Are You Fulfilling Your Life Purpose?

Imagine a hammer. A solid, shiny, shimmering hammer. Expensive. Made of high-grade steel and first-class polished wood. Now imagine a primitive tribesman from the mountains who has never seen a hammer in his life. He picks up the hammer, likes it immediately, and brings it home. And for the next 50 years, he uses it as a wonderful back scratcher. Scratch. Scratch. Scratch. Thats all it did for 50 years. Friends, many people are like that hammer. Because theyre not fulfilling their life purpose, their greatness doesnt come out. I believe there are four kinds of people on planet earth A. Extremely Unhappy people dont know their life purpose. B. Unhappy people who know their life purpose but dont work on it. C. Happy people who know their life purpose, work at it, but not daily. D. Extremely Happy people who know their purpose and work on it daily! Question: Who are you among these four people?

How do you know your purpose in life? So many people think its complicated. No its not. In fact, all you have to do is ask 2 very simple questions. Here they are: Question #1: What do you love to do? Question #2: Where do you excel? Ive talked about this in my other books, so I wont dwell on it too much. Ive discussed this fully in my Free Ebook, How To Know If Your Dreams Are Gods Dreams. (Grab it at www.BoSanchez.ph) But let me cover the main points here. First Question: What do you love to do?

The 2 Simple Questions That Will Make You Discover Your Life Purpose

Whats the one thing that you do, that when you do it, you feel fire in your belly? Whats your passion? For example, as I write this book to you, I feel whole. Complete. In the zone. I believe I was born to write! However, this first question is only 80% accurate. Proof: Watch the auditions of American Idol. There are some people who love singing, who sing with passion, who sing like there was no more tomorrowbut whose voices can be used to torture terrorists to divulge where Osama Bin Ladin is hiding. As John Maxwell says, youd wonder if they have any real friends. Why has no one told them that their singing voice can cause seizures? But more often than not, we excel in what we love to do, because we do it often and with passion. Thats why the Second Question is 100% accurate in discovering your Life Purpose: Where do you excel? God has given you a special gift thats indelibly connected to your life purpose[1]. This is what I call Gods anointing in your life. To help you discern your Life Purpose, list down your gifts and rate them from 1 to 10, with 10 being excellent. Heres my own inventory of talents: o Cooking: 1 Id rather starve or eat raw, then cook. When I heat water, it disappears. Need I say more? o Fashion: 1 The only reason why I look presentable when I preach is because of my friend and top couturier, Adrian Panganiban, who dresses me up. Otherwise, I will wear teeshirts and sandals everywhere I go. o Mechanical: 1 When my wife asks me to fix things, I obliterate their existence from the face of the earth. Today, Ive learned to fix anything with just one tool: The Telephone. o Dancing: -10

Make An Inventory Of Your Gifts

o o o

I tried. We had a concert where I had to take a few dance steps with the singers. But when I danced on stage, I was like a wooden stick suffering from epilepsy. Athletics: 3 Do you know what PE I chose in High School? Chess. Do you know what PE I chose in College? Health Lectures. I remember that class so well. We were required to wear rubber shoes and do some stretching at the start of each classand all we did was sit down and listen to lectures. Spelling: 3 In a Spelling Exam, I once got 2 out of 20 items. As a kid, I think I was semi-dyslexic but it was never diagnosed. Today, there are so many labels for kids who have a difficult time in school. Hes got a learning disability or The boy has ADHD or She has dyslexia. But back in my time, there were no such thing. I was simply called stupid. Singing: 5 Yep, I have three music albums of all my original compositions. In total, I sold 6000 copies. But dont be impressed. My mother bought half of them to give away to her friends. Drawing: 5 I love to draw. At least my kids love my drawings. Business: 5 Im a late bloomer here. So far, my businesses are doing very well. But I know Ive got a long way to grow. Leadership: 7 I love leading people because leadership is all about loving relationships. But Im a 7 because I need to learn so much more. Writing and Preaching: 9 As you can see, this is my anointing. But Im not a 10 because that would mean I have nothing to learn anymore. Would you believe that even if Ive been preaching for 30 years, Im still honing my craft, watching how other great preachers preach?

Do you know why people are unsuccessful? Two reasons: 1. They dont know their anointing. 2. Or they know their anointing, but dont work on it. I learned that there are two kinds of geniuses in this world. First are the geniuses that win Trivia Game Shows, like Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? Thats not want you want to be. This type of genius is good only for, well, Trivia Game Shows. You want to be the second type of genius: These are people who focus their attention, time, and energy on one thing. Whats your one thing? In my own life, my one thing is communicating Gods love to others. Today, Im probably the highest paid corporate speaker in the country. When companies invite me to speak, I charge then an arm and a leg. I do this in part to raise money for our ministries. Just between you and me, these companies dont know that if they only send their employees to our weekly prayer meetings calledThe Feast, they can hear me preach for free. (Shhh, dont tell anyone I told you this.) But the reason I can charge an arm and leg is because Ive been speaking to crowds for the past 30 years. Starting at age 13, I was preaching everywhere. All for free. Id preach in schools, prisons, old folks homes, barrios, hospitals, and the slums. Even while I was studying in school, Id preach nightly. Caloocan on Sundays, Alabang on Mondays, Cubao on Tuesdays, etc On weekends, Id preach in Laguna, La Union, Ilocos Sur In his book Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell talked about how successful people clocked in an average of 10,000 hours to their craft before they hit it big. Thats me. And that can be you tooif you focus your life on your anointing.

Be a Genius!

Follow Your Anointing

In the Bible, anointing was done for kings and prophets. They would pour a large amount of oil on the persons head, indicating that he is totally set-aside for a specific purpose. Today, we associate anointing for religious professions only: For priests or pastors or preachers only. I dont believe in that. I believe God has anointed people to be entrepreneurs, to be bakers, to be chefs, to be beauticians, to be accountants, to be administrators, to be stock brokers, to be engineers, to be doctors, to be mothers, to be farmers This is how you are to serve others. This is how you are to bless the world. Ed Silvoso, author of Anointed For Business,wrote how he was running three businesses and impacting the marketplace with Gods love. Many times, he would be an informal pastor to his business associates, bringing Gods Presence in smoke-filled rooms and parties. But church people looked down on his profession. They kept badgering him to become a pastor. They said, When are you going to go into the ministry? You dont live by faith but by sight. At work you hang around sinners, people who drink and smoke. You have a calling on your life. Dont be rebellious. Leave everything and go into the ministry. Yet every time the church needed money, they would go to him! Years later, he left his businesses and became a pastor. In the process, he decreased his income by 30 times. But he was doing it out of obedience to God. Yet after a few years, a powerful revelation came to him. He realized that beneath all the shame was an authentic anointing from God to be a businessman. Heres what he learned: That the anointing of a businessman wasnt lower than the anointing of a pastor. Both are necessary in the Kingdom of God. I love that.

Anointed For Business?

A Formula For Mediocrity & Success

Let me tell you why many people live mediocre lives. Because they put 80% of their attention, time, and energy on their weakness, and put 20% of their attention, time, and energy on developing their strengths. If I take this approach, then Ill enroll in Dancing lessons and Culinary Arts. This is insane. Because no matter how much I study, Ill never become a fantastic dancer or a world-class chef. The formula for success is this: First, forget your weakness. Delegate them. Outsource them. And then focus 80% of your attention, time, and energy on developing your strengths. Be the very best in this one thing. And put the last 20% in developing newstrengths. (For me, its running business and creating passive income.) Today, I focus almost all my time in writing and preaching. And Ive tasted great success because of this sharp focus. A flashlight and a laser are both made of the same element: Light. But a laser is a thousand times more powerful than a flashlight because its focused light. A flashlight is pretty harmless, but a laser can cut through the thickest steel. When a person is focused on one thing, he becomes powerful too. After 30 years of preaching, Ive become even more focused. And you should be too! Today, I just dont just have an anointing to preach. Thats too general. Ive discovered that I have an anointing to preach to the Unchurched. In other words, I have an anointing to communicate Gods love to outsiders. To people who arent religious. To people who dont feel comfortable in church. To people who feel distant from God. To people who wont go to prayer meetings.

Im A Preacher For The Marketplace

One day, a woman came up to me and asked, Bo, why dont you preach more about doctrines? Why dont you talk about the deeper spiritual truths? I smiled and said, I love doctrines. There are wonderful priests who can explain them better than I do. Personally, I dont think its my gift. Im a layman, so I preach about the practical things of life. Like how to build a family, or how to handle money, or how to grow in your relationship with God as a lay person immersed in the world. If you check my blog at www.BoSanchez.ph, youll read thousands of comments from my readers. Some of them say something like this: Im not a religious person, but I really like your articles. Wow. When I read that, I know Im hitting my gold. This is my anointing: To talk to those who arent religious. Im anointed to preach not in Churchin the traditional sense of the word. Instead, Im anointed to preach in the Marketplace. (By the way, I consider our prayer meeting, The Feast, a part of the Marketplace. Because The Feast is totally focused on outsiders, not insiders. We welcome everyone. We welcome all seekers. We welcome unbelievers, non-Christians, addicts, adulterers, alcoholics, prostitutes, and believe it or not, even corrupt government officials. We welcome all those who feel they are far from God.) This focusing on my life purpose has blessed me so much. My prayer for you: May you find your anointing and give your whole life to your anointing. And be very happy. May your dreams come true, Bo Sanchez PS1. Expect Financial Blessings for your life! Join my TrulyRich Club and Ill teach you the simple, powerful steps of how to receive more abundance. Ill email you daily and ship you my teaching Audio CDs and DVDs. Youll be blessed. Try it out for two months for FREE. Log on at www.TrulyRichClub.com now! PS2. Attention: Youth and Yuppies who want to earn dollars through the internet. My friend and Internet Guru, Jomar Hilario, will be giving an Internet Marketing

Workshop for Youth and Yuppies on May 8 and 9, 2009. For more details, click here. PS3. Do you want to start a small prayer meeting in your area? My friend Roy Pasimio, our Mission Director in the Light of Jesus, may be able to help you. If you live in Singapore, Malaysia, Ho Chi Minh-Vietnam, Bangkok-Thailand, Hongkong, Macau, Indonesia, South Korea, Brunei, Taiwan, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Dubai, and Qatar, email Roy at rmpasimio@hotmail.com. PS4. Are you interested in homeschooling your child? Weve been homeschooling for 4 years now and its one of the best decisions weve ever made. To learn if you can homeschool your child, log on atwww.CatholicFilipinoAcademy.com now.

[1] 1 Peter 4:10 Just as each one has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good
stewards of the varied grace of God. Filed under: happiness, Dreams, Purpose, Blogs by bosanchez
1. cinderella, on May 5th, 2009 at 12:33 am Said:

70 Responses to Are You Fulfilling Your Life Purpose?

wow! another great article! i was actually waiting for your new blog about 2 hours ago. go

Dont Complain!
By Your Words And Thoughts, Youll Determine If Youll Enjoy The Journey Or Not
Im flying again. On Wednesday, Im starting a fast, blistering, non-stop 10-day trip to US and Canada. In those 10 days, Ill be preaching in 10 cities. No joke. From Los Angeles to San Francisco to Vancouver to New Jersey to Maryland (invite your friends to join me. Click here for my complete itinerary.)

Some people tell me that my schedule isnt fit for a human being. But theres nothing to it, really. Ive done this before, so I know the drill: Fly, preach, fly, preach, fly, preach And inhale oxygen somewhere in between. If I can also catch a small meal in between, praise God. If not, a banana will do. Now you know why Im thin. But Im strong. Ive been a semi-vegetarian for the past 14 years. I also exercise daily. And I live a happy life. Everywhere I go, people ask me, How can you do all that you do? They say my calendar is torture. No, its not. I love what I do. So to me, my calendar is not torture but a thrilling adventure.

