Baptism of the Holy Spirit

The Baptism of the Holy Spirit

 

 

What God’s Word has to say about the Baptism of the Holy Spirit.

 

Matthew 3:11 I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

 

Mark 1:8 I indeed baptized you with water, but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

 

Luke 3:16 John answered, saying to all, “I indeed baptize you with water; but One mightier than I is coming, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire

 

John 1:33 I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’.

 

Acts 1:5 for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”

 

The words of others, Old Testament and New Testament, On the Baptism of the Holy Spirit.

 

Isaiah 28:11-12  For with stammering lips and another tongue  He will speak to this people, To whom He said, “This is the rest with which  You may cause the weary to rest,” And, “This is the refreshing”;  Yet they would not hear.  Compare with: 1 Corinthians 13:21 In the law it is written: “With men of other tongues and other lips  I will speak to this people; And yet, for all that, they will not hear Me,”  says the Lord.

                                                                      

Why the Baptism of the Holy Spirit?

 

Luke 24:49  Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.”

 

Indwelling Power for our lives.

 

Acts 1:8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

 

John 7:37-39 On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

 

The Early Church and the Baptism of the Holy Spirit:

 

Acts 1:2 until the day in which He was taken up, after He through the Holy Spirit had given commandments to the apostles whom He had chosen.  Acts 9:17 And Ananias went his way and entered the house; and laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you came, has sent me that you may receive your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” 

Acts 10:44-48 While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word. And those of the circumcision who believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also. For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God.
Then Peter answered, “Can anyone forbid water, that these should not be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?” And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord.  Acts 11:15-17 And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them, as upon us at the beginning. Then I remembered the word of the Lord, how He said, ‘John indeed baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ If therefore God gave them the same gift as He gave us when we believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could withstand God?”  Acts 19

 

How do I receive the Baptism of the Holy Spirit?

 

Desire!  John: 37-39 On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

 

Ask!  Luke 11:13  If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”

 

Believe!  Acts 2:38   Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

 

Receive!  Acts 8:17  Then they laid hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit. Acts 10:44 While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word. Acts 19:6 And when Paul had laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke with tongues and prophesied.

 

With the empowering of the Holy Spirit, you will be able to fulfill the destiny God created you for and deliver God’s Word effectively.  Just as your received salvation, you must personally receive the Baptism in the Holy Spirit.  You do not have to beg for the Holy Spirit but you do have to ask.  As you pray, keep in mind that receiving the Holy Spirit and speaking in tongues is not cerebral (relating to the brain).  Rather, it is from your heart (spirit within).  Pray this prayer:

 

My heavenly Father, I am a believer.  I am Your child and You are my Father.  Jesus is my Lord.  I believe with all my heart that Your Word is true.

 

Your Word says that if I will ask, I will receive the Holy Spirit.  In the Name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, I am asking You to fill me to overflowing with Your precious Holy Spirit.

 

Lord Jesus, baptize me in the Holy Spirit.  Because of Your Word, I believe that I now receive Your Holy Spirit and I thank You for it.  I believe that the Holy Spirit is within me and by faith I accept it.

 

Now Holy Spirit, rise up within me as I praise my God.  I fully expect to speak with other tongues as You give me utterance.

 

Now, begin to thank God and praise Him for baptizing you in the Holy Spirit.  As you do, there will rise up within your spirit certain words and syllables that are unknown to you, so by faith, speak.  Don’t speak any more of your own language.  You can’t speak two languages at the same time.  Just begin to speak the syllables that are on your lips. 

 

You are no longer alone.  The Holy Spirit is the Comforter and our Helper Who will abide with your forever.

 

It was only after Jesus Christ was Baptized in the Holy Spirit that he was able to perform so many miracles.

 

Praying in the Spirit is a very powerful when petitioning the Lord and in spiritual warfare.  Pray in the Spirit throughout the day as you are lead by The Lord Jesus Christ.                     Tony Sanchez 2-2008

Is This What God Wants For My Life?

IS THIS WHAT GOD WANTS FOR MY LIFE?

