Christian Leadership

Acts contains indispensable material for those who seek to learn the power principles of Christian leadership.  The leadership of the apostles in Acts is some of the most spiritually powerful the church has ever known. The first century church is the model which we are or should be following.  The leadership models here provide patterns for effective ministry and service.  Applying the lessons for leader given in Acts will help give today’s Christians leader increased power in ministry.  Couple that with the Great Commission that Jesus instructed the disciples to carry out so that we are equipped to do battle on a daily basis as we make every effort to imitate Jesus (Acts 1:1-2 The former account I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, until the day in which He was taken up, after He through the Holy Spirit had given commandments to the apostles whom He had chosen and 1 Corinthians 11:1 Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ).

1. Leaders, incorporate these four elements into your congregation’s life: teaching, fellowship, breaking of bread, and prayers.  Acts 2:42-47 And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.  Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles.  Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common,  and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need. So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.
2. Leaders, allow others to share in the work of the ministry. Acts 1-6 The former account I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, until the day in which He was taken up, after He through the Holy Spirit had given commandments to the apostles whom He had chosen, to whom He also presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God. And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, “which,” He said, “you have heard from Me; for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?”
3. Leaders, give prayer a central place in  your church life. Acts 12:5 Peter was therefore kept in prison, but constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church.
4. Leaders, submit to the Spirit’s guidance when confronting decisions.  Call leadership to prayer and fasting in such times.  Release freely those appointed and called by the Holy Spirit.  Acts 13:1-3 Now in the church that was at Antioch there were certain prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.  As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, “Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”  Then, having fasted and prayed, and laid hands on them, they sent them away.
5. Leaders, remain humble before the Lord and those you serve, giving Him all praise and honor. Acts 14:14-18 NIV But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of this, they tore their clothes and rushed out into the crowd, shouting: “Friends, why are you doing this? We too are only human, like you. We are bringing you good news, telling you to turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made the heavens and the earth and the sea and everything in them. In the past, he let all nations go their own way. Yet he has not left himself without testimony: He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy.” Even with these words, they had difficulty keeping the crowd from sacrificing to them.
6. Leaders, personally train young people who are called to ministry.  Acts 16:1-6 Then he came to Derbe and Lystra. And behold, a certain disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a certain Jewish woman who believed, but his father was Greek.  He was well spoken of by the brethren who were at Lystra and Iconium.  Paul wanted to have him go on with him. And he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in that region, for they all knew that his father was Greek.  And as they went through the cities, they delivered to them the decrees to keep, which were determined by the apostles and elders at Jerusalem.  So the churches were strengthened in the faith, and increased in number daily.
7. Leaders, shepherd God’s beloved people over whom He has given you oversight.  Diligently guard and care for the flock God has entrusted to you.  Acts 20:28-32 Then he came to Derbe and Lystra. And behold, a certain disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a certain Jewish woman who believed, but his father was Greek.  He was well spoken of by the brethren who were at Lystra and Iconium. Paul wanted to have him go on with him. And he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in that region, for they all knew that his father was Greek.   And as they went through the cities, they delivered to them the decrees to keep, which were determined by the apostles and elders at Jerusalem.  So the churches were strengthened in the faith, and increased in number daily.

Lastly, I want to include The Great Commission in Mark 16:15-18 as part of the leadership responsibilities we are called to do.  This was the instructions by Jesus Christ for the disciples and the disciples after them all the way down to this present age for the church, ministries, and the individual Christian.  Jesus ministry included everything in the Great Commission and we must carry this out if we are to imitate Jesus.

Mark 16:15-18

15 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.”

Talk to any missionary and they will tell you that The Great Commission is an integral part of their ministry. We must take seriously what the word of God tells us.  It is not an option and we can’t leave any part of The Great Commission out of the church, so we must quit compromising the word of God.  Put your opinions and thinking aside if it does not align with God.

Blessings,

Tony Sanchez

Resources: Jack Hayford NKJV study bible and NIV

Fear of Rejection

Greetings,

 

Matthew 6 tells us not to worry (fear) three times (Matthew 6:34, 31, 34).  Why do we continue to go against what God says in His Word?

