Don’t leave home without it!

February 23, 2019 Gaspar Anastasi

If you bake a cake and don’t like the way it tastes, you don’t blame the oven, do you? No! You fault the recipe and, the next time, you change the ingredients.

The same is true in life. We need to stop blaming everything and everyone else for our failures and lack of success. Instead, let’s take a good look in the mirror and see what needs to change in us.

The one ingredient missing most in today’s culture is the character trait of integrity. Its absence is especially glaring in religious circles where people claim to live a changed life. That’s why you often hear secular people say, “I wouldn’t go to that church. It’s full of hypocrites!”

What is integrity? It’s being consistently truthful and honest. It is keeping your word even when it’s inconvenient to do so. Those of us with integrity state our values and actually live out our beliefs in every circumstance.

They say, If you don’t stand for something, you will fall for anything. This missing ingredient of integrity not only hinders our success, but also our ability to live a life of significance and positively influence our culture. Success comes and goes, but significance is lasting! Proverbs 28:6 puts it this way: “Better is the poor who walks in his integrity than one perverse in his ways, though he be rich.”

Yet we see this lack of integrity in church, government, families and in us as individuals (because we make up those entities).

Here are some ways a lack of integrity may manifest itself in action:

1. We tell people what they want to hear to avoid conflict or confrontation.

2. We are people-pleasers. We agree with people in their presence, then complain about them to others.

3. We look for opportunities that benefit us with little or no regard for those around us.

4. We don’t keep our promises… and feel no need to even explain why. It reveals a lack of honor and respect for others.

5. We don’t take God seriously enough to live differently than the world and accept our role as Christ’s ambassadors. Many of us have gotten so used to living without integrity that we don’t even miss it until we meet someone who has it.

Integrity pleases God. He expresses it every time His word does not fail, no matter the circumstances. People of integrity face persecution, but I encourage you to keep on keeping on! You make a difference! Know that there are abundant blessings available to people who walk in integrity (Christ’s character).

The Bible promises to those who live with integrity: Guidance for every day; Divine favor and prosperity; Victory over our enemies; Vindication from false accusations and much more!

This missing ingredient is the one reason we don’t see more of our family or co-workers saved or our churches grow! Integrity is a character issue, not a mental exercise we apply to be successful. We either have it or we don’t.

If you realize you lack this missing ingredient, stop what you’re doing right now and ask God to help change your character. Allow integrity to start flowing in and through your life. As I said, there are great, great benefits in living God’s way. Integrity: Don’t leave home without it!

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

Don’t Wait Until Things Get Better

October 20, 2018 Gaspar Anastasi

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Finding significance in life, Overcoming depression, Success & victory

Many of us live negative and discouraged lives, hoping that things will get better one day. You may not like where you are. You might not like your job, your house, your location or even the people in your life.

You have a choice. You can waste years trying to change your circumstances. Or you can let God change you!

It’s easy to stay focused on the few negative things we face instead of the many positive things with which God has blessed us. When we do, we miss out on enjoying this great gift of life that God has given us.

As long as we continually murmur and complain about what we don’t have and how bad life is, God will allow us to stay right where we are. It’s sad to say it, but some of us spend over 40 hours a week depressed and discouraged over the negative things in our life.

God doesn’t promote negative, complaining people with bad attitudes. So the quickest way out of where we are today is to celebrate the gift of life and choose to be happy. Yes, it’s a choice!

Choose to have a good attitude and become the best that you can be right where you’re planted. Learn to prosper right there, even though you may be uncomfortable. Don’t make the mistake of waiting until everything gets better before you get happy and positive.

Start believing God for the best, right where you are. God’s miracle power is not limited by your circumstance… only by your negative and hopeless attitude. Become the best Christian you can be, right where you are.

Remember, you’re the light of the world and your light shines the best and brightest in the darkness. God wants to mature you and build His character in you, so your lifestyle will draw people to Him.

Are people being drawn to God or chased away from Him because of the way you live and your attitude? Look around. How many have come to a saving knowledge of Jesus in the last year because of you?

It’s in the rough places, the difficult and uncomfortable places that God reveals your heart. When we are in those tight places and feel like our lives are on hold, God reveals our corrupt, selfish heart… our it’s-all-about-me-and-nobody-else attitude.