Warning: People Who Complain Will Get More Of What Theyre Complaining About
One day, I was standing in a long line in the airport. In front of the X-Ray machines, metal detectors, and tired security personnel. Behind me was a balding middle-aged man who had so much anger in his face, a rock would melt under his gaze. He cursed, F_ck, I cant stand waiting. This is driving me nuts. Dont you just hate long lines? I smiled. My silence was enough to tell him, You have a choice to be happy or miserable. Because at that moment, I felt happy. Because I chose to be happy. I was at peace with God and myself and the entire universe. I ride planes a hundred times a year and Ive long decided never to complain about the long lines. Complaining is useless. Instead, I appreciate the special gifts that long lines give me. Long lines force me to chat with a friend, to read a book, to plan for the next 50 years of my life, to pray, to be totally useless, and to do absolutely nothing. Oh what peace! Dont complain. I know of some people who complain before the trip begins. By doing so, they create the misery that theyll experience. Because their complaints become self-fulfilling prophecies. Thats just how life works.

Instead of Complaining, Imagine How You Want Your Journey To Play Out
Before each trip, I already make a deliberate decision and declare, I will enjoy this amazing trip. The Bible says, Life and death are in the power of the tongue. I believe that. So before leaving for a trip, I confess, My journey will be very blessed! I also do something that I learned from Olympic champions: In my mind, I visualize what I want to happen. Part of an Olympic athletes training is visualization. Each morning, before he even runs, a sprinter will imagine his 100-meter dash. He imagines everything. The sound of the gun. The leap from the starting block. The wind on his face. The cheer of the crowd. The finish lines ribbon on his chest. The gold medal around his neck. And if its good enough for Olympians, I guess its good enough for me too. So before each trip, heres what I imagine o In each talk Ill give, I imagine how my audience will receive Gods love. People will be spiritually nourished. People will experience God as never before. Theyll feel so blessed; theyll tell their friends about the experience. (Hint for Speakers: This is what I imagine before I give any talk. I dont go to the stage without doing this.) o In every human contact Ill have, I imagine how Ill learn from the fascinating people Ill meet. Ill be blessed by my friends, my hosts, and the organizers of each event. And I will bless them with my love and friendship too. (I enjoy meeting withKerygmaFamily members all around the world. If youre not yet a member, sign up at www.kerygmafamliy.com and get my spiritual nourishment for FREE.) o In lull times, whether standing in line or sitting on the plane, Ill read and write and rest and pray. I imagine myself thoroughly enjoying my lull times of quiet and peace. o Ill come home rested, energized, and blessed! My imagination is my prayer. Im claiming that all these will happen in Jesus name.

Life Is A Journey; Its Up To You If Youll Enjoy The Trip Or Not.

Remember: Experience is not what happens to you. Experience is what you do to what happens to you.

Each day, youre moving closer to your destination. Your destination is God. Yet God is not only a destination, He also is your path. So enjoy this journey called life. At every step of the way, God is there. May your dreams come true, Bo Sanchez PS. Build your wealth so you can share it! Join my powerful How To Be Truly Rich Seminar. This seminar will change your financial life. To know more about it, click here. PS2. For serious students only: Do you want to become a true millionaire? Then you need true millionaire Mentors to guide you. Im sharing to you my very own team of millionaire Mentors! Join myTruly Rich Financial Coaching Program. For more information,click here. PS3. Be healthier! Personally, I want to be healthy so I could serve the Lord more. Im learning that our minds and bodies are one. Let Wellness Guru Amado Samia guide you to discover simple, effective, and life-changing ways of attaining wellness for your body, mind, and spirit. Click here for details. PS4. Do you want to earn money through your own business? And do you want to earn money through the internet? These coming months, two powerful seminars can change your financial life! If you want to earn money through the internet, then this is what youve been waiting forClick here for details.

God Waits For You

May I share with you a love story? A true love story. This happened recently. In March 16, 1521, when Magellan came to the Philippines Just kidding. Let me skip a few centuries and fast forward to 1910 (Recent is relative.) This is the love story of Tomas and Magdalena.

Tomas fell in love with a beautiful young lady named Magdalena. (If this happened today, theyd be called Tom and Maggie.) Magdalenas father was a full-blooded Spaniard. Being half-Spanish, she was a mestiza. And her family spoke only Spanish. Tomas was the total opposite. He was a brown-skinned fellow who couldnt speak a single word of Spanish. Perhaps thats an exaggeration. He spoke the few words that we know. Like Pastillas de Leche. Agua Oxenada. And of course, Poso Negro. But he was in love. And he decided to pursue her no matter what. Even if he didnt know how to speak in Spanish, he decided that hed just say the three words he knew. When he knocked on the door of her house, it was Magdalenas father who opened the door. He almost died. The old man said, Buenos dias, Tomas. Tomas swallowed hard and said with a trembling voice, Si. (Okay, he knew four words.) The father pointed to the couch and said, Sienta. Tomas said again, Si. Magdalenas father then asked the young man,Que quieres comer? (Meaning: What do you want to eat?). Tomas didnt understand a thing he was saying. So he just smiled and muttered, Pastillas de Leche. The older man wondered why Tomas was so specific about what he wanted to eat. He then asked him, Que quieres beber? (Meaning: What do you want to drink?). Tomas was again totally lost. He blurted out the second word he knew. Agua Oxenada. Magdalenas father scratched his head, wondering what kind of bafoon he was talking to. He asked, Donde vives? (Meaning: Where do you live?) Of course, he had to say the last word he had in his vocabulary. Poso Negro. Im exaggerating. What really happened was Magdalenas parents told her, Tomas isnt one of us. From now on, Tomas cannot enter into

this house ever again. During that time, a parents word was the final word. Poor Tomas. Broken-hearted, he went to Hongkong to work in a PNB branch there. He wanted to forget the pain of losing Magdalena forever. A new suitor comes into the picture: Pablo. Pablo was a Doctor. More importantly, he wasmestizo and spoke Spanish. And he was accepted by Magdalenas parents right away. And in a few months, Magdalena married Pablo. But soon, Magdalena woke up to a very harsh reality. She discovered that her husband Pablo was a hopeless womanizer. He would have many, many affairs. His infidelities would wound her heart again and again. And after 13 years of a very painful marriage, tragedy struck. One day, Pablo was in his clinic. And a man barged into the door. In his hand was a long knife. And he screamed, I will kill you! Pablo recognized the man. He was the husband of one of his patientsa woman he was courting. Pablo ran to the streets. But he wasnt fast enough. In a busy intersection in Manila, Pablo was stabbed to death. This crime appeared in the newspapers at that time A few days later, Tomas was in Hongkong reading the newspapers. He read about the stabbing and said, Poor guy. He looked at the name of the man who was killedand it sounded familiar. Suddenly, he realized who the man was. And he packed his bags! Even after 13 long years, he was never able to forgot Magdalena. He took the next ship back to Manila. Straight from the port, Tomas went straight to the house of Magdalena.

A Marriage To Another Man

Love Is Sweeter The Second Time Around

On that fateful morning, Magdalena couldnt believe her eyes when she opened the door. It was like a scene from the movie of Bea and John Lloyd. Imagine it. Framed in the doorway was a familiar figure. It looked like Tomas! At that moment, time stopped. Everything became a blur. Was it really him? The sunlight was behind him. Magdalena looked closer. For a long time, no one spoke. Finally, Magdalena said, Tomas? Tomas smiled and said, Magdalena There in front of her, on her doorsteps, was a man she once loved many, many years ago. But for Tomas, it was very different. He had never stopped loving her. So he courted her again and serenaded her again. And he won her heart. One year after, they got married. They only had one child. And they named her Pilar. Pilar grew up, got married and had 6 children. And named the 6th child, Bo. If youre single, Im not talking to you. I dont want you to be like my grandpa Tomas. If your beloved chose someone else, move on. You see, my Lolo was a little bit insane. Who would wait for 13 years when the person you love chose someone else, married someone else, and had a life of her own? (Magdalena had one child with Pablo.) But Im not speaking to singles. Im speaking to everyone. Because my grandpa Tomas reminds me of God. God is also a little bit insane. How many times have you rejected God? (I know Ive rejected his call many times.) How many times did you choose someone or something else? Sin? Materialism? Pride? Addiction? Yet God doesnt walk out on you. He doesnt abandon you. He never says, If you dont like me, I dont like you too.

Grandpa Tomas Is A Little Bit Insane

Instead, God waits. And He wont stop waiting. He waits until you allow Him to love you. He waits until we allow Him to become a Hero for us. Remember our definition of hero? Someone who loves somebody more than himself. Friend, thats a perfect description of who God is. God loves you more than He loves Himself. Thats why He ended up on a crossfor you. God is your hero. May your dreams come true, Bo Sanchez

God Is Your Hero

How To Avoid Getting Sick

I remember my college days. Going to Ateneo everyday was tough. If I drove Dads car, it would take me 20 minutes. But usually, Dads car wasnt free. (Boohoo.) So I rode the public jeepney almost everyday. And it would take me an hour to go through the traffic. Why that long? Three Reasons.

First, Jeepney drivers are very friendly, sociable guys who like to stop in the middle of the road to chitchat with other drivers. Second, Jeepney drivers drive very slowly, because they use secondhand engines that overheat if they go faster than 30 kph. Third, Jeepney drivers are known to wait for passengers to fill their seats. So even if the passenger was still inside his home, eating his breakfast or taking a showerthe driver will still wait for him. Im kidding. Just having fun here. Heres my point: If youre not the driver, you can only complain. Friend, in any vehicle, there are really only two seats: The Drivers seat and the Riders seat. Let me ask you this big question In the vehicle of your life, where are you seated?

Where Youre Seated Spells The Difference

A lot of people are Riders. They dont take charge. All they do is complain. Why am I not getting a promotion in my job? Why is my relationship not working? Why am I so sickly? Let me give you a universal principle you can take to the bank: The amount of blessings youll receive is in direct

proportion to the amount of responsibility youre willing to take. The more responsibility you take in, the more blessings you take in as well. Blessings and Responsibility are really two sides of one coin. Do you want more blessings? Take more responsibility. Let me give you an example. Why does a manager earn more than a messenger? Because the manager has more responsibility than a messenger. This principle applies in your spiritual life too. If you want more blessings for your spiritual life, youve got to take charge over your spiritual needs. And this applies to your health as well. What am I saying? When it comes to your life, dont be a Rider. God calls you to be the Driver. God wants you to hold the steering wheel of your life. God wants you to take charge. Take charge over your finances. Take charge over your relationships. And take charge over your health! You have more control over your health than you think.

The Bible says that if you follow God and take care of your health, youll avoid many diseases. (Exodus 15:26) Obviously, there are many exceptions. But generally, there are many health benefits to following God. Let me give you three prescriptions on how to avoid disease.

3 Prescriptions
One of the best things you can do for your health is to take charge how much toxins you take into your body. To do this, you need to follow these three crucial prescriptions, all of them requiring that you take chargeof your health: Prescription #1: Clean Living Prescription #2: Natural Eating Prescription #2: Holistic Healing

Prescription #1: Clean Living

Youll be amazed by this. The Bible was so ahead of its time when it came to hygiene and sanitation. This is mind blowing, considering that Biblical authors had no scientific understanding of germs yet, something that Louis Pasteur would discover only in the year 1860. Let me give you four examples

Example 1: Quarantine Contagious Diseases

Because our kids are small, all of us sleep in one room. (Its a win-win. The kids love it because theyre with Mommy and Daddy. And Mommy and Daddy love it because we save on electricity!) But when one of us gets sick, that person sleeps in a separate roomto avoid spreading the sickness. The Bible talked about this a long time ago. It talked about separating people with leprosy and other contagious diseases (Leviticus 13:46). Even their clothes were to be burned.

But centuries later, these simple procedures were forgotten. Thus, from the year 1000 to 1200, leprosy killed millions of people in Europe. And in the 14thcentury, also in Europe, the Black Death or the Bubonic plague killed more than 60 million people. Let me give you a rather obvious example.

Example 2: Toilet Training

Would you believe? Toilet training is in the Bible. The Bible tells the Israelites to have a place outside the camp where you can go when you need to relieve yourselves. Carry a stick as part of your equipment, so that when you have a bowel movement you can dig a hole and cover it up. (Deuteronomy 23:13-14) In the newer Bible versions, it says, Carry a stick and toilet paperpreferably double ply Just kidding. Back in those days, you couldnt flush. So people used a stick. The key here was to dig your dumpand cover with soil. But during the middle ages, this simple sanitary method wasnt done in the many capital cities of Europe. Especially in the slums. In fact, the common practice was that people just dumped their poop on the street. Imagine the flies. Imagine the rats. Imagine the stink. And imagine the epidemics of cholera, dysentery, and typhoid fever that exploded in those cities. All I can say is, Thank God we can flush!

