Physical Acts In Warfare Prayer

2 Kings 19:8-12, 14-19 - Sennacherib’s Threat and Hezekiah’s Prayer.  Then the Rabshakeh returned and found the king of Assyria warring against Libnah, for he heard that he had departed from Lachish. ⁹ And the king heard concerning Tirhakah king of Ethiopia, “Look, he has come out to make war with you.” So he again sent messengers to Hezekiah, saying, ¹⁰ “Thus you shall speak to Hezekiah king of Judah, saying: ‘Do not let your God in whom you trust deceive you, saying, “Jerusalem shall not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.” ¹¹ Look! You have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all lands by utterly destroying them; and shall you be delivered? ¹² Have the gods of the nations delivered those whom my fathers have destroyed.  ¹⁴ And Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers, and read it; and Hezekiah went up to the house of the Lord, and spread it before the Lord. ¹⁵ Then Hezekiah prayed before the Lord, and said: “O Lord God of Israel, the One who dwells between the cherubim, You are God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. ¹⁶ Incline Your ear, O Lord, and hear; open Your eyes, O Lord, and see; and hear the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to reproach the living God. ¹⁷ Truly, Lord, the kings of Assyria have laid waste the nations and their lands, ¹⁸ and have cast their gods into the fire; for they were not gods, but the work of men’s hands—wood and stone. Therefore, they destroyed them. ¹⁹ Now therefore, O Lord our God, I pray, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You are the Lord God, You alone.”

King Sennacherib wrote a letter suggesting that God could not stand against him.  King Hezekiah, upon receiving the letter, took it and spread it out before the Lord in prayer (V. 14).  This is one example where a physical act seems to parallel the establishing of spiritual authority in the invisible realm.  In other words, a physical act becomes prophetically symbolic of a reality that impacts the invisible as action is being taken in the invisible realm.

In Hezekiah’s case, a physical act of trust – spreading his case (letter) before the Lord – established a foundation for faith upon which Hezekiah prayed.  The king was convinced that God would hear his prayer. The Lord sent an angel that night who destroyed 185,000 enemy troops (2 Kings 19:35; Isaiah 37:14-20, 36).

Other physical acts of people recorded in Scripture include:

Vocal praise and shouting - 1 Samuel 4:5 And when the ark of the covenant of the Lord came into the camp, all Israel shouted so loudly that the earth shook & 1 Kings 1:40 And all the people went up after him; and the people played the flutes and rejoiced with great joy, so that the earth seemed to split with their sound.

Lifting hands and bowing heads - Nehemiah 8:6 And Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God.  Then all the people answered, “Amen, Amen!” while lifting up their hands.

Groaning in prayer - Romans 8:23 Not only that, but we also who have the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body.

Shaking or trembling – Acts 16:29 Then he called for a light, ran in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas & Hebrews 12:21 And so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, “I am exceedingly afraid and trembling.”

Intense weeping - Ezra 3:13 so that the people could not discern the noise of the shout of joy from the noise of the weeping of the people, for the people shouted with a loud shout, and the sound was heard afar off & Lamentations 1:16 “For these things I weep; My eye, my eye overflows with water; Because the comforter, who should restore my life, Is far from me.  My children are desolate Because the enemy prevailed.”

Many instances of prostrations – Deuteronomy 9:25 “Thus I prostrated myself before the Lord; forty days and forty nights I kept prostrating myself, because the Lord had said He would destroy you & 1 Chronicles 29:20 Then David said to all the assembly, “Now bless the Lord your God.” So all the assembly blessed the Lord God of their fathers, and bowed their heads and prostrated themselves before the Lord and the king.

Prompted by faith and prayer/passion, these are more than superstitious or repetitious actions.  They address the invisible as real and by doing this we gain victory.

The last point I want to make is about coming to the altar at church service. Altars are a memorial to the place where God meets us.  As it was with Hezekiah, it is a physical place of trust where we can send a message to the invisible realm.            

Altars represent the occasion and place where we have had a personal encounter with God. We may not always be able to make a physical altar, but there can be one established in our hearts. When we celebrate communion, we are celebrating the grandest altar of all--the Cross of Calvary upon which the Son of God was laid forth as the sacrifice: To reconcile all humankind to God; and to make possible the infusion of our lives with meaning, the forgiveness of all sins and the promise of eternal life.

Altars appear throughout the Bible in many different forms. They are:

A place of encounter – The Lord met Jacob in a crisis and the next day he built an altar at that place (Genesis 28).

A place of forgiveness – The brazen altar of the tabernacle sacrifice was offered as an advance testimony that there would be a once-for-all sacrifice in God’s Son.

A place of worship – The most common altar built by people to acknowledge their praise to God was the altar of incense, the holy place where priests would offer worship to the Lord on behalf of the people and themselves.

