What does it mean to be Holy?" By Tony Sanchez

In 1 Peter 1:13-16, Peter writes to believers, Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;  as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance;  but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct,  because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.” Peter is quoting from Leviticus 11:44 For I am the Lord your God. You shall therefore consecrate yourselves, and you shall be holy; for I am holy,  and Leviticus 19:2 “Speak to all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.

What does it mean that God is holy?  Passages like 1 Samuel 2:2 “No one is holy like the Lord, For there is none besides You, Nor is there any rock like our God and Isaiah 6:3 And one cried to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; The whole earth is full of His glory!” are just two of many passages about God’s holiness.  God is high above any other and no one can compare to Him (Psalm 40:5 NLT O Lord my God, you have performed many wonders for us.  Your plans for us are too numerous to list. You have no equal). God’s holiness pervades His entire being and shapes all His attributes.

What does it mean for us to be holy? When God told Israel to be holy in Leviticus 11 and Leviticus 19, He was instructing them to be distinct from the other nations by giving them specific regulations to govern their lives. Israel is God's chosen nation and God has set them apart from all other people groups. They are His special people, and consequently they were given standards that God wanted them to live by so the world would know they belonged to Him. When Peter repeats the Lord's words in 1 Peter 1:16, he is talking specifically to believers. As believers, we need to be "set apart" from the world unto the Lord. We need to be living by God's standards, not the world's. God isn't calling us to be perfect, but to be distinct from the world. 1 Peter 2:9 (see below) describes believers as "a holy nation."  We are separated from the world; we need to live out that reality in our day-to-day lives, which Peter tells us how to do in 1 Peter 1:13-16.

So, how can we become holy?  Holiness only results from a right relationship with God by believing in Jesus Christ as Savior.  If we have not placed our faith in God's Son alone to save us from our sins, then our pursuit of holiness is in vain. So, we must first make sure we are born-again believers (John 3:3 Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.”).  If we truly are believers, then we recognize that our position in Christ automatically sets us apart from the world 1 Peter 2:9 But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession.  We have a relationship with the living God!  Then we must daily live a set-apart our lives. We cannot "blend in" with the world dividing our loyalty with God (Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do James 1:8 NLT).  But instead living according to God's Word as we study the Bible, grow in it, and apply it to our lives.

1 Peter 2:9 But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession.

Memory Verse: Leviticus 11:44 For I am the Lord your God. You shall therefore consecrate yourselves, and you shall be holy; for I am holy.

Healing in the Church Today

Isaiah 53:4-5 Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.

Although sickness is a reality that every human being will probably face and experience at some time in their life, it is a property of the sinful fallen nature of this world. Sickness is not a feature of the world as originally designed by our Creator. In His plan of salvation, God is reversing all of the effects of sin. It should be no surprise, therefore, to find that God has declared war on sickness as well as on sin.

Sickness in never a part of the perfect will and plan of God for any person’s life. Healing is an essential part of God’s plan of salvation and the Scriptures are very clear on this. 

The passage quoted from Isaiah, here, shows that when Jesus died on the cross He paid in full for every transgression and iniquity. These are our sins. This same passage of scripture, however, shows us that He also died for our griefs and sorrows. That is, He included every physical, emotional and spiritual hurt and pain in His provision for us on the cross.  Any doubt that this is what He intended is removed by Matthew 8:17 When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed. And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: "He Himself took our infirmities And bore our sicknesses."  This commitment of the Lord to heal is often called the healing covenant.

The Bible is a book about covenant relationship. Covenant is an important concept to understand in the Old and New Testament of the Bible. One of the definitions of the word "testament" is covenant, and is defined as a covenant between God and Humans. So you could call the Old and New Testament the Old and New Covenant, as many people do. 

Old Covenant

The concept of covenant is important in receiving your physical healing through the Word of God. God states in the Old Covenant in the book of Exodus, For I am the LORD who heals you" (Exodus 15:26). King David instructs the believers to bless the LORD and not to forget all of the benefits or spiritual blessings of the LORD. David recognized the benefits provided in his covenant with God. One of the benefits identified is, "who heals all your diseases" (Psalms 103:2-3). 

New Covenant

Jesus established the New Covenant the night before his crucifixion. Jesus said to his disciples at the Last Supper, "this is my blood of the New Testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins" (Matthew 26:26-28). Jesus is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises “But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises” (Hebrews 8:6).

Jesus at the same time gave thanks, broke the bread and said, "Take, eat, this is my body, which is broken for you" 1 Corinthians 11:24. "So then Pilate took Jesus and scourged (whipped) Him" [John 19:1]. "By whose stripes you were healed" 1 Peter 2:24. Jesus' body was broken so that your body may be whole. At the cross, Jesus' bones were not broken For these things were done that the Scripture should be fulfilled, “Not one of His bones shall be broken” John 19:36.