Temptation: 1. The act of tempting or the state of being tempted especially to evil: enticement.2. Something tempting: a cause or occasion of enticement.

Thesaurus: the pressure to give in to a desire.

Suggestion: 1a.The process by which a physical or mental state is influenced by a thought or idea. 1b. the process by which one thought leads to another especially through association of ideas.

Thesaurus: a slight or indirect pointing to something (as a solution or explanation).

Genesis 3:1 [The Temptation and Fall of Man] Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?” 

Temptation and suggestions from Satan and the dark kingdom never seem to cease. The devil is out there to devour us (1 Peter 5:8 ……because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour). It is a full time job trying to overcome the temptation and suggestion from Satan.

I want share something with you all on how to fight the temptations and suggestion that Satan uses as he tries “to steal, and to kill and to destroy (John 10:10) mankind. 

I was driving in my car and all of sudden a great temptation/suggestion hit me hard.  It was so great that I immediately wanted to act on the temptation and I was willing to do it right then without regard to the consequences.  All of sudden I was led by the Lord to ask a question out loud and it went like this “IS THIS WHAT GOD WANTS FOR MY LIFE?”  In essence I was asking myself if I wanted to commit this sin.  More importantly, I was asking Satan and his dark kingdom the same question at the same time.  Without a doubt, I knew the answer to the question.  Without a doubt, Satan and his dark kingdom knew the answer as well causing the Tempter to leave immediately.

Needless to say I was both shocked and overwhelmed at the results.  What an amazing thing to have happened to me.  The Lord gave me an awesome experience of how powerful His kingdom is and how it operates.  I knew that I was onto something.  God allowed me to experience the keys to the kingdom (Matthew 16:19 And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven”).  I was able to bind up and loose the temptations. 

I could not share this with anyone until I was able to test this method that was given to me.  Several times the temptations came and I was able to recognize them.  I was quick to ask the question “IS THIS WHAT GOD WANTS FOR MY LIFE?”  Every single time I was able to resist the temptation and they had to flee just as it says in God’s Word.  (James 4:7 Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you).  I submitted to what God wanted me to do and I received His mercy and blessings.

It is my prayer that you when the temptations/suggestions come from the enemy, you will ask the same question:

“IS THIS WHAT GOD WANTS FOR MY LIFE?”

Answered Prayer

Answered Prayer

I want to take time to share a praise story about my grandson Zechariah.  We’ve had him most of his 15 years and he has been a blessing.  Unfortunately, his parents have chosen not to be a part of his life.  Consequently, he suffers from rejection, abandonment, and an unloving (unloved) spirit. 

Rejection is a spirit of fear and the spirit of fear can cause many physical manifestations like headaches, severe migraines, back aches, stuttering, panic attacks, seizures, and many other issues including sweating.  Zechariah had an issue with sweating.  It started the first few weeks of high school last year.  He had great fear with how the other kids would accept him and he did not know how they would treat him and with that came great fear.

I was blessed with being able to take him to school each day and during the ride I had an opportunity to pray with him.  Throughout the year we prayed about many things and especially healing of his sweating issues.  I had an opportunity to teach him from Scripture about fear as well.

Week after week we continued to pray and week after week Zechariah continued to sweat.  He expressed his doubts and said on more than one occasion that our prayers were not working.  I had to explain to him that I had no doubt that God would heal him if we continue to pray and that he needed to be patient (longsuffering).

The end of the school year came and the summer vacation started and ended.  A couple of weeks later Zechariah came home from school and said that he is not sweating anymore and he asked me why.  I said: “Grandson, we prayed almost every school day last year asking God to deliver you from the fear that was causing you to sweat.  We were consistent in binding up the spirit of fear and casting the fear out.  God answered our prayers.  I had faith that God would heal you in the name of Jesus.”

The power of prayer in the name of Jesus is the only weapon we have against the dark kingdom.  It is only effective if we pray without ceasing.  We cannot pray without ceasing if the world keeps us so busy that we don’t have or won’t take time to pray.

