Offenses Leads Us To Bitterness

Definition of OFFENSE: 1. An act of stumbling, a cause or occasion of sin, stumbling block. 2. Something that outrages the moral or physical senses. 3. The act of attacking, assault. 4 The act of displeasing or insulting, the state of being insulted or morally outraged, takes offense at the slightest criticism. 5 breach of a moral or social code, sin, and misdeed

Matthew 18:7 Woe to the world because of offenses! For offenses must come, but woe to that man by whom the offense comes! (New Century Version - Matthew 18:7 How terrible for the people of the world because of the things that cause them to sin. Such things will happen, but how terrible for the one who causes them to happen!)

As I observe people, I have realized how so many are hurt due to offenses. You can see the different stages of hurt that has manifested on their faces or in their demeanor. The offenses almost always results in rejection. We take offense because we believe what man says or does to us despite the fact that God is very clear on who we should trust. Psalm 7:1 O LORD my God, in You I put my trust; Save me from all those who persecute me; And deliver me. Psalm 56:11 In God I have put my trust; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me? Man cannot do anything to you unless you open the door for him to do so. Man offends by criticism, judging, accusations (charges against you) blame, slander, backbiting, gossip, etc.

How do we open the door to torment and destruction when we are offended or when we offend? Before we go any further, I want to give you a list that is a result of offenses and I want to ask you to meditate on these and tell me which one is the strongman. This strongman will allow the rest to manifest and is the general over the rest.

Bitterness….Unforgiveness….Resentment....Retaliation….Anger/Rath….Hatred….Volience….Murder….

If you picked Murder, you are incorrect. Murder is the end result. We have to identify the one in control once we opened the door due to the offense. Bitterness is the strongman. Bitterness initiates the process that can result in murder or will leave you in bondage somewhere in between Bitterness and Murder.

Bitterness - Hebrews 12:15 Looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled. Bitterness corrodes like acid, eating away at our soul. It poisons the mind first and then the body. It is often marked by cynicism and animosity toward others. Bitterness is a strong man kept in place by several underlings. Each underling is given entry into our lives by the one preceding it. The severity of the evilness of each underlings gets progressively worse. Bitterness is a strongman and he seeks a place to live. You are the palace and he wants to be in your house and once you let him in, he will bring others to torment you. He is the general and he has an army that he will try bring in and destroy you.

Un-forgiveness - Something has been done to you and there is a spirit assigned to you. What is the first thing that comes to you when someone wrongs you? Un-forgiveness. Bitterness is the strongman and the first armor he trusts in is Un-forgiveness. Un-forgiveness is now part of your life and your will not have forgiveness if you give a place and habitation for Un-forgiveness.

What Bitterness is banking on is you remembering a record of wrongs. He is banking on the spirit of Un-forgiveness reminding you of Bitterness someone has against you. The task of Un-forgiveness is to remind you, rehash it, bring it up, project it, and torment you with it. Un-forgiveness will replay the words, the voices, the sights, and the sounds. Un-forgiveness will flash at you everything others have ever said over and over again to reinforce itself so the strongman of Bitterness can stay.

Resentment – The strongman now sends out another spirit to reinforce Un-forgiveness. Resentment stands on the foundation of Un-forgiveness. The record of wrongs is now fermenting and Resentment fuels the fermentation of Un-forgiveness.
Resentment defiles you by saying “You know what? I really don’t like you. I resent you. I’m never going to forgive you.” Bitterness is trusting the spirit of Un-forgiveness to stay with you and add fuel to the fire. He is trusting that Resentment will get a foothold for more torment and control.

Retaliation – “I’m going to get even. You’re going to pay. I remember what you did to me and you better watch your back.” The spirit of Retaliation is much more dangerous than Un-forgiveness and Resentment. After Resentment has started to simmer, we find ways to get back at the person who caused it. We do this in many ways and one of the most common is slandering of the person. You will express your criticism to anyone who will listen. You want to be heard and you want someone to agree with you and when they don’t, you go to the next person.

Anger and Wrath – After Retaliation gets a foot hold, anger starts to set in. Un-forgiveness, Resentment and Retaliation have been building and now a strong feeling of anger comes along. Un-forgiveness and Resentment can be hidden skillfully by someone who is deceptive. Retaliation can be hidden, but Anger starts to show physically. Family, friends, coworkers, see this manifestation of anger in your face and demeanor. It is a very uncomfortable for people to coexist with a person with anger and wrath.

Anger and Wrath never occur unless these three, Un-forgiveness, Resentment and Retaliation have been festering for some time. You get angry for a reason. The reason is because of the breach, because of the hurt, because of the victimization, and they that their anger is justified.

Retaliation may seem worse than Anger, but this is the fermenting stage. Retaliation sets the stage to eliminate, but you will not eliminate anyone unless you have Anger and Wrath working within the spiritual dynamics of this principality and the spirits that create and answer to it.

We are dealing with Anger coming out of a relationship. This is the Anger and Wrath tied to Bitterness. This is a progression of spiritual dynamics producing the elimination of a person in a relationship. It is the root behind all people who murdered someone and are in prison. It is the root behind all family splits, behind all division, and behind all break up of human relationships.

Hatred – After Anger and Wrath has gained their foothold, Hatred comes. Hatred not only has the root of Bitterness, but is being fueled by all the previous. Now begins the stage of elimination.

Hatred says this: “I exist on the planet and you do too, and one of us has to go and it will not be me. I hate you, I can’t stand you. I resent you, I am going to get even because you don’t belong on this planet.” Hatred involves the elimination of the other person. Retaliation was the fermenting stage of this. Anger started to vocalize it and now Hatred comes to help execute it.

Bitter ness is banking on the fact when you are ready to forgive, old Un-forgiveness will pull up a flash card of memories reminding you of what they did to you.

Violence – You can see Violence every day in families and the news is a constant reminder how bad it is getting. This is the progression of breakup of human relationships out of Bitterness. Bitterness is behind all domestic Violence and all juvenile Violence.

Violence is what puts people in jail and this is why we have a police force. Violence is Anger and Hatred in motion because it is not just emotional and spiritual anymore, it has now become physical.

At this level, people will hate you so much; they will want to punch your lights out physically or verbally. Bitterness is banking on the fact that this progression in your life is going to keep him in place and these spirits are able to generate their nature in you and also in others to fuel this thing back and forth.

Murder – The seventh and final spirit that competes the full plan of the devil for destruction originating from the strongman of Bitterness (Hebrews 12:15) is the spirit of Murder.

This can actually be physical murder, or murder with the tongue, which is character assassination. When hatred, violence and murder are in someone’s life, they feel they are justified and everybody else is going to pay the price. Have you been a victim of this? Did you feel defiled? Have you victimized someone else on this basis?

Beware – If any one of these seven spirits answering to bitterness exists, all of the preceding spirits will be there. If left unchecked, all the rest will surely come. For example, if you see Hatred in a person, Un-forgiveness, Resentment, Retaliation and Anger always precedes Hatred. Each of the seven is progressively worse than the one just preceding it. You are a target of the strongman of Bitterness and you don’t want him to set up his throne within your life.

Resolution – In order to defeat the strongman of Bitterness, you need to understand how his armor works. You have to understand the Bitterness armor in your life so that so that Bitterness can be dealt with and you can be set free. If you have been offended by someone or you have offended someone, the breach needs to be repaired with that person if at all possible. If it is not possible, you can still be free by the power of God through Jesus Christ whether there is any resolution with that person who created the breach or not.

We are going to get offended as we go through life. The key is don’t hold the offense captive (….bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ 2Corinthians 10:5). When someone says or does something that makes you feel a “ping of hurt,” recognize that “ping of hurt” as an offense. This is especially important for people who have a long history of rejection in their lives. They tend to take anything that someone says as rejection and therefore, is an offense to them.
Immediately renounce the words or actions that caused the “ping of hurt” in the Name of Jesus. Below is the prayer and authority that we use when an offense comes.

Forgive me Father for taking offence. I renounce this offense. I repent for believing in this offense and in the name of Jesus Christ I cast out this offense (Mark 16:17). I choose to believe what You say about me and not the offender.

Guard you heart against offenses because in doing so, you protect yourself against the downward spiral of torment that Bitterness brings to you and all people that are around you. Don’t claim the words or actions of the offense, but instead claim what God has to say about you. I praise you because you made me in an amazing and wonderful way. What you have done is wonderful. I know this very well. Psalm 139:14.

Forgive those who offend you and understand that it is the sin working in them.

If man offends me, I choose to forgive him. Yes, if you forgive others for their sins, your Father in heaven will also forgive you for your sins Matthew 6:14.

Thank you Henry Wright at Be In Health Ministries for your insights to Bitterness.

Rejection

Brothers and Sisters,

I meet with a group of men on Thursday mornings for fellowship and the subject of rejection came up and I want to do a quick piece on Rejection. I have yet to run into someone who does not have rejection in their life and most of the time suffer with it instead of looking to God for healing and deliverance.