IF forgiveness of sins, physical healing, deliverance, favor, provisional care, fruitfulness, and long life were spiritual blessings of the Old covenant; how much more are they in the New Covenant which has Jesus Christ the guarantor or surety of this better covenant? (Hebrews 7:22 by so much more Jesus has become a surety of a better covenant), (Psalms 103:1-3 Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases), (Exodus 23:26-27 No one shall suffer miscarriage or be barren in your land), (Deuteronomy 7:15 And the Lord will take away from you all sickness, and will afflict you with none of the terrible diseases), (Psalms 91:6.…Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness). 

God’s Promise

God promises the Children of Israel in the Old Covenant that He would be their God, "if you will listen carefully to the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in his sight, obeying his commands and laws, then I will not make you suffer the diseases I sent on the Egyptians; for I am the Lord who heals you, Exodus 15:22, NLT. The same promise applies to the New Covenant.

Some religious folks say that God only wants to be the God who heals us spiritually. If God is only talking about spiritual healing why does he mention the words "disease or sickness" in these passages Psalms 103:1-3, Exodus 23:25, Deuteronomy 7:15, Matthew 8:17?

Now that we laid the ground work of healing in the Old and New Testament, what is the point of all this?  The point is:  Where is the healing in the church?  The masses are coming into church services with sickness and disease and going out of the church services with sickness and disease.

I traveled for many years and tried to find midweek service in the cites that I was in.  I viewed many services on television.  I visited many churches in the Denver area to get an idea of what they were teaching.  Too few were taking time to heal the sick before service, during service, or after service. 

Why have we left out such an important part of the Old and New Testament?  Why are we sick?  Is it because of our sin?  If the answer is yes and it should be, why are we ignoring what was such a huge part of Jesus’ ministry. Jesus came to “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” Luke 4:18.  Jesus came to heal!  Why are we not imitating Jesus?  Jesus in His instructions to the disciples in the Great Commission said “they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover” Mark 16:18.  The church elders are called to do what? Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord, James 5:14.  Are the elders making themselves available to pray for the sick?  Or is “Elders” just a title?

In a time of declining church attendance, is it hard to understand that deliverance, healing, and operating in the Holy Spirit may be a key to increasing church attendance?  The word spread when they heard of the healing Jesus was performing. Then a great multitude followed Him, because they saw His signs which He performed on those who were diseased, John 6:2. Matter of fact, 5,000 came to hear Jesus and hoping for healing, “Then Jesus said, “Make the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand” John 6:10.  5,000 came to hear the Apostles preach the same message Jesus preached, “However, many of those who heard the word believed; and the number of the men came to be about five thousand” Acts 4:4.  People want to be healed and they will go to a church who wants to heal them in the name of Jesus.

Let’s forget all the programs that have little effect on the flock.  Let’s “confess our trespasses to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed”, James 5:16 at the women’s tea parties, the men’s breakfast gatherings, and the youth groups.  It’s OK to have a speaker, but there should be time set aside to pray for healing.  The church service should set aside time for healing.  Put the altar team to work.  Have all the Pastors present to lead the prayer for healing.  When people humbly come to the altar with a repentant heart, the Holy Spirit will be present with all of God’s glory.

It is time for the church to come back and imitate the Apostles in first century church and carry out what Jesus instructed them to do in The Great Commission:

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.” Mark 16:15-18

Luke 9:57  Now it happened as they journeyed on the road, that someone said to Him, “Lord, I will follow You wherever You go.”  It is one thing to say you will follow Jesus; it is another to see it through, even when the road is narrow, steep, and nearly impossible.  But, if we come to God, believe in God, diligently seek God, he will reward (heal) us.

In Jesus name,

Tony Sanchez, 1-21-15

Fasting - Week 3 of 3

This is the final recap of my experience during my 21 day fast. My biggest obstacle was praying all day long consistently which was difficult at times due to having a full time job.  I will be better prepared for a 21 day fast next January. 

This fast has led me through many different emotions and levels of God’s presence.  I have experience the reward of the humbling of my flesh that can only take place during a fast.  I have been dying to my own will and desires, and experiencing what desires  God wants for my life.

Keep in mind that my primary objective during the fast was to pray for my granddaughter who suffers so much, my wife, family, friends, and people who come to the Healing Room.  I really was the last person on the priority list.  What I found out was that God had to work a breakthrough in me first before breakthrough could occur in the people that I was praying for.  I hope to share in the future about breakthrough with others that I was praying for as they are revealed. Below are a few things that I want to share with you.