Every day I pray for my family because I know the enemy is trying to destroy them.  Understand, if you don’t make an effort to pray for your family without ceasing, Satan will do everything in his power to destroy them without ceasing.

Nehemiah 1:5-6 And I said: “I pray, Lord God of heaven, O great and awesome God, You who keep Your covenant and mercy with those who love You and observe Your^] commandments, ⁶ please let Your ear be attentive and Your eyes open, that You may hear the prayer of Your servant which I pray before You now, day and night……..

Blessings,

Tony Sanchez

Submit to Goverment?

Greetings to all.

I was sitting at the light on two separate occasions today and as the light turned green, several cars where still racing across the intersection. Not one or two cars but a caravan of about 9-10 cars.

I remember a few years ago at a different church, almost nobody was stopping at the stop sign.   There is a stop sign in my neighborhood where almost everyone is rolling through the stop sign.

No big deal you say?  Believers and non-believers alike, without knowing it, are going against what God says in the Bible.  A stop sign or a red light means to stop.  Not obeying traffic laws is rebellion.  Rebellion starts small, but it gets bigger and bigger in all areas of our life.  After a time, we come to a point where we think that many things in the Bible don’t apply to us or we simple ignore them.   Not a good place to be.

Submit to Government

Romans 13:1 Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God.  The authorities that exist are appointed by God.   God does not approve of corrupt government, ungodly officials, or unjust legislation.  Sometimes, however, in punishment for the sins of a people, or for other reasons know to Him, God allows evil rulers to have authority for a time.  Ideally, God grants authority to serve good ends.  How that authority is exercised will be the accounting of each to whom it has been given. 

Titus 3:1 Remind them to be subject to rulers and authorities, to obey, to be ready for every good work.  Christians are citizens of heaven, but they also must fulfill their obligation toward civil authorities.

This is such a simple thing that we have been desensitized to.  What other areas are we failing to identify as sin?   If we think we are too spiritually mature to fall, we should beware.  The Bible portrays the sins of past spiritual leaders as a warning to us to remain humble and to be open to correction.  We do this by identifying our actions and we determine (discern) whether this is what God wants for us.

We constantly need to reassess our personal walk with God in honesty before Him.  Each of us is responsible and will be held accountable for our actions and attitudes.  Be sober in yourself assessment.

Galatians 6:3-5 (NKJV) For if anyone thinks himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself.  But let each one examine his own work, and then he will have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another.  For each one shall bear his own load.

Fallen Angels

Greetings,

Today, Bob who is a brother in Christ asked me why I have not sent out any writings recently.  I told him that I have several things the Lord has given me, but I started a new job and I have not made time to share.  My thought is that God does not want to hear our excuses and especially my excuses.

What I am going to share with you is what was revealed to me and it is a warning of what is to come.  We as a Body of Christ are not preparing ourselves for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.  Therefore, we are not equipped to overcome Satan and the demons in his dark kingdom.

Matthew 24:21 (NKJV) ²¹ For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be.

Matthew 24:21 (NLT) For there will be greater anguish than at any time since the world began. And it will never be so great again.

We are fortunate that most of us cannot see the evil spirit world because it is not a pretty sight.  There are a few who can see and they will tell you that demons come in different sizes and are extremely ugly, wicked and evil.  On occasion according to some in the ministry, Satan will manifest in the physical.  I am not sure if demons manifest in the physical but many of us can feel the presence of evil spirits as they come to bring fear to the Saints.  Fortunately, God has held them back.  He has not withdrawn His protection yet, but that will change as this world gets more and more wicked by the day. 

We know that God’s angels manifest in the physical as it says in Genesis 18:1-5 Then the Lord appeared to him by the terebinth trees of Mamre, as he was sitting in the tent door in the heat of the day. ² So he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, three men (two were angels) were standing by him; and when he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them, and bowed himself to the ground, ³ and said, “My Lord, if I have now found favor in Your sight, do not pass on by Your servant. ⁴ Please let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree. ⁵ And I will bring a morsel of bread, that you may refresh your hearts. After that you may pass by, inasmuch as you have come to your servant.” They said, “Do as you have said.”

