Your trials can benefit you, pt. 1

April 25, 2020 Gaspar Anastasi

Faith, Making positive change, Success & victory

It’s true that life is full of trials, but it’s also true that we often fail to recognize the benefits they provide for us. You’re probably saying, “You’ve got to be kidding!” No, I’m not kidding! Let’s examine just a few hidden benefits they provide for us, because to discover these hidden treasures in trials, we must look deeper than just on the surface.

When you’re traveling ion unknown territories you need a map and compass. Trials can provide a compass. Letting us know if we are on or off course in our journey with God. For example, Jonah was running away from God’s will. He lost his bearings as many of us do at times. Like Jonah, we don’t do what we should and we wander in the wrong direction. God sent a storm to Jonah, and a whale to swallow him and you may wonder where the benefit was in this trial?

Jonah’s trial was not sent to kill him. God’s grace in action through this trial helped him fulfill God’s purpose for his life, saved him from throwing away his God-given destiny and it put him in the right direction. Jonah got back on course and God used him to save a nation from destruction. Could the trial you face today have the same purpose? Are you running from God, knowing His call but wanting to do something else? Is God trying to get your attention to turn back to His purpose for your Life?

In Chapter 4 & 5 in the Gospel of Mark, when Jesus and his disciples were going by boat to the Gadarenes (which means the prize is at the end), a severe storm threatened their ability to reach their destination and even endangered their lives. This trial revealed two important things. When Jesus leads you, the devil himself will challenged you and do everything he can to change your direction.

Trials can be the enemy’s stumbling blocks to influence you to change your direction. Check it out by asking, “Is Jesus in my boat, or am I going it alone?” If Jesus is in your boat the devils confirming you’re on track by the trial your facing. Be assured, you’re close to fulfilling God’s plan for you in this season and that this trial will not last very long. They made it to their destination and a demonized man, as well as a whole region was freed from Satan’s control. Their trial couldn’t compare to the great victories accomplished by staying on their God-given course.

Setback doesn’t mean you should step back! If you endure the trial Satan sent your way, you’ll see the fruit of your efforts. Don’t give in or give up.…

3 Things You Should Never Do

April 25, 2020 Gaspar Anastasi

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Finding significance in life, Getting past the past, Making positive change, Success & victory

There are three specific traps you and I should never allow ourselves to fall into—not if we want to live out the purpose for which God created us.

Proverbs 29:18 says, “Where there is no vision, the people perish….” By perish the scripture does not mean that we will die or even miss heaven. It means we will miss the purpose for which God created us and, unfortunately, many people do exactly that. So today, I want to give you some pointers on getting a vision and living out your destiny.

Never live in regret.

The prophet Isaiah says, “Do not remember the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing… (Isaiah 43:18, 19).” You may have missed opportunities in the past or made mistakes you can’t undo. The good news is that God is not through with you. So stop looking back and start living with purpose.

God is always opening doors for us, but we have to walk through them—and looking back kills your forward momentum. He has a destiny for you that He wants to fulfill and He has not changed his mind. He never forgets His promises to you.

According to Proverbs 25:2: “It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, but the glory of kings is to search out a matter.” Finding your purpose in life is a discovery process. God wants to reveal in your heart what you were created for. So stop trying to please people, allowing their approval to dictate your destiny. As you bring yourself in agreement with God, He will bring His plans to pass in your life.

When God created us He concealed our purpose. But when we turn to Him, we begin to discover it. That’s why we need to seek Him.

Never live in retreat.

Are you more critical than you used to be? One big sign that you’re walking away from God is that you stop being thankful and start finding fault. Also, you find it hard to forgive people. Maybe you realize that you’ve lost your hunger for God. Pray for Him to give it back.

Thank Him for the things that are going right instead of complaining about all that’s going wrong. Lose your thankfulness and you lose the peace of God (Eph. 5:20).

Just because you have a promise that has not manifested yet, it doesn’t mean He is not true to His word. Rather, put Him in remembrance of His word. When you do that, you remind yourself. His promise hasn’t changed.

A lot of people will miss their destiny—their purpose in being here. I didn’t say they won’t go to heaven, but they don’t care enough to search out the matter and find out God’s purpose in creating them.

Never live in reserve.

Now that you have sought out the matter, determine to live “all out”. Serve God with abandon. Leave nothing undone. Don’t fear being radical; throw caution to the wind. Don’t be like the unwise steward who received his master’s talent but, out of fear, hid it (Matt. 25:24-28). God holds us responsible for our stewardship.

When you give your all, someone coming after you will benefit. What costs you now in searching out God’s plan for you and living all out, you will transfer to someone else. For instance, when I first became a pastor, I entered into the prayers and labors of others. I inherited this ministry from people who started it some eighty years ago.

God holds us accountable for what He has given us. You need to go farther with the gifts and talents you have. Determine to live fully engaged and you will both fulfill your destiny and advance God’s kingdom!…

Recapturing lost opportunities

April 4, 2020 Gaspar Anastasi

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Faith, Finding direction, Making positive change, Success & victory

The Lord says that He will restore lost opportunities. He spoke this very strongly to my spirit. You and I have had many opportunities that we passed up or messed up or realized too late. But fortunately for us, God’s promises have no expiration date. Just because you missed chances in the past, they are not gone forever.

