How to Encourage Yourself by Bro. Bo Sanchez

Do you want to be successful?

You’ve got to learn how to encourage yourself.

Because there are days when you won’t receive any encouragement from anyone else, you’ve got to do it yourself.

There’s this one passage in the Bible that I love so much. It says, David encouraged himself in the Lord. (1 Samuel 30:6)

Let me tell you the Bible story behind this verse.

David and his men—600 of them—went away to work and left their wives and children in their camp called Ziklag. Three days later, tragedy struck. The Amalekites, sworn enemies of Israel, attacked and burned the entire village to the ground—and taking all the women and children with them as slaves.

When David and his men arrived, the Bible says his men “wept until they could weep no more.” Can you imagine 600 men crying at the loss of their wives and children? Can you imagine 600 men weeping over a pile of burning rubble that was once their home?

You think that was bad? It got worse. The Bible says that these men—once upon a time fiercely loyal to David—wanted now to stone David to death. 

I’ve noticed that when things go wrong, human beings want to look for someone to blame. We always want to look for a scapegoat to vent our rage.

Imagine you were David.

You just lost your family. Your kids were taken away from you. Your home is now but ashes under your feet. You now own nothing except the clothes that you’re wearing. And the friends that you thought were friends now want to kill you. 

This is what you call an Impossible situation. 

In other words, it’s a Ziklag…

Are You Going Through A Ziklag?

Are you going through an Impossible situation?

Then you’re going through Ziklag right now. 

Perhaps you lost your job.  Perhaps you lost your possessions. Perhaps you lost your friends. Perhaps you lost a loved one. 

In Ziklag, you have a choice: You can do what the 600 soldiers of David did or you can do what David did.

The 600 men wept and found someone to blame. (Because hurt people hurt people.)

But I love what David did. In the midst of an impossible situation, he did the impossible. What was that? The Bible said, “David encouraged himself in the Lord.”

Let me explain what that meant…

Getting Encouragement From Within

Normally, we get encouragement from people around us. 

And rightly so. Because we’re the Body of Christ.

When I feel burdened, the first person I go to is my best friend—who happens to be my wife Marowe.  She’s not a preacher. If given a choice not to shop for a year—or to speak in public—she’d choose not to shop for a year. (Okay, maybe one week…) But she’s my encourager. She’s the builder of my faith. When I tell her my burdens, she doesn’t even say anything. She just listens—and I feel my burdens are lifted up from my shoulders.

And I’m spoiled. God gave me the most fantastic friends on planet earth.  They’re my Super Friends, my Avengers Team. When I’m going through my struggles, I share it with them—and when I do—I don’t feel alone anymore.

But I believe there are times when we go through Ziklag. Ziklag is a place where even the family and friends that we depend on aren’t there. Perhaps because they’re busy. Or because they’re faraway. Or because they themselves are going through some struggle—and they’re not there for us.

And that’s where you have to learn how to go to God directly.

Ziklag is the place where your relationship with God goes to a whole new level.

Ziklag Is A Furnace…

Let me warn you…

Ziklag is a burial place and a birthplace. It’s where boys are buried and kings are born.

Ziklag is a furnace. If you are made of wood, you will be pulverized. If you are made of gold, you will be purified.

Ziklag is a rock. You can be crushed under the weight of the rock or you can stand on top of the height of the rock—and see the world in a whole new perspective.

Ziklag is a sword. It can kill or it can cut. It can kill your soul or it can cut the cancer in your soul.

In Ziklag, David had to learn a very important life skill, a life skill you need to win permanent victory: You need to learn how to encourage yourself in the Lord. Do not wait for others to encourage you. Do not wait for your spouse to encourage you. Do not wait for your friends to encourage you. Do not wait for your leaders to encourage you. You need to learn how to encourage yourself in the Lord.

How To Encourage Yourself

       I don’t know what David did specifically. The Bible doesn’t say what he did. 

But I have a guess.

Because I’ve been through Ziklag many times. And I know how I encouraged myself. 

I believe David went back into his own history to remember those special times when he saw God intervene in his life. Like when God rescued him from the bear and the lion. Or when God rescued him from Goliath with a stone and a slingshot.

       I have those special stories too. I dig deep and remember them….

       Like the day God called me to preach when I was twelve…

       Or the day God rescued me from my addictions…

       I even remember the small miracles in my life.

       Let me tell you one of them…

Recall God’s Interventions

       Twenty-five years ago, I attended a graduation ceremony in PICC. Not as a preacher but as a photographer. My cousin was graduating and I volunteered to take his pictures. To do that, I borrowed a friend’s expensive camera, complete with a long lens that the paparazzi use. I went up in the balcony and took lots of photos.