A place of covenant – An altar was built where the covenant was made between the Lord and Abraham, and the land was sealed as a timeless promise to Abraham and his offspring (Genesis 15).

A place of intercession – The prophet Joel called for intercession by leaders* on behalf of the people and their devastated economy. (*If you know Jesus, you’re a leader!)

A place to humble ourselves – A man’s pride will bring him low, but the humble in spirit will retain honor Proverbs 29:23

A place of surrender and submission – 1 Peter 5:7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. Job 11:13 “If you would prepare your heart, and stretch out your hands toward Him;

A place of sacrifice –  Matthew 27:50-51 And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit. Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom… The veil was the thick curtain between the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies.  The fact that it was torn in two from top to bottom indicates that this was not an act of man.  Jesus’ death opens the way to the presence of God and puts an end to the OT temple and sacrificial systems.

God has a place of “altaring” for us.  There is a place of “altaring” and a price of altering. Altars have a price--God intends that something be “altered” in us when we come to altars. To receive the promise means we make way for the transformation.  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.

Numerous times during the year, I am moved to come to the altar do just as described above during praise and worship or towards the end of service.  The majority of the time, I am alone at the altar.  It is not to bring attention to myself, but to call on the Lord and pray.  And He is there to meet and hear me (James 4:8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you}.  God will meet you at the altar if you make the effort.

Every human heart has areas where the war between the flesh and the spirit rages which are contrary to each other (Galatians 5:17). When we surrender areas of our lives to the control of the Holy Spirit, we are in effect laying that area on the altar before God.  It can help to visualize Abraham’s altar where he offered his son Isaac to the Lord (Genesis 22:9). We can ask the Lord what areas of our lives He is requiring that we offer to Him. We can symbolically lay that on the altar and let go. God will meet you at the altar if you surrender to Him.

Galatians 2:20 ^I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.

God’s blessing to you all,

Tony Sanchez 5-15-16

 

Sickness and Disease

Greetings,

 

We are spending billions of dollars to treat the symptoms of sickness and disease.  We are trusting man to give us answers, but few answers are forthcoming in dealing with fear, depression, and immune diseases to name a few.  Don’t get me wrong, I believe doctors are a necessity in the world, but not when they prescribe medications on top of medications for symptoms of sickness and disease.  The healing answers to many of the sicknesses and diseases are right there in front of us in the Word of God.  I hope you enjoy the piece below and I encourage you to share with others. 

 

Sickness and Disease

I have dedicated a lot of time over the years finding answers to possible root causes of sickness and disease.  I want to share scriptures that gives us answers to why we have sickness and disease.  One of major contributors to sickness and disease is FEAR.  I see fear in people constantly in the ministry that I am a part of.

Deuteronomy 28:1-14 gives us the guarantees of His blessings if we obey.  Deuteronomy 28:15-68 gives us a list of curses if we continue to disobey God.  I have Googled and looked up the definitions of these curses to better understand what each one means.  As I researched, I could see how these curses have manifested into disease and sickness.

Throughout the Bible, we have insights as to why we have sickness.  One example is depression.  WebMD has this to say:

Depression is an extremely complex disease. No one knows exactly what causes it, but it can occur for a variety of reasons. Some people experience depression during a serious medical illness. Others may have depression with life changes such as a move or the death of a loved one. Still others have a family history of depression. Those who do may experience depression and feel overwhelmed with sadness and loneliness for no known reason.

God tells us without a doubt what causes depression and it is not complicated to understand.  Anxiety in the heart of man causes depression, but a good word makes it glad Proverbs 12:25.  Look up anxiety in the dictionary and you will find that it means fear.  So, the primary reason we have depression is because of fear.  Fear of man, fear of not being loved (huge rejection), fear of not living up to your or man’s expectations, fear of losing your job, fear of confrontation, fear of being offended, and the list goes on.  Look up depression in the dictionary and you will find related words.  Self-pity, grief, sorrow, distress, pain, misery, torment, despair and hopelessness.  The second part of this verse is especially beneficial to those that feel unloved.  If we would just say a kind word, it would make them glad and take away the depression.

The medical field does not have a cure, but God can heal you of depression by obeying His Word which says “Do not worry about tomorrow” Mathew 6:34 and Deuteronomy 31:8 And the Lord, He is the One who goes before you. He will be with you; He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed (to lose courage or be upset).”

Answers for healing of many sickness and diseases that the medical field can’t explain are found in God’s Word, His wisdom, His knowledge, His revelation, His discernment, and the Holy Spirit.  Deuteronomy 32:39 ‘Now see that I, even I, am He, and there is no God besides Me; I kill and I make alive; I wound and I heal; Nor is there any who can deliver from My hand.  I like The Message’s version. Deuteronomy 32:39 ^“Do you see it now? Do you see that I’m the One? Do you see that there’s no other god beside Me? I bring death and I give life, I wound and I heal—there is no getting away from or around Me!