When I was a kid, Mom forcedme to take a bath. I dont remember now why, but bathing to me was like water torture. But the Bible was pretty big on washing (Numbers 19:1122). It even gave the ingredients for soapso that hand-washing will take more than 15 secondsenough to remove the germs.

Example 3: Take A Bath

During Biblical times, this was a religious ritual. Today, we realize its a very important hygienic practice. But during the middle ages, bathing fell out of custom. Are you ready to be shocked again? During the middle ages, in Europe, most people took a bath one, two, three, or four times in their whole life. Im not kidding. In Old Testament times, religion supported bathing. In the middle ages, religion supported not bathing. For example, the monks felt it was vain to take a bath. St. Francis of Assisi believed that to be dirty was a sign of a holy person. Even St. Benedict recommended that those who are young and strong should seldom take a bath. It was said that St. Catherine of Siena avoided washing. And St. Agnes, who died at the age of 13, had never taken a bath. Queen Isabella of Spain was proud to say that she only took two baths in her whole lifetime. And Queen Elizabeth of England was seen as a very vain woman. Why? Because she bathed once a month.

Example 4: Sexual Purity For A Healthy Life

The Bibles Laws on Sex were also Laws on Health. When people hear the 6th commandment, Dont commit adultery (Exodus 20:14), some say, God is just a killjoy. He doesnt want us to have fun. But the opposite is true. He wants us to have the greatest joy in the world. And the only way to do that is to be sexually faithful. When youre faithful to your spouse, you dont only get blessed spiritually, you also get blessed physically. How? You virtually make the entire army of venereal diseases not your personal concern. Theyre irrelevant. Im talking about syphilis, gonorrhea, herpes, hepatitis B, and AIDS.

Condoms And Antibiotics Dont Solve The Problem

When I was in college, I heard a classmate tell another classmate, Just use a condom. With that piece of rubber in their pocket, they felt safe. But its now a scientific fact: Condoms minimize the chances of getting the infection, but the failure rate is still alarming. Especially for AIDS, condoms wont completely protect you. Imagine this scenario. Youre in a theme park. And youre lining up for the giant Roller Coaster ride. After buying the ticket, you turn it over and see this written at the back: Warning: Roller Coaster can spin off and disengage from the track, causing certain death, 15% of the time. To the 85% who wont die, enjoy your ride. Now tell me, will you still ride? I dont think so. The same thing is happening with antibiotics. For awhile, antibiotics were curing many people from venereal diseases. When I was a teenager, I remember listening to a liberated teacher telling us, Before visiting a prostitute, take 500 milligrams of antibiotics. After sex, take another 500 milligrams. And youll be okay. Not true. Today, drug-resistant bacteria of venereal diseases are spreading all over the world. Because of this, sexually transmitted diseases are now more deadly, more dangerous, and more contagious than ever before.

How Widespread Is STD?

This information shocked me. World Health Organization (WHO) says that one million people are being infected by venereal diseasesevery single day. When we watch TV, were awed by the beautiful and handsome young people that jump from one bed to another. In the sitcoms and movies we watch, sex is nothing more than a recreational activitymuch like dancing and videogames. We envy their freedom.

We want their pleasure. But Hollywood isnt showing you the darker side: In America, 1 out of 4 teenage girls have a venereal disease. Among those who said they already had sex, 40% has a venereal disease. Worldwide, 35 million people in the world have AIDS. Appalled? Thats nothing when you compare that to Hepa B. Worldwide, Hepatitis B has now infected 2 billion people. Thats 1 out of 3 people in the entire world. Take charge over your health. Practice Prescription 1: Clean Living. Heres my second prescription

Germs arent your only enemy. We now have new enemies: Modern, manmade Toxins. And its in our food. Let me tell you about Jack Lalanne, a Fitness Teacher. He is 96 years old. At his age, he still works out twice a day. Thats 2 hours of weight training in the morning and another 2 hours of swimming or walking in the afternoon. When people ask him whats his best advice for becoming healthy, he tells them, If man made it, dont eat it. Once upon a time, we ate food made by God. I love it when the Bible says, and they ate what grew in the fields. They found wild honey among the rocks; their olive trees flourished in stony ground. Their cows and goats gave plenty of milk; they had the best sheep, goats, and cattle, the finest wheat, and the choicest wine (Deuteronomy 32:12-14). I agree with Jack Lalanne. I believe many people are sick today because of the amount of processed food we eat. Heres what you need to watch out for

Prescription #2: Natural Eating

1. Zero Nutrition

Many times, all the nutrition in processed food has been wiped out by its process. But the packaging say its enriched because they put a few vitamins in it. Crazy.

2. Preservatives and Additives

Because food companies want to increase their products shelf life, theyve loaded them with preservatives. Because they want their food to be tasty yet cheap (and increase profits), they put additives and other chemicals to make them taste like the real thing. And many of these chemicals are not healthy for us.

3. Chemicals In Our Meat

A few years back, a chick required 45 days to become a fully-grown chicken. Today, because of these chemicals, growth hormones, and antibiotics, some chickens are ready for harvesting at only 28 days. A cow, by its natural self, produces 500 gallons of milk a year. Today, super cows produce 20,000 to 30,000 gallons of milk a year. Thats because of the chemicals that they inject into these animals. (Super cows dont move around anymore. Theyre held by a steel frame. And theyve got tubes connected to their udders 12 hours a day.) These chemicals are what we ingest when we eat or drink their produce. By nature, cows are vegetarian. But in many parts of the world, cows and pigs have become cannibals. They eat their own kind. How? To increase their bulk, protein has been added to their feeds. And the most available protein would come from dead cows and pigsusually who died of sickness. Their carcasses, even their bones, are crushed to powder and mixed with the animal feeds. Some scientists believe that this is the main cause of the foot and mouth disease.

My Recommendations
Heres my advice: Eat natural foods as much as possible. Decrease your processed food intake. For breakfast, instead of eating hotdogs, tocino,pancakes, white bread, and sugared drinks, I suggest papaya, pineapple,

melon, watermelon, banana, mangoes and other local fruits. (Organic if possible. If not available, wash them very well.) For snacks, instead of chichiria, sodas, and bottled juices, eat kamoteng kahoy, raw nuts, and fresh fruit juices (made in your home). For lunch and dinner, instead of corned beef, instant noodles, and white rice, I suggest kangkong, okra, talbos, lato, carrots, other vegetable salads, tofu, fish, and unpolished rice. If you want to eat meat, look for organic meat. These are grass-fed cattle and free-range chickens. These are more difficult to find but not impossible. Once again, take charge over your health. Eat natural food. Heres my third prescription

Prescription #3:
Before I discuss this, let me state an obvious fact: I believe doctors are Gods gifts to us. (Sirach 38:12-14) We need doctors. Imagine its New Years Eve and I get hit with a stray bullet. Please rush me to the hospital, slice me up, and pull out the metal slug. Dont ask, Bo, what are the emotional roots of your bullet wound? Once again, we need doctors. However, I also believe many get sick because of overmedication and wrong medication. In a study made by the National Institutes of Health, they say that between 35 to 40 percent of all hospital patients are there because of wrong medical care. Perhaps it was a misdiagnosis. Perhaps the patient was given the wrong medicine. Perhaps the patient received too much medicines.

Holistic Healing

Perhaps the medicines had side effects. Perhaps while in the hospital, the patient got infected with another sickness. This was a study made in the States. Somehow, I want to believe its not that bad here in the Philippines. (For example, my friend doctors are more spiritual and relational in nature.) Whenever possible, I always tell people to take the least invasive medical procedureand be more invasive when it comes to changing their emotional life, spiritual life, lifestyle, and diet.

See Yourself As Body And Soul

My friend, Dr. Romy Paredes, MD, emailed me last month, and he explained it to me this way The bottom line truth: The immune system is a divinely designed system. But this was not emphasized in Medical school. What was emphasized was what drug to give for every disease. Ironically, my favorite subject in Med school (and also the subject where I got my highest grade 1.0, hehe) is pharmacologyonly to find out that somewhere later in my career, I decided to walk the less travelled road of medicine Prescription pads nowadays are filled with drugs. That was how I was trained. Now I prescribe water, sunlight, words like forgive, love more, spend more time with your loved ones, a minimal amount of supplements,

I agree with him. Because 99% of the time, medicines suppresses the symptoms but never cures the cause of the sicknesswhich can be emotional, spiritual, or nutritional in nature. Heres what I mean: When a person comes to me with ulcers, chest pains, back problems, cancers, I advice him not just to pop a pill or go under a knife, but to look at his entire life body, soul, and spirit. I ask him to awaken the healer within himself. I ask him to ask himself, Whats causing this disease? 85% of the time, its an unresolved emotion buried in his heart. Heavy stress. A relationship conflict. A spiritual problem. 15% of the time, its a very unhealthy lifestyle that needs to change. A lack of real nutrition. (You can be fat but totally malnourished.) A lack of exercise. A lack of sunlight. A lack of oxygen. A lack of rest. So I ask him, Dont just pop a pill. Change your life. Let me tell you a story that happened just last week

Instead of Popping Pills,

Last Tuesday, my 5-year old son Francis woke up coughing. By afternoon, he had fever. A few years back, we wouldwithout much thoughtgive him paracetamol and cough syrup. If the cough and fever didnt go away, wed give him antibiotics. Today, were much wiser. What do we do? We awaken the healer in our kids. Believe me, its the most powerful thing weve ever seen.

Awaken The Healer

Starve A Fever

Havent you noticed? When we get sick, we usually lose our appetite. Theres a purpose to this. Our bodies are telling us something. Observe your pets. When they get sick, they dont want to eat too. They stay in a corner and sleep or sulk. Years ago, when our kids got sick, we force-fed them. We scolded them, Eat your rice! Eat your chicken! So youll have energy to fight the germs! We no longer do that craziness. When were sick, we lose our appetites (our tongues cant even taste food) because our bodies are telling us a simple message: Dont eat. I want to useall my energy fighting the disease. Remember that digestion takes up huge amounts of energy. Your body wants to focus on defense. So what do we do now when our kids get sick? We arm their immune system with weapons necessary for the fight. How? When Francis got sick last week, we made him drink fresh fruit juices. We threw in fresh fruits in a blender. Watermelon. Mango. Melon. Banana. Any local fruits we could get our hands on. For the entire day, that was all he had. Virtually no solids. He wasnt hungry anyway. He lay down on the coach, in the arms of Mommy, watching Jurrasic Park, sipping his fresh fruit juicemany times that day. Heres the amazing thing: The following day, his fever and cough were gone. We couldnt believe it. The Healer in him won! (Note: If a child still has fever for more than three days, thats the time you bring him to a doctor.)

Let Natural Food Be Your Medicine

A Disclaimer
Im not a doctor.

So please. Before you apply what Im asking you to do, consult your doctor. Ask a second, third, and fourth opinion. Like my friend Dr. Romy, there are a growing number of doctors who are growing dissatisfied with the mechanical model of their medical practice. And in their own way, theyre practicing Holistic Healing. More and more, theyre realizing that people arent machines. Theyre body and souland if you want to heal the body, you have to heal the soul too.

Friend, take charge of your life. Hold the steering wheel of your life. Go to the place of health, healing, and abundance. May your dreams come true, Bo Sanchez PS. Take Charge of your Financial Life This August 7. Dont get stuck in your debts. Dont get stuck in your financial problems. Grow your income. Secure your financial future. Many of my friends who are now enjoying financially freedom began their journey in my powerful seminar. But you have to sign up quickly. Sign up right away because seats are limited. For more information, click here now. PS2. Learn How To Create Your Wealth; Join myTruly Rich Financial Coaching Program on August 20 and 21. These intensive two whole days wi

How To Enjoy Your Life: Live In Your Now!

