What Do You Confess As Truth? – Music Part 4

Recently, I removed all the music that I had on my phone that does not praise God.  I had many artists including the greatest rock and roll band ever, Led Zeppelin.  Some other included Al Green, Linda Ronstadt, Shania Twain, etc.  I had to determine if this secular music was what I confess as truth. 

Music is a large part of any culture.  Music existed from the very beginning of time.  God Himself is the originator of music. In Job 34:4-7, God speaks of when he “laid the foundations of the earth…When the morning stars sang together.”  Ezekiel 28:13 says of Lucifer “The workmanship of your timbrels and pipes was prepared for you on the day you were created.”  Lucifer had been had been an anointed cherub with immense musical ability.  But Lucifer wanted to like the most High.  He has devised many close counterfeits of God’s truth.  One of his most subtle perversions has been to corrupt God’s music.  He does not want anyone else to be a chief musician.  You can understand why Satan tries to bring down people in the music ministry.

God’s music will bring life and health to the body, soul, and spirit.

Isaiah 12:2 sums it up “Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid; ‘For Yah, the Lord, is my strength and song.”  In 1 Samuel 16:23 it says “And so it was, whenever the spirit (distressing) from God was upon Saul, that David would take a harp and play it with his hand. Then Saul would become refreshed and well, and the distressing spirit would depart from him.”  Satan’s music, on the contrary, seeks to “steal, and to kill, and to destroy (John 10:10).

God’s music will emphasize the melody, not the harmony or rhythm.

Ephesians 5:18-19 says, “but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord.”  Isaiah 23:16 tells us to “Make sweet melody, sing many songs.”  There are three parts in a musical composition: the melody, the harmony, and the rhythm.  Melody is the essence of music.  The melody carries and reinforces the words; therefore, God’s music will emphasize the melody and its words, not the harmony or the rhythm. The word “music” comes from the word “muse” which means to “think.”  A song’s words make us think; too much harmony can distract from this.  A loud dominant rhythm sets the flesh moving, which in some cases can feed our fleshly nature.

The devil’s music emphasizes a loud, hypnotic rhythm, and has little melody and very little meaning.  It feeds the flesh and not the spirit.  Many of the secular songs out there have beat of the Shaman which has a trance effect on the mind.

God’s music will contain scripture references that teach and admonish.

Christian music is not entertainment.  Christian music is spiritual “food.”  The book of Psalm 98 verse 4 says to “Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth; Break forth in song, rejoice, and sing praises.”  Colossians 3:16 says to “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.”  A Christian musician should be a student of the Word of God!  Young people today can quote the lyrics of contemporary Christian music, but often cannot quote the Holy Bible. 

Much contemporary Christian music omits the Lord Jesus Christ and God with pronouns such as “he,” “him,” or “you.”  How can anyone writing God’s songs omit Jesus, Holy Spirit, and God?

God’s music will be spiritual, not sensual.

Ephesians 5:18-19 equates walking in the Spirit with singing spiritual songs.  It says, “but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord.”  A Christian is born again of the Spirit.  In 1 Corinthians 14:15 Paul tells us, “I will sing with the spirit.”   Therefore, Christian music should feed the spirit, not the flesh.  The Sprit and the flesh are contrary and opposite (Galatians 5:17).  They are enemies.  God’s music will give us things to think about that are pure and godly. 

Godly music will praise God, and not draw attention to the singer.

Hymns are about HIM!   Psalm 28:7 tells us, “And with my song I will praise Him.”  Psalm 66:2 Sing out the honor of His name; Make His praise glorious.”  Praise redirects our thinking to God’s power and not our circumstances.

On the other hand, the devil’s music will redirect the worship to man (or false god), and not to the Lord.  You can hear the audience at a concert practically worshipping the singer.  John 12:43 says to such things, “For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.”  Have you ever felt in your spirit, a member or leader of a praise group was just putting on a show? The song can at times be almost irrelevant.  The focus is on the person and songs have become performance driven, rather than a message.  Christians are to draw attention to God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, not to themselves.