Many times when God presents an open door before us, we back out saying, “No, I’m too old now… I’m not smart enough… I’m not strong enough…” You may have settled in to a minimum wage job because you’re afraid to believe for more. But God is opening supernatural doors this year—even for a new career.

Maybe you made bad parenting decisions and your kids are grown now. It’s not too late to be a good father or mother. Look for that phone call, that text message, that open door and walk through it.

“The Lord says, “I will give you back what you lost to the swarming locusts… (Joel 2:25).” Now, you’ll still have to battle fear, but FAITH is the antidote to False Evidence Appearing Real. Fear binds you to the present and to what you can see right now; but faith peers into the future and gives you the courage to step out even when you can’t see the end result.

Opportunity often comes disguised as a problem. Instead of walking away from an open door because you think it’s impossible, believe God. Instead of seeing a wall, trust Him to create a steppingstone! Don’t wait until you figure it out. God will give you everything you need to walk through the problem. Put fear under your feet and let faith arise.
Opportunity is tied to your destiny. God’s not here to please you. You’re here to please Him. Look for ways to bless the Lord and live for Him. And, when opportunity arises, you’ll be ready for it.
Opportunity is time-sensitive. That’s why we usually describe it as a window. You’ll suddenly develop faith for something you had long given up on. Moses’ dream was delayed but, at just the right time, that window opened again and he led 4 million people out of slavery and into a new life. This is your year. Step out! Don’t hesitate. Don’t waste time in fear.
Opportunity requires the right mindset. If you’re closed-minded or still dealing with an old belief system, it will hinder what God wants to show you. Use what you have in your hand. A rod in the hand of Moses opened the Red Sea. A slingshot in the hand of David brought down Goliath. Give Him what’s in your hand, no matter how small it is. In the hands of God it will do exactly what God intends.

Be eagle-eyed, looking for and expecting God to restore lost opportunities. Don’t let fear hold you back. And don’t wait until you understand how it can happen. Step out and leave the result to God.

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

How to overcome anxiety, pt. 2

March 21, 2020 Gaspar Anastasi

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Faith, Making positive change, Overcoming depression, Success & victory

See good.

If you have a negative neural pathway, even the good that you hear or receive you interpret as negative. We can blame the doctors, blame the virus, blame God. But, how much time do you spend with God. Pray like David, “Search me Lord, try me. See if there is any wicked way in me and lead me in the way everlasting.”

We all need more of God’s presence in our life. God can come in and give you right alignment. We are called to be disciplined Disciples. Ask yourself, how big is my God? You’ve got to know your God. Remember what He has done in the past. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. If he was great yesterday, He is great today and will still be great tomorrow. And don’t just listen to Christian music. Most of the worship songs today are more soiling than sanctifying. Disciple, discipline yourself to get into the word. Let’s take our focus off the wrong things.

Jezebel just spoke words to Elijah “I’m gonna kill you tomorrow.” Then I Kings 19:3 says, “And when he saw that, he arose and ran for his life…” The Bible says Elijah saw what Jezebel said.He didn’t just hear it he saw it. Her words became visual to him. He pictured the negative thing and he got up and ran. He lost focus of what God had done just days ago.

How big is your God?

But, pastor, you don’t know what they’ve been saying. Are we disconnected from the truth? If you see it you can have it. Once we begin to picture evil and wickedness we can’t receive from God. Anxiety has reached maximum capacity.

Elijah was in a bad place, but not because of where he was physically situated. It’s because of where his mind was. A cave can be a grave where you die, or it can be a womb for rebirth. God called Elijah out of the cave just shows off to remind Elijah of all he could do.

Then He said, “Go out, and stand on the mountain before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice. (I Kings 19: 11, 12)

God wasn’t in the wind, the fire or the earthquake. He was in the still, small voice. That’s the same place where we’ll find Him when we search for Him, when we get into the Word of God. Don’t do something permanently foolish because you’re temporarily anxious or upset. Instead, search the scriptures and get into the wisdom of God’s Word.

Keys to overcoming temporary anxiety

Fill yourself with God’s Word. As I’ve already covered, fill yourself with God’s Word. Spend time with Him.
Look inside. Take inventory of what’s in your heart as King David asked God to do for him. It’s the things we’re most devoted to that cause fear and anxiety. Anxiety is a sin. It’s an open door for Satan to come into your life.
Let go. Live with an open hand. We often take God’s gifts and make them idols. Release them. Don’t keep your eyes on the wrong things. Let them go and don’t let them keep coming back
Be diligent to understand the message behind everything you hear. Don’t just listen or read superficially. Go deep. Jesus says in Mark 4:24, The Passion Translation:
“…Be diligent to understand the meaning behind everything you hear, for as you do, more understanding will be given to you. And according to the depth of your longing to understand, much more will be added to you.” (Mark 4:24, TPT)
Let joy unspeakable and full of glory overtake you. Be devoted to God and nothing else. Have the confidence that everything’s going to be okay. Give the things you’re worried about to God and refuse to take them back.

