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Posts by Gaspar Anastasi

Seven times hotter

February 13, 2021 Gaspar Anastasi
5 Comments
Success & victory

Over the years, I’ve told a sad story about a doctor who took his wife and son on an African safari. After an exciting day, they did what they had done previous nights. They started a camp fire, intending to add wood in the middle of the night to keep the lions away.

However, exhausted from a long day, they never awoke to stoke the fire. As you can imagine, tragedy struck when the fire went out! A lion entered the camp and killed the son as he slept.

The lesson is this: Lions feed where the fire has gone out! In America, satan the roaring lion is ravaging our lifestyle and culture. Why? The church has lost her fire, passion and hunger for God’s tangible presence. And, as we sleep, Satan is wreaking havoc in our midst.

The answer is not in politics

We, the church, have lost the cutting edge that’s needed to make a difference in today’s world. We opted out of the mandate to influence our culture by our Christ-like lifestyle. Instead, we’ve left the influence that should be ours to politics and politicians.

You and I can’t expect the government to legislate morality, but we should expect morality to be lived out by the church, those who have been given the nature and power of Jesus Christ. We need to rekindle the fire of our passion and live for God. This fire must burn bright enough to keep the lions out of our camp!

I’m talking about the same fire that burned inside the three Hebrew boys, Meshach, Shadrach and Abednego when they refused to bow to the culture in which they lived. That fiery passion kept them from accepting the status quo. As a result, they were thrown into a furnace that was heated seven times hotter than normal.

Off the charts passion

Run-of-the-mill, on-again-off-again love for Jesus won’t cut it in the gross darkness surrounding us. We must exhibit a passion that surpasses weekly “rah-rah” church services and our longing for the things of this world. Our passion for God must be off the charts!

Let’s stoke the fires seven times greater than we ever before experienced. We can’t work it up by ourselves, but the Holy Spirit can. (I strongly believe He is doing that even now.

Our human helplessness to change things is evident. We can’t stop perfect storms from devastating the nation. You and I can’t change our culture through politics. We can’t even stop the church from backsliding. The only thing that will prepare the way for Jesus’ second coming is our passionate fire burning seven times hotter! Yours and mine.

Expect a suddenly

Let’s start praying with abandon for God’s passion to consume us now—not tomorrow. Let’s not leave the upper room until a “suddenly” happens and we recognize God’s tangible presence in our midst.

His presence is the only answer to the ills America faces today. The church must say, “We will arise and shine for our light (Jesus) has come and the glory of the Lord is risen upon us (His church). Darkness shall cover the earth, but the Lord will arise over us and His glory will be seen upon us (His church). (Is. 60:1)” Now remember: YOU ARE THE CHURCH!…

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Believe it’s possible

February 6, 2021 Gaspar Anastasi
1 Comment
Making positive change, Overcoming depression, Rejection

I believe the one problem that hinders us most from enjoying successful lives today is a lack of belief in ourselves. Sure, most of us have great confidence in God. We believe He is who He says He is and that He is capable of doing great things. However, the problem isn’t with Him…it’s with ourselves.

We don’t believe that God could or even wants to accomplish great things for us. Yet the truth is: No matter what great things God does on earth, He does them through earthen vessels like you and me.

You were created to succeed

In fact, He tells us in 2 Corinthians 4:7 (I’m paraphrasing here) “God’s greatness has been deposited in all of us who know Him as our Lord and Savior.” This means that God has invested His potential for greatness in every one of us. You and I have been given the power to become very successful in our life-time so we can glorify Him on this earth.

So why do the majority of us believe God can’t great things for (or through) me? Bottom line: We’re holding on to a poor self-image.

We let our past (and present) mistakes haunt us. Our failures continually remind us that we are not worthy of God’s blessings and provisions. Thus, your history becomes your destiny.

Don’t be a cheap copy

The consequence of that faulty thinking is that we try to be like somebody else, someone we think God is proud of. We eventually become cheap copies of great originals, never realizing our full potential in Jesus Christ.

God never meant for us to be like anyone else. In spite of our wrong choices and failures, He didn’t make a mistake when He created you and me. He knew the worst thing you would ever do before you did it, yet He still created you and redeemed you for such a time as this.

You need to start believing in yourself! And why not? God believes in you! Choose to believe it’s possible that God wants to and will do extraordinary things through you and in your life-time. He has made a great investment in you.

Don’t believe a lie

So don’t waste your life away, believing the lie that it’s too late for you; that you are too far gone; you have made too many mistakes and so God is finished with you.

The truth is: God is waiting for you to believe it’s possible. In Philippians 4:13 the Apostle Paul says, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Notice the “I can” part. It takes our cooperation to believe that it is possible for God’s greatness to work in and through us.

God is waiting for you—not the other way around. Start today to believe that it is possible no matter what “it” is, and let God bring you into the great destiny He has planned!…

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Conquer that Mountain!

