Sickness and Disease

Root Cause of Sickness and Disease

I am involved with two healing ministries which is a natural progression from my studies in the area of sickness and disease the past three years.  More specifically, the spiritual root cause of sickness and disease.

I want to explain the immune system and the role of white blood cells that help fight off sickness and disease.  I hope to show you how the morrow in the bones that produce the white blood cells are so important to our health and how it relates to what it says in the Bible.

The job of the immune system — which is a collection of structures and processes within the body — is to protect against disease or other potentially damaging foreign bodies. When functioning properly, the immune system identifies a variety of threats, including viruses, bacteria and parasites, and distinguishes them from the body’s own healthy tissue.

The major components of the immune system include:

Lymph nodes: Small, bean-shaped structures that produce and store cells that fight infection and disease and are part of the lymphatic system — which consists of bone marrow, spleen, thymus, and lymph nodes. When the body is fighting infection, lymph nodes can become enlarged and feel sore.

Spleen: The largest lymphatic organ in the body contains white blood cells that fight infection or disease.

Bone Marrow: The yellow tissue in the center the bones produces white blood cells.

Lymphocytes: These small white blood cells play a large role in defending the body against disease. The two types of lymphocytes are B-cells, which make antibodies that attack bacteria and toxins, and T-cells, which help destroy infected or cancerous cells. Killer T-cells are a sub-group of T-cells that kill cells that are infected with viruses and other pathogens (infectious agent) or are otherwise damaged. Helper T-cells help determine which immune responses the body makes to a particular pathogen.

Thymus: This small organ is where T-cells mature.

Leukocytes: These white blood cells that identify and eliminate pathogens are the second arm of the innate immune system.

Diseases of the immune system:

Disorders of the immune system can result in autoimmune diseases, inflammatory diseases and cancer.

Immunodeficiency occurs when the immune system is not as strong as normal, resulting in recurring and life-threatening infections. In humans, immunodeficiency can either be the result of a genetic disease such as severe combined immunodeficiency, acquired conditions such as HIV/AIDS, or through the use of immunosuppressive medication.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, autoimmunity results from a hyperactive immune system attacking normal tissues as if they were foreign bodies.  Common autoimmune diseases include Hashimoto's thyroiditis, rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes mellitus type 1 and systemic lupus erythematosus.  Asthma and allergies also involve the immune system. A normally harmless material such as grass pollen, food particles, mold or pet dander is mistaken for a severe threat and attacked.

While symptoms of immune diseases vary, fever and fatigue are common signs that the immune system is not functioning properly.

I think this brief explanation give us an idea of how the immune system works and how important the immune system is.  As I said earlier, I want to focus on the bones and the bone marrow where the white cells are produced.  In basic terms, it is the bone marrow that produces the white cells that fight off sickness and disease.  Once the immune system is compromised, the immune system does not produce enough white cells to fight off sickness and disease.  I will attempt to explain how sin affects our immune system using the word of God.

In the book of Psalms and Proverbs you will find Scriptures referring to bones in one way or another.  I will list Scripture and add my commentary to give you somewhat of an explanation of each Scripture.

Psalm 6:2 Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am weak; O Lord, heal me, for my bones are troubled.  Immune system is weakening. Bones are mentioned repeatedly in the Psalms as a symbol for the health of the whole body.

Psalm 31:10 For my life is spent with grief, And my years with sighing; My strength fails because of my iniquity, And my bones waste away.  His immune system is failing and not producing white blood cells because of his sin.

Psalm 32:3 When I kept silent, my bones grew old. Through my groaning all the day long. Complaining, instead of confessing our sin, results in physical and emotional repercussion.

Psalm 38:3 There is no soundness in my flesh Because of Your anger, Nor any health in my bones Because of my sin.  Not all sickness is the result of our sin, but in many cases it is.  Sin is also passed down the generational line and with it the sickness and disease that accompany that sin.

Proverbs 12:25 Anxiety in the heart of man causes depression.  Depression weakens the immune system.  Anxiety is another word for FEAR.  FEAR manifests in the physical.  Symptoms can be headaches, itching, chest pain, neck, back and leg pain, seizures, and panic attacks to name a few.  Did you know that rejection, abandonment and an unloving spirit is FEAR?  Many people with abandonment issues have allergies as symptoms.

Proverbs 14:30 A sound heart is life to the body, But envy is rottenness to the bones.  Rotten bones will produce below normal white blood cells.

Proverbs 15:30 The light of the eyes rejoices the heart, And a good report makes the bones healthy.  Good things in your life produce normal white blood cell count.