Rejection - to refuse to accept, consider, submit to, take for some purpose, or use

The will to live can get you through sickness, but no one can live with a broken spirit. Proverbs 18:14 (NCV)

The Word of God tells us we are loved, adopted and accepted, but rejection has an assignment to steal those truths away from us. We all know the deep sting of rejection, because we are all born with an innate longing for love and acceptance. The effects of agreeing with rejection can be physically and psychologically devastating.

WHAT MAKES REJECTION A SIN

Accepting rejection (real or imagined) disagrees with who God says we are. It places man’s acceptance as more important than God’s and you are telling God that you don’t believe Him when He said that you are worthy. You are saying to God that you would rather believe what other people are thinking of me.

Rejection will lead us on a desperate search, striving for the love that will complete us. This love cannot be found in people, places or things, but only in God.

That is, in Christ, he chose us before the world was made so that we would be his holy people—people without blame before him. Because of his love, God had already decided to make us his own children through Jesus Christ. That was what he wanted and what pleased him, Ephesians 1:4-5 (NCV)

Believe that God loves you more than anyone can love you and he will not reject you.

Blessings to you,

Grace and Forgiveness

To help you understand grace, Hebrews says: Be careful that no one fails to receive God's grace and begins to cause trouble among you. Hebrews 12:15 (NCV)What does someone failing of the grace of God mean? Grace is God’s divine influence on the human heart.

We have been taught to forgive our brother. You may be exposed to someone who knows he should forgive, but all of a sudden he decides to have bitterness and un-forgiveness towards you. In that moment, that person “fails to receive God's grace” because grace is not a license to sin. Do we sin more that grace might more abound? God forbid.

So do you think we should continue sinning so that God will give us even more grace? No! We died to our old sinful lives, so how can we continue living with sin? Hebrews 6:1-2 (NCV)
So how does a person fail to receive God's grace? Some teach grace as a covering for sin. No, grace does not cover sin. The cross covers sin. Grace makes it possible for us to repent now because God has taught us right from wrong. What grace does first is teach us. Grace makes it possible to recognize sin and repent for our servitude to it.

Faith comes by hearing and hearing by what? The Word of God. So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. Romans 10:17 (NKJV). God’s divine influence on the human heart comes through teaching, reading the Word, and the confirmation of the Holy Spirit. So when someone knows that they should forgive yet they do not, they have fallen short of the glory of God. They have failed of the grace because now grace is not working since they forgot what it said. (Hebrews 12:15). It could be someone else or it could be you.

When someone else forgets to be kind to you, and they reject you, then that kingdom is trying to get you to repay evil with evil. You know the thoughts that come and they come very quickly. “How dare they say that to me? I am going to get even.” In this war of repaying evil with evil, it is not good because you will lose. See that no one renders evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good both for yourselves and for all. 1 Thessalonians 5:15 (NKJV)

So, we are looking “diligently” (Hebrews 12:15 KJV) lest any root of bitterness springs up in us. That root of bitterness could even be within you. You feel it. You think it in your mind, but you feel it in your belly.

When you have forgiven that person and you have been forgiven, and that spirit of bitterness has been removed from you, can you remember what they said or did to you? Yes, you can remember because that is what your memory does, but you no longer feel that high octane ping in your inner parts. That means the sin that dwelt within is no longer teaching you. Your mind may remember, but it is okay because the Word of God is strong in you now. The law of God is there.

You are to forgive your brother how many times? Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven Matthew 18:22 (NKJV). Forgive them and release them every minute of the day. His teaching will help you forgive other people. This teaching will help you to forgive yourself, because it was not you that did it or them that did it to you. It was the sin that lives within. In Romans 7, Paul struggled with this very thing, the sin within.

15 I do not understand the things I do. I do not do what I want to do, and I do the things I hate. 16 And if I do not want to do the hated things I do, that means I agree that the law is good. 17 But I am not really the one who is doing these hated things; it is sin living in me that does them.18 Yes, I know that nothing good lives in me—I mean nothing good lives in the part of me that is earthly and sinful. I want to do the things that are good, but I do not do them. 19 I do not do the good things I want to do, but I do the bad things I do not want to do. 20 So if I do things I do not want to do, then I am not the one doing them. It is sin living in me that does those things. 21 So I have learned this rule: When I want to do good, evil is there with me. 22 In my mind, I am happy with God's law. 23 But I see another law working in my body, which makes war against the law that my mind accepts. That other law working in my body is the law of sin, and it makes me its prisoner. 24 What a miserable man I am! Who will save me from this body that brings me death? 25 I thank God for saving me through Jesus Christ our Lord! So in my mind I am a slave to God's law, but in my sinful self I am a slave to the law of sin Romans 7:15-25 (NCV).

Paul understood his shortcomings. We must understand the shortcomings of ourselves and others. We must separate the person from the sin and understand what the enemy is trying to do within us.

Grace is not an excuse to sin. It is by His grace that we are saved. As part of our salvation, we have an obligation to read the Word of God so sanctification can be unto God. Jesus had a lot to say about sanctification in the Book of John, chapter 17 “They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world,” (John 17:16) and this is before His request: “Sanctify them by Your truth. Your Word is truth” (V. 17). Sanctification is a state of separation unto God; all believers enter into this state when they are born of God: “But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption”(1 Corinthians 1:30). This is a once-for-ever separation, eternally unto God. It is an intricate part of our salvation, our connection with Christ (By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. Hebrews 10:10).

AMEN!
Tony Sanchez
Blessings to you,

Rejection

Rejection. 1. To refuse to accept, acknowledge, use, believe. 2. To throw out as useless or worthless; discard. 3. Failure to accept. 4. Something rejected as imperfect, unsatisfactory, or useless.

As I alluded to in the last study I sent out, I see many believers that are pretending to be happy. One thing that stands out is significant rejection because of offenses, lack of acceptance and self-worth resulting in an unloving spirit, bitterness, envy, and jealousy.

Rejection is a form of unbelief. It is as dangerous as unbelief itself. It is as dangerous as faithlessness. Rejection is a form of unbelief because Rejection says that you are not accepted of God, and in order to be accepted of God you have to be accepted of men first. It sets man as your god by declaring that who you are and who you are not rests on a human who accepts you or does not accept you. This goes against what the Bible say in Psalms 118:8 It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man. What will your choice be? Easy choice but very hard to apply.

There are no other beings greater than God. They do not exist. If you make man your god and also whether someone accepts you or not as the basis of your righteousness and your acceptance by God, than you are in idolatry – self-idolatry and idolatry of men. Idolatry is the first of the Ten Commandments that brings a curse to the third and fourth generation (Exodus 20:5 you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me).

You are not from men. You may say you are because you had a mother and father. In Psalm 139, David said you come from God. He said that before you became a fetus within the womb, even before you were ever conceived, God knew your parts. God knew who you would be long before you or your parents were conceived, before your grandparents were conceived, and before Adam and Eve were conceived. He knew you from the foundation of the world, and you were neither an accident nor mistake. You are known of God and accepted of God through Jesus Christ, and you have to accept that. You have to accept that you are no accident because if you say you are an accident, then you make God a liar.

Rejection is an evil spirit. It is not an emotion, it is not a concept, it is not a philosophy, and it is not an ideology. Rejection is a living being – an invisible, disembodied entity. Its name is Rejection and it manifest by its nature wanting to become part of your nature so the two of you can be one together. It needs you. It wants you to believe that you are not worthy of being loved by self, mother, father, sister, brother, husband, wife, friends, boss, and even God. Rejection wants you to think that nobody cares.

The foundation for freedom is defeating Rejection along with the tag along spirits of Bitterness, Envy, and Jealousy. Your battle is in relationship with God, yourself, and others that has to be resolved before healing can come. You must resolve your relationship with God. You must accept yourself and who you are. You must make peace with your brother. If you do not, you are not going anywhere in the rest of the areas of your life without great difficulty.

Hebrews 4:9-11 (NCV) This shows that the rest for God's people is still coming. Anyone who enters God's rest will rest from his work as God did. Let us try as hard as we can to enter God's rest so that no one will fail by following the example of those who refused to obey.

Everyone has some level of rejection in their lives that has to be overcome. I strongly recommend a short book called Rejection by Henry Wright. You will need to read this book over and over until healing comes.

If God doesn’t reject me, I will not allow man to reject me.

God Bless You,

Tony Sanchez

Conflicting Spirits

Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

I finally finished this study and I pray that you get something out of it. As always, It is not my intent to offend anyone or any individual church.

Conflicting Spirits - Galatians 5:17 (NLT) The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions.

We make impressions in unexpected ways. Our demeanor, our manner of speech, the troubles we have endured, our attitude or our approach to life can change people’s perspective or perception. Our actions towards each other can cause much offense. Offenses are not from God. It is sin and we have to understand that there is spiritual wickedness (Ephesians 6:12) behind the evil manifesting in us, through us and against us.

Unfortunately, too often we leave it up to our understanding on how we act, what we say, or what we do instead of following the Word of God. When we don’t follow God’s instruction, the dark kingdom is there to influence us every minute of the day. The dark kingdom’s intent is “to steal, and to kill, and to destroy” John 10:10 and many unclean spirits are there to try and bring us down.

