Walk With the Lord

Taking Our Walk with God to the Next Level

Recently, two things happened in my life that caused me to look at myself.  One, is a need to examine myself to determine if I am at the level God’s wants me to be in my relationship with Him (2 Corinthians 13:5 Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you? —unless indeed you are disqualified).  Second, I met with two wonderful men of God.  As we discussed ministering to others, the subject of how we minister came up.  The subject matter was this: Do you minister differently with certain individuals that are mature in the Lord?  The answer for me was yes, because there are those who are not mature enough to understand how we are praying or teaching.  The underlining thought was we did not want to offend the less mature for fear they would think that we are absurd or miss-guided.  Bottom line is we are having to minister at different levels.   

The Gospels show that Jesus was forthright in His message to the people during His ministry.  Yes, He did have to speak in parables in many situations to get the message across, but overall, He was blunt in His message.  He spoke the truth, which better equipped His disciples to spread the uncompromised Word of God.  Jesus and His Apostles went out boldly spreading the Word without fear.

 I believe we are in the last days and this is a time when God is pouring out treasures of wisdom.  The apostolic and prophetic era in which we are living is bringing us new dimensions of Jesus’ light.  The Scriptures are being understood with far greater clarity.  There is an unprecedented revelation of the power and manifestation of the Kingdom of God. 

God is raising a spiritual Remnant Army of people who understand the spiritual arena and are willing to operate in the fullness of the Holy Spirit here on earth. It is those who receive and operate in the Holy Spirit that will receive a higher level of understanding, wisdom, knowledge discernment, revelation, visions, prophesy, power, authority and especially the love and compassion that God and Jesus has for us.

The level of revelation depends on the level of love and commitment we have to witness God’s Word on the earth.  We must also understand the pain God suffers as He watches the world being dragged to hell.  He sees how afraid we are to spread the Gospel in its fullness.  He sees a watered-down message from His people that is contrary to what He expects of us.  Jesus and His Apostles did not deliver a watered-down message.

1 Corinthians 2:9 “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”

God desires to reveal to us the deep things of His Kingdom.  The light and understanding of the mysteries of God are revealed to us in the measure that we walk with Him in love.

Colossians 1:9 For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;

God in His grace supplies all of that we lack, but He also desires to fill us with knowledge and wisdom.  His hope for us is to be mature children with spiritual intelligence

Colossians 2:2-3 that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, and attaining to all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the knowledge of the mystery of God, both of the Father and of Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

 

The Lord has things for us that have not been revealed to other generations.  God expects the Church to grow from glory to glory and from light to light.

John 16:12 “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.

There are things we cannot handle because of our immaturity, our hardness of heart, or our religious doctrine.  Jesus knows which revelations we may or may not be able to understand.

When Jesus ascended into Heaven, He could not tell His disciples all that He would have liked to share.  However, He gave the promise of the Holy Spirit to teach us all things and to help us understand the things Jesus said and to do greater things than He (John 14:12…whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these…).  This means that the Holy Spirt brings us different depths of teaching, in accordance with the level of our spiritual growth.  A growth the Body of Christ has to encourage.  A person who aspires to great spiritual wisdom and intelligence must spend more time with Him than with the distractions of this world.  This individual must love God and others and seek answers from the Holy Spirit (Psalms 91:15 He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him).  Then the things that “eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man” (1 Corinthians 2:9) will be revealed.

God has things that have never entered our hearts, yet He wants to reveal them to us (But rise and stand on your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to make you a minister and a witness both of the things which you have seen and of the things which I will yet reveal to you Acts 26:16).  They are biblical and they have always been in the Scriptures, but they have been closed and veiled until we are ready to receive.

Luke 8:10 And He said, “To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is given in parables, that ‘Seeing they may not see, And hearing they may not understand.

We have entered a prophetic era and must understand these things.  God is empowering this generation with more understanding than those of the past.  The Word of God is being revealed in a higher way, to advance the Kingdom of God more effectively.

Many agree that we are in the last days.  What I don’t hear is that we are prepared for the coming of Jesus Christ.  A question to ask ourselves is: Are we are prepared for the extreme evil and darkness that will manifest prior to His coming?  My position is, Believers do not know the level of spiritual warfare knowledge needed now or for the future when the level of darkness increases.  There will be a time when Satan comes with his army of demons and their manifestation of evil through men.  We have little time and no choice but to prepare the flock for the battle now and the days to come.  It is critical that we know our authority and power in the name of Jesus that will allow us to persevere until the time of His coming.

We (individuals, leaders, and the church) must take our current walk with God to a higher level.  We are tasked to teach and preach the uncompromised Word of God without fear of offending others or worrying about what they may think of us.  God says do not fear man.  Psalms 56:11 In God I have put my trust; I will not be afraid.  What can man do to me?

The simple conclusion is this: We must walk according to the spirit of God.  We must love one another, be firm in the truth, and correct the Body in light of the soon coming of Jesus Christ.  It is time to take our walk with God to a higher level.