Proverbs 16:24 Pleasant words are like a honeycomb, Sweetness to the soul (mind) and health to the bones.  Opposite of pleasant is unpleasant.  The unpleasant things you hold captive will dry the bones.  It weakens the immune system.

Proverbs 17:22 A merry heart does good, like medicine, But a broken spirit (hopelessness) dries the bone.  Dried bones produce almost zero white cells to fight off disease.

Proverbs 18:14 The spirit of a man will sustain him in sickness, But who can bear a broken spirit?  Your spirit may be operating, but a broken spirit can cause death.

I think you may be getting an idea of how we think, act or speak can bring curses to us in the form of sickness because our sin compromises our immune system.  I would encourage you to read the curses in Deuteronomy 28:15-68.  As you come across each word, look it up in the dictionary. 

Example:

V. 20, confusion – mental uncertainty

V. 21, plague – disease

V. 22, inflammation - arthritis  

V. 22, scorching – mental anguish

V. 27, tumors – cancer

V. 27, itching – excessive secretion of Histamine due to fear.

V. 28, confusion of heart – not able to see, spiritually confused

We have many that are suffering and to be effective in the healing ministry we must be able to identify the spiritual root cause of sickness and disease. Identifying symptoms and relying on the Holy Spirit as we pray will allow us to be more productive in setting the captives free. 

Lastly, we must teach the Body the spiritual root cause of sickness and disease in the classroom, conferences and in church services.  Too many are coming to church broken and damaged and leaving broken and damaged.  We put on our best face, but our countenance paints a different picture.  You can see it in their eyes the suffering that is taking place.

I will leave you with this Scripture: Luke 4:18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed

Many Healing Blessings to you all,

Tony Sanchez   4-22-14

Carpooling With God

Carpooling With God

I was watching a DVD message tonight rather than doing worldly things.  John Bevere brought up the subject of carpooling.  He said “Can you imagine carpooling 20-30 minutes to work with a person next to you and not saying one word to him?” Inconceivable, right?  Yet, God rides with us every day on the way to work and many of us fail to say one word to God.  God wants us to have a conversation with him as He carpools with us. 

 

He is our Father.  We need Him desperately.  Speak to Him and He will speak to you.  He is there to help us.  He abides in us.  John 14:16 And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever.  Expect Him to bless us as we converse with Him during our ride to work. 

 

Thank you Father

GOD: HOW MUCH TIME DO YOUR SPEND WITH HIM?

Greetings,

Our discussion today is about a subject that you may not like unless God convicts you after reading this.  For many years I traveled and I visited churches during the week.  The vast majority of the messages I heard were messages that went overboard not offend the congregation. So, to hear a message about how we spent our time during the day is not something we normally hear.

How Much Time Do You Spend With God?

2 Corinthians 13:5 (NLT) Examine yourselves to see if your faith is genuine. Test yourselves. Surely you know that Jesus Christ is among you; if not, you have failed the test of genuine faith.

The Word of God says to examine ourselves to determine if we are walking the walk that pleases God.  I do this quite often because I want to be obedient to what God’s instructs us to do.  I spend a lot of time reading His word, meditating and praying.  I had to ask myself this question:  “Do I spend enough time with the Lord?” This message is for me first.

Below, I broke down a 24 hour period of time that is fairly accurate in this day and age.  Keep in mind this illustration is for a typical work day and does not include Saturday and Sunday.  That is a completely different story.  A typical day is probably 6:00 AM to 10:00 PM or 16 non-sleeping hours.  So, what do we do with our time?  Many of us have to account for 8-10 hours at work but does not include stay at home spouses and retired folks.  This leaves us with 6-8 hours of leisure time which may include attending activities or entertainment, shopping, watching television, computer, texting/Facebook, video games, working around the house, and eating dinner.  Did you notice that I did not include time with the Lord? 

How Much Time Do You Spend With God?
24 Hours in a Day	8 Hours Sleeping	16 hours of work or leisure (Awake Time)

How much time do you spend with the Lord?  Christianity Today’s survey showed that only 19% of believers read the Bible every day. So, if we gave our lives to Jesus Christ and we claim to be a Believer, what are we doing with our time?

Understand that the world we live in “lies under the sway (controlling influence) of the wicked one” (1 John 5:19).  We all know the wicked one is Satan and his dark kingdom.  Our world is getting darker by the day because Satan is influencing us to the point that we worship his world which includes the work place (work can be pretty wicked), watching TV, entertaining ourselves, etc.  How do these things bring glory to God?

The next illustration will show you what one hour with God is in comparison to your “Awake” time. 

 

One hour with the Lord is not even a tithe (10%) of your “Awake” time.  Certainly, God deserves more than what we are giving Him.

