How To Have A “Hundredfold” Harvest In Your Life

When I was 12 years old, I gave my life to God.

In fact, I gave up all my teenage years to God.  One day, after a Feast (that’s what we call our prayer meetings today), a woman asked me, “Bo, you gave your life to God too early.  Don’t you regret NOT experiencing the world first?  I mean, you didn’t have much fun.  Did you ever smoke a cigarette?”

“Nope,” I smiled.

“Ever got drunk?”

“Never,” I said, “I’m allergic to alcohol.  My breathing pipe constricts.”

“Ever attended any parties?”

“I never did,” I said.

She reminded me of my former classmate Felipe…

In High School, Felipe liked bragging about all the worldly fun he was having. 

One day, he told me, “Last night, I attended a wild party that lasted till midnight.”  (To kids today who start their parties at midnight, his boast may sound silly.  But during my time, a party that ends at midnight was already a crime.  We were coming from Martial Law days were there was a curfew!) 

But I would counter-brag and say, “I attend not one, not two, but three parties each week.  And all of them last till midnight.”  His eyes bulged.  Of course, I didn’t tell him that those parties were really prayer meetings.  But they were so much fun, they looked like wild parties—with people raising their hands, jumping up and down, and being “slain” in the Spirit.

Felipe would then brag to me, “Every Saturday, I go dancing in the Disco.”  I ask him, “Saturdays only?  I go dancing Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday!”  Of course, I didn’t tell him that I danced to the tune of,“Ang buhay ng Kristiyano ay masayang tunay…”

Felipe boasted, “Last weekend, my friends and I went to Tagaytay, drank, smoked weed, and got really high!”  I told him, “Hey, what a coincidence!  My friends and I went to Tagaytay and got really high too!” 

“What did you smoke?”

I finally told him, “The Holy Spirit.”  It was true.  We were giving a Life in the Spirit seminar, got people baptized, and everyone spoke in tongues.  “Shalalalalala….”  Yep, we got high alright.

I gave up my youth to God.  And God multiplied my youth and gave it back to me a HUNDREDFOLD. 

Today, twenty-five years later, Felipe doesn’t go to parties anymore, doesn’t smoke weed anymore, doesn’t go dancing anymore.  Why?  Because he’s got diabetes, heart disease, cholesterol problems…  Me?  I still go to wild parties, still go dancing, and still get high everyday!  (In fact, I just don’t only go to wild parties, I BUILD wild parties around the world.  They’re calledFeasts. We’ve built 123 of them so far!)

And here’s what Felipe never experienced: I started preaching at 13, started a spiritual community at 14 (that has spread all over the world), lived in a slum area at 14 to do mission work, travelled to the Holy Land at 16, preached to 20,000 people in Araneta Coliseum at 16, wrote a book at 20, published a magazine at 24, lived with orphans and abandoned elderly for three whole years in the boondocks at 27… I could go on and on and on.  Sometimes, I pinch myself.  Why do I live such a charmed, exciting, and out-of-this-world life?

When I followed God as a teenager, I left my home, my parents, and my family to do mission work.  Today, I now have a HUNDRED fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, and houses all over the world!  I can go to any country in the world and I’ve got friends there who would open their homes to me.  I’m surrounded by an ocean of love—the most wonderful friends on the planet.

I can only think of one reason: As a young boy, I gave my life to God, planted my seed in the good soil of His Heart—and He gave my life back to me, multiplied a Hundredfold.

Start planting.

Start harvesting.

May your dreams come true,

Bo Sanchez

How To Start Living In Heaven Now

I have an announcement to make: You’re an immortal being. 

You will never die.

This is a bit difficult to swallow because we seem to be dying already.  We see its undeniable evidence whenever we look at the mirror.  We see that a few parts of our body have started to die.

Look at your hair.  For some of us, they started dying many years ago.  Denuded spots appeared very early and no amount of reforestation program has worked.  Your theme song is Shine Jesus Shine. 

Look at your skin.  A grandmother had her 6-year old grandchild on her lap.  The little girl touched her grandmother’s face and asked, “Did God make you, Lola?”   “Yes, God made me,” the older woman said.  The girl then touched her own face and asked, “Did God make me, Lola?”  “Yes, God made you too,” grandmother said.  The little girl thought hard and smiled, “You know what Grandma?  I think God is getting better in making people.”

Death is all around us.

Our friends die.  Our relatives die.   And their bodies get burned in an oven or get eaten by worms.  Either way, they bodies disappear from the face of the earth. 

But here’s our belief: A part of you does not die.  Jesus said,“I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies.”

Death isn’t a dead-end but a doorway. 

Death is simply relocation.  Death is changing your soul’s address from one universe to another universe.

Believe me, this powerful truth—if you truly grasp it—will dramatically impact the way you live every single day of your life.

Rewarding Ceremony

       One day, Jesus said, Be careful not to do your ‘acts of righteousness’ before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. (Matthew 6:1)  Jesus was saying, “Hey, don’t try to get all your rewards on earth.  There are more rewards in Heaven.”

       I believe that there’s a Rewarding Ceremony on earth but the bigger Rewarding Ceremony is in Heaven. The Law of the Farm—that you harvest what you plant, and reap what you sow—doesn’t only apply today on earth but also tomorrow in Heaven.  What you do in this world are seeds that bear fruit even after you die. 

