Arise and Shine with Anayansi Sanchez

In this episode I share my testimony of how God provided for me when He called me to pursue ministry and change my major to Biblical & Theological Studies. That meant sacrificing thousands of dollars in scholarship money, and I truly did not know how God would make it work, but I trusted Him. This verse was the promise I held onto: "Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and all these things will be added to you" (Matt 6:33). 4 years later in the midst of the chaos that was 2020, God provided all my needs and beyond. In the span of 4 months I had a new apartment, full-time job, married the man of my dreams, and even got blessed with a new car. It was ALL GOD. All this to say, Jesus commands us not to worry about finances, but rather trust God, you of little faith. Don't let fear hold you back from pursuing God's kingdom. God will provide for your needs; maybe not all your 'wants', but He will sustain your life. When you are tempted to worry, speak Matthew 6:33 over yourself and remind yourself that God will provide for your needs.

How does God call us to love others? God wants us to love our enemies and go the second mile for them. We can't love others on our own strength. We have to humble ourselves and see people how God sees them. As women who are called to arise and shine, we are free to become all God has called us to be. That means if we've been unloving or selfish in the past, we have permission and freedom to decide today to be LOVING. Today is a new day of God's mercies! God loves you. More than any other person on the planet. He loves you in your darkest moments, and He loves you so much that He will not leave you there! If we don't know that God loves us, we will go looking for that love somewhere else. We can't give a love that we have not encountered. If we have not encountered God's perfect love, we cannot love ourselves, much less our enemy. How to love our enemies: Ask God to show you His mercy & forgiveness toward you. Just as God forgives us, so we also must forgive others. Confess your unforgiveness to God & others. Ask the Holy Spirit to soften your heart to forgive. Pray for them.

Christ came to do what we could not: live a sinless life and become the sacrifice for our sins to give us His righteousness as a GIFT. Jesus came to set us FREE from sin and condemnation and give us His heart and His righteousness. But we are not called to live lawlessly then or take advantage of His grace; Jesus sees the intentions of our heart. Are we harboring unforgiveness, hatred or anger against our brothers and sisters? We can't be HOLY without God's SPIRIT. Are we asking the Holy Spirit to change our heart? Jesus doesn't want your religion, He desires a fully surrendered heart that is in communion with Him. As we grow with God we grow to hate sin and love what He loves: His children. We are called to love others as He has loved us. The Bible is not “Pick and choose”. This is God's Kingdom and who He calls us to be, it's our identity. We can't pick and choose what the will of God is. We don't have to be perfect, but pick up our cross and turn back to God daily. What deeper waters is God calling you to that you haven't fully surrendered to? Purity of heart, ministry, godly relationships and friendships, trusting God with your finances, business? Scripture: Matthew 5:17-31 17“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. 19Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 21“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.' 22But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!' will be liable to the hell of fire. 23So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. 25Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison. 26Truly, I say to you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny. 27“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.' 28But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. 30And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell. 31“It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.' 32But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet. You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. (Matthew 5:13-16)

“Come to me, all 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.”” ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭11‬:‭28‬-‭30‬ ‭ESV‬‬ True rest is found in Jesus. Soul care is part of self care. Sabbath rest is a proclamation that we are not God. He is always at work, and we can trust Him with our burdens. Resting is acknowledging that are strength is LIMITED, but His is UNLIMITED and that's the truth our souls rest in. “And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.” Genesis‬ ‭2‬:‭2‬-‭3‬ ‭ESV‬‬ His yoke is easy, how do we rest in Him? 1. Trust Him - pray, remind yourself of His promises to you “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” * ‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭3‬:‭5‬-‭6‬ ‭ESV‬‬ * "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Phil. 4:6-7 2. Rest your body - sleep, eat, repeat "Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain. It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep.” Psalm‬ ‭127‬:‭1‬-‭2‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Do you find yourself distracted by your to-do list? Even during prayer it can be difficult not to think about what we have to get done in the back of our head. It happens to me all the time! In this story, Martha is preoccupied with her never-ending to-do list so much so that she's distracted from the person she's hosting, the Son of God. God's wants a heart that prioritizes His presence over our busyness. God wants to be present with you and give you grace and mercy in your time of need. His greatest joy is being present with his sons and daughters! How can we prioritize Him today? 1. Create a set routine and time for prayer and Bible reading. We make time for what's important to us. 2. Set aside all distractions (turn off your phone, put your lists away, turn off the TV, get alone). "Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:38-42

I don't know what the enemy tried in 2022, 2021 or 2020 to try to bring death in your life. I don't know what diagnosis you faced, financial crisis, what happened in your family, your marriage, your children. But what I do know is that as women we've been anointed to use our words to give birth to life, when everything looks dead around us. God has promised us that we would crush the head of the serpent! This is a message I preached to a women's ministry in January on woman's God-given anointing to give birth to life, like Eve. Every word we speak is pregnant with power, nurtures growth and gives birth to life or death around us. Let's choose our words wisely and speak life. Our prayers grow and develop in darkness in our spiritual womb, and are birthed out of us and into the world. You have been anointed with divine purpose and power to call dead things back to life! *Little God wink story: I was actually pregnant when I preached this message and didn't know yet in January 2022. “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness covered the surface of the watery depths, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. Then God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.” ‭‭Genesis‬ ‭1:1-3‬ ‭HCSB “I will put hostility between (the serpent) and the woman, and between your seed and her seed. He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.” ‭‭Genesis‬ ‭3:15‬ ‭HCSB‬‬ “Adam named his wife Eve because she was the mother of all the living.” ‭‭Genesis‬ ‭3:20‬ ‭HCSB‬‬