Understand that Satan’s world and God’s world are contrary to each other. Galatians 5:17 For the flesh (world)  lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.  If we are operating at 94-100% in Satan’s world, we will lose the battle.  In order to turn the tide, we must spend more time with God because the more time we spend with Him, the more God will be contrary to the dark kingdom in our lives.  You cannot say you are guaranteed a place in Heaven when you live a life in Satan’s world.

The Bible is of the best way to develop a relationship with God because “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God” (John 1:1).  The Bible allows us to know God’s commandments, to build a relationship with him, to hear from Him, to know how much God loves us and to receive His blessings “Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, that the Lord your God will set you high above all nations of the earth.  And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, because you obey the voice of the Lord your God Deuteronomy 28:1-2.

In closing, I pray that your time with God remains steadfast in your loyalty to Him; do not turn back the familiar things of the world.  In choosing God and His ways, we can rest in knowing that He will provide for us a way to enter His kingdom.  He will cover us and redeem us.

I will leave with this Scripture from Pastor Andrew in church today: 

Joshua 24:15 (NLT) But if you refuse to serve the Lord, then choose today whom you will serve. Would you prefer the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates? Or will it be the gods of the Amorites in whose land you now live? But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.”

Blessings to you all,

Tony Sanchez 3-23-14

A Man After HIS Own Heart

“A Man After His Own Heart”

I have run into many who think that they are not worthy of God.  Even though Jesus died on the cross for their sins, they can’t fathom the thought that they are completely worthy.  Their past sinful life haunts them and despite their efforts they can’t seem to overcome their past sin and their present sin that is repeated at times.  Many people are looking and expecting perfection which is impossible because we all fall short. 

I want to share a little on David who was a man after God’s own heart.  To understand why David was a man after God’s own heart, we need to see what characteristics he had to qualify for such an exalted description. In the book of Acts, the Apostle Paul is speaking before the men of Israel, and he tells them of God’s feelings about King David. Speaking first of King Saul the Apostle Paul states, And when He had removed him, He raised up for them David as king, to whom also He gave testimony and said, ‘I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My own heart, who will do all My will.   Acts 13:22. The obvious question is, how could God call David “a man after His heart” when David was such a terrible a sinner, having committed adultery and murder? Much has been written regarding the meaning of the verse and its applicable value today. Much has also been written about David.  We find much of his character in the book of Psalms as he opened up his life for all to examine. David’s life was a portrait of success and failure, and it highlights the fact that he was far from perfect. But what made David a cut above the rest was that his heart was pointed toward God. So what does it take to be a man after God’s own heart?  Let’s look at some key characteristics of David’s life to find out.

First, David had absolute faith in God. Nowhere in Scripture is this point better illustrated than in 1 Samuel 17 where David as a young shepherd boy fearlessly slew the Philistine, Goliath. Shortly before the duel, we see direct evidence of David’s faith in verse 37 where David says, "’The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.’ And Saul said to David, ‘Go, and the LORD be with you!’" David was fully aware that God was in control of his life, and he had faith that God would deliver him from impending danger. How else would one venture into a potentially fatal situation with such calm and confidence?  David knew early on in life that God was to be trusted and obeyed. As we see in Scripture, David’s faith pleased God, and he is rewarded for it by the Lord.

Second, David absolutely loved God’s law. Of the 150 psalms in the Bible, David is credited for writing over half of them. Writing at various and often troubling times in his life, David repeatedly mentioned how much he loved God’s perfect Word. We find a beautiful example of this in Psalm 119:47-48: “For I delight in your commands because I love them. I lift up my hands to your commands, which I love, and I meditate on your decrees.” It is not hard to see his complete adoration for God’s Word. But also notice how he mentions that he “meditates” on God’s statutes. God granted David understanding and wisdom through daily meditation. We would do well to not only read God’s Word but also think about it throughout the day for God loves when we think about Him. Blessed are those who keep His testimonies, Who seek Him with the whole heart!  They also do no iniquity; They walk in His ways. Psalm 119:2-3.

Third, David was truly thankful. “I will wash my hands in innocence; So I will go about Your altar, O Lord, That I may proclaim with the voice of thanksgiving, And tell of all Your wondrous works Psalm 26:6-7.   David’s life was marked by seasons of great peace and prosperity as well as times of fear and despair. But through all of the seasons in his life, he never forgot to thank the Lord for everything that he had. "Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name!" Psalm 100:4, ESV. As followers of Jesus Christ, we would do well to follow David’s lead of offering praise through thanksgiving to our Lord on a daily basis.