 

I have experienced fear in almost every person I come across.  Of course, it is at different levels and the result in high level fear is a manifestation in the physical, emotional, and the spirit.  Fear left unchecked will dominate your life, will compromise you immune system, and make you ill. The enemy seeks to destroy you (John 10:10). Jesus came to give us abundant life (John 10:10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly).

 

Some of the issues as a result of fear are, irritable bowel syndrome, insomnia, throat issues, high blood pressure, heart issues, migraine headaches, back aches, stage fright, skin issues, addictions (because of feeling unloved), and PTSD, to name a few.  I found that fear will cause muscles, tendons, and ligaments to tighten up which can result in muscles pulls and tendon issues such as Plantar Fasciitis.  You see Plantar Fasciitis quite often in athletics (especially specific to men).  I have seen fear cause one leg to be shorter than the other causing alignment issues and pain throughout their body.  Fear will cause the arteries to constrict (make narrow).

 

Unfortunately, we think of fear (anxiety, stress, worry) as singular when actually there are 4,000 documented fears in the world.  One fear in itself cannot do much damage, but multiple fears will work together to destroy your life.  I heard a story of a Viet Nam veteran that came back from the war shunned and scorned (rejected) by his own country causing trauma (fear) in his life that he has to deal with to this day.  The primary physical manifestation in his case is throat issues.  Their soul has been damaged and the ministry solution to this issue is to take the person back to the entry point and bind up and cast out this specific fear.  The same can be done for PTSD or any trauma in a person’s life.  God uses his disciples to heal, but faith is ever lacking in the Body of Christ and it is frustrating to me because so few come to the Healing Room that I am a part of.  We are destroyed due to lack of knowledge (Hosea 4:6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being priest for Me; Because you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children).  We are destroyed because of pride and because we are a stubborn generation.

 

The topic of this article is rejection, which is a fear.  I found that once rejection enters, abandonment (fear of abandonment) and unloving (fear of not being loved) follows.  We feel abandoned because we are rejected.  We feel unloved because of the rejection and don’t feel worthy to be loved.  There is one other element that is a result of rejection, abandonment, unloving, and that is anger.  Anger because they were rejected, abandoned, and unloved.  In many cases, this anger can be high level rage.  Babies rejected in the womb (unwanted by the parents) are especially high risk.

 

Rejection (fear) causes depression (despair/hopelessness/sadness/broken heart/gloom/unhappiness - Thesaurus). How do I know this?  The Bible tells me so. Anxiety (fear) in the heart of man causes depression, But a good word makes it glad Proverb 12:25.  What does the medical field say causes depression?  They can’t really answer this question.  Doctors say that mental illness can’t be cured, but Jesus showed and instructed us that we, as disciples of Jesus Christ, can bring healing in the name of Jesus as we pray to our Father in Heaven.

 

One thing is common in all the people that I have ministered to and that is: they just want and need to hear the words “I love you.”  These simple words will cast out all their fears (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). Why is it so hard for us to convey the love of God?  Mainly, because the earthly father did not learn how to convey the love of God to their children, so we were not taught to do the same to our children.  Secondly, is un-forgiveness and bitterness holding us back?  Is it time for us to be the “Repairer of the Breach” (Isaiah 58:12)?

 

OK, let’s get to the rejection tidbits from Be In Health with a little commentary and additional Scripture added by me.

 

The most important things to know about Rejection:

 

