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Posts by Gaspar Anastasi

You can have the life you demand!

December 12, 2020 Gaspar Anastasi
1 Comment
Making positive change, Success & victory

Every one of us, over the course of our lives has been dealt a bad hand. When it happens we wonder, “What did I do to deserve this?” Finally, we conclude: “Life ain’t fair!”

However, that fact doesn’t disqualify you from the abundance of great blessings that God has promised you. I used to think that the Bible was just a good story and that God wouldn’t fulfill His promises to me until I got to heaven!

It’s true that life doesn’t give you what you deserve, but it WILL give you what you demand. Let me explain.

Since God created everything by His spoken word, (and Jesus IS the Word) everything in creation MUST submit to the authority of its Creator. God said, “Let there be”…and it was so!

His way of doing things hasn’t changed because He never changes: “For I am the LORD, I do not change (Malachi 3:6a,).” “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8).” “The grass withers, the flower fades, But the word of our God stands forever (Isaiah 40:8).”

Now you can pass your existence blaming other people and complaining about how unfair life is. Or you can take responsibility for the outcome.

If you want to see the Bible come alive, refuse to be a victim! When you own God’s promises and command your circumstances to bow to the Living Word of God, they must yield to the Creator and His word. Here are some keys:

1. Own God’s promises. He wasn’t teasing when He said, “I will supply all of your needs according to My riches in glory.” He loves it when you hold Him to His word. It proves you believe Him.

2. Don’t quit. Too many believers stop short of the manifestation of those promises because they lack patience. “God’s promises are always “yea and amen” and they will come to pass because God is not a liar. His word will prosper wherever He sends it!

3. Go to war. Satan will resist you. So, aggressively submit to God (His word) and resist the devil. The devil is just testing to see if you really believe God’s promises. Praise God in the “night” because joy comes in the morning.

4. Be passionate. You may start out zealously standing on God’s promises, but it’s easy to get distracted and lose focus. Jesus said in Matthew 24:13, “But he who endures to the end shall be saved.”

And this isn’t just about you. Be selfless in your walk with God so your victories will overflow to others. They will learn from your life. Keep the fire burning in your heart by being a true worshipper of God.

Truly, life won’t give you what you deserve, but it will give you what you demand. Demand God’s promises! Boldly stand on the firm foundation of His Word and refuse to be moved by the circumstances. Start living the abundant life. It’s already bought and paid for by the precious blood of His Son!…

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Woman writing journal

How do you want to be remembered?

December 5, 2020 Gaspar Anastasi
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Finding significance in life, Success & victory

Every day, you and I are writing the story of our lives. The chapter you pen right now is being read by the people around you. But the full story will be published and perused by many others long after you are gone.

I have good news! You can know and even write the ending before it happens. “How is that possible?” you ask. Below are some ways we can do just that.

Write the ending you want

 1.) Learn to say “no” to the good, so you can say “yes” to the best! Each decision you make has short term results, but it also shapes your future. Your today is the result of all the decisions you’ve made up to this point. Your tomorrow is the sum of the decisions you make today. So, here’s a word of advice: Never make permanent decisions based on temporary circumstances. You must manage the fruit of that decision for the rest of your life.

2.) Don’t accept the agenda that someone else mapped out for you. Live your life the way God created you to. You never want to be a cheap copy of a great original! Ephesians 2:10 puts it this way: For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

By reading God’s word and listening to the voice of the Holy Spirit, you can find out for what purpose God created you . Choose to walk in His ways no matter how much pressure people place on you to conform to their ways. Remember, you’re writing your own history—not theirs.

Our time is the greatest resource God has given us, and the Bible warns us to protect it. “See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil, (Ephesians 5:15-16).”

3.) Every day, manage your thoughts so that you can manage your life. Like actual decisions, your thoughts greatly influence your destiny. In fact, nothing else affects your decisions like right or wrong thinking. So allow Jesus to be Lord over your every thought. After all, a good idea doesn’t always mean it’s a God idea. Don’t jump to conclusions until you are certain your idea leads to the ending you desire. Avoid negative thinking because once your mind is tattooed with negative thinking, your chance for long term success is diminished.

4.) As you change your thinking, start to immediately change your behavior. Take action and begin to act the part of the person you want to become. The problem is that people want to “feel” instead of taking action. That never works. The faith walk is not the same as the feeling walk! James 2:20 says, But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?  The world says, “If it feels good, do it.” God’s word says, “Do it, whether it feels good or not.”

5.) Stay focused on the end. Don’t allow the spirit of offense to distract you and take you off track. So many people have their wheels stuck in the mud of offense and they aren’t advancing to their original goals. Remember, planning your end is a daily thing, so consistency is non-negotiable. To be remembered the way God intended you to be depends on the consistency of your daily routine. Success is not a “destination thing”. It’s a “daily thing”. Don’t let Satan take you off track through offense.