One evening, a man was walking in a dark jungle. Suddenly, he saw what seemed like a tiger running towards him. Horrified, the man ran away as fast as he could. But alas, he didnt know, he was running towards the edge of a high cliff. Below him was a thousand meter dropand sure death. He was able to stop and turn around. In the darkness, he saw the tiger moving towards him. Instantly, he made a decision. He said to himself, Id rather die by falling than by a hungry tiger! So he closed his eyes and jumped off the cliff. But instead of falling a thousand meters, he landed just a few meters down on a hanging vine! It was actually a root of an old tree that was jutting out of the cliff. He was saved! But suddenly, from out of nowhere, he saw a big rat crawl out of a little hole. It ran to the base of the vine he was holding and it began to eat through it! At anytime, the vine will snap. He was a dead man for sure. From the corner of his eye, he saw something red. It was a strawberry. A little strawberry plant was growing in the side of the cliff. What should he do? He plucked the red fruit. Placed it in his mouth. Closed his eyes. Chewed it. Licked his lips. Mmmm It was the most delicious meal he ever had in his life! I can hear you now. Bo, what happened to the guy? How did the story end? Thats the point. There is no end. We dont know what happened to the man.

God Gives Strawberries Every Moment

But this we know: He enjoyed his strawberry. You and I are like that man. We hang onto life by a vine. Actually, our life hangs by a thread. At any moment, that thread can snap. You can die anytime. (My 31-year old cousin died this way. A vein burst in his brain and boom, he was gone. Last night, he slept strong. The next morning, he was dead.) The rat eating the thread you hang on is time. Every single day that passes is one day closer to your death. Every single step you take is one step closer to your tomb. Our lives are short. Very short. I love what Fulton Oursler said: We crucify ourselves between two thieves: Regret for yesterday and fear of tomorrow. Friend, protect yourself from these two thieves. How? Surrender your regrets and fears to God. Live in your Now. There are three kinds of people. First are people who focus on tomorrowwaiting and waiting and waiting. (More on this later.) Second are people who focus on yesterdayon how bad or how good it was. Some people are fixated to the past, they pine for the good ol days. They dont see the blessings of today. Be the third kind of person who lives in their Now. Right this moment, youre swimming in an ocean of blessings! Miracles surround you. Supernatural provision. Divine appointments. God-coincidences. Gods presence. Gods peace. Gods joy. Gods love! Theyre everywhere.

Enjoy Gods Blessings Now

But heres the problem: Sometimes, you cant even see the blessings. So we end missing them. (What a waste.) And we even end up complaining, God doesnt love me. Why are we blind to our blessings? Because were not awake. Were not mindful. Were not aware. Were not grateful. Because we dont live in the Now. My big message for you: If you want to be happy, you must live in your Now. Live in the present moment. Be awake. Be aware. Be mindful. Be conscious. Embrace whats happening now. Enjoy your blessings now. Embrace Gods love today! One day, Jack and Poy met on the road. Jack noticed that Poy looked very sad, almost weepy. He asked him, Whats wrong, Poy? Poy cried, Three weeks ago, my aunt died and left me an inheritance of P100,000. Jack was surprised. Well, that isnt too bad. Poy shook his head. Thats not the end of the story. Two weeks ago, my uncle died and left me an inheritance of P500,000. My gosh, Id like that, Jack said. Poy wailed and said, Thats not all. Last week, my grandfather died and left me an inheritance of P2 Million. Jack was blown away. He said, Thats fantastic! Why are you so sad? Poy cried and said, Because this week, nothing! No one died!

You Cant Live On Yesterdays Manna

Whats the problem of Poy? He got fixated with his past blessings. But you cant live on yesterdays manna. God gives different blessings each day. Learn to appreciate what God is giving you today that may be different from what He gave yesterday. But theres a third group of people who live in their Now. These people enjoy each moment that God gives to them. These people enjoy the strawberries of God. Strawberries are found only in your Now. In your present moment. Make a choice today to enjoy the strawberries of life!

Do you want to be happy? One key to happiness is mastering the Art of Being. Were supposed to be Human Beings. But were so busy, weve become Human Doings. Were not present in the here and now. So let me give you now the golden rule of living in the present moment: Wherever you are, be there. Even during the difficult moments of your life. Do you get annoyed when o you get stuck in traffic? o you wait in the doctors clinic for a long time? o youre rushing and then receive a phone call? o you stand in a long line in the grocery? o your kid asks you for something while youre resting? o your friend drops by when youre busy? Instead of being annoyed, I suggest you receive these interruptions as a gift from Heaven. I also call these the Gift of Pause.

Question: Are You A Human Being Or Human Doing?

I repeat: Wherever you are, be there. This may sound strange, but Ive come to enjoy traffic. Why? When Im in traffic, Im forced to do nothing. So I focus on God. I reflect on my blessings. I become deeply grateful. Every time Im stuck in traffic, Im given a wonderful opportunity to practice the art of being. To live in the present moment. I can hear you now. Bo, youre nuts. Then the next story may change your mind.

One day, survivors from the 9/11 tragedy had a small gathering. On that day, they shared the reasons why they were still alive. They were alive because of small, insignificant interruptions. One man was late for work because his son started kindergarten that morning. For another guy, it was his turn to bring donuts for the staff. Another guy put on a new pair of shoes that morning. But along the way to work, he developed a blister. So he stopped by a drugstore to buy a band-aid. And thats why he was still alive. Interruptions are not so bad after all. Friend, next time youre annoyed because youre stuck in traffic. Or you have to answer a phone call. Or you have to repair your car. Or any other little thing that may annoy you Thank God for that Gift of Peace, the Gift of Pause. Remember: Where you are now is exactly where God wants you to be. One day, I was in the airport for a 12noon flight for Cebu.

Where You Are Now Is Exactly Where God Wants You To Be

Enjoy Life Wherever You Are

And then I heard the dreaded announcement come. There will be a delay for our flight to Cebu. Projected time of departure is at 7pm. You should have heard the uproar. People went wild. Everyone rushed to the counter. I pitied the airline staff. They faced an angry mob that was ready to lynch them. Hey, I totally understand them. Some of them had meetings, appointments, etc. One guy in that mob broke the Guiness of World Records for the number of curse words a human can say in one minute. The other guy beside him was multi-lingual. He cursed in 7 different languages. English, Tagalog, Cebuano, Waray, I waited on my seat until everyone was gone. I stood up and approached the hapless, frazzled young woman behind the desk. Im happy the flight is delayed, I smiled. The girl couldnt quite understand me. Excuse me? she asked. I smiled again, I said Im happy the flight is delayed. Im sure theres a good reason for it. And thank you very much for doing a good job despite what happened. She smiled back, Thank you, sir. I thought she wanted to hug me. I went back to my seat and I felt like a little boy on Christmas Eve. Because I had this giant gift in front of me: 7 hours of doing nothing. I felt so happy. I prayed. I read. I wrote. I talked to the people beside me. I walked for my exercise. I ate. I had a mini-vacation right there in the airport! Sure, I had a talk in Cebuand I might come late. But I told myself, I am where I am because God wants me to be here. My talk in Cebu was supposed to be 7pm. I arrived at 9pm. I was two hours late. But when I arrived, the church was still full. People didnt leave. While I wasnt there, our local leaders preached to them.

And I gave my talk. So people told me, We didnt have a prayer meeting. We had a recollection! They were blessed. I was blessed.

Slow Down!
Get rid of hurry from your life. John Ortberg said, Hurry isnt just a disordered schedule but a disordered heart. I agree. Because of this, he says that our society is rich in things but extremely poor in time. We dont have time for family, for people, for relationships. We dont have time for ourselvesto reflect, to pray, to breathe, to rest, to enjoy Gods blessings now. The solution? Learn to slow down. Here are tips (some from me and some from John Ortberg) on how to remove hurry from our lives. 1. Deliberately drive in the slow lane on the expressway. If you do this, youll arrive home perhaps ten minutes later. But youll be less angry, less stressed, and less tired. Heres what you can do: Pray for all the cars that go ahead of you. Sing a song to God. Imagine God seated beside you. 2. Deliberately park at the farthest spot available in the parking lot. Result? You wont have to fight over the nearest parking spots; You wont have to circle around for hours; and youre giving your body exercise by the extra walk. 3. Deliberately choose the longest line in the grocery. We usually look for the shortest. Do the opposite. Look for the longest line. You can be sure no one will fight you over it. Enjoy. Pray. Smile. Bless the people around you. 4. Deliberately chew your food slowly. As my friend says, Food is Gods love made edible. So enjoy your food. Relish it. Savor the taste. Itll help your digestion. More importantly, itll calm you. Youll

appreciate your food more. Youll be more grateful to God for your food. 5. Deliberately put people before things. Waste time with your loved ones. Laugh, play, and do nothing together. Learn the art of being as a group. Last week, I brought all the top leaders of Light of Jesus to the beach for three days. We played charades together. We looked pretty insane. It was wonderful. People ask me why Light of Jesus has remained strong after 30 years. One reason: We play a lot. We have 4 vacations a year! 6. Deliberately take time to enjoy Gods Presence alone. Each day, spend ten, fifteen, or thirty minutes hanging out with God. Just simply be with Him. Just rest in Him. You can sit before the Blessed Sacrament. Or go under a tree or take a walk. God says, Be still and know that I am God. 7. Deliberately stop watching TV. People watch an average of 4 hours of TV everyday. That means when you reach 65 years old, you would have spent 9 years of your life watching TV. You wake up one day and ask yourself, Where did my life go? Remember that failure is not an act but a habit. Instead of watching TV, read a book instead. Or hold an entertainment night as a family. Or sing together. Or take up a hobby. Or play a musical instrument. Or volunteer and serve God in a ministry. 8. Deliberately take lots of vacations. People work non-stop all their life, retire at age 65, and take a long vacation. Usually, they drop dead after a few years. Because they lose their purpose. Ill teach you a better way, and Ive been practicing this for some years now: Take lots of mini-vacations now and never retire! I take about 10 small vacations a year, usually with family and friends. And I cant retire because Im not working. Both my ministry and business is just so much fun.

A lot of people just wait. When were 8, we wait to be 13. When were 13, we wait to be 18. When were in school, we wait to get a job. When were single, we wait to get married. When weve got babies, we wait for them to grow up quick. When weve got teens, we wait for them to mature. When were working, we wait for our retirement. But if you really live in your Now, youll never wait again in your life. We enjoy where we are. When someone is late and says to you, So sorry to keep you waiting, you should say, I wasnt waiting. I was enjoying life. I was breathing in Gods love. I was living and happy and blessed. Of course, if you say that, people will think youre kookoo or had shabu for breakfast. But that is essentially what living in your Now is. You dont really wait. Because waiting means youre attention is focused on your future. Not you. Youre attention is focused on your Now. And youre grateful for that Now. Example? If youre single, dont wait for a husband. Enjoy your singleness now. Embrace your freedom. Breathe in the blessings of God. Embrace His peace. Love His presence. If youre still childless, dont wait for a baby. Enjoy your marriage now. Embrace your life today. Be blissful where you are. If youre still financially hard-up, dont wait for prosperity. Be grateful for the prosperity you have now. And because gratitude attracts what youre grateful for, this will attract more prosperity. After my talk, a woman came up to me and said, Bo, my husband passed away 3 months ago. Im so sorry to hear that, I said.

Dont Ever Wait Again!

Enjoy Your Imperfect Now

Can I ask a favor? Can you give this message to all the wives out there? She closed her eyes as tears rolled down her cheeks. I didnt speak. I let her cry. She went on. My husband wasnt perfect. But Ill give anything to hold his hand again. Ill give anything to sit beside him now. Ill give anything to hear him laugh. Ill give anything to serve him again. But I cant. Its impossible. So please Bo. Tell the wives to enjoy their imperfect husbands while they can. Because it wont be forever. I will tell them, I said. I prayed for and gave her a hug. To this day, I tell her story in my talks often. Enjoy your imperfect Nowyour spouse, your kids, your parents, your in-laws, your friends. I love it when the Bible says, But Jesus would go away to lonely places where he prayed. (Luke 5:16). I love it because if its good for Jesus, it must be good for me too. In fact, Jesus also invited his friends to do exactly the same thing. There were so many people coming and going that Jesus and his disciples didnt even have time to eat. So he said to them, Let us go off by ourselves to some place where we will be alone and you can rest for a while. (Mark 6:31) I have two last things to say to you. First of all, you will never be alone. Jesus says, Lets go off by ourselveswhere we will be alone. That means Hell bring you there. Hell meet you there. Hell accompany you in your trials. Hell never let you go. Second, I believe that alone place doesnt have to be a geographical place. That alone place is actually within you. In the middle of noisy traffic, you can go to your heart. Be quiet. Be alone. Be open. And breathe in Gods love. Enjoy your Now.

