Once upon a time, I drove an old jeep.
It was my first vehicle. I had very little money—and it was the only thing I could afford. It was a malfunctioning, smoke-belching, about-to-disintegrate, made-in-the-backyard, owner-type jeep.
It conked out on me every other day. So much so that I pushed it more than I drove it. It was the reason why my thigh muscles and calf muscles became very developed.
I was so poor that I couldn’t buy brand new tires. So I had to buy old retreaded tires. So I had a flat tire every other week. Which was the reason why my biceps became very developed too.
And it was so rusty, people told me to get tetanus shots.
When I drove it on the road, I wasn’t afraid that cops would charge me for a traffic violation. I was afraid they would charge me for littering. It was so rusty, spare parts kept falling off my Jeep.
It was so bad, I really wondered why I still kept it.
I drove it because it was my only vehicle at that time.
But let’s imagine a wild scenario. (Suspend all logic.)
Imagine that one day, a guy knocked on my door and said, “Hi Brother Bo, I’d like to give you a birthday gift.” He then handed me a key. He turned around, walked away, leaving behind him a brand new, top-of-the-line, beautiful Jaguar.
I oohed and I aahed. I get hypnotized by its beauty.
Some months later, I drove my old jeep on the road—and in a busy intersection, a friend drove up beside me. He opened his window and asks, “Bo, where’s your Jaguar?”
I smiled and said, “It’s in the garage.”
My friend frowned. “You mean you don’t drive it?”
I shook my head. “I’ve never tried.”
He shook his head in disbelief. “You’ve never even started the engine and went around the block?”
“Never,” I smile. “Anyway, my jeep still runs away. At least, when it’s not conking out.”
Wouldn’t that be insane?
But that’s exactly what we do with our life.
I believe that God has given us power. In fact, the Bible says, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. (Philippians 4:17).
Like that Jaguar in our garage, God has given us an inner force beyond our wildest imagination.
Star Wars was one of the first movies I watched. “May the Force be with you” Obi-wan said to Luke Skywalker.
Did you notice? It’s so similar to our response at Mass, “May the Lord be with you.”
Star Wars is fiction. But the spiritual war is real.
And “the Force” that God put in our hands is very real too.
In the next 4 weeks, I’d like to share with you the power that God has given you to move mountains (Week 1), enlarge territories (Week 2), increase harvests (Week 3), and finish strong (Week 4).
Even Atheists Have Faith
All of us have faith.
We can’t help it. Human beings are designed to believe in something. Or else we can’t operate in this world.
If you sit on a chair, you need to have faith that it won’t fall apart. If you eat in a restaurant, you need to have faith that the cooks are decent people who don’t put poison in the food. If you drive on a two-way road, you must have faith that the drivers coming in the opposite direction won’t cross that yellow lane between you.
Living in this world requires faith.
It’s just a question on what you’ll have faith on.
Let me shock you: An atheist has faith. He has faith in his logic, his thinking, and in his perceptions—much more than the religious traditions of his culture.
A fearful person has faith. He has faith that the monsters that he’s afraid of are possibly real and violent and powerful.
It’s easy to have faith in big things—like mountains.
Do You Believe In God Or In The Mountain?
Mountains seem big. They’re one of the biggest things our eyes can see.
And mountains seem immovable. You don’t wake up each morning asking, “Hmm, I wonder where Mount Everest travelled today…”
Some of us think of our problems as mountains because they’re big and they’re immovable. You see your financial problem as a mountain, your physical sickness as a mountain, your relationship problem as a mountain…
Many times, problems seem permanent.
But they’re not.
I believe God is permanent; And God’s Love is permanent; And God’s plan to bless you is permanent; And you are permanent! But all problems are temporary.
It’s really your choice.
Will you have faith in God or in your mountains?
Jesus tells us what we should choose, “Have faith in God,” Jesus answered. “Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them. (Mark 11:22-23)
If you want to move the mountains in your life, there are three very crucial steps that you need to take…
1. Identify Your Mountain
2. Identify Your Authority Over The Mountain
3. Identify Where You Want The Mountain To Go
First Step: Identify Your Mountain
Mountains are made of up many layers.
