Is American Is Repeating the History of Israel?

This piece is a follow up to the last article (https://obeygodsword.blogspot.com/) I sent out on Patriotism – What Does God Think?  It is based on the book of Ezekiel that I have been studying.

In Ezekiel the people of Israel place great value on their corporate identity as a nation.  Ezekiel countered that thinking by highlighting personal responsibility in terms of behavior and personal relationship with God.  Though Israel had sinned as a nation, each person was responsible for his or her own individual sin.  Godly living requires personal responsibility before the Lord.  Like Israel, we cannot blame our families, our leaders, or our nation for the choices we have made, nor can we rely on someone else’s righteousness to change or save us. 

Why did Israel fall from God’s grace?  Why has America fallen from God’s grace?  Because of Israel’s and America’s disobedience.  We choose our righteousness and fail to submit (surrender) to God’s righteousness (Romans 10:3 (NIV) since they did not know the righteousness of God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit (surrender) to God’s righteousness).  Isn’t it amazing how history repeats itself, yet we fail to learn from history the pitfalls that Israel experienced?

Corporately as a nation and individually, we are feeling spiritually dry, brittle, and lifeless.  These struggles may result from not knowing God because we fail to invest in the kingdom of God by reading His Word and calling on the Holy Spirit.  Perhaps you have walked closely with the Lord, but have allowed sin (iniquity and trespasses) or the priorities of this world to draw you away from God.  Or perhaps you are simply exhausted, in despair, and in hopelessness and need a fresh touch from God.  Whatever the case, the spirit of God in heaven and the Holy Spirit (the Helper) on earth is present to touch you, heal you, and to lead you back to Him where you will find new life.

Ask for and receive a fresh infilling of the Holy Spirit.  Invite God’s spirit to touch every desperate place in your life.  Let the power of God transform you, restore you completely, and let it flow from you to those around you.  Ezekiel 37:14 I will put My Spirit in you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken it and performed it,” says the Lord.”

Repentance, or turning away from your fleshly ways (sin) is a crucial message in Ezekiel.  God had given Israel (as with America) every possible opportunity to turn from their sin, but they would not.  In God’s holiness and justice, He poured out His judgment both to punish and restore His people.  Today, God continues to cry out to His people to turn from their sin and to return to a life of holiness (1 Peter 1:16    because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.”) so that you can connect with Him.  God’s desire now is the same as it was then for the people to know Him.  We are to walk in God’s ways and teach them to others.

Ezekiel 36:21-28 But I had concern for My holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned (abused) among the nations wherever they went.  “Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “I do not do this for your sake, O house of Israel, but for My holy name’s sake, which you have profaned among the nations wherever you went.  And I will sanctify My great name, which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in their midst; and the nations shall know that I am the Lord,” says the Lord God, “when I am hallowed in you before their eyes. For I will take you from among the nations, gather you out of all countries, and bring you into your own land. Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols.  I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them. Then you shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; you shall be My people, and I will be your God.

Blessings to you all,

Tony Sanchez 10-22-16

Patriotism – What Does God Think?

Patriotism is an emotional attachment to a nation which an individual recognizes as their homeland. This attachment, also known as national feeling or national pride, can be viewed in terms of different features relating to one's own nation, including ethnic, cultural, political or historical aspects.

It’s not what we think or feel about our nation.  Rather, what would God feel or think about our Patriotic nation and our national pride? 

Ethnic - of or relating to races or large groups of people who have the same customs, religion, origin, etc.  associated with or belonging to a particular race or group of people who have a culture that is different from the main culture of a country. 

If we are created equal, why is there inequality in our Patriotic prideful nation? 

1. Malachi 2:10 NLT Are we not all children of the same Father? Are we not all created by the same God? Then why do we betray each other, violating the covenant of our ancestors?
2. Acts 17:26 NLV He made from one blood all nations who live on the earth. He set the times and places where they should live.
3. Galatians 3:28 NKJV 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.

Culture – A culture is a way of life of a group of people – the behaviors, beliefs, values, and symbols that they accept, generally without thinking about them, and that are passed along by communication and imitation from one generation to the next.  

1. We have created a nation that is not one nation under God as it says in our Pledge of Allegiance.
2. We have allowed our nation to kill over 60 million unborn babies, and we as believers, do very little to stop the killing.
3. We have an imbalance of wealth.
4. We have created idols/gods such as sports, celebrities, recreation, entertainment, vacations, movies, television, smart phones, computers, our own thinking, etc. All of which take us away from our relationship with God and He does not like it because He is jealous God.  Exodus 34:14 for you shall not worship no other god, for the Lord, whose names is Jealous, is a jealous God.