The world will get to a point of wickedness where we simply cannot imagine at this present time.  The evil that is showing up in movies is not close to the evil that is about to be released on this earth.  God will remove His protective covering and Satan will be free to bring terror and all the wickedness at his disposal.  This is the tribulation that Jesus talks about in Matthew 24.  It was revealed to me that once God lifts His protection, Satan and his fallen angels will manifest in the physical and bring terror and most will be clueless on what to do.  Essentially, we will have hell on earth.  I can’t elaborate much more because this is all that I got. 

My prayer is that you all immerse yourself in the Word of God so that His Word will prepare you for the coming of Jesus Christ.  His Word is needed to get through these evil days and the evil days to come.

Ephesians 5:15-16 (AMP) Look carefully then how you walk! Live purposefully and worthily and accurately, not as the unwise and witless, but as wise (sensible, intelligent people),  Making the very most of the time [buying up each opportunity], because the days are evil.

Tony Sanchez 8-11-13

Great Commission

The Great Commission – What Is Our Responsibility?

We will be talking about a subject that is not often preached in the church.  In fact, I have never heard a detailed message on the Great Commission.  Why has this great command been omitted in today’s church when more than ever we need to be involved in carrying out the Great Commission?  People are suffering and they need our help.

Matthew 28:19-20 contains what has come to be called the Great Commission: “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” It is repeated in more detail in Mark 16:15-18 And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.  He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.  And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues;  they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” Jesus gave this command to the disciples shortly before He ascended into heaven, and it essentially outlines what Jesus expected the apostles, and those who followed (disciples) them, to do in His absence.

 It is interesting that in the original Greek, the only specific command in Matthew 28:19-20 is “make disciples.” The Great Commission instructs us to make disciples while we are going throughout the world and while we are going about our daily activities. How are we to make disciples? By baptizing them and teaching them all that Jesus commanded. “Make disciples” is the command of the Great Commission. “As you are going,” “baptizing,” and “teaching” are the means by which we fulfill the command to “make disciples.”

Many understand Acts 1:8 as part of the Great Commission as well, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” The Great Commission is enabled by the power of the Holy Spirit. We are to be Christ's witnesses, fulfilling the Great Commission in our cities (Jerusalem), in our states and countries (Judea and Samaria), and anywhere else God sends us (to the ends of the earth).

The New Testament has numerous references to people called "disciples" and "apostles." What's a disciple? What's an apostle? What's the difference, if any, between disciples and apostles? We need to understand the difference as we carry out the command of Jesus in The Great Commission.

Disciples

• Disciple is derived from the Greek word, pronounced math-ay-tes, which means learner, or student. The Biblical usage involved not just learning, but also agreement and acceptance of the teacher as a leader.
• Followers of Christ were not called Christians until the founding of the church at Antioch (Acts 11:26 And when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. So it was that for a whole year they assembled with the church and taught a great many people. And the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch). Before then, Christians were called disciples of Jesus Christ.
• The apostles began as disciples (Matthew 10:1 And when He had called His twelve disciples to Him, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease). There were far fewer apostles than disciples - all apostles were disciples, but not all disciples became apostles.

Apostles

• Apostle is derived from the Greek word, pronounced ap-os-tol-os, which means messenger, or ambassador.
• The Twelve Apostles, with Matthias replacing the traitor Judas Iscariot, were given the symbolic "Keys to The Kingdom," whereby they will serve as the foundation of the Christian church. All of them, with one possible exception (see John), were martyred.
• As might be expected, Satan, That Old Serpent, used corrupt and evil men as his own "apostles."  "For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.  It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. (2 Corinthians 11:13-15 For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ.  And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light.  Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works.)
• What did Paul say were the proofs of an apostle? 2 Corinthians 12:12 And when He had called His twelve disciples to Him, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease.

Let us now look at Mark 16:15-18 and discuss this version of The Great Commission as Jesus gives instructions to His disciples who we can assume became Apostles shortly thereafter.    