• The first thing to know about Rejection is that it is not just "a feeling." It is an evil spirit that works with other spirits to make us feel and think that we're rejected.
• Rejection can rule our lives. It does so by influencing our thoughts and decisions.
• It can change our personality. We can be someone who believes we are always being rejected by others and anticipate ongoing rejection into the future. It may cause us to fall in a trap of self-pity resulting in a victim’s mentality which is a whole other issue we need to be aware of.
• Rejection leads us to value man's opinion or acceptance more than God's.
• It establishes our value based on whether another human being accepts us or not.
• If we determine our value based upon the rejection of others our value is not based upon God's acceptance of us according to the Word.  This makes God a liar because He has said that He already accepts us (Romans 8:31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?).
• Rejection is also a form of Unbelief because it doesn't want us to believe that God has already accepted us.
• It leaves us feeling like we have to be accepted first by man before we can be accepted by God.  This keeps us from resting in God's acceptance (Hebrews 4:9-11 NLT  So there is a special rest^] still waiting for the people of God.  For all who have entered into God’s rest have rested from their labors, just as God did after creating the world. So let us do our best to enter that rest. But if we disobey God, as the people of Israel did, we will fall).
• Rejection is a form of idolatry because we allow other people's opinion or approval to become more important than God's (Exodus 20:3 NLT  “You must not have any other god but me).
• Our value and who we are do not depend on whether someone likes us or not.  Our value is evident in that God knew us and planned for us since before we were born (Psalms 139:14-16 NLT Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.
  You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed).
• If God knew us before we were formed, then we are no accident. We are known of God. We are accepted by Him through Jesus Christ. We were desired by Him.
• Regardless of the circumstances of our conception, we were desired and intended by Him.  We are extremely worthy in God’s eyes.
• Therefore, no one is "an accident" and no one is "a mistake." He used our earthly parents to bring us into this world but He is our Father. This is the Truth according to His Word and we need to accept it as true. It does not matter how much Rejection seeks to deceive us because God’s perfect love is not a deception. 

 

We must choose to believe what the Word says rather than rejection. Instead of seeking acceptance from others, we need to remember that God knew us and planned for us before we were born and trust that He accepts us. Then, we may rest in His acceptance and value as sons and daughters of God and not be tossed to and fro by Rejection and the resulting fears.

 

That is how we overcome Rejection in our lives.

 

Blessings to you all,

 

Tony Sanchez

 

Word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword

Greetings,

I visit other churches and I listen or watch sermons.  I have been in bible studies, attended men’s breakfasts, attended conferences, read hundreds of books and articles, written extensively, and been a part of many ministries.  The point being is that many times I have heard many things from man regarding religion based on their interpretation with little reference to Scripture to back up each and every important subject.

 

This is what I see lacking in the church, ministry, and Body of Jesus Christ.  I see a lack of using the written and spoken Word of God.

 

On more than one occasion, I have turned on Joel Osteen, TD Jakes, and others.  What I see is a feel good message by story tellers.  I listened to Joel Osteen and it was 15 minutes later that he finally referenced Bible scripture.  I see a bunch of pastors trying to entertain the Body and not offend them.  Many times they hurriedly try to throw in a few Scripture verses at the end of the sermon when in reality they should have had Scripture throughout the message.  The Scriptures should have been the sermon with the pastor providing the commentary.  Not the other way around. Scripture should be the blue print for any message when we are preaching the Gospel (Mark 16:15) or ministering.

 

I put together the piece below to show you how important the word of God is for the Body.  Every ministry, article, teaching/message, prayer, etc. that I am involved in has the written or spoken Word of God backing up everything that I do.  Especially, in the Healing Room and Altar team ministry where it is God and the spoken Word of God that is going to bring healing to the individual.  The Word of God empowers us to bring the needy out of captivity (Isaiah 61:1).

 

Understand this:  What we do or say can disappear like a vapor (James 4:14 whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away). 

 

But the Word of God is the word that will not return void.  It is God’s word and not the word of humans. In other words, people cannot make their desires a reality merely by applying Isaiah 55:11 to whatever situation they desire. The only word that God guarantees is the word that proceeds from His mouth. Any other word from any other source does not carry this type of authority. 

 

Isaiah 55:11 So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.

 

Lastly, I would like to thank Pastor George who over the years has issued outlines with Scriptural references to back up his points which makes for a more effective sermon.

 

Spoken Word of God

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

Hebrews 4:12-13 is one of the great biblical texts on the power of God’s Word. The author has been warning the Hebrew church of the danger of cultural Christianity.  Because God’s Word is powerful to expose our sin and God Himself sees everything, we must be diligent to have our hearts right before Him.

In the context of John 1:1, “the word of God” refers to all of God’s spoken revelation, including that which came through His Son.  If we heed God’s Word, it will keep us from the cultural religion that brings sure judgment.