In one sense, mountains are built on top of each other.
Like mountains, your problems are made up of many layers. Your problems are built on top of each other too.
Understand that you have two kinds of problems: Surface problem and Source problem. You can’t solve the Surface problem without solving the Source problem.
Let me give you two examples.
Is Debt Really Your Problem?
Many people say Debt is their problem. They’re buried in debt. Actually, debt is just the surface problem. Usually, beneath that surface problem are two source problems: Materialism and Ignorance.
What is Materialism? When you depend on material things for your happiness. When you wrap up your identity with material things.
I know of people who aren’t happy if they don’t wear a branded shirt. I know of guys who aren’t happy if they don’t drive a flashy car. I repeat: Many people are in debt because they’re materialistic. Debt is only a part of the mountain. The real mountain is their materialism.
Many people are in debt because they’re financially ignorant. They’re financially stupid. They think it’s normal to borrow for what you need and want. Hear me out: It’s not normal!
Borrowing money for clothes, watches, and appliances is sick.
Everyday, I get phone calls and text messages from banks and credit card companies—offering me debt. There’s a massive marketing campaign now—funded by huge companies, huge sales force, and huge budgets—for you to make borrowing a lifestyle.
Debt is not the problem. The problem is materialism and financial ignorance that spawns a borrowing lifestyle.
If you want to eradicate debt, you’ve got to eradicate materialism, financial ignorance, and the borrowing lifestyle!
Let me give you another example.
Is Heart Disease Your Real Problem?
One day, a man came up to me and said he had a heart condition. Doctors told him that he needed a bypass operation. From the way he looked, he was totally desperate.
On the spot, I prayed over for him. And I asked him to continue attending the Feast, our weekly spiritual gathering.
A few weeks later, he came up to me with his face beaming for joy. I didn’t even recognize him from that desperate man I met sometime ago. He said that all the medical tests showed zero blockages of his heart.
I was very happy for him.
But a few months later, I caught up with him. I was shocked that the smile was gone. He told me the sad news that he’s been having chest pains again.
His wife was beside him. With anger in her voice, she said, “Brother Bo, his problem isn’t his heart. His problem is workaholism. He works 15 hours a day. He travels almost every week. His abusing God’s goodness.”
I faced him, eyeball to eyeball, and said, “Look. Your heart disease was a message from God. If you don’t listen to the message, the message will keep coming back. You only have two choices. You either listen to that message or you die.”
The real problem wasn’t his heart problem. That was just the surface problem. The source problem was his work habits. He can’t tell his heart problem to go away without telling his job stress to go away. He may not get rid of his job, but he needs to get rid of how he works in his job.
Second Step:
Identify Your Authority Over The Mountain
Jesus said, “Tell the mountain…”
When people have a mountain of problems, they pray. And that’s very good.
But there comes a point when you should stop praying for your mountains and start talking to your mountains.
Because there comes a point when you have to switch from a victim mentality to a victor’s mentality.
If you’re sick, say, “Sickness, I command you to go in Jesus name. And in place of sickness, I now receive Health into my body. I now receive your strength, vitality, power. I command all malfunctioning organs to be restored, in Jesus name.”
Speak words of faith.
It may not happen overnight.
But in the unseen realm, things are changing in your favor.
In the Bible, Jesus spoke to the fig tree. He said, “You shall not bear fruit again.” The next day, true enough, the Bible says it was dried up all the way from the branches to the roots.
But that was the next day.
When Jesus spoke the words, it seemed as though nothing happened to the tree. It still looked normal.
But when Jesus spoke the words, immediately, something happened in its root system. Below the surface, invisible to the eye, the tree started drying up.
In the same way, when you speak words of faith, it seems as if nothing is happening. But below the surface, invisible to the eye, God is starting something in your situation.
When you say, “I claim the conversion of my children for the Lord,” it may seem as though your kids are still walking away from God—but believe that God is starting to work in their hearts.