God Is A Gentleman

The Law of the Farm means that YOU choose where you want to go—Heaven or Hell.

Some people think that God brings good people to Heaven and bad people to Hell.  Some people imagine God to be this celestial policeman that grabs us by the collar and throws us to the prison of Hell where we will languish in eternal pain.

I beg to disagree.  God is a Father.  He created us to be one with Him forever.  So Heaven is His choice for you.  Always. 

But He won’t force you to go there if you don’t want to.  The Bible says He knocks at the door of your heart.  He won’t barge in.  He won’t bulldoze His way in.  He’s the perfect gentleman. 

One theologian said that people who go to Hell would not be forced to go there.  There will be no guards to drag them there in chains, while they scream, “Noooooooo!  Give me one last time!”  They will go there on their own.  Every person who goes to Hell will do so out of his own volition.  Let me put it this way: When we die, there’ll be two signposts.  One points to Heaven and the other points to Hell.  Some people, because of the hatred in their hearts, will choose Hell.

Your Afterlife Is A Mirror Of What’s In Your Heart

When I was in high school, my friends and I went to Fiesta Carnival in Cubao.  (During my time, that was the only place where you could ride a decent rollercoaster.)

Let’s call my two classmates Ulap and Apoy.  Ulap loved rollercoasters.  He couldn’t stop dreaming about it, he couldn’t stop talking about it, and he couldn’t stop riding it every chance he gets.  But not Apoy.  He feared it with every ounce of his body.  But on that day, Ulap dared Apoy.  He said, “Ride the rollercoaster or you’re one big chicken!”  And Ulap, being a typical bully that he was, shouted, “Chicken!  Chicken!  Chicken!” a hundred times until Apoy finally agreed to ride the rollercoaster.

Which was a big mistake.  Because Apoy couldn’t even ride the Merry Go Round without throwing up.  For Apoy, an escalator was already too exciting.

So when Ulap and Apoy rode the rollercoaster, I heard them shrieking to the top of their voices.  “Wheeeeeee!” and “Whaaaaaa!” both of them screamed.  Except that Ulap was shrieking out of sheer delight.  And Apoy was shrieking out of sheer terror.

When both stepped out of the rollercoaster, Ulap was in Heaven and Apoy was in Hell.  It was the same ride, but they had two very opposite experiences.

My story is a very imperfect analogy.  (Please don’t take my analogy literally.)  But I share it to you to emphasize one simple point: I believe your afterlife will be a mirror of what is in your heart.  A loving person will feel at home in Heaven.  A loving person will feel at home with God.  But a hateful, selfish, cruel person will feel tortured in Heaven because he can’t stand the presence of perfect love, that he’d rather go to Hell—away from that perfect love.

       Next week, I’ll talk about the 3 things that will happen in Heaven…

       May your dreams come true,

       Bo Sanchez

3 Things That Will Happen In Heaven…

Do you have future plans of going to Heaven? 

(No rush going there, by the way.) 

I’ve never been to Heaven, but from reading the Bible and the writings of Saints and spiritual authors, let me describe three important things about Heaven…

1. You’ll Be Fulfilled Perfectly

Good News: I heard there’ll be no dieting in Heaven.  You can eat what you want and you won’t gain a single pound.  You’ll have the perfect figure, the perfect skin, the perfect teeth, and the perfect hair.  (But I doubt that there’ll be sinful food in Heaven, haha.)

Bald people will have their hair back.

People who have dentures will witness each of their 32 teeth resurrect from the dead.

Do you have pimple scars?  Stretch marks?   Cellulite deposits that rival the Central Bank’s deposits?  They all can’t enter Heaven. You’ll have to leave them at the door.

Do you want to have six abs?  You can have 12 if you want.

And do you want a Ferrari?  You can have 37 of them in different colors.  (Though honestly, I doubt you’ll be interested in these things in Heaven.)

But here’s what I know: Every dream you have will come true.  Every desire will be fulfilled.  Every need will be met.  Every plan will be accomplished.  Every talent will be used.  Every potential will be realized.

Dreams Come True

When I was a kid, I wanted to be an astronaut.  In Heaven, I can make that dream come true.  I can go galaxy-hopping in a blink of an eye.  This morning, I can go to Jupiter.  For lunch, I can go to Neptune.  By afternoon, I can go to the constellation Andromeda.  Tomorrow, I can go to another universe altogether.

When my friend was a kid, he wanted to be a rock star.  Well, in Heaven, he can fulfill that dream too.  From what I hear, Heaven is a non-stop Worship Concert—so rock stars are needed to sing to the Rock of all Ages.

This is just my guess, but I believe that in Heaven, there’ll be no difference between thinking about our dreams and turning our dreams into reality.  When you think about it, you make it appear in front of you.

Wealth Is Permanent

On planet earth, the rich today may not be rich tomorrow.  The billionaires of today may be the beggars of tomorrow.  But in Heaven, you’ll be rich permanently.  Jesus said, Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.  (Matthew 6:19-20)  In other words, there is no recessions or inflation or economic collapse in Heaven.  And there is zero crime in Heaven.  Why?  Because our treasure isn’t gold or silver or diamonds.  Our treasure is God Himself.