God’s music will be sung and played by Christians who live by the book.

In the Bible, God did not allow just anybody to be his musicians.  When He chose his musicians in the Old Testament, he specifically chose the Levites, who were separated for the service of the sanctuary.  The priest were also chosen from the Levites.  1 Chronicles 15:16 tells us “Then David spoke to the leaders of the Levites to appoint their brethren to be the singers accompanied by instruments of music, stringed instruments, harps, and cymbals, by raising the voice with resounding joy.”  We cannot choose ourselves to be in the music ministry.  You must be chosen by God.

Music is an expression of the heart.  Beautiful voices are a “dime a dozen,” but beautiful hearts are more precious than gold.  Your music, singing and worship must be led by the Holy Spirit and it must praise God.

Again, what do you confess as truth?

Blessings to you all,

Tony Sanchez, 5-22-14

What Do You Confess As Truth – Un-forgiveness, Part 3

We all are all offended on a regular basis and many times the offense can cause bitterness and anger which results in un-forgiveness.  God says to forgive their trespasses and He will forgive you.  “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.  Matthew 6:14

Forgiveness means dismissing a debt.  When you grant forgiveness, you dismiss the debt owed to you.  When you receive forgiveness, you debt is dismissed.  (You are released from any requirement for repayment).  When you grant forgiveness, you dismiss the debt from your thoughts.  Jesus expressed the heart of forgiveness when he said “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you” (Luke 6:27).

Forgiveness is dismissing your demand that others owe you something, especially when they fail to meet your expectations, fail to keep a promise, and fail to treat you justly.  Jesus said, “If someone strikes you on the right cheek turn to him the other also” (Matthew 5:39).

There many misconceptions when the word forgiveness is mentioned.  Some think forgiveness is the equivalent of excusing sin, saying that what was wrong is now right.  To correct any confusion, we need to know what forgiveness is not!

• Forgiveness is not trying to avoid complying with God’s justice.  It is allowing God to execute His justice in His time and way.
• Forgiveness is not waiting for the “time to heal all wounds.”  It is clear that time doesn’t heal wounds.  Some people will not allow healing.
• Forgiveness is not letting the guilty “off the hook.”  It is moving the guilty from your hook to God’s hook.
• Forgiveness is not the same as reconciliation.  It takes two for reconciliation, only one for forgiveness.
• Forgiveness is not excusing unjust behavior.  It is acknowledging that unjust behavior is without excuse, while still forgiving.
• Forgiveness is not explaining away the hurt.  It is working through the hurt.
• Forgiveness is not based on what is fair.  It was not “fair” for Jesus to hang on the cross, but He did so that we could be forgiven.
• Forgiveness is not being a weak martyr.  It is being strong enough to be Christ like.
• Forgiveness is not stuffing your anger.  It is resolving you anger by releasing the offense to God.
• Forgiveness is not a natural response.  It is a supernatural response, empowered by God.
• Forgiveness is not denying the hurt.  It is feeling the hurt and releasing it.
• Forgiveness is not being a doormat.  It is seeing that, if this were so, Jesus would have been the greatest doormat of all!
• Forgiveness is not conditional.  It is unconditional, a mandate from God to everyone.
• Forgiveness is not forgetting.  It is necessary to remember before you can forgive.
• Forgiveness is not a feeling.  It is a choice – an act of the will. 

To forgive means to release your resentment toward your offender. 

• To release your right to hear “I’m sorry”
• To release your right to be bitter
• To release your right to get even

 

To forgive is to release your rights regarding the offense.

• To release your right to dwell on the offense
• To releaser your right to hold on to the offense
• To release your right to keep bringing up the offense
• To release the right to keep a record of wrongs they have done to you.

To forgive is to reflect the character of Christ.  Just as God is willing to forgive us, we are called to forgive others.

• To forgive is to extend mercy.  The same mercy God extends to us over and over again.
• To forgive is to give a gift of grace.
• To forgive is to set the offender free.  Most importantly, to set you free.

