Good news: The bad news is wrong!

August 22, 2020 Gaspar Anastasi

Yes, you heard me right! The bad news you heard about yourself, about your destiny and simply accepted as fact is WRONG! We are quick to believe the lies the enemy speaks about us instead of hanging on to the promises God gives us. The voice of our circumstance shouts louder than the voice of God’s dreams and visions in us.

In spite of how things look to you, God holds on to the promises He redeemed for you. They are not lost or gone forever. They’re on God’s lay-away plan, waiting for you to claim them. The bill can be paid in full by completely trusting in God’s word, no matter how long ago He spoke it to you. God’s word has a voice. You need to pay more attention to His voice than to natural circumstances that are changeable.

Whose report do you believe?

In Isaiah 53:1 the prophet cried out, “Who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?” That’s the question God still asks today. Your enemy wants you to believe that all is lost and you’ll just have to live without the things God promised.

David heard the same hateful voice of the enemy as he faced Goliath, but experience had taught him differently. As a shepherd boy, he had killed a lion and a bear that broke into his sheep fold. In spite of seemingly overwhelming circumstances, David rose up, pursued the predator and found that God had prevented their strong jaws from crushing the frail lamb. Why? Because the lamb belonged to David! And when David confronted Goliath, he acted boldly because of his experience with the lion and bear.

Pursue your dreams

God has given you irrevocable promises concerning your marriage, finances, career, ministry opportunities, your health, etc. The promises haven’t come to pass yet, and it appears they never will. But that’s exactly what the lion wants you to believe… so you won’t pursue him.

The bad news says your dreams are in the lion’s mouth, but that news is wrong. God didn’t let the devil kill your dream and consume what He has redeemed for you. This year, I encourage you to take the following simple steps to fully recover what belongs to you, just like David:

Recover all!

1. Stop seeing yourself as a victim. You possess the power to control your circumstances and not be controlled by them.

2. Believe God’s promises and acknowledge the integrity of His word. Thank Him for them and ask Him to forgive your unbelief.

3. Practice selective hearing! Stop listening to all the lies and negative voices. Instead, tune in to God’s voice of truth.

4. Start pursuing your God-given promises. Ask God for His strategy to recover what’s been stolen. You will recover all, but you need to let Him order your steps as your pursue it.

5. Finally, don’t look back. Focus on restoring what seemed stolen. God’s good news? THE BAD NEWS IS WRONG!

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

Remove your greatest barrier to success

August 15, 2020 Gaspar Anastasi

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Success & victory

If you could change one thing to improve your chances of success, would you do it? I believe you would. What I’m about to share will change your life forever and position you to overcome obstacles, set-backs and past failures. But be warned: Knowledge only benefits you if it is applied. An intellectual concept by itself is a stumbling block and a deception. The knowledge God gives you for a situation is helpful only when you step out in faith on it. So plan to put this knowledge into action.

Get past the great barrier

The one great barrier that I see we all need to remove is the habit of blame shifting. What is blame shifting? It’s deflecting the attention concerning an incident away from you and towards another person or entity. For example, a husband who hits his wife may say: “I would have never hit her if she hadn’t talked to me that way.” Or an adulterous wife might say: “I would have never looked for love if he hadn’t stopped paying attention to me, going out drinking with his friends every night.”

Though it may seem insignificant, shifting the blame is a common and acceptable problem. Our story of the wrong done to us by others may be the truth, but it’s rarely the whole truth!

It’s true that our spouse spoke harshly and withdrew his or her affection. The truth be told, we responded negatively which puts some of the responsibility on us. By not accepting our part, you and I build a story that is only half true and, therefore, undermine our future success. How? Failure to accept responsibility for what happens today causes us to undergo the same experiences repeatedly.

Why do you blame shift?

You are afraid of being rejected more than you already are. Rejection is very painful and facing more seems unbearable.
You are ashamed of your bad decision and don’t want anybody to see you that way. It’s like our first parents who sinned and hid from God because they were afraid of being found out. They recognized their nakedness and put on fig leaves (excuses) to cover their shame. …And they blame shifted. Adam blamed God and the woman. The woman blamed the serpent.