I love saying this: The only wealth you keep is the wealth that you give away.  As long as you keep your wealth to yourself, it rots on earth.  But if you give it away, you “wire transfer” your wealth to your future home in Heaven.

Tears Are Wiped Away

In Heaven, the Bible says, And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.  (Revelations 7:14) No more sickness.  No more disappointments.  No more debts.  No more trials.  No more problems.  No more conflicts.  No more misunderstanding.  No more hurts.  No more worry.  No more anxiety.  No more fear.

It will only be love…

2. You’ll Be Loved Perfectly

       Throughout history, tens of thousands of people have reported near-death experiences that say that death is a doorway.  But scientists will never accept these as proof of the afterlife.

Dr. Eben Alexander, a highly trained neurosurgeon, was such a man.  Dr. Eben is a professor who taught for 15 years at Harvard University and he did NOT believe in these near-death experiences.  He believed that all these stories were fantasies, produced by brains under extreme stress.

But in 2008, he contracted a rare type of meningitis and he fell into a deep coma.  That part of his brain that produced thoughts and emotions completely shut off.  He was virtually brain dead.  After seven days of being a “vegetable” on a hospital bed, and as the doctors were thinking of stopping treatment, his eyes opened. 

The fact that he recovered was already a medical miracle.  But the bigger miracle was what happened during those seven days.  When it was medically impossible for him to have any kind of thought or emotion, Dr. Alexander journeyed into a beautiful place of incredible peace.  In that place, he felt loved.  Completely, utterly, perfectly loved.  He also felt connected to everything.  But an angel told him that it wasn’t yet his time, so he was sent back.

Dr. Alexander, the neurosurgeon and Harvard professor, believes that he went to Heaven.  And his experience was very similar to the tens of thousands of near-death experiences all throughout history.  They contain common elements: overwhelming peace, beautiful light, the presence of an angel, or heavenly being, or God himself. 

But the most common description these near-death experiences give is that when they entered Heaven, they were flooded with a deep sense of being totally, completely, and perfectly loved.  Dr. Eben said he heard these words again and again: You can do nothing wrong; You’re worthy of love;

It reminded me of my favorite prayer: “I’m totally, completely, and perfectly loved.”  I say it many times a day.  It heals my body.  It heals my emotions.  It heals my spirit.  Why?  Because perfect love is the deepest need of my entire being.  And I will receive it in Heaven.

But love flows in two ways…

3. You’ll Love Perfectly

Some people ask, “But Bo, what will we do in Heaven?  Won’t we be bored there, wearing pajamas, sitting on white fluffy clouds, and playing our harps all day?”

I don’t think so.

Who says we’re going to do nothing all day?  I believe we’ll be fully engaged, fully occupied, fully loving humanity for all eternity.

That’s why I believe that earth is a training camp for Heaven. On earth, God trains you to love like Jesus.  Because loving God and others is the only thing that you’ll be doing in Heaven!

Start loving now, and you start Heaven now.

May your dreams come true,

Bo Sanchez

Does Heaven And Hell Start Now?

I believe that Heaven and Hell starts here, right here, right now.  How?  By the way you live your life each day.

Remember: Your afterlife will be a mirror image of what is in your heart.  But it will be eternally multiplied.

I know of people who are living a life of Hell on earth…

Last January, Carl, a 73-year old man rang the doorbell in the house of a former high school classmate.  When this man answered the door, Carl asked, “Are you Norman Johnson?”  When Norman answered, “Yes,” Carl pointed a 45 caliber and shot Norman twice, blowing up his entire face.  Why did he kill Norman?  According to Carl, he was still mad at Norman because when they were in high school 56 years ago (my gosh), in a locker room prank, Norman put his smelly supporter over Carl’s head.

It only happened once.  But for the following 56 years, Carl replayed that scene over and over again in his mind.  I repeat: Norman did it only once.  But Carl did it thousands of times—putting that sweaty, smelly supporter over his head—in his imagination.

And if Carl heard good stuff about Norman—how he got a job, how he got promoted, how he got an award—he would feel terrible.  The seed of bitterness that was planted 56 years ago was nurtured everyday and it grew bigger and bigger and bigger, until it became a gigantic monster.  Carl was living with this monster of bitterness eating him up inside. 

I don’t know what Hell is like, because I’ve never been there, and I don’t have plans of going.  But I bet it must be very close to that.  Bitterness in your heart is Hell.  And if you don’t ask for Jesus to heal that bitterness, Hell continues even after death.

But if you live a life of love, you experience Heaven now. 

I’ve noticed that the happiest people I’ve met in the world are people whose hearts are overflowing with love.

Let me say it again: Heaven and Hell starts now.

And so does purgatory… 

My Interpretation Of Purgatory

Everything that is happening to your life right now is purifying you, sanctifying you, shaping you, and transforming you to become more like Jesus—until you become perfect.

And just like Heaven and Hell, purgatory continues even after you die.