Fourth, David was truly repentant. Then it happened one evening that David arose from his bed and walked on the roof of the king’s house. And from the roof he saw a woman bathing, and the woman was very beautiful to behold.  So David sent and inquired about the woman. And someone said, “Is this not Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?”  Then David sent messengers, and took her; and she came to him, and he lay with her, for she was cleansed from her impurity; and she returned to her house.  And the woman conceived; so she sent and told David, and said, “I am with child.” 2 Samuel 11:2-5. The mighty fall hard and David’s fall included adultery, lying and murder. He had sinned against God and he admits it in 2 Samuel 12:13: “David said to Nathan, ‘I have sinned against the LORD.’ And Nathan said to David, ‘The LORD also has put away your sin; you shall not die.’ But admitting our sin and asking for forgiveness is only half of the equation. The other half is repentance, and David did what we should all do: repent of our sins. Psalm 51 is David’s prayer of repentance to God: Have mercy upon me, O God, According to Your loving-kindness; According to the multitude of Your tender mercies, Blot out my transgressions.  Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, And cleanse me from my sin!" Psalm 51:1-2.

David demonstrated his faith daily which pleased the Lord. Throughout his life his faith would be tested on a grand scale and he passed most of the tests. David also loved God’s law and he sought to follow it as best he could. He spent many days meditating on it and trying to apply it to his own life. He knew that God’s law had the power to change lives if it was followed to the letter. Another important character trait that David exhibited was that he had the attitude of gratitude and was very thankful for his life. During his life he had all sorts of trouble, but David thanked God every day no matter the circumstances. And, finally, David was truly repentant. Let us not forget that he was a man just like us who sinned on a regular basis. But, despite his sin, he always loved God and sought to repent of those sins. He is a role model for all of us sinners who need to repent earnestly. David was indeed a man after God’s own heart.

Folks, we can never be perfect and God knows this just as He knew that David was not perfect.  He does want a deeper commitment from us.  He wants us to have faith in Him, to read and love His Word, to be thankful, and to be repentant.   God wants us to make progress.  If we are the same today in our walk as we were last year, last month, or even last week, we are not making progress.

I will leave you with these Scriptures from David:

As the deer longs for streams of water, so I long for you, O God. I thirst for God, the living God. When can I go and stand before him?  Day and night I have only tears for food, while my enemies continually taunt me, saying, “Where is this God of yours?” Psalms 42:1-3

One thing I have desired of the Lord, That will I seek: That I may dwell in the house of the Lord All the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the Lord, And to inquire in His temple.  Psalms 27:4

God loves you and you are worthy.  Blessings to you all,

Tony Sanchez

Holy Spirit

Greetings to you all.

 

Last night I was driving to our intercessory prayer meeting and I started calling on and inviting the Holy Spirit to be present during the 12 minute drive.  I did this without ceasing until I got to the church.  Understand that I have on numerous occasions felt the presence of the Holy Spirit.  Many times it was a heavy presence.  As I walked in I could feel a presence a tad bit different, but I knew it was the Holy Spirit.  I felt this energy that was so special and I now know that I don’t have to wait on Holy Spirit show up in church or wait for a special occasion.  I can call on the Holy Spirit and by faith believe in my heart that the Holy Spirit can or will show up if I just call on Him.

 

I received a couple of things as I was praying last night and I would like to share with you:

 

In a time of trouble (rejection, unloving, fear/worry, anger, despair, loneliness, depression, hopelessness, etc.) we must remember that the Holy Spirit is “contrary” to these spirits (Galatians 5:17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another).  In other words, the Holy Spirit will not co-habitat with unclean spirits.  Therefore, in the name of Jesus we must call on the Helper (Holy Spirit) in an audible voice to abide in us and for us to abide in the Holy Spirit continually during the attacks.  Trust the Holy Spirit to push out these spirits that are tormenting us. We have received power and authority from God Almighty and we must use this in warfare.

 

This second thing I received is about churches.  Many times churches have received an anointing and with this you will see God working in these churches in an awesome way such as missionaries, bringing people to the Lord, teachings, etc.  And then you see the church lose the anointing.  It is as if the anointing was for a season.  The message I got is tied to the Holy Spirit.  We as a church body must access the power of the Holy Spirit.  We must include the Holy Spirit in everything we do constantly.  We must operate in the Holy Spirit and when we do this we will see the anointing of the Holy Spirit over the church.  The church will once again come alive.  We can’t leave the Holy Spirit out of the church body and our prayer.  We can’t just pray “In Jesus name”.  We must pray (In the name of Jesus and by the power of the Holy Spirit).  It is my position that we can’t leave out 1/3 of the Trinity when we pray and operate in God’s Kingdom.