Rest In God

May your dreams come true, Bo Sanchez PS. Last Call For My Independence Seminar! I love the date of my next How To Be Truly RichSeminar: June 12. Coincidence? Or a sign that many people will declare financial independence over your life. Many will receive financial abu

Is Your Love Genuine Or Fake?

Buy

Rolex. $20 only. A moustached guy offered it to me while walking in a busy street. Wow. Didnt Rolex watches sell at $5000 each? Because he thought I was interested, the man opened his jacket and displayed other designer watchessuch as Patek Phillip, Cartier, and Omega. Choose what you want. $20 only each. That was shocking. I knew some high-end Patekwatches cost $200,000. So how in the world could this man be selling them for $20? Too bad for the watch guy, I dont use watches. Stopped using them 25 years ago. To know the time, I look at the sun. On a cloudy day, I look at someone elses watch. But my buddy bought a $20 Rolex. It was a steal, he said. Hey, it looked like a Rolex. It worked like aRolex. It felt like a Rolex. But it wasnt a Rolex. Five months later, my friend was sad because his watch broke down. I told him, What did you expect?

Let me use this to explain why we have problems in our relationships. Why do so many marriages have problems today? Because many couples built their marriage on a pirated version of Love, not Love. The pirated version of Love is Infatuation. There was a time when I thought Infatuation was only for pimple-faced teenyboppers. Not true. Old fogies like myself arent exempted. Not that Infatuation is a bad thing. Its totally normal. Infatuation only becomes a bad thing if a person thinks it was Love. I repeat: Infatuation is like a pirated copy of Love. Foolish people think the pirated copy is real. When it breaks down, they panic or get depressed. They realize its fake. And their whole world crumbles. Wise people know Infatuation is a pirated copy. They enjoy it while it lasts, but they know it was brittle and wouldnt last. So secretly, they also bought the genuine article. (Note: Pirated versions are given; Real versions are bought. Ill explain later.) So when the pirated version breaks down, the wise person does the great switcheroo. He pulls out the real thing. Today, Ill tell you how to spot the genuine from the fake. Ill describe the real dealand how its the only thing that can save your marriage. But not only your marriage, but every other relationship you have. Oh yes, so many people have relationship problems with their parents, or children, or siblings, or friendsbecause they dont know what Real Love is. Im going to explain to you that Real Love is about dirty hands, not beating hearts. Let me explain how this great switcheroo works Father, we want to get married. When the engaged couple went to the priest to schedule their wedding, their hearts were beating for each other. It was so

How To Do The Great Switcheroo

Ngooorrrk!

loud, the priest could actually hear it. Dubdub. Dubdub. Dubdub. But hes seen this before. How sweet lovebirds end up almost killing each other a year after the wedding. So he warned them, As you know, feelings of love wont last. And the couple said, We know Father. But at the back of their minds, theyre saying, We know Father that feelings of love wont last for everyone else. But not for us. How can this feeling be fake when its as strong as a roaring volcano? It is as clear as the noonday sun, as eternal as the waves of the sea, as beautiful as the stars in the night sky. After the wedding ceremony, they have their honeymoon. On their first night, the new husband watches his bride asleep, the moonlight streaming from the bedroom window onto her lovely face. He gazes at her long eyelashes, her pinkish cheeks, her parted lips. All of a sudden, she snores. Ngooorrrk. What does he say? How cute. Six months later, its the same scene. Theyre at home. The guy sees his wife asleep, with the moonlight streaming from the window onto her face. All of a sudden, she snores. Ngooorrrk. What does he say? How gross. What happened? Infatuation, the pirated version of love, disappeared. Real Love must now kick in. But only if he has it. Let me give you another example. How do you know if a couple in the restaurant are not married? Easy. If theyre physically close, touching each other, hand to hand, eye to eye, nose to nose, bad breath to bad breath theyre not married.

From Gazing To Gossiping

Look underneath their table, and if their legs are intertwined and theyre playing footsies together, theyre not married. If they dont look at anything else but each other, theyre not married. If nuclear bombs fall right beside them and they wont even notice, theyre not married. If a flash flood engulfs the entire restaurant and all the guy could say was, Sweetheart, I love the color of your eyes as it reflects the brownish floodwater around us, you can bet your life, theyre not married. And how do you know if a couple in a restaurant are married? Easy. If theyre seated far apart, so far a part, a six by six truck could pass in between them, theyre married. If they look bored, theyre married. If the whole night, all they do is talk about other people, theyre married. The wife whispers, Dont look at her, but the woman behind you is wearing fake eyelashes, fake jewellery, a fake Coach bag, fake anatomical parts, and a fake husband. Being dense, the man turns around and asks, Where? Where? Once upon a time, they had eyes only for one another. Now, they barely look at each other. What has happened? Infatuation, the pirated version of love, disappeared. Real Love must now kick in. But only if they have it. Let me now share five clear-as-daylight differences between Infatuation and Real Love: 1. Infatuation doesnt require a decision. It just happens. You see a girl and boomyour hormones kick in and you want her. You dont know why. Its her dress. Its the way her hair falls on her shoulder. Its her smile. Its the way she bites her fingernail. Thats why I said that pirated versions are free. But Real Love doesnt just happen; Real Love requires a decision. Thats why Scott

Spot The Difference

Peck says Real Love can only start after one has fallen out of love. 2. Infatuation, no matter what you do, lasts only for a season. You have these feelings of love swirling within you until something happens that breaks the spell. Maybe shell open her mouth. Maybe shell reveal her fangs. Maybe shell pick her nose. Maybe shell spend your money. Maybe shell introduce you to her mother. Maybe she gains 30 pounds. It could be anything. Infatuation can last for a few days or for a couple of years. But Real Love can last forever precisely because its a decision. 3. Infatuation is directed towards a figment of your imagination. Youre not attracted to a real person. Youre attracted to a projection of that person from your own imagination. Like Infatuation itself, youre in love with a fake. But Real Love is directed towards a real person. You now know her strengths and weaknesses, and have accepted it all. 4. Infatuation is a spontaneous collapse of your boundaries. You get lost and you merge with the other. Youre enmeshed. You cant survive without each other. But Real Love requires strengthening of both your boundaries; You actually dont need each other, but you choose each other because you want to serve. 5. Infatuation is all about feelings. Dubdub. Dubdub. Dubdub. Cold palms, giddy spells, dazed looks, and feet on the clouds. But Real Love is about dirty hands. You dont have to feelanything to love. Love is a verb, not just a feeling. Love is an action, not just a state. Let me repeat my message: I believe love is about dirty hands, not beating hearts. The essence of love isnt feelings but service. Scott Peck says it so wellthe opposite of love isnt hatred; the opposite of love is laziness. Heres the thing.

Your Physiology Affects Your Psychology

Ive found out that only mature people can love. Only mature people can do the great switcheroo when the pirated copy fails. They just pull out the genuine article. Why? Only mature people have love within them. Real Love has very little to do with the other person. A loving person can love because he is a loving person, not because the other person is lovable. You may be asking me, But Bo, is love dry? Isnt there room for feelings? Of course, there is. Heres a secret mature people know in their hearts even if they dont know it cognitively: Your physiology affects your psychology. Your feeling follows your action. If we keep on doing acts of love, we increase our feelings of love. The more we dirty our hands, the more we find our hearts beating for the other. To make this practical, let me share seven simple ways of dirtying your hands. They are (1) Help, (2) Prayer, (3) Presence, (4) Touch, (5) Words, (6) Gifts, and (7) Boundaries.

1. Help
Love means giving practical help. If youre a mother, Im sure there are days when you wake up feeling blue and you dont want to enter the kitchen. But fifteen minutes later, where are you? Cooking in the kitchen, because some little people will get hungry. You dont feel like doing it. But you do it anyway. Thats love. If youre a husband, Im sure there are days when you go home tired from work. But you see your kids. And even if all you want to do is lie down on the couch, you decide to play with them. You dont feel like doing it. But you do it anyway. Thats love. If youre a child whose parents are older, Im sure you want to help them. Sure, youve got your own problems now, but doesnt stop you from serving them. You dont feel like doing it. But you do it anyway. Thats love.

2. Prayer

Love means praying for your loved ones. Perhaps your father was a horrible man. And you hate him. But you decide to pray for him. Sooner or later, God will answer your prayer. God will change him, but Hell change you first. Your father gets blessed, but you get blessed too. Ultimately, you become a more loving person. You pray whether you feel like it or not. Thats love. Love means spending time together. Not just being physically together, but also being emotionally together. That could mean a father playing with his kids. Or a daughter visiting her aging parents. Or siblings going shopping together. Or friends laughing over pizza. Or a couple taking a walk. Therell be times when you wont feel like bonding together. But you do it anyway. Thats love. Love means physical affection. One day, a couple walking to work noticed a man passionately kissing a woman. Why dont you do that? said the wife. Honey, replied her husband, I dont even know that woman! People arent machines. They need to be touched. Holding hands, pats on the back, shoulder rubs, hugs, and kisses nourish and heal people more than you can possibly imagine. Again, therell be days when you dont want to kiss or hold hands or hug. But you do it anyway. Thats love.

3. Presence

4. Touch

5. Words
Love means verbal or written expressions. When was the last time you told your husband, Thank you for working so hard for our family? When was the last time you told your wife, Thank you for being a great mother to our

kids? When was the last time you told your mother, Thanks for serving me all these years? And when was the last time you actually said, I love you? You might argue with me and say, Bo, I dont want to be a hypocrite. When I say it, I must feel it. Heres my question: Are you just your emotions? Or are you much more than your emotions? Are you also your spirit, your soul, your mind, your imagination, your will?

6. Gifts
Love means giving tokensor symbols of love. To you, your gift may mean nothing. But to another person, a small, inexpensive gift from you could mean the world. Love means respecting the boundaries of the other. Love means giving space to the other and letting the other person grow on her own. Love also means letting the other face her own responsibilities. I like it when my wife goes out with her girlfriends each week. I like it when she takes up other interests. I like it when she grows and flourishes as an individual. I like it when she tells me, Bo, I need some alone time. Ill just go window shopping for awhile. So I pray over her, Lord, I claim in faith that shell be faithful to those words, that she will indeed go window shopping only. Thank you, Lord, for this miracle! I dedicate my last story to all those living away from their loved ones todayOverseas Filipino Workers, Migrants, etc. Many years ago, I met Alice, a Filipina teacher in Brunei. She was my host and took care of me while I was there. When I woke up early one morning, I noticed that she was on the phone. But she wasnt speaking. She explained that it was her beautiful ritual of love to her husband. Years ago, her husband suffered a stroke and he became paralyzed. So she went to Brunei to work for the family. And what was this ritual of love? Alice would wake up at 4 in the morning to call her husband. (This was before the days of cell

7. Boundaries

Love Is Service

phones and text messages.) But because they could not afford long distance calls, they agreed that the husband was not to answer the phone. Instead, the husband would allow the phone to ring. And ring. And ring. He would allow the love of Alice, symbolized by the ringing, to fill their house and to fill his heart. For 8 years straight, Alice did this beautiful ritual without fail. Until he finally passed away. Thats what love is. Not like feelings that come and go. Not like moods that are here today and gone tomorrow. Love is simply done, day in and day out. Because its eternal. Constant. Faithful. It was Mother Teresa who said, Service is a fruit of love. If you love, you will serve. Go now, and like Mother Teresa, dirty your hands. May your dreams come true, Bo Sanchez PS. Do you now enjoy my GodWhispersClub? Its Free. Thousands have already joined and are receiving GodWhispers twice a week. And they love it. Go towww.GodWhispersClub.com now.
Filed under: Relationships, Dreams, Purpose, Family Life, Blogs by bosanchez

183 Responses to Is Your Love Genuine Or Fake?

1. Donny F. Awa, on November 2nd, 2009 at 6:53 am Said:

good day bro. Bo! This article taught me what true love means

The Only Thing That Can Heal Your Emotional Wounds?