Let me describe purgatory to you: When you die, you’ll see God.  And you’ll run towards Him. And I believe you’ll see God running towards you too.  When you take one step, He takes ten steps.  As you move closer to each other, you realize His love is burning away all your imperfections.  The closer you get to Him, the more perfect you become.  So that at that moment when God embraces you, all your weaknesses have totally vanished.  And you become perfect, as God is perfect.

What is that “running” towards God and God “running” towards you?  That’s my definition of purgatory. 

I can imagine that when Mother Teresa died, this run was pretty short.  Perhaps a hundred meter dash.  (Gosh, I’m wrong; perhaps it was only five or six steps!) 

But other very imperfect people (like me) may have to run a few miles!  (I just hope it’s NOT a marathon.)

Next week, I’ll talk to you about some real-live “spiritual Indiana Jones” that I believe are living in Heaven now—while on earth.  Watch for it…

May your dreams come true,

Bo Sanchez

Discover What You Really Need

Have you heard of the great Houdini?

As a young boy, I loved reading about him.  Houdini was probably the most famous escape artist in the world.  I’m not sure if the story I’m about to tell you is part legend and part history, but I find it utterly fascinating. 

Houdini boasted he could escape any jail cell in less than an hour.  One day, a small town in the British Isles built a new jail cell and they were proud of it.  “Come give us a try,” they said to Houdini, and he agreed. 

He walked into the prison cell bristling with confidence.  After all, he had done this hundreds of times before.

Once the jail cell was closed, Houdini took off his coat and went to work.  From his belt, he got a flexible but tough ten-inch piece of steel.  He knelt in front of the door and started working on the lock.

At the end of 30 minutes, his confident expression had disappeared. 

At the end of an hour, he was drenched with perspiration. 

After two hours and totally exhausted, Houdini literally collapsed against the door.  And the force of his weight was enough to push the door open!

       Because in reality, the door had never been locked.

       It was locked only in one place: In his own mind.

       Which meant only one thing.  It was firmly locked.

       Because whatever your mind says is locked—is locked. 

Even if it isn’t…

You Can Be Free!

       Friend, you can get rid of your bad habits.

       You can be free from your addictions.

       The Bible says, you have been called to live in freedom.(Galatians 5:13)

       I should know.  For years, I was addicted to pornography and sexual fantasies.  Yes, even as I was serving God and preaching.  Like Houdini, I tinkered with the “lock” of my jail cell and lost hope because I couldn’t unlock the door.  (For my full story, read my book, Your Past Does Not Define Your Future.)

       One day, I had a powerful realization.  I discovered that the door wasn’t locked—except in my mind.  I realized that at any time, I could push hard and the door would swing open—and I could simply walk out.  And stay out!

       And that’s what I did.

       My friend, you can get rid of your addictions.

       Here’s the truth: 70% of people get rid of their own addictions on their own.  You see, there is no ONE singular way to get out of an addiction. There are many ways to get rid of your destructive bad habits. (We will examine all these ways in the next few weeks.)

Why Do We Have Addictions Anyway?

From a superficial perspective, addictions provide an escape so you won’t feel your painful feelings.

       And what are these painful feelings?

·      Hurt: “I feel rejected.”

·      Depression: “I feel low”; “I feel old”; “I feel ugly”; “I feel fat”

·      Despair: “I feel my life is meaningless”

·      Guilt: “I feel I’m bad”; “I feel I can’t meet the needs of my husband/kids”

·      Anxiety: “I feel worried that bad things will happen”

·      Fear: “I feel afraid that I will get hurt”

·      Hate: “I feel angry at myself”; “I feel angry at others”

·      Shame: “I feel I’m not worthy to even exist”

Let me share to you my own personal experience.

For years, the predominant feeling that ruled my life was SHAME.  But I didn’t know it was shame.  I got so used to this feeling, I thought it was part of life.  I would wake up with this “bad” feeling already.  All I knew was that I felt extremely sad.  And my thoughts were always about my mistakes—real and imagined.  Like a guy who only played one DVD in his DVD player, and did nothing else except press the “rewind” button, I simply paraded my past mistakes before me.  And then I’d imagine how this person doesn’t like me, how that person is angry with me, how this person is rejecting me.  And I would feel “it” in my gut.  It was my constant companion, never leaving me.

Years later, I finally identified what I felt.

I was ashamed that I existed.  I was ashamed that I was alive.

Can you imagine waking up each morning with this feeling?

That was my life.

And so to escape my shame, I drowned myself in testosterone.  I got into Porn.  At least, these girls were smiling and disrobing to me.  They must like me.  My sexual fantasies were the same—these women were attracted to me.

For a moment, my shame disappeared.

But, after indulging in porn and masturbating, my shame deepened.

       How could I, a servant of God, do such a thing?

       But I kept doing it for years.

I threw myself into work—work that would make the world like me.  My approval addiction was even more powerful than my sex addiction.

       But twenty years ago, I took my first steps towards healing.  It was a long journey.

What Is Your Core Need?

At the bottom of all addictions is this statement: “I don’t love myself.”

       At the core of an addict’s heart is an empty Love Tank.

       Every addiction is a hunger for love.

       He doesn’t like himself.

       He doesn’t value himself.

       He doesn’t love himself.

       That is why I believe that only love can heal an addiction.

Walk Towards Your Freedom Now

       For the longest time, you’ve been in a prison cell.