1. God’s Word is powerful to expose our sin (4:12).

The text declares four things about the power of the Word:

A. God’s Word is living.

Since God is the living God (Hebrews HH3:12 Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God), and His Word cannot be separated from Him, that Word is a living Word. It can never be exterminated. As Isaiah 40:8 proclaims, “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever.” Since God is the author of life, His living Word imparts life in two ways.

1). God’s Word imparts new life to dead sinners.

Because of sin, we all enter this world dead in trespasses, inequities and the resulting sin, alienated from God (Eph. 2:1 And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins ). God is pleased to use His Word to impart new life to dead sinners. James 1:18 states, “Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth…” 1 Peter 1:23 says, “having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever.”

2). God’s Word imparts renewed life to His saints.

All of us that have known God’s salvation for a while have gone through dry times when God seemed distant. God uses His Word to renew and revive us. David wrote in Psalms 19:7, “The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul; The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.”  Repeatedly the psalmist cries out, “My soul clings to the dust; Revive me according to Your word.” (119:25). “This is my comfort in my affliction, that Your word has revived me” (119:50; see also, 93, 107, 149, 154, 156, 159).

It only makes sense that if the living God, has spoken to us in His written Word, then we should seek it like a treasure and devour it. Being the word of God, it is both a word from God and a word about God. It is our only source of knowing specific truth about God. Creation reveals His attributes in a general way, but the written Word is God’s disclosure of Himself in a way that we could never know through creation alone. And invariably, when we see God as He is, we also see ourselves as we are.

B. God’s Word is active.

We get our word “energy” from the Greek word translated “active.” It means that the Word is effectual. It accomplishes what God intends for it to do. As Isaiah 55:10-11 states, ““For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, And do not return there, But water the earth, And make it bring forth and bud, That it may give seed to the sower And bread to the eater,  So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.”

C. God’s Word is sharp and piercing.

It is “sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow..” Some use this verse to draw distinctions between soul and spirit, but that is not the author’s intent. (What then does the distinction between joints and marrow mean?) Rather, he is using figurative language to show that God’s Word is sharp and it cuts deeply, to the very core of our being. Unless your conscience is hardened beyond remedy, you cannot read God’s Word or hear it preached faithfully without getting cut in the conscience.

God’s purpose in cutting us is to bring healing, not to leave us wounded. Sin is like a cancer growing inside of us. Untreated, it will be fatal.

D. God’s Word is an authoritative judge of the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

The word “thoughts” refers to negative thoughts related to emotions, such as anger, which a man may wish to keep hidden from others, but which is not hidden from God.  We can also describe them as morally questionable thoughts. The heart refers to the totality of the inner person. We get our word “critic” from the word translated “judge.” So the idea is that God’s Word is able authoritatively to act as critic of our innermost feelings and thoughts, showing us where we are wrong.

So in verse 12, the author is showing how God’s Word is powerful to expose our sin, never for the purpose of embarrassing us, but always to bring healing. We cannot rid our lives of sin if we aren’t even aware of it. The Word cuts down to our inner thoughts and feelings, revealing to us the things that are not pleasing to God, so that we can repent of these things and receive God’s restoration.

It’s a good idea to include Hebrews 4:13 And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account. 

The author moves from God’s penetrating Word to God Himself, who sees everything. It is impossible to hide from God! Adam and Eve tried to hide from God after they sinned, but they could not do it, and neither can we. The word “open” means “naked.  We stand naked on the inside before God! There is no escape from His omniscient gaze. Sin is always stupid, because even if we fool everyone on earth, and think that we got away with it, we didn’t fool God!

3. Since we all will give account to God, we must be diligent to have our hearts right before Him.

The final phrase of 4:13 means either “Him with whom we have to do,” or, “Him to whom we must give an account.” We know that one day we all will stand before God to give an account of the deeds we have done in this body. Therefore, we should have as our ambition to be pleasing to Him (2 Cor. 5:9-10 Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad), not just outwardly, but on the heart level.

Conclusion

One of the key things we are meant to realize is that there is no point in maintaining hypocrisy before God, His son, and the Holy Spirit. We are known inside out but because we are known, if we will be honest with ourselves before God, we can find true understanding and help from Him.