 

I have been asking the Lord for the past three years to take me to another level.  In the last 6 months the Lord has made the Holy Spirit a focal point and I have shared this with my brothers and sisters in Christ the last couple of months as things were revealed to me.  I am in the process of writing about the Holy Spirit, the Helper, and the power of the Holy Spirit.  I started this 3-4 weeks ago but I have been hindered.  It is my goal to get this to you all soon. 

 

I will share one little thing that was revealed to me a couple of weeks ago that will be in the article.  I was eating at a restaurant and it was imparted on me that we must access the power of the Holy Spirit  to overcome the strongholds that really have a grip on us, the strongholds we can’t seem to overcome no matter who prays.  We must access the Helper and the power that we have received when we were baptized (Acts 1:5,8) with the Holy Spirit so that we can get those strongholds out of our lives.  I hope to show you how it can be done according to God’s word.   

 

There are many that are hurting and are being held captive and we need to bring all out of bondage.  Thank you for taking time to listen to me again. 

 

Many blessings,

Tony Sanchez

Fear Of Pain

Good morning,

I was wide awake studying very early this morning.  Afterwards, I was looking for my daily prayer outline to make some changes and came across this article from Be In Health.  It is a short three part article dealing with the fear of pain.  I thought the section on migraines is beneficial to those who suffer with migraines. The medical profession almost always treats migraines with drugs. 

In a past life I had a manager’s job with great responsibility.  With it came constant headaches, neck pain, back pain going down my legs, itching, trouble sleeping, etc.  I was a mess until I started to identify the root cause.  Fear was the root cause.  God tells us not to worry in Matthew 6:34.  Obey Him and the symptoms go away.

Understand that we live in world that man has labeled as stress and anxiety.  God has labeled it worry (Matthew 6:34).  Merriam-Webster defines worry as fear.  

Fear of Pain – Part  1

Over 4,000 fears have been named. That list includes fear of disability, fear of pain, and fear of suffering. Most people are not aware that the fear of pain can produce pain. You can also accelerate pain levels by thinking about it. Your body responds to your thoughts. Pain is not an emotional expression from your soul, nor is it a spiritual expression. Pain is a physiological expression, a physical reality. There could be a spirit of pain influencing the fear of pain in your thoughts. In the Bible, stress is called fear or being anxious. Remember, fear, anxiety, and stress are synonymous terms.

The Bible says, in the last days, men's hearts shall fail them because of fear.

Luke 21:26 Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.

Stress and fear directly affect the hypothalamus, both immediately and long-term. This is the mind-body connection. We are designed with the ability for 'fight or flight'. The fight or flight ability is the alarm stage our body responds to when subjected to fear or stress. If the stress is not resolved, our body moves into the resistance stage. Physical symptoms begin to develop in this stage due to the long-term effects of fear, anxiety and stress. The symptoms can include pain. The hypothalamus responds to the continual influence of the fear or anxiety in the mind, which overloads the body's resources.  Eventually, the body is depleted of its ability to repair and restore itself from the stress. If not resolved, this depletion develops into the exhaustion stage. The body is exhausted from attempting to repair itself and the mind is not sending thoughts to promote healing and restoration. God has created your body to heal itself. Your body is able to repair and renew itself on a regular basis, but it does not think for itself.  It is designed to respond to the mind. Your body responds to your thoughts.

The question becomes, which god are you listening to? If your body is moving from the alarm stage, which we have all experienced, to the resistance stage and eventually to the exhaustion stage, then you are not listening to the God who created you.

The Bible says, God has not given you the spirit of fear.

2 Timothy 1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

 Fear and stress directly affect nervous impulses. Pain is a result of flaring dendrites. Pain can be a psychogenic (originating in the mind) symptom of the fear of pain.  But not all pain is psychogenic, which is pain created by the process of the mind.  Pain can be organic.

There are various degrees of pain. If you cut your finger, that pain is not psychogenic. That is organic. There is a reason for it. Pain comes also from inflammation. Migraine headaches come from vasodilatation of the blood vessels in the cranial region as a result of the over-secretion of histamine and the under-secretion of serotonin, which is a vasoconstrictor. That is all it is.

In this case, a migraine is a psychogenic (originating in the mind) pain but it produces a real pain. The root is psychogenic because it is rooted in conflict with yourself over issues you are in conflict with. (You are angry with yourself because of the conflict you feel.) That causes an under-secretion of serotonin and an over-secretion of histamine because one can have a combination of fear and self-hatred. Fear and self-hatred are two spiritual dynamics that can produce a migraine. To get rid of migraines, you have to get rid of fear and get rid of self-rejection, self-hatred and guilt. It is as simple as that. Anyone who has had migraines becomes afraid of them because the pain is debilitating.