       You’re tired.  You’re desperate.

       You’ve been tinkering with that impossible lock on the door.

       But in reality, there is no lock.

       You think there’s a lock, but there’s none.

       You’ve been deceived.  Cheated.

       The lock is in your mind, not in the door. 

What is that lock in your mind?

I call it your “homing instinct”.  That means an unconscious part of you would like to stay in that dirty prison because you’ve become used to it.  It’s been your home for years.  Something within you—the defeated you, the failed you, the unloved you—wants to go back to that dungeon.  A part of you feels that’s what you deserve.  This drive within you is called the “homing” instinct.  Hurting people recreate their home, no matter how painful those homes were.

       But as you fill up your Love Tank, as you value yourself more and as you receive love from God and others, you realize that you deserve a new home.  You realize that you don’t belong there anymore.  With a full Love Tank, your “homing” instinct no longer drives you to your past home.  Instead, it drives you to your future home.  You begin to develop a “vision” instinct.

       I’ll share more about this next week…

       I remain your friend,

       Bo Sanchez    

These Crazy Guys Already Live In Heaven

A few months ago, God refreshed me.

I was invited to give a retreat to a group of missionary priests in Mindanao.  Believe me, these guys were the real Indiana Jones.  But they weren’t searching for earthly treasure.  They would go to the farthest, the most dangerous corners of the planet to find another kind of treasure: The forgotten person that needs their love.

       These rugged men live in the most treacherous parts of the country.  Four of their brother priests have already been killed, some tortured.  Yet instead of getting scared, they’re emboldened to serve God even more. 

Some of them receive death threats regularly.  And escaping kidnap attempts is already a way of life for them.

       I met priests who ministered in war-torn Jolo.  One of them worked there for 13 years.  He was already 74 years old, yet I still saw passion burn in his eyes.  “I can die in Jolo,” he said to me…

       I met priests who lived in the string of tiny islands in Tawi Tawi.  One of them has been serving God in that place for 22 years, living with the indigenous people there—the Tausog and Samal (sea gypsies).  Everyday, these priests would ride a boat to visit the few very poor Catholics in each of these islands.

       I also met priests who lived up in the mountains, serving the Manobo tribes. 

I met priests who worked in slum areas in the city. One priest told me that he was visiting sick people in a squatters area when all of a sudden, he felt the cold metal of the nozzle of a 45 caliber pointed behind his head.  “Click!”  He heard the man pull the trigger.  But by God’s miracle, the weapon jammed.  And that day, he lived to tell this story to me.

       In the morning, I saw these priests pray in the chapel.  I observed how these priests loved to pray.  They prayed with heart.  I guess when your life is in constant danger, you have no choice but to develop a deep prayer life. 

       And I noticed how humble they were.  Exceedingly humble.  Let me explain why I know.  It was my fellow preacher and Feast builder of Sta. Rosa and Binan, Jon Escoto, who gave the entire retreat.  I just gave one talk in the program.  So before going there, I asked Jon, “What topic do you want me to give?”  Jon said, “Give a talk on No Fear.”

       So when I arrived at the retreat house, not knowing yet the stories I told you above, I preached to them about “going out of your comfort zone and going into your courage zone”.  Later on, I realized how silly my talk was to them.  Because here I was, living in the comforts of Manila—while they were out there in war-torn areas, living in their courage zones 24 hours a day.

But these priests—battle-worn and battle-scarred—listened to me like I was the brave one.  A few of them were in their sixties and seventies (the oldest among them was 80), yet they sat in front of me like little children, drinking in my every word.

They were happy men.

Why?  Because their hearts are filled with love.

I believe their Heaven starts now.

       This is why I love giving my message today: Because to these missionary priests, no Earthly Reward is enough to motivate them to do what they are doing now.  It can only be Eternal Rewards.

       But not just any kind of Eternal Reward will suffice.  For example, heavenly mansions and streets paved in gold won’t motivate these guys.  Halos and angel wings won’t motivate them.  For these modern Indiana Jones, they have only one great treasure, one Eternal Reward, and that is the Rewarder Himself, Jesus Christ.

       They love Jesus.  He is their Reward.

       This verse has become their life: But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.  (Philippians 3:13-14)

It’s Your Turn: Where Are You Living Now?

       You’re not a missionary priest in Mindanao.

       Perhaps you’re a Call Center agent in Manila, working hard so you can send your kids to school.

       Or a nurse on night shift, working overtime, so you could support your mother’s medical bills.

Or an entrepreneur, trying hard to prosper your business, so you could give extra benefits to your employees.

Or a father of two kids, playing with them even when you’re tired, because you want to tell them how important they are to you.

Or a mother of three, working in the office by day and cooking and tutoring and cleaning by night, sacrificing your life for your family.

If you live a life of love, you’re now living in Heaven.

Keep loving.  Keep serving.  Keep giving.

Because Jesus is your biggest Reward.

May your dreams come true,

Bo Sanchez

Accept Your Weaknesses

This will be short.

       Let me begin with one of my favorite stories…

       On her way home, a woman was walking on the sidewalk.  She saw a parrot in a pet shop window.  Upon seeing her, the parrot said, “Lady, you are really ugly!”

