A major aspect of living an overcoming life is to become aware of toxic agreements that are holding you back. In the battles that we face on a daily basis, the enemy is looking to cultivate mindsets that become agreements in how we do life.
You don’t need a major trauma or generations of toxic thinking for the enemy to develop a thinking pattern in your life. All he needs is agreement, where a thought is sent your way, which finds a place of allowance in your own thoughts and beliefs.
Agreements shape your entire life, both the ones you talk about, as well as the hidden agreements that lie underground. Agreements can empower you or disempower you.
Your Agreements Form Your Life
In fact, everything in our life comes down to the agreements we carry. They form how we think, perceive and view all of life.
Over time, we can become glued to destructive agreements, saying, “This is just the way I feel” or “That’s just how I think,” or the classic, “This is just the way that I am.” Yet if we were to examine the trail of thought, it would lead us back to the tempter and his army, who are working around the clock to keep us bound to toxic agreements. Your responsibility is to watch over the agreements you carry, casting down any imagination or argument that does not line up with what God says about you.
casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ
2 Corinthians 10:5
Many align themselves with deceptive thoughts as a way of life without any discernment. For some, they can hear a toxic thought and feel as though they came up with it on their own. Others cave into the feelings that arrive with the thought, believing they cannot escape the strong impulses. The less we realize the enemy is speaking, the more dangerous his operations become.
Recognizing the Agreement
What is an agreement? It’s a way of thinking, believing and perceiving that influences how you do life. They are often subtle, yet very influential. If you identify the troubling emotions and limiting perspectives you carry, you will find some form of agreement that is holding it in place.
Agreement is not necessarily something where we consciously say, “I agree with that.” Agreement primarily comes through tolerating and allowing destructive thoughts and patterns to accumulate within. If we struggle with fear, then we have agreement with fear in our thinking. If we battle with being easily resentful, then we are in agreement with bitterness and resentment. If speaking ill about people behind their backs is a constant habit, then we have agreement with accusation and gossip. Walking into a room and believing, “No one loves me,” gives room for agreement with rejection.
Thoughts from the enemy are presented to us in a medley of forms. Everything from feelings, impressions, reasonings, temptations and false beliefs, all with audio and video playback included, can originate from the enemy’s camp. Most people entertain whatever comes down the pike in their thoughts without awareness.
Where There is Agreement, The Enemy Has Access
Spiritual warfare is often simpler than we make it. Where there is agreement, the enemy has access. We cannot make it so complex that we lose this simple truth. Satan is the ringleader and father of all lies that go against the knowledge of God.
The first example of agreement is revealed in the garden with Adam and Eve. Satan presented an initial thought that was loaded with deception, but was presented in a way that would lure them in. The devil was seeking for agreement, knowing it would produce a destructive action.
Once his lies found a landing place in their own thoughts, Adam and Eve acted on the deception, eating the fruit they were told not to eat. With Adam’s agreement and subsequent actions, an additional flood of thoughts and impressions, including fear, uncleanness, guilt and shame, came upon them.
This drove them to hide from God. As God approached Adam, His response revealed the intrusion of deception into their thoughts, as He said, “Who told you that you were naked?” In other words, God was saying, “Who are you agreeing with in that thought?” (See Genesis 3)
Breaking Out of Agreement
Please understand that because we are presented with a thought does not mean we are “one” with that thought immediately. Most of the toxic thinking that flies across the screen is just a form of temptation. Having a thought simply means that we are presented with an opportunity for agreement.
For many, certain thoughts have been so familiar that agreement goes on without any awareness. They fly right past temptation and into agreement instantly. It has now become a way of life for them.
The good news is that we do not have to agree with the enemy’s thoughts anymore. In fact, as we remove counterfeit ways of thinking, we have a great opportunity to become filled with how God thinks, immersed with His life, love, truth and power!
What breaks agreement with the enemy is repentance, a word which speaks of moving from one way of thinking and into another. Repentance shuts off all four enemy access points. It also turns our hearts to welcome the mindset of God to lead our lives.
The repentance that removes agreement is not always a one-time event. It’s often a developing process, where we learn to turn from ways of thinking that have become weeds, while planting the seeds of God’s thoughts into the soil of our hearts. This takes time, but making the initial decision to break agreement gets the process moving into an empowered direction.
What toxic agreements are you becoming aware of that you can let go of today?
Recommend Resource:
To support future articles:
- Consider a one-time donation.
- Become a monthly supporter.
- Join a free month of Audible Audio Books and get 1 Free Book!
- Support our ministry work by shopping at Amazon with Our Link