Discovering Your Destiny

February 1, 2020 Gaspar Anastasi

Finding significance in life, Success & victory

Every person and every people group has a destiny. God created us with a destiny individually, but as we connect with one another, we become a “people group” such as a family, business, city, nation or church. God brings together like-minded people. He takes the different aspects of our individual calling and, out of it, He forms a group destiny.

As we identify our personal destiny, we help to advance the call of the “people group” known as the local church. This, in turn, affects our local community, city, state, nation and even the world. The sky’s the limit concerning God’s ability to work in and through us. But unity is the key.

In the days of Babel, God was attracted by the unity of men with evil hearts. So He came down to see what they were doing. “And the LORD said, “Indeed the people are one and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do; now nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them,” (Genesis 11:6).

When you identify your passion, you identify your destiny.

We will never truly be part of a group until we discover what our individual destiny is. You and I are one small part of the whole, but it’s an important part. Like our body, each cell structure is individual and distinct, but must connect with other cell structures to form a healthy, functioning body. The cells need to work together with others to frame a bigger picture.

If we don’t understand our individual call, we will slow down the process of unity. When we are united, God can use us to accomplish great and amazing things, even if we are small in number. (One chases a thousand and two will put ten thousand to flight!)

It will take quality time to think about our lives and discern what God’s plan is for us. But it’s worth it to discover His plan and connect to the local church to become effective members of the body of Christ.

Look at the things you are very passionate about (and not just emotionally). I mean things you’re willing to lay down your life for! That passion goes deep inside and really makes up who you are. The Holy Spirit will help identify those things, but give Him time.
You might be passionate about several things, so find the one you are the most passionate about. It doesn’t mean you’re not effective in other areas or God doesn’t use you other places, but the other passions will support your one major passion.

When you identify your passion, you identify your destiny. Now you need to connect with a local church that cares for your destiny. The right church will have a purpose and vision that clearly indicates its future. You will know how you fit, where you fit and how to take part in the church destiny.

The local church is only as strong as the individual person but, when we are united, our power and influence increases, affecting everything around us. Through the local church, the body of Christ can fulfill God’s heart here on earth. Remember, He is the Head, we are the body, we have a group destiny, and He has placed all things under our feet! Discover your destiny!

If this blog post has been a blessing to you, please let us know by leaving a comment below. Thanks!…

How to Have More Good Days

January 11, 2020 Gaspar Anastasi

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Finding significance in life, Making positive change, Success & victory

Every one of us could testify that we have both good days and bad days and, unfortunately, most would say they have more bad ones than good ones. What determines whether our days are good or bad is what I call “core habits”.

Core habits can be good or they can be very destructive. Although we have both in our lives, they often go unidentified. We just go through our day without paying too much attention to our core daily habits, because we are too consumed with regretting yesterday and how we can change our tomorrow. We forget that in order to change the big picture (our destiny), we have to first change the small picture (today).

Remember satan, your enemy, wants you to be consumed with the urgent… not the important.

We all have good days and bad days, but ask yourself this question: What makes good days good and what makes bad days bad? Make a list of both on a piece of paper. Remember that the Bible says in Psalm 37:23, “The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD, And He delights in his way.” By taking one step at a time, we get closer and closer to the fulfillment of our destiny.

Let me share with you some things that would make a good day for me. Maybe they’ll work for you as well:

Getting seven hours of sleep
Spending one hour in prayer, meditation and reading God’s word
Eating a healthy diet
Drinking one gallon of water
Exercising for one hour

It’s so important to write down the things that help you to have a good day. They become your daily strategy and will radically change your destiny. Now, if you look at your list and see that you are far from accomplishing it on a regular basis, add just one new core habit to your day instead of three or four.

I would say that if you implemented that one core habit 80% of the time for a month, you could consider yourself successful. You can then add another core habit, repeating the process until you have implemented all the core habits that make for a good day!

This strategy will help you to have good days most of the time, rather than just having a hit and miss experience. By reviewing your daily core habits and replacing the bad ones with just three or four good ones—one at a time—you could change your whole life around. Isn’t it worth the effort?

