your faith, find people that increase your faith, people that inspire you to believe, people that come into agreement with what you know God put in your heart.
My father drove my mother home from the hospital that Monday afternoon. The doctors had just given her no hope, was very devastating. When they got home, the first thing they did was go into their bedroom, and they got down on their knees, they came into agreement. They said, "God, you said you'd restore health back to us. You said the number of our days you would fulfill. You said we will live and not die, and declare the works of the Lord". My mother's faith alone was not enough. My father's faith alone was not enough. But when they came into agreement, based on what God promised, their faith became more than enough. They had the "Yes", but when you add the "Amen", the Most High God goes to work. That activates supernatural power.
There were plenty of people that doubted, plenty of "Oh no's", my mother didn't look good, she was frail, her skin was yellow. And some of them were good people, they were loving, caring, but they were only looking at it in the natural. There are times you don't need sympathy, you don't need people to feel sorry for you, a get well card is fine, but what you really need is people that will release their faith for you, people that will speak light into the darkness, healing into the sickness, abundance into the lack, freedom into the addiction. Now, I'm all for being caring, helping those that are in tough times, but if you really want to give someone a gift, come into agreement with them, be a power partner. They need someone that will look beyond the natural, and believe for the supernatural. Someone that will add the "Amen" to their "Yes".
There are enough of "Oh no" people. "Oh no, you don't look well. Oh no, business is down. Oh no, you lost that client. Oh no, I saw the medical report". Stay away from "Oh no" people. If you allow them, "Oh no" people will talk you out of your healing, "Oh no" people will keep you from your dreams, "Oh no" people will stop your greatness from coming out. Do yourself a favor, say goodbye to the "Oh no" people, and find some amen people. That's one thing you can count on when you come to Lakewood, you're going to find "Amen" people, believers and not doubters. When you listen to me, you're going to hear the "Amen". I'm going gonna come into agreement with what God promised you, that you will fulfill your purpose, that God will do more than you can imagine, that your latter days will be better than your former days, that you will see beauty for the ashes, that what was meant for harm God is turning to your advantage.
When Nehemiah was rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem, there were two main critics trying to talk him out of it. The scripture says (Nehemiah 6:2) that, "They invited Nehemiah to the plains of Ono to meet with them". The city was called Ono. It's significant that these critics were going to try to convince him to not move forward with his dreams in a place called Ono. It's no different today. There will be people that try to get you to come to "Oh no". "Oh no, you won't get well. Oh no, you won't meet the right person. Oh no, you can't accomplish that dream". Stay out of "Oh no". You don't belong there. All you're going to find in "Oh no" is doubt, discouragement, can't-do-it, never-going-to-happen. For my brother Paul, make it real simple, "Oh no" is a "No-no".
Pay attention to who you're in agreement with. Who are you letting speak into your life? If it's "Oh no" people - it's time to come out of that agreement. That's going to limit you. Come into agreement with faith-filled, favor-filled, all-things-are-possible people. You need to be in agreement with dream-releasers, with people that don't limit you to what you can do, what you have, who you know, but people that understand the greatness of our God, people that know he can do more than you can ask or think. See, there are dream-releasers, and there are dream-stealers. Dream-releasers are people that are bold, they believe for what God put in your heart, even when they don't see how it can happen. Dream-stealers are just the opposite. These are people that will try to talk you out of your dreams, they look at the circumstances, study the facts, they'll come up with a dozen reasons why it's not going to happen. They're not bad people, they just can't see what God put in your heart. They don't feel what you feel. They don't hear that still small voice.
It's a test: are you going to get in agreement with the negative, go to the land of Ono, believe their doubt, water down your dream? Or are you going to say, "I appreciate your opinion, I love you as a friend, but I'm not coming into agreement with your doubt. You're an "Oh no" person, and I need an "Amen" person. No offense, but you're a dream stealer, I'm looking for a dream releaser. Come into agreement with someone that ignites your faith, someone that believes in what God put in your heart, someone that inspires you to keep believing, even when it seems impossible. There's power in agreement.
That's what my parents did on December 11, 1981. They came on their bedroom floor, they came into agreement that God would heal my mother. When they finished praying, they said to each other, "We're not going to break our agreement. We're going to stay in faith that what God promised will come to pass". Doubt would come, negative thoughts, the medical reports not improving. My mother would walk through the house, and I would hear her ask my father, "Are you still in agreement"? He would say, "Yes, Dodie, and I'm not going to change my mind". The scripture says, "If any two of you agree, God will do what he promised". You don't have to find a dozen people. You may not be able to find five people, but there is one person that God has already ordained that will come into agreement with you for what you're believing for. There is a power partner that's gonna not break their agreement, they're going to stand with you through thick and thin, when others doubt, don't think it's possible, try to discourage you. Like my father, they're going to keep believing, they're going to keep speaking faith.