Blessings to you all,

Tony Sanchez 11-25-15

Preparing Yourself Prior to Every Godly Function

2 Chronicles 5:13-14 (NKJV) indeed it came to pass, when the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the Lord, and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of music, and praised the Lord, saying: “For He is good, For His mercy endures forever,” that the house, the house of the Lord, was filled with a cloud, so that the priests could not continue ministering because of the cloud; for the glory of the Lord filled the house of God.

 

Praise Invokes the Presence of God

 

2 Chronicles 5 describes when the Ark of the Covenant was brought into the just completed temple. All had gathered to celebrate with praise and worship at which time the Glory of God came into the temple in the form of a cloud.

 

The scripture above demonstrates the power of God’s presence that results from corporate vocal praise.  Note that: 1) God descended when the people were unanimous in their “praise song” (as at Pentecost when the people were gather in one accord – Acts 2:1-4 When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance). 2)The cloud of God’s presence  became evident when the singers and players praised the Lord in song and music.  This is the praise that pleases God better than the sacrifice of an ox or bull (Psalm 69:30-31 I will praise the name of God with a song, And will magnify Him with thanksgiving. This also shall please the Lord better than an ox or bull…).  The house (temple) was filled with a cloud (the rich and abundant splendor of God).  God’s presence was preeminent and filled all the sacred space in the temple.  The result was that  the priests cease their work (ministering), for the glory of the Lord was present (2 Chronicles 5:14.

 

Remember, even in praise, thanksgiving, and worship, God is not confused (1 Corinthians 14:33  For God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints).  Anything said or done that draws attention to the praise/worshipper and away from God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit needs to be reconsidered.

 

We can understand that there was great preparation as the people came into the temple to praise and worship.  This is a blue print for us in this present age to follow whether it is the beginning of service (praise team & pastors), ministry teams, your prayer time, bible studies and classes, etc. The Church as a whole can do a better job of calling on Holy Spirit in church functions.

 

Corporately, the Healing Room that I am a part of calls on the Holy Spirit in each and every session.  It is so critical to invite the Holy Spirit into the Healing Room because it is the Holy Spirit that is needed as we pray and command healing.  The intercessors and the healing room team members subject ourselves to the empowerment of the Holy Spirit in all that we do.  The healing and miracles are a result of our obedience to operating in the Holy Spirit.

 

Below is a preparation guideline that I use prior to any Godly function that I am a part of.  I encourage you use a similar guideline and do the same.

Praise and Worship - My heavenly Father, in the name of Jesus I come before You with thanksgiving and praise.  I bless

Your name.  You are great and greatly to be praised. I worship You, I adore you, and I love You.  I thank You, Father, for

clothing me in a robe of righteousness, which covers me because of the shed blood of Jesus Christ. I thank You God for

being our only God.  I thank You for Your son Jesus who died on the cross for our sins.  I thank You for the Holy Spirit that You sent to be our helper.

 

Psalm 100:4 Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.

 

Isaiah 61:10 I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, My soul shall be joyful in my God; For He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness.

 

Psalms 30:4 Sing praise to the LORD, you saints of His, and give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name.

 

I call on the Holy Spirit to be present as I pray and seek answers.  

 

Jeremiah 33:3 Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.

 

Forgive me Father.

 

Psalm 51:1-2 Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions (things that are wrong and I still do them).  Wash away all my iniquity (generational wickedness) and cleanse me from my sin (the result of iniquity and transgressions).

 

Abide in me as I come to your throne as a living sacrifice.  I surrender to You.

 

John 15:7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.

 

Romans 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.

 

Job 11:13 (CEV) Surrender your heart to God, turn to him in prayer.

Blessings to you all,

Tony Sanchez

Broken Heart

Greetings to you all,

 

I’ve come across two individuals recently who were and are very broken.  A broken spirit because they are heart broken.  One was at the altar with broken heart because she lost her son and was blaming God.  It kind of caught me off guard in that I did not know how to effectively pray for her.  I could prayer for her but I needed the scripture to use over her as I prayed. So I searched Google and came up with this piece.