Again, if you just take the time today to review what makes a good day, you will begin the process of increasing the good days in your life and you also will be reaching your destiny. Remember satan, your enemy, wants you to be consumed with the urgent… not the important. Stop having bad days and start having good ones! It’s all in your power.

If this blog post has been a blessing to you, please let us know by leaving a comment below.…

Breaking false boundaries

January 5, 2020 Gaspar Anastasi

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Finding significance in life, Making positive change, Success & victory

Boundaries are limits placed on us either by ourselves or outside forces. Strongholds in our minds cause false perceptions of what we can or can’t accomplish. They dictate to us how we can or can’t live. They are deceptions that distort reality and keep us away from the success in Christ for which we were created.

One of the greatest boundaries is fear. FEAR: False Evidence Appearing Real! I’m not talking about the natural fear we are born with that protects us from real danger, but—the spirit of fear that paralyzes and blinds us to God’s truth. Unfortunately, I see many people hindered in their walk with God because of it.

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”

Second Timothy 1:7 says, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” This verse tells me that the kind of fear that creates worry, anxiety, phobias, torment, etc., comes from a spirit of fear. We don’t have to live that way, yet many accept fear as a way of life. Others deal with it through drugs. Today, prescription pills are the “quick cure” for those who suffer from fear. No wonder so many are addicted!

Here are some principles that will help you break the false boundary of fear.

1. Recognize that fear is a spirit. Luke 10:19 says you have been given dominion over every demon spirit that attacks you: “Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.” Aggressively resist that spirit of fear by believing the word of Doctor Jesus. His prescription is the “gospills” (His words) and they aren’t addictive or mood altering!

2. Get to know God’s love firsthand. Fear creates tremendous insecurity. Someone else telling you that God loves you is not good enough. Only Gods’ love can make your heart trust God’s promises and cancel out Satan’s lies!

First John 4:18 says, “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment.” Knowing the depth of God’s love brings security and the strength to resist the False Evidence Appearing Real. Be patient with yourself during this time of learning God’s love for you. Too many of us have fallen into self-hatred and condemnation because we didn’t understand this spiritual war.

3. Be very careful of the kind of books you read, TV shows and movies you watch. The wrong ones will just intensify your fears. This is war, so be disciplined about what you allow to enter your mind and spirit, because your eyes and ears are the gateways to those areas.

4. Understand the transference of spirits. You will become like whomever you hang around! Avoid spending time with fearful people. Why? Like spirits attract each other. It’s likely your friends have the same problems you do, so choose new friends who are walking victoriously with God.

Don’t accept a demon-controlled life, limited by false boundaries. If you do, they will place more and more limits on you. Meanwhile, Jesus already set you free! “Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed (John 8:36:).”

Fear can and should be defeated, but if you don’t contest it, it will become a full-blown phobia. Don’t open the door to a demon-controlled life, limited by false boundaries.…

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!…

Begin at the end.

April 27, 2019 Gaspar Anastasi

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Finding significance in life, Making positive change, Success & victory

What would you like your friends say about you when you die? That you were a person who loved God and loved people… that you were compassionate, always putting the needs of others before your own? Of course, you do! Unfortunately, for some of us that won’t be the case because we never planned the end from the beginning!

You see, when a Hollywood producer makes a movie, he or she always has the end in mind before they start production. They design the different segments of the movie, making sure they all lead to the desired ending. If one of the segments doesn’t fit the ending they planned, they pull it out and create one that does fit.

If you and I want our lives to have a great ending, we must likewise plan the different segments of our lives to produce the desired result.

Pay now and play later

I like to say it this way: If we pay now, we can play later. But that’s the opposite of what most people do! Good planning calls for great discipline and keeping the end well in sight. Like a movie producer, you and I get to control each act and dictate how it ends.

The key to a good ending is sticking to the script: the Word of God. Jesus is the Author and Finisher of our faith; He is also the Director of our life, as the Apostle Paul tells us in Hebrews 12:2.