• I have been able to truly receive God’s love at a level that I had never been able to experience.  Because of this, I have been able to express this love to my wife and children.  Understand, all my life I have guarded my emotions, but now I want to show myself and others the love that God has given me.
• I received a word a couple of months ago.  The word is encumbrance which means weighed down.  When we are weighed down with the things of this world and the sin that we have, we don’t see clearly.  The Bible describes this as a veil (2 Corinthians 4:3 But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing).  Fasting has helped me remove a huge part of the veil that was a hindrance to where God wanted me to be. (Ezekiel 13:21 I will also tear off your veils and deliver My people out of your hand, and they shall no longer be as prey in your hand. Then you shall know that I am the Lord).  I need a unveiled mind and spirit to be able to stand in the gap for others.
• During the fast, I took Communion each day on a suggestion from Linda who is a sister in Christ.  During this time, my wife brought to me the importance of Communion and how I must be aware of what Communion really means each and every day (Matthew 26:28 For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins).  Communion has taken on a very special meaning in my life.  I have decided to continue to take Communion each and every day.
• I will continue to fast each Sunday and Monday leading into the Healing Room on Monday night.  I pray that you will come to the Healing Room and experience healing and deliverance in Jesus name from the things that are troubling you.  You won’t leave in the same condition as you came in.

I fully understand that God’s priorities are seldom my priorities.  That is the difference in the nature of man and the nature of God.  The Bible says in Isaiah 55:9  “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts. So how do we better positon ourselves to hear from God?  How do we free ourselves from our own desires to know His will?  For me, it has been fasting and it causes me to take the sword of God’s Word and separate what I want from what I need.

When you fast and sanctify yourself unto God, it moves you off the same old beaten track to a realm of unbelievable breakthroughs, including miracles.  There are far too many people on the edge of what God is doing, and not enough of us standing firmly in the middle of His will.  Do you want to change your life, your family, friends, and others?  You are the one that can make these changes – fast, sanctify yourself, and take a firm stand in the middle of God’s will.  When family, friends, and ministry people see you stepping off the edge of mere “Sunday morning religion” and getting right in the middle of what God is doing, they will follow and find God’s direction for their lives as well.

We all desire to be in the will of God and to walk according to His plans.  Sanctification is the key to being in God’s will (Joshua 3:5 And Joshua said to the people, “Sanctify yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you.”).  Fasting is an essential means of sanctifying yourself, pulling yourself away from the world, and getting closer to God.  Fasting allows you to filter your life and to set yourself apart from your fleshly life to see God in all His glory.  Fasting is what prepares you for a new anointing (Mark 2:20  But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days). 

It is my prayer that you make fasting a part of your life, as we are instructed by God.

Joel 1:14 Consecrate a fast, Call a sacred assembly; Gather the elders And all the inhabitants of the land Into the house of the Lord your God, And cry out to the Lord.

Joel 2:12 “Now, therefore,” says the Lord, “Turn to Me with all your heart, With fasting, with weeping, and with mourning.”

Joel 2:15 Blow the trumpet in Zion, Consecrate a fast, Call a sacred assembly;

In Jesus name,

Tony Sanchez

Fasting - Week 2 of 3

I want to say thank you for all of the responses during this time of fasting.  It is encouraging to hear that people are being convicted.  I want to share two such responses below:

Thank you Tony.

1. Fasting has been on my mind for about the past year and I am looking forward to reading more. I have been weak regarding food and believe He is nudging me to fast. I do not know anything about how to go about it and look forward to hearing more from you on this.
2. Glad you're doing this fasting Brother, it has been on my heart to set aside a day to fast for the Lord. I believe that fasting is just us humans being desperate for Him. I tried to fast I think almost the same day you started but failed. Instead I gave up something I really, really like. Now that I read your email about fasting for our own desires and not God's, I may need to reevaluate what I gave up and the reasons behind it.

I just completed week two of the 21 day fast.  Before I get started, I want to share with you all one of the reasons for my fast that I put in my fasting journal dated January 4^th.  In my words I prayed for a “Double portion of Elijah (2 Kings 2:9) for power and authority in Jesus name for healing and deliverance for me and my family and those I pray for in the Healing Room and others.”  Last Sunday I sent out a recap of my first week of fasting and proceeded to attend service soon after and was surprised to hear Pastor George’s  message included a “Double portion of Elijah.”  What a blessing to have confirmation in what I was asking.

The Holy Spirit is using this fast to reveal my true spiritual condition, resulting in brokenness, repentance, and a transformed life.  God looks for those faithful few upon whom He can pour out His blessings in extraordinary ways.  When we fast, you attracts God’s attention as one willing to venture beyond the norms of religion and go to a higher, more meaningful relationship with him.  When we fast, we have no other choice than to deny self and depend on Him.  When we do this, we are telling God our desire to be in His will and to walk according to His plans which He will gladly reveal to us.