 

Broken Heart                                                                            

Jesus knew this feeling. When he hung on the cross, exposed, beaten and betrayed by those who loved, he felt very alone. The Bible says he cried out “My God, my God, why did you abandon me?” (Matthew 27:46)

Maybe your husband left you. Maybe your parents abandoned you, or your child won’t speak to you. Maybe you lost someone you loved, or you’re suffering from a life-threatening illness.  And nobody seems to care (Psalm 69:20 Reproach has broken my heart, And I am full of heaviness; I looked for someone to take pity, but there was none; And for comforters, but I found none).  As hard as these situations are, we can find comfort in God’s Word! He never promised a life without heartache, but His Word gives us promises to hold on to when those times come.  Psalms 34:18 The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart.

1.  When we can’t grasp the nature, significance or meaning we must know that God is in control.

Isaiah 55:8-11 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts

2. God is near when things are overwhelming and hopeless.

The Lord is near to those who are discouraged; he saves those who have lost all hope. – Psalm 34:18

3. God will strengthen you in a time of suffering.

You made me suffer a lot, but you will bring me back from this deep pit and give me new life. – Psalm 71:20

4. God is with you through all heartache.

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. – Isaiah 43:1

5. Hard times won’t last forever.

I consider that what we suffer at this present time cannot be compared at all with the glory that is going to be revealed to us. – Romans 8:18

6. God has a plan for your life even when you think there is no hope.

I alone know the plans I have for you, plans to bring you prosperity and not disaster, plans to bring about the future you hope for. – Jeremiah 29:11

7. Don’t give up.  God will not allow us to be crushed.

We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. – 2 Corinthians 4:8-10

Understand, when we are in our deepest grief, when we feel farthest from God, this is when He is closest, and when we are most open to His restoring power.  God can heal your spirit. We must go on living for God willingly and joyfully until that day comes when He will take us and gently leads us home.

Revelation 21:4  And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”

Every one of us has had to deal with a broken heart or may still be dealing with a broken heart.  We cannot allow a broken heart to keep us captive.  It will affect us in the soul, spirit, and the physical.

 

Proverbs 15:13 A merry heart makes a cheerful countenance, But by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken.

Proverbs 17:22 A merry heart does good, like medicine, But a broken spirit dries the bones.

 

Blessings to you,

 

Tony Sanchez

Seperation From God

Greetings,

 

Sunday was my first day on the altar team.  It was a glorious day as Pastor George invited the congregation to come to the altar for prayer during the service. Four of the five I prayed for had bitterness and un-forgiveness.  One person who came forth was very broken and I found out that he had shame, guilt, bitterness, self-hatred, un-forgiveness towards self which was a result of an unloving spirt.  He did not feel loved.  I led him in a prayer of forgiveness of self and conveyed to him how much God loves him and how His perfect love casts out fear (1 John 4:18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment…..).

 

The below article is tied to the last article I sent out in that fear can do much harm in the spirit, soul, and body.  The unloving spirit that this person had is a fear that bound him up to the point that he worked up enough courage to come to the altar for prayer.  He had become separated from the love of God and was experiencing hopelessness.

 

I included medical and scientific material to give you an idea of how separation from God and self can affect our body.  I hope this can help you or someone you know understand why separation from God and self can compromise you immune system.

 

Separation From God

Do you know how many people do not like themselves?  Do you know how many people struggle with self-hatred , lack of self-esteem, and guilt?  It is a massive plague.  How can you not love yourself if God loves you?  He is greater than you are.  He who is greatest and holiest of all, God the Father, says He loves you.  Under what gospel do we have the audacity to say we do not love ourselves.  If we do this, we make ourselves in opposition to God.  We make ourselves a god unto ourselves with this thinking.  We deny His statement of love and speaking to you, by His Word and by the Holy Spirit, telling you that you are loved and you are okay. You are going to hear this voice coming into your mind, telling you how rotten, stupid or worthless you are.

In the Be In Health ministry, they deal with many autoimmune diseases: Lupus, Crohn’s, diabetes (type 1), rheumatoid arthritis, and MS to name a few.  All autoimmune disease have a spiritual root of self-hatred, self-bitterness, shame, and guilt. 