Fear of Pain - Part 2

Matthew 6:25 "Therefore I say unto you, take no thought." The key word is thought. Fear projected into the future involves thought. You can be programmed to fear. Your body will respond when you cross the parameters of the territorial rights of what that particular fear represents. When you are subjected to one of your stressors too long or you come in contact with that forbidden item, your heart starts to race, especially in the allergic reactions. When you are exposed to it, there it is, growling at you saying, "I am here, what are you going to do with me?" "Oh no!" You panic and your mind remembers the reaction from last time.

Your mind may remember anaphylaxis (hypersensitivity); it may remember catatonia (stupor); it may remember brain fog; it may remember prickling of skin; it may remember pain; it may remember blotches; it may remember burning of the skin, and the fatigue. All of a sudden you are bombarded with what that thing represents to you physiologically. As your respiratory rate increases, the cardiac muscles start to expand and contract and you start to breathe harder. You go from the fear into the panic stage, you start to breathe harder and harder, you start to lose your breath, then you start looking for your oxygen because you cannot catch your breath.

What your doctor may not have told you is that you may have just stepped across the threshold into something called hyperventilation; rapid breathing. You are not aware of it because you are preoccupied with your stressor and the reactions. Fear and more fear.  Like begets like.  Now you are focused on the reality of your reactions. The carbon dioxide in your lungs is not being exhaled like it needs to be. The oxygen is not getting into your lungs because that is what happens in hyperventilation.

At this point, low-grade carbon dioxide poisoning begins, which is what oxygen starvation is. When your bloodstream picks up the blood of your lungs, it also wants the oxygen but there is none. The first part of the body to receive oxygen is the brain. The brain says, "Get the oxygen" but there is no oxygen there. When you do not have oxygen for your brain cells, you have fuzziness of thinking, you have disorientation, you feel confused, you feel like you are losing your mind, you feel like you are going crazy, you cannot think right. You start to lose it, you feel faint, and you think you are going to pass out. You are looking for oxygen and all of a sudden - panic moves in. That is an allergic reaction. When you get the oxygen, you take a breath. But what took your oxygen away from you in the first place? Fear. Fear is a triggering force in the mind-body connection. 

When that particular fear, or what it has put into your mind long-term, sets into motion a wide range of neurological and hormonal reactions, then it is fight or flight. God created us with that fight or flight as part of our creation in a basic stage. The devil takes the fear originated in the alarm stage and perverts it into a long-term anxiety; the resistance stage. This is how he has programmed us with a fallacy. He is a liar, a deceiver. His name, Satan, means deceiver. He is a master of deception, manipulation and control. He manipulates your response by deceiving you with a lie about the level of danger he wants you to think you have been exposed to.

Fear of Pain - Part 3

Even when the danger of the fear is gone and the battle is over, yet in the resistance stage, you are still geared up for fight or flight. When that happens, your bloodstream is filled with hormones - all sent by your hypothalamus to fight the enemy. The beginning of reversing it is when you start to take your peace. But because you take your peace and you have knowledge, it does not mean the reaction stops instantly. It takes a while for the body to respond.

The devil takes advantage of your ignorance if you are not aware of this and fills you with thoughts of doubt and unbelief. If you are applying these principles and the symptoms do not go away instantly, you may go right into more fear, unbelief and doubt, which accelerates more of the same. When you know the truth, you can be at peace while you are confidently waiting for your body to respond. If you do not fight this one, it will control you the rest of your life. 

An allergic reaction does not last forever when you are not fighting it. When you start to take your peace back and you say, "Wait a minute. I have been taught better than this. This does not harm my body." You can still be having the reaction or the feeling or the exhaustion or the sickness or the burning or the fuzziness - there are a wide range of manifestations - but the moment you take your peace back in your heart before God, your bloodstream is still filled with those neurotransmitters that have been secreted upstream and are still coursing through your system. It takes awhile for your bloodstream to clear. When you take your peace in your mind and in your heart, your hypothalamus will accept it and redirect your body to respond to your peace. 

Isaiah 26:3 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.

You take your peace back in your spirit and your soul, even though your body is still reacting. Fear is still there, unbelief is still there. 

Remember that God will honor you in your choice to stand in peace and the hypothalamus will shut down the secreting of this hormone, but the bloodstream is still filled with it. It takes awhile for the bloodstream to finish pumping these hormones and the receptor cells to stop reacting to it until finally the reactions stop. That is the manifestation of your victory.