Mankind will continue to suffer sickness and disease until we execute the things God has instructed us to do.

Deuteronomy 6:17 You shall diligently keep the commandments of the Lord your God, His testimonies, and His statutes which He has commanded you.  Deuteronomy 7:15 And the Lord will take away from you all sickness, and will afflict you with none of the terrible diseases of Egypt which you have known, but will lay them on all those who hate you.

Isaiah 61:1 “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, Because the Lord has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the prison (Psalm 142:7 Bring my soul out of prison that I may praise Your name) to those who are bound.  Is David telling us in Psalm 142:7 that by bringing our souls out of spiritual prison we can be set free from bondage to praise God? 

Mark 16:18 …. They will lay hands on the sick and they will recover

It is my prayer that this brief note has helped you in some way and I encourage you to pass it forward.  In the near future, I hope to share a piece on Alzheimer’s disease that could be the result of not obeying God’s instructions.

Many blessings to you all,

Tony Sanchez, 3-19-16

 

Responsibility of the Father and Husband

Greetings,

I try to keep articles to one page, but I’ve had trouble with this lately.  Why do I try to keep them short?  Because people are less apt to read a longer article.  Too much Face Book and Twitter, I guess.  Also, forgive me in advance for any typos.

This article impacts every family to some degree.  My intent is to bring visibility as to why families are so dysfunctional.  It is my opinion that this subject matter should be taught to the church, men’s groups, bible studies, marriage counseling, young couples, and pre-marriage classes.

The Responsibility of the Father and Husband in the Family – Tony Sanchez 2-26-16 

The greatest commandment in Scripture is this: “Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength” (Deuteronomy 6:5). Going back to verse 2, we read, “So that you, your children and their children after them may fear the LORD your God as long as you live by keeping all his decrees and commands that I give you, and so that you may enjoy long life.” Following Deuteronomy 6:5, we read, “These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up” (v. 6-7).  As earthly fathers, we must convey the greatest commandment to our wives and children, and neighbors.

Israelite history reveals that the father was to be diligent in instructing his children in the ways and words of the Lord for their own spiritual development and well-being. The father who was obedient to the commands of Scripture did just that. This brings us to Proverbs 22:6, “Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.” To “train” indicates the first instructions that a father and mother give to a child. The training is designed to make clear to children the manner of life they are intended for.
Ephesians 6:4 is a summary of instructions to the father, stated in both a negative and positive way. “Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.” The negative part of this verse indicates that a father is not to foster negativity in his children by severity, injustice, partiality, or unreasonable exercise of authority. Harsh, unreasonable conduct towards a child will only serve to nurture evil in the heart. The word “provoke” means “to irritate, exasperate, rub the wrong way, or incite.” This is done by a wrong spirit and wrong methods—severity, unreasonableness, sternness, harshness, cruel demands, needless restrictions, and selfish insistence upon dictatorial authority. Such provocation will produce adverse reactions, deadening children’s affection, causing rejection, reducing their desire for holiness, and making them feel that they cannot possibly please their parents. A wise parent seeks to make obedience desirable and attainable by love and gentleness.
The positive part of Ephesians 6:4 is expressed in a comprehensive direction—educate them, bring them up, develop their conduct in all of life by the instruction and admonition of the Lord. This is the whole process of educating and discipline. The word “admonition” (warn gently) carries the idea of reminding the child of faults (constructively) and duties (responsibilities).  We must discipline our children with love rather than wrath.
The majority of the people we minister to are in deep rejection, feel unloved, and feel abandoned.  Most have never had their earthly father say these simple words, “I Love You.”  My dad died without every telling me “I love You son
Survey:  How many men/women don’t remember your earthy farther saying “I love you” or if he did, you did not believe him because of the lack of emotion he exhibited or by how mean he treated you? Hundreds of surveys conducted by Be In Health ministry show over 90% of the people raised their hands when asked this question.  Many have said “I know he loved me.”  But we need more. We need to verbally hear it from his mouth.

The spiritual head of the family should represent Father God to our wife and children.  We are to think, speak, act, as God has intended us to do as spiritual head of the family.  Unfortunately, we have fallen short.   No excuses, but many of us have not had a father who represented God the Father and His love.  We haven’t had a good example.

Most of us may have known our earthly father to be on a throne with lightning bolts in his hand looking to pounce on us at every opportunity and not knowing what kind of mood he is in or not knowing what he is going to do next.  He brought ungodly fear to us from his throne and this is what we as fathers learned. Many have experienced the wrath of a mother as well, but that is a subject for a different article.