Have you been hurt before? Have you ever been rejected by others? Ridiculed? Maligned? Gossiped about? Have you been cheated? Betrayed? Lied to? Stolen from? If your answer is yes, then Im writing to the right person. That means you have emotional wounds, and my big message for you is that theres only one thing that can heal your wounds. Let me start by talking about something of great cosmological and eternal significance: My bloody ingrown toenail. Sometimes called hangnail. Let me translate that in Pilipino: hangnail iskukong nagbigti. Anyway, would you believe my ingrown toenail lasted for two years? Because the nail kept re-growing, puncturing my wound again and again. The wound got infected and my entire toe was filled with foul-smelling yellow pus. (I apologize for grossing you out. Im actually doing it on purpose and having fun.) This is my claim to sainthood. If St. Francis of Assisi had his stigmata, I had my two-year old bloody ingrown toenail. After two years, my mother scared me to death and said if the wound doesnt get well, they might have to cut off my toe. I loved my toe. So I visited a doctor. And he said he had to pull out half of my toenail. I fainted. I still remember that fateful day. The anesthesia didnt work because of the pus. So I felt like San Lorenzo Ruiz who was tortured in the same way. (Please mention this tiny detail in my sainthood application.) Heres how the Doc did it. Step 1: He pushed his scissors in between my nail and my toe, all the way to the very end. The pain was so horrific, I was ready to recant anything he told me to recant. Even my love for peanut butter. Step 2: He cut my entire toenail into two. Snap!

Step 3: He got his metal pliers and yanked out half of my toenail. Blood and pus spurt like a little fountain. But it worked. My wound was now free to heal itself. What lasted for two years took only a few days to heal. Why am I telling you this gory story? To tell you that your emotional wounds are just like physical wounds. Bitterness is like the ingrownit keeps the original wound alive by puncturing it again and again. So your emotional wound doesnt heal. And your soul gets infected. If youre not careful, the emotional wound can grow until it amputates parts of you, slowly killing you. Ive met people like these. I pity them so much. Theyre like the living dead. They are alive but theyre dead. Like Minette, for instance. Minettes husband left her three years ago. But when you talk to her, it was like it happened yesterday. Adultery is one of the deepest wounds a human heart can have. After entrusting your entire life to one person, that one person betrays that trust. But I believe even the emotional wound of adultery can be healed. Ive met many wives whose husbands became unfaithfuland they were able to move on by the power of forgiveness. But Minette couldnt forgive. Because everyday, she pressed the Rewind button of the most hurtful scenes. Today, Minette has cancer. It doesnt take a psychologist to connect the dots. Her bitterness was eating up her body as well. But it doesnt have to be this way. I should know. I was sexually molested twice, not by strangers on the street, but by an older cousin and by my own youth group

Pressing The Rewind Button Again

I Forgive For Selfish Reasons

leader. William Blake said, It is easier to forgive an enemy than to forgive a friend. Thats so true. Those traumatic events warped my thinking, opened my life to addictions, and gave me self-contempt that would affect my entire life. I hated myself. I was ashamed of myself. Oh yes, my wounds were deep. Yet in my heart, Ive forgiven them. Totally. Ive released the bitterness in my soul. Why? Because of a very selfish reason. Remember: Forgiveness is first of all a gift you give yourself. I forgave because I wanted peace. I wanted to move on with my life. I wanted to get rid of the emotional baggage. I wanted to be free. And today, I am! Let me share with you one more personal experience

Many years ago, I started a tiny business with a friend. I was the investor and he was the guy who ran the show. One day, I saw him with a new cell phone. A really cool, topof-the-line thing that had everything you could think ofcamera, video-cam, GPRS, missile guidance system, and an umbrella. Wow, thats a great cell phone, I said. This is a gift. Someone gave it to me, he said. The next time we meet, he brought a new laptop. Thats really nice, I said. Oh, this is also a gift, he said. A few months later, the business collapsed. After looking at the records, I realized I was the one who gave them to him! He was stealing from the business. A year later, he came to me and asked for forgiveness. I forgave him even before he asked for forgiveness. Heres the reason why I forgave him.

When You Forgive, You Bless Your Future

Again, I did it for selfish reasons. I didnt want to waste any of my time and energy trying to get the money back. Instead, I wanted to use all my time and energy to earn ten times what I lost. I used my frustration to create more wealth. I wanted to focus on the future, not the past. I wanted to focus on my dreams, not my wounds. Imagine if you lost one peso. And you have two options: Spend one hour looking for that one peso or spend that same hour earning P100 somewhere else? A bitter person will choose the first option. Crazy but true. Today, let me report to you: Ive earned many, many times what I lost from that tiny business. This is the power of forgiveness. It heals your wound and blesses your future. Thats why I believe forgiveness is one of Gods greatest inventions! Let me tell you how to forgive Forgiveness is not a one-stage process. Its a two-stage process. Here they are Stage One: Get angry. Stage Two: Release the anger. Thats it. Dont be shocked, but anger is the first stage of forgiveness. You have to admit the hurt. You have to acknowledge the pain. You have to say, What he did to me was wrong. Some people think forgiveness is pretending nothing bad happened. Thats not true. If youre angry, feel the anger. But you must express your anger in a non-hurtful way, without screaming or attacking. Bring your anger before God. Share your pain to a few trusted friends. Ask for prayer. Go ahead, cry. Offer your tears to God. Anger heals because its about loving yourselfand love always heals. Anger means youre standing up for you. As an abuse victim, I had to do this. Anger is needed to rebuild my broken personal boundaries. How long should you stay in Stage One?

Stage One: Get Angry

Not too long. Because anger has an expiry date. Heres the truth: Bitterness and anger is one and the same thing. But Bitterness is anger past its expiry date. Let me illustrate. I love spaghetti. Served hot, its wonderful. But left on the kitchen counter for a whole day, it may still be good but be careful. After two days, you may get an upset stomach. After one week, therell be more germs than spaghetti. At that point, the plate of spaghetti has become poison Just like anger. If anger stays too long in your heart, your anger no longer heals but kills. When anger turns into bitterness, its poison. The Bible says, the sun must not go down in your anger. I believe it. Except perhaps for severe wounds (like abuse, adultery, betrayal, etc.), I feel Stage One should not last for more than a day. Im talking about the regular hurts we encounter everyday. Before nightfall, move onto Stage two. But deeper wounds may need weeks or even months of anger and grief. For deeper wounds, I believe theres no clear divide between Stage One and Two. Therell be an overlap. But your movement must be towards Stage Two. Because thats where the real magic happens.

How Long Have You Been Angry?

Stage Two: Release Anger

In Stage Two, you decide to forgive. Key word: Decide. Its not about feeling, but about willing. The feelings of anger can linger (thats normal) but the decision has already been made in your heart. Remember, Love is a decision, not just a feeling. If forgiveness is love, then forgiveness is a decision too. But heres a very important footnote:Forgiveness isnt necessarily bringing back the relationship to where it was before. If you caught your boyfriend cheating on you, what

should you do? Forgive him! But that doesnt mean you have to get back with him again. Thats all up to you. Lets say you caught your boyfriend cheating on you twice. What should you do? Again, you have to forgive him. Now, do you get back into his arms? If youre a psychotic with sadomasochistic tendencies, go ahead. Your desires will be granted. Forgiveness is also not opening up yourself to more hurt. For example, if your alcoholic husband beat you up, you still need to forgive him; But do you back into the house? No way. You run away and never see him until he gets counselling and stops drinking for 6 months. The cousin who molested me has long been dead. So forgiving him in my heart was enough. The youth group leader who sexually abused me is still alive. After 30 years, I have yet to face him. You see, I reported his name to a Bishop, asking that he be barred from doing any religious work until he gets help for his perversion. I had to protect other young boys who may be working with him. He has yet to come to me to ask for forgiveness. But even if he does not, Ive forgiven himand sent that spiritually to him. The guy who stole money? As I said, he asked for forgiveness, and I was able to say to him, I forgive you. When you forgive someone, you also offer healing to that person. Whether he accepts it or not is not your concern. And by some magic, you dont only heal yourself and the other person. You also heal all your loved ones.

Forgiveness Heals The Enemy

Forgiveness Heals Everyone In Your Life

Imagine a room of ten people. And one person there stepped on poop. (Sorry, my article is really gross todayabout ingrowns and poop. But bitterness is gross.) Slowly, everyone in the room smells the awful stench. Only one person has the poop, but everyone is affected by it. Bitterness is like that.

It wounds everyone. Your family. Your friends. Bitterness is an evil spirit and people feel it. They smell the poison. They sense it. They want to run away. Sometimes, when I enter a home filled with conflicts, I feel the collective wound of the family. You cannot breathe. But when a person forgives, hes like opening a window in a smelly room because one person stepped on poop. Fresh air comes in. If bitterness wounds everyone, forgiveness heals everyone too. My last story is a story that I created, adapted from other sources. Be blessed as you read it. Hi John, the priest greeted his favorite nephew. Fr. Chris, the young man said, his voice betraying his troubled soul. The cleric felt so much pity for the teen. I heard youre having problems with your father. A frown formed on Johns face. You know him. Hes your brother. You know hes impossible to deal with. Hes so selfish. Hes so cruel He fought back his tears. Tell you what, son, the priest tried to sound encouraging, lets pray for him. He stood up and pinned the photo of the boys father on the wall. Whats that? John asked. The sight of his fathers face stung him. He clenched his fists. The priest said, Its just a way to help us pray for him. Itll be our visual connection to your father. But I dont want to pray for him! the young man shouted. At that moment, the phone rang. Excuse me, son, Fr. Chris said, let me answer this call and Ill get back to you right away. He left the room. John found himself alone, staring at the photo of a man he despised with his entire being. Seething with rage, he saw a knife on the kitchen counter. On impulse, he grabbed it and ran back to the photo of his father. I hate you! he screamed, and stabbed the photo many, many times.

The Son Who Hated His Father

That was when Fr. Chris ran back. Oh my God, The priest said, as he could only look in horror. His energy spent, John thrust the knife into the photo one last time. He took one step backward, panting. John, I had other photos there, Fr. Chris said. What? The young man looked at the priest. Fr. Chris walked to the wall and removed the damaged photo. John couldnt believe his eyes. Because underneath it was Johns photo. Also torn. The priest explained. After praying for your father, I wanted to pray for you, John. The young man looked at his damaged photo. His face was torn, punctured by the same stabbing he himself made. Tears rolled down his cheeks. But even as his vision blurred, John noticed that there was something else behind his torn photo. He pulled it off the wall. Underneath his photo was the picture of Jesus, His face, also torn, also wounded. And John collapsed on his knees, and wept for a long time. 0 This is the ultimate reason why we forgive: Because even if we sin against God, He still forgives us. We dont deserve His love, but He loves us anyway. Heal yourself, my friend. Forgive anyone who has wronged you. May your dreams come true, Bo Sanchez PS. If you want to get to know others who love God too, sign up at www.BoPlanet.com now. Its like our private Facebook. PS2. Larry Gamboa and I will give the Think Rich Pinoy Seminar this November 21 at the Philamlife Building in UN avenue in Manila. Larry will discuss his unique Real Estate methods, buying foreclosed properties and turning them around

for passive income. Youll also get to play Robert Kiyosakis CashFlow Game and learn! To attend, click here now.

3 Things To Be Happy

No 8-page article today. Just a short note on how to be happy.

A psychiatrist whos been listening to thousands of unhappy patients for 40 years realized that there are three things to be happy. If you have these three things, itll be very difficult to be miserable! Do you have these three things? 1. Something to do 2. Someone to love 3. Something to look forward to Why did I mention these three things to you? Heres my message: I believe that if you make God first, all things will be added unto you (Matthew 6:33). Including these three things!

