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Posts by Gaspar Anastasi

Sprint to the finish line!

November 16, 2019 Gaspar Anastasi
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Finding significance in life

As I was fasting and praying, I heard The Lord say to me, “The finish line is near and you can see it.” I felt this great urgency rise up in me as though I needed to accomplish a task I’d been involved in for a while. Then I heard in my spirit “IT’S TIME TO SPRINT TO THE FINISH LINE!”

All of a sudden, I understood what God was trying to tell me (and every true Christian).

“Gaspar, you know what to do. Stop just dreaming about it, talking about it and trying to convince others to join you in doing it. I gave you My heart’s desire to live out and, now that the end is near, its time. It’s time to sprint to the finish line and accomplish what I called you to do.”

I understood that we all have a clear picture of what God placed in our heart to accomplish in our lifetime for His Glory.

Many of us have put dreams on the shelf to do something less important. Others are taking their sweet time in accomplishing what He made them for. Still others have given up on God’s dream for them, thinking it is too late or just plain impossible now. But some of you reading this hear that still, small inner voice reminding you of what God once said He wanted from your life. What God placed in you is still there and you can’t deny it’s pulling and tugging in your heart.

Lose the excuses

At the same time, God gave me the strong impression that we need to get rid of every excuse, distraction and reason why we can’t finish or even start. My heart was opened to the reality that the finish line is in full view. “What is the finish line?” you ask. In my vision, the finish line is the end of the church age, our way of life, as we know it now. But it’s the beginning of life, as God wants it.

The spirit of lawlessness has been on the face of the earth and is ever-increasing daily with unspeakable violence across the globe. As I write this, I am hearing about a new terrorist group taking over Iraq—one of an increasing number, even more violent and anti-American. To the spiritually minded, it’s obvious that the end is near.

Then, in my vision I heard God say He’s going to do a quick work. What would normally take years will happen in months. What would normally take months will happen in a day.

Don’t hold back

God said, “Sprint to the finish line and fulfill the very thing you were created for. It’s not the season to hold back, but bust loose and run at it.”

Our days are numbered, so leave nothing in reserve. Hold nothing back, saving it for another day, foolishly thinking we time. Live your dream, step out in faith, fulfill your call and don’t look back. Go for it with the finish line in view. SPRINT!

The saddest thing that could happen is to know what God wanted to do in and through you and to never accomplish it. Remember, whatever God asks will always be underwritten by heaven’s power. The only way to fail is by doing nothing.

Don’t just talk about doing it or continually make plans to do it. No! JUST DO IT. Make a run for it! The finish line is near and your reward awaits you. Some of you know what I’m talking about because you heard the same thing. So run the race!

If this week’s blog post has been a blessing to you, please let us know by commenting below!…

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There is Hope for the Holidays

October 18, 2019 Gaspar Anastasi
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Overcoming depression

For many, the holiday season isn’t a happy time. Families and friends make great efforts and sacrifice to gather together in celebration. However, the holidays can trigger memories of past hurts, personal failures, losses and broken relationships.

The rest of the time people can successfully stuff these memories, but this time of year, they come rushing back, bringing deep depression, loneliness and hopelessness.

We ponder the marriage that could have been; the joy we could have if our loved one hadn’t died; how much we could bless others if we hadn’t lost our job…. Some of us long to be with family that are lost to us because of wrong choices.

Research says that most suicides occur during the holiday season. The sad part is that many of us are too caught up in the frenzy of activity to notice all the hurting people around us.

They are our co-workers, students and friends. You may not be aware that you could be a great source of emotional and mental stability… and hope.

God created us to need each other. He tells us that in at least 14 “one another” scriptures that emphasize the need and responsibility we have for each other. Here are just a few: Love one another; be kind to one another; pray for one another; be hospitable to one another; forgive one another; honor one another; prefer one another.

As people of God, here are some things to do to not lose hope…. whichever side of the fence we’re on.

1. Take another look. Reach out to someone who fits a category I mentioned and invite them to spend this holiday season with you and your family. It may save a life. At the very least you will help them through the toughest times. Don’t take no for an answer, because they will likely resist you, embarrassed to admit their need.

2. Get rid of preconceived ideas. If you’re the one who is alone, hurting or depressed, take the initiative to reach out. Ask someone you are close to if you can spend time with them this holiday season. They may be too busy with their own lives to notice your need. I guarantee they’ll apologize for not being sensitive enough to have asked you in the first place. Let go of the preconception that people don’t want or care about you, when in fact they really do!

3. Don’t be narrow-minded. God is the source of your life and wants to meet your needs. Allow Him to do it the way He wants, not the way you think He should or with the people you think He should. God will use unlikely people to bless you (or people you never wanted Him to use). You could be missing God’s blessings by being narrow-minded. Take another look before you say no to one person in order to say yes to someone else.

This holiday season, let’s not lose our hope. Let’s connect as the people of God as commanded in John 13:34, 35: “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

We love to hear from you! If this blog post has been a blessing to you, please take a moment to let us know by commenting below.…

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setback to step back

Don’t let your setback make you step back.

