a·gree
/əˈɡrē/ : have the same opinion about something; concur.
a·lign
/əˈlīn/ : come together in agreement or alliance.
ad·vance
/ədˈvan(t)s/ : move forward in a purposeful way.
Hey You. I hope you’re well and your week’s been productive and refreshing at the same time. I strongly resisted the urge to make a post last week as I dread the idea of being notorious for starting something I can’t keep up. Instead, I decided to kick-off this time with a cadence that’s more sustainable – every other week is less daunting, and that gives me an opportunity to load the pipeline when sparks fly on off weeks. Okay, so now about today’s post.
I had a totally different idea on what to share today… a pretty well thought out and a natural progression of the last post (If I do say so myself). But there has been an unnerving pressing to share this instead – an insight that is still fresh and current. Knowing the way God moves, I’m confident that it’s a word in season, and so I’m yielding. Today, we’re talking about a framework I’ve watched the Lord reveal to me over the course of time. Yep, you probably guessed right… In line with the title, we’re talking about triple A – a perfectly progressive rhythm for the believer that my heart and mind have been enlightened to in recent times. Agree, Align, Advance.
Each of these terms, or instructions quite frankly, were emphasized to me at different stages in my life. Thinking back, it may have been over the course of 3 years precisely. In the first year; there was a heavy emphasis on the urgency to agree with God first and foremost in my mindset, beliefs, then actions. For me to get with God’s agenda, I first had to divorce old ideas, limitations and mental models that hindered my being in His will. The caution to agree with God drilled down to the nitty gritty: in times that I felt weary and was tempted to give up, I was challenged to agree with God in that He hasn’t given up on me.. so neither can I. I know that sounds so simple but on days where the toll and weight is heavy, it’s a pretty hard shift to make. Underneath it all was the nagging question – “Will you choose to agree with God?” In times that I felt I wasn’t equipped enough, I had to agree that the Holy Spirit within me was more than enough. In times that I felt I was simply wasting space, I had to remember that God begs to differ hence His sustenance. There was no way I could align with Him if I didn’t agree with Him. I had to agree with Him on who He is, on what He’s said, and what He’s saying – about Himself, me, and everything else.
There is no way to align with God if you don’t first agree with Him.
Every agreement with God came at the expense of a disagreement with the enemy – a price that is well worth it. I found myself confronted with lies that were begging for my acceptance. A deep work was needed to identify the lies I had previously believed, and a vigilance was required to see the lies lingering waiting for my belief. I was moved to break alliances with people and ideas that bucked up against the Word and principles of God. On one of those nights, I specifically remember having a very vivid series of dreams on the power of agreement and the access it gives… I made a post on it which you can check out here. I’d never so clearly understood how much access we offer on a platter by virtue of agreements… subtle or overt. One of the major takeaways from that post is this simple yet profound fact : What you agree to will cost you. It can cost you alignment, and it can cost you advancement. This is captured by James’ admonishment to us to humbly accept the word of God planted in our hearts, for it has the power to save our souls(Jms 1:21). Even salvation begins with the agreement that Jesus is indeed our saviour and Lord. The next step after that to align with the will of the Father, and advance accordingly. Let’s look at how exactly this ought to play out.
Every agreement with God comes at the expense of a disagreement with the enemy.
When I pondered how this sequence may be relevant and what the Lord may have meant by this, the journey of the apostles came to mind. When Jesus’ came on the scene, He taught severally in the presence of His disciples, and performed miracles as well. They got to see Him up close and in action. He called men to Himself and having the proximity and exposure that they had, the first step was for them to see and agree that indeed He is the Christ. I’m reminded of the question He posed to the apostles in Mat 16 … “Who do men say that I am?… Who do you say that I am?” I’m inclined to believe that that was a major turning point in their journey. It was a point of agreement, and thankfully, by the revelation of the Holy Spirit they did agree.
What you agree to will cost you—it can cost you alignment, and it can cost you advancement.
Subsequently, on agreeing with the Truth, they were called to align by being where He is. This is when Jesus communicated to them the cost of being His follower. Essentially, He’s saying, if you are going to align with me… now that you agree with me, here’s what you need to know. He proceeded to tell them that the alignment will require giving up their own way and laying down their lives (figuratively, and possibly, literally). I’m reminded of the twelve scouts exploring the promised land in Num 13. All but two of them did not agree with the report of the Lord, and this hindered their alignment and advancement. Conversely, in Joshua 2, the spies that were sent out came back with a good ‘God’ report, and the end result was possession of the promise. Alignment, then advancement. The same applies to us today, agreement will cost you, and so will alignment. But both are worthy costs for the right kind of advancement.
Much happens in between, but I noticed the call to advancement in two places afterwards. First, I see it where Jesus sent the twelve (Mat 10), and then the seventy-two (Luke 10). Secondly, and probably most significantly, I see it in His final instruction to us to go out into all the world and make disciples, famously known as The Great Commission (Mat 28:18). After they agreed with His message, and aligned with His mission, the next step was to advance for His Kingdom. This does not mean moving without God, far from it. The very same scripture (v. 20) notes the assurance of the presence of God in this mandate. “And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age“. I’d like to think of it this way – Agreement is about shared vision, Alignment is about shared mission, and Advancement is heeding the commission (‘move with me‘ in a sense). After all that the disciples had seen, heard and believed, they were equipped and empowered to step out on assignment. I believe the same is true of us.
Agreement is about shared vision
Alignment is about shared mission
Advancement is heeding the commission
So, how should this impact us today? Well, for starters, the compulsion to go back to the drawing board is key. The fact is that if any of these 3 are out of order, it leaves loop holes for a fall out. If you are trying to align without agreeing—without a lack of understanding of the vision, then when instructions are beyond your understanding and circumstances are challenging, you are bound to question your decision. It’s certainly best if the questions “Why do this?” and “What am I doing all of this for anyways?” precede such effort. Jesus spoke about the wisdom to count the cost before beginning to build (Luke 14:28), this sets us up to be better preserved. And certainly, if we attempt to advance with the assignment without aligning, we will only get so far. Even if all the man-made metrics say otherwise, “dead works” are inevitable. When Jesus cautioned the church in Sardis about their dead works (Rev 3), the call was not to do more, but to recalibrate—to return to first principles, reassess their belief systems, and become grounded again in truth. The same applies to us today.
You may have agreed with God before, and yet still need to agree again. Life lifin’ has the ability to wear us out and weaken convictions if we do not guard against it. Paul reminds us to continue in the truth, and stand firmly on it lest we drift (Col 1:23). It is our prerogative to guard against the drift by returning to the truth and reaffirming our agreement with it. You may have agreed, yet not aligned. Perhaps you have heard the Word and ‘agreed’, but you’ve not submitted. Have you laid down the weights that are stopping you from conforming to God’s will? And maybe you agreed, and you aligned but now it’s time to step out on your ‘next’. Take that step of faith and remember: if God sent you, He’ll be with you.
I’ll wrap up with this – a scripture for each mandate;
Agree: “…the message they heard was of no value to them, because they did not share the faith…” [Heb 4:2]
Align: “…my servants must be where I am….” [Jn 12:26]
Advance: “… fully carry out the ministry God has given you.” [2 Tim 4:5]
May the Lord help us so that His perfect will concerning our lives on earth is fully realized.
In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
I hope today’s post spoke to you in a meaningful way. It’s time for Kingdom Advancement, so let’s repair the foundations.
I love you but God Loves You Infinitely More ✨❣️
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