Now, it’s true that Eve tempted Adam, but that’s not the full reason he sinned. It’s true that the devil tempted Eve, but that’s not the whole reason she disobeyed God. As long as you fail to accept your part in the problem, there is no hope of breaking the cycle of failure in your marriage, your business, your relationships, your career, etc.

Accept your part in the problem

Accept your small part in the story (I say “small” because most people only see themselves as having a tiny role in the problem…but something is better than nothing.) When you do:

You confront the part of you that is in rebellion towards God’s will. If you never humble yourself, it becomes a negative seed that shows up again the next time you start over.
You lessen the anger, hurt and outrage toward the other people or entities involved—because you took responsibility for your part (no matter how small).
You attain the ability to forgive yourself and others for their part in your hurt. Remember, God’s presence is the most important thing in your life. (“Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty (2 Cor. 3:17).” “Blessed are they that have a pure heart for they shall see the Lord (Matt. 5:8).”)
You clear the way for future success. The next time you step out in faith, you won’t be plagued by past failure. This time, you’ll succeed, instead of having to start things over and over again until you give up.
You shed your victim mentality and tell your story with humility. Remember, “God resists the proud but exalts the humble (James 4:6; I Peter 5:5).”

Success is in your hands

Your success is in your hands, no one else’s. Make the decision to stop blame shifting and remove the one barrier that has been hindering your success. Deal with YOU and let God deal with everyone and everything else!

We love to hear from you! If this article has been a blessing to you, please comment and let us know.…

Lessons in Rebellion

August 8, 2020 Michele Anastasi

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Anger management, Rejection, Success & victory

A few weeks ago, I wrote about my struggle to overcome rejection. I’d like to share the flip side of rejection: Rebellion.

Rebellion: the result of rejection

Rebellion often results from rejection. If you get hurt in some way—any kind of emotional, physical, sexual abuse, or abandonment—it opens the door to rejection in your life. If you don’t turn to God and let Him heal you, you sink deeper and deeper into pain and depression; and, eventually, rebellion kicks in.

You can even see this in some children who’ve been hurt over and over again. One day something snaps inside of them, and they vow: “I’m never going to cry again…. You can beat me to a pulp, but I won’t shed a tear.” A hardness grows inside of them.

That’s what I did as a child and, over the years, the anger and rebellion grew. I used my anger and defensiveness as a form of protection. It wasn’t until I came to Christ, that I started to realize what was going on inside of me.

Destruction: the result of rebellion

God tells us in Proverbs 29:1, “Whoever remains stiff-necked [rebellious] after many rebukes will suddenly be destroyed without remedy.”

It’s not that God’s grace doesn’t extend to you anymore, or that He wouldn’t forgive you if you turned to Him. Rebellion hardens your heart until you can’t hear Him anymore.

That’s what happened to the children of Israel in the Old Testament. God would tell them what to do, and they wouldn’t do it. Of course, they felt they had good reason for refusing: They were full of fear and unbelief. They actually believed if they did what God said, they would be destroyed. They didn’t trust Him.

“I just can’t do it, God… It’s too hard… I hurt too much… You don’t understand… I’m so lonely… Yes, I know but….” It doesn’t matter how good you think your excuses are. Rebellion is going to cost you big time. It will harden your heart.

Wandering in your own personal wilderness

The children of Israel ignored God’s leading so often, that finally He just sent them into the wilderness. They were so rebellious He couldn’t lead them into the blessings He had planned for them. We need to learn from that. When God tells you what to do, don’t put it off, just do it.

The longer you stay in sinful habits, the more they become a part of you; the more your heart becomes calloused to the fact that it’s sin. The first time you blow up in a rage, you know it’s wrong and you’re sorry. The second time, it doesn’t bother you quite so much. The sixth time, you’re pretty sure you’re justified. Your heart hardening. That’s how strongholds form in people’s lives.