       It was a long graduation ceremony.

By the time it was over, it was evening.

After the ceremony, I congratulated my cousin and walked back to my borrowed car. (Borrowed camera, borrowed car… You get the picture how poor I was then?) But when I rode the car, I noticed that my bag was light. I looked inside it. To my horror, I saw that the long lens was gone!

       I knew that long lens was expensive—more expensive than the camera itself. And I was a poor missionary. I stepped out of the car and looked back at gigantic PICC. Where will I look?

       I remember praying, “Oh God, you’ve got to help me!” Immediately, I felt peace. I knew God was in charge.

       I walked back to the building, taking a shortcut through the grass. Picture this: I was walking on grass in the dark. And that was when I felt an inner nudge to stop walking. 

       And I did. At that exact spot, I felt the same nudge to bend over and reach down. In that darkness, I stooped down and held something round. I lifted it up—it was the camera lens!

       The grounds of PICC are massive and covered with darkness. It was literally like finding a pin in a haystack.

I remember that day and tell myself, “If God guides me for a something as small as a camera lens, I believe God will guide me for the bigger things in my life.”

God allows Mt. Tabor experiences in our lives to ready us for Mt. Calvary experiences. In Mt. Tabor, Jesus showed Himself with brilliant light beside Moses and Elijah to Peter, James, and John—because he knew that in a few days, they’ll experience the horrific sight of him hanging on a criminal’s cross. When they start doubting, “Did I follow the wrong guy?” they can look back that once upon a time, they saw a glorious Jesus.

Which reminds me of a very important point in the story of David and Ziklag…

God Will Return What Was Stolen From You

David wasn’t only seeking for Encouragement. He was also seeking for Enlightenment. He asked God, “Can I pursue the Amalekites? Can I overtake them?”

God told David, “Pursue the Amalekites. You shall be able to overtake them.” So David rallied his men and they chased after the Amalekites. They found them in the middle of a party, drunk and distracted. They attacked them, defeated them, and took back their wives and children. They also brought home the spoils of war—the wealth of their enemy.

When you experience loss, I believe that if you “encourage yourself in the Lord”, you’ll experience what David experienced: God returned to him what was stolen—plus interest!

What kind of interest? The Old Testament says that the thief, once caught, should return seven times what he has stolen. (Proverbs 6:30-31) 

Have you lost anything? 

Whenever I lose money in business, I ask God to return it to me sevenfold. It happens.

If you go to the courthouse of men, they may punish the thief and ask him to return what he has stolen. But if you go to the courthouse of God, claim in faith that God Himself will see to it that what was stolen from you shall be returned sevenfold.

Perhaps you’ve lost a loved one. Perhaps a parent just passed away. Perhaps you experienced a miscarriage. And there’s a deep wound in your heart. Believe me, God will not only return this person to you sevenfold, but eternal-fold. Be patient. In Heaven, you’ll be reunited with your loved one forever and ever and ever…

       Learn to encourage yourself in the Lord.

       May your dreams come true,

       Bo Sanchez

Your Failures are Temporary by Bro. Bo Sanchez

Failure can be devastating.

Just recall your most painful failures.

          Have you failed in school?  Have you experienced waiting outside the registrar’s office, your body sweating, your knees shaking, your stomach churning, praying that your grade isn’t a 72% but 75%–or you get kicked out of school? (Been there, done that.)

Have you failed in your job? In your business?  Did you lose money in your investments?  Have you plunked in hard-earned money in a business—only to have the money disappear? (I’ve experienced this ten times in my life…)

Have you failed in your diets?  My friend tried the Atkins Diet and he failed. He tried the Mediterranean Diet and he failed. He tried the After Six Diet, and he failed. He tried the South Beach Diet, the North Beach, The East Beach, and the West Beach—and failed all of them too. Finally, he’s doing the Seafood Diet and its been working. What he sees, he eats. 

Have you failed in your exercise programs? Have you decided to run each morning—and lasted only for two weeks? Have you bought a treadmill and now use it as a clothes hanger?  Skywalker? Abroller? Abflex? ThighMaster? StepMaster?  Used them for three weeks max, and are now symbols of your undisciplined life?

Have you failed in your love-life? Have you ever experienced a broken heart? Have you loved someone with all your heart, but that someone didn’t love you back but just wanted you to be a friend? (“But I don’t want to be just your friend! Grrrr!”) Or have YOU broken someone’s heart?   Is your theme song, To all the girls I’ve loved before. Who travelled in and out my door       Have you failed in your family life? As husband, wife, father, mother, sibling, child, grandchild? 