When God calls us to something greater, many times our first reaction is “But how?” If we let it, fear can paralyze us from taking steps of faith toward God's call & promises. "For nothing will be impossible with God.” And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.” ‭‭Luke‬ ‭1:37-38‬ ‭ESV‬‬ “And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.”” ‭‭Luke‬ ‭1:45‬ ‭ESV‬‬ 1. We get to choose, faith or fear? 2. Sharing your testimony can break fear off of others. “If God did it for me, He can do it for you” 3. Claim God's word and His promises over your life 4. Faith comes by hearing & hearing the word of God. Be careful what and who you give your ear to. 5. The way to overcome fear is taking baby steps of faith d a i l y. I rebuke fear for the liar it is, and declare your word to walk by faith not by sight, daily.

Are you facing a trial? Whether you're in a trial now or tomorrow, what if I told you that God wants to trade your loss for wholeness? That what the enemy planned to make you empty, God intends to make you WHOLE, lacking nothing. God's ultimate purpose through our trial is our wholeness. I share 3 ways we can pursue the wholeness God has promised us through trials: 1. Be honest with God and ourselves - "Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge." Ps. 62:8 2. Worship by giving God our broken spirit - "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise." Ps. 51:17 3. Give thanks to God - "Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever." Ps. 107:1 Scripture: "Consider it all joy, my brothers and sisters, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing." James 1:2-4

In this episode, I'm sharing my testimony of my journey through miscarriage and having faith in the valley. We had a miscarriage and lost our baby at 12 weeks on March 18, 2022. As I mentioned, God truly works all things together for the good of those who love Him and while we may never know "why", we do know God gives purpose to our pain. While everyone's story is unique and different, my prayer is that my testimony encourages anyone who has experienced loss or is in the waiting. Having experienced both, I know the sweetness of God's comfort in the depths of my grief and disappointment, and I know this is not the end of our story as we expectantly wait for our rainbow baby. In this season, these 4 truths have anchored my soul and I pray they encourage you, too: This is not the end of your story. God longs to comfort you in your grief. God works miracles, that's who He is. Let go & surrender to His plan, in it you'll find true peace. “Do not remember the past events; pay no attention to things of old. Look, I am about to do something new; even now it is coming. Do you not see it? Indeed, I will make a way in the wilderness, rivers in the desert." Isaiah 43:18-9

Hi friend! Thank you so much for joining me today! In this episode, I want to encourage you that you are an Inheritor not an Impostor. We are heirs with Christ. We are diving into Romans 8:14-17 to embrace the rags-to-riches identity that God has given to us in Christ. We must stop convincing ourselves that we are impostors, when we are inheritors of God's kingdom! With this title of queen does not just come dignity, but territory, and with territory comes AUTHORITY. When you know what belongs to you, you walk differently! Knowing who you are in Christ does not merely mean knowing who you are becoming, but knowing what belongs to you. When a person, circumstance or self-defeating thought tries to take the love, joy, and peace that rightfully belongs to us in Christ, we have to say THAT'S MINE, I'm repossessing this territory. I'll take that back, thank you!

Do you remember when your mom or dad told you to clean your room or else you're not going out? And instead of cleaning our room we hid all the dirty clothes under the bed. Has God ever told you to do something, but instead of giving our full obedience, we only gave Him partial obedience? I believe God is calling the next generation of leaders and worshippers, but before we can step into that calling God is calling us to clean some stuff out of our lives. Partial obedience is still disobedience. Partial obedience will never get you the full blessing. God wants our obedience more than He wants our sacrifices. He wants relationship with us, not our religion. God wants to fully bless your full obedience to Him! I pray you're encouraged by this message Anayansi preached at FreedomHouse Church at our Alive Midweek Takeover on August 12, 2021. Instagram: @anayansisanchz

Have you ever tried the same method, but it wasn't giving you the outcome you used to get? For example, when we work out we get stronger, and the same workouts might not give us the outcome we once got. The same is true in our walk with God. God wants to show you a new method for a new season of stepping into His promises! Instagram: @anayansisanchz

Is God calling you to do something that is out of your comfort zone? Do you have worries, fears or insecurities that are standing in the way between you and obedience to God's call? What if I told you that the thing you feel most insecure about is the exact thing God wants to use to show his glory and power in you. Today we're studying God calling Moses out of his comfort zone and into courage to set his people free from slavery in Exodus 3:7-4:17. Let me tell you, God has a blessing for you and there are souls waiting for breakthrough on the other side of your obedience. God wants to use you for something bigger than you, sis! It's not about your weakness, it's about your willingness. My prayer is that God empowers you with His Holy Spirit to do the good works he prepared beforehand for you to do, you are His masterpiece in Christ Jesus. This is your burning bush moment! Instagram: @anayansisanchz

In this episode, Tina shares how she overcame insecurity in her life and rose into confidence in who God called her to be as a woman, pastor's wife, mother, leader, friend and so much more. In that process, she shares that only by shifting our perspective and allowing God to heal our mind with His Word can we fully walk in the confidence God has called us to live in. You can connect with Tina on Instagram @tinaagutierrez and at FreedomHouse Church, Fullerton Campus. Instagram: @tinaagutierrez

In this premiere episode, we're sharing God's vision for the podcast and within that story, Anayansi shares her testimony on how God has brought dead things back to life, called her to arise and shine, and how God can do that for you, too! Join us for new episodes every Monday at 9am. Instagram: @anayansisanchz