It didn't happen overnight, but my mother got better and better, month after month, year after year. She defied the odds, today 40 years later she's still healthy and whole. But there are battles that you can't win alone. There are dreams that won't come to pass with just your faith, your hard work, your efforts. God designed people to come into agreement with you. When they agree, a power is released, a favor, a blessing that only comes from the two of you joining your faith. It's the power of agreement. Sometimes we're trying to do it only on our own, "I'm strong, I'm anointed, I'm favored". And yes, that's all true, but you are stronger when you have a power partner, someone you're in agreement with. Husbands and wives, you need to come into agreement. What you're believing for: your dreams, your health, your children. One of you has the "Yes", but you need the "Amen".
You need to do like my parents: this is what we're believing for, we set the time that we come into agreement, and we're not going to break our agreement. Every day, "Lord, thank you that what you promised is on the way". Speak faith to each other, declare what you're believing for. The scripture says (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10), "Two are better than one. When one falls, the other can lift him up". When doubt comes, negative circumstances, you can encourage your spouse, you can lift that other person. Let them know, we're not moved by what we see, we're not going to break our agreement, God is faithful, what he promised is on the way.
When our son Jonathan was applying for college, we were praying and believing that he would get accepted to the right school. It was a big deal, our first child, going off on his own. We were concerned and trusting that the right doors would open. A friend of ours, Roxanne, who taught our children in homeschool, has a son the same age as Jonathan. Practically every morning I would hear Victoria on the phone with Roxanne, they were praying over our children, speaking faith into their future, declaring what God promised that they are mighty in the land, that they will fulfill their destinies, that God was ordering their steps, that they were surrounded by favor, that they would get into the right college. They understood the power of agreement. The scripture says (Deuteronomy 32:30), "One can chase a thousand, but two can put ten thousand to flight". They were coming together with the "Yes" and the "Amen".
A few months later both of those young men were accepted to the same university, they ended up rooming together, and now have graduated and are fulfilling their purpose. Instead of worrying about your children, worrying about your finances, worrying about your health, why don't you find a power partner, someone that will agree? Not with your doubts, not with what you don't think will happen, not with the lies the enemies whispering, but someone that will agree with the promises God has declared over your life. You have the "Yes", now you need to add the "Amen".
A friend of mine, she's a professor of music at a large college. She's also a professional trumpet player. She teaches a class called "Experimental music". One of her lessons she has a grand piano on the stage, has a microphone so the class can hear it. She takes her trumpet and plays the "B" note. When she hits that note, perfectly pure where the pitch is right on, the sound vibrations from the trumpet find the "B" note on the piano, and cause it to vibrate without it being pushed. You can hear the piano even though no one is playing it. The "B" note from the trumpet has a sound that causes the "B" note on the piano to resonate. In the same way God has ordained that certain people will resonate from your sound. What you're dreaming about, what you're believing for, may not mean much to some people, just doing live, their friends, co-workers, passing them in the grocery store, all good people, they don't hear your sound. But there are specific people that when they hear your dreams, when they see your vision, when they know what you're believing for, something resonates with them. They want to help you. They want to believe with you. They want to come into agreement. You don't have to beg them, talk them into it, hope that they'll help you. It's a divine connection. God has orchestrated them to be a power partner, to help push you into your destiny.
Luke chapter 1, an angel appeared to a young lady named Mary, told her that she was going to have a baby without knowing a man. That seemed impossible. Everything in Mary said, "You must have heard wrong, that defies the laws of nature". How could someone come into agreement with Mary? This was so far out. She told her fiance Joseph that she was pregnant, but it wasn't another man, it was a Holy Spirit. He thought, "Yeah, right". He was planning on breaking off the engagement. Sometimes people close to you won't be able to see what God put in your heart. Mary decided to go visit her cousin Elizabeth in another city. She was an older woman that had been barren her whole life, but she became pregnant with John the Baptist. She had been carrying the baby for six months, but hadn't felt any kind of movement. She wondered, "Is this baby really alive? Maybe I got my hopes up for nothing". She was starting to doubt and be discouraged.
About that time Mary came knocking on the door. When Elizabeth opened it, and saw Mary, the scripture says (Luke 1:41), "At the sound of Mary's greeting, the baby leaped in Elizabeth's womb". All she said was "Hello", just greeted her, but the sound in Mary's womb connected with the sound in Elizabeth's womb, and that baby started kicking. What am I saying? Somebody can hear your sound. Somebody's going to cause your baby to live. Somebody's going to show up as a power partner. Mary came into agreement with Elizabeth, caused her baby to leap. Elizabeth came into agreement with Mary. When no one else would believe she was pregnant, everyone thought she was far out, but Elizabeth knew: the same God that caused me to get pregnant against the odds has caused Mary to conceive without knowing a man. They came into agreement with each other, and they saw something uncommon, out of the ordinary. Elizabeth gave birth to John the Baptist, and Mary gave birth to Jesus, the Messiah.