1. Something To Do
My mother is 85-years old and shes happy. Why? Because when she wakes up each morning, she has something to do. Everyday, she goes to the prayer room and prays for me. If she has extra time, she prays for her other children. Just kidding. She prays for everyoneevery son-in-law, every grandchild, every cousin, every friend who needs prayer. Thats her call. And shes happy.

One of the most precious things that God gives you is a call. You were born with a sacred purpose in life. Do you know why the entertainment industry is huge? Do you know why a single video game can earn $30 Million? Because people are bored. They dont have anything to do. And thats why people are miserable. And because people cant take the misery, they thirst for distraction. And so they buy entertainment. Why are people bored? Because they dont have a cause to die for, a mission to dedicate their lives. Heres the good news: If you seek God first, Hell give you something to do. Youll wake up every morning with a cause youll be willing to die for. I pity the person without a God-ordained dream, with a powerful Divine Call summoning his heart. Listen to Gods voice in the depths of your being. I created you for a beautiful purpose. Live for this purpose. Die for this purpose. If you seek God first, youll have a lot of Someones to love! Christianity isnt a religion as much as it is a relationship. Its primarily a personal relationship with God. Hes the first Someone to love. And its also a relationship with a spiritual family. If you follow God, youll never be alone again. A woman came up to me yesterday. She said, Bo, ever since Ive attended the Feast (our weekly gathering), my life has totally changed. And my relationships have changed. My marriage is so much better. My relationship with my kids has grown so much because of the Feast.

2. Someone To Love

Give yourself to God and Hell give you His family. Both come in a package! And finally

3. Something To Look Forward To

When a person doesnt have hope, he dies. If you seek God first, Hell give you a vision for your future. Jesus said, I have come that you might have life and have it in abundance. I look forward to a life of abundancein this world and in the world to come. Last week, we were relaxing at home when my little Francis said, I want to watch Shreck again. If youve got little kids at home, Im sure you know this movie. Shreck is about an Ogre and his sidekick Donkey. Both of them rescues Princess Fiona locked up in a tower, guarded by a fiery red Dragon. The movie has done so well, theyve come out with a Shrek 2, Shrek 3, and Shrek 4. And weve watched all of them. But yesterday, we put Shrek 1 in the DVD player and had fun fun watching the entire movie again. But because I knew how the movie ends, I watched it in a different way. When the fiery red Dragon was about to eat the Donkey, I had a smile of my face. Because I knew that at the end of the movie, Donkey will marry the Dragon. (As crazy as that may sound!) In fact, in Shrek 2, theyll have 4 kids. Its very different if you know how the story ends. Thanks to Easter, we know how your story ends. You may be going through rough times now. You may be going through severe trials. Sometimes, you wonder if you can overcome your problems.

Dont give up! Because you know that at the end of the day, youre going to win. Because God is with you. The Bible says, If God is for you, who can be against you? In fact, even death cant win over you. Like Jesus, you too will rise. Death will be conquered. And you will live forever. Yes, we have something to look forward to! Happy Easter, my dear friend! May your dreams come true, Bo Sanchez

10 Habits To A Healthy Body

Your future will be defined by your habits. Im ready to die anytimeright this minute if necessary. (I hope my wife isnt reading this, because she hates it when I start talking this way.) My soul is prepared to go home to God at any moment. But I also want to prepare for a long and healthy lifeand thats so possible. My father passed away when he was 88. And my Mom is going strong at 83. Studies show that the life span of human beings is getting longer. Babies born today have an average life span of 101 years old. But hey, I dont want to be lying down in bed when I hit 90! Thats the last thing I want to do. I want to be 90 and still be preaching around the world! And still be making love to my spouse. (Okay, I want my wife to read that one.) By the way, your comments in my last Blog were very inspiring! Here are my 10 Habits To A Healthy Body: 1. Move! I already mentioned that each morning, I do simple stretching and breathing Tai Chi movementsand pray to Jesus toofor 30 minutes. I also cycle for an hour on my stationary bike, all the while reading 5 chapters of the Bible and other spiritual books, or writing my journal in my laptop (See photo above). I also do a few pushups, sit-ups, and chin-ups. Ill never win Mr. Universe, but its enough to tone my muscles. I learned that when we hit 50, we start losing 1.5% of our muscle strength every year. This is the reason why you see a lot of 60-year-old people who are very weak todaybecause they didnt move their body. So walk. Swim. Play badminton. Move! 2. Eat The Best Kinds Of Food More than fourteen years ago, I stopped eating beef, pork, and chicken. Seven years ago, I also gave up crabs and shrimps. So my diet consists of fish and vegetables. At home, we eat organic brown rice and wheat bread. We also fry with soya oil. (Olive oil is too expensive.)

The Old Testament called certain foods uncleanlike pork, crustaceans, shells, fish without scalesand modern science has found out that many of these foods have higher toxicity. Pork has more toxins than other meats. Crustaceans and shells are the scavengers of the sea. And because fish release their toxins through their scales, fish without scales have slightly more toxins. Im not saying you shouldnt eat these delicious food, but perhaps minimize them in your diet. 3. Juice Your Vegetables Every morning, I drink fresh vegetable juice. I throw into my Juicer four large carrots, one long celery stick, and one apple. The advantage of juicing? By juicing, Im able to consume 4 large carrots in two minutes flat something that would take me one hour if I munched them. As I drink my juice every morning, I picture God nourishing me in every part of my body. It works! 4. Supplement Im a firm believer in taking supplements. I take a mega dose of vitamin C, fish oil (Omega 3), and other multivitamins. I also take a list of supplements too long to mention here. (One of these days, Ill give you their names.) Before I drink them, I bless them. So they contain a double punch! 5. Sleep Like A Babe I usually dose off at 11:30pm and wake up at 6:00am. Six and a half hours is enough for me. If I feel a need to take a quick afternoon nap, I do it. I try to listen to my body. Praying before you sleep is fantastic because youre able to surrender all your worries to God. So before I sleep, I do 20 minutes of my simple Tai Chi exercises againas I surrender to Jesus all my stress. When I do this, I sleep like a babe. 6. Drink Enough The first thing I do when I wake up is drink a glass of room temperature water. As I drink it, I ask the Holy Spirit to cleanse me. After my exercise, I drink my carrot juice. Heres what I found out: For many of us, what we

think are hunger pangs may just be our thirst. So when you feel hungry, drink water first. And eat water-rich foods like fruits and vegetables. 7. Work With Passion Get into something your love to do. When you enjoy your work, it isnt work. Its play. And that keeps your body humming. If you can see your job as a sacred mission from God, you wake up in the morning with joy and excitement. Your body gets the message: I need you to be healthy, because Im here to bless the world. (I have a TrulyRich Clubwhere I coach people in their finances and work. To join, log on atwww.TrulyRichClub.com now.) 8. Feel Your Feelings Our bodies are simply the blueprints of our emotions. When we get sick in our bodies, many times, its simply manifesting our stress, our fears, our anxiety, and our unresolved angers. I strongly urge you to become aware of your emotions and bring them constantly to the Lord. Before Him, work through them. Feel them, yes. Respect your emotions, yes. But lay them at His feet and follow God only. 9. Be Happy Be a positive person. If youre a child of God, how can you not think positive? If you believe that all things work for good to those who love God, how can you not rejoice even in your problems? Happy people are generally healthier than unhappy people. 10. Love Well What keeps me healthy? I play with my kids on the floor everyday. (I call it floor time.) Each week, I date my wife and hold hands often. And I have fantastic friends! (By the way, wherever you are in the world, join my FREE virtual community and sign up atwww.KerygmaFamily.com) Once upon a time, an Elderly home had a very high death rate: One resident died each month. But one day, a volunteer came and started social activities among the old people. As the old people engaged with each other in

conversation, the mortality rate plunged dramatically almost overnight. Just being in relationships will make you healthier. Imagine how healthy you will be if those relationships are deep and loving? Hey, there are lots of Christmas parties these days. Be healthy, my friend. God needs you to bless the world. Merry Christmas! May Jesus have a home in your heart. To all the members of my virtual community,www.KerygmaFamily.com, thank you so much for being part of my life and ministry! (If youve not yet joined, please do! We give a mountain load of spiritual nourishment FREE.) Log on at

Are You Sexually Pure?

May I disturb you? Last Sunday, I disturbed the 6000+ people attending the Kerygma Conference. Because that morning, God disturbed me too. He woke me up and told me to totally change my talk. Just like that. I had barely a few minutes to prepare, so I didnt even know everything I was going to say. On stage, I opened the Bible to Matthew 11:28:Come to me all of you who are weary and tired and I will give you rest That passage is so well known, you even see it in Hallmark cards. But very few read the hard-to-understand verse after that. Verse 29 says, Take my yoke upon you Which is a rather strange way of giving someone rest! Just in case you didnt know, a yoke is the heavy wooden beam that you put on cattle or oxen, so they could pull a plow or pull a wagon. Not very restful, I assure you. What in the world was Jesus talking about? I told the 6000+ people listening to me that there were two kinds of tired people: Those tired because of their trials and those

tired because of their sins. And it was the second group of people I wanted to speak to. I believe no one on this planet ever walks without a yoke. No one! There are only two yokes available: You either carry the yoke of God or the yoke of sin. (Anyone who defines freedom as freedom away from God is carrying the heaviest yoke or burden of all.) I then told my audience, God woke me up this morning to tell me that today, we need to make a commitmenton our kneesto the yoke of purity. That day, I just felt a burden in my heart to preach about purity. I said, You either carry the yoke of purity or the yoke of impurity. Both are yokes. But one is a million times heavier than the other. And the word million is a gross understatement. The crowd was silent. More silent than usual. I knew I was hitting a sore spota topic no one wanted to talk about. Friends, I know the yoke of impurity, I said, I was addicted to pornography for decades. Let me tell youI liken porn to swallowing vomit. It sucked my life. It consumed so much of my time and energy, it almost destroyed my life and dreams. Until God came into my life and He asked me to give it up, in exchange for the beautiful and very light yoke of purity. I also talked to singles in relationships. Stop playing around with this beautiful gift of purity. Dont open this gift, toss it around, or smudge it. Preserve it and give it to each other on the day of your wedding. I asked them to set the bar high. When my wife and I became boyfriend and girlfriend, we decided not to kiss each other on the lips. It was crazy. And believe me, it was difficult! The struggle was great. But we set the bar very high so that if ever we failed, the slippage wont be deep. That decision kept our relationship pure. We explored each others minds, not each others bodies. On our wedding day, we were able to give ourselves the beautiful gift of purity.

Are you tired because of the yoke of sin?

A Word To Boyfriends And Girlfriends

I know that others put the bar so low, I said. As long as they dont have sex, they think they can do whatever they want. But singles who do this find out sooner or later that they destroy the gift of purity. I also spoke to those who already lost their virginity. Physical virginity is important. But spiritual virginity is more important. Even if youve done it before, make a decision with your boyfriend or girlfriend to keep your relationship pure from this day forth. And God will give you spiritual virginity. This is the gift that youll give each other on your wedding day. I then spoke to husbands and wives. Physical adultery is obviously sinful. But how many of you reject Emotional Adultery? When God invented marriage, He designed you to give 100% of your thoughts, your affections, your emotions, your attractions to one person and one person alone. When you do that, your marriage is dynamite. Powerful. Magnificent. Your marriage blooms because you invest all that you have to one person. But when you slice up your thoughts and affections and give one sliver to this other person and another sliver to this other person, you scatter your power. Dont wonder why your marriage lacks depth and joy and love. That day, I led all 6000+ to kneel down. First, the singles. Second, the couples. All of us repented of our sins. All of us received His forgiveness. All of us gave up the yoke of impurity. All of us took on the yoke of purity. All of us made a solemn commitment to live a life of purity. It was so powerful, so moving, you could see people in tears. Many were set free that day. Friends, I invite you to make the same commitment today. Take the yoke of purity. Jesus wants to set you free.