15 And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.  It took me much meditation over the years to understand this verse in its totality.  Only little pieces were revealed to me.  Hopefully, I can convey to you all a few things that helps explain this verse.

To be able to preach the gospel, we need to read the gospel first.  We need to immerse ourselves to learn, understand, receive, and be able to explain what the gospel says.  We have to hear the word of God every day to gain faith and confidence to share the word of God with others.  Romans 10:17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.  This is not a part-time job.  We are required to share the gospel at every opportunity. Unfortunately, most do not take this command seriously.   

I encourage you to make an effort to preach the gospel.  You can start by preaching the gospel to yourself by reading God’s word every day.  Take what you learn and preach to your immediate family.  By doing this, you gain the confidence to go outside your immediate family and preach to other family members and friends.  How about preaching the gospel to the children’s ministry, bible studies, and bible classes at church?

So, we just need to make the effort and God will honor you with many blessings.

16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.  Belief is the inward reception of Jesus Christ, and baptism is the outward testimony of that belief.  Romans 6:3 tells us “Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?  Water baptism is a symbol of the believer’s union with Christ in His death, burial, and Resurrection.

17 And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues.   Most will agree that one quarter of Jesus’s ministry was casting out demons.  Not only were the twelve with him observing and learning, but there were others following as well.  Jesus was preparing them to be Apostles so that they could disciple others who will in turn disciple others.  He promised that he would be with the disciples through history until the end of the age (Matthew 28:20 And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age”).  Jesus calls us to disciple and prepare believers to cast out demons as one part of the Great Commission.

So, why are believers not casting out demons?  The church is not teaching the flock to cast out demons. Apostles are few and they are not able to teach the masses.  Others are not stepping up to the plate.

I was part of a group of people praying for a person who was in great despair.  The group was praying a general prayer asking God to comfort this person and take away the despair.  I am not saying God will not answer prayer request like this if it is His will.  But God, through His Son Jesus Christ gave us authority to cast out this spirit of despair.  God wants us to do the work.  I took it upon myself in the name of Jesus to cast out the spirit of despair and this person had a great weight lifted off their shoulders. It doesn’t take a theologian to understand why we are not successful in the spiritual battle in this day and age.  The knowledge is there but we choose not to hear.  We choose not to be doers.  

As a whole, the Body of Christ cowers when it comes to Satan and his demons.  Satan is winning the battle but will ultimately lose the war at the second coming of Jesus Christ.

It is interesting that speaking “with new tongues” is used within same verse, but not surprising.  Speaking in tongues is a supernatural speaking a human language unknown to the speaker or speaking in language of heaven that is beyond rational.  It is my position that we are calling on the Holy Spirit when we speak or pray in tongues.

Those who are in the deliverance ministry will tell you that they rely on the Holy Spirit to conduct deliverances.  We cannot attempt to cast out demons without the authority of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit’s power.

It is very important to allow the Holy Spirit to flow as Pastor Lou reminded me recently.  We can’t allow ourselves to think that it is our authority.  We must know that our authority is given to us by Jesus Christ.  We can’t manipulate it, we can’t control it, and we can’t own it.  It is given to us by Jesus as a Spiritual endowment.

18 they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”  Jack Hayford in his study bible says that taking up serpents does not refer to handling snakes in religious ceremonies, but casting them away without being harmed.  The Greek verb airo “take up” can also mean “remove,” “take away,” or “cast away.”  Similarly, a servant of the Lord may look for divine protection in matters pertaining to food and drink.  Many missionaries have testified to God’s miraculous protection in heathen territories, where they experienced no ill effects from impure food and drink.  There may be more to this verse, but I have not been able to find additional meanings.

The second part of this verse “they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover” can test our faith because our success rate of laying hands and healing is less than five percent.  Why is this?  Maybe, it is because we take this verse too literally and limit ourselves in healing the sick.  Many verses in the Bible talk symbolically and we may have to look at symbolically laying hands on the sick through teaching what it says in the Bible. 