June 8, 2019 Gaspar Anastasi
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Making positive change

When it comes to our God-given dreams and visions, we all suffer setbacks from time to time. Remember that everything we do for God will be contested, challenged and resisted by the devil.

Too many of us get discouraged and give up when we hear a word from God, start to walk it out, but then face immediate frustration and failure. Sure it’s a setback, but it’s no reason for us to step back and give up on our God-inspired dream or promise.

Below I present some steps to prevent failure when pursuing God’s promises in your life.

1. Realize that you have an enemy.

But it’s really not Satan directly….it’s you. It’s the weaknesses of your own flesh (feelings and emotions). We must discipline ourselves to be influenced by God’s word rather than our circumstances. Second Corinthians 4:18 says, “While we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.” It takes daily discipline to die to our own ways, thoughts and feelings and stay focused on God’s promises.

2. Don’t assume the dream or vision was a lie.

If your strategy fails, it doesn’t mean that you’re a failure or the dream or vision isn’t from God.  Just change your strategy. The promises stay the same, but the strategies can change.

3. Understand that timing is everything.

When it comes to fulfilling God’s plans and purposes in your life, timing matters…a lot. Live on God’s time clock, not your own. Many people step back when things are not happening according to their time plan. They forget that Isaiah 55:8 says: “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the LORD.”

Just wait on the Lord and trust that He knows what He’s doing. He always brings His promises to pass. Second Corinthians 1:20 puts it this way: “For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us.” Don’t quit on God….. He hasn’t quit on His Word that is in you.

4. Let God purify your motives.

Ask, “Why do I want this vision, dream or promise fulfilled in my life?” We can suffer setbacks because our hearts are still too filled with selfish motives. The advancement of God’s Kingdom should be our ultimate goal. I agree that we should prosper and enjoy divine favor—but not just for ourselves—for those we can influence in the present and future. God will put His dreams, visions and promises for us in a holding pattern because we have the wrong motives.

5. Forgive yourself if you stepped back.

God hasn’t changed His mind concerning His promises in your life. Don’t let discouragement turn into depression and stay in your life. You can always choose to once again embrace God’s dream, vision or promises.

Conclusion: No one is perfect, but God loves us and desires that we succeed in every way. So don’t give up or quit when you have a setback. Remember…setbacks are only permanent when you step back!

If this blog post has been a blessing to you, please take a moment to comment below.

…

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expect God's glory

Expect God’s glory!

June 1, 2019 Gaspar Anastasi
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Relationship with God

“And the Lord said, “Here is a place by Me, and you shall stand on the rock. So it shall be, while My glory passes by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock, and will cover you with My hand while I pass by.” (Exodus 33:21, 22). This was God’s response to Moses when he asked to see His glory. Like Moses, you and I need to raise our expectations that God will display all His goodness in the midst of us. 

God is looking for a people who are hungry for His presence. Does that describe you? God said, “I will prepare a place for you where you can stand as I show My glory.” That place God prepared for us is the only place where any human being can stand who truly wants to know Him. That place is the Rock of Jesus. No man can come to the Father except by Him.

Stand on the Rock

The devil loves to play with your mind and tell you that you’re too dirty to come into God’s presence. You must recognize it’s not your goodness, but Jesus’. We can’t come to Him on our own merits. We can’t enter His presence based on good works or church membership. The only way is through the cleansing, atoning blood of the Lamb of God. We can never be worthy enough to enter God’s presence (or for God to enter ours). God the Father made Jesus to be sin for us because He longs to be intimate with us. He’s not satisfied with a distant relationship and neither should we be.

The rock God showed Moses to stand on is a gift that He offers just as freely to you and me, so that we too can experience His glory. 

God the Father has never been able to reveal His raw glory on earth because it destroys flesh. When Jesus came, He was cloaked in the veil of human flesh. That’s the only reason men could look upon His face and live. 

God the Father has shape and form like you and me. He is not cosmic dust floating around in outer space. In this encounter with Moses in Exodus 33 and with the apostle John in Revelation chapters 4 and 5, we see He has a face, hands and back parts.

Stand in right-standing

Because you and I have been elevated to a position of right-standing with God through the blood of Jesus, we have the privilege to stand at His side, hide in the cleft of the Rock, and live. That’s also why we can expect His glory to show up here.

What’s so special about the glory of God? Well, when we enter it, everything will change. Suddenly, strife and contention will be replaced by the desire to lay down our lives for one another. Forgiveness will well up in you and you’ll go make things right with those whom you have ought against. You’ll notice a longing to come into unity and agreement with what God is doing in this body. There will be such an impartation of God’s presence, everyone will know it. You won’t have to announce to anyone that you have been in His presence. It will be obvious. 

So please join me in asking Father God as Moses did… “Please show me Your glory.” 