Renounce Emotional Adultery

May your dreams come true, Bo Sanchez PS3. I preach at the FEAST every Sunday. No tickets and no entrance fees! Get very blessed! We hold the FEAST at Valle Verde Country Club in Pasig, beside the ULTRA. Three sessions to choose from: 7:30am-9:00am; 10am-12noon; and 12:30noon2:30pm. For more details, call Tel. (02)

Dont Cheat Yourself From The Rewards Of Tithing

I have a confession to make. When I was a kid, I didnt like taking a bath. It was my unique solution to the water shortage of the world. I felt that taking a bath was totally unnecessarya vanity that modern people invented. When I studied history, my hunch was confirmed. For example, the monks of the middle ages felt it was vain to take a bath. St. Francis of Assisi believed that to be dirty was a sign of a holy person. Even St. Benedict recommended that those who are young and strong should seldom take a bath. It was said that St. Catherine of Siena avoided washing. And St. Agnes, who died at the age of 13, had never taken a bath. Queen Isabella of Spain was proud to say that she only took two baths in her whole lifetime. And Queen Elizabeth of England was seen as a very vain woman during her time. Why? Because she bathed once a month. I argued that I was even more vain. I was willing to take a bath once a week. But Mom told me, Take a bath everyday or else! So I had to take a bath.

Mom is so cruel, I told myself. Here I am, enjoying my favorite cartoon, and just when the 5 spaceships are about to volt-in and morph into a giant robot and slice the enemy with his saber swordshe calls me to take a bath! In the Sanchez household, it was a law that I take a bath or else. The consequences of violating that Law were deadly: My five angry sisters will chase after me with a pail of water, soap, and panghilod. (I have no idea how to translate that word. Its actually a rock that Filipinos use to remove their, uh, libag. Gee, this is getting more complex.) From Law To Love Thanks be to God, I outgrew that stage of my life. In a blink of an eye, it just happened. All of a sudden, I loved taking a bath everyday. Why did I change? Because I had a crush on a pretty classmate named Mercedes, who had bewitching dimples and smelled of chocnut. Taking a bath was no longer a Law for me. It was a Love. Of course, no matter what I did, Ms. Chocnut never looked twice at me. Because I was still ugly during those days. (Indeed, your past does not define your future.) Still, her dimples gave me a lovely reason to shower daily. Let me now bring you to my main message Tithing Was An Old Testament Law Im a Catholic. (I love our Churchwarts, sins, and blemishes. It makes me more convinced of Gods mercy.) In all the years as a Catholic, Ive yet to hear a clear teaching on Tithing. Heres why: Because Catholic Theology says

were not bound by the Old Testament Law of Tithing, but by the New Testament Law of Generosity. I agree. But weve failed in generosity too! Catholics are known as having the noisiest offerings in the world. Klang, kleng, kling, klong, klung Because everyone gives coins. One man said, Catholics arent Tithers, theyre Tippers. Many Catholics dont even know what Tithing is. Thus, were missing out on the many blessings of Tithing. A Failure In Teaching Heres my personal opinion on this matter: I agree in our Catholic Theology that Tithing is no longer a Law. But from a Execution viewpoint, weve failed miserably in teaching generosity. Im a communicator. Ive been one for 30+ years. And heres a rule in communication: Always be specific, never vague. Ive learned that whenever I teach people something vague, theyll have a hard time doing it. Yes, weve been teaching Catholics to be generous. But what does generous mean? The options are endless. And the more options you give, the more confused people are. And the more confused people are, the more inaction therell be. What does generous mean? Does generosity mean that Catholics pull out (at least) a paper bill? A friend told me that before he joined the Feast (our weekly prayer meeting on steroids), he felt very proud he gave P20 every Sunday, even if he was earning P100,000 a month. Does generosity mean that Catholics give until it hurts? Until theres pain? Well I know of a millionaire who felt pain when he couldnt find P20 in his wallet, he was forced to give P50.

Heres my point: Even if Tithing isnt a Law anymore, we need to teach Tithing as a Love. Laws are about fear. Loves are about desire. Because it will bless their lives abundantly! Instead of giving good but vague instructions like Give whatever you can give cheerfully Give as the Holy Spirit inspires you to Give what your heart dictates Why not just teach: Give 10% or more of your income. Period. Im worried. Catholics arent receiving the blessings of Tithing because we dont teach it. My Personal Experience Heres my main point: I see Tithing as the most practical way of teaching generosity to people. Ive been Tithing for the past 30+ years of my life. I started when I was 12. Why? My prayer group leader taught me how to tithe. So as a 12-year old kid, I tithed 10% of my daily allowance to God. And Ive never stopped Tithing ever since. I tithe not because its a Law. I tithe because its a Love. I love to tithe! It gives me so much joy. I cant live without Tithing. Because I see Tithing blessed my life in a profound way. Dont Curse Yourself

The most popular passage in the Bible about Tithing is found in Malachi 3:8ff. Yes, its the Old Testament Law of Tithing. But you can pick up powerful universal principles that you can apply today. I ask you, is it right for a person to cheat God? Of course not, yet you are cheating me. How? you ask. In the matter of tithes and offerings. A curse is on all of you because the whole nation is cheating me. This verse says that when you dont tithe, youre cheating God. Tell me: Can you really cheat from God? Not really. His CCTV cameras and anti-burglary alarms are much better than ours, believe me. Heres a universal truth: When you dont give, youre really cheating yourself. Youre cheating yourself from the rich blessings that you were supposed to receive because of giving. And believe me, God doesnt curse us when we dont give. (This was archaic Bible language.) Heres the truth: When we dont give, we curse ourselves. We curse ourselves with the curse of missed blessings. Let me share with you the 5 incredible blessings of Tithing The 5 Blessings Of Tithing Habit Happiness Holiness Hunger Harvest 1. Habit Heres a difference between giving and tithing. Giving may be something that you do occasionally. But Tithing is something that you do regularly.

Because Tithing means that every time you earn money, you give 10% or more to the Lord. Let me ask you a big question: Do you want your rewards to come occasionally or regularly? You decide. 2. Happiness Heres a little exercise. Name the 5 happiest people you know in your life. Imagine their faces. Finished? Heres my bet: All of them are Givers. Because Givers are happy people. It really feels good to give! When you tithe, you feel that happiness regularly because you give regularly. As the Bible said in Malachi above, Then the people of all nations will call you happy 3.Holiness Greed will destroy you by materialism. But generosity will detach you from materialism. By Tithing, you gain freedom. By Tithing, you gain a greater love for God. The greek word of Holy is Hagios; which literally means setting apart yourself for God. Tithing is exactly thatsetting apart a specific amount for God. When I was a small boy, my father used an ancient, large, silver spoon. No one else could use that spoon. It was Hagios for him and him alone.

It was so large, it could only fit in Dads mouth. More important, it was made of silver. Everyone else used cheap stainless steel spoons. But not Dad. He deserved the best. Tithing is exactly like that. Our Tithes are sacred. Our Tithes are Hagios. Theyre set apart for God. No one can touch it. And we always offer the best for the Lord. 4.Hunger How can hunger be a blessing? Believe me, a person without hunger is a miserable person who lives a meaningless life. Yes, hunger is a great blessing! When you tithe, you stir up your hunger within you. Last week, someone asked me, Bo, youre a entrepreneur and a missionary. If you were only an entrepreneur, youd probably be ten times richer! The answer is a resounding No! If I wasnt a missionary, Id be ten times poorer. Because if I wasnt a missionary, I wouldnt have had the great hunger I have today. Heres my guess: After the initial success of my businesses, I would have remained complacent. Id tell myself, Why earn more? Why work harder? There was no purpose. But because my goal was to raise money for my ministry, this hunger drove me to earn more. Im truly rich now because I titheand give more than my tithe. And I have so many dreams for Gods work. These dreams fuel my hunger.

Ive met people who have earned a lot of money and have lost their passion for life. Because they have lost their hunger. Their dreams have been fulfilled and they have no new dreams. But thats because they only think of themselves. Two weeks ago, I told my audience, Ive got bad news, good news, and bad news. Bad news: My accountant says itll take lots of money to make our dream of building 1000 Feasts come true. Good news: We now have all the money we need to build 1000 Feasts. Praise God! And finally, heres the Bad news: All that money is still in your pockets. I believe that if Catholics start tithing, well have all the money to do Gods work. 5.Harvest Some people tell me, Im a bit hard up now. When my income increases, thats when Ill tithe. This is scarcity thinking. And a person with a scarcity mindset cannot tithe. Tithing is like planting seeds. You dont wait for good times before you plant seeds. You sow in times of famine. Because thats the only way to break the cycle of poverty. Tithing is a declaration of abundance. You believe that Gods blessings will flow back to you. Malachi said Put me to the test and you will see that I will open the windows of heaven and pour out on you in abundance all kinds of good things. Let me now answer two of the most common questions I receive. 1. Where Do I Bring My Tithe?

A lot of people ask me, Bo, I help my poor relatives. Can I consider that Tithing? Let me speak as a Catholic here. Since Tithing for us isnt a Law but a Love, there really are no black and white rules on this matter. But let me give you a guideline. Malachi says tobring your tithes to the Temple. That means your first priority is to support the spiritual family that nourishes you in your spiritual growth. Support Gods work of sharing His love to the world. I cannot impose my practice on you, but this is what I do: I give my Tithes to Gods work and I give my Alms to the poor. I set aside a separate amount for my charity work. Im able to do that because of the way God has prospered me. I repeat: There are no black and white rules. At the end of the day, you have to decide where to give your Tithes. My 3 house helpers, like most house helpers, send a huge percentage of their salaries back home. But despite this, I still urged them to tithe to Gods work. Giving to poor relatives was a wonderful thing and I encouraged them to keep on doing that. But when they also gave to Gods workthat stretched their minds. A shift happened within them. They began to discard scarcity and take on abundance. 2. Should I Give a Tithe Based On Net Or Gross? Everywhere I go, people ask me this question. And its a very valid question. If Bill earns P50,000 a month, and his tax is 30%he actually takes home only P35,000. If a Tithe is 10%, should Bill give to God P5,000 or P3,500? I answer in this way: How do you want to be blessed? Do you want your blessings to be based on the Net or on the Gross?

Again, since Tithing isnt a Law but a Love, this is really up to you. And this question becomes a non-issue when you challenge yourself to increase your tithes as God prospers you. Rick Warren, author of Purpose-Driven Life, gave a reverse tithe. Because of his big royalties from his bestselling books, hes now able to give 90% of his income and keeps only 10%. The Last Reward Let me end with two stories. My first is about a man who died and went to Heaven. He was met at the Pearly Gates by St. Peter who said, Welcome! And the Saint led the man down the golden streets. As they walked along, he saw huge sprawling mansions one after another. Until they came to the end of the street where they stopped in front of a very small nipa hut. This is your house, said St. Peter. The man was disappointed. He asked St. Peter, Why am I getting a nipa hut? St. Peter replied, I did the best with the money you sent us. The point? Whatever you give is an eternal investment. The only way to keep your wealth is by giving it away. Give it away and youll see it again in the Kingdom of Heaven. My Personal Experience My last story is about my experience with Tithing. Once upon a time, I was poor.

Twenty years ago, I was so poor, there were days when I didnt have enough money for a haircut. There were days when I didnt have money to eat in a fastfood. There were days when I didnt even have enough money to ride the bus to preach in a prayer meeting. Yet through my poverty, I kept Tithing whatever I received. Today, God has blessed me with small businesses. After many failures, Im now a successful entrepreneur. Last month, I donated P1 million to the ministry. (I dont like sharing that to you because I know I lose brownie points in Heaven. I share it not to brag. I share it to stress a very important point.) That was a dream come true for me. For years, I dreamt of writing a check of one million. Last month, it happened. I believe in Tithing. It works. If you dont believe me, just try. In other words, experiment, and see what happens. God says, Put me to the test and you will see that I will open the windows of heaven and pour out on you in abundance all kinds of good things May your dreams come true, Bo Sanchez PS. Help Me Share Gods Love To The World. Join 40,000+ people who are already members of theKerygmaFamily. They receive Gods Word daily and a few generous members choose to donate (totally optional) to our various ministries. To join, log on atwww.KerygmaFamily.com now! PS2. Do You Need Vitamins For