Within that structure there is also, "Performance Orientation" which is an American trait of do good - get good, do bad -get bad.  It starts at an early age teaching a child if they respond the way mommy or daddy wants they get rewarded.  Performance based lives lead to rebellion, hate and unhealthy life styles. This is not what God wants us to feel.  He wanted us to feel safe and secure and not crushed by our earthy fathers.   Proverbs 15:13(NLT) A glad heart makes a happy face; a broken heart crushes the spirit.  Can we fathom how much damage we have done to our wife and children?

God does not want us to fear and worry about punishment.  1 John 4:18(NLT) Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love.

Our culture has fallen short on how to represent our Heavenly Father to our wives and children.

1 Corinthians 11:3 But I want you to know that the head of every man is Christ, the head of woman is man, and the head of Christ is God.  This is Godly order. The head of every man is Jesus Christ and we should present ourselves to our family as Jesus Christ has presented Himself to us.  The first words to our wives and children every morning should be “I love you.  You are a good wife/son/daughter.”  You don’t want to be known as one who is always angry and brings fear because fear causes depression.  Proverbs 15:13 Anxiety in the heart of man causes depression.

What kind of character as a husband and father do you have?  As Coach Bill McCartney said, “Look at the countenance of your wife’s face and it will tell you much.”  Look at the countenance of your children’s face.  Do you bring fear and torment or do you bring love?  Proverbs 20:7 The righteous man walks in his integrity; His children are blessed after him. 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.

You must love your wife and children as God instructs.  Matthew 22:37-40 Jesus said to him, “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor (wife/ children) as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”

The order of the home should be God the Father in all that we do.  John 14:28 Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.”   They need to feel the love of God through us.  We are not to bring wrath to our wives, kids, or anyone else.

Isaiah 1:16-17 “Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; Put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes.   Cease to do evil, learn to do good; Seek justice, Rebuke the oppressor; Defend the fatherless, Plead for the widow. Who are the fatherless?  Fathers, who have died.  Absent fathers due to divorce, work, TV, internet, hobbies, or lack of involvement.  Fathers who have deserted their children or wives (could be called widowed wives even though the husband is alive).  Wives and children desperately need a loving husband and father in their lives fulltime. 
Our prisons are full of men because they did not have a father that represented God the Father in heaven.  I want to share a prison story with you about a greeting card company who wanted to get involved helping prisoners send Mother’s Day cards.  The announcement went out to the prisoners.  They just simply had to address the cards and the card company would send the cards.  100% of the inmates participated.  It was very successful.  The Mother’s Day cards worked out so good they decided to do the same for Father’s Day.  Unfortunately, when Father’s Day cards were announced, not one prisoner participated. 

This story shows us what is lacking in the lives of these prisoners; an earthly father that represents our God in heaven.  They have not received the love of their father, the comfort the father brings, and the example needed to be a father to their children. They have received rejection, abandonment, and an unloving spirit from their fathers.  They have bitterness and un-forgiveness.  There is a breech and it has to be repaired so they can know the love of the father and for healing. 

It also shows you how the Mothers have become the head of the family.  Mothers should not be the matriarch of the family.  God set up man as the patriarch or head over the family. Fathers and husbands are the ones who are called to represent God as the father to his family just as if it were God Himself.  Stats:  When the mother is the spiritual head of the family, 19% of the children will become believers.  It increases to over 90% when the man is the spiritual head of the family.

This is a story of a father and his son. The father was not taught how to be a loving father and as result, there was a deep breech.  The son had become angry and had become ungrateful, did not honor his mother/father, and he constantly slandered his father.  As a result, the father did not speak to the son for quite a long time. The breech between the father and son had to be repaired.  So, every morning the father would text him, “Good morning son, I love you.”  He texted every morning and two weeks later the son called the father.  The relationship had been healed to a point that they began to communicate again.  Proverbs 10:12 Hatred stirs up quarrels, but love makes up for all offenses.  Ultimately, it was not the son’s fault.  It was the fathers fault for not bringing him up in the ways of the Lord.    Repair the breach that you have with your children.  With your wife.  Get on your knees and ask God to forgive you.  Ask your wife to forgive you.  Ask you children to forgive you.  Isaiah 58:12 ……You shall raise up the foundations of many generations; And you shall be called the Repairer of the Breach, The Restorer of Streets to Dwell In.

The Christian father is really an instrument in God's hand. The whole process of instruction and discipline must be that which God commands and which He administers, so that His authority should be brought into constant and immediate contact with the mind, heart, and conscience of the wife and children. The human father should never present himself as the ultimate authority to determine truth and duty. It is only by making God the teacher and ruler on whose authority everything is done that the goals of education can best be attained.