God will always have someone there to come into agreement with you. If you're around people and your baby never leaps, then they're not the right people. They may be fine, they're friends, but you need people to come into agreement with that can hear your sound. You don't have to try to convince them to believe in you, talk them into what you're dreaming about, persuade them to get behind you, that's not the right people. Love them, be good to them, but don't let their "Oh no" keep you from your "Amen".
When we heard the Compaq Center was coming available, we met with a group of attorneys to see what they thought our chances were. The odds were against us, we knew it was a long shot, but deep down I believed it was supposed to be ours. I had the faith that it could happen. I went in there excited, told the people what we were thinking, and how this was God opening the door. The main attorney, this man with all this experience, very well known, very smart, he went on and on for 15 minutes telling us how it wasn't going to happen, how there were too many hurdles, how the city wouldn't let the facility go to a church. I left there depressed. My baby didn't leap, my baby went to sleep. He put my baby on tranquilizers. About three hours later something rose up in me, and I thought, "I am not going to come into agreement with that loser, I mean that man. He doesn't control my destiny, he didn't breathe life into me, he didn't put this dream in my heart, he doesn't know what I've heard".
Don't be discouraged when your sound doesn't resonate with someone else, they're not supposed to be for you. They're not in tune with what God is speaking to you. If I had come into agreement with that doubt, negativity, can't-do-it spirit, we wouldn't be in the Compaq Center. If you're in agreement with the wrong people, you can miss your destiny. Everyone is not going to be for you, they're not going to understand, they're going to think it's too far out, you don't have what it takes. If they don't make your baby leap, move on. Don't come into agreement with their doubt, their negative spirit. You can't let the "Oh no" people keep you from the "Amen" that's coming. God has the Mary's lined up, the people that will make your baby leap.
Elizabeth's husband was a man named Zachariah. An angel appeared to him, and told him that Elizabeth was going to have a baby in her old age, and they were to name him John. Instead of saying to the angel like Mary "I believe it. Let it happen", Zechariah said in verse 18, "'how can this be? I'm an old man and my wife is well along in years'. The angel said, 'i am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God. But because you doubted, you won't be able to speak until the baby is born'". For nine months Zachariah couldn't say a word. God knew, if Elizabeth came into agreement with his doubt, "This can't happen, we're too old", it would have kept the baby from coming. Zachariah was the "Oh no", but Mary was the "Amen". If you'll come out of agreements with the Zachariah's, the Mary's will show up, the right people will find you, people that help your baby to leap.
We let that attorney know that he wasn't going to be a part of our team. Some people thought we were making a mistake, he was highly recommended. But if someone is trying to convince you to water down your dreams, and settle for less than what's in your heart, no matter how smart, talented, experienced, they're not for you. Don't come into agreement with that limited vision, wait for the right person. About two weeks later another man came along. He was very influential, he had been in Houston politics for many years and knew everyone, but he was far out, he loved to party, use rough language, didn't have any kind of faith background. The first time I met him, he said "Joel, I like you, and I'm going to help you get that building". I said, "Do you really think we can get it"? He said, "I don't think so, I know we can get it". My sound somehow resonated with him, and my baby started leaping. He was so confident, so bold, so positive, just the opposite of the other man. He made things happen that only the hand of God could orchestrate. He was doing it, but I know it was God working behind the scenes, using a man that wasn't raised like me, but he was a divine connection. Here we are in the Compaq Center.
Who you're in agreement with is going to determine whether or not you reach your destiny. Maybe you don't have anyone around you that's full of faith, and believes that God can do great things. That's why God hates you hearing this. I want to come into agreement with you: I'm believing for what you're believing for. I'm in agreement that the dreams God put in your heart will come to pass, that the right doors will open, the right people will show up, you will see favor, increase, and go further than you've imagined. I'm in agreement that you are healthy and whole, that that sickness is not permanent, healing is flowing into you. You are getting stronger, you are vibrant, energetic, you will run and not be weary. With long life God will satisfy you.
I'm in agreement that you are free from every addiction, every bad habit, from depression, anxiety, every stronghold is coming down. That will not hinder you the rest of your life. You will walk in freedom, wholeness, joy, peace, victory. I'm in agreement that you will lend and not borrow, that you will see overflow, that abundance is coming, explosive blessings, blessings that catapult you to a new level. I'm in agreement that your children are mighty in the land, that they will stand out in the crowd, that they are full of wisdom, that they make great decisions, they are great leaders, they will fulfill their purpose.
Now here's the key: I'm not going to break my agreement. Every morning I'm going to thank God that what you're believing for is going to come to pass. I'm going to be a power partner. Now, do your part, don't break your agreement: stay away from "Oh no" people, stay in agreement with "Amen" people. If you do this, I believe like Mary and Elizabeth, you're going to see God show out in your life. Favor is coming, healing is coming, breakthroughs are coming, the fullness of your destiny, in Jesus name. If you receive it, can you say amen? Amen.