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Posts by Gaspar Anastasi

Remove the mask

March 6, 2021 Gaspar Anastasi
2 Comments
Making positive change

We all go through painful events in life; and our tendency is to sweep our feelings under the rug and ignore them—hoping they go away. However, failure to deal with our hurts and losses creates a perfect environment for depression and despair.

We may think that masking our true feelings protects our heart, but it doesn’t. Instead, it wounds our spirit, which affects every aspect of our lives. Hiding our hurts impacts our spirit, soul, thoughts, feelings and emotions, our physical health, our well-being and even our relationships. This emotional masking stunts our spiritual growth, emotional and mental maturity. It eventually hinders our intimacy with God and people.

We need to take off the masks and become transparent before God. Don’t be afraid to share your pain with Him. Bring Him your broken heart and He will bring His plan of restoration.

Let your Father protect you

In fact, when you are honest with God, He will protect you from making wrong choices. He will keep you connected to people whom He predestined to be part of your story and separate you from the rest.

Furthermore, He will give you wisdom and understanding. David told God in Psalm 51:6 “Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts, And in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom.”

Enter into God’s joy, peace and happiness by embarking on what I call the Five D’s.

Practice the Five D’s

  1. Determine what sad experiences or significant losses from the past haven’t you faced. They can be things like divorce, death of parents, rejection, failures, false accusations, unjust criticism, thwarted goals or unrealized dreams. These feelings may be buried deep in your unconscious mind. But just because you don’t think about them doesn’t mean they don’t affect you today. They do.
  1. Discover the source of your masked pain through earnest prayer. Here’s an example: “Oh Father, let Your peace calm my troubled heart. Please make me aware of my need for healing and bring to my mind hurts I have masked and the circumstances that caused them.”
  1. Define your feelings with specific statements such as: “_________ made me feel like_______; I am grieving over________; I was so embarrassed when _______; I felt abandoned by_____; I was really hurt when _______; I determined to never let _____ happen again.” Pinpoint and define the hurts you’ve masked all this time. Let God take you out of denial and into inner healing. Make this your year to escape the heaviness you’ve been living with for so long.
  1. Decide to deeply and genuinely grieve your hurts. Release forgiveness to those who have hurt you and receive God’s forgiveness for holding anger or hatred. There is no justification for anyone with the nature of Jesus Christ to harbor these things. You may also need to forgive yourself for wrong choices that have perpetuated the pain. Ecclesiastes 3:1&7 says, “To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven:….. A time to tear, And a time to sew; A time to keep silence, And a time to speak;”
  1. Deepen your dependence on God. Trust Him to give you emotional freedom. Allow the Holy Spirit to pray through you daily. He’s your physician, your medicine cabinet, and He has every antidote you need to make you whole. In fact, it’s His desire.

May the clouds of hopelessness and despair be lifted. May God’s wonderful plans for you be revealed. Remember, He supplied you with everything you need to accomplish them. But first, remove the mask.

Your thoughts are important to us. Please take the time to share your feelings on this topic by commenting below.…

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ball and chain

How to get out of debt, pt. 2

February 27, 2021 Gaspar Anastasi
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Uncategorized

Last week, I gave three foundational steps to get out of debt and break poverty over your life. Here they are in review, but for more details read last week’s blog.

1. Believe that God is a debt canceling God.

2. All poverty and debt is rooted in sin.

3. Review your spending habits.

4. Today I will start with step 4, which is tithing. Tithing is the key to having God’s provision released in our life. This godly principle is the one that Satan opposes the most in a Christian’s life. It pertains to the “law of the first fruits” which sim­ply says that the first part of any fruit you produce belongs to God. Tithing is part of that law. The first fruit of our income (10%) be­longs to God and the 90% that is left is ours.

In the book of Malachi, God promises that if we don’t rob Him and we give what rightfully belongs to Him, He will release His abundance, provisions and protection. Always remember: God’s ways are not our ways. If we expect God’s word to fit our logic and understanding, we’ll miss Him every time.

It comes down to these two questions about our tithes: Is Jesus really Lord over our life? Do we really want to get out of debt?

5. Break the curse. Poverty and debt are curses that won’t go away unless forcefully broken. Matthew 12:11 says, “And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers vio­lence, and the violent take it by force.” In other words, Satan and his demons must be forcibly removed from our life in the name of Jesus.