Fasting is an essential means of sanctifying ourselves, pulling ourselves away from the world, and getting closer to God.  Fasting allows us to filter your life and to set yourself apart to seek the Lord.  Jesus prayed this for us:

John 17:16-19 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.  Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.  As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world.  And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth.

Fasting will help us identify areas of hidden sin and things that are displeasing to God in our lives.  Fasting helps us discern between serving the flesh and serving the spirit.  Hebrews 9:13-14 For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh,  how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

Fasting helps us to distinguish between what you want and what you really need.  When you choose not to worry (Matthew 6:34) about these things and seek Him first, you are demonstrating the kind of faith that is pleasing to Him, because you are trusting Him to also give you all the things that you need.

Lastly, I want to share a highlight of this past week.  My Dad was not a loving  dad and as a consequence, I grew up with rejection and an unloving spirit.  I protected myself through the years and was not able to feel or express the level of love that God wanted me to have.  At the Healing Room we pray for each other as we wait for people to come in for prayer.  A few weeks ago, I asked one of the team members to pray that I would be able to receive the love of God.  It was only when I could receive that love in its fullness, could I convey God’s love to myself and others.  In addition, I realized that compassion is a  factor and goes hand in hand with love. During the past week His love and compassion has been so magnified in me that I have been able to receive and convey His great love  and compassion to my wife and children.  I now understand that without compassion, there is not true love. Thank you Father for Your love and compassion!!!!

I pray that you are able to get something out of my experience.  Thank you all for your prayers and encouragement.

“Now, therefore,” says the Lord, “Turn to Me with all your heart, With fasting, with weeping, and with mourning.” Joel 2:12

Tony Sanchez

Resources: NKJV, Jentezen Franklin Fasting Jounal

Fasting - Week 1 of 3

I started a fast a week ago and I had people ask me to share my thoughts along the way.

Sometimes we need renewal in our spiritual lives.  Fasting has been a way to cleanse my body and aid the process of communicating with Father God.  God is raising up people in this hour who do not want a diet of just “church as normal” any longer.  These people are hungry and desperate for a closer relationship with God

If we are not careful, we can allow life to get us into the same old ruts and routines without even realizing it.  Our relationship with the Lord can suffer the same fate.  When we don’t do what it takes to stay sharp and sensitive to the Holy Spirit, our praise, worship, offerings, and even preaching can become heartless routines to God.  As a believer, we can pray, read our Bible, and go to church week after week and still be losing sight of our first love.  It is not that we don’t love the Lord, but the business of life can bring us to a point of losing our desire, our freshness, our hunger, our enthusiasm, and our sensitivity to His Spirit and what pleases Him.

I remember as a kid eating potatoes in one form or another every night.  I had potatoes this and potatoes that, over and over.  Same old stuff every night.  What if God was hungry and all we have to feed Him is our same dull religious routines (potatoes) day after day?  Where is our overwhelming hunger for Him?  Is all we have to offer Him is potatoes?

God does not want or need our routines.  He does not savor heartless activity.  He does not want our “leftovers” when He can get “fed” elsewhere.   God is a jealous God and He wants us to put Him first (Deuteronomy 4:24 For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God).     True worship that comes from our hearts feeds Him and satisfies Him.  It is something He desires and deserves.  Our religiosity of going through the motions once a week does not please Him as much as our obedience to Him and His Word.

Fasting is a constant means of renewing yourself spiritually.  The discipline of fasting breaks us out of the world’s routines.  It is a form of worship offering your body to God as a living sacrifice that is pleasing to Him (Romans 12:1 NASB Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship).  The discipline of fasting will humble us, remind us of our dependency on God, and bring us back to our first love.  It causes the roots of our relationship with Jesus to go deeper.

There are dimensions of our God that will never be revealed to the casual, disinterested worshiper.  There are walls of intercession that will never be scaled by dispassionate religious service.  But when we take steps to break out of the ordinary and worship Him as He deserves, we will begin to see facets of His being you never knew existed.  He will begin to share secrets, visions, discernment, wisdom, knowledge, revelation, and peace that we never knew existed.  He will share His plans and desires for you.

When we are truly hungry for God, we will push past the routines, we will set aside the rituals, rules, regulations, and traditional thinking to more of His presence, more of His power to turn situations around, more of His healing power, and more of His miracle-working power!  When we worship God as He deserves, He is magnified and we are blessed.

Through the fasting God has reminded me how important it is to be humble.  He has reminded me the importance of having compassion.  For without compassion, we cannot love those around us and those who offend us.  He brought to my attention that I must pray God’s perfect love over individuals in my family and in the Healing Room so that they may overcome fear (1 John 4:18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love).