       Shocked, the woman walked away in a huff.

       The next day, she walked again on the same road.  She saw again the parrot peering through the pet shop window.  And sure enough, when the parrot saw her, it said, “Lady, you are really ugly!”

       The woman couldn’t take it anymore…

       She barged in the pet shop and told the owner, “Your bird outside has been telling me that I’m ugly.  You better do something about that parrot.  When I walk here tomorrow, and that bird says the same thing about me, I’ll sue you!”  The owner was very apologetic and said, “It won’t happen again, Ma’am.”

       The next day, she walked home on that same road.  Once again, she sees the parrot, and the parrot sees her.  She stopped and with an icy stare asked, “Yes?”

       The bird, strutting back and forth, cocked, “You know.”

You Don’t Have To Be Perfect To Love Yourself

       Friends, many of us have an inner parrot that tells us, “You’re ugly.”

       We have an inner parrot that we carry around within us, cruel and rude.  We actually don’t need the devil anymore to accuse us and damn us to Hell.  Because we do it ourselves.

       These feelings of shame drive us to our addictions.

       Friend, fire your inner parrot.  (Better yet, fry him with olive oil, a little garlic, and chilli.)

       Start telling yourself the truth: That you’re God’s child and beautiful beyond imagination.  And that God will use even your worst weaknesses.

       Remember: You don’t have to be perfect to be loved.

Your Weakness Is A Gift

       In the Bible, St. Paul boasted of his “Thorn in the Flesh”. 

       It was his weakness.

But whatever it was, about this weakness, he said these immortal, mind-boggling words.  “At first I didn’t think of it as a gift, and begged God to remove it. Three times I did that, and then he told me, “My grace is enough; it’s all you need. My strength comes into its own in your weakness.”  (2 Corinthians 12:7-10)

       How can your weakness be gift?

Your Weakness Blesses You In 3 Great Ways

          First, my weaknesses humble me.  It makes me depend in God even more.  And I see how He uses me mightily despite all my weaknesses!  That is why the Bible says, God chooses what the world considers weak in order to shame the powerful. (1 Corinthians 1:27)

Second, my weaknesses make me more merciful towards others.  I believe that someone who easily judges others hasn’t yet accepted his own weaknesses.  If he had, he wouldn’t be judgmental.  But because he hasn’t, he projects his self-anger towards other people.

Third, my weaknesses bond me with others in a way that nothing else can.  When I share the story of my past and my addiction to someone else, I disrobe my defences and become vulnerable to him.  In this way, I also give permission to that person to disrobe his defences as well.

          Friend, thank God for your weaknesses, your struggles, and your problems.

          They are great gifts that will bless you and others.

Next week, I’ll share with you the third way of loving yourself.

May your dreams come true,

Bo Sanchez

Focus On Your Ambition, Not Your Addiction

 (Bo’s Note: I wrote this sometime back, and I remember people coming up to me—with tears in their eyes—telling me how these words gave them freedom from their bondages.  So I decided to share it with you again.  Enjoy and be very blessed… )
 Focus On Your Ambition,Not Your Addiction
          Have you noticed?
We’re an illogical bunch.
          At various times, we act like Esau…
Jacob and Esau were twin brothers.
But Esau was considered the eldest because he went out of the womb of his mother first.
          One day, Jacob was cooking some stew.
Esau arrived from hunting and was exhausted and hungry.  Esau said to Jacob, “I’m starved.  Give me some of your red stew.”
          Now Jacob said something absolutely nutty.  He said, “All right, but you’ve got to do one thing first.  Trade me your rights as the firstborn son.”  You get an inkling on how jealous Jacob must have been towards his twin brother.
         But what was nuttier was Esau’s reaction.  He said, “Sure!  Now give me that red stew now.”
        Jacob said, “You’ve got to swear first that you’re giving me your birthright…”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah… whatever!  I swear!  Now give me that lentil soup…”.       Now why would Esau exchange his birthright for a single bowl of red stew?
       Was his brain taking a vacation on that day?  Was it surfing in Camsur or gone shopping in Hongkong?  Didn’t Esau know what his birthright meant?  Being firstborn meant a position of privilege.  Being firstborn meant great honor.  And yes, being firstborn meant a huge inheritance—where he can buy a swimming pool filled with red stew if he wanted.
       Why was he throwing all that for a bowl of red stew today?       Friends, this is a great picture of what addiction is…

(By the way, I’m not saying Esau was addicted to red stew.  I’m merely using his story as an analogy.)

The Foolish Exchanges We Make     
I met a man who threw away his entire family for drugs.  Years ago, he had a great job, a nice home, two kids, and a beautiful wife.  Today, because of a bunch of chemicals he was snorting through his nostrils, he destroyed his life.  He’s lost his job and his home.  His kids hate him and his wife is seeing another man…
Why exchange all that for another whiff of shabu?
       There’s no logic.  It’s a foolish exchange.
       One day, a woman asked for my help.  She said, “My husband is a compulsive gambler.  He stole money from his office and used it to gamble.  His boss found out about it and is pressing charges.  My husband’s going to jail!”
       Why exchange a great job for another crack at the blackjack table?
       Again, it’s a foolish exchange.
The list goes on.
·      A chain-smoker, exchanging his health for another nicotine fix.
·      A porn-addict, exchanging his dignity and mental-monogamy, for another testosterone fantasy.
·      A woman who gives her body to yet another man, just so that he would love her, exchanging her self-respect for a fleeting embrace.
·      A government employee taking a bribe, exchanging his honour for cash.  After years of doing it, he no longer feels any guilt, his conscience virtually dead.