If you struggle with forgiving others, understand how much God loves you and continually forgives you.  I pray that you will be compelled to forgive others as God has forgiven you.  “The Lord our God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against Him.”  (Daniel 9:9)

Forgiveness is dismissing, canceling, or setting someone free from the consequences of falling short of God’s standard.  Un-forgiveness is sin and the penalty for sin is spiritual death.  The penalty for sin (our debt) was paid for Jesus through His sacrificial death on the cross. “In whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins (Colossians 1:14). Therefore, instead of being separated from God, we can have our debt dismissed by God and experience eternal life in heaven.

I pray that you would stop what you are doing this very second and ask yourself who you need to forgive so God can forgive you.  Matthew 6:14 “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.

Again, we need to ask the question, “What do you confess as truth?” 

God’s blessings on you all,

Tony Sanchez

Reference:  Forgiveness – The Freedom To Let Go by Jane Hunt

What Do You Confess As Truth? - Accuser of the Brethren

Who is the “Accuser of the Brethren (Revelation 12:10)?”  Job 1:6-2:7 gives you an idea of who Satan is.  Satan is an opponent, or the Opponent; the hater; the accuser; adversary; enemy; one who resists, obstructs, and hinders whatever is good.  Since Satan is the Hater, he is totally opposed to God, who is love. 

We must understand that Satan the Accuser makes every attempt to push his agenda on us and our culture.  In other words, he wants us to be like him and I must say that he is doing a good job because many of us don’t think that we accuse.  I like to call this agenda the spirit of accusation.

What does the dictionary say about accusation:  It means to blame, to charge with a fault or offense.  Some related words are:

Defame – to harm the reputation of someone

Slander – making a false spoken statement that causes people to have a bad opinion of someone (Prov 19:9)

Incriminate – to cause someone to appear guilty

Blame – to find fault.  This is prevalent in our culture.  Blame others instead of looking at self.

Condemn – to say someone is bad or wrong

Reproach – a cause of shame

Can we take time to retrace our steps and review what comes out of our mouth?  Have you on occasion when talking to another person judged, slandered, gossiped, offered your negative opinion, accused, blamed, caused shame, or condemned someone or something (Church) no matter how slight?  Do these words represent the spirit of accusation in you?  Are we any better than the “Accuser of the Brethren” if we confess this as truth?  For those who have spouses or best friends and think that you can do these things in the privacy of your house, you may want to search the Bible to see if you are exception to what God says.

The things that come out of our mouth affect the physical causing sickness and disease.  Pleasant words are health to the bones (Proverbs 16:24 Pleasant words are like a honeycomb, Sweetness to the soul and health to the bones).  Bones hold the marrow that produces white cells that fight sickness and disease.

We have all been guilty of being the accuser of the brethren.  It is time to examine ourselves and change our ways (Lamentations 3:40 Let us search out and examine our ways, And turn back to the Lord).  If what we say does not bring Glory to God, then don’t say it.      

Revelation 12:10 Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down.

So, it comes back to this question:  What do you confess as truth?

Many blessing to you all,

Tony Sanchez

What Do You Confess As Truth?

I want to do a series of tidbits on the subject of what we confess as truth.

Your Words:  What comes out of your mouth establishes life and death to us.  We can be thinking in our heart, and it can be just temptation.  When we speak it out of your mouth, you establish it in the heavenlies.  The only one that can tear these words down is you.  Your words are either life or death, blessings or curses (Deuteronomy 28).  You shall reap what you sow.  If you sow unto death, you shall reap death.  If you sow unto life, you shall reap life.  Your reality is established by the words of your tongue.  Luke 6:45 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.

Take time to listen what is being said on television, movies, and real life conversations.  Evil words are being spoken and it has become normal to a point of us not recognizing what evil we are speaking.

The Bible says every word that has been spoken shall stand against you in the Day of Judgment.

Matthew 12:36 But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment.

What you speak must match your heart and God knows what is in your heart (Psalm 44:21 For He knows the secrets of the heart).  What is in your heart should be the Word of God.  What you say in your heart should be what God has said about every matter.  The way you think on the inside should be what you speak out of your mouth.