Political – Of relating to, or dealing with the structure or affairs of government, politics, or the state.

1. Trust in the politicians is at an all-time low. 
2. We don’t believe what they say. Exodus 23:1 Do not spread false reports.
3. Politicians are not held accountable for their lies.  Exodus 20:16 You shall not bear false witness.
4. They do not represent the will of the people. They do represent the will of the parties, constituents, and lobbyists.
5. The politicians are out of control and we do very little to oppose them as a prideful patriotic nation.

Historical Aspects – of, pertaining to, treating, or characteristics of history or past events. 

God certainly is not happy with the history of our nation and He will bring judgment which is happening at this very moment and it will get worse. 

Ezekiel 14:13 Son of man, when a land sins against Me by persistent unfaithfulness, I will stretch out My hand against it; I will cut off its supply of bread, send famine on it, and cut off man and beast from it.

There must be national and personal repentance before God or His righteous judgement is sure to come.

Romans 2:5 But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God’s wrath, when His righteous judgment will be revealed.

Blessings,

 Tony Sanchez  10-6-16

 

Rejection

Greetings, 

I shared this piece with the Men’s Task Force ministry at our church recently.  We help widows and the needy by fixing things in their house or doing lawn work around their yard.  I changed the original slightly.

 I hope you get as much as I got out of it.  Like you, I’ve suffered rejection in my life.  Rejection first entered as a newborn when my dad failed to show God’s love to me.  He went to his grave without every saying these simple words “I love you son, you are a good boy.”  I have been able to fill that void with God’s love for the most part, but there are times that I have to forgive my dad when rejection and the unloving spirit surfaces.  

Rejection 1. To refuse to accept, acknowledge, use, believe.  2. To throw out as useless or worthless; discard. 3. Failure to accept.  4. Something rejected as imperfect, unsatisfactory, or useless.

All of us have been rejected, but one significant thing that stands out and that is rejection because of offenses, lack of acceptance, and lack of self-worth resulting in an unloving spirit. Almost always, you will have bitterness/un-forgiveness, envy, jealousy, fear, and especially anger associate with rejection.  Anger because one cannot understand why people or people they love don’t love them.

Rejection is a form of unbelief.  It is as dangerous as unbelief itself.  It is as dangerous as faithlessness.  Rejection is a form of unbelief because Rejection says that you are not accepted of God, and in order to be accepted of God you have to be accepted of men first.  Its sets man as your god by declaring that who you are and who you are not rests on a human who accepts your or does not accept you.  This goes against what the Bible says in Psalms 118:8 It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man.  What will your choice be?  Easy choice, but very hard to apply.

There are no other beings greater than God.  They don’t exist, although man has created many gods.  If you make man your god and whether someone accepts your or not as the basis of your righteousness and your acceptance by God, then you are in idolatry, self-idolatry, and idolatry of men (Exodus 20:5 NLT You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations of those who reject me). 

You are not from man.  You may say you are because you had a mother and father.  In Psalm 139, David said you come from God.  He said that before you became a fetus within the womb, even before you were ever conceived, God knew your parts.  God knew who you would be long before you or your parents were conceived, before your grandparents were conceived, and before Adam and Eve were conceived.  He knew you from the foundation of the world, and you were neither an accident nor a mistake.  You are known of God and accepted of God through Jesus Christ and you must accept that.  You have to accept that you are not an accident because if you say you are an accident, then you make God a liar.

Rejection is an evil spirt.  It is not an emotion, it is not a concept, it is not a philosophy, and it is not an ideology.  Rejection is a living being – an invisible, disembodied entity.  Its name is Rejection and it manifests by its nature wanting to become part of your nature so the two of you can be one together and ultimately seeks to control you and destroy you.  Rejection needs you and wants you to believe that you are not worthy of being loved by self, mother, father, sister, brother, husband, wife, children, friends, boss, company, church, country, and even God.  Rejection wants you to think that nobody cares.

The foundation for freedom is defeating Rejection along with the tag along spirits of Bitterness, Un-forgiveness, Envy, Jealousy, Fear, and Anger.  Your battle is in relationship with God, yourself, and others that has to be resolved before healing can come. You must first resolve your relationship with God.  You must accept yourself as who you are and as God has accepted you.  You must make peace with those who have offended you and rejected you.  If you don’t, you will remain in captivity because of Rejection and Rejection will hinder the other areas of your life that you want to be delivered and healed from. 

Rejection will not allow you to have the rest that God promises you in Matthew 11:28-30 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” 

Everyone suffers from with different levels of rejection in their lives and trusting God with what he has to say about you, not man, is the only way we can overcome Rejection.  Psalm 9:10 And those who know Your name will put their trust in You; For You, Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You.  God will not reject you because He loves you.