Remember: The person you are tomorrow, you are becoming today. Live every day of your life wisely. Our time is the greatest resource God has given us, and the Bible warns us to protect it. “See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil, (Ephesians 5:15-16).”

Plan your tomorrows today and be assured that your ending will be what God (and you) want it to be!…

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Two people talking

How to be a person of influence

November 28, 2020 Gaspar Anastasi
2 Comments
Success & victory

“People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” I believe that this saying is very true.

We become frustrated when the people who are important to us don’t listen to or receive instruction from us. For a parent, it can be our children; for a teacher, our students; for a businessperson, our employees or colleagues. The bottom line is that people won’t take our advice if they don’t feel genuinely loved or cared for by us.

To be our most effective, we must first earn the right to speak into a person’s life.

Think about it. How do you react when people correct you? You may walk away feeling belittled. You may think: “He/she just wants to show how much smarter they are than me.” You may sense that they’re looking down on you, judging or trying to control you. If that is your perception, you probably won’t take to heart what they say.

In all fairness, the other person may really care and want to help, but because of some emotional disconnect, you end up shutting out their words from the very beginning.

Since the people in our lives will listen to us only if they know we genuinely care, here are…

Some simple ways to show caring:

1. Listen.

Before pouring out your wealth of wisdom or advice, ask him or her how things are going in their life or situation. Find out what’s on their heart and what they are going through. To be effective, we must earn the right to speak into a person’s life.

2. Become a good listener.

Don’t just stop at listening. Become a good listener. Make eye contact, responding with caring facial expressions and then well-chosen words. Your body language reflects your concern for their well-being. In fact, your body language often speaks louder than your words. And if the two contradict each other, the other person will pick up on that too.

3. Avoid Distractions.

Avoid distractions like texting, answering the phone or doodling during your time together. Such things send a wrong message, causing the other person to shut down before you even start. In fact, turn your phone off and put it out of sight. Send a message that you’re unavailable to all but him or her. Avoid sitting next to a window that looks on a busy area, so that the two of you can stay focused on your discussion.

4. Don’t rush.

Put aside enough time to truly hear their heart and to speak what’s on yours. Being a good listener takes time. However, be truthful about how much time you have available. You can always agree to another meeting to show that you really care and are willing to see their issue through to its conclusion.

It takes time, energy and commitment to genuinely care for someone, whether it’s a child, a spouse or a friend. What matters most is that we really care about one another. And this matters most to God! “Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other… (Ephesians 4:32).” Once people know you care, they will also care enough to heed what you know.…

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This changes everything!

November 21, 2020 Gaspar Anastasi
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Making positive change, Success & victory

A captain navigates a huge ship with a tiny rudder. A rider masters a powerful horse with a small bit in his mouth. In the same way, the words you and I speak direct the course of our lives (James 3). Think of it!

God created everything by His words and the whole universe operates on a word system. By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, (Hebrews 1:3, 11:3).

Amazingly, God has given us the same power over our own lives and the world in which we live. What a privilege!

Learn to master your words (making sure they agree with God’s words) and you will find yourself living a more peaceful, fulfilling and successful life. Jesus said in Luke 21:33, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.”

How our words affect us and those around us:

  1. Our words hurt people’s feelings. We hurl them carelessly without taking thought of the consequences. We don’t recognize the powerful force for good or evil our words carry. Your words also have equal power to create a friendly, rather than hostile atmosphere.
  2. Our words shape our destiny. Today, you are the sum total of every word you first believed and then spoke about yourself. There’s no getting away from it: Our words make us our own best friend or worst enemy. Instead of trying to change people’s perception of you by changing your clothes or hairstyle, try changing your words.
  3. Our words sink ships. Stop undermining your personal relationships and career by speaking negative things about yourself. So often we knock ourselves, thinking that we’re being humble. We don’t see how this bad habit negatively impacts our destiny, the way people view us and consequently treat us.

How to live better, be liked more and succeed

  1. Weigh your words. Words are a gift from God, so carefully weigh them before you release them. Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit (Proverbs 18:21). Ask yourself: “Who is Lord over the words I’m about to speak: Jesus or satan?
  2. Don’t abuse the power of speech. Satan can’t curse you, but he does everything he can to get you to curse yourself. He uses your circumstances to convince you to speak negative words about yourself, others and your future. Instead, find out what God has to say about you and speak that.
  3. Listen to the Holy Spirit. Because, with your words you choose life or death, blessing or curses; be led by the Holy Spirit. Trust His warnings and promptings before you speak. Remember, loose lips can sink your ship!

Change the way you speak and you will quickly improve everything in your life. By adding just one godly confession about yourself and your destiny every day for a week, you will experience immediate improvement. However, this change won’t go unchallenged. The devil knows the power of your words. The question is: Do you?