One Power Skill Of Mature People        On a superficial level, the problem is impatience and impulsiveness.
       And boy, do I know impulsiveness.
       Like Esau, I catch myself wanting it now—no matter what the cost is to my future.  Like Esau, I want my red stew now, whatever my “red stew” is. For me, it could be internet porn, sexual fantasies, and the approval of people.  (For my full story on how God healed my addictions, read my book, Your Past Does Not Define Your Future.)
Impulsiveness means I prioritize my short-term wants over my long-term needs.
Which takes us to that very important, essential, powerful skill that all mature people have: The ability to delay gratification.  You can’t be emotionally and spiritual mature without it.  It’s impossible.
Delaying gratification is the power skill of champions.  In any field!
       Because there’s a huge reward in front of them, champions sacrifice today so that they can get their reward tomorrow.
       Do you want to become a champion?
       What great reward are you aiming for?
       What is your holy ambition?


Anatomy of An Addiction

Deep inside, there’s a (1) real need. And that real need is an empty love tank.  Bottom line, the addict doesn’t love himself.  The addict doesn’t value himself.  The addict doesn’t respect himself.  Sometimes, he is conscious of this desperate need for love.  Many times, he isn’t aware of it.  It’s all unconscious.
My personal interpretation of the Esau-Jacob story above is that Esau didn’t value his birthright because he didn’t value himself.  He didn’t value his future.
Once again, let me state my central point:  I believe that every addiction is a hunger for love.  That’s the real need behind every addiction.  Your hunger of love produces the second part of the equation: (2) painful feelings—such as depression, anger, fear, anxiety, loneliness, etc.
To escape these painful feelings, the addict will pick a preferred anaesthesia.  That anaesthesia is the third part of the equation: (3) addiction.  It could be gambling, drugs, and alcohol.  It could be workaholism until one’s family breaks down.  Or shopping until five credit cards are maxed out.  Or food until one becomes obese.  Or dieting until one becomes very sick.
In order for an addiction to get healed, the real needs must be met.  The love tank must be filled.
       Thankfully, you can do that in many ways as we discussed in my last article.
       In getting rid of their bad habits, I share to them one of the most powerful—and controversial—principles…

Don’t Focus On Your Addiction…
       Bear with me.  Do this exercise for me.
Say out loud “I won’t think of a Pink Elephant” for five times.
       Ready?  Go…

       “I won’t think of a Pink Elephant.”
       “I won’t think of a Pink Elephant.”
       “I won’t think of a Pink Elephant.”
       “I won’t think of a Pink Elephant.”
       “I won’t think of a Pink Elephant.”

       Let me ask you a question: What are you thinking of right now?

       A Pink Elephant, of course.

       People who want to overcome their addictions end up focusing on their addictions, and it simply won’t work.
       When a smoker says, “I won’t smoke anymore!” 300x a day, guess what fills his mind?  Smoking his favorite Marlboros, what else?
       When a compulsive eater says, “I won’t eat!” 300x a day, guess what fills his mind?  Eating his favorite cheeseburgers and chocolate sundaes.
       When you focus on your bad habits, you enter into a vicious cycle that buries you deeper into your addiction.  You end up depressed and helpless, draining your love tank even more, making you open more to your addictions.
       Look.  I’m not saying you deny that you have an addiction.  In fact, acknowledging that you have an addiction is the first step to healing it.  By admitting you’ve got a problem, you solve 50% of your problem.  But you see, there’s a big difference between acknowledging it andfocusing on it 24 hours a day.

A Simple Principle of The Universe
       Let me share to you a simple, powerful, universal principle that has guided me in my daily life:

What you focus on grows! Let me sidetrack a bit and explain this principle to you.
I know some people who focus on the bad things in their day.
They wake up in the morning feeling lousy.  “It’s a terrible day,” they mutter.  They ride to work complaining about how hot it is.  They wade through the traffic complaining about the crazy drivers on the streets.  They arrive at their office complaining the workload on their desks.  They complain about their boss, the low pay, the slow internet, the over-time, the terrible food at the cafeteria, and how cold the air-conditioning is.
I pity them.  Because the more they complain, the more they feel miserable.
Sooner or later, they experience more problems.  (Remember, what you focus on grows.)
First, they may get sick.  The Bible says a cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.[1]  Medical studies have shown that most of our physical diseases are psychosomatic.  A negative spirit may create ulcers, hypertension, and other diseases.  Simply because our bodies are blueprints of our emotional life.
Second, they may lose friends.  Because no one wants to talk to a whiner.  About her, they’ll say, “She’s depressing and it may be contagious!”
Third, they may lose their job—or at the very least, a promotion.  Someone who doesn’t have passion in his work will not be rewarded.  200 CEO’s were asked what’s the number one ability that they look for in their employee, and most of them said, “The ability to work with others.”  It’s not technical skills, but relational skills that are prized in companies.
       Okay, my digression is enough.  How does this apply to your hidden addiction?