I will list a few spirits to consider: The spirit of anger, bitterness, un-forgiveness, envy, jealousy, hatred, vindictiveness, revenge, gossip, slander, backbiting, pride, greed, control, lying, confusion, and fear. I call these conflicting spirits because they will make every effort to cause conflict within you and the people that you come into contact with. These spirits will manifest in you and influence you to say and do things to your wife, children, relatives, friends, bosses, and even strangers that leaves you scratching your head and wondering “Where did that came from.” By the same token, these people will do the same to you whether they are believers or nonbelievers and again leave you wondering “Why did they do that to me?” Satan will use anyone and everyone to come against you or to destroy you.

I will list Scripture examples on how unclean conflicting spirits operate.

1 Samuel 18:7-9 So the women sang as they danced, and said: “Saul has slain his thousands, And David his ten thousands.” Then Saul was very angry, and the saying displeased him; and he said, “They have ascribed to David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed only thousands. Now what more can he have but the kingdom?” So Saul eyed David from that day forward. Saul opened the door of jealousy, and with it came anger, bitterness, (For I see that you are poisoned by bitterness and bound by iniquity.” Acts 8:23) envy, hate, and the spirit of murder. David was so loyal to Kind Saul and could not understand why Saul was against him. You have Saul’s evil spirits from Satan conflicting with David who was the forefather of Jesus. Saul’s behavior was influenced by Satan and David was protected by God. Have you ever been passed up for a job you deserved or perhaps you got the job and somebody else is bitter? Are you envious because other children get better grades, are more popular, are better athletics, or bitter because they don’t invite your kid to activities? Are you jealous because someone else is always being recognized at church?

John 13:21-27 When Jesus had said these things, He was troubled in spirit, and testified and said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, one of you will betray Me.” Then the disciples looked at one another, perplexed about whom He spoke. Now there was leaning on Jesus’ bosom one of His disciples, whom Jesus loved. Simon Peter therefore motioned to him to ask who it was of whom He spoke. Then, leaning back on Jesus’ breast, he said to Him, “Lord, who is it?” Jesus answered, “It is he to whom I shall give a piece of bread when I have dipped it.” And having dipped the bread, He gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon. Now after the piece of bread, Satan entered him. Then Jesus said to him, “What you do, do quickly.” This shows you how Satan worked in Judas to come against Jesus. The Spirit of God and the spirit of Satan is an example of conflicting spirits at the highest level. Satan has innumerable spirits below him that he can use to influence you to come against someone and vice versa.

The next Scriptures is about unclean spirits that conflict with your spirit and your spirit of discernment (right and wrong).

Acts 5:3 But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the price of the land for yourself? I included this verse because of the impact that lying has in this world. Ananias lied to cover up his greed. He did not want to be found out, but Peter’s discerned Ananias’s lie. Man lies to cover up his fear. He does not want to be found out or be judged. Man lies to make himself appear to be better than what he is so that he can please man. The point in this is that as we grow closer to the Lord, He sharpens our discernment and lying conflicts with God’s truth as it did with Peter in this example. Unfortunately, there is a Principality of Confusion in this day and age that is clouding our judgment of right and wrong.

Acts 13:8-10 But Elymas the sorcerer (for so his name is translated) withstood them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith. Then Saul, who also is called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him and said, “O full of all deceit and all fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease perverting the straight ways of the Lord? Paul filled with the Holy Spirit conflicted with Elyma’s spirit of deceit and fraud. He did not waste anytime exposing Elymas and charging him with being the son of the devil. We, like Paul must operate in the Holy Spirit to discern and expose evil spirits.

Conflicting spirits within our mind.

Romans 7:21-25 (NLT) I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. I love God’s law with all my heart. But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin. Once we have been saved, the biggest conflict we have is within our mind and we need help to overcome this conflict. I come in contact with believers all the time and I see a false image of happiness when I know they are like everyone else in that they all have conflict they choose to hide. I go to a prayer meeting at Redeemer Temple on Tuesdays and the amazing thing is that this group of people knows their shortcomings and they don’t hide them. They share their burdens (Galatians 6:1-2 Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted. Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ).

Evil influencing the Body of Christ

A quarter of Jesus’s ministry was dealing with demons spirits and casting them out. Do you really think that it is any different now? Just because you can’t see them, you think they are not real? Demon sprits will always be there to conflict with you, your family, and every other believer until the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Unfortunately, the Body of Christ refuses to accept what it says in the Bible about giving us knowledge and authority to overcome the enemy. The Church as a whole refuses to establish deliverance ministries to cast out demons and equip the Body to overcome the enemy. We are afraid to cast out demons because of our fear and being labeled as a kook. Instead, we run from Satan and let him and his fallen angels torment us and ruin our lives.

Are we in conflict with unclean spirits? Yes we are, but we are also in direct conflict with what Jesus instructed us to do, And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; Mark 16:17. How many demons have you cast out of yourself, your family or anyone else? It should be a quarter of our ministry as it was with the ministry of Jesus. We need to imitate the ministry of Jesus as they did in the first century church. Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ 1 Corinthians 11:1.

As believers, the enemy needs to know who we are in God’s Kingdom just as the demons spirits knew who Jesus and Paul were. Acts 19:15 And the evil spirit answered and said, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?

The Church reminds me of how we deal with our government. We just go along with what we are told. We do nothing to enact change.

Put your trust in Jesus, receive the Holy Spirit, and stand in faith. Clothe yourself daily with the full armor of God so that you can stand against satanic plans and schemes of the dark kingdom. By faith, understand that we are in a real spiritual battle and must be alert, watching in prayer and praying in the Spirit. Be committed to overcoming the enemy in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth who came in the flesh………..Amen.

God bless you,

Tony Sanchez

Seven Other Spirits More Wicked Than Himself

10-22-11

I received an understanding this morning. I had just read the Word of God and was praying and out of nowhere I got the following. It is based on Luke 11:24-26, 24 “When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ 25 And when he comes, he finds it swept and put in order. 26 Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first.” I hope I can properly convey in words this understanding. I had trouble understanding what the verse “seven other spirits more wicked than himself” meant.

Once we give ourselves to Jesus we begin our sanctification process. As new believers we make every effort to rid ourselves of our wickedness (sin). We become more mature and start to understand our authority in the name of Jesus. Therefore, we are now known to the dark kingdom and the battle begins. There is a breech and the dark kingdom is on alert and reinforcements are sent. In the Word of God we are given the authority to cast out demons (Mark 16:17). The unclean spirits that we cast out of ourselves (verse 24) have been working in us for many years and they don’t like the dry places. They seek to return to the person they have been cast out of.

26 Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first.” This is the verse that has been puzzling to me. Why has the evil spirit come back with “seven other spirits more wicked than himself?” We have swept and put in order our lives, but that is just the beginning. We are mistaken to think that just because we are saved and have cast out demons that we have nothing to worry about. We can’t be so naïve to think that the dark kingdom has given up on us? The evil spirit that has gone out of you is waiting for you to open up the door of sin for him to come back with his reinforcements. He can’t stand against you and the kingdom of God like he did before when you were an unbeliever. He needs seven more evil than himself to take back the ground he had prior to your conversion. They are more dangerous now and are threat to your relationship with God and your salvation.

Try to put this into perspective using the story of the demon possessed man in the country of Gadarenes. Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” And he answered, saying, “My name is Legion; for we are many.” Mark 5”9. I am sure this man as a little child was his parent’s bundle of joy with almost no sin. He allowed sin in his life that eventually resulted in a legion of demons controlling him. Weren’t we all a bundle of joy before we succumbed to temptation and sinned resulting in evil spirits working in our lives? The difference between this man and us is we have the Word of God to show us how to avoid seven (and many more) other spirits more wicked than himself from returning to your spiritual house.

It is my prayer that this helps you as it has help me.

Tony Sanchez

Adult Temptations

I want to add to the Temptations of the Young that I sent out to you all last week so we can better understand the magnitude of our temptation that we are facing as adults and how the temptation is never ending. We will start with the following verses.

Luke 4:1-13 1 Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, 2 being tempted for forty days by the devil. And in those days He ate nothing, and afterward, when they had ended, He was hungry. 3 And the devil said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” 4 But Jesus answered him, saying, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.’” 5 Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. 6 And the devil said to Him, “All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. 7 Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours.” 8 And Jesus answered and said to him, “Get behind Me, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.’” 9 Then he brought Him to Jerusalem, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here. 10 For it is written: ‘ He shall give His angels charge over you, To keep you,’ 11 and, ‘ In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’” 12 And Jesus answered and said to him, “It has been said, ‘You shall not tempt the LORD your God.’” 13 Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time.

Look at verse 2 where it reads about Jesus being tempted for 40 days. Only three temptations are described in these passages, but were typical of a much wider struggle in which Jesus and the devil engaged. The attacks of Satan continued nonstop for 40 days and continued throughout Jesus’ ministry. Can you imagine being attacked by Satan himself as Jesus was? Of course not. We have enough problems handling Satan’s lesser evil spirits.

The temptations from Satan and his evil spirits will not cease for us either unless we recognize them as Jesus did and rebuke the temptations. Below are temptations from the dark kingdom spirits that we experience each day as a tormentor or as the tormented.