May you receive God’s perfect love (1 John 4:18),

Tony Sanchez 9-28-16

Traumas - How Do They Affect You? 8-29-16

Trauma – A disordered psychic (lying outside the sphere of physical science or knowledge) or behavioral state resulting from severe mental or emotional stress (trauma/fear) or physical injury.

Anything that happens to us that causes mental, emotional, and physical fear can be an entry point that can affect us throughout our lives until we are ministered to.  Keep in mind that any trauma can bring fear at one level or another.  There are many traumas in our lives, but I will only discuss some fears that are result of traumas in our lives.  

My experience in ministry and things that Lord has shared with me and confirmed, may give you an insight so that you may have answers to what is happening in your life and the lives of others.

Love of the Father – God’s order in the family requires the husband/father to show the love of God to his family and especially the children.  Showing the love of God, the Father means to verbally say these simple words “I love you.”  How hard is this?  Yet, this not happening in most cases.  Nine out of ten people that I survey say that they have never heard their father say “I love you” of if they did, it didn’t mean anything because of the way they were treated most of the time.  This could be one of our first traumas (fears) in our lives.   Fear of being rejected and fear of not being loved to name a few.  A person can go through life trying to fill the void of not feeling loved.  Many turn to drugs or fall into to a life of addictive behavior.  Addictions can be a direct result of not feeling loved and one has to consider generational curses as well. So, at an early age, we have an entry point of rejection and not feeling loved which will follow us the rest of our lives until it is dealt with.  The rejections and feeling unloved can lead to self-hatred because of not feeling worthy.  Everything said to us can be perceived as rejection when many times it is not (Three characteristics of rejection can be anger, blaming others, and self-pity).  We are beating ourselves up in our soul and spirit resulting in sickness and disease emotionally and physically.  These fears can manifest into depression (Hopelessness/despair).  Proverbs 12:25 Anxiety (fear) in the heart of man causes depression…

Physical Pain – In the Healing ministry, I have come across traumas to the body that have manifested to the point where there is constant pain.  We ministered to a lady who had severe pain in her right hand which prevented her from playing the piano with the praise team.  We here led by the Holy Spirit to ask her of any trauma that she experienced to her hand.  She had a couple of accidents in her past and we went back to the time of accidents (entry points of fear as a result of trauma) to pray away the fear attached to the trauma. She reported back to our team that she had been healed after years of being in pain.

I have found through ministry and the Holy Spirit (which was confirmed) recently that fears, and it can be many fears, can nest in certain areas of the body.  One gentlemen who came in with his wife and had been on disability for 6 years because of severe pain in his lower back. His childhood experiences were over the top starting with mean parents, strict nuns at school, bulling by other children, and unpleasant things that happened in the military.  These were all traumas in his life.  I was not the team leader that night, but I was led by the Holy Spirt to minister to him first. He could not stand for any length of time so he had to sit down because of severe pain.  I placed my hand on his lower back where the pain was and asked my teammate to place their hand over mine.  Instead of praying healing over this area, the Holy Spirit led me to pray away (Mark 16:17) the multitude of fears from his lifetime that were nested in this area of his back.  My teammate said that they could feel intense heat as we prayed.  Next, we sat down his wife and ministered to her for about 20 minutes.  Without realizing it, the man had stood for the entire 20 minute while we were ministering to his wife.  I later heard through the grape vine that he was healed of his back pain. Praise God for healing this man. 

Keep in mind that not all pain is the result of traumas, but we must have an open mind to how traumas affect us in the soul, spirit, and body.  Especially, when the medical field cannot provide answers for healing. God is the great Healer and when all else fails, we must seek Him for answers.

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 to those (Souls Psalm 142:7) who are bound.  We cannot praise the Lord if our souls are being held captive in prison.  We cannot see the Light if our souls are veiled.  John 8:12 Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”

The enemy seeks to destroy us (John 10:10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy…) and he will attack us where we are weakest.  The enemy is relentless and will seek to systematically break us down and make us suffer from the time we are born.  But Jesus was send to bring life (John 10:10 I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly). There is a dark spirit world out there and we are losing the battle.  We know far too little.  It is our responsibility as believers to bring to light what is transpiring in the spirit world and show the Body of Christ the way out of captivity.  We must follow exactly what Jesus commanded to his disciples as outlined by The Great Commission or we are in defiance of the Word of God.

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

I pray this has given you a different perspective on the battle at hand. I speak God’s blessing over you all,

Tony Sanchez

 

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/