Ephesians 1:17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him,

Prayer:  Father God, we ask you to give us knowledge, wisdom and the strength to represent You as fathers and husbands to our families. To verbally confess our love to our wives.  To verbally confess our love to our children in the womb, when they are born, and throughout their lives in Jesus name.

The following are basic principles of Godly Order

• There is an order in Creation: the head of the woman is the man, the head of the man is Jesus Christ and the head of Jesus Christ is God the Father (1 Corinthians 11:3 But I want you to know that the head of every man is Christ, the head of woman is man, and the head of Christ is God).
• We also see in the Word that we are created in Their image (Genesis 1:26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”); therefore, the Godhead also has an order.
• The order and relationship in the Godhead might be summed up as: God the Father thought it, God the Word/Jesus said it and the Holy Spirit does it.
• There is an order for marriages according to Scriptures. I listed 1 Corinthians 11:3 above but there are many other passages describing how spouses ought to get along according to God, such as Ephesians 5 & Colossians 3.
• There may be many learned patterns of thought in our relationships but they may not represent God's Word or His order.
• Common sayings such as "if momma isn't happy, no one is happy" may indicate a passive man and a woman who has had to take control of the house.  Many times the father defaults to the women as head of the family which causes confusion to the children.
• Another example would be men being the head over women in a harsh and domineering manner and controlling the children in the family.
• Although there is an order and difference between the roles for husband and wife, they are equals in marriage.
• The Word teaches that women are not lesser or inferior. They are equal partakers and partners in the marriage (Colossians 1:12 giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light, & Galatians 3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus).
• Scripture shows that men and women in marriage are to become one and therefore, are to interact and cooperate in unity (Genesis 2:23 And Adam said: “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh;
  She shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.” & Matthew 19:5 and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’?).
• A practical example of Godly order is a husband and wife discussing ideas and talking things through for the purpose of coming into agreement one with another and into alignment with the Word of God.  The children must understand that the father ultimately has the final say in most of the important decisions.
• Jesus submitting to the will of the Father is a great Scriptural example of order in the Godhead (John 5:19 Then Jesus answered and said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.).

By understanding Godly order and seeing its reality in the Godhead, we are given a template for our marriage and family relationships. With Father God's help, Godly order can be a practical reality in our lives.  If we realize that God has an order for our lives, marriages and families, we can grow in freedom and excitement in our relationships!

Father's Love - Ministry Prayer

A man chooses to stand in the gap for the failure of the earthly father. He stands before the person, either male or female, and offers the following prayer of ministry to them:

On behalf of a father that did not, could not, would not or maybe just did not know how to tell you he loved you, I, your brother ________ (name) will take responsibility for your heart this night.

On behalf of that father, will you forgive me for not telling you that I love you? I am so sorry for the silence, for what has injured you and confused you and left you stranded on the inside when you needed your father so much.

In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I release you from this fear of rejection and confusion.

Now this day you are going to hear these words for your heart. (maintain eye contact)

1. I love you.

2. I am glad you were born.

3. I am proud of you.

4. You are a good daughter/son.

Hug:

When you are hugging the person, allow them to decide when they want you to release them. Don't pray or pat someone on the back, just hold them. Give the person an A frame hug rather than a full body hug.

If someone feels a need for a similar ministry regarding a mother, the mother's love ministry is simply the Father's love as spoken by the mother. God is more than capable of reaching someone with the love of the mother. Simply replace the word father with mother.
 

Blessings,

Tony

 

Will You Inherit the Kingdom of God?

Galatians 5 16-21

 I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.  For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.  But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

It is amazing how we can read Bible verses and not truly know what we are reading. We know the “fruits of the Spirt” verse so well yet we skip over these important scriptures. How can we read Galatians 5:19-21 and think that it does not apply to us as believers in Jesus Christ?  Can we truly comprehend the meaning of these verses, especially as it relates to the entrance into the kingdom of God?  Can we afford to think that this doesn’t apply to us? Galatian 5:16-21 is a warning to all believers and unbelievers and we can’t afford to ignore this warning, because the things we practice here lead to spiritual issues, emotional, physical sicknesses, and disease which are curses. What we practice results in conflict with others and ourselves.

We must understand what kingdom the Word of God is talking about.  The words of what we call the Lord’s Prayer confirm this understanding of the kingdom of God.  Jesus taught his disciples to pray: “Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matt 6:10). Notice that we are to pray for the kingdom to come. This verse does not talk about where we go after death.  Jesus roughly equates the kingdom with the will of God. Currently, in heaven, God reigns and therefore His will is done. We are to pray for God’s kingdom to visit us, for His will to be done on earth as it is in heaven.  If we continue to practice these things that don’t align with God’s kingdom, we will not be able to experience the fruits of the Spirit her on earth which are His blessings.