Critical Spirit – Have you ever criticized or been on the receiving end of criticism?
Judgmental Spirit – Have you looked at someone and judged them or been judged?
Lying Spirit – Have you ever exaggerated a story or said something to make you more than what you are? Or lied so that you would not be found out?
Spirit of Slander – Have you ever said something that was not 100% accurate? Does gossip have a stronghold in your life?
Unloving Spirit – Is there someone in your life that you don’t or can’t love including yourself?
Spirit of Anger – Who doesn’t get angry.

This are just a few of the hundreds or even thousands (Mark 5:9 Then He asked him, “What is your name?” And he answered, saying, “My name is Legion; for we are many.”) of sins that have been manifested in your life as a result of temptation. At one time they were only temptations until we succumbed to the enemy. If you don’t believe in spirits or that evil spirits will work in you then you need to read in God’s Word Mark 8:32-33: He spoke this word openly. Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him. But when He had turned around and looked at His disciples, He rebuked Peter, saying, “Get behind Me, Satan! For you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.” Classic example of Satan working through a person to come at Jesus or even you in this present day.

Our temptations are overwhelming. The world is acting out these temptations leading to much sin. The world is degenerating to the point where God will not allow it to go on much longer just as in the days of Noah (Luke 17:26 And as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man).

God has given us a Savior who shows us how to overcome Satan in Luke 4:8 “Get behind Me, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.’” We also are to only worship the Lord our God “and nothing shall by any means hurt you Luke 10:19” if we follow His instructions.

The Day of the Lord Is Coming

2 Peter 3:3-7
Most importantly, I want to remind you that in the last days scoffers will come, mocking the truth and following their own desires. They will say, “What happened to the promise that Jesus is coming again? From before the times of our ancestors, everything has remained the same since the world was first created.” They deliberately forget that God made the heavens by the word of his command, and he brought the earth out from the water and surrounded it with water. Then he used the water to destroy the ancient world with a mighty flood. And by the same word, the present heavens and earth have been stored up for fire. They are being kept for the day of judgment, when ungodly people will be destroyed.

Temptation

Hello all,

Tonight I was at the table with my wife and grandson Zechariah talking about temptation. I was explaining to him that the Word of God is quick and powerful and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart (Hebrews 4:12). There is a difference between a thought and intent. You cannot have intent without a thought, but you can have the thought and not have the intent. Intent is the thought set into motion. You can have un-forgiveness in your heart as a thought, but cast it down as an imagination and it does not go into motion. Temptation is not sin. You can have every evil thought known to man and if you do not have the intent behind it and put it into motion, it is not sin to you. It is just temptation.

Zechariah said “So you can have every evil thought come into your mind and it is not sin?” I told him that this is correct but at the same could be dangerous. Understand that the enemy will keep coming after you with the same thoughts that he knows are a weakness in you and eventually he will wear you down. The enemy will stay after you until you bend and eventually break causing you to sin. The enemy is relentless and his intent is to destroy you. If you are not sinning, the evil spirits are in torment. When you sin, the evil spirits are joyful and you are in torment.

Therefore, it is important to cast down (2 Corinthians 10:5) every temptation in the name of Jesus.

Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

2 Corinthians 10:5 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

It is our responsibility is to teach our young people spiritual things; they must learn to discern the thoughts of their own mind. If the thoughts of their mind do not line up with the Scriptures, it is not of God. There is no middle ground. The top of the fence is not 50 feet wide with you sitting on it. You are either in the kingdom of God or you are in the kingdom of the devil, every minute of your day. It is as simple as that. There is no neutral territory. If you remain neutral, the tormentor wins and you lose. If the tormentor wins, you are worshipping the enemy and not God.

Perhaps, we should remember to apply to our selves, the things we teach our young people above?

God have mercy on us,

Tony Sanchez

Idols - Micah 4

Good morning friends. As I was reading in the book of Micah today, I come across these important verses that I want to share with you.

Micah 4:5 (NLT) Though the nations around us follow their idols, we will follow the Lord our God forever and ever.

Walking in the name of one’s god (idol) indicates identification with that deity. Because human beings are dependent, they take on their deity’s manners and many knowingly or unknowingly are unashamed to have their name associated with a deity as followers. The faithful boldly assert that the only true God is their God, the Lord (Yahweh).

This verse is a stark reminder that prior verses 4:1-4 are yet future, for men are still worshiping other gods.

Micah 4:1-4 (NLT) In the last days, the mountain of the Lord’s house will be the highest of all—the most important place on earth. It will be raised above the other hills, and people from all over the world will stream there to worship. People from many nations will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of Jacob’s God. There he will teach us his ways, and we will walk in his paths.” For the Lord’s teaching will go out from Zion; his word will go out from Jerusalem. The Lord will mediate between peoples and will settle disputes between strong nations far away. They will hammer their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will no longer fight against nation, nor train for war anymore. Everyone will live in peace and prosperity, enjoying their own grapevines and fig trees, for there will be nothing to fear. The Lord of Heaven’s Armies has made this promise!

Who are the idols you associate with? We can look around and most often we can identify our idols if we are really true to ourselves. Most often we fail to look at ourselves as the idol we follow. We exalt our thinking over that of the Living God. Turn to God’s Word to determine if what you are thinking or doing is what is righteous in God’s eyes. Repent and seek the Holy Spirit to help you overcome that which does not align with God.

Blessings to you all,

Tony Sanchez

The Walk of Faith - Book of Daniel

Truth
Daniel and his friends model unyielding faithfulness to God even under the threat of torture and death. The history of God’s people is filled with stories of those who have been willing to give their lives rather than deny their faith. May the testimonies found in this book continually remind us of God’s faithfulness and His presence with those who are called to walk through this ultimate test and sacrifice.

Action
Diligently seek to walk daily in God’s wisdom. Even under the threat of death, Daniel gave wise counsel. Understand that stress exposes a person’s true heart and character. Daniel 2:14 Then with counsel and wisdom Daniel answered Arioch, the captain of the king’s guard, who had gone out to kill the wise men of Babylon

Turn immediately to the Lord when faced with threatening circumstances. Gather others to pray and seek God’s mercy, insight, and strategy with you. Daniel 2:17-18 Then Daniel went to his house, and made the decision known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions, that they might seek mercies from the God of heaven concerning this secret, so that Daniel and his companions might not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.

Be bold in giving glory to God when He enables you to overcome an otherwise impossible situation. Believe that our God can do what no other can and He works miracles. Daniel 2:27-28 Daniel answered in the presence of the king, and said, “The secret which the king has demanded, the wise men, the astrologers, the magicians, and the soothsayers cannot declare to the king. But there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets, and He has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter days. Your dream, and the visions of your head upon your bed, were these:

Believe that God is able to deliver you from even the most difficult circumstances. Be willing to endure the worst rather than deny your faith in the Lord. Commit your life into His loving hands. He will not disappoint you. Daniel 3:16-18 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up.”

In the last days, are you willing to sacrifice all including death of self and of family members to remain faithful to God? Are you preparing for this possibility? Are you ready now?

Our number one priority should be preparing for the coming of Our Lord Jesus Christ by reading the Word of God and applying it to our lives without compromise.

1 Chronicles 16:33 Then the trees of the woods shall rejoice before the LORD, For He is coming to judge the earth.

Joel 2:31 The sun shall be turned into darkness, And the moon into blood, Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the LORD.

Obadiah 1:15 “ For the day of the LORD upon all the nations is near; As you have done, it shall be done to you; Your reprisal shall return upon your own head.

Blessings to you,

Tony Sanchez

Warning - Ezekiel 3:18-21

9/5/2011

I am in the book of Ezekiel who prophesized during the time that Israel was in Babylonian captivity. I was flooded with thoughts on this day and I want to share with you all.

We have a demoralized people in America. We and our ancestors have allowed America to become what it is today because we did not take a stand against evil. We have given in to a wicked society, have become desensitized, and in doing so we have compromised the Word of God. We have depended on others and continue to depend on others when we should be taking a stand against evil in the name of Jesus.

Corporate responsibility has not worked and will not shield the individual believer from our responsibility. Each individual must accept personal responsibility for our national calamity. Each individual is responsible for his or her individual sin. It is the weight of the cumulative sin of each individual that has contributed to the downfall of America and each and every one of us bears a share of the blame.

Three very important personal, relevant lessons can be learned in Ezekiel. First is the importance of individual moral responsibility. Although it is true that God still blesses and corrects entire local churches (Rev 2:3), His primary dealings are with individuals. As such, one cannot appeal to the righteousness of others as his righteous nor need he fear personal correction for the sins of others. Second, Ezekiel teaches that though God is reluctant to discipline His people severely, He must. He is a righteous and jealous God as much as He is merciful and forgiving. Third, Ezekiel assures us that God will ultimately triumph in history. His enemies may be winning battles now, but future judgment will totally destroy them.

“We learn from history that we learn nothing from history.” We can’t allow this statement from Bernard Shaw to apply to us. God never changes. If God brought judgment on Israel, He will do the same with us. He has blessed American with great wealth (spiritual and monetarily) and we spend it on ourselves instead of His Kingdom.

We have a moral and Godly responsibility to take a stand against the dark kingdom and to recognize that we are not to blame others. Rather, we need to look at ourselves. Turn to God for forgiveness and call on the Holy Spirit to help us change.