Let me explain.  As Henry Wright explains in his book A More Excellent Way, there are many thoughts that can cause a compromised immune system.  Thoughts of rejection, self-rejection, broken heart, can cause depression.  But God tells us that “A merry heart does good, like medicine, But a broken spirit dries the bones” Proverbs 17:22.   What is in the bones?  It is bone morrow which produces the cells that fight off disease such as MS and cancer.  Dry bones means that the bone marrow is not producing cells to fight off disease.  If we can teach (lay hands) the person to be merry, they can avoid many diseases.

Another example is stress, anxiety, and worry/fear.  The medical field has listed over 8,000 stressors that exist in this world and it has impacted our lives greatly.   Fear is the major cause of heart problems.  Other characteristics are migraines, itching, neck/back pain, panic attacks to name a few.  In Matthew Jesus says “That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food and your body more than clothing? Matthew 6:25.  This is another way to teach (lay hands) people who struggle with fear so they can receive healing. 

Anxiety causes depression according to Proverbs 12:25 Anxiety in the heart of man causes depression, but a good word makes it glad.  The medical field can only treat fear with medication.  You, in the name of Jesus Christ through our Father can lay hands on the sick and bring healing by speaking “a good word.”    

He sent them to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick Luke 9:2.

As New Testament believers, we are to understand that God has invested in the church by the power of the Holy Spirit, the same power, authority, and honor He gave His Son.  God gave us every spiritual blessing, Ephesians 1:3  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,  to empower us to do his work.  Unfortunately, as Believers, we are not believing the power and authority given to us so plainly outlined in the Bible and more specifically, the Great Commission (Mark 16:15-18).  Are we to blame the Pastors, the church, or the teachers?  No!  Ultimately, the responsibility is on the individual to come to a point where we disciple others as it says in the Great Commission.  We can’t depend on anyone but ourselves.  We must read and take to heart what God’s Word says to us.  God gives us the keys to the kingdom (Matthew 16:19).  It is up to us to know how to use these keys.

How do we become Apostles? We open ourselves up to being discipled by Apostles and immerse ourselves in the written Word of God..  Once God determines we are ready, He will anoint us as Apostles so that we can disciple others.

Mark 16:19-20 (NLT) When the Lord Jesus had finished talking with them, He was taken up into heaven and sat down in the place of honor at God’s right hand. And the disciples went everywhere and preached, and the Lord worked through them, confirming what they said by many miraculous signs.                                                

Many blessings, Tony Sanchez

Bitterness

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/Wrath….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 2 Corinthians 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.

Blessings, Tony Sanchez

Hearing the Word of God

Hearing the Word of God

Amos 8:11-12

 “Behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord God,
“That I will send a famine on the land,
Not a famine of bread,
Nor a thirst for water,
But of hearing the words of the Lord.
 They shall wander from sea to sea,
And from north to east;
They shall run to and fro, seeking the word of the Lord,
But shall not find it.

I was reading in Amos this morning before church and I came across these two verses.  I believe it is safe to say that we are in this time period mentioned in Amos (“Behold, the days are coming”).  The majority of Believers are not consistently spending time in the God’s word.  Why is this?  I am assuming that the things of this world are keeping us so busy that we choose not to read the Word of God and the fact that reading the Bible is hard work.  We can’t find the word of God (“wander from sea to sea and from north to east”) because we are not seeking the word of God.  Therefore, how can we increase our faith if we don’t hear the word of God?

What is faith? 

1. Complete trust or confidence in someone or something.

2. Strong belief in God or in the doctrines of a religion, based on spiritual comprehension rather than proof.

Again, I ask “How can we increase our faith”?  The answer is to have complete trust in God and in His doctrine based on what He says in His word.  God’s word gives us a simple understanding on how to receive faith.

Romans 10:17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

Many people I am running into are suffering and their faith is waning or nonexistent.  People are suffering because we don’t believe what God is telling us in His word.  We constantly seek answers from man (including ourselves) instead of seeking God.

Seek God’s word and the knowledge, wisdom, and understanding will come because His word will be written in our heart and the suffering will start to subside.  Hebrews 8:10 10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.