Wrong choices, wrong results

If you go against what God says, it won’t go well for you. You’re headed for destruction, because wrong choices always bring wrong results. God can’t bless what’s contrary to His Word.

The root sin of rejection is unbelief, a lack of trust in God. That’s why rejection will eventually lead to rebellion. If you believe that God cares about you, if you know He wants to bless you, then you’ll obey Him. But if you don’t trust Him, you’ll rebel.

I Samuel 15:23, tells us that rebellion is like the sin of witchcraft. Why? Because you’re making something else God, namely yourself. You’re saying, “I’ll do it my way, I’ll be the god of my life.… Yes Lord, I know what You want me to do, but I’m going to do it my way.” That’s rebellion! The thing that guides your life–even if it’s you–is your god.

Do you have these traits of rebellion?

Faithlessness. You have trouble being loyal to God, so you keep falling away.
Hostility. You have a chip on your shoulder. You cause turmoil and strife wherever you go.
Superiority. You think you know it all. You’re arrogant.
Controlling. You’re strong-willed; it’s got to be your way.
Rigid. You won’t bend or compromise.
Bitter and resentful.
Critical. You always have something negative to say, always find fault.
Unteachable. You know it all, so you set yourself up as judge and final
authority…as God. No one can teach you anything.These aren’t very nice qualities. Hopefully, if you see yourself in them, it will give you the desire to repent, and ask God to forgive you and change you.

P-R-I-D-E

The root sin of rebellion is pride. You have so much pride you don’t think you even need God. If you look at the word P R I D E, what’s in the middle of it? ” I “. That’s exactly what’s in the middle of S I N, ” I “……..”SELF.” “I’m going to do it my way.”

Rebellion and pride go way back to the Garden of Eden, to the first couple. Satan has been using the same old tricks since the beginning of time–trying to convince us that God is holding out on us. God can’t be trusted. He doesn’t have your best interest at heart. Satan made Eve feel like God was holding out on her. That caused her to rebel, and Adam went along with her.

Adam blamed Eve, said it wasn’t his fault. Eve blamed the serpent, said she was deceived, said “It’s not my fault.” If you’re deceived, it most certainly is your fault, because you should know what God’s Word says!

Don’t let rebellion destroy you. Get help.

Instead of blaming someone else, we need to take a long, hard look at ourselves. Are you rebellious? Are you bitter? Critical? Stubborn? Hard-hearted? Holding unforgiveness in your heart? Are you doing things your way, instead of God’s way? Because if you are, you’re deceived and it is your fault.

Rebellion brings destruction! The only way to prevent destruction is to admit the rebellion and quit it. Stop blaming others. Maybe others have sown a lot of bad seeds into your life. You’ve been hurt, rejected, abused… but God is saying today, “This is about you. You need to repent. Just do it.” So get alone with God and just do it.

Are you struggling with rejection, rebellion or another area of your life? Don’t go it alone. Seeing a trained prayer minister doesn’t mean you’re messed up. It means you’re wise enough to get help to become emotionally healthy. Growth comes when things are brought out of the dark into the light. Let there be light!

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

The Unspoken Addiction

July 25, 2020 Gaspar Anastasi

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Finding significance in life, Success & victory

When we think of addiction we generally think of alcohol, drugs, pornography, etc. But there is an unspoken addiction that is even more common and just as destructive as all the others. It’s the need for approval. This addiction controls many people and impacts their behavior across all relationships.

People suffering with this addiction need a positive response to everything they do (or don’t do). Without this approval fix they go into withdrawal, resulting in angry outbursts, sulking, criticism, sarcasm or even violence. This need for approval, affirmation, a pat on the back… drives a person to become a people-pleaser. He or she says “yes” to every request in order to get their drug.