Example:  When you say to someone, “I hate you,” you have established a spiritual dynamic that needs to be dealt with or else it stays there forever, waiting to be fulfilled.  It may have started as an offense to you but progressed to anger, un-forgiveness, hatred, and to a point of murder of the tongue or the physical.

The only antidote to the evil words we say is true repentance,

God, I repent.  I pull down from the heavenlies all the evil words I have spoken.  I put them under the blood of Jesus for forgiveness of sins, and I ask to be delivered from the curse of my words, Amen.

That is the only way that we can be free of those words standing in condemnation and judgment against us in the judgment day.

Blessings to you all,

Tony Sanchez

Healing in the Name of Jesus

Isaiah 61:1 (TLB) The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed (chosen) me to bring good news to the suffering and afflicted. He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted, to announce liberty (deliverance) to captives, and to open the eyes of the blind.

I am part of two healing ministries as I have shared with you recently.  The most recent is the Healing Room at Faith Bible Chapel.  This is not something I decided to pursue just because I made a decision to join this ministry.  I’ve had a heart to bring healing to God’s people for many years, but I had to wait for God’s timing to allow me to be part of the healing ministry.  God is in control, not me.

God had to prepare me for this ministry.  Over the course of the past eleven years He allowed me to receive teaching, training, education, and experience needed for this ministry that included:

• Spiritual Warfare – Knowing the enemy in the spiritual realm and how they come to destroy for 11 years.
• Pastoral teaching – Pastor Lou and others for the past 11 years.
• Spiritual root cause of disease – Three and one half years.
• Learning the love of God and how His love came in the form of His son who is the great healer.
• Being brought into brokenness for 3 years that allowed me to experience humbleness to do this work.

So, although I wanted to heal people, it took 11 years of preparation before God presented the opportunity.  First with the healing team at the altar prior to service at Redeemer Temple the last 4 months and now with the Healing Room Faith Bible Chapel. 

The key to where God wants us to be in ministry is to wait on the Father to put us where He wants us to be.  He knew the passion I had for the needy, but He had to prepare me and I thank Him for doing this for me.  Praise Him.

I go out into the world and know without a doubt that God can and will heal and allows us to heal.  He gives us power to and authority to do this as it says in the Great Commission. 

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.”

He tasks every one of us as disciples of Jesus Christ to carry out the Great Commission.  This is not an option.  Why are there so few when we need all the help we can get for all that are suffering? 

Thank you for hearing my story.

Tony Sanchez

The Coming of the Lord. Are You Ready?

My favorite part of the Bible is the Old Testament prophets.  I was reading in the book of Isaiah and the following Scriptures is the subject of this piece.

The Day of the Lord

Isaiah 2:5-22 (TLB) 5 O Israel, come, let us walk in the light of the Lord and be obedient to his laws!  6 The Lord has rejected you because you welcome foreigners from the East who practice magic and communicate with evil spirits, as the Philistines do.  7 Israel has vast treasures of silver and gold, and great numbers of horses and chariots 8 and idols—the land is full of them! They are man-made, and yet you worship them!  9 Small and great, all bow before them; God will not forgive you for this sin.  10 Crawl into the caves in the rocks and hide in terror from his glorious majesty, 11 for the day is coming when your proud looks will be brought low; the Lord alone will be exalted.  12 On that day the Lord Almighty will move against the proud and haughty and bring them to the dust.  13 All the tall cedars of Lebanon and all the mighty oaks of Bashan shall bend low,  14 and all the high mountains and hills,  15 and every high tower and wall,  16 and all the proud ocean ships and trim harbor craft—all shall be crushed before the Lord that day.  17 All the glory of mankind will bow low; the pride of men will lie in the dust, and the Lord alone will be exalted.  18 And all idols will be utterly abolished and destroyed.  19 When the Lord stands up from his throne to shake up the earth, his enemies will crawl with fear into the holes in the rocks and into the caves because of the glory of his majesty.  20 Then at last they will abandon their gold and silver idols to the moles and bats 21 and crawl into the caverns to hide among the jagged rocks at the tops of the cliffs, to try to get away from the terror of the Lord and the glory of his majesty when he rises to terrify the earth.  22 Puny man! Frail as his breath! Don’t ever put your trust in him!