January 30, 2021 Gaspar Anastasi
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Finding significance in life, Making positive change

Do the problems you face loom larger than life? Are they also greater than the God you serve? Sadly, for too many of us, the answer is yes.

However, the mountains in our lives are actually blessings in disguise. On the one hand, they reveal how powerless we are to move them. On the other hand, they offer an incredible opportunity to discover how great and awesome God really is.

Your mountains will shrink dramatically when you:

  1. Get a fresh revelation of God. When King Uzziah died, the prophet Isaiah faced a leadership crisis both personally and politically.

But God met him in an amazing way! “In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple. (Isaiah 6:1)”

God overwhelmed the prophet with a vision of His greatness and, in an instant, discouragement evaporated, changing Isaiah’s life forever. He understood that what was impossible for him was no match for the great and mighty God he served.

  1. Ask God for a mountain-moving strategy. Get alone with God and take advice from the Lord’s brother James: “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. (James 1:5)” Keep a pen and paper with you and write down the best 4 or 5 possible solutions. God’s promises are true and, when applied, they will release His power against your problems. He says: “I will hasten my word to perform it. (Jeremiah 1:12)”
  2. Act in faith. With humility, prayer and openness to the Holy Spirit, step out in faith and act on one of those solutions. Trust God to close some doors and to open others, unveiling even more possibilities. “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding.

In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. (Proverbs 3:5-6)”

  1. Connect with solution-oriented people. Don’t hang out with those who just sympathize with you. It’s worth seeking them out! Unfortunately, there aren’t many visionaries in the world today who see the end from the beginning. Be careful to guard your heart from adopting a victim mentality.

No matter what mountains overshadow you—relational, marital, financial, emotional or physical—God has the solution. It’s just a matter of getting His download. The Lord loves to work with people who know they need His strength. “And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness. (2 Corinthians 12:9)”

Don’t get overwhelmed and give in to defeat! Move that mountain! You know a great big God who can!…

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woman in headphones

Are we there yet?

January 23, 2021 Gaspar Anastasi
1 Comment
Finding significance in life, Making positive change, Success & victory

“Are we there yet?” That’s the question we always asked as kids on a long car ride. As long as we could envision the destination, we could tolerate the monotony and discomfort of the trip. But what happens when the goal is still far away?

We start looking at the road and focusing on how hard life is. Giving up on our dream becomes a viable option. That’s why you must stay focused on the bigger picture, the reason you were created.

Of course, the journey plays an important part: It prepares you to be successful when you reach your destination. Sadly, too many people get off track along the way. They get their eyes off the prize, quit along the way and then never fulfill their life’s purpose.

Keeping the bigger picture in mind (the end goal, the destination) helps us to press on.

Focus on the end game

Walt Disney was fired from his newspaper job because he “lacked ideas” and went bankrupt several times. When he tried to fund the development of Disneyland, over a hundred banks turned him down.

When Thomas Edison was 4 years old, his teacher sent a note home saying, “Please remove Thomas from this school because he is too stupid to learn.” That opinion didn’t keep him from going on  to invent the incandescent light bulb, becoming history’s most prolific inventor or having  1,093 U.S. patents as well as many in the UK, France and Germany.

Then there’s Lou Ferrigno who, as a child, developed an ear infection resulting in hearing loss in one ear. His father was very critical of him because of his hearing loss, believing he would never achieve success. Yet, at the age of 20, Ferrigno became the youngest body builder to win the Mr. Universe title and then became a legend on the TV show “The Incredible Hulk”. He once said, “If I hadn’t lost my hearing, I wouldn’t be where I am now.” It forced him to stay focused on the bigger picture (his desire to be successful) and maximize his potential.

There are many others who stayed focused on the end game in spite of obstacles they faced on the journey. Early teachers considered Albert Einstein an un-teachable fool and Wayne Gretzky (the most famous hockey player to play the game) was said to be “too small, too slow and would never make it in the NHL.” The experts considered Beethoven hopeless as a composer.

Pursue the prize ahead

These men had two things in common: 1). They never quit when it seemed like the only option and 2). they stayed focused on the bigger picture. They kept their eyes fixed on their destination—not just the journey. They accepted that life isn’t fair and doesn’t give you what you deserve. (But they obviously believed it gives you what you demand.)

Don’t let past failures deter you from pursuing your God-given dreams. There is a prize ahead, so press on toward your goal. Like the Apostle Paul said:

Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:13, 14).

If this blog has been a blessing to you, please comment.…

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Living Vertical

January 9, 2021 Gaspar Anastasi
0 Comment
Making positive change

Too often, our perspective on life is horizontal. What I mean is: We’re people-focused, not God-focused. You and I work very hard to please the people in our lives. We want to earn their approval for various reasons, and some of those reasons are good. Sometimes we’re motivated by a real love and compassion for our fellow human beings.