Blessings,

Tony Sanchez

Forgive Them and Love Them

Forgive Them and Love Them

Do we really know to what measure we must forgive?  I can say I have forgiven somebody, but have I really forgiven them and do I really know how to forgive?  I had to ask myself this question many times. 

My father was not a nice person and he made life miserable for me, our family, and any other person that became a part of his life.  I labeled him a terrorist before the word became popular. I remember as a kid in high school I would avoid seeing him for months at a time even though we lived in the same house.  We had a side entrance and I knew his schedule so it was easy to plan how not to see him. 

He died six years ago without ever saying the words “I love you” to me.  I can’t remember a time that I truly loved my dad.  So, it was a relief for me not to have to face him anymore and the fear he brought to my life. Through it all, I had emptiness in my heart.

As I go around talking with people I hear their stories on how they have forgiven a person.  It goes something like this: “I have forgiven John, but……I have forgiven Jane, but…….”  I interrupt them immediately and tell them that there is no “but” in forgiveness.  What they are telling me is that they still have that ping of un-forgiveness whenever that person comes into remembrance. You may have forgiven them once, but you may have to forgive them over and over again as it says in Matthew 18:21-22 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.  Symbolically, we have to forgive over and over even if it exceeds seventy times seven.

Being a believer in God, I had to forgive my Dad and even though he is dead.  I had to understand how his sin affected his life and the lives of others, but God still loved him just as much God loves me.  My Dad just did not know how to love because he was not taught the love of our Heavenly Father.  Once I was able to separate his sin from the person God created and loved, I was able to bring about healing in my life.

I want to share with you what the Lord showed me. I already knew how to forgive my Dad when thoughts of his offenses come to mind even to this day.  Somehow this was not working for me because I did not feel at peace because I did not love my Dad.  It is only when I started this process of confession that the healing became complete.  I pray this short prayer out loud confessing my forgiveness for my dad and confessing out lout how much I love him. 

Father God, I forgive _________ for all their offenses towards me.  Father God, I love ______ who you created in love. 

What we say can be a blessing or a curse.  Our verbal confession of forgiveness and our verbal confession of love for those who have offended us is a blessing not only for the person but for us. 

Shout out to the Lord your confession of forgiveness and love for the person who has offended you so that God will forgive you. 

“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.  Matthew 6:14-15

‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ (As the Lord loves you)  Matthew 22:39

I pray the love from our Heavenly Father helps you overcome any un-forgiveness so that there is healing in your life.

Tony Sanchez 5-18-13

Amor of God

Greetings to all,


I started this blog a few years ago with the thought of sharing God's Word.  Two or three years ago I built a distribution list that I send teachings or messages to.  Unfortunately, I should have copied and pasted what I wrote to this blog.  I believe I missed opportunities to make a difference in lives.


I hope to take what I have written in the past year and transfer many of the teaching to this blog.

Amor of God

Ephesians says to “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles (tricks, ploys, schemes, trickery, deception) of the devil (Ephesians 6:11). 

Nowhere in the Bible does it say to take off the armor of God.  When you put on the armor of God, it is never to be taken off because of one extremely important reason.  The reason is that Satan’s goal is to “steal, and to kill, and to destroy” (John 10:10) and he will never rest until he accomplishes his goal.  Satan works 24/7. Does it mean we will have to be in spiritual warfare 24/7?  

There will be many that will say that we don’t have to be in constant battle with the dark kingdom.  I say we cannot afford not to be in constant battle because Satan is “god of this age” (2 Corinthians 4:4) and he wants to destroy us all.  One must look at how evil the world has become to understand how much prayer (spiritual warfare) is needed for ourselves, wives, children, family, country and the world.

Faced with the cares of this world, we can easily forget about the severity of this battle. But make no mistake: Our spiritual lives and future in God's Kingdom are on the line. If we lose this war, we lose everything.

It appears to me that perhaps we need to be in constant warfare. The Bible tells us to “pray without ceasing” 1 Thessalonians 5:17.  Prayer is spiritual warfare and we must do it without ceasing.

Blessings,

Tony Sanchez