When you say, “I claim healing in my body,” it may seem as though you’re as sick as ever—but believe that God is starting the work of healing as you speak.
Incredible power is released when we speak to our mountains.
Are You A Complainer Or A Conqueror?
He didn’t say, “Beg” or “Plead” or “Convince”. He said “Tell”.
Jesus wants you to know you have authority over that mountain. That authority comes from God.
You see, when you have problems, you have two choices. You can either be a Complainer. Or you can be a Conqueror.
Complainers talk about what’s happening; Conquerors make things happen.
Complainers are victims; Conquerors are victors.
Complainers are Mountain-Experts, Mountain-Observers. Mountain-Analyzers, Mountain-Evaluators…
But Conquerors are Mountain-Movers.
Don’t Dwell On The Mountain
Once upon a time, David faced a Mountain named Goliath.
When young David came into the scene of the battle, all the soldiers were Complainers. Every single one! Everyone was saying, “My gosh, look at the Giant! Look at those giant legs. Look at those giant arms. He’s so big. He’s a monster. He probably eats his own children for breakfast! And when he’s still hungry, he eats his nephews and nieces!”
But David wasn’t a Complainer. He was a Conqueror. He didn’t dwell on the Mountain. He dwelt on the Mountain-Mover. He said, “Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the Living God? You come to me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord Almighty.”
Don’t focus on the mountain.
Focus on the mountain mover.
Third Step:
Identify Where You Want The Mountain To Go
This step is very critical.
Don’t dwell your thoughts on the problem, dwell your thoughts on the solution. Don’t dwell your thoughts on where you are now, dwell your thoughts on where you want to go.
Why?
Let’s try this little exercise.
(Be sure to do what I tell you to do.)
Don’t think of a pink elephant.
Don’t think of a pink elephant.
Don’t think of a pink elephant.
Don’t think of a pink elephant.
Don’t think of a pink elephant.
Don’t think of a pink elephant.
Don’t think of a pink elephant.
Don’t think of a pink elephant.
Be honest.
What are you thinking of right now?
Let There Be Light
You’ve heard me say this before. What you focus on grows.
So if all you think is your problem, your problem will grow bigger and bigger in your mind and in your reality.
Decide today to focus on your blessing!
I’m not saying, “Deny your problem.” That’s not what I’m saying. In fact, awhile ago, I told you to identify your problem. That’s Step 1. Unless you admit and take responsibility for your problem, you’ll not be able to solve it. You can’t go to Step 3 without going through Step 1.
But after identifying your problem, you’ve got to start identifying the solution to your problem.
Jesus said to tell the mountain to “Go” somewhere.
When God created the world, He didn’t say, “Darkness, disappear!” He didn’t say, “Evening, go away…” He didn’t say “Nighttime, vanish before me!”
He said, “Let there be light…”
The focus was on light, not on darkness.
In the same way, don’t focus on the problem, focus on the blessing that will replace the problem.
Don’t just say, “Sickness, go away…” You need to say, “I now receive health in my body, I receive vitality and strength and restoration in all the cells of my body…”
Don’t just say, “Debt, go away…” Say, “I receive financial freedom and abundance and simplicity!”
Why should you do this?
Because your words create your reality.
The Blessings of God are out there. They are everywhere. You are swimming in an ocean of blessings!
But when you speak words of blessing, something happens to the speaker. Something happens to you: You open yourself to the ocean of blessings that you are proclaiming about.
Dwell On How Big Your God Is
Let me say it again: What you focus on grows. (I will never grow tired of reminding you of this powerful spiritual principle. This law rules this universe.)
If you focus on the mountain, the mountain will grow. If you focus on your God, God will “grow” in your perspective. So focus on God.
Don’t dwell on how big your mountain is. Don’t dwell on how big your problem is. Don’t dwell on how big your difficulty is. Don’t dwell on how big your sickness is.
Stop telling God how big your mountains are; Start telling your mountains how big your God is!
Dwell your thoughts on the big God and say, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
May your dreams come true,
Bo Sanchez