       Have you failed God?

       Have you failed yourself?

       People ask me how could I have written 27 books, so far. The answer is easy. It’s not because I have more brilliance. It’s because I have more blunders. Because every time I fail, I try to learn from my failures—and share this wisdom in my books.

Here’s God’s big message for you today. Failure is Temporary, but Victory is Permanent—because God cannot fail…

3 Lessons I Will Never Forget

       A few years ago, I wanted to learn how to play badminton. I asked my friend Mike Joseph to teach me how to play. Mike was phenomenal in badminton. He has been playing the sport for 30+ years. Before badminton became fashionable, he was already playing it as a kid. I bet when he was still in his diapers, he wasn’t holding a rattle, he was holding a badminton racket.

After two training sessions with him, something unforgettable happened. While we were dressing up to train, two guys invited us to a doubles game.

I was about to tell them, “Oh sorry guys, I don’t know how to play yet. Just in kindergarten…”  But Mike blurted out, “Sure!”

My jaw dropped. Was he out of his mind? I told the two men, “Excuse me for a moment while I confer with my friend…”

I walked near Mike and whispered, “Are you insane?  I don’t know how to play! These guys look like star players. We’re going to be massacred.”

He said, “It’s okay, Bo. Here’s what you do. Just stand in front of the net. If the shuttlecock goes near you, raise your racket and swat it down.  Remember these two things: Give it your best shot.  And I’ll take care of the rest.”

So I did the unbelievable.

With trembling knees, I took my place near the net. I looked at the two opponents on the other side and froze. They looked like pros.  Because they had expensive badminton rackets. And matching outfits!

In the entire game, I did what Mike told me to do—stand near the net and swat whenever the ball came near me. And Mike would do everything else. Believe me, he was like The Flash. When I turned to my right, he was there. When I turned to my left, he was there. When I looked behind me, he was there!  

What happened? That day, Mike and I crushed those guys. They didn’t know what hit them.

I felt great winning the game. Honestly, I didn’t do much. Goodness, I think I didn’t even perspire. In the entire 45 minutes of playing, I probably hit the ball twice. Okay, that’s an exaggeration.  I did more than that.

Let me share with you three key lessons I learned that day…

1. Always Play Doubles

Today, you’re fighting different battles in your life. Perhaps you’re fighting health problems. Or you’re fighting financial difficulties. Or you’re fighting relationship conflicts. Sometimes, you feel these opponents are huge and strong and powerful.

Here’s my word for you: Don’t try to fight alone.

Because God designed your life to be lived NOT as a Singles Game, but as a Doubles Game.   You need a Partner. 

There are people I know who fight their fights alone—and sooner or later, they lose.  People think they lose because of a lack of proficiency. Or a lack of power.  Or a lack of perseverance. Or a lack of provision. But actually, they lack a Partner. They lack a Champion Partner. Because if they had a Champion Partner, that Partner will give them the proficiency and power and perseverance or provision they need.

In our first game, the score was 15-9. We got 15 and they got 9. Do you know why the opponent had 9 points? Because I made 9 mistakes. 

Here’s what I learned: If you Partner with a Champion, you can make all sorts of mistakes—and still win.

I Shouldn’t Be Here!

This is the story of my life. I have made so many mistakes in my life, I’m wondering what in the world am I doing here, experiencing great blessing and success?

As I told you, I failed in school.

I think it all started when I was in Kindergarten. My teacher asked the class to write our names. Simple, right? Not if your name was Eugenio Isabelo Tomas Reyes Sanchez Jr. At that time, I couldn’t even memorize my name, much less write it down.

So I probably felt bobo (dumb)because by recess time, all my classmates were already playing outside—but I was still on my seat writing my name.

Seriously, I probably was mildly dyslexic because I couldn’t spell my words right. In Grade school, my teacher gave us 20 words to spell—and I only spelled 2 words right. The two words were “cat” and “dog”. But I couldn’t spell words with two syllables.

I was also bullied. Note: Not just by my classmates but by my teacher. Not only was I small and thin, but I was terrible at sports. I remember playing baseball. My teacher assigned me to be right outfielder. But I was so uncoordinated, I couldn’t catch the ball. My Teacher told all my classmates, “Try to hit the ball towards Eugenio because he won’t be able to catch it…” and then he’d laugh really loud and all my classmates would laugh with him. 

For our yearbook, they couldn’t write anything under my photo. There was nothing to write about. So they wrote something like, “Eugenio existed… sometimes.”

       As I grew up, I failed God. I sinned against God many times.

