Arise + Shine with Anayansi Sanchez Anayansi Sanchez

In this episode I share my testimony of how God provided for me when He called me to pursue ministry and change my major to Biblical & Theological Studies. That meant sacrificing thousands of dollars in scholarship money, and I truly did not know how God would make it work, but I trusted Him. This verse was the promise I held onto: "Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and all these things will be added to you" (Matt 6:33). 

4 years later in the midst of the chaos that was 2020, God provided all my needs and beyond. In the span of 4 months I had a new apartment, full-time job, married the man of my dreams, and even got blessed with a new car. It was ALL GOD.

All this to say, Jesus commands us not to worry about finances, but rather trust God, you of little faith. Don't let fear hold you back from pursuing God's kingdom. God will provide for your needs; maybe not all your 'wants', but He will sustain your life.

When you are tempted to worry, speak Matthew 6:33 over yourself and remind yourself that God will provide for your needs.

How does God call us to love others? God wants us to love our enemies and go the second mile for them.

We can’t love others on our own strength. We have to humble ourselves and see people how God sees them. As women who are called to arise and shine, we are free to become all God has called us to be. That means if we’ve been unloving or selfish in the past, we have permission and freedom to decide today to be LOVING. Today is a new day of God’s mercies!

God loves you. More than any other person on the planet. He loves you in your darkest moments, and He loves you so much that He will not leave you there! If we don’t know that God loves us, we will go looking for that love somewhere else. We can’t give a love that we have not encountered. If we have not encountered God’s perfect love, we cannot love ourselves, much less our enemy.

How to love our enemies:


Ask God to show you His mercy & forgiveness toward you. Just as God forgives us, so we also must forgive others.
Confess your unforgiveness to God & others.
Ask the Holy Spirit to soften your heart to forgive.
Pray for them.

Christ came to do what we could not: live a sinless life and become the sacrifice for our sins to give us His righteousness as a GIFT. Jesus came to set us FREE from sin and condemnation and give us His heart and His righteousness. But we are not called to live lawlessly then or take advantage of His grace; Jesus sees the intentions of our heart. 


Are we harboring unforgiveness, hatred or anger against our brothers and sisters?
We can’t be HOLY without God’s SPIRIT. Are we asking the Holy Spirit to change our heart?
Jesus doesn’t want your religion, He desires a fully surrendered heart that is in communion with Him.
As we grow with God we grow to hate sin and love what He loves: His children. We are called to love others as He has loved us.
The Bible is not “Pick and choose”. This is God's Kingdom and who He calls us to be, it’s our identity. We can’t pick and choose what the will of God is.
We don't have to be perfect, but pick up our cross and turn back to God daily.
What deeper waters is God calling you to that you haven’t fully surrendered to? Purity of heart, ministry, godly relationships and friendships, trusting God with your finances, business?

Scripture: Matthew 5:17-31

17“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. 19Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

21“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ 22But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire. 23So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. 25Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison. 26Truly, I say to you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny.

27“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ 28But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. 30And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell.

31“It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ 32But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

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

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”” ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭11‬:‭28‬-‭30‬ ‭ESV‬‬ 

True rest is found in Jesus. Soul care is part of self care. Sabbath rest is a proclamation that we are not God. He is always at work, and we can trust Him with our burdens.  Resting is acknowledging that are strength is LIMITED, but His is UNLIMITED and that’s the truth our souls rest in. 

“And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.” Genesis‬ ‭2‬:‭2‬-‭3‬ ‭ESV‬‬ 

His yoke is easy, how do we rest in Him?

1. Trust Him - pray, remind yourself of His promises to you

 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” * ‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭3‬:‭5‬-‭6‬ ‭ESV‬‬ * 

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Phil. 4:6-7

2. Rest your body - sleep, eat, repeat

"Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain. It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep.” Psalm‬ ‭127‬:‭1‬-‭2‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Do you find yourself distracted by your to-do list? Even during prayer it can be difficult not to think about what we have to get done in the back of our head. It happens to me all the time! In this story, Martha is preoccupied with her never-ending to-do list so much so that she's distracted from the person she's hosting, the Son of God. God's wants a heart that prioritizes His presence over our busyness. God wants to be present with you and give you grace and mercy in your time of need. His greatest joy is being present with his sons and daughters!

How can we prioritize Him today?

1. Create a set routine and time for prayer and Bible reading. We make time for what's important to us.

2. Set aside all distractions (turn off your phone, put your lists away, turn off the TV, get alone).

"Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”

Luke 10:38-42