We can assume that we are under the effects of a curse if we experience a cycle of negative events repeating over and over again. We break free, only to fall back into the debt cycle again. Some­times expenses rise out of nowhere, our car breaks down, we lose a job, etc. If they happen consistently, it is a sign that a curse of debt and poverty is over your life. Here is how to break it according to God’s word.

Identify that it’s a curse. Galatians 3:13 and 14 tells us Jesus became a curse for us so that we could have the blessings of Abraham (in­cluding prosperity). 

Declare, “In Jesus’ name I break the curse of poverty, lack and debt over my life!” If you haven’t done step two from my last message, add it in this prayer and declaration.

Release the blessing of prosperity, abundance and multiplica­tion in the name of Jesus. This is a war that must be fought in the spiritual realm and the weapons of warfare are not carnal—they are spiritual.

6. Constantly renew your mind with God’s word. Remind your­self that you live in God’s kingdom, not Satan’s anymore. Your God is generous and desires that you live the abundant life Jesus pur­chased for you. He made provision for you to be prosperous for His kingdom purposes (if you are doing His works, not your own).

Ask yourself, “Why do I want to get out of debt and have poverty bro­ken off my life?” If your answer doesn’t include something like be­ing Jesus Christ’s representative, you’ve missed the whole purpose of your redemption!

By applying all six steps to your everyday life; deliverance from poverty and living in debt is a sure thing. The greatest challenge is to recognize that Satan doesn’t want you to be financially free because then he can’t control your life. This is war and you must be in it to win it! Stay in the fight and don’t give up. BECAUSE OF JESUS WE WIN!  …

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How to get out of debt, pt. 1

February 20, 2021 Gaspar Anastasi
2 Comments
Making positive change, Success & victory

The way the economy is going, life is getting increasingly diffi­cult and the financial forecast doesn’t look very promising ei­ther. It’s obvious that things are about to get worse, but, how does God weigh in on all of this? Does He care about finances and does He offer any practical solutions to the problem of debt? Well first of all, Jesus spoke more about money than any other subject in the Bible. I know that’s shocking, but it’s true.

I believe Jesus highlighted the money issue because He knows that debt and poverty are manifestations of the kingdom of Satan. They are curses that are often carried down from generation to generation. Through money, the enemy attempts to control and hinder our lifestyles and ultimately our destiny.

It’s amazing how many of us are scrambling every day just to get enough money to live on, leaving us very little time for God. How ironic, since God is the true source of our lives! Matthew 6:33 says, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”

Let’s look at a few God-inspired principles to help alleviate debt and poverty in our lives. They are not in any particular order, but they point the way to apprehend God’s plan and strategy for us.

1. Believe He is a debt-canceling God. Mark 11:24 says,”Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.” He cancelled all of our debts on His cross two thousand years ago. In other words, believe that God wants to deliver you from poverty and cancel your debt. Nothing happens unless we believe.

2. All poverty and debt originates from sin. Any time you or your ancestors trusted in money and wealth to meet needs instead of God—that’s sin. First Timothy 6:10 says, “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sor­rows.”

Identify with the source of that sin, repent in the place of your ancestors and then repent for personal participation in that sin in your own life. Debt and poverty must be cut off at the root in order to break that cycle in your life. These two steps of identifica­tion and repentance are foundational to getting out of debt. For further explanation of this, please go to our website www.BreakingFreeCC.com and contact our office.

3. Review your spending habits: Is God in the decision-making when it comes to your spending habits? Many of us don’t allow God to be Lord over this area and we spend according to the lust of our flesh, not the leading of the Holy Spirit. If we examined our spending habits every day, we’d learn some shocking truths about our own heart.

List all of your spending for seven days, bring them before the Lord in prayer and ask Him if there needs to be any changes. If you’re sincere, you will probably see that radical change is necessary. That’s a good time to ask God’s forgiveness for your idolatry (putting money ahead of God).

These steps reveal your true desire to have poverty and debt broken over your life. A lot of us talk a good talk, but when it comes down to it, that’s all it is—talk. Getting out of debt requires a radical change in our view of money and our under­standing of God’s desire to be God (the only source) in and over our lives. We will continue this series next week.

We love to hear from you! If this post has blessed you, please let us know by leaving a comment.…

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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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