If this blog post has been a blessing to you, please leave a comment and let us know!…

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don't shoot the wounded

Don’t shoot the wounded

May 25, 2019 Gaspar Anastasi
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God's love

According to Galatians 6:1, it is our job to restore those who have been overtaken in misconduct or sin of any sort. This is one of those scriptures that really flies in the face of normal church tradition and exposes our Achilles heal. The fact is, when Christ called us to be His ambassadors to a hurting world, He equipped and commissioned us to operate in God’s mercy and grace. He intended for you and I to restore Satan’s victims to fellowship with our heavenly Father and His Body, the Church.

Who and how are we to restore?

Who are the people we’ve been called to restore and how do we do it? Those who need to be restored are the drug addicts, the adulterers, the murderers and anybody else who has succumbed to Satan’s schemes and traps. But what does it actually mean to restore someone to fellowship?

First of all, we must recognize the faults in a person’s life and be willing, out of compassion, to bring correction to them. The sole purpose of correction is so that the person can admit and repent of their fault. It takes a very mature Christian to care that much for another person. No one can be restored until they first truly repent. Repent means to bear fruit that shows we’re, not only sorry for our sins, but have completely turned away from them.

Restore also means to reinstate a brother or sister to their full rights of fellowship in the Body of Christ—not isolating them as a form of punishment or treating him or her like a second class citizen. 

Furthermore, we are to “restore such a one in the spirit of meekness.” We must reach out to the hurting with a Christ-like heart of humility and God’s unconditional love. We need to understand that There, but for the grace of God, go I. 

Turn over a new leaf

However, that has not been the Church’s reputation. The Church has fallen far short of her commission to restore, reinstate, reestablish and heal those who need it most. Instead, we are known for shooting our wounded. Blinded to our own sins and weaknesses, carefully cloaking them with fig leaves, we judge, criticize and condemn everyone else. We gossip about people and otherwise feed into an “us” and “them” attitude. It is an attitude which is nauseating, to say the least, to our merciful, compassionate God.

What we need is a fresh revelation of God’s mercy which He pours out on every one of us every day of our lives. How many of us can say we have perfectly served God since we received Him as Savior and Lord? I dare say none. It’s amazing how we, the restored, resent others being welcomed back into the fold. 

Yet, the whole Bible tells the story of a loving God restoring fallen humanity to Himself. How? By loving them back into relationship. Examine your life. How do you treat those who have fallen into sin and out of fellowship with God and His Church? Are you looking to restore such a one in the spirit of meekness? Or are you one of the self-righteous, gathering a posse to shoot the wounded among us? …

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dancing in the dark

Dancing in the Dark

May 18, 2019 Gaspar Anastasi
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Making positive change, Overcoming depression

Over and over in Genesis when God is creating, the scripture says “And evening and morning were the first (second… sixth…) day.” Notice night always comes before day. Our God who declares the end from the beginning goes to work in the evening of our lives when it is darkest, when everything looks dead and hopeless, when you feel like giving up. That’s when He suddenly speaks into the night and commands, “Let there be light!”

We all must go through night seasons in life. That’s a fact. And it is crucial that you put your effort into enduring difficult times in faith, rather than circumventing them. Otherwise, you just might miss your miracle.

A womb for the miraculous

Start seeing the darkness that surrounds you as a womb for the miraculous, and an incubator for the incredible. Suddenly, in one day, God can resurrect the very thing you thought was dead forever and prosper it as never before. But you must be willing to lay it down in faith. 

In Numbers 17:1-8, God commanded the heads of the twelve tribes of Israel to lay down their rods before Him. Each of them was carrying around a dead stick which represented their will, their abilities and their human power. But once he laid it down, in the course of one night, Aaron’s rod budded blossomed and bore fruit. A miracle!

When God gets hold of the dead thing you lay down—the bad relationship, the rebellious kids, the lost job, the uncertain future—your crisis becomes the crucible for God’s creative power.  

Endure the night

Not only must we endure our own night season, we must let others go through theirs as well. When we try to rescue our children or loved ones from problems over and over instead of letting them go through them, we only prolong their time in the fire. 

If you cut a butterfly free from its cocoon it will die because it didn’t get the strength it gains in the struggle while breaking out. When you take away a person’s struggle, you kill the character, the discipline, the humility, etc. that would have developed in the process. That’s why Jesus rebuked Peter for trying to dissuade Him from going to the cross and why He called Judas friend. Jesus knew He had to endure the night to obtain our salvation.

So what do we do while we’re waiting for daybreak? Declare what you want to see happen. Speak light into the darkness just like God did. He has already given you the word. Now He is saying, “You speak it!” 

Declare truth til daybreak

Say, “I am a tither and God is opening up the windows of heaven and pouring me out a blessing so great I can’t contain it all.” 

Say, “Healing is the children’s bread and by Jesus Christ’s stripes I am healed of  ________!”

Say, “My household is saved because a sanctified wife makes a sanctified husband and children.”

Don’t moan and groan. Endure joyfully. Say what God says and start to praise Him even in the dark. Dance and shout as you visualize your miracle coming to pass. Then get ready. Once you get a vision, day is about to come.   …

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