Ezekiel 3:18-21 (NLT) If I warn the wicked, saying, ‘You are under the penalty of death,’ but you fail to deliver the warning, they will die in their sins. And I will hold you responsible for their deaths. If you warn them and they refuse to repent and keep on sinning, they will die in their sins. But you will have saved yourself because you obeyed me. “If righteous people turn away from their righteous behavior and ignore the obstacles I put in their way, they will die. And if you do not warn them, they will die in their sins. None of their righteous acts will be remembered, and I will hold you responsible for their deaths. But if you warn righteous people not to sin and they listen to you and do not sin, they will live, and you will have saved yourself, too.”

Thoughts - Imanginations - Strongholds

I put the following together this past week so that we have some insight on how our thoughts affect us either good or bad. It is my prayer that it assists you in the battle for your mind. Please share as you feel lead.

Have a happy holiday weekend.

Tony Sanchez

Thoughts – Every day we are bombarded with thoughts that are pleasant and thoughts that are not so pleasant. The pleasant thoughts reflect God. The evil thoughts come from the enemy and can be thoughts such as bitterness, un-forgiveness, worry, coveting, pride fullness, lustfulness, day dreaming and even thoughts of our past sins. Is it weird how our worst sins from the past appear out of nowhere even though you have been forgiven? Evil thoughts can come in waves and will continue as long as the enemy is there to both tempt us and torment us. The Word of God tells us we should be “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 We have an obligation to confront any thought that does not bring glory to God and to bring it into captivity.

Imaginations – Imagination means to form a mental picture of. Every sinful thought that is not held captive will become rooted in our imagination. Evil thoughts will now be ever present and we mill these thoughts over and over. As time goes on, our imagination goes wild and we are reaching a point where we are in danger of losing control of our thoughts. God warns us in the beginning of His Word that “the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth” Genesis 8:21.
Strongholds – At this point we are not serving God because we have not controlled our thoughts and these sins have become the focal point of our thought process and our life. These strongholds do great damage to us and everyone around us. We are consumed with these thoughts and nothing else matters even though we don’t want to be in bondage to these thoughts. We may not see the light of God because we are consumed by our thoughts. Nothing matters to us except our thoughts.

What is the solution? – We take responsibility. 2 Corinthians 10:4 (NLT) We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments. Ezekiel 18:30 tells us to REPENT! Does God do your repenting for you or do you do it for yourself? You must take responsibility and recognize your sin. You have to confess your sin to God and REPENT on your own. God is not going to turn you away from your sin for you. So turn yourselves away from your sin. 1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Jesus Christ has already done everything for you at the cross. A popular belief is to think that we don’t have any work left to do. That is not what the Bible says. We as sons and daughters have a responsibility to do it ourselves. He is going to work with us as a work of the Holy Spirit. He has given us His Word. He has given us His love as a Father to us. God the Father has given us the Lord Jesus, which is the Word. He has given us the Holy Spirit Who gives us the power to overcome sin and then leads us into all truth. He has given us Himself. Now He expects us to do something with it.

If you cannot subdue yourself, you cannot subdue kingdoms. If you cannot establish the Kingdom of God in your own life, He cannot trust you to establish the Kingdom of God anywhere else. Being a son of God means you are not only a son of God by faith, but you are a son of God in reality.

So, if you are a son, you will be faithful to your Father and you will establish His kingdom in the earth. Luke 22:29 And I bestow upon you a kingdom, just as My Father bestowed one upon Me. That means you will cast out those thoughts from the enemy in the name of Jesus Christ. Luke 11:20 But if I cast out demons with the finger of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you.

AMEN and AMEN!

Do Not Accept Rejection

Greetings to all,

I was at our every Tuesday prayer meeting last night and I was thinking of all the rejection that is out there. Rejection that kids experience due to lack of love, lack of involvement of the parents, divorce, and rejection from peers. Rejection that adults experience because our parents did not show their love. Rejection that wives or husbands experience due to lack of communication and love. Rejections from family and friends. Rejection from our places of employment for lack of recognition or gratitude. Rejection from our church.

And as our gracious Lord is prone to do at times and according to His will, he gave me this thought to say when I feel rejected;

You have not rejected me Father God. Therefore, I will not accept being rejected by man.

Deuteronomy 31:6 Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the LORD your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake (reject) you.”

Deuteronomy 31:8 And the LORD, He is the One who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake (reject) you; do not fear nor be dismayed.”

If we guard our thoughts and put our trust in God, we would not have fear and rejection in our lives.

Psalm 56:11 In God I have put my trust; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?
Hebrews 13:6 So we may boldly say: “ The LORD is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?”


Blessings to you all,

What Law Are We Under?

Question: "What is the law of Christ?"

Answer: Galatians 6:2 states, “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ” (emphasis added). What exactly is the law of Christ, and how is it fulfilled by carrying each other’s burdens? While the law of Christ is also mentioned in 1 Corinthians 9:21, the Bible nowhere specifically defines what precisely is the law of Christ. However, most Bible teachers understand the law of Christ to be what Christ stated were the greatest commandments in Mark 12:28-31, “… ’Which commandment is the more important of all?’ Jesus answered, ‘The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.’”

The law of Christ, then, is to love God with all of our being, and to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. In Mark 12:32-33, the scribe who asked Jesus the question responds with “…to love Him with all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself, is much more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.” In this, Jesus and the scribe agreed that those two commands are the core of the entire Old Testament Law. All of the Old Testament Law can be placed in the categories of “loving God” or “loving your neighbor.”

Various New Testament scriptures state that Jesus fulfilled the Old Testament Law, bringing it to completion and conclusion (Romans 10:4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes; Galatians 3:23-25 But before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law, kept for the faith which would afterward be revealed. Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor; Ephesians 2:15 He did this by ending the system of law with its commandments and regulations. He made peace between Jews and Gentiles by creating in himself one new people from the two groups NLT). In place of the Old Testament Law, Christians are to obey the law of Christ. Rather than trying to remember the over 600 individual commandments in the Old Testament Law, Christians are simply to focus on loving God and loving others. If Christians would truly and wholeheartedly obey those two commands, we would be fulfilling everything that God requires of us.

Christ freed us from the bondage of the hundreds of commands in the Old Testament Law and instead calls on us to love. 1 John 4:7-8 declares, “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.” 1 John 5:3 continues, “This is love for God: to obey His commands. And His commands are not burdensome.”

Some use the fact that we are not under the Old Testament Law as an excuse to sin. The Apostle Paul addresses this very issue in Romans chapter 5. What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not! (Romans 6:15). For the follower of Christ, the avoidance of sin is to be accomplished out of love for God and love for others. Love is to be our motivation. When we recognize the value of Jesus’ sacrifice on our behalf, our response is to be love, gratitude, and obedience. When we understand the sacrifice Jesus made for us and others, our response is to be to follow His example in expressing love to others. Our motivation for overcoming sin should be love, not a desire to legalistically obey a series of commandments. We are to obey the law of Christ because we love Him, not so that we can check off a list of commands that we successfully obeyed.

Let us look at Matthew 22:37-40 Jesus said to him, “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” The dictionary gives us these definitions of hang. 1. Something to hang our hopes on 2. Give heed to 3. Hold on tightly. So the Law and what the Prophets said are now under the two commandments above.

We need to be clear that although we are not under the Law, we still need to know who God is, His likes and dislikes, and what God has to say in the Old Testament about sin and the sinful nature of His people. The Old Testament gives us blueprint to follow in order to obey these two commandments and we need to rely on the Holy Spirit as we apply these two commandments to our lives. Galatians 5:18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

Jesus in His sermon on the mount gives us clear understanding of the law and how He came to fulfill the law and not to ignore even the smallest detail of God’s law and His commandments.

Matthew 5:17-20 “Don’t misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to accomplish their purpose. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not even the smallest detail of God’s law will disappear until its purpose is achieved. So if you ignore the least commandment and teach others to do the same, you will be called the least in the Kingdom of Heaven. But anyone who obeys God’s laws and teaches them will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven. “But I warn you—unless your righteousness is better than the righteousness of the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven!

Again, although we are not under the law, we are to keep His commandments. His commandments are given in the Old Testament, carry over to the New Testament and if we love Him, we will etch them in our heart.

John 14:21 He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.”

Proverbs 3:1-3 My son, do not forget my law, But let your heart keep my commands; For length of days and long life And peace they will add to you. Let not mercy and truth forsake you; Bind them around your neck, Write them on the tablet of your heart

Thank you Lord for having so many resources available for us to have clear understanding on questions that arise. Amen

Tony Sanchez

Generational Gap

Can we bridge the generation gap?
Roger Meyer (guest columnist)

The older generation sees the younger generation and complains, "You can’t find young people who are reliable and willing to work hard." The younger generation sees the older generation and complains, "Old people should retire. It’s a new day and a new way." Why is there tension between the generations?
Under pressure from the economic downturn, facing an uncertain economic future, many of the older generation are hanging on to their jobs. They find themselves working next to people much younger—perhaps even three or four decades younger. The multigenerational workforce is experiencing tension as Generation X and the "Millennials" come into conflict with the "Baby Boom" generation.