Adultery – There are two types of adultery in the Bible. 1. Committing adultery whether man or women (Leviticus 20:10 ‘The man who commits adultery with another man’s wife, he who commits adultery with his neighbor’s wife, the adulterer and the adulteress, shall surely be put to death).  2. The other is spiritual adultery (Ezekiel 23:37 For they have committed adultery, and blood is on their hands. They have committed adultery with their idols)

Fornication – Consensual sexual intercourse between two persons not married to each other.  God’s wants us to be pure up to the time we are married.  Fornication with others causes soul ties to be brought into the marriage.  1 Corinthians 6:18 Flee sexual immorality.  Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body.  Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?

Uncleanness – Morally or spiritually impure.  Ezra 9:11 which You commanded by Your servants the prophets, saying, ‘The land which you are entering to possess is an unclean land, with the uncleanness of the peoples of the lands, with their abominations which have filled it from one end to another with their impurity

Lewdness – Depicting or referring to matters in a way that is filthy, wicked (Iniquities), and unacceptable. Ezekiel 24:13 In your filthiness is lewdness.  Because I have cleansed you, and you were not cleansed, you will not be cleansed of your filthiness anymore, Till I have caused My fury to rest upon you.

Idolatry – Excessive admiration of or devotion to a person, place, thing or habit and especially our own thinking (self). Examples: Tattoos, phones, money, internet, cars, houses name brand clothes, sports, diets, exercise, etc.  Most cause us to be consumed with being great in the eyes of man and self. No matter what we are told in God’s word, we continue to be stubborn and stubbornness causes idolatry; 1 Samuel 15:23 And stubbornness is as iniquity (wickedness) and idolatry.  Colossians 3:5 Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.

Sorcery – Sorcery is an attempt to bypass God’s wisdom and power and give glory to Satan instead through spells, divination, or speaking to spirits.  Interestingly, the New Testament Greek word translated “sorcery” (Strong’s 5531) is pharmakeia, which is the source of our English word pharmacy. In Paul’s day, the word primarily meant “dealing in poison” or “drug use” and was applied to divination and spell-casting because sorcerers often used drugs along with their incantations and amulets to conjure occult power.  We are a nation of drug users and we have put way too much trust in drugs. Sorcery will be practiced to the end of the age and the light will not shine in those that do.  Revelation 18:23 The light of a lamp shall not shine in you anymore, and the voice of bridegroom and bride shall not be heard in you anymore. For your merchants were the great men of the earth, for by your sorcery all the nations were deceived.

Hatred – Is a very strong feeling of dislike causing bitterness which is the deepening effect of un-forgiveness.  Hatred is contrary to the word of God.  Galatians 5:14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word even in this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

Contentions – People likely to cause disagreement or argument.  They are aggressive, agonistic, combative, confrontational, belligerent, and quarrelsome.  1 Corinthians 11:16 But if anyone seems to be contentious, we have no such custom, nor do the churches of God.

Jealousies – An unhappy or angry feeling of wanting to have what someone else has or someone you love is liked by someone else. James 3:16 For where there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and evil of every kind.

Outburst of Wrath – An intense emotional state of displeasure with someone or something.  Wrath can manifest in rage/anger at all levels.  I see it quite often with people that have been rejected and feel unloved or have been offended.  Most often a person will blame someone else for their anger and wrath, but in reality, anger is a choice and one must look at self.  Proverbs 19:19 A man of great wrath will suffer punishment; For if you rescue him, you will have to do it again.  Proverbs 29:8 Scoffers set a city aflame, but wise men turn away wrath.

Selfish Ambitions – Is putting yourself first.   Philippians 2:3-4 NLT Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others.  Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves.  Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.  A thought came to me that is a good example.  Selfishness is thinking that your salvations is all that you have to think about, but we should be thinking about bringing others to salvation.  Verse 5 says “You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.”  Philippians 2:3 Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.

Dissensions – Disagreement that causes the people in a group to argue about something that is important to them.  Especially partisan and contentious quarreling.  Titus 3:9 But avoid foolish disputes, genealogies, contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and useless.

Heresies – A belief or opinion that does not agree with the official belief or opinion and may be contrary to church dogma.  Too often, one will interpret what the Bible says and try to sell it to anyone that will listen even though it is obvious it is contrary to God’s word.  2 Peter 2:1 But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction.