Clear-cut signs to look for

As in all addictive behavior, denial is the biggest hindrance to deliverance and healing. Our addiction is often obvious to others, yet invisible to us. But here are some clear-cut signs to look for:

You often do nice things for people but feel resentful afterwards when they don’t shower you with appreciation or love or affection.
You are controlling with your friends, wanting to keep them for yourself; and you get jealous of anyone else who enters the equation.
Your friendships are a revolving door. Friends feel pressured by your need for constant affirmation, so eventually they move on. Then you start all over with new friends, only to repeat the cycle.
Like most approval addicts, you tend to feel lonely and isolated. Isolation may even be your lifestyle. You feel rejected when you don’t receive the needed approval, so you give up trying.

What can you do about it?

Be honest. Admit that you need help. (Like so many of us, you may have developed this excessive need in childhood. You longed for the approval of your father, mother or someone important to you. Without it, you felt unwanted, unaccepted and incomplete, so you’ve spent the rest of your life looking for it. Yet, it always seems just out of your grasp.)
Recognize that only God can meet your need–not your friends, children or spouse. Take the pressure off of people and start trusting in God to meet all of your needs.
Check your motives. Why is it that you’re kind and generous to some people and cold and standoffish to others. Stop discriminating and give love, kindness and respect to everyone without expecting anything in return.
Get inner healing prayer to deal with the root of your addiction. For many people, their whole life is a vicious cycle of returning to the addiction again and again. Unfortunately, each new cycle of addiction is worse than the time before. That’s why I recommend the Stop Hurting Start Healing Ministry (more on that later).
You need to be sick and tired of being sick and tired. You have to really want to be made whole and not be dependent on other people to give you what only God can give.
Be patient with yourself. You are changing habit patterns that you probably developed in childhood.

Change is possible!

Don’t let this unspoken addiction control the rest of your life. You can be set free by facing your problem, being diligent in your efforts and being obedient to God and His word.

If you are dealing with approval addiction, I highly recommend the Stop Hurting Start Healing ministry because of its great success in freeing people from addictions. This program gets to the root of the problem and releases you to be free. It also equips you to live well for the rest of your life. Click the link above to go to the website and learn how this powerful ministry can bring restoration and wholeness to your life.

I love to hear from you! If this blog has been a blessing to you, please leave a comment and let me know.…

Your purpose will outdistance your mistakes

June 13, 2020 Gaspar Anastasi

6 Comments

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

Everyone makes mistakes in life. If we didn’t, we wouldn’t be human. But our mistakes are really not the problem. The problem is that we let our mistakes blind us to our God-given purpose. Then depression sets in, and we lose sight of what God has planned for us. We begin to see ourselves and our future the way the enemy wants us to instead of the way God sees us.

Matthew 6:22 and 23 says that if our heart (imagination) sees nothing but failure and defeat, every aspect of our spiritual, emotional and physical life will be negatively affected.

Proverbs 13:12 puts it this way: “Hope deferred makes the heart sick.” Hopelessness is a negative, devastating force. It always depresses and always makes your spirit sick. That’s important because, as your spirit goes, so goes your whole life!

But depression hides. Many people don’t realize that they are depressed and spiritually sick. Worse yet, they do know it, but instead of treating the root of their depression, they treat the symptoms with solutions that can’t offer permanent relief. We have to deal with the roots to get free from its fruits. Take pointers from someone who was bound by depression and is now set free—me.

You have God’s nature inside you and, when it flows out, it will change your world.

Stay focused on the reason you’re still here. Fight the temptation to think it’s too late for you. God has kept you for such a time as this! You’re not disqualified from fulfilling His purpose for your life in spite of what you feel, have done or been through. You have God’s nature inside you and, when it flows out, it will change your world.

Get God’s vision up and running again in your thoughts and imagination. It takes courage to believe God’s big plans for you, but start to dream again. God uses your dreams to accomplish His plan. He has not changed his mind about what He wants to do in and through you.

Depression is an enemy that has already been defeated by Jesus. You don’t have to live in hopelessness and despair. And don’t dare accept it as your life sentence.