It is commonly observed that each generation has a different overall approach to life—different values and perspectives about career, and even a different expression of the work ethic. Each has different ideas, attitudes and behaviors about work and life. Each handles difficulties and challenges from its own unique perspective, and communicates in its own style and method.

Each new generation has been shaped by the different economic conditions it has faced, the different approaches to parenting and education it has adopted, and the difference in social mores, political philosophies and religious preferences.

The Traditionalist, (or Silent, Senior or Veteran) generation in the United States is often defined as being born between 1920 and 1945. Fewer than 25 percent of its approximately 75 million are in the workforce. Baby Boomers, the largest generation, are then defined as the approximately 80 million born between 1946 and 1964. Generation X is defined as those born between 1965 and 1980, and Generation Y (sometimes called "Millennials" or "Echo Boomers") as those born between 1981 and 1994.

Traditionalists are generally respectful of authority—they are conformers and are disciplined. Boomers typically question authority, and Generation X is noted for self-reliance. To Generation Y, work is a means to an end, while to Traditionalists work is an obligation. Boomers tend to be team players, while Traditionalists are typically individualists. Although these are stereotypical generalizations, we can easily see how these generational differences can lead to conflicts.

When He created human beings, the all-wise God knew there would be differences in generations, so He has given us instructions about our relationships with each other. For instance, "You shall rise before the gray headed and honor the presence of an old man, and fear your God: I am the Lord" (Leviticus 19:32). The NIV translates this verse, "Stand up in the presence of the aged, show respect for the elderly and revere your God. I am the Lord." Similarly, the Apostle Peter wrote: "Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another" (1 Peter 5:5). Following these instructions alone would resolve many workplace conflicts.

What about those times when a younger person must supervise a member of an older generation? Notice what Paul wrote to the young evangelist Timothy. "Do not rebuke an older man, but exhort him as a father, younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, younger women as sisters, with all purity" (1 Timothy 5:1-2). Paul also wrote, "Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity" (1 Timothy 4:12). Paul’s instructions can be applied generally in the workplace. The young can be a good example to their elders, conducting themselves in ways that earn respect.

Likewise, the older generations should set a right example. Paul instructed "that the older men be sober, reverent, temperate, sound in faith, in love, in patience; the older women likewise, that they be reverent in behavior, no slanderers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things" (Titus 2:2-3).

Father God In Our Family

Are You Representing God The Father To Your Family?

The greatest commandment in Scripture is this: “Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength” (Deuteronomy 6:5). Going back to verse 2, we read, “So that you, your children and their children after them may fear the LORD your God as long as you live by keeping all his decrees and commands that I give you, and so that you may enjoy long life.” Following Deuteronomy 6:5, we read, “These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up” (vv. 6-7).

Israelite history reveals that the father was to be diligent in instructing his children in the ways and words of the Lord for their own spiritual development and well-being. The father who was obedient to the commands of Scripture did just that. This brings us to Proverbs 22:6, “Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.” To “train” indicates the first instruction that a father and mother give to a child. The training is designed to make clear to children the manner of life they are intended for.

Ephesians 6:4 is a summary of instructions to the father, stated in both a negative and positive way. “Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.” The negative part of this verse indicates that a father is not to foster negativity in his children by severity, injustice, partiality, or unreasonable exercise of authority. Harsh, unreasonable conduct towards a child will only serve to nurture evil in the heart. The word “provoke” means “to irritate, exasperate, rub the wrong way, or incite.” This is done by a wrong spirit and wrong methods—severity, unreasonableness, sternness, harshness, cruel demands, needless restrictions, and selfish insistence upon dictatorial authority. Such provocation will produce adverse reactions, deadening children’s affection, reducing their desire for holiness, and making them feel that they cannot possibly please their parents. A wise parent seeks to make obedience desirable and attainable by love and gentleness.

The positive part of Ephesians 6:4 is expressed in a comprehensive direction—educate them, bring them up, develop their conduct in all of life by the instruction and admonition of the Lord. This is the whole process of educating and discipline. The word “admonition” carries the idea of reminding the child of faults (constructively) and duties (responsibilities).

I would like to conduct a survey. How many men don’t remember your earthy farther saying “I love you” or if he did, you did not believe him because of the way he said it, acted or treated you? Raise your hand. Prior surveys resulted in 90% of the men raising their hand. Many have said “I know he loved me”. We need more. We need to hear it. Raise your hand if you did not remember your earthly father saying he loves you or if he did, you did not believe it because of the way he acted or treated you?

The spiritual head of the family should represent Father God to our wife and children. We are to think, speak, act, as God has intended us to do as spiritual head of the family. Unfortunately, we have not done a good job. No excuse, but many of us have not had a father that has represented God the Father. We have not had a good example.

Most of us may have known our earthly father to be on a throne with lightning bolts in his hand looking to pounce on us at every opportunity and not knowing what kind of mood he is in or not knowing what he is going to do next. He brought ungodly fear to us from his throne. This is not what God wanted us to feel. He wanted us to feel safe and secure. We have a break down on how to represent our Heavenly Father to our wives and children.

1 Corinthians 11:3 But I want you to know that the head of every man is Christ, the head of woman is man, and the head of Christ is God. This is Godly order. The head of every man is Jesus Christ and we should present ourselves to our family as Jesus Christ has presented Himself to us. The first words to my wife every morning should be “I love you. You are a good wife.” The first words to my kids in morning should be “I love you son/daughter. You are a good boy/girl.” These same words should be repeated throughout the day if necessary so that they feel the love of God the father through us. Trick question: What should be the last words we say to our family before bedtime?

Matthew 22:37-40 Jesus said to him, “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor (wife/ children) as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”

The order of the home should be God the Father in all that we do. John 14:28 Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.” They need to feel the love of God through us. We are not to bring wrath to our wives, kids, or anyone else.

Isaiah 1:16-17 “Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; Put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes. Cease to do evil, Learn to do good; Seek justice, Rebuke the oppressor; Defend the fatherless, Plead for the widow. Who are the fatherless? Fathers, who have died. Absent fathers due to divorce, work, TV, internet, hobbies, or lack of involvement. Fathers who have deserted their children or wives (could be called widowed wives even though the husband is alive).

Our prisons are full of men because they did not have a father that represented God the Father in heaven. I want to share a prison story with you about a greeting card company who wanted to get involved helping prisoners send Mother’s Day cards. The announcement went out to the prisoners. They just simply had to address the cards and the card company would send the cards. 100% of the inmates participated. It was very successful. The Mother’s Day cards worked out so good they decided to do the same for Father’s Day. Unfortunately, when Father’s Day cards were announced, not one prisoner participated.

This story shows us what is lacking in the lives of these prisoners-an earthly father that represents our God in heaven. They have not received the love of their father, the comfort the father brings, and the example needed to be a father to their children. They have received rejection, abandonment, and an unloving spirit from their fathers. They have bitterness and un-forgiveness. There is a breech and it has to be repaired so they can know the love of the father for healing. Isaiah 58:12 ……You shall raise up the foundations of many generations; And you shall be called the Repairer of the Breach, The Restorer of Streets to Dwell In.

It also shows you how the Mothers have become the head of the family. Mothers should not be the matriarch of the family. God set up man as the patriarch or head over the family. Fathers and husbands are the ones who are called to represent God as the father to his family just as if it were God Himself.

The Christian father is really an instrument in God's hand. The whole process of instruction and discipline must be that which God commands and which He administers, so that His authority should be brought into constant and immediate contact with the mind, heart, and conscience of the wife and children. The human father should never present himself as the ultimate authority to determine truth and duty. It is only by making God the teacher and ruler on whose authority everything is done that the goals of education can best be attained.

Ephesians 1:17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him

Prayer:

Father God, we ask you to give us knowledge, wisdom and the strength to represent You as fathers and husbands to our families.

Amen

Blessings to you all,

Revival Prayer For All The Ages

2 Chronicles 7:14 if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

This verse reveals in principle a revival prayer applicable to God’s people in any age. The context follows Solomon’s dedicatory prayer for the temple. One that focuses the responsibility of any people to seek God for mercy after sin has brought its desolation, plague, and judgments. This verse summarizes God’s chosen way of restoration which is through the prayers of His people. This is a guide for prayers for revival in all places so that we can: 1) Humble ourselves (rather than God doing it to us); 2) pray for a fuller revelation of God’s glory to His people (seek His face); 3) turn from everything that contradicts the spirit and direction of our prayers (true repentance). The promised results: God will hear this prayer, will cleanse from sin, and will bring healing where it is needed for the church, for the nation, and for the people.

Blessings to you,

Tony Sanchez

Growth in the Spirit

All,

I pray all is going well in your lives.

Guidelines for Growth in the Spirit

John’s Gospel introduces the Holy Spirit’s role in spiritual growth. The New Birth and the baptism with the Holy Spirit endow the believer with the life and gifts of the Holy Spirit, including the ability to pray in Spirit power. The Holy Spirit is our Teacher, Helper, Advocate, and Guide. He is our source of true spiritual understanding. He lifts up Jesus and builds up believers, enabling them to live the Christian life.

Understand that perceiving the kingdom of God and entering it are impossible without spiritual birth.