Envy – Painful or resentful awareness of an advantage enjoyed by another joined with a desire to possess the same advantage.  Many times envy turns in to bitterness and un-forgiveness.  These three will destroy your health.  Proverbs 14:30 A sound heart is life to the body, but envy is rottenness to the bones.  The bone marrow is where white cells are produced.  In basic terms, it is the bone marrow that produces the white cells that fight off sickness and disease.  Once the immune system is compromised, the immune system does not produce enough white cells to fight off sickness and disease.

Murderers – Most tend to pass over this subject. After all, we are not murderers, or are we?  We can easily build a record of wrongs against people in our lives.  With this comes slander, backbiting, and the destruction of one’s reputation that can never be restored one hundred percent.  This is called murder of the tongue.  The Thesaurus describes murder as something that causes great suffering and unhappiness. Psalm 5:9 My enemies cannot speak a truthful word. Their deepest desire is to destroy others. Their talk is foul, like the stench from an open grave. Their tongues are filled with flattery.  Psalm 10:7 Their mouths are full of cursing, lies, and threats. Trouble and evil are on the tips of their tongues.  Psalm 34:13 Then keep your tongue from speaking evil and your lips from telling lies! Proverbs 18:21 The tongue can bring death or life; those who love to talk will reap the consequences. Proverbs 25:23 As surely as a north wind brings rain, so a gossiping tongue causes anger! Proverbs 21:23 Watch your tongue and keep your mouth shut, and you will stay out of trouble.

Drunkenness – There are many believers that are filling their emptiness (rejection and feeling unloved) with alcohol and other substances. Proverbs 23:29-35 Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has contentions? Who has complaints? Who has wounds without cause? Who has redness of eyes? Those who linger long at the wine, those who go in search of mixed wine. Do not look on the wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup, when it swirls around smoothly; At the last it bites like a serpent, And stings like a viper. Your eyes will see strange things, and your heart will utter perverse things. Yes, you will be like one who lies down in the midst of the sea, or like one who lies at the top of the mast, saying: “They have struck me, but I was not hurt; They have beaten me, but I did not feel it. When shall I awake, that I may seek another drink?”    

Revelries – This is one subject most do not consider or know much about.  Revelry is daydreaming.  How many time have we all been lost daydreaming about winning the lottery, a bigger house and car, wanting a position that we know we can never attain, wanting recognition at church, wanting to be the star athletic, wanting to marry the most popular and most beautiful women in town, wanting be rich and famous, etc. etc. etc.………… Romans 13:13 Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. 

 

Conclusion

Isn’t amazing how thorough God is in covering all the things that He does not want us to practice in verses 19-21?  The crowning moment is what will happen if we continue to practice these things?

“just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God”

This is a powerful scripture to digest.  Are we to believe that just because we are saved, we can continue to sin and experience the kingdom of heaven? God’s word is not contrary to itself.  Rather, scripture supports scripture. 1 Corinthians 6:9-Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.  Matthew 7:21-23 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.  Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’

The Good News is there is hope for all of us.  God does not expect us to be perfect, but he does expect us to obey and make progress in our walk with the Him. He does not want us to continue in our wicked ways.  He wants us to recognize and acknowledge our sin.  He wants us to repent (turn away from sin) and ask Him to forgive us for the things that are contrary to Him.

Psalm 51:17 The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God.

Acts 17:30 In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent.

2 Corinthians 12:21 lest, when I come again, my God will humble me among you, and I shall mourn for many who have sinned before and have not repented of the uncleanness, fornication, and lewdness which they have practiced.

Revelation 2:5 Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent.

Brothers and Sisters, what I have to say is not what is important. Matter of fact, much of the commentary that I wrote will be forgotten, but the scripture will remain embedded in your being.  There is a lot of scripture and it is the Word of God that will resonate in your spirit, soul and body. When spreading the Gospel as a writer, teacher, preacher, etc, we must flood the message with the Word of God.  If not, you become just a story teller and your story will be quickly forgotten and have little or no impact.

Lastly, each person will be accountable on Judgment Day for his own actions.  No one can boast when he measures himself and his work against the standard of God’s requirements.  Galatians 6:3-5 For if anyone thinks himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself.   But let each one examine his own work, and then he will have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another.  For each one shall bear his own load.

It is my prayer that you will apply what you read in this article and change your habits that don’t align with God.

Coram Deo,

Tony Sanchez   1/31/2016  http://obeygodsword.blogspot.com/

Christian Leadership - Part Two

Part one of Christian Leadership covers the responsibility of Church leadership (pastors, elders, apostles, prophets, teachers, etc.).  It does not mean that we, as individual believers in the church body, do not have a responsibility within the church.

While individual relationships with Jesus will always be vital, we must also see ourselves as living members of Christ’s body, the church.  We must move from individualism and begin a process of being a part of the gathering and function of the local congregation within the Church as a whole.  We have one head, who is Jesus Christ, and one body, the church.  Renew your commitment to the local body of believers.  Seek to build up the church through your works, actions, participation, and leadership.