All these disease can be defeated or can be prevented.  The medication profession has not been able to cure immune diseases.  They can only be treated.  The ministry of God can heal these diseases.  The key to doing this is finding the entry point of the unloving and rejection spirit.  It could have been rejection in the womb when either the father or mother was not ready to have a baby.  It could have been the father not verbally conveying that he loves you continuously.  Perhaps you did not live up to the expectations of others and now guilt and shame have set in.  Other spirits attach themselves as you go along such as abandonment and especially anger because we don’t feel loved.  We start to ask ourselves why they don’t love me.  We allow self-hatred to seep in. We start to believe that we are not worthy.  Understand, all of these are fears which can lead to depression, despair, and hopelessness as it says in Proverbs 12:25 Anxiety (fear) in the heart of man causes depression, But a good word makes it glad.

Cortisol

Cortisol is important in fight or flight but, if it is present  on a long-term basis, it destroys your immune system.  What God created for us to help fight, the enemy has now turned on us and has become the destroyer of our lives.

According to medical information, long-term secretion of cortisol has direct physiological effects on the following function (reading from the Pathophysiology chart): Carbohydrate and lipid metabolism, protein metabolism, inflammatory effects, lipid metabolism, immune reserve, digestive function, urinary function, connective tissue function, muscle function, bone function, vascular system and myocardial function and central nervous system function.

“Cortisol directly influence immune responses to antibodies…cortisol inhibits the production of both macrophages and helper T cells.  The diminished helper T cells cause a decrease in B cells and antibody production….”

Now begins the destruction of the immune system.  What is destroying the immune system?  Pesticides? No!  According to the medical community it is fear, anxiety and stress.

The ongoing over-secretion of cortisol continues immunosuppression, decreased lymphocytes and monocytes, decreased circulating lymphocytes and decreased  macrophages.  Right here the negative effects begin.  Right here we have the breaking down of the immune system.

When you have the reduction of B cells at this level, antigen-antibody relationships develop.  Your body start attacking everything.  That is what an allergy is.  The antigen becomes the enemy, but the antigen is the food you need.  Now the body is eliminating what it needs to have in order to stay alive.

Consider this, “As a person disappears into fear and disappears into the self-rejection mode, the body takes on a profile of death.”  Why?  Because the person has been murdered spiritually.  How are they spiritually murdered?  When you deny your existence as God sees you and reject yourself in creation, a  spirit of death comes to agree.  Numerous diseases are the result of this spiritual dynamic.

All that has been shown here is what is affected by just one area of fear, anxiety, and stress.  Now let’s add 15 dozen different areas at one time.  Now we have a compounding of a major spiritual and biological problem.

As fear and anxiety are moving inside you, hormones are released to the alpha and beta receptors and all parts of your body are affected.  These are the physiological actions of the alpha and beta receptors: you have muscles affected, blood vessels affected, the urinary tract affected, gastrointestinal tract affected, smooth muscle contraction, some vascular beds, increased insulin secretion, myocardial contraction, and  you have all smooth muscle relaxation (bronchi, blood vessels, etc.).  Everything concerning entire physiological body is now under attack.  Gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, endocrine, neurological systems – everything you are in creation is now taking a hit from fear and anxiety. 

Catecholamines include epinephrine, norepinephrine and dopamine.  Let’s look at the physiological effects of the catecholamines now being secreted because of anxiety and fear long term, not to benefit you, but to harm you.  Parts of the body affected include the brain, glucose metabolism, blood flows, cardiovascular, pulmonary, muscle, liver, skin, skeleton  (bones), gastrointestinal system and lymphoid tissue.  All the systems of your body are out of order – are being attacked – and are changing and are forced to do something they were not designed to do.  Your whole physiological life is now under attack.

What causes the over-secretion of cortisol?  Fear/Anxiety/Stress. These are the long-term problems relative to the resistance and the exhaustion stage of the fear/anxiety disorder.

We just went over what excessive secretion of cortisol produces, what the catecholamines do and how they destroy the immune system resulting in disease.  The autoimmune diseases are not the result of immunosuppression.  The autoimmune diseases are not the result of or lack of white corpuscles.  The autoimmune disease occur when the white corpuscles attack living flesh and destroy it.  Lupus, Crohn’s, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, and MS are examples and on it goes.