John 3:3 Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

Understand that the Holy Spirit enables God’s people to understand and live by the truth.

John 14:25-26 “These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.

Ask the Holy Spirit to bring conviction to people’s hearts. Understand that is one of His primary ministries.

John 16:8-11 And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: of sin, because they do not believe in Me; of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.

Understand that knowing the truth of God’s Word is made possible by the Holy Spirit.

John 16:12-15 “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you.

Walk In Faith

The Walk of Faith

As we walk in faith, we must learn to see our present circumstances in light
of the future promises of God. Though we are works in progress now, we have
hope knowing that God will complete the work He is doing in us. We can
endure suffering now because we know that it is momentary compared to the
eternity we will spend in the glorious presence of Jesus. We can be content
in every circumstance now, knowing that we will have all of
God's riches in glory. Walk by faith and set your eyes on Jesus until you
see Him face to face.

1. Believe with confidence that God will accomplish the good work He started
in you. Philippians 1:6 being confident of this very thing, that He who has
begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;

2. Recognize and embrace the truth that the life of faith often involves
suffering for Jesus' sake. Know with confidence that Jesus is present with
you amid suffering. Philippians 1:29-30 For to you it has been granted on
behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His
sake, 30 having the same conflict which you saw in me and now hear is in me.

3. Learn to be content in all circumstances. Contentment will bring great
freedom to your life. Philippians 4:11-12 I am not complaining about having
too little. I have learned to be satisfied with whatever I have. I know
what it is to be poor or to have plenty, and I have lived under all kinds of
conditions. I know what it means to be full or to be hungry, to have too
much or too little. (CEV)

4. Believe that when God asks you to do something, He is able to provide the
strength you need to do it. Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through
Christ who strengthens me.

I pray you all are blessed by this. May God be by your side forever and
ever.

Tony

Unforgiveness

Mathew 6:14-15 “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Mathew 18:20-22 21 Then Peter came to Him and said, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.

Mathew 18:35 “So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses.”

Mark 11:26 But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses.”

Luke 6:37 “Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.

What happens when we get offended? We are in conflict with one another but we need to realize that they are not my enemy and I am not their enemy. Do you know the problem we have? We are not able to separate the person from their sin. Their sin is our enemy. Not them! Therefore, they have power over you ( they may not even know it) when you remain offended and do not forgiven them.

When someone violates us, we make him or her evil along with the evil they did, don’t we? You have to be able to separate people from their sin. God did not create you from the foundation of the world as a sinner. He created you from the foundation of the world as saints before Him and His sons and daughter forever. Because of sin, we have become separated from Him. Even after conversion, we still have many things to work out.

If we don’t forget the offense it opens up the door for the spirit of bitterness to set in.

1. Unforgiveness – When the root of bitterness in Hebrews gets a foothold, the first thing that happens is a record of wrongs. Hebrews 12:15 Look after each other so that none of you fails to receive the grace of God. Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you, corrupting many. (NLT). How many of you are still having flashbacks about things having been done against you? If I mention Aunt Sally’s name you would probably be able to give me 15 reasons why you do not like her. This is unforgiveness. After unforgiveness gets a foothold and creates a record of wrong, there’s another dimension of the spiritual dynamics. This is called resentment.

2. Resentment – Resentment is the record of wrongs being fueled by feelings of holding onto it and starting to meditate or chew on it. When we have feelings of resentment, we think of them in our mind (soul) and we feel them in our heart (spirit). Resentment, bitterness, and unforgiveness are spiritual problems, not psychological problems.

3. Retaliation – After resentment gets a foothold, then we have retaliation. After resentment has started to simmer, we find ways to get back at the person who caused it. Retaliation wants to make the person pay. It’s time to get even!
4. Anger – After retaliation gets a foothold, then anger starts to set in. Unforgiveness, resentment and retaliation have been building and now a real strong feeling of anger comes along.

5. Hatred – After anger sets in, there comes hatred. Hatred says this: “Because I’m remembering what you did to me, because I have really been meditating on it and I really resent it, I’m going to get even. Hatred says: “There’s no reason for you and I to be in the same place together. There’s no reason for you to exist on this planet anymore. Hatred starts to develop into the elimination modality (state of mind)

6. Violence – After hatred comes violence. Violence says this: “Before I eliminate you, you are going to feel my pain. You are going to hear my voice. You are going to know my hatred. You are going to experience my hatred.

7. Murder – Once violence erupts, the final fruit of bitterness is murder. This can be actual physical murder or murder with the tongue which is character assassination (slander) or verbal abuse. When hatred, violence and murder are in someone’s life, they feel they are justified and everybody else is going to pay the price.

If any one of these seven areas answering to bitterness exists, all of the preceding ones will be there from the one area. If left unchecked, all the rest will surely come.

Forgiveness: What God Expects of Us – 70x7

Jesus was teaching and Peter asked the Lord, how often should I forgive my brother? Up to seven times? Jesus said, No, I do not say until seven times; I say to you seventy times seven. Mathew 18:20-22 21 Then Peter came to Him and said, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.

Every minute of your day when your brother blows it regarding the same issue- minute by minute, hour by hour, day by day, release him. In releasing him, you release yourself. Do as the Lord instructs. Be in obedience to God and He will release you.

You do not need to carry someone else’s sin. You are not to judge him and his sin (Matthew 7:1 Judge not, that you be not judged). God will judge him. Your job is to release them, get back before God, get your heart right with God, and keep on moving forward in forgiveness to all that offend you. Your freedom does not depend on their resolution; it depends on your resolution.

When you forgive others, you are not letting them off the hook but giving them to God, still wiggling on the hook. You are now off the hook.

When you forgive someone, you continue to hate their sin, but you are commanded to love them. (1 John 4:21 And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also, 1 John 4:12…If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us). To forgive, you do not have to condone their sin.

Ask the Lord who you need to forgive?
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Adversaries and Prayer

Just a quick note for you on this wonderful Tuesday morning.

PRAYER - "Adversaries and Prayer"

The best way to deal with your enemies is to go to prayer first of all. It is a dangerous thing to tangle with your enemies before presenting the situation to God. A cool head, a quiet tongue and an earnest prayer is a better strategy than a carnally-minded confrontation that will almost certainly produce bad results. Pray for those who spitefully come against you (accusations) or use you. Let God work on the situation before you make a big mess of it.

Psalms 109:2-4
For the mouth of the wicked and the mouth of the deceitful
Have opened against me;
They have spoken against me with a lying tongue.
3 They have also surrounded me with words of hatred,
And fought against me without a cause.
4 In return for my love they are my accusers,
But I give myself to prayer.


Blessings to you all,

Tony Sanchez

The Book of Jude

Jude teaches us to grow in Godliness
There have always been those who attempt to divert God’s people from their main purpose. God knows how to deal with the rebellious, but believers are warned not to participate with any such persons. The wicked appeals to the lusts of the eye, lusts of the flesh, and to inordinate pride. They will pretend to love God, appear to do good works, but on close examination they are as fruitless as the fig tree that Jesus cursed. The wise will be able to identify those whose object is to be god, rather than to serve God. It will take a deep spiritual heart to know how to reach any who are deep into evil without being contaminated....hating the sin but still loving the sinner.

Jude Invites us to:
V. 3 Contend strongly for biblical faith. Accept no form of alteration
V. 4 Reject anyone who teaches that grace is “God’s permission to sin.” Understand that such teaching is godlessness.
V. 8-19 Beware of teachers whose behavior or teaching includes such things as:
1. Licentious behavior
2. Disrespect or rejection of authority
3. Greed or love of money
4. Empty promises
5. Straying from biblical truth
6. Grumbling and complaining
7. Critical, divisive, and destructive behavior
8. Motivation by personal gain
9. Self-promotion
10. Flattery of others when it is to his advantage
V. 20, 21 Pray continuously in the Spirit for self-edification and the building up of your faith. Persist in loving attitudes and behavior through the Holy Spirit
V. 23 Use wisdom and discernment when dealing with those who are in error or in sin.

We fully acknowledge that only by the working and grace of God is anyone able to come joyfully into His presence in blameless worship. He is the lawful Ruler of every life. Our God is King of the Universe How blessed we are to serve him. Trust God’s ability to bring you blameless into His presence (V. 24,25).

Jude 3 Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.
Jude 4 For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ.
Jude 8-19 Likewise also these dreamers defile the flesh, reject authority, and speak evil of dignitaries. 9 Yet Michael the archangel, in contending with the devil, when he disputed about the body of Moses, dared not bring against him a reviling accusation, but said, “The Lord rebuke you!” 10 But these speak evil of whatever they do not know; and whatever they know naturally, like brute beasts, in these things they corrupt themselves. 11 Woe to them! For they have gone in.
Jude 20-21 But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, 21 keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.
Jude 23 but others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh
Jude 24-25 Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, And to present you faultless Before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, To God our Savior, Who alone is wise, Be glory and majesty, Dominion and power, Both now and forever, Amen

Blessings to you all,

Tony Sanchez

Hope

Greetings all.

1 Thessalonians 1:2-3 We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers, 3 remembering without ceasing your work of faith, labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the sight of our God and Father...