Lasting, I am praying for many out there for breakthrough in your lives.  I thank you for your prayers during my time of fasting and prayer.                                                                                                                                 Tony Sanchez   1-11-15

Fasting

There is a series of events leading up to the subject of Fasting that I need to share before we get started.  As you may remember, I started in the Healing Room ministry last year and a short time later I started taking Faith Bible Institute classes at Faith Bible Chapel.  The packet we received included a book by Jentezen Franklin on Fasting.  Cheryl Morrison was the teacher for the eight week class and she said that this Fasting book was the only book she has read twice.

I proceeded to read this book in a very short time and it allowed me to truly understand the meaning and benefits of fasting in the Bible.  A short time later I was on the patio listening to Hymns minding my own business when I was instructed to start fasting Sunday and Monday leading into the Healing Room.  My response was “Lord, you know how much I like food.”  The following weeks I learned how important it is to pray continuously these two days and to understand my relationship with God as it pertains to fasting and breakthrough in what I was praying for.

I came to understand that prayer alone was not enough for me as we ministered to people in the Healing Room or outside the Healing Room.  There are strongholds that require both prayer and fasting as it says in Matthew 17:21  However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.  Fasting, prayer, and the Holy Spirit give us the wisdom, knowledge, discernment, power, authority, etc. to overcome the dark kingdom.

Does fasting work?  Yes it does!  It is no coincidence that my relationship with my son has been restored during this time of fasting.  It is no coincidence that when I fasted for almost seven days early in December to prepare for a 21 day fast in January, that my daughter who had been extremely estranged from us went to the Healing Room and the team led her to the Lord.  This relationship has also been restored.  Thank you God!  Fasting has benefited me so much in my family the ministries that I have been involved in.

I would like to share with you and edited version in what Jenezen Franklin says in his Fasting Journal book.

There are different kinds of fasts.  There are private fasts that you do privately, and the Bible also describes “called fasts”-when unusual times and situations call for unusual measurements and supernatural responses from God.   At Jenezen Franklin’s church, he says that they have found that the greatest time to fast is at the beginning of the year.  If you give God time at the beginning of the year, He will do amazing things in your life.

There are three things you must ask yourself before you fast.  One, what are the motives behind the fast?  Losing weight cannot be your motive.  Second, what are the specific needs I am fasting for?  People fasted in the Bible for a specific need.  Sometimes they were in trouble, sometimes it was for finances, and other times they were fasting for their children or for help or for direction.  It is important to know the specific reasons for which you are fasting.  These reasons must be the focal point of you prayer and fasting.  Understand that the Holy Spirit may bring forth other things to pray for.  Third, are you determined to minister unto the Lord during your fast.  Acts 13:2 tells us that the prophets and teachers at the church in Antioch “ministered to the Lord and fasted.”  Fasting is a time we set aside for ministering to the Lord; it’s not about us getting what we can get from God all the time.  God will move when we fast, but it should be a time when our heart is crying out, “I want to minister to You; I want to love You; I want to know you; I want to draw closer to You; my heart cries out to you.”

The way you approach your fast is extremely important.  If you are not serious about it, then you won’t get real serious results.  The more serious you are about the fast, the more serious God will respond.  If you are frivolous or lighthearted about it-“Well I’ll fast, but I don’t really feel lie it”- that’s not going to work.  Your heart has to be in the fast, and when your heart is in it, there will come a fellowship with God Like you have never known before!

There is an amazing Scripture verse in Zechariah 7:5 “Say to all the people of the land, and to the priests: When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh months during those seventy years, did you really fast for me?”  After fasting for this way for seventy years, God asked the question, “Are you fasting for me?”

Did you know that it’s possible to go on a fast and have so many personal motives and agendas that you’re not even fasting unto God-you are fasting for your own wants and desires?  God told the people of Zechariah’s day, “You have been doing this every year at the same time for seventy years, but I want to know if anybody is hungering for Me and My kingdom, for My agenda and purpose and plan in the earth.”

Every time I fast, I get closer to God.  Every time you fast, you will get closer to God.  There is no greater reward than Him.

Perhaps, as a church, we failed to emphasize the importance of prayer and fasting in the body.  The Bible is very clear on this matter.  Is it prudent to follow what the Bible says?  I encourage you to do a word search on fasting in www.biblegateway.com to understand what it says in the Bible and how important fasting is and can be in your life.

Moses fasted:  Exodus 34:28 So he was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights; he neither ate bread nor drank water. And He wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the Ten Commandments

Daniel fasted:  Daniel 10:2-3 In those days I, Daniel, was mourning three full weeks.   I ate no pleasant food, no meat or wine came into my mouth, nor did I anoint myself at all, till three whole weeks were fulfilled

Jesus fasted:  Luke 4:2 being tempted for forty days by the devil. And in those days He ate nothing, and afterward, when they had ended, He was hungry.