As you learn to fight this enemy, your mind is renewed so each time you face that stressor you no longer react like before because programming is broken. That is what happens when people take back their life. One day they are allergic to a hundred different things and a few months down the road they are allergic to none of it. The spiritual dynamics changed. They are free from that enemy. 

The battle is when you are in the situation. Scripture says when you have done all, stand. When you have gained the knowledge, you have to apply it.

What is causing your problem has a root to it. There is a spiritual bondage, a cause and effect. Some people grasp it faster than others and sometimes there are things in people's lives that just need to be dealt with before it can be removed.

There is a battle for your life. This is not mind over matter.  This is not a science. This is life.

There is an invisible enemy out there that has been controlling mankind for many, many hundreds of years. But he can be defeated and when he is, God gets the glory. The enemy gets dethroned in the heavens and we get lifted up above him and it is to the glory of God. This gives us a place of trusting God and believing in Him. God is greater than evil.

When you are in the face of evil, when you are fighting your battle, you do not know you are victorious until you look around afterwards and you say, "Well, I won." When you are in the battle, you do not feel very free.  Jesus said, "If you continue in my word...you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free"  John 8:32.

 

New Year Resolution

New Year’s Resolution - a promise that you make to yourself to start doing something good or to stop doing something bad on the first day of the year.

I have not been big on New Year’s resolutions.  I thought resolutions were stupid because I failed to live up to the resolution, so why continue doing something that I could not live up to.  I remember back in the day when I used to work out at the gym on a regular basis and every year you would see the gym packed to capacity in January.  Without fail, only the faithful would be left in February.  All the others that had a New Year’s resolution to work out, lose weight, and become fit would drop out.

The message today is not about making a resolution or a vow, but a commitment to God to start doing better and making a greater effort to stop doing things that are bad.  This commitment cannot be for just a month or two.  Rather, it has to be a permanent change of life.  Yes, I am calling you out (as well as myself) because God wants us to rid ourselves of our old nature and develop a relationship with Him.  We need to task ourselves with taking our relationship to the next level.  Simply by reading this, God will be watching to see what we will do with this challenge.  Be careful not to let the enemy turn this into guilt and condemnation.  God does not expect us to be perfect, but He does expect us to make progress in our walk with Him. 

First, let’s examine (Galatians 6:4) how we present ourselves and identify the sin in our lives.  Take into consideration how sin will manifest in our physical (actions) which does not represent Jesus Christ.  Below are a few of the many things we have to work on.  I am sure God will convict you of additional areas of your life that you may have to address. 

Anger – Many times anger is so natural in us, that we can’t see that this anger makes life miserable to others. (Proverbs 29:22).  Your anger will bring fear to the people that you come into contact with.

Worry – Worry is another name for anxiety or stress.  In reality, these words can be called fear.  Examples are fear of man, fear of losing your job or money, fear of the economy, fear of being late, fear for our children or family, fear of not being accepted or loved, fear of not being what God wants us to be, etc.  There are thousands of stressors (fears) that the enemy has convinced us to worry about.  We cannot yield to the fears of this world because God tells us not to worry (Matthew 6:34).

Un-forgiveness – God wants us to forgive those who offend us (Matthew 6:14).  As we discussed in a previous message, there is at least a two-step process. First, we must forgive.  Second, we must ask God to forgive us for having un-forgiveness.  Also, we may need to ask forgiveness for bad mouthing this person.  Perhaps, there are many of us who need to forgive ourselves because of what we have done or have not done in the past.

Judgment/criticism – I lump these two together because where you have criticism, you will have judgment.  Criticism is bad mouthing whether it’s to a friend, family member or spouse.  Isn’t the reality shows on TV doing exactly this?  Who are we to judge (Matthew 7:1)?

Despair – Despair is actually hopelessness.  We as believers see the enemy attacking us and our loved ones over and over again.  At times we feel helpless not being able to do anything about the darkness.  Maybe you don’t see your walk with the Lord progressing to the level we would like.  Understand that Jesus is the light (John 8:12) and we are able to walk in the light.  Walking in the light means to know God and to understand that we can overcome the darkness with the power and authority given to us in Jesus name.  We must remain strong and keeping seeking God for answers.