God is asking, “Where are you, Joe…Mary…Susan,…Gaspar? What are you doing here?” Go back to the place God called you to in the beginning. Return to your first love. Be diligent to keep your shalom. Go back and make sure your mindset is right and positive. That’s how you overcome anxiety. …

How to overcome anxiety, pt. 1

March 14, 2020 Gaspar Anastasi

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Faith, Making positive change, Overcoming depression, Success & victory

How big is your God? If you’ve followed me for any length of time, you’ve heard that question many times. I ask because—depending on the circumstances we’re facing at this moment— the God we say we trust may not be up to the challenge, leaving us filled with anxiety, envy and hatred. We’re apt to focus on people and circumstances rather than the Prince of Peace we claim to trust. It happens to all of us.

Even the great prophet Elijah once found himself filled with anxiety and hiding in a cave. You see, he had boldly slain the prophets of Baal— a tremendous victory— and now Jezebel the queen had put out a contract on his life. She said, “May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like that of one of them,” (I Kings 19:2).

Anxiety is about tomorrow.

It’s always tomorrow that the enemy has plans for. However, just like in Elijah’s case, most of our enemy’s “tomorrows” never come. We just worry needlessly and allow anxiety to steal our precious peace. He had just called down fire from heaven and now he’s running for his life because Jezebel said. So when the Lord comes to the man of God and asks him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” (v. 9) he blames all of Israel and their idol worship for his circumstances.

The question I want to ask you today is “How big is your God?” Oh, you may hear a good Word on Sunday, but do you really believe it? Is He bigger than the threats of the enemy? Is He bigger than Corona Virus? And what do you really believe about Him? If you and I want to triumph over the enemies in our lives, we must spend more time in God’s Word than in the social media wisdom of this age. We Christians must be wise.

What are you full of?

Here’s another question to consider: What are you full of? The news of the day or the Word of God? Anxiety? There’s more to anxiety than meets the eye. It opens the door for sickness, disease and all kinds of negative things. It causes us to filter everything through a negative lens. Like Elijah, the great King David started out blaming his enemies before he came to the real crux of the matter. He asked God to search his heart and deal with his “anxious thoughts”.

Psalm 139:19-24 says “If only you, God, would slay the wicked! Away from me, you who are bloodthirsty!…I have nothing but hatred for them; I count them my enemies.”

Then suddenly in verses 23 and 24, David shifts his focus.

“Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me,and lead me in the way everlasting.”

Suddenly, David stopped blaming other people and looked inside himself. He asked God to fix what was broken inside his heart. [Continued next week]…

It Takes More Than Willpower

February 22, 2020 Gaspar Anastasi

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Getting past the past, Making positive change, Success & victory

Some people are more prone to addictive behaviors than others because of traits passed down from their ancestors or their own personalities.

The definition of addiction is: a compulsive overpowering dependency on an object, feeling, or action; habits that cause us to act against our own will. My focus in this blog is to give you some steps to break those controlling addictions in your life.

As stated in the title, will power alone (our inner desires) is not enough. Although God stirs up our willpower to desire a breakthrough, there must be a “supporting team” along with our will power to break those addictions and replace them with godly habits.

All addictions come down to idol worship because they have taken the place of the Lordship of Jesus.

Get out of denial. Too often we make excuses for repeated bad habits, implying that we have control over them. But we have to admit we are out of control, that we can’t stop it and admit we need help.

Deliverance is necessary. There are no shortcuts to breaking addictions. They are demon spirit-influenced and controlled. The length of time you have had that addiction will dictate the strength of the demonic influence. The good news is there are ministries like Stop Hurting Start Healing with prayer ministers who are trained and equipped to help get people set free.

Discover the cause. To every fruit (addiction) there are roots. By researching your history—the way you have been brought up and the traumatic things that occurred in your life—you can discover the root causes of your addictions. Willpower can give you temporary relief, but eventually the cycles of addiction will start over again. For that reason, too many of us have given up trying to get free.

Replace the bad habits. Certain habit patterns open the door to addiction. So replace them with good habit patterns. This takes discipline and a source of accountability.

With severe cases of addiction we need other people or programs to intervene in our lives. Joining a healthy-living group like our 3S Program or entering a substance abuse program like the New Life Dream Center are effective tools to help us find the discipline we need to change our current habits and give us the accountability to stay on track.

Give God first place. All addictions come down to idol worship because they have taken the place of the Lordship of Jesus in our life. We depend on them to meet our needs, fill the void in our heart, give us the much needed self-satisfaction, etc. But God needs to be our source, strength and our all in all—nothing else! Jesus tells us in Matthew 6:33 KJV “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”

Will power is needed and is the first step in the process of breaking addictions (God stirs our desire for a breakthrough). God initiates it, but we have to follow His steps if we want to be free. You don’t have to live your life under demonic influences any longer! “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed” (John 8:36).

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