And that’s why God’s big message for you today is very close to my heart: Failure is Temporary, but Victory is Permanent—because God cannot fail.

Despite all those failures, I’m living a dream life today. I’m blessed beyond my wildest imagination. Everyday, I’m surrounded by love. I have a wonderful family. I have phenomenal friends. I have the most amazing work in the universe. There are days when I pinch myself. How can someone who has failed so much be so blessed? 

Here’s how: God’s specializes in transforming your failures into your fortunes, your defeats into your doorways, your disasters into your destinies, your messes into your magnificence.

Have you failed in your life? Have you made so many mistakes that you can’t count them? I’ve got good news for you. If you make God your Partner, no matter how many mistakes you‘ve made in your life, you can still win!

I repeat, Failure is Temporary, but Victory is Permanent—because God cannot fail.

Here’s my second key lesson…

2. Always Give Your Best

Mike told me only two things. He said, “Give it your best shot. I’ll take care of the rest.”

As I said, in our first game, the opponent had 9 points because I made 9 mistakes. Think about it: If I stood there like a flagpole, and did absolutely nothing, we would have won the game with the score 15-0. It would have been a more impressive win for Mike.

But Mike’s goal wasn’t to win. Mike’s goal was to teach how to win. He wanted me to learn, to grow, to develop, to be better. So before playing, he told me, “Give it your best shot.” Even if my best wasn’t good enough. Even if my best meant making all sorts of mistakes.

Friend, that’s exactly what God is telling you to do now.

God wants you to give life your best shot.

The world is your stage! And everyday, God wants you to go out there, stand on that stage, and give your best performance.

So if you’re a teacher, then teach your students so well that they’ll be wiser and better and kinder and nobler than their parents. If you’re an Entrepreneur, sell us products that will elevate the human spirit.  If you’re a janitor, hold your mop like a king holds his scepter and make that floor shine so that when people look at it, they’ll say that life is getting brighter everyday.  If you’re a nurse, then love your patients so well that they’ll think angels are walking in our midst. It doesn’t matter what you do. The world is your stage and your audience is begging you to give your best performance every time. Soon, people will travel for miles, line up for a chance to sit at your feet to watch you give your best. 

Here’s my final lesson…

3. Always Trust Your Partner

We actually played three badminton games that day.

In the first game, we won. But in the second game, we lost. The score was 13-15. Yes, I made more mistakes.

We took a water break after that. I walked up to Mike and said, “I’m such a lousy player. I think we should give up.”

“Nonsense!” he said, “You’re getting better!”

“Huh?” I looked behind me, wondering if he was talking to someone else. Nobody was there.  “Gosh Mike, we lost! All because of me.”

He shook his head, “We just lost one game. We’re now going to win the next game.”

That’s when I remembered that Mike gave me only two instructions. First, he said, “Give it your best shot.” Second, he said, “I’ll take care of the rest.”

I realized I needed to trust my Mentor. If he said, “We’re going to win this next game,” then we’re going to win the next game. If he said, “Bo, you’re getting better,” then I’m really getting better!

True enough, we won that third game. The score was 15-7. They made 7 points because I only made 7 mistakes.  I was getting better because I was committing lesser mistakes.

Friend, perhaps you’ve made a lot of mistakes and you feel disappointed with yourself today. But God is telling you, “You’re getting better! You’ll win in the next game.”

When you turn to the right, God will be there.   When you turn to the left, God will be there too. When you look behind you, God’s got you covered. He’ll back you up. He’ll make you win.

Live by this Law: Do your best and let your Partner do the rest. Friend, remove worry from your life. Trust in your Partner! Even when your situation is impossible. Especially when your situation is impossible!

Do Your Best And Let Your Partner Do The Rest

       Let me tell you a true story of my friends, James and Diana, a married couple who have been members of Light of Jesus for 30+ years now. (I’ve changed their names.)

30+ years ago, James and Diana had 3 friends who wanted to work abroad. Luckily, Diana had another friend who was in charge of hiring staff for luxury ships—and asked for her help for their friends. In no time, the three men got jobs as waiters in restaurants in the ship. The men happily worked as seamen, sending precious dollars to their family.

That same friend offered James a job as well.  “James, we still need waiters. Why don’t you apply?” she asked.

Diana and James talked about the offer – which was really tempting, because at the time, they were in their 20s and were minimum wagers.  Diana worked in a printing press and James in a food chain. They already had three kids, and their eldest, already six years old, would soon start school.

At that time, they were already part of the Light of Jesus Family.  After praying together with their friends in community, James didn’t feel peace about working abroad. He decided he should turn it down, stick it out here, and believe that God will prosper them.