Anna fasted:  Luke 2:37 and this woman was a widow of about eighty-four years, who did not depart from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day.

Jesus addressed the question on fasting in:

Mark 2:18-20 The disciples of John and of the Pharisees were fasting. Then they came and said to Him, “Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but Your disciples do not fast?”  And Jesus said to them, “Can the friends of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them they cannot fast.  But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days. 

 Folks, we are in the last days and we are to “fast in those days.”  I encourage you to make fasting a consistent part of your life and experience the breakthroughs and blessings God has for your life and the lives around you.

In Jesus Name,

Tony Sanchez

January 3, 2015

Fear Not

FBC is doing a series of messages titled “Fear Not.”  One of the key notes that Pastor Jeff had for us was “Fear is not an opportunity to trust God.”  He goes on to say that Fear and Trust demand to be fulfilled.  In other words, if we are fulfilling Fear, the opportunity to trust God is hindered. 

Today, it is my goal to add to this topic because of the fear that I see out in the world and especially the Fear I see in the Healing Room each Monday as we pray healing and deliverance to those that are in need.

Hebrews 11:6 (NLT) And it is impossible to please God without faith (trust). Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.  Because faith represents your future, Fear represents the destruction of your future.  As Pastor Jeff said, Trust (Faith) and Fear are equal in this dimension: both demand fulfillment.  Faith will always defeat Fear, because Faith is a work of the Holy Spirit.  Fear is the work of Satan and he uses Fear to bring destruction to our lives. 

Fear will try to create your future.  It projects into the future based on your past.  It is important that you learn to put aside everything you have been exposed to that controls you and tries to create your future for you.

What you are meditating on or thinking about every day occupies your mind.  You may be meditating on the good things or you may be thinking about all the things that will go wrong in your life today and tomorrow.  The object of your fear is not only being projected into tomorrow, but also yesterday’s projected fear is here today.  Fear becomes perpetual in our lives because we failed to obey what God says in Matthew 6:34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow……. 

Today we ministered to young gentlemen who I had prayed for at intercessory prayer meeting months ago.  He asked me if I remembered praying for his stomach problems.  He said that I told him that fear may be the root cause.  His physical issues were more intense today.  The lower body was in spasm and he had issues with numbness. By questioning him, we determined that there was an open door of Fear that may have caused his physical symptoms.  Fear had become a part of his biological. He confirmed that his issues started four years ago.  We proceeded to cast out this fear and prayed healing in the name of Jesus.

We come across many possible manifestations of Fear in the Healing Room including: migraines, insomnia, irritable bowel syndrome, spasms, seizures, panic ridden, phobias, and PTSD to name a few.  Another is the most recognizable Fear manifestation in men and that is high blood pressure which man has renamed worry, stress, and anxiety.  Let’s call it what it is, FEAR!

How about the mere presence of a person who you fear causes you to have diarrhea or cause you to panic?    How many times have you avoided a person because they cause you fear manifestations?

We have been taught to be intellectually and spiritually superior, but we have not been taught how to defeat our enemy.  We can go on for hours teaching about Fear, but we must know how to defeat Fear.  Fear is a spirit and The Great Commission in Mark 16:17, Jesus instructs us to cast out these spirts in His name.  Yet, we fail to do this.  We allow Fear to come in numerous times on a given and day and we do nothing because we fail to exercise our power and authority in the name of Jesus Christ.

A few weeks ago as I was reading and meditating in the Bible, I received the word “Encumber” as it relates to sin.  It means to weigh down, or to be a burden.  It also means to impede or hamper a function or activity.   Fear or any sin hampers our relationship with God.  If we are deep in bondage to sin, we can’t expect to have the opportunity to trust or have faith in God.

The antidote to Fear is very simple.  Trust God.  Fear is an antichrist sprit because it says you cannot trust God.  It says evil is more powerful than God.

The Word is Jesus Christ, a living being, but the defeat of your enemy with the Word can only be fruitful if you believe (trust) and make it a part of your life.  You have to become one with God:  His nature and your nature have to become one in that area of your life.  To become one with the Word is to know what the living being, Jesus Christ, has said as revealed in the Scriptures and believe it.

Hebrews 4:12 (Amplified Bible) For the Word that God speaks is alive and full of power [making it active, operative, energizing, and effective]; it is sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating to the dividing line of the breath of life (soul) and [the immortal] spirit, and of joints and marrow [of the deepest parts of our nature], exposing and sifting and analyzing and judging the very thoughts and purposes of the heart.