Below are a few bullet point tidbits that may help you with a New Year’s commitment to God:

• First and foremost we must have a plan.  It starts with getting rid of your old nature and making a commitment to take your walk with the Lord to another level. 
• Reading the Word of God is the most important thing you can do to build a relationship with God.  The Word of God is God Himself (John 1:1).  Reading the Word of God is an opportunity to know God in an overwhelming way.  Reading the word of God consistently will give you wisdom, knowledge, understanding, and discernment.  The Bible comes alive to the reader in a way that is hard to describe.  Reading the Word of God will teach how to live, act and pray.  You will begin to hear from God and you will experience His presence within your body, mind (soul) and heart (Spirit).  With that presence you will have peace and comfort like never before.  Reading the Word will change your physical appearance.  People will see a change in your countenance that reflects the light of Jesus Christ.  With all these benefits, is there a reason why we are not immersed in the Word of God?  Can television, video games, or worldly things provide us with what the Bible provides?
• We must look at what we do with our time.  How much time do you devote to God?  Do you just give Him crumbs and expect Him to give you a feast?  There are 168 hours in a week.  How many hours do you give to God?  How much do you pray to Him?  Simply put, prayer is talking to God.  God hears every prayer and if we don’t pray, He can’t hear to answer our prayers.  He calls us to pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17).
• Are doing what Jesus did in His ministry?  How consistent are you in sharing the Gospel, casting out unclean spirits, speaking in the Spirit or healing?  Jesus is very clear on what he wants us to do in Mark 16:15-18.  This is not an option and He tells us He will be with us until the end of the age if we follow this commandment (Matthew 28:20).  It is mandated that we take this out to the market place to preach the Gospel and set the captives free.
• Are we accessing the Helper?  The Helper is there for every part of our life and especially our prayer life.  John’s Gospel introduces the Holy Spirit’s role in spiritual growth.  The New Birth and the baptism in the Holy Spirit furnish 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.  The Holy Spirit is the power (Acts 1:8) that we received to help us overcome.

We all have an opportunity this day to take our relationship with God to a higher level.  It is time to change our ways and ask God to forgive us for not putting Him first.  We have to choose to follow God or follow the one who seeks to destroy us.  Our worldly ways are not working out as you can tell.  The choice should not be a hard one, but it is apparent how difficult it has been as the world continues to get darker by the day.

I pray that God be with you as you start on a new journey with Him.

Amen and Amen!

 

Galatians 6:4 But let each one examine his own work, and then he will have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another.

Proverbs 29:22 An angry man stirs up strife, And a furious man abounds in transgression).

Matthew 6:34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

Matthew 6:14 “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.

Matthew 7:1 “Judge not, that you be not judged.

John 8:12  Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”

1 Thessalonians 5:17 pray without ceasing

John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

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.”

Matthew 28:20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

Acts 1:8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you;

Forgiveness - A Two Step Process

Greetings,

 

I want to take a moment to share with you a message that I have never heard taught.  It has to do with un-forgiveness towards the offender and the person who has been offended who must ask seek forgiveness from God for being offended.  

 

Forgiveness: A Two Step process

 

Step One.  You’ve all heard the forgiveness message over and over and over again.  We are to forgive those who have offended us over and over again as it says in Matthew 18:21-22 where Jesus says to forgive “seventy time seven”.  In reality, this is symbolic, as we are to forgive even if it exceeds seventy times seven.  We continue to forgive them until we are not pinged by the thought that caused our un-forgiveness. 

 

Many people have un-forgiveness towards people that have been dead for years and it should not be an issue.  But it is an issue because we have a record of wrongs against offenders both dead and alive.

 

Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, "Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?"  Jesus answered, "I tell you, not seven times, but seventy times seven.  Matthew 18:21-22  

 

Step Two.  Jesus says to love your neighbor as you love yourself (as God loves you).  Matthew 22:37-39 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.  So, if we took offense and have un-forgiveness, it is contrary to what Jesus said and that is to love our neighbor.  Therefore, we are in sin for having un-forgiveness towards the person who offended us.  We are to go before God and ask Him to forgive us for having un-forgiveness towards the person who offended us or we go to bed with un-repentant sin.

 

And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins (for having un-forgiveness)." Mark 11:25.  Are you with me?

 

I want to share some things that have really helped me in dealing with offenders and un-forgiveness.

 

1. Separate the sin from the person God created. 
2. Love the person, hate the sin. 
3. Look at the person the way Jesus would have looked at the offender.  With love and compassion.
    

We must understand what Jesus knew and that is “they do not know what they are doing.”  We are to forgive them and understand that they may be in bondage and don’t recognize the offenses they have committed.  It does not mean we have to endure their offenses.  But, we must forgive them and love them as God loves us and them. 

 

Lastly, our un-forgiveness compromises our immune system and cause many health issues.  Therefore, we must forgive and seek forgiveness. 

 

Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." Luke 23:34

 

Don’t ever let your adversaries become your master.  In other words, don’t let their sin control you.

 

Tony Sanchez