“In the beginning, it was difficult to stand by our decision,” Diana told me. “I saw the families of my 3 friends happy with the money the men were sending them.  They had big TV sets and nice ovens. The ladies also showed me their branded imported bags.  Their kids played remote-controlled big toy cars—and my sons just watched them, their mouths salivating.  When the men came home for a vacation—they gave us chocolates and imported canned goods. Through those early years, we wondered if we made the right decision or not. It felt like we were failures and they were winners.”

Fast forward 30+ years later. Here’s what happened to them…

Friend #1 fell in love with a chambermaid in the luxury ship. His wife threatened to leave him. James advised his friend to quit working at sea.  He listened.  He found a job as waiter in a local restaurant—and saved his marriage.

Friend #2, lonely at sea, found comfort in shabuhe found in ports where his ship docked.  He became a drug addict and was fired.  Because of his addiction, he couldn’t find work in the Philippines, so his family went bankrupt.  To save her kids from poverty, his wife left him and lived with another man who provided for her. Friend #2 is now living on the streets, begging for food from his neighbors.

Friend #3 did not have a mistress, neither did he become a drug addict.  He provided for his family so well that his kids were able to go to exclusive schools. Happy ending?  Not quite.  His wife, unable to sleep during the long nights that her husband was gone, took downers—sleeping pills that eventually affected her brain. She is now mentally ill and he had to quit working abroad so he could take care of her and their kids.

Meanwhile, James and Diana, gave their best. And God did the rest. Their home now also has the large TV set. James rose through the ranks until he became a top supervisor. But most importantly, they had their family intact.

       By the way, I’m not telling you this story to tell you NOT to become an OFW. It’s still possible, but I urge you that if you’ll be separated from your spouse, it can’t be for too long. If at all possible, find a way to be together. Because that’s how God designed families.

But that’s the main reason why I tell you this story.

Here’s my main point: Early on, Diana and James thought they failed in life. But God vindicated them. 30 years later, they realized that failure is temporary, and victory is permanent, because God cannot fail.

God Doesn’t Do The Easy Things Only

Nothing is more impossible than death.

In the Bible, Jesus raised 3 dead people to life. They were the daughter of Jairus, the son of the Widow of Nain, and Lazarus, the brother of Mary and Martha.

The daughter of Jairus had just died a few minutes ago. Her body was still warm. Because when Jairus asked Jesus to pray for his daughter, she was still alive. But when they arrived at the house, someone told Jairus, “Don’t bother the Master. Your daughter is dead.” But Jesus still entered the room, and said to her, “Rise!” and the daughter of Jairus rose up from her deathbed.

The son of the widow of Nain died possibly for more than 12 hours. When Jesus met the funeral procession on the road, the guy was already in a coffin about to be buried. So his body was stiff and cold. They didn’t embalm people then, so they bury people in the same day they died. But Jesus stopped the funeral procession, touched the coffin, and said, “Rise!” and the man rose up from his coffin and started talking.

But among the three, no one was deader than Lazarus. Lazarus has been buried for four days. In fact, when Jesus came, Mary said, “Jesus, his body smells by now. His body has been rotting for 4 days.” But Jesus still said, “Lazarus, come out!” and Lazarus walked out of the grave.

What do these three miracles say to you?

       Perhaps your dreams have died—and they’re dead in varying degrees.

Perhaps your dream just died yesterday and it’s lifeless now on its deathbed. Perhaps your dream died some time back, and it’s now lying stiff and cold in a coffin. Or perhaps your dream died many years ago and it’s rotting in a grave.

All that doesn’t matter. Because God is in the business of resurrecting dead dreams. 

       God isn’t here to do the easy things only. God is here to do the impossible things.

God is telling you now, “Nothing is too hard for me.”

       All your failures are temporary. All your difficulties are temporary. All your disappointments are temporary. All your heartbreaks are temporary. All your bankruptcies are temporary. Even the pain of death is temporary! But your Victory is permanent. Because God cannot fail.

May your dreams come true,

Bo Sanchez

3 lessons on how to get your Miracles by bro. bo sanchez

Would you be willing to be married to a pathological liar? 

I don’t think so.

Would you want to do business with someone who can’t keep his promises?  

No, thank you.

Would you want to work with a boss who isn’t a man of his word? (Imagine if at payday, he says, “I know I promised to pay you a salary but I’ve changed my mind. I don’t feel like paying you a salary today.”)

       Here’s the deal. Life on planet earth would totally breakdown if everyone starts lying. The only reason why society can still function is because there are enough people who don’t lie.