In this Scripture we have a warning and unfortunately we, as the Body of Christ, are not heeding this warning.  We are in the last days and we must understand that there is a duality in this prophecy.

Many people find the subject of prophecy to be the most fascinating aspect of Bible study, and they show an intense interest in it. Some scour the newspapers, books, magazines, television for the latest tidbit that fulfills their favorite prophecies.  Unfortunately, few understand the vital keys to understanding the prophecies of the Bible, and causing many of them to be wildly misunderstood.

One of these keys to understanding prophecy is the fact that most prophecy is dual in nature. Throughout the Bible, we see duality in many things. God made a material creation and a spiritual creation (Genesis 2:1-4 Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished.   And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done.  Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made. This is the history[a] of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens). The first Adam was physical, and the second Adam, Christ, is spiritual (I Corinthians 15:45-47 And so it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being.”  The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural, and afterward the spiritual.  The first man was of the earth, made of dust; the second Man is the Lord from heaven). The Old Covenant was based on physical descent and physical blessings and cursing. It was followed by the New Covenant, which is spiritual (Hebrews 8).  At the first coming of Christ, He came in the weakness of flesh; when He comes again, He will be a powerful spirit Being.

A list of everything in the Bible that demonstrates duality would be a very long list. So it is with the prophecies, most of which consist of two predictions: a type and an antitype. The type, usually a relatively minor event in history, symbolizes a major, often end-time event that will occur later. The major event is the antitype.

However, we must keep in mind that not all prophecies are dual. God's predictions regarding the fate of ancient city-states such as Tyre, Sidon, Ashkelon and others do not appear to have an antitype. In general, it seems that God has chosen to use the duality principle in those prophecies which deal directly with His people Israel or with the church (spiritual Israel).

The principle of duality in prophecy is especially important to God's church today. Many prophecies in the New Testament predicted the great apostasy which took place in the church toward the end of the first century

Acts 20:29; For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock.

II Thessalonians 2:3-12; 3 Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.  Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things?  And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time.  For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way.  And then the lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming. The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved.  And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

II Timothy 3:1-8; But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come:  For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,   unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good,   traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!  For of this sort are those who creep into households and make captives of gullible women loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts,   always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.  Now as Jannes and Jambres resisted Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, disapproved concerning the faith;

4:3-4;  For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers;  4 and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables

Jude 3-4; Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.  For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ

All of these prophecies are dual. The falling away from the revealed truth of God that occurred in the first century is a type of what is happening today in the church. We are witnessing some of these prophecies being fulfilled!  Duality in prophecy is being demonstrated in our lifetimes before our very eyes!

Today, we understand that the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70 was a type of the Great Tribulation which will occur in the time immediately preceding the second coming of Christ. We can see that He actually prophesied two events. Jerusalem's destruction was the type, and the Great Tribulation is the antitype.

For this reason, we must be keenly aware of this important principle of understanding God's Word. We must be constantly on our guard, watching prophesied world events, as well as those unfolding in the church, lest we be caught unaware. Listen to the urgent warning that Jesus Christ gave to all of us who are living in the end time.

I see a Church that is a “Feel Good Church.”  We wake up each day and do what feels good to us according to our understanding.  Some days we read the Bible, praise God, and pray a little.  Many days we don’t.  We fail to grasp the importance of reading His word constantly and how it relates to our Salvation.  The Salvation that allows us to enter into the Kingdom of God.

You can see the church of today in Revelation 2 and 3.  It describes the seven churches: Loveless, Persecuted, Compromising, Corrupt, Dead, Faithful, and the Luke Warm Church.  Unfortunately, all seven reside in the church we attend.  Which of these churches described in Revelation will ensure your entry into the kingdom of God?  What church pertains to you?

Blessings to you all,

Tony Sanchez

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