Focus On Your Ambition
       Instead of focusing on your addiction, focus on your ambition.
       “Ambition” has a negative meaning today, so let me purify this word.
       By ambition, I mean your vision for your future.
By ambition, I mean the dreams that God has placed in your heart.
So instead of saying, “I’ll stop smoking” 300x a day, say instead, “I’ll be healthy and run the marathon” or “I’ll be healthy and be a Class A badminton player.”
Instead of saying, “I’ll stop eating”, say, “I’ll be healthy, weigh a healthy120 pounds, go to the gym three times a week, play badminton twice a week…”
Instead of saying, “I’ll stop shopping everyday,” say, “Starting next month, I’ll save P5,000 a month, erase all credit card debt by December 2013, and start investing in the Stock market by February 2013, and accumulate P300,000 by December 2015.”
When you focus on your addiction, it depresses you.
When you focus on your ambition, it fuels you with passion.
And what happens when you do that?  As you take baby steps towards fulfilling your ambition, you value yourself more.  You gain confidence.  You gain self-respect.  Little by little, love is being poured into your Love Tank.  The cravings are still there, but they lose its urgency and intensity.

Make Your Dreams MAGIC Dreams
Each Sunday, I preach to 9000+ people in PICC (For more information, call Tel (632) 7259999).  Each Sunday, I teach them how to dream.  So I wrote a Novena to God’s Love Prayer Booklet and gave it to each of them.  (All first timers receive it.)
In that Novena, I ask people to write 7 dreams that they will pray for everyday.  Believe me, people were excited writing down their dreams!
And as they pray for them, I ask them to also take baby steps towards fulfilling them.  In the Novena, I also give instructions that their dreams should be….MAGIC!
       By MAGIC, I mean…

M-   MeasurableDon’t just write, “Have a happy family”; Write instead, “Have a happy family by having separate weekly dates with my spouse and each child starting August 2015”;  Don’t just write, “Have more money”; Write instead, “Earn an additional P15T each month through a side-line by December 2013.”

A -   AmbitiousAgain, I use “ambition” without its negative meaning.  By “ambition”, I simply mean dreaming big dreams!  Small dreams won’t excite you.  But even if they’re ambitious, let your dreams also be attainable at the same time.

G -   GodlyNever dream from greed or selfish ego.  They will make you empty and miserable.  Instead, discover the dreams that God has placed in your heart.  The fulfilment of these dreams should ultimately help you love God and others more.  (And don’t you notice?  G is at the middle.  God should be the center of our dreams.)

I -   ImaginativePut details in your dream.  Make it graphic.  Don’t just write, “Own a house by 2016.”  Describe what kind of house you want.  “Own a 2-bedroom white house with a small garden in Laguna by 2016.”

C – Complete    Have dreams that touch the most important aspects of your life: Spiritual, Family, Financial, Physical…  By succeeding in all areas, you attain Life Balance.

Wise Exchange, Anyone?
       Yesterday, I read a beautiful story.
       One day, a little girl named Jenny was with her mother in the grocery store.  She saw a toy pearl bracelet worth P20.  She became giddy with excitement and asked her mother to buy it for her.  “Are you sure you like it?” her mother asked.
       “Yes, Mommy!  Please, please, please buy it for me!”
       So the mother bought the toy pearls for little Jenny.
       Jenny’s father, who loved her very much, read a bedtime story to Jenny each night.  One night, after reading to her, he asked her, “Jenny, do you love me?”
       “Of course I love you, Daddy,” she said.
       “Can you give me your pearl bracelet?” he asked.
       Little Jenny pouted.  “You can have my princess doll, Daddy, but not my pearl bracelet.  That’s my favorite.”
       Daddy smiled, “That’s okay Jenny, I love you.”  He kissed her good night.
       Seven days later, after another reading session, the father asked again, “Jenny, do you love me?’
       “Daddy, you know that I love you,” the little girl said.
       “Can you give me your pearl bracelet?” he smiled.
       “No Daddy, please.  You can have my brush, my violet pen, and my red hair band.  But not my pearl bracelet!”
       He chuckled.  “That’s okay, hon. I love you,” and kissed her goodnight.
       But a few days later, a teary-eyed Jenny came to her father and said, “Daddy, I love you very much,” and placed in his hand her toy pearl bracelet.
       Her father gave her a big hug and said, “I have a very special gift for you, little girl.”  He pulled out from his pocket a beautiful velvet case with gold lining.  He opened it, showing to her a genuine pearl bracelet. “This is yours.  No more toy pearl bracelet for you, my princess.  You deserve the real one.”
       Friends, this is the kind of wise exchange that God wants to give to us.
       Not foolish exchanges that the “Jacobs” and the “Red Stews” in our lives are offering to us.
       Instead, God wants to take what is cheap and fake in our lives (our addictions), so that He could give us something much, much better (our holy ambitions).
       Give up your addiction.
       Give up what is counterfeit.
Give up what destroys you.
Give up what pulls you away from God and life and happiness.

       Like Jenny, you deserve better.

       May your dreams come true,


       Bo Sanchez