       And that’s why despite all your big problems, your life can be beautiful and happy and glorious and successful. Because your God cannot lie When He says something, you can be sure that it will happen.

The Difference Between You And God

         The Bible says that God cannot lie (Numbers 23:19).

When you speak, you’re describing reality. But when God speaks, He’s not describing reality… He’s creating reality.

      When I say, “I’m handsome,” I’m describing reality. (Sorry for my hallucinatory example.) But when God tells me, “Bo, you’re handsome,” He’s not describing, He’s creating reality. He’s imparting handsomeness into me. (I apologize. I don’t have delusions of grandeur, I have delusions of gorgeousness.)

      Why? Because God isn’t just telling the truth. 

He IS the Truth.

Let me tell you the story of the prophet Elisha…

Success Goes To The Bold

You may be more familiar with the prophet Elijah, the guy who brought down fire from heaven. The guy who stood with Moses and Jesus in the Transfiguration. The guy rode up to Heaven in a fiery chariot. Well, Elisha was the disciple of Elijah. The sidekick, the understudy, the successor, the heir-apparent. (Forgive me for my crude and juvenile analogy, but if Elijah was Batman, Elisha was Robin—minus the briefs worn outside the pants.)

One day, Elijah knew that he was in the pre-departure area to Heaven. Before he boarded Chariot Airways, he asked Elisha, “What do you want?” (See 2 Kings 2:9ff)

I love Elisha’s answer. Elisha said, “Give me a double portion of your anointing.”

I love the spunk. The guts. The audacity. If Elisha were Filipino, he would have played small. He would have been embarrassed. The Filipino Elisha would have said, “Naku, huwag na lang, nakakahiya naman…” (Never mind, I’m embarrassed.)   Elijah has to insist three or four times before the Filipino Elisha would say, “O sige na nga, mabahiran mo lang ako ng maski isang patak ng iyong anointing, masaya na ako…” (Just give me a drop of your anointing and I’ll be happy…)

But Elisha had the nerve, the gall, the boldness to ask for double. He asked for big things because he believed in a big God who blesses us in a big way. 

And guess what? He got it. 

God didn’t say, “Ang kapal mo!” (You’re thick-faced.)

God actually gave Elisha what he asked for. Because Elisha wasn’t asking for himself. He wanted double anointing because he wanted to doubly serve God’s people.

I’ve noticed that in life, success goes to the bold, the daring, the courageous.   Success goes to people who ask big things from God.

Let me ask you… When was the last time you were bold? When was the last time you became ambitious for God? When was the last time you asked something big from God?

Let me tell you what happened next to Elisha…   

He Almost Got Double

Elijah, in his lifetime, performed 7 miracles.

Elisha, in his lifetime, performed 13 miracles.

It was almost double.

Good enough, right?

Well to God, almost isn’t enough. If God says you get double, then you should get double. Because God cannot lie.

Soon after Elisha’s death, a group of Israelites were burying a man. Because they were in a hurry, they threw the dead body of their friend in a cave. But that was the cave where Elisha was buried. When the dead body touched the bones of Elisha, it came to life and the man walked out of the cave (see 2 Kings 13:21).

Can you imagine how crazy that scene was? The ex-dead guy runs after his friends. “Hey, wait for me!”

When his friends turn around and see him running towards them, they probably screamed and ran away! I bet the record for the 100-meter dash was broken that day.

That was miracle 14.

Why?  Because God cannot lie. If he said double, then it’s going to be double.

Here are three lessons I’d like to share with you…

Lesson #1:

Be Firm With Your Dream

When it comes to pursuing your dreams, there’ll be times in your life when you’ll have to choose between your faith and your feelings.

Your feelings are your friends. But they’re not your masters. Your feelings are the windows to your soul. But they’re not your soul. 

There are days when your faith and your feelings will conflict with each other. When you feel discouraged, disappointed, and depressed… Acknowledge your feelings, but don’t follow your feelings! Follow your faith.

Your faith that says, “God cannot lie. You can trust Him.”

Listen To Your Feelings But Follow Your Faith

If you’re facing gigantic problems right now, your feelings may be telling you, “It’s all over for me. All is lost. Throw in the towel. Give up! There is no more hope for me…” But today, your faith is telling you, “I’ve already won the victory. I can’t just see it yet. But it’s already a done deal. I’m a conqueror. I’m a champion.”

Right now, your feelings may be telling you, “My body is sick. My doctor says I’m sick. The results of my medical exam say you’re sick. So I might as well die right now…”   But today, your faith is telling you, “God is healing me. And I’ll grow old to a ripe old age. I have many more years of service to the Lord.”