Like David prayed in Psalm 139:23 and 24, ask God to search your heart. The truth is: It is not about you, but about how God can advance His kingdom through you. And, there are times that God keeps you where you are so you can be a blessing to someone else. That’s why we must be willing to be uncomfortable for a season and learn to encourage ourselves during that time.

Stop trying to fix everything and everyone in your life. Simply be fruitful where you are planted! True contentment isn’t having everything you want. It’s not wanting to have everything (Philippians 4:12 &13).

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

Your Miracle is Already in Your Hand

October 6, 2018 Gaspar Anastasi

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Finding significance in life, Success & victory

The miracle you need to get from where you are to where you want to be is within your reach. God gave us the seed for every miracle we need. So we’re not waiting for Him; He’s waiting for us.

We tend to look at the things we don’t have instead of what we do have. For instance, we say, “I’m too old…I don’t have enough resources… I don’t have the connections that others do… There’s nobody to help me… I don’t have enough talent…” etc.

We focus on the wrong things instead of discovering the seed-form of our miracle. As the saying goes, “Ask God for an oak tree and He gives you an acorn!”

God’s answers to our prayers can go unnoticed because He usually answers with a seed. It’s almost always a small thing easily overlooked and so insignificant that we don’t give it a second thought. But if we use that seed for God’s glory, it can become the tipping point that brings our breakthrough! It can be the difference between victory and defeat!

Even if what we have is small compared to others—if we’re willing to use it—God can cause miracles. God’s “big things” always start out with small things. In Matthew 17:20, Jesus says that with faith as small as a mustard seed we can move mountains (problems, stumbling blocks) out of our life.

We need to ask God to give us eyes to see what we’ve written off as non-essential…things like a winning smile, musical ability, the value of the people around us, the few dollars (resources) we have, etc. Remember, if they go unnoticed, they’re no good to us because we don’t use them.

Once you notice your mustard seed and dedicate it to God, it can do what you can’t do. It will do what God can. When God revealed the significance of what Moses, Shamgar, David and Samson had been given (what they thought was insignificant), that very thing became the tipping point in their lives. It released them to overcome the impossible odds they faced.

When these men let God control what they had in their hand, the impossible became possible. Moses’ dead stick became the rod of God, opening the Red Sea so the children of Israel could cross over and be delivered from the Egyptians.

With God’s anointing on his weapon, David’s little slingshot killed the fearsome Goliath. Samson and Shamgar killed thousands of Philistines with just the jaw bone of an ass and an ox’s goad (short stick).

Stop looking out there for your success! Look at what’s already in your grasp. It may look ordinary, but don’t discount it.

The tipping point for victory is in the insignificant mustard seed God has given you. Discover it! Dedicate it to Him! And use it, starting today! Release God’s hand to bring the miracle He’s been waiting to give you.

Change the odds in your favor by using the little thing and it will become the tipping point for your breakthrough. The miracle in your marriage, your finances, job, family, etc. Ask yourself: What’s in my hand?

If this blog post has been a blessing to you, please let us know by leaving a comment below! We love to hear from you!…

God Will Never Do What You Can

September 29, 2018 Gaspar Anastasi

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Finding significance in life, Making positive change

God expects us to use the natural talents and abilities that He has given to each one of us. Yet, too often we ask Him to do the things that we can easily accomplish on our own. He’ll never waste His grace to help us do what we can do alone. No, He is waiting to help us do what we know we can’t do!

You don’t need faith for what you can do. You only need it when your natural abilities can’t meet the challenge of your circumstances. That’s why God will many times lead you into a state where you are needy, a place where you know you can’t possibly fix it yourself.

He told the Apostle Paul, “My grace (my ability) is sufficient for you, for my strength is made perfect (complete) in weakness”.

Weakness, vulnerability, helplessness and circumstances beyond our control are the places we all fight to avoid. But in those places where we have done all we can do and have nothing left in us to solve our problems, meet our needs or get the answers to our dilemmas—these are the places where God intervenes on our behalf.

Why is it so difficult to just let go and let God? Could it be that we really don’t trust God to do what we can’t do? Or to say it another way, do we trust ourselves more than we trust God?

If that’s true, that would make us a “god” to ourselves and that is called idolatry!

Could it just be that we don’t truly know who our God is? It’s hard to completely trust someone with your entire life if you don’t know who they are and what they can do.