We want to benefit them and protect them from a destiny of destruction. Of course, some reasons may be more selfish, like wanting to get a promotion or a raise on the job; or desiring something they have.

Both kinds of desires represent a “horizontal lifestyle”. The focus is on us and other people, instead of God (a vertical lifestyle).

Vertical is more durable

Both lifestyles are necessary, but the horizontal should flow naturally out of the vertical. They should not be two separate lifestyles. When our lives are vertical, (focused on knowing and loving God) the natural by-product is caring for others with a pure heart. Faulty motives should have no place.

Even as Christians, we live mostly horizontal. Yes, we share the gospel with more people today than before, but what we’re presenting isn’t life-changing. We’re reproducing ourselves instead of reproducing Jesus!

We are called to re-present Jesus here on earth, but that’s only possible if we are filled with Him. God can’t work through us what He hasn’t first worked in us. If your life isn’t vertical enough, you can only give others what’s inside of you (which quickly runs out).

Keys to vertical living

How can we turn this around, be more vertical than horizontal? Here are some very practical, life-changing steps.

  1. Pray at least once a day, asking God to give you a pure heart and right motives. (Matthew 5:8). That prayer lines up with God’s will for you and He will answer it.
  2. Make it a priority to worship the Lord three times a day. Just two or three minutes several times a day releases your love and adoration for God. It strengthens your spirit-man. As your spirit goes, so goes your whole life!
  3. Remind yourself daily how God has delivered you and where He has taken you. Bringing back to your conscious mind how God’s miracles have changed your life and destiny will make you immensely more vertical-minded almost immediately. I’m sure that, like me, Jesus has delivered you many times since He came into your life as your Lord and Savior. Bring to mind your latest life-changing breakthrough.
  4. Now share that testimony with one person every day. Make it a habit to share God’s glory with someone each day.
  5. Refuse to get offended! When someone hurts you, and they will, choose to deal with it immediately. Don’t stuff it down in your heart.

These few steps will keep you vertical, not just horizontal. I assure you that when you live a vertical lifestyle, your horizontal life will be very successful as well!…

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pier over frozen lake

We have never been this way before.

January 2, 2021 Gaspar Anastasi
3 Comments
Finding direction, Success & victory

Joshua 3:3-5, “and they commanded the people, saying, “When you see the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, and the priests, the Levites, bearing it, then you shall set out from your place and go after it.Yet there shall be a space between you and it, about two thousand cubits by measure. Do not come near it that you may know the way by which you must go, for you have not passed this way before.”And Joshua said to the people, “Sanctify yourselves, for tomorrow the LORD will do wonders among you.”

Joshua first spoke the words, “We have never been this way before” to the children of Israel. But I believe it is also a prophetic word from the Lord for us today.

A whole new era

I am sure you would agree with me that we have never experienced the things we are going through today. It’s obvious that we can no longer rely on what has been familiar to us or what happened before. Or even the way that God did things in the past. This is a whole new season for all of us!

That is exactly how the children of Israel must have felt as they were about to cross over into the Promised Land. But God didn’t leave them on their own. He gave them a strategy in Joshua 3:3. He told them to look for the ark and follow it.

Keep sight of His presence

Good news! God wants us to cross over too, and He is giving us the same strategy. Just as Israel had to focus on the ark, we must keep our eyes on the presence of God.

As we focus on God, we truly get to know Him, hear His voice and go after His voice. We’ll be willing to get out of our comfort zone and follow the plan He has given to us. He wants us to rely on Him, depend on Him and trust Him with all of our hearts.

The Lord told the priests and the people to cross over the Jordan River, which to us may not seem like an unusual command.  But to them it didn’t make any sense. For much of the year, the Jordan River is shallow and only 40 feet wide. However, at that particular time of year, the river could have been a mile wide and maybe 30 or 40 feet deep.

Don’t get off the High way

God will sometimes move in seasons and in ways that we just don’t understand.  If we could write the script, we would never do it this way. But the Bible says that God’s ways are not our ways and His thoughts are higher than our thoughts (Isaiah 55:8, 9).

Because we have never been this way before and can’t rely on our past experiences, we must depend on the divine wisdom and guidance of the Holy Spirit. He will always lead us into a place of greater trust like He told the prophet Isaiah. “Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, ‘This is the way, walk in it,’ Whenever you turn to the right hand or whenever you turn to the left” (Isaiah 30:21).

Be willing to cross over!

As we are obedient to God’s voice and keep our eyes on Him, He will take us safely to the other side. There is a promised land out there. And although we face unfamiliar territory, it’s an exciting time for all of us who are living for God!

Let’s be willing to cross over! Don’t be like those who stay on this side of the Jordan. Don’t just talk about and praise God for the promises, but never enter into the promises.

Determine to cross over and receive the great blessing and abundance God has for you. Trust Him. You have never been this way before!…

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