We love to hear from you! If this blog post has been a blessing to you, please comment!…

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senior citizen

Don’t let your past control your future

November 14, 2020 Gaspar Anastasi
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Getting past the past, Making positive change

Whenever we bring up past hurts, continually rehearse our failures and agonize over things we should have done but didn’t, we’re tying ourselves to our past. We’re also assuring that our present and future won’t be much different. So, in reality, our past isn’t the past.

Your own worst enemy

We spend so much energy trying to get people to sympathize with us and understand why we are where we are today. Our past excuses why we can’t possibly do better. We spend countless hours telling the story of our past, trying to convince ourselves and others that life could have been different if certain things never happened.

Speaking and thinking this way makes us our own worst enemy by binding us to the past. That, in turn, hinders our present and future. Fortunately, you can get released from the curse of the past.

During my 36 years as a Christian counselor, I have seen the following steps successfully unlock the prison gate for a person stuck in the past, freeing them to enter into God’s great destiny for their life. It’s not too late to get free from the torment of the past.

Let go of yesterday

Step 1: Forgive yourself for your role in your past: wrong decisions and even thoughts and desires. We often deflect the full responsibility of our pain onto others. We can’t deal with the self-rejection and guilt that comes from admitting our part. Remember, “The truth will set you free. (John 8:32)“. Although this first step is difficult, the alternative is this: Your history will become your destiny.

Step 2: Forgive everyone who caused you pain and bad memories. It’s not enough just to forget them or not mention them again. They still hold a place in your heart, allowing Satan to keep you tied to the bad memories. You know you’ve forgiven them if hearing their name no longer triggers that uneasy feeling in the pit of your stomach. Release the forgiveness God placed in you to them. Chords to the past will be broken and Satan’s assignment of tormenting you with past memories will disappear. It’s worth the effort!

Step 3: Make a conscious effort to stop bringing up your past. Scripture says that words have the power of life and death. Bringing up the past in some fashion releases a curse over your present and future. You may even be unaware that you do this. To stop it, consider asking someone close to you to point out when you bring up the past.

Step 4: Get free of shame and guilt. From time to time, we all feel guilt for things that happened in the past. Until you deal with this deep level of hurt it will undermine your faith to get free. Find someone who can pray for this deep healing. Left un-dealt with, shame and guilt will sabotage the first three steps.

I highly recommend the Stop Hurting Start Healing ministry to deal with deep inner hurt and shame. Go to BreakingFreeCC.com and start to take back your life from the enemy.

If you let it, history will repeat itself in your life. But with you and God…NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE!…

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mountain path

Direction trumps intentions

November 7, 2020 Gaspar Anastasi
1 Comment
Success & victory

We often hear people voice their good intentions to change or better their life in some way. The fact is: Good intentions alone are not good enough! For instance, if you want to lose weight, but you eat lunch every day at the International House of Pancakes, it’s just not going to happen.

The direction you choose to follow will overpower your good intentions every time. If the direction you’re traveling is an ungodly path filled with lifestyle compromises, your good intentions will go nowhere.

Alter direction, alter outcome

If you follow dead-end directions, you will end up at a dead end. No matter how many positive thoughts you have and godly confessions you make—or how well-meaning—intentions alone won’t prevent the inevitable dead end. You must change directions in order to fulfill your good intentions.

We can spend a lot of time and energy fixing the problems we run into while we’re going in the wrong direction. But, no matter how beautifully paved the dead end road is, because it isn’t a godly path, it will still lead nowhere. And fixing the occasional pothole along the way won’t change the destination.

First, you need to repent for staying on the wrong road. Then decide to change your direction and get on a road that leads to God’s true success for your life. It isn’t that difficult to discover the right road or right direction, because you have people around you who have been traveling on that road for a long time.

The Apostle Paul said it this way in Philippians 3:17, “Brethren, join in following my example, and note those who so walk, as you have us for a pattern.” In other words, others have traveled on the right road, heading in the right, godly direction, and you have them as examples to follow.

Dead ends kill time

However, the longer you wait to change directions and go the right way, the harder it will be to do it. You hear people say, “I wish I had changed direction 20 years ago. Look at all the time I wasted traveling on a dead end road.”

Thank God for all your good intentions. But direction will trump good intentions every time. Why don’t you take the time to pull over to the side of the road and ask the Holy Spirit for direction. I believe He’ll reveal that your problems aren’t hindering your success in life. It’s your chosen path.

Don’t wait. Do it now!

Why wait another minute to get on the highway to success? Do it now! Have you ever gotten lost because you made a wrong turn or took the wrong exit? You know that the longer you travel in the wrong direction, the harder and longer it takes to backtrack, find where you went wrong and get on the right road.

It’s not too late or even impossible to make a u-turn. Take the time to humbly locate where you went wrong. Next, follow the map of God’s Word and let your Holy Ghost GPS lead you off the Road of Good Intentions and on the Superhighway to Success! Good directions will always trump good intentions!…

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