You see, faith is totally trusting in the one you believe. We say we have faith and that we believe in God, but we still insist on staying in control over our own lives.

Many Christians live their life in deception, thinking they truly trust God when in reality they don’t. Here are a few warning signs that reveal your lack of faith in the one and only true God:

1. You can’t forgive those who have hurt you because you don’t trust that God will be just in dealing with them.

2. You stop worshiping God through giving tithes and offerings because you really don’t trust Him to meet your financial needs. Remember… actions speak louder than words. Or as the bible says, “faith without works is dead”

3. You won’t serve God if it’s outside your comfort zone. You choose comfort over servanthood. Advancing God’s kingdom is no longer a priority.

4. Prayer is a last resort because you’ve gotten used to meeting your own needs with our own efforts. It takes faith in a living, all-powerful God to pray. Praying for your daily needs proves your reliance on God as your source. Not praying proves that you trust in yourself.

5. You no longer desire to lead people to a saving knowledge of Jesus. You’ve become self-focused instead of caring about the lost souls around you.

6. You’ve lost your hunger for more of God and now your passion is directed toward other things.

There are no elevators in the kingdom of God— only steps. The “process” is necessary to bring progress. If you are asking God to do things on your behalf, but you haven’t done all that you can do first, you have held Him back. You’ve delayed the “process”.

Ask the Lord right now if there is anything more you can do in your circumstances. Should you plant more seeds of love, reach out to more people or extend extra mercy to those who have hurt you? Should you give more of your time, talent and resources to advance God’s kingdom?

God desires to show off Himself on your behalf! So, take an honest look at your life and start doing what He equipped you for. God always did great things for people who were busy, not lazy. All of heaven is waiting for you!…

No True Worship Without Sacrifice

September 22, 2018 Gaspar Anastasi

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Finding significance in life, Forgiveness, Making positive change

Jesus tells us in John 4:23-24 that the role of true worshipper is the most important one a believer could ever fulfill. Worship is simply a passionate expression of our love, honor and reverence for God, acknowledging who He is, what He has done and what He will do.

If we want to please God and attract His presence, true worship must include an altar, but also an acceptable sacrifice,

Without an acceptable sacrifice, it’s not true worship. But what is an acceptable sacrifice? It is offering something to God that is valuable to you and costs you everything. Whatever form that sacrifice takes (time, talent, money, praise or just your daily lifestyle), it must be the best you have. Or it’s not worthy of an awesome God!
Giving your best comes at a cost. If it doesn’t, it is not your best. God commanded Abraham to sacrifice Isaac as an act of worship. He didn’t tell him to offer just anything. Neither did He let Abraham choose which son to give. God was specific. Otherwise, Abraham might have offered up Ishmael instead. It may have been easier to offer his illegitimate son because it didn’t cost or hurt him as much as giving the legitimate, promised son. But then it wouldn’t have been an acceptable sacrifice (1 Peter 2:5) or true worship to God.
Don’t give God an “Ishmael offering” in your praise, tithe or commitment. Give Him your best! But remember, giving your best requires that you crucify your flesh. God wants first place in every area of your life (money, family, talent, resources and your most treasured possessions).
The following are a few acceptable sacrifices that attract God’s presence: walking in forgiveness; loving and doing good to your enemies; giving Him thanksgiving and praise when times are tough; giving your first fruits through tithes and offerings; living holy before Him and giving Him the best time of your day—fasting and praying.
Worship is not just paying lip service (Isaiah 29:13). People say they love God, but their body language (actions) tell another story. They say the right things and appear to be giving their all to Him, but their hearts are not with Him.
Your sacrifice has a voice (Hebrews 11:4). What do your sacrifices say to God? Is it telling Him that He is the most valuable and important person in your life? Does it say, “God you are the center of my life and I can’t and won’t live without you”? Does it tell God how grateful you are for the sacrifice, mercy and unconditional love He’s blessed you with? And does it express your honor and reverence to the all-powerful and all-holy God?
Let’s please our heavenly Father and pledge ourselves to be the true worshippers of Yahweh Adonai that He longs for. He is the one and only true God. The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob sacrificed His best for us. He is truly worthy of your worship!

If this blog has been a blessing to you, please take a moment to comment below!…