Your mistakes never disqualify you from God’s purpose. Some people never get over their past failures, and they are consumed by them. God specializes in impossibilities! Dismantle the false boundaries you’ve erected in your mind because of your past. You are never beyond God’s reach.

Finally, place your hope in His promises—not the circumstances or the natural boundaries that surround you. God is not limited by temporary circumstances or even natural law.

Dream BIG. Hopelessness often comes because we have set our sights too low. God’s purposes are incredible! If your dream is attainable by your natural efforts, then it isn’t from God. Why? Because He reaches way beyond the normal and the attainable into the impossible and supernatural!

Break the spirit of depression today by daring to dream BIG. Let hope arise in your heart. Your past mistakes can never cancel God’s awesome purposes for your life. Start living your dream today!…

Unlock God’s blessings every day

May 23, 2020 Gaspar Anastasi

3 Comments

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

If you’re like me, at times you’ve wondered why you haven’t seen more of God’s blessings manifested in your everyday life. Things like healing, peace of heart, freedom from bad memories and even financial blessings seem illusive.

I want to share a key I’ve discovered that is guaranteed to unlock these blessings— starting today. The word of God tells us, His children, that we have been given the keys to lock or unlock blessing from heaven’s storeroom (Matthew 18:18). You may have locked away your own blessings.

God desires that we release His blessings from His heavenly treasure chests. In spite of what our religious upbringing taught us, we are not waiting for God to release the blessing we so desperately need. He said in Ephesians 1:3 that He has already given us every blessing we need.

So how do we unlock these stored up blessings? Just having the keys is not enough. We must know how to use them to unlock heaven’s treasures.

The Bible describes a few keys, but I want to share the one I call the “master key” and give you steps on its correct use. Without this key, God’s treasure chest will stay locked. The master key to unlock every door holding God’s blessings is the KEY OF FORGIVENESS!

The master key to unlock every door holding God’s blessings is the KEY OF FORGIVENESS!

Use this key and your life will lack nothing. Here is how you start:

Step #1. Determine to forgive others or yourself according to God’s will. The forgiveness that flows out of your life shows the world around you who God really is—a forgiving God.

Remind yourself that God forgave all your sins 2,000 years ago, long before you even existed! In Matthew 6:9-15, God says forgiveness unlocks heaven’s windows so He can pour out His blessings.

Step #2. Turn the key by getting rid of any offense. The moment someone offends you, make sure you’re already in the forgiveness mode. Don’t wait for them to ask forgiveness. Instead, release forgiveness by freeing them from the offense.

Matthew 5:23 and 24 says, when you’re worshipping God, if you remember that someone has something against you, don’t wait for them to make it right. Stop what you’re doing, go and make it right with them first. Notice how different that is than what today’s culture says, which is to wait until they come to you.

Step #3. Turn the key all the way. Search your heart for any past un-forgiveness towards anyone who hurt or disappointed you, or even towards yourself. Confess that holding unforgiveness is a sin. We often overlook this sin because it is so acceptable in the body of Christ. We tend to look at the outward, fleshly sins instead of the inward spiritual sins like resentment.

This master key unlocks the blessings God already purchased for you. By failing to forgive, you keep God’s blessings from being released in your life. Your unforgiveness even hinders other people from forgiving you! Have you been wondering why people stay mad at you? It could be because the heavens are locked up.

Unforgiveness also locks up:

God’s divine favor that opens doors of success.
God’s wisdom to help you wisely steward the blessings you do have.
Healing from sickness like arthritis, cancer, depression, mental illness, etc.
Unforgiveness also blocks the body’s natural defenses against new sicknesses that can attack you.

It may seem like this master key is difficult to use. But if you are a child of God, it’s not difficult because God’s nature to forgive is already inside you. But what good is a master key if you never use it?

Right now, make a list of people with whom you are angry or offended. Ask God to forgive you and make a decision to live a life of forgiveness. When you claim the blessings God promised, expect them to begin to flow because you have the master key. Use it! Start unlocking your blessing today!…