AGREEMENT: WHERE THE RUBBER HITS THE ROAD

In the realm of faith, one foundational truth shines brightly: the root of Emunah (faith in Hebrew) is literally “aman,” from which we derive the word “amen.” To say “amen” is to agree, and this insight reveals the essence of faith—faith, practically speaking, is agreement with God.

Faith Anchored in Promise

The Apostle Paul captures this profound truth in 2 Corinthians 1:20, declaring,

“For all the promises of God find their Yes in Him…and we speak the amen…and this glorifies God.”

This verse highlights the unwavering nature of God’s promises, affirming that faith is not merely a passive belief. We must move from passivity to an active agreement with what God has spoken.

As we think about the life of Abraham, we see this principle in action. In Romans 4:20-21, Paul writes,

“No unbelief made him waver regarding the promise of God. He grew strong in his faith as he continued to give glory to God. He was fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised.”

Abraham’s faith was not anchored in the visible realities surrounding him. Abraham’s faith was anchored in the temporarily invisible truths concealed within the spiritual realm. He made a conscious choice to disregard his circumstances and firmly anchored his focus on God’s promises. Instead of letting the challenges around him dictate his reality, he chose to concentrate on what God had declared.

The Practicality of Faith

This brings us to a critical juncture in our Christian walk—the moment when faith meets reality. It’s one thing to agree with God’s Word in theory, when there are no challenges. But when faced with the challenges and existential crisis of life—financial struggles, health issues, relational conflicts—we are often tempted to tuck our tails and hide from the conflict.

There has only ever been—and will only ever be—one temptation: will we agree with God or align ourselves with the enemy when our circumstances shout, “Has God really said?” (Genesis 3:1).

In those moments—if we are honest—we often find ourselves aligning our thoughts with our circumstances instead of with God’s truth.

However, when we allow our circumstances to shape our perspective, we risk losing sight of the abundant life that God offers. Instead, we become trapped in increasingly constricting and undesirable situations that limit our potential even further.

The reality is that the promised land—God’s land of promises—requires an active and assertive response from us to fully take possession of it. Consider these verses:

“His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us to His own glory and excellence, by which He has granted to us His precious and very great promises, so that through them you can become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world…” (2 Peter 1:3-4)

“…so that you will not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.” (Hebrews 6:12)

“The kingdom of heaven suffers violence [is under attack], and the violent [aggressive, decisive, determined] take [posses] it by force [determined action].” (Matthew 11:12)

“How long will you put off entering and possessing the land that the LORD, the God of your fathers, has given you?” (Joshua 18:3)

These verses emphasizes the necessity of active faith and perseverance in claiming God’s promises. That is the whole point of faith; you only need it when there is nothing else to go by.

When we stay passive, it is easy to surrender to despair or defeat. This happens when our focus shifts away from the Word of God. Like Abraham, we are faced with a choice. We can either focus on the giants in our lives, or, we can fix our gaze on the promises of God.

Lack, brokenness, and dysfunction are not part of God’s program. These can only exist in the void left when no-one contends for the kingdom (control) of God. This happens when we allow God’s program to be side-lined by voluntary ignorance, human opinions and or just plain bad theology.

If you find yourself grappling with confusion about God’s will for you and for humanity, don’t miss the next post: God’s Kingdom, God’s Program.

The Power of Focus

Abraham’s journey exemplifies this principle. He faced insurmountable odds: an aging body, a barren wife, and a promise from God that seemed too late and quite frankly, impossible.

Yet, instead of succumbing to doubt, he steadfastly “gave glory to God.” That means he began actively agreeing with what God had said about him. He also refrained from constantly talking about the obvious challenges. Abraham chose to focus instead on God’s faithfulness rather than his circumstances. He exemplified the very essence of Emunah. This is a faith that agrees with God’s Word. This is the faith that received the promise.

Classic commentators have also echoed this sentiment. Matthew Henry states,

“True faith is a vigorous act of the soul; it is a work of the spirit in which we embrace the Word of God.”

Living in Agreement with God’s Word

When God’s Word dwells richly within us, it sustains us and defines our very being. Colossians 3:16 reminds us,

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom.”

This internalization of Scripture is what empowers us to rise above our circumstances. Psalm 119:11 also states:

“I have hidden Your word in my heart that I might not sin against You.”

The truth is that wherever there is sin, it always, without fail, begins in our conversation; in our thoughts (internal) and words (external)

It is in these moments—when the rubber meets the road—that our faith is truly tested. Will we choose to agree with God’s Word, or will we succumb to the narratives of our circumstances? Our worldview, our response to life’s challenges, is always determined by what we focus on.

It turns out that Christianity, from start to finish, is fundamentally all about agreement. As Amos 3:3 puts it:

“Can two walk together, unless they are agreed?”

All the problems in the world began when we chose to disagree with God’s word. This happened when the serpent challenged us on it in Genesis 3 and we didn’t side with what God has declared.

The solution then, to these problems, stands to reason. Each “problem” in the world is a direct result of that initial disagreement with the word of God. It also arises from all subsequent instances where we become unaligned with it. The answer then is simple. We must turn our disagreement into agreement once more. By aligning ourselves with God’s Word, we can restore the divine balance and set life right again.

We can gauge our walk with the Lord by assessing how much we agree or disagree with Him. Rather than asking if God is walking with us, it’s more useful to ask whether we walk in agreement with Him, and His word.

Conclusion: The Agreement of Faith

In our journey of faith, let us remember that faith is agreement with God, everything else only leads to prolonging suffering.

As we align our hearts and minds with His promises, we can confront life’s challenges with the same unwavering resolve as Abraham. By choosing to focus on the truth of God’s Word, we cultivate a faith that is not merely theoretical but transformational—faith that stands firm in the face of adversity.

As we declare “amen” to God’s promises, we glorify God and invite His power to work within us, enabling us to navigate the complexities of life with grace and confidence. Let us be people of faith who, like Abraham, choose to ignore the obstacles and instead dwell on the assurances of our faithful God.

In short, its time to say “no” to the devil, and “yes” to God.

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IMPORTANT TAKEAWAY: The root of Emunah (faith in Hebrew) is literally „aman“ from which we also derive the word „amen.“  Amen as we know means to agree—Faith, practically speaking, is agreement with God.

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