Right now, your feelings might be telling you, “I’ll always be poor. I’ll always have debts. I’ll always be asking for money from friends and family.” But today, your faith is telling you, “A day will come when I’ll have no more debts. A day will come when I’ll have a river of money flowing into my life. A day will come when I’ll have another problem—the problem of having too much money.”

Did God Really Call Me To Preach?

When I was 13 years old, my prayer group leader prophesied to me, “Bo, God will anoint you with Wisdom. You will preach the Gospel all over the world.”

I held onto this word. And I began preaching in our small prayer group of 20 to 30 people. And I seemed to be doing okay. People were telling me that they were blessed by my simple words.

But one day, for the first time in my life, I was invited to give a talk in a Bible Seminar.  My audience was still 20 to 30 people. But I was intimidated by the word “Seminar”. It felt so official.  So formal. So serious. What was I, a 14-year old kid doing there, giving a talk in a Seminar?

Because of my fears, my talk bombed. For fifteen minutes, I mumbled through my talk. I meandered my way from one confusing point to another. I was perspiring cold sweat. My tongue was twisting, my voice was squeaking, my knees were shaking. At that point, I wanted to be an ostrich—I wanted to dig a hole in the ground and bury my head.

When I finally sat down, the Seminar Organizer had to stand up on stage and say, “What Brother Bo was trying to say was…” He had to give the entire talk all over again.

After the event was over, the Seminar Organizer took me to one corner and said, “Bo, it’ll be better if you just limit yourself to speaking to kids only…”  Ouch. I felt crushed. In other words, he was telling me that I was a terrible. In my heart, I felt God’s call to preach was over.

My feelings said, “Perhaps God made a mistake. Perhaps I made a mistake and heard God wrongly. Perhaps I’m not really called to be a Speaker but to set up the Audio Speakers for the prayer meeting.”

But my faith said, “God chose me to be a Preacher. God anointed me. God appointed me. Sure, I failed today. But I’ll learn from this failure. The best is yet to come!”   The next time there was an opportunity, I gave another talk. And another. And another.

So far, I’ve been preaching for 34 years. 

God’s promise came true. God cannot lie.

Friend, let me warn you: There will be days when you’ll doubt God’s promise for you. Feelings of despair will cloud your thinking. You’ll hear yourself say, “Maybe I heard wrong. Maybe this isn’t what God wants me to do…”

When your feelings and your faith contradict with each other, listen to your feelings, acknowledge them, accept them, but follow your faith alone.

God cannot lie. You can trust God. Because God’s promise will come true.

Did God Really Call Me To Write?

When I was 20 years old, I felt God calling me to write.

So I wrote my first ever book, When My Brook Runs Dry.

People who read that book told me how blessed they were. 

So I kept writing more magazines, more books,…

Not long after that, a priest came up to me and asked, “Brother Bo, when will you finally write the real Word of God?” Disturbed by his question, I asked him, “Father, what do you mean?”

He said, “So far, you’ve been writing about stories, jokes, and other petty things. You’re giving people candy. When will you give your people real meat?”

This was early in my writing career, and again, I felt very discouraged. This priest was telling me that I was a terrible writer. That I wasn’t really giving God’s Word.

My feelings were telling me, “Give up your writing. You’re only entertaining people. Not really giving God’s Word.”

But my faith was telling me, “Don’t stop. This priest doesn’t like your writing. But how many people have written to you, telling you that they’re blessed by your books? This priest is a scholar who wants you to write like a priest. But you’re not a priest. God has called you to write in a particular way!”

Thank God, I followed my faith. Today, I’m writing my 28^th book.

Here’s my second lesson from Elisha’s story…

Lesson #2:

Be Flexible With Your Deadline

       Elisha’s 14^th miracle didn’t happen until after his death.

When your dreams don’t come true, perhaps there’s nothing wrong with your dreams. Perhaps there’s something wrong with your deadlines.

       Dreams should have deadlines, but they should be flexible. 

       It’s important to have deadlines. It’s important to say, “I’ll launch my business by January 2013” or “I’ll lose 20 pounds by December 2012” or “I’ll be debt-free by July 2014” or “I’ll own my house by January 2015.”

Deadlines are good because they push you to action.

       But I believe that your biggest dreams should have flexible deadlines. Precisely because they’re bigger than you are, you don’t rush these things. You wait—with profound reverence—for a confluence of blessings to happen, for a tipping point of miracles to take place. 

Why doesn’t He rush? Because God’s priority isn’t your destination but your development. God’s priority isn’t the dream but the dreamer.

Be flexible with your Deadlines because God is very flexible with time. The Bible says With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. (2 Peter 3:8)

       My biggest dream is to build 1000 Feasts around the world. People always ask me, “When will that happen?” 

