Romans 13:2 says, “Whosoever therefore resisteth the power,
resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to
themselves damnation.” After I read this in the Word, I broke my
bad confession and began to pray for these men. For the first
time in my life, I went to the polls and voted intelligently. No
longer moved by emotion, I began to pray and seek God in voting
as I did in other areas. When my attitude changed, God
began to give me insight into the political affairs of this country.
After approximately two weeks of praying this way, God
showed me some things about the president. You see, I had
opened myself to receive from God by stopping the strife in my
heart. I had been very critical of the government and politicians;
I griped and complained continually, but God changed
my attitude. When I quit begrudging the government, God
could reveal some things to me and I could receive them. This
opened an area of prosperity I didn’t even know existed. The
Bible says these men, our civil leaders, are God’s ministers for
our good, that they are ordained of God. Our lack of prayer
support for them has caused the problems we have seen.

As a guide for you to use in receiving from your giving in
any area, let me share this little formula. It has worked consistently
for us and will work for you if you commit yourself to it.

1. Decide on the amount you need. Be careful not to cheat
yourself. God is not a skinflint. He is a giver. He is a lover. God
is love. For God so loved the world that He gave. Determine the
amount you need and then be single-minded. A double-minded
man can’t receive anything from the Lord (see James 1:7-8).

2. Get in agreement according to Matthew 18:19. This is very
important. The best and most powerful situation on earth is a
husband and wife who can agree together in these areas.
If this isn’t possible in your particular case, then get together
with another believer and have him join with you.

3. Lay hold on it by faith. Use the principles set out in
Mark 11:23-24. Believe it in your heart and confess it with your mouth.

4. Bind the devil and his forces in the Name of Jesus. You have
the authority in Jesus’ Name to order Satan out of your financial
affairs. This is your responsibility. Don’t ask God to do it.
You do it in Jesus’ Name. Mark 16:17, James 4:7, Ephesians 6
and the entire New Testament tell you to resist the devil. It is
important for the husband and father to do this. It is their
responsibility as spiritual head of the home.

5. Loose the forces of heaven. Hebrews 1:14 refers to the
angels as ministering spirits “sent forth to minister for those
who shall be heirs of salvation.” The Bible also says that angels
hearken to the Word of God (see Psalm 103:20), so when you
use the Word in the Name of Jesus, they are obligated to follow
your command.

6. Praise God for the answer. Praise keeps the door of abundance
wide open. The channel between you and God is clear so
that you can receive from Him.

Kenneth Copeland Ministries

For years I knew deep down inside that there was a place in
God where a man could live in victorious circumstances at all
times. I knew there was total victory in Jesus, so I searched for
it; but many of the people I asked about it told me that I would
not be able to live this way until I got to heaven. Thank God,
the Word says differently.

Matthew 18:19-20 says this: “Again I say unto you, That if
two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they
shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.
For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am
I in the midst of them.” Notice that Jesus said, “Again I say unto
you.” This was important enough for Him to say more than
once to these men until they realized that if they would get in
agreement with one another and establish a thing, Jesus would
be in the midst of them to cause it to come to pass.

You need someone to be an agreement partner with you.
The most ideal situation is for a man and his wife to be in
agreement. You need someone who will not relent and, once
the agreement is made, will stand firm that it will come to pass.
Jesus will bring even the impossible to pass if two Christians
will agree firmly on His Word and its truth. This is the reason
that in financial matters it is so important to know that you
have made your heavenly deposits. It is easy to agree on the
fact that something is yours when you have already made the
deposits for it.

The prayer of agreement is a powerful prayer, and it will work
when it is put to work. However, so much of the time one person
will agree and another person will hope. I have prayed with people
and when I finished said, “It is done and it will come to pass.”
Then the other person who was supposed to be agreeing with me
would say, “I certainly do hope so, Sister Copeland.” At that
point I am forced to say, “Well, it won’t. I agreed…you hoped.”

When an agreement is made, both parties are firm in the
fact that there is an agreed situation. When you agree with a
person to pay a bill at a certain time and that person says, “I
consider this bill as paid,” and you say, “I certainly hope so,”
then that is probably as far as the situation will go until you are
firm in your committal to that agreement. The other partner
will not enter into it with you. It should be this firm between
two Christians when they come together and believe that what
they have agreed upon in the world of prosperity will come to
pass. Remember, we have Jesus Christ’s Word for it. It will
come to pass if we refuse to relent in our agreement together.

Kenneth Copeland Ministries

Kenneth Copeland Ministries

Another hindrance to prayer is found in Mark 11:25-26. It
says, “And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have aught
against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive
you your trespasses. But if ye do not forgive, neither will
your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.” This is
vital. Prayer will not work without forgiveness. I cannot overemphasize
its importance. Jesus prayed, “Our Father which art
in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will
be done, as in heaven, so in earth. Give us day by day our daily
bread. And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that
is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver
us from evil” (Luke 11:2-4). Spiritual principles are involved
here. You can keep these hindrances from stopping the results
of your prayers. Harmony makes the prayer system work.

This attitude of forgiveness begins at home. Jesus said if
any two of you will agree on earth, He will be in your midst.
A man and his wife should be the strongest agreement force
there is. Satan goes to great lengths to separate a man from
his wife and family. He wants them out of agreement.

First Peter 3:7 says, “Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them
[your wives] according to knowledge [according to the Word of
God], giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel,
and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers
be not hindered.” If a husband is not honoring his wife as he
should, his prayers are hindered. The burden of harmony is not
on the wife. The husband is the authority in his household. The
power of God is available to the man and wife who purpose to
stay in harmony.

As you come against unforgiveness and reach for harmony,
you will experience Jesus in your midst! He said, “If a man
love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him,
and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him”
(John 14:23).

You cannot say you are pleasing God and hold something
against someone. First John 4:20 says, “If a man say, I love
God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not
his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom
he hath not seen?” This includes family members as well.

Strife and unforgiveness hinder your prayer life. Strife
is merely acting on unforgiveness. James 3:16 says, “For
where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil
work.” When you take confusion and add it to Satan’s work,
problems arise. You will have a disaster in the making. Jesus
is not in the midst of that. Determine you are not going to
respond in strife. The next time someone says something
rude, unmannerly or unkind to you, or about someone else,
make the decision not to join in. Don’t carry strife any further.

Second Timothy 2:24-26 says that because of strife, Satan can
capture Christians at his will. Jesus said the thief comes to steal,
kill and destroy (John 10:10). That is the only reason he gets
involved in your life. The believer belongs to God and has every
right to walk free, but wholeness—spirit, soul, body, financially
and socially—is only achieved through peace and harmony.

The absence of strife is the key to getting rid of confusion
and evil. It is the predominant, primary prerequisite for
answered prayer. Stop Satan from working in your life. You
do not want him in your home or your prayer life. So the first
thing to do is begin to forgive. Get strife out of your life. Jesus
said to ask and you will receive, that your joy may be made
full. Your joy will be strong.

Matthew 18:19-20 will not work just because two people
say the same thing. The prayer of agreement is effective
because of its motivating force—love!

As you read this, take the opportunity right now to rid
yourself of strife, disharmony or unforgiveness. Confess
it. Jesus is faithful to forgive you (1 John 1:9). Give God the
opportunity to create a system of harmony around you and
your prayer life will begin to work.

Kenneth Copeland Ministries