Hope, not in the sense of an optimistic outlook or wishful thinking without any foundation, but the sense of confident expectation based on solid certainty. Biblical hope rests on God’s promises, particularly those pertaining to Christ’s return. So certain is the future of the redeemed that the New Testament sometime speaks of future events in the past tense, as though they were already accomplished. Hope is never inferior to faith, but is an extension of faith. Faith is the present possession of grace; hope is the confidence in grace’s future accomplishment.

Blessings

Reconciled In Jesus Christ

Colossians 1:19-21 For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, 20 and by Him to reconcile (bring back) all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross. 21 And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled.

Christ’s Blood Satisfies Holiness, Thereby Making Peace. Mankind was separated from God because of sin and had no acceptable offering to satisfy the demands of God’s holy nature. God sent Jesus Christ to provide an acceptable sacrifice for sin, establishing a bond with those who received Him, thereby making peace. It was specifically the blood Jesus Christ shed on the cross that satisfied the demand of God’s holiness, established a peace bond or covenant with those who received Him, and provided the means for all of creation to be reconciled to God. Leviticus 17:11 declares that sin cannot be forgiven without the shedding of blood. Because sin takes life, life is required to repay sin’s debts. Jesus Christ gave divine life in blood to satisfy all mankind’s sin debts and to restore covenant peace between God and man.

Leviticus 17:11 For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul.’

Ephesians 2:13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

Revelation 12:11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.


Blessings,

Tony Sanchez

Are You Prepared For His Coming?

I find it quite amazing that very little has been said about how to prepare for the coming of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I have been thinking about this subject for months and I have been preparing notes and Scripture on this subject for weeks but I had to wait on the Lord until now to direct me on how to share.

Many folks think that being “Saved” is good enough to get you ready for His coming and entrance into the Kingdom of GOD. This is not what the Bible says in Mathew and other Scriptures.

Matthew 7:13-14 13 (“Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it).

Matthew 7:21-23 21 (“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!)

In Revelation the seven churches are referenced and the Lukewarm Church is one we will focus on.

Revelation 3:15-16 (“I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth).

Does the Lukewarm Church remind you of our Church of today? Do we worship God on Sundays and the rest of the week we worship Satan? How many of you will deny this? Take time to add up the time you spend with GOD and the time you spend with this world. Will GOD vomit you out of His mouth? One cannot intentionally be living in violation of GOD’s precepts and expect His promises to be fulfilled.

Let us look at Galatians 5:19-21 (Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of GOD).

Can we translate what Paul says that those who habitually practice those things against GOD with a hardened heart as a way of life, they shall not inherit the kingdom of GOD? It is important to understand that grace and mercy does not absolve us from responsibility for holiness. Romans 6:1-2 1 (What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?)

We tend to make everything so complicated when relying on the doctrine of man. I will use one word that will make it simple to understand and will be the key to answering the question above. That word is SANCTIFIED!!!!!!!!

The definition of SANCTIFIED is:

1. To make holy; set apart as sacred
2. To purify or free from sin: Sanctify your hearts
3. To make productive of or conducive to spiritual blessings.

Acts 26:17-18 (NIV) (I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’)

We want our whole spirit, soul, and body sanctified and preserved blameless when Jesus returns.

1 Thessalonians 5:23 (Now may the GOD of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ).

How do we sanctify ourselves in Our Lord Jesus Christ? We make every effort to live our lives without sin and if we sin, we need to confess our sins immediately and ask God for forgiveness. Can we eliminate sin completely? The answer is no.

It is fair to say and all believers will agree that we sin often. What we don’t realize is the frequency and magnitude of our sin each and every day. Let me give you examples below:

1. Anxiety, stress, and fear (Haggai 2:5….. so My Spirit remains among you; do not fear!) causing you to worry. We worry about our jobs, health, economy, money family, terrorist, relatives, people that offend us, robbers, predators, etc. Matthew 6:25 (“Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?)

2. Judgmental or Critical of the Church or someone you know. Ecclesiastes 3:17 (“GOD will bring into judgment both the righteous and the wicked, for there will be a time for every activity, a time to judge every deed.”)

3. Slander, gossip, or a busybody. Psalm 101:5 (whoever secretly slanders his neighbor, Him I will destroy; The one who has a haughty look and a proud heart, Him I will not endure.)

4. Exaggeration of stories, accomplishments, credentials, white lie, or partial truths. Exodus 20:16 (“You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor).

5. Coveting power, position, big house, high paying job, money, and stuff. Hebrews 13:5 (Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”)

6. Idolizing sport teams and heroes, your kids, spouses, bosses, media stars, and singers. 1 Corinthians 10:14 (Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.)

7. Murmur and complaining. 1 Corinthians 10:10 (nor complain, as some of them also complained, and were destroyed by the destroyer.)

8. Prideful. (Proverbs 29:23 (A man’s pride will bring him low, But the humble in spirit will retain honor.)

9. Anger. Colossians (NIV) 3:8 (But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Has your wrath come against your family or someone you know?)

10. Tithe. All you have belongs to GOD and tithing is not an option. You can do much more with GOD’s 90% than your 100%. Malachi 3:8 (“Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, ‘In what way have we robbed You? In tithes and offerings.” Not only does GOD want you to tithe but He wants offerings above your tithe.)

11. Theft. Matthew 15:18-19 (But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies.)
If it were possible to have Jesus in the flesh hang out with you for a few days would you be doing these things? I am here to tell you that Jesus may not be hanging out with you in the flesh, but He is there watching your every move. Ask yourself this question: Will what I say or do bring glory to GOD?

Let’s turn our attention back to how we become sanctified in Our Lord and Savior Jesus Chris. Basically speaking, we all need to turn away from sin. We need to switch from our method of operation to God’s method of operation.

Below are 8 keys to wholeness and freedom (Henry Wright – A More Excellent Way).

1. Recognize – You must recognize your sin.
2. Responsibility – You must take responsibility for what you recognized as sin.
3. Repent – Repent to God for participating with what you recognize as sin.
4. Renounce – You must make what you recognize your enemy and renounce it.
5. Remove it – Get rid of your sin once and for all.
6. Resist – Resist sin when it tries to come back.
7. Rejoice – Give God thanks for setting you free of your sin.
8. Restore – Show someone else how to be set free.

I want to share with you what has helped my family in dealing with sin. Man sins throughout the day and most believers do not deal with sin (fear, lying, worry, anger, slander, coveting, idolatry, etc.) until the end of the day if at all. The problem with this method is we forget most of our sins and go to bed buried in sin without confessing our sins to God. Our goal should be to confess our sins the very second they occur so that we don’t forget. As we recognize and confess our sins throughout the day, God will work in our heart so that we don’t continue to repeat our sins. Therefore, we began on a path to sanctification in Jesus Christ.

The Word of God is critical in being sanctified in Jesus Christ. I heard a recent sermon from a pastor who admitted reading only a few Bible verses each morning. I was shocked to hear this from this pastor who is the leader of this Church. First, he gave the congregation a license to read only a few verses a day. Second, he took and minimized what the Bible means to all of us in John 1:1-3 (In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made). Third, relying on the doctrine of man (his own thinking) will result in destruction. Henry Wright said “I have not found anyone who has mastered the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. Every time I think I understand the Word, I go and read it some more and I see something new in there that I didn’t see before.”

God’s Word has been there from the beginning and we can’t attempt to be sanctified in Jesus Christ without God’s Word We need to be firmly rooted in God’s Word if we are to partake in the fivefold ministry (Ephesians 4:11) as not to be sifted like wheat by Satan. Luke 22:31 (And the Lord said, “Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat). This also applies each and every one of us. By not knowing God’s Word, we open ourselves to the attacks from the dark kingdom. Satan does not discriminate. Satan will go after you. He will go after your children to get to you. He will go after your marriage. He will go after your job. He will go after your health. He will go after your Church He will go after you mind.

Understand, Satan always wants to be like the Most High GOD and will guise himself in order to accommodate himself to men. Satan wants you to worship him and based on our sin, Satan is doing a good job. Are you in rebellion? Are you being stubborn? Are you rejecting GODS word? 1 Samuel (For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, And stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, He also has rejected you from being king.”)

Acts 8:22 (Contemporary English Version) Get rid of these evil thoughts and ask God to forgive you. GOD is the only one between you and destruction. Choose the light.


• The light of Jesus brings sight to both the spiritually and physically blind. Do the works of Jesus while there is still opportunity. (John 8:12)

• By faith enter into abundant life through Jesus who is the door. Understand that only though Jesus will you find eternal life, because Jesus, the Good Shepherd, gave His life for you. (John 10:7-18)

• Come to the Father through Jesus. Jesus is the Way to God that you have sought. He is the Truth for which you have searched. He is the Life which you have longed. (John 14:6)

• The Holy Spirit is our Teacher, Helper, Advocate, and Guide. He is our source of true spiritual understanding. (John 14:16, 15:26, 16:13)

Brothers and Sisters, we are getting to the end of the age. Don’t become unbelieving Believers. Prepare for the coming of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It is my prayer that you be sanctified in Jesus Christ.

Ephesians 5:27 that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.

Luke 13:3 I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.”

1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Acts 17:30-31 Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead.”

AMEN and AMEN!