Keys to Renewing Church Life

1.  Intentionally pursue unity within the body Christ.  Do not give place to division or competition.  Honor others, seek to be likeminded, and recognize Jesus as the common ground for unity. I Corinthians 1:10 Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.
2. Recognize that division in the church is sin.  Turn from jealousy and arguing, which cause division.  Seek unity in Jesus Christ.  1 Corinthians 3:1-4  And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ.  I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able;  for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men?  For when one says, “I am of Paul,” and another, “I am of Apollos,” are you not carnal?
3. Understand that the church is the New Testament temple of God.  His Spirit dwells in the corporate body, which is composed of many members in whom the Spirit also dwells.  Do nothing that will tear down the body, but build on the foundation of Christ Jesus.  1 Corinthians 3:11-17 For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw,  each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is.  If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward.  If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.  Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?  If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.
4. Do not neglect church discipline. 1 Corinthians 5:1-8 It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and such sexual immorality as is not even named among the Gentiles—that a man has his father’s wife!  And you are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he who has done this deed might be taken away from among you.  For I indeed, as absent in body but present in spirit, have already judged (as though I were present) him who has so done this deed.  In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when you are gathered together, along with my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ,  deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.   Your glorying is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us.  Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
5. Honor all members of the body, rejoice with them in their successes in the Lord, and care for one another.  Utilize your gifts for the good of the whole body.  I Corinthians 12:12-27 For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ.  For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit.  For in fact the body is not one member but many.  If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I am not of the body,” is it therefore not of the body?  And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I am not of the body,” is it therefore not of the body?  If the whole body were an eye, where would be the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where would be the smelling?  But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased.  And if they were all one member, where would the body be?  But now indeed there are many members, yet one body.  And the eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you”; nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.”  No, much rather, those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary.  And those members of the body which we think to be less honorable, on these we bestow greater honor; and our unpresentable parts have greater modesty,  but our presentable parts have no need. But God composed the body, having given greater honor to that part which lacks it, that there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another.   And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it. Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually.
6. Seek to use your spiritual gifts to build up the church and glorify Jesus.  Let a word in tongues be interpreted, and let mature leaders judge a prophetic word.  DO NOT forbid speaking in tongues; do desire order in their exercise and do earnestly desire to prophesy.  I Corinthians 14:26-33, 36-40  How is it then, brethren? Whenever you come together, each of you has a psalm, has a teaching, has a tongue, has a revelation, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification.  If anyone speaks in a tongue, let there be two or at the most three, each in turn, and let one interpret.  But if there is no interpreter, let him keep silent in church, and let him speak to himself and to God.  Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others judge.  But if anything is revealed to another who sits by, let the first keep silent.  For you can all prophesy one by one, that all may learn and all may be encouraged.  And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets.  For God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints. Or did the word of God come originally from you? Or was it you only that it reached?  If anyone thinks himself to be a prophet or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things which I write to you are the commandments of the Lord.  But if anyone is ignorant, let him be ignorant.  Therefore, brethren, desire earnestly to prophesy, and do not forbid to speak with tongues.  Let all things be done decently and in order.

Many in the church are not mindful of our responsibility within the church body.  We can’t afford to be just followers and let church leadership do all the work.  Just opening the doors of the sanctuary is not going to build and grow the church.  It’s not just showing up on Sunday and going home.  We must be leaders at our level and carry out the responsibilities laid out by God and His word. We need assistance from the Helper to show us and guide us in what we need to know as leaders in the body. Jeremiah 33:3  ‘Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.’ Use the power of the Holy Spirit in this task.  Micah 3:8 But truly I am full of power by the Spirit of the Lord…..

The challenge:  What are we going to do for the Body (church) of Jesus Christ?  Jesus was the chief cornerstone  Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: ‘The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone Matthew 21:42.  Jesus was and is the foundation for the church.  We cannot afford to compromise the foundation of the church because of church tradition (Matthew 15:6) and not wanting to offend or scare the congregation “If the foundations are destroyed, What can the righteous do?” Psalm 11:3. This scripture means that IF  the foundations have been destroyed, the righteous will do something about it.  The righteous will rise up. Are you ready to rise up because you certainly can’t hide?  Luke 12:2 For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, nor hidden that will not be known.  Being a true believer demands huge responsibility.

 Ephesians 4:10-16  He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.) And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting,  but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— ¹⁶ from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

 Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.  Ephesians 2:19-22

He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.) And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting,  but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ—from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love. Ephesians 4:10-16

Before He can restore the foundations of the church, there must first be a tearing down of all that is not of God and His Spirit.

Blessings to you all,

Tony Sanchez 1-24-16