How to live a life that matters

April 11, 2020 Gaspar Anastasi

Finding significance in life, Success & victory

We’ve heard that the very definition of insanity is doing the same things you’ve always done, but expecting different results. The bottom line is: You and I can’t arrive at a place of productivity and destiny in our lives without making adjustments (changes) along the way. New and different results require change.

I guess that puts most of us in the insane category because we do just that. Even if they don’t work, we repeat the same patterns of behavior in our marriages, relationships, job, finances and our personal and even spiritual growth.

Then we wonder why we aren’t successful. But the truth is: We will never reach true success unless we embrace a lifestyle of change.

Change is here to stay.

We need to accept that we’ll never reach a point where we’re no longer confronted with it. Many of us reply, “But I’ve already changed!” Well, I have to tell you, but change is not a once-in-a-lifetime event. If you want to grow and advance, you must embrace it as a way of life.

The Journey to Significance.

You and I, every one of us, is on a journey to significance. God created us on purpose and with a purpose. For that reason, He is forever leading us into opportunities to change so that we will fulfill the destiny for which He created us. In fact, what you are going through right now is all about your need to change. These “bumps in the road” are giving you the perfect opportunity to see the areas where God wants you to make adjustments.

Sure, we talk a lot about change—the need for it, the promise to do it—but in reality we seldom really do. You and I are way too busy defending the status quo—even if only to ourselves. But this is how I’ve always done it… or I just want to hang on to what I have left… or I’m okay. I can make this work….

I’ve said many times: Change is not change until you change! People are in love with the image of success but they aren’t interested in the process of success. Success always includes change, so we have to break free from our old wineskins if we want God to give us His new wine. New revelation of who God is won’t fit into our old habit patterns.

I believe that by changing just one core habit for one month, we can radically change our lives. Change will lead to more change…it creates a chain reaction. We’ve talked about the negatives of change. Now let’s discuss the benefits.

An action plan to a life that matters:

1. Ask God what He created you for. It’s not a rude question. He had something very specific and significant in mind when He made you. And it wasn’t to just mindlessly mimic what other people are doing. Real change must be tied to God’s purpose and vision for your life—not someone else’s. Once you discover His destiny for you, you won’t just be a cheap copy of a great original!

2. Learn to color outside the lines. Many of us are so used to conforming, that we shut down our God-given creativity. Dare to dream again. Think outside the box that you have been forced into over the years. Get out of that stinking rut to which you’ve conformed.

3. Don’t fear the unknown. Be courageous enough to walk off your map. The fact that something is uncharted territory doesn’t make it impossible or even unrealistic. Like the fisherman who would later become the Apostle Peter, be willing to launch out into the deep at God’s word. The Lord is attracted to faith, not your feelings. Besides, your feelings will resist the unknown every time.

4. Take a Risk. Nothing significant ever happens without the possibility of failure. No significant change ever occurs without risk. Before David confronted Goliath, he stood face-to-face and toe-to-toe with the very real possibility that he would die. When Abraham left the comfort, familiarity and safety of his homeland to follow the Lord, he took a tremendous risk—to his own well-being and that of all the people who followed him.

Sure there’s a risk factor in every opportunity to change. However, if we continually avoid risk and try to maintain the status quo, we end up living a mediocre life. Simply put: The fear of failure, the fear of rejection, the fear of making a mistake will keep you away from your destiny. You were created for more.

You’re on a journey to significance. Don’t miss your opportunity to be a champion and world changer for Jesus. Don’t resist change. CHANGE IS A CHOICE! Choose it!…

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]…

Take Another Look.

February 29, 2020 Gaspar Anastasi

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Success & victory

Are you missing out on the blessings God planned for you because you’ve put Him in a box? We tell God how to bless us, when to do it, and who to use. But Isaiah 55:8 tells us God’s thoughts are not our thoughts, and His ways are not our ways.

It’s dangerous to trust the methods of God instead of the God of the methods! Why? Because God’s ways are often unorthodox and illogical.

If you want to start living in His abundant grace and blessings, take the following steps.

1) Lose preconceptions about how God will bless you.

Just because the boss didn’t give you the promotion you deserve, doesn’t mean it won’t happen. When God closes one door, He opens another.

However, your pre-conceived ideas of how, when and through whom God will bless you box Him in. Take another look! There’s a good chance the blessing is in front of you, but you can’t see past your own self-imposed limitations.

Jesus met a man who had been paralyzed for 38 years (John 5:6-8). The man expected God would heal him if only he could be the first person into the pool when the angel stirred the waters. Yet, here was God the Healer standing right before him! This man almost missed his blessing because he was looking the other way.

I myself lived in excruciating pain for 6 months from a running accident because I thought someone needed to lay hands on me and pray. Then I went to a chiropractor and got healed immediately! I had boxed God in with my idea of who He would use to heal me and how.

The children of Israel almost missed God’s blessing when He sent them bread. But because it looked different from the bread they were used to eating in Egypt they said, “Manna? What is it?” Your blessing could be right at your feet, but in an unexpected package.

2) Get rid of narrow-minded thinking.

God may remove longtime acquaintances and, instead, give strangers the solution to your problem. Open your inner circle to new people and new ideas.

For example, God used me to speak something specific to a couple I had just met. It changed their whole outlook and sparked healing in their marriage. Take another look. The person you least expect just might carry the key to the blessing you’re praying for.

3) Guard against discouragement.

A closed door isn’t a “no” from God. Either He has something better for you, or the timing isn’t right just yet. Remember, God wants to develop character in you and that takes time and a will to change. Stay open to God’s unconventional ways of doing things. He uses different methods, people and perfect timing to get to you His already-purchased blessings.

Maybe God is answering your prayers, but not in the way you expect. Let’s open our eyes and take another look!

If this blog post has been a blessing to you, please take a moment to let us know. Comment below.…

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.…