An illustration

I heard a story of an old man who sat on a park bench every afternoon, reading the newspaper. One day a young man sat next to him and, after a few minutes, leaned over to the older gentleman and said, “Sir I’m sorry to interrupt you, but do you have the time?” After a long pause, the old man turned, said “No” and went on reading the paper.

The stunned young man interrupted him and said, “Sir, you have on a watch and I don’t understand why you would say ‘no’ to my request. Did I not ask you politely, or did I offend you in some way?”

The old man said, “Son, you seem like a very nice young man. If I told you the time, we may have gotten into a conversation. Then I might have come to like you and invited you to my house for dinner. When you came over, because you are a handsome young man, my single daughter, who is beautiful, probably would have been attracted to you and you to her. You’d ask her out and there would be a good chance that you would ask her to marry you. Well, I don’t want my daughter to marry somebody who can’t afford a watch.”

Keep the perfect ending in mind

Now that’s a little radical, but the truth is this: You’ll never reach your desired end unless you begin and arrange the rest of your life’s journey with the end in mind. God showed Jeremiah as a young man what his life’s journey was to look like, and Jeremiah kept that vision before him. Surely, our destiny can also be fulfilled if we keep our end goal in mind at all times.

Think about how you would like your obituary to read and the legacy you want your family to continue. Will the unfolding of your life’s script bring glory to God? Take the time today and plan your ending. Then begin at the end!…

Get rid of negative labels

March 16, 2019 Gaspar Anastasi

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Finding significance in life, Getting past the past

At one time or another, every one of us has been labeled, often by a frustrated, immature parent who didn’t understand that “Death and life are in the power of the tongue” (Proverbs 18:21).

Labels define a person according to our personal view of them and their inability to perform according to our expectations or standards. But maybe they’re unaware of what we expect, or our expectations are unrealistic, or perhaps their past hurts make them rebellious or incapable.

We define people based on our perception of them at that moment instead of God’s mercy and His view of who they are in Jesus.

When we speak condemning, critical words about a person’s character, we release a curse over him or her and their destiny. Such words spoken early in life are buried deep in their subconscious mind. As they grow older, the buried message leaks out in every thought about themselves. That’s how many miss our destiny. We live the labels.

The father of a famous 1920’s industrialist labeled his young son “stupid” and told him he would never succeed. When the boy was 16, his teacher looked at his poor grades and agreed with his father, advising him to quit school and get a job. The teacher said he wasn’t smart enough to graduate. So the boy accepted the label, quit school and held a menial job.

Then one day his company gave every employee an IQ test and the boy discovered that he was a genius! From that day on, he exchanged the “stupid” label for “genius”. His whole life changed and he became a wealthy and famous man.

Think of labels people have put on you. Some can just be laughed at and shrugged off. Others still make you shudder. Today, many of us live under the curse of negative labels that have set false boundaries and limited our God-given potential. Labels also forge an assignment from hell over our life that supports the curse it created. People see us and treat us accordingly.

So what should we do about it?

Ask God to reveal the labels that were placed on you by a parent or by someone you respect. It becomes a curse the moment you believe what it says about you.
Forgive the person who labelled you. Then repent for believing those labels and for repeating them over yourself. Then appropriate the blood of Jesus and declare that curse to be broken over your life.
Accept your identity in Jesus. Know the great life, power and destiny of Jesus that’s in you. Second Corinthians 4:7 says how God sees you: “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.” Always see yourself through the eyes of Jesus, not the label someone else put on you.
Begin to dream again and break free from the false boundaries of those labels by consistently seeing and talking about yourself the way Jesus does. Research the many scriptures that talk about who you are in Jesus and confess them daily until you become them.
Finally, avoid people who only see and talk about you in those negative labels. Some people will view you that way all your life. Surround yourself with people who can see you through the eyes of Jesus.

Negative labels are satan’s way of holding you back from your God-given right to succeed at what He’s called you to. Let this be the day that every label is broken and then refuse to allow anyone to ever label you again!

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