Blessings to you all,

Tony Sanchez, 12-28-16

Fasting

Greeting to you all,

 

Our church is calling for a fast in January that may include some or all of the first 21 days in January.  I commend the leadership for calling for a fast.  I believe that fasting on a regular basis is needed in the life of the believer especially, in these last days.

 

Our church hand out had some biblical fasting examples:

       ·        Isiah 58 – Fasting to break chains of bondage

·        1 Samuel 7:6 – Fasting for the purpose of repentance

·        Ezra 8:21-23, Nehemiah 1:14-11, Ester 4:16 – Fasting for the protection for favor and for God’s will.

·        Matthew 4:2 Fasting for intimacy with God.

·        Acts 13:2-3 – Fasting for the commissioning for ministry.

·        Mark 9:29 – Fasting for deliverance.

 

There are many books on fasting and I would recommend reading Fasting by Jentezen Franklin whose church fasts for 21 days to start the new year.

 I want to share with you fasting that pleases God and can be found in His Word.

 Isaiah 58:1-14

“Cry aloud, spare not;
Lift up your voice like a trumpet;
Tell My people their transgression,
And the house of Jacob their sins.

V.1 Expect God to first bring to your attention areas in your life that need to be addressed before you fast.
² Yet they seek Me daily,
And delight to know My ways,
As a nation that did righteousness,
And did not forsake the ordinance of their God.
They ask of Me the ordinances of justice;
They take delight in approaching God.
³ ‘Why have we fasted,’ they say, ‘and You have not seen?
Why have we afflicted our souls, and You take no notice?’

“In fact, in the day of your fast you find pleasure,
And exploit all your laborers.
⁴ Indeed you fast for strife and debate,
And to strike with the fist of wickedness.
You will not fast as you do this day,
To make your voice heard on high.

(V. 4 Their fast days turned into times of physical strife)
⁵ Is it a fast that I have chosen,

A day for a man to afflict his soul?
Is it to bow down his head like a bulrush,
And to spread out sackcloth and ashes?
Would you call this a fast,
And an acceptable day to the Lord?

V. 1-5 Israel has yet another transgression, that of defective worship, especially the wrong concept of fasting.  Israel worshipped and sacrificed with regularity, but their works gave a false idea of religion.  Their conspicuous self-denial was really selfish.  They were ignoring the real needs.

⁶ “Is this not the fast that I have chosen:
To loose the bonds of wickedness,
To undo the heavy burdens,
To let the oppressed go free,
And that you break every yoke?
⁷ Is it not to share your bread with the hungry,
And that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out;
When you see the naked, that you cover him,
And not hide yourself from your own flesh?

V. 5-7 Fasting is a powerful and effective part of the Christian life.  Jesus taught that some things are resolved only by fasting (Mark 9:29 So He said to them, “This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting.”)  Jesus is telling us that we must fast so that God can show us how to cast out difficult spirits.  The bible says to “Call on Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which we do not know” Jeremiah 33:3.  However, fasting and personal holiness are acceptable to God only when we have our priorities straight.  Sharing with the hungry, sheltering the homeless, clothing the naked, and caring for own families are the prerequisites of godliness.  Fasting becomes offensive in God’s sight when we ignore the people closest to His heart – the poor, the oppressed, and the needy.⁸ Then your light shall break forth like the morning,
Your healing shall spring forth speedily,
And your righteousness shall go before you;
The glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.
⁹ Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer;
You shall cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’

“If you take away the yoke from your midst,
The pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness,

V. 9 The yoke refers to all forms of political, economic, and social injustice.  Th pointing ….finger refers to falsely accusing people with fear tactics.  Speaking wickedness refers to stirring up trouble.
¹⁰ If you extend your soul to the hungry
And satisfy the afflicted soul,
Then your light shall dawn in the darkness,
And your darkness shall be as the noonday.
¹¹ The Lord will guide you continually,
And satisfy your soul in drought,
And strengthen your bones;

V. 11 Satisfy your soul means that God’s perfect love will provide what is needed for you mind and emotions.  Strengthen your bones means that you bone marrow  will produce the needed white cells to ward off immune diseases.You shall be like a watered garden,
And like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.
¹² Those from among you
Shall build the old waste places;
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.

¹³ “If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath,
From doing your pleasure on My holy day,
And call the Sabbath a delight,
The holy day of the Lord honorable,
And shall honor Him, not doing your own ways,
Nor finding your own pleasure,
Nor speaking your own words,
¹⁴ Then you shall delight yourself in the Lord;
And I will cause you to ride on the high hills of the earth,
And feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father.
The mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

V. 6-14  The fast that I have chosen:  The Lord clarifies the meaning of the true fasting for Israel.  She must cease to oppress the poor and must observe the Sabbath with a pure and joyful worship.  Then the Lord will give light, healing, and full restoration.

From a spiritual warfare standpoint, fasting is a powerful weapon against the enemy.  Jesus said in Mark 9:29 “This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting.”  Jesus is calling us to fast so that we can hear from the Lord on how to deal with difficult and wicked spirits and how to pray for physical and emotional healing.  Ask the Holy Spirit to show you  sinful areas of your life that need to addressed before you initiate a fast. 

 

Blessings,

Tony

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