It is my prayer that you trust God as you overcome the Fears in your life. Psalm 56:4 In God (I will praise His word), In God I have put my trust; I will not fear. What can flesh do to me?

Tony Sanchez

12-28-14

 

Forgiveness

Forgive Them and Love Them

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

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

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

As I go around talking with people I hear their stories on how they have forgiven a person.  It goes something like this: “I have forgiven John, but……I have forgiven Jane, but…….”  I interrupt them immediately and tell them that there is no “but” in forgiveness.  What they are telling me is that they still have that ping of un-forgiveness whenever that person comes into remembrance. You may have forgiven them once, but you may have to forgive them over and over again as it says in Matthew 18:21-22 Then Peter came to Him and said, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.  Symbolically, we have to forgive over and over even if it exceeds seventy times seven.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tony Sanchez

Great Commission

After Jesus Christ's death on the cross, he was buried and resurrected on the third day. Before he ascended into heaven, He appeared to his disciples in Galilee, and gave them instructions that apply to all disciples of Jesus Christ until His Second Coming.  Understand the significance of these last instructions by Jesus Christ.  These instructions were given to us to teach others about the Bible and to equip us for the spiritual war at hand until His Second Coming.  These instructions were not an option for His disciple or the disciples throughout history to this current age.  Jesus expected all disciples (all Believers) to carry out The Great Commission in its entirety. The question we should ask is:  Why is this not one of the central teachings in the church today?

It is my goal to go verse by verse to explain what The Great Commission means to me.  In particular, I would like to try and explain the first part of Mark 16: 18 they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them….. I have yet to hear a conclusive explanation of this verse.

Most references to The Great Commission that we hear most often is from Matthew 28:19-20 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 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.”

The Scripture that I want to reference is in Mark 16 which is a more complete and detailed. 

Mark 16:15-18 And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.  16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.  17 And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues;  18 they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

Mark 16:15 And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.  This appears to be instructions that should be easy to carry out. Unfortunately, to preach the gospel we need to read the gospel and this is not happening. 

Surveys indicate that most Believers do not read the Bible consistently. The 2013 Barna Group survey showed the Bible is still firmly rooted in American soil: 88 percent of respondents said they own a Bible, 80 percent think the Bible is sacred, 61 percent wish they read the Bible more, the average household has 4.4 Bibles, and only 20% read their Bible on a regular basis.   Fewer yet read their Bible every day.  If we don’t know His Word, how can we know GOD in order to preach the gospel?

Mark 16:16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.  I think the central point here is if we believe or not.  Some will argue if we are saved we don’t necessary need to be baptized.  This verse is not about being saved.  It’s about believing. This verse does not specify whether it is water baptism or baptism of the Holy Spirit.  We must look at Mark 1:9-10 It came to pass in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized by John in the Jordan.  10 And immediately, coming up from the water, He saw the heavens parting and the Spirit descending upon Him like a dove to know that it included both.  Jesus was water baptized by John the Baptist, but it is important to look at the context of The Great Commission and understand the significance of being baptized by the Holy Spirit and praying in the Spirit as it applies in verse 17 which is an essential part of The Great Commission and will be discussed later. 

We are to imitate the ministry of Jesus because He is the essence of what we are to do in the Great Commission. Jesus was water baptized, the Spirit of God descended on Him, and Jesus started His ministry that is mirrored in His instructions to His disciples.  Failure to believe and be baptized will result in condemnation. 

Mark 16:17 And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues.  “Signs” are a mark by which persons or things are distinguished and made known. In Scripture used generally of an address to the senses to attest the existence of supersensible (being above or beyond that which is apparent to the senses: spiritual) and therefore divine power. The plagues of Egypt were "signs" of divine displeasure against the Egyptians (Exodus 4:8; Joshua 24:17); and the miracles of Jesus were "signs" to attest His unique relationship with God (Matthew 12:38 But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you; John 2:18 So the Jews answered and said to Him, “What sign do You show to us, since You do these things?”;  Acts 2:22 Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know ). Naturally, therefore, both in the Old Testament and the New Testament, "signs" are compared to the miraculous, and prevailingly associated with immediate divine interference.  So, “signs” is a precursor (something that comes before something else that leads to or influences its development) to the rest of the verse.

“In My name” is the authority and power given to all Believers.  Then He called His twelve disciples together and gave them power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases. He sent them to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick (Luke 9:1-2).

The Lord Jesus Christ has given Believers all authority and power on this earth in His name!  John 14:13 states, "And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.  If you ask anything in His name, He will do it!  He gave you all His power and authority to be released on this earth in His name.  And if that is not enough He gave you access to the Father God Almighty's power through the name of Jesus!  And in that day you will ask Me nothing. Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you. Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full (John 16:23-24).