To summarize, the body attacks the body because the person is attacking themselves spiritually in self-rejection, self-hatred and self-bitterness.  There is a spiritual dynamic that comes in when the white corpuscles are invisibly redirected to attack living tissue while ignoring the true enemy, which is bacteria and viruses.  As the person continues to attack himself or herself spiritually, the body finally agrees and white corpuscles start attacking the body.  That is a high price to pay for not loving yourself.

 

Blessings to you,

 

Tony Sanchez

Fear - Don't Let It Torment You

I want to share some tidbits with you about fear.  Fear is a principality and it affects everyone in every area of our lives.  In fact worry, depending on the situation,  can suffocate and even paralyze us at any given moment.  Fear affects our mind, body (health) and our spiritual. Fear will project into the future causing all sorts of imaginations.  Why worry because what you worry about in the future will never come to pass over 99% of the time. I pray that this piece will help you understand what fear can do to you and how God can bring healing to you if we follow His word and believe in Him.

There are several types of Fear in God’s Word.  One is Fear of man.  Others would be Fear of evil and Fear of Death.  In fact there are thousands of fears in this world.  In the April 2001, issue of Time Magazine there is an article called “Fear Not” which list over 4,000 different types of fear.  The world labels the evil spirit of Fear as “phobias” or “stressors.”

To fear man is to look to and regard people rather than God.  In other words, Fear of man makes man your god.  What man thinks and says is what is important to you.  Paul said in Romans 3:4….let God be true but every man a liar.  So if you are are going to believe man before God, you are making God a liar and man true.  The book of Proverbs says, The fear of man brings a snare, But whoever trusts in the Lord shall be safe Proverbs 29:25.

This scripture equates fearing man with not trusting in the Lord.  One way we fear man in our lives is to hold back from people, worrying about how they are going to treat us rather than looking to God to protect us. 

When you have Rejection and Fear of Rejection, you draw back from people.  You do not become transparent with them because you are afraid of Rejection.  Who you are depends on what other people think about you.

If you are looking for others’ approval, you are in trouble.  They may think more highly of themselves than they do of you anyway!  That is pride and arrogance.

Fear prevents us from expressing God’s love to people.  It can lead to us putting more stock in what people think instead of what God says in His Word.  At the very least, fearing man robs us of the peace God intends for us.  It also warps our view of who we are in Jesus Christ, because we take our self-concept from what others think of us, instead of what God says about us in His word.

That goes back to the Unloving spirit.  Who you are is what someone else thought about you or said about you.  If someone comes to you and says “Well, I think you’re pretty neat,” so what.  God has already said you are the apple of His eye (Psalm 17:8 Keep me as the apple of Your eye; Hide me under the shadow of Your wings). You are letting a man be your source rather than letting God be your source.  One antidote for Fear of man is found in Psalm 118:6 The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me? Another is found in 1 John 4:18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear (Unloving, rejection, abandonment, etc.), because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.  

Many of us can have hundreds of fears built up over the years.  It says in 1 John 4:18  that fear involves torment. Did you know that fear can cause depression (torment)? Don’t take my word for it.  Google what causes depression and read what the medical field has to say.   They don’t really have an answer, but God does! Proverbs 12:25  says “Anxiety (worry, stress) in the heart of man causes depression (despair, hopelessness), But a good word makes it glad.”  Nine out of ten people we minister to have never had their earthly father say the words “I love you” or if he did, they didn’t believe him by the terrible way they treated them.  The lack of love from the earthly father and even the mother, will open the door of not feeling loved which leaves us trying to fill the void and living a lifetime of torment.  All he had to say to us was “a good word.”  “Son/daughter, I love you.  You are a good boy/daughter.”  All the earthly father had to do was covey the love of the Heavenly Father to their kids and even their wives.

If you do not believe the Lord loves us and is on your side, you have an antichrist spirit within you and you need to recognize it.  If you do not trust the Lord, who can you trust?  Truly trusting in God will remove Fear of man from our lives.

Repent for fearing man.  God will transform your heart to trust Him without looking to people as your source anymore.  Let God be your place of peace. Surrender to God and receive His love in the name of Jesus.

Psalm 30:2  O Lord my God, I cried out to You, And You healed me.

 

Healing and blessings to you all,

Tony Sanchez 8-27-15