People are shocked when I tell them, “I don’t know when that will happen. I just know it will. I don’t have a strict deadline for this dream. Who knows? Perhaps it will happen in 2020. Perhaps in 2025. Or even later. All I know is I’m enjoying everyday that we’re making it happen. I’m positive that it will happen in my lifetime, because I plan to live a long and happy life. But I won’t get depressed if it happens after I die. Because the dream is bigger than me.”

Lesson #3:

Be Free With Your Details

Your dreams must also have details—just don’t be attached to them. You need details because details fuel your imagination—and imagination is more powerful than your intellect. You need details to make your dream visible and palpable.

For example, if you’re praying for a car, tell God what brand, what model, what color, and what features you want in your car—if you want a back sensor, leather seats, a DVD player.

But at the end of the day, if you really trust God, give Him freedom to alter your details to give you the best possible car that you need for your life. 

Always be open to God’s best.

Why Didn’t God Give Them A Child?

I was talking to Rolly and Donna Espana, leaders here in Feast PICC. They’ve been serving God for decades. But no matter how much they prayed for a child, the child never came.

It’s easy for his feelings to tell them, “You’re incomplete. You’re inadequate. Because you don’t have a child.”

I had lunch with them last week. With deep emotion, Rolly was telling me what his faith was telling him. He said, “Brother Bo, God has made me complete and lacking nothing. Why? I may not have any biological children, but by God’s grace, I have so many sons today! Many young men from our community visit me, talk to me, ask for my fatherly counsel, and seek for my fatherly blessing.”

I felt so blessed talking to Rolly and Donna. 

They dreamt of becoming biological parents to two or three children. But God wanted them to be spiritual parents to thousands.

Be free with the details.

Our Most Common Mistake

I love telling the story of how I was fixated on a 500 square meter property for our Community Center. It was a foreclosed property that the bank was selling. I wanted it so much, I’d visit it many times—and when no one was looking—I’d raise my hand towards it and “claim” it to be ours. (If I saw someone walking on the street, I’d pretend I was just checking out the fence.)

I was tenacious. I told the tiny Light of Jesuscommunity then to pray and fast. I even scheduled a 3-night vigil to pray for the place. We also went into massive fundraising. We went Christmas Caroling in August.

But one day, we received the news: Someone else bought the property from the bank. We were devastated.

I remember our prayer meeting the week we found out. It was as if I was attending a funeral. Some people were even crying.

But ten years later, something happened.

Read to that line again. Ten years later—God made our dream come true. We finally acquired a property.

But the details were very far from our details.

It wasn’t 500 square meters. It wasn’t 1000, or 2000, or 5000, or even 10,000 square meters. 

God gave us 50,000 square meters. (On that land, we built Anawim, our ministry for the abandoned elderly.)

This taught me that God’s measurements aren’t my measurement. We think too small for God.

I was asking for 500 square meters, and God must have been laughing at me, saying, “You won’t be able to do what I want you to do. Just wait.”

You know what our most common mistake is when it comes to making our dreams come true? We think too small and think too fast. But I’ve noticed that God does the very opposite: In our minds, God thinks too big and too slow (at least compared to our busy, frenzied lives)!

We think too small. Learn to think big. Enlarge your vision. Because we worship a big God who wants to bless us in a big way.

We think too fast. But God is never in a hurry. He loves taking His sweet time. He enjoys the journey. I repeat: He doesn’t prioritize the dream, he prioritizes the dreamer. He prioritizes you—what you become in the process of making your dreams come true.

God cannot lie.

You can trust Him all the way.

Receive His Promises Today

       Let me end with a prayer of blessing.

Remember what I said above—that God doesn’t describe reality but create it?

Read this prayerfully and receive this blessing…

When Jesus says in John 10:10, “I have come that you may have life and have in abundance,” He’s not only describing that reality, He’s making it that abundance a reality in your life right now.

       When He says in Philippians 4:19, “you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you,” He’s not just saying nice words, He’s imputing divine strength into you.

       When He says in Romans 8:28, “all things work for good to those who love God,” He’s not just saying a pretty slogan, He’s actually re-engineering and maneuvering circumstances to transform your problems to become your potentials, your trials to become your treasures, and your burdens to become your blessings.

       When He says in Philippians 4:13, “all your needs will be met according to the glorious riches of Christ,” that means He already has sent the miracle to you and its on its way! (From what I hear, God uses DHL to send our packages of miracles to us. DHL for Delivering Heaven’s Love.)

May your dreams come true,

Bo Sanchez