“They will cast out demons.”  Jesus sent us forth into the world as He was sent fourth (John 20:21 So Jesus said to them again, “Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.”) and He gave us the authority to do the work at hand (Mark 13:34 It is like a man going to a far country, who left his house and gave authority to his servants, and to each his work, and commanded the doorkeeper to watch).

Luke 10:17-19, "And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name. And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven. Behold, I give unto you power (translates to AUTHORITY) to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you."

Every believer have authority over demons because we are all seated with Christ in the heavenly realm (Ephesians 2:6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus), which means we are above the demons in rank of authority!

As believers, we have been given authority in Jesus' name to drive out demons. We access our authority through faith and exercise our authority with a spoken command directed at the unclean spirit.  Paul clearly demonstrates this in Acts 16:18 “But Paul, greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And he came out that very hour.  It is very important to understand Jesus commanded demons to leave and Paul has done the same.  He imitated Jesus.  We don’t have to ask God to cast out demons.  In the name of Jesus we are instructed to cast out demons.

“they will speak with new tongues.”  In the context of this verse, we must remember that this is a spiritual warfare verse. The devil knows that praying in tongues is the only way you can pray beyond your human ability. It is the tool God has given us to tap into the mind of the Holy Spirit. When we pray in tongues, we activate the Holy Spirit. He begins to enlighten the eyes of our understanding. Paul wants us to follow his Godly example as he writes in 1 Corinthians 14:5, "I wish you all spoke with tongues".

Speaking in tongues increases our faith and allows us to pray more accurately.  It necessary to understand the spiritual battle we are in as Paul taught in Ephesians 6. He wrote in V. 12:  “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” Continuing in verses 13-17, he explained the various weapons of our warfare such as faith, the word of God, etc.  Then, he completed this teaching with v. 18, ". . . praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit."  Prayer is listed as one of the tools we use to defeat Satan!  Notice Paul says to use “all prayer and supplication” (all forms or types of prayer) and then adds “in the Spirit.”  By “rightly dividing the Word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15) we have learned that praying in tongues is essential in spiritual warfare as we cast out demons.

As a side bar, the people that are in deliverance ministry can experience attacks by the enemy while they are ministering to people.  Speaking in tongues when you can’t minister in a regular prayer language is a necessity. Romans 8:26-27 Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us  with groanings which cannot be uttered.  Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.

1 Cor. 14:15 What is the conclusion then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will also pray with the understanding.

Jude  20 But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit). 

“they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them;  As I alluded to earlier, I have yet to hear a definitive explanation of this verse.  Many have applied Acts 28:3-6 But when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and laid them on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat, and fastened on his hand.  So when the natives saw the creature hanging from his hand, they said to one another, “No doubt this man is a murderer, whom, though he has escaped the sea, yet justice does not allow to live.” But he shook off the creature into the fire and suffered no harm. However, they were expecting that he would swell up or suddenly fall down dead. But after they had looked for a long time and saw no harm come to him, they changed their minds and said that he was a god to this verse.  I am not convinced this should be a consideration.  To understand this verse, we must take into consideration the context of this verse as it applies to the Great Commission and spiritual warfare. We must look at this verse in a symbolic way and not a literal way. 

The Great Commission is to be carried out by all believers. How many believers will take up serpents in real life and in the physical?  Therefore, we need to search Scriptures to identify who the serpents we will be exposed to. The serpent first surfaced in Genesis 3 as the serpent came to tempt Adam and Eve. We are warned of this serpent in 2 Corinthians 11:3 But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.  Again, we are reminded who the serpent is in Revelation 12:9 So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.  The serpent is the devil and we are to “take up serpents.”   Serpents are referred here as the demonic.

“and if they drink anything deadly,  it will by no means hurt them”

Again, we must look at this symbolically.  “and if they drink anything deadly, suggests that if we are exposed to the demonic, “it will by no means hurt them” because we have power and authority over these serpents. Luke 10:19 Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.

“they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

We see here in the context of this verse that if we in Jesus name can take on serpents and be exposed to them and not be hurt, we are now in position with God’s authority and power to “lay hands on the sick,” pray, “and they will recover.”  The book of James further supports this in 5:14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord and in Luke 9:2 He sent them to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.  The laying on of hands is one of the conduits through which the healing power of God flows. When the believer lays hands on someone in this context of healing, it imparts (in the name of Jesus), the supernatural healing power of God to the person on whom hands are laid.

This piece on the Great Commission was a serious undertaking for me.  It has given me a clear understanding of what Jesus Christ has called us to do as Believers.  Can you imagine how much better off we would be if everyone obeyed and carried out The Great Commission?

I pray that this will bless you and convict you as it has blessed me and further convicted me.

In Jesus Name,

Tony Sanchez, 

12-15-2014