God, My Heart Is In Your Hands...Literally

This devotion is dedicated to the life of a wonderful family friend. I pray her inspiration saves the life of someone else.

On Tuesday, I am sadly going to the funeral of an extended family member who was 39 years old.  She was a beautiful young woman, full of joy and vibrancy.  She was a blessing to her family.  It wasn't a car accident or something expected as the result of an illness, but a sudden and tragic heart attack.  She will be missed and I pray God comforts her husband and family.

This tragedy has reminded me of two very important life lessons.  One is that our life is a gift from God. Every breath we take, every beat of our heart is divinely given and divinely taken away in His timing.  James 4:14 (NLT) says, “How will you know what your life is like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog - it’s here a little while, and then it’s gone.”  God wants us to make the most of everyday.  Psalm 90:12 says, “Teach us to realize the brevity of life so that we may grow in wisdom.”  The psalmist doesn't tell us to live our life in pursuit of wealth, fame, beauty or material possessions.  When we take our last breath, what do we want people to remember about us?  Do I want them to say, “Boy, she had a big house, what a great business woman, she had a beautiful body, or I wish I had her clothes or car?”  NO.  I want them to say, “What a great friend. What a loving wife, mom, daughter and sister." The Message Bible, rephrases the psalm this way, “Teach us to use wisely all the time we have.”  God wants us to realize our days our numbered so that we utilize them wisely.  He gives us clear instructions on how to do this by stating that life boils down to two commandments  1) Love your Lord God with all your heart, soul and mind. 2) Love your neighbor as yourself.  (Mathew 22:37-39)  If we can manage these two things in the days we are given, what a blessing we will be to those around us. That is the legacy I want to leave behind.

The second lesson is a very timely reminder that February is Heart Disease Awareness month.  I am not the best person to be giving advise on this topic because probably for the last two years I have felt pressure in my chest on occasion.  Due to my tendency to avoid the doctor like the plague and the loving similarities to my mom who also prefers Mexican home remedies to medication, I have not gone to the doctor.  But the loss of this friend has made me aware of my need to change my ways.  I looked at the American Heart Association website and found out some news that really stinks. It says that Hispanic women are more likely to develop heart disease 10 years before non-Hispanics.  I figured Vicks, beans and Bayer were a guaranteed cure-all.   Also, 64% of  women can die of a heart attack without having any prior symptoms.  The symptoms for women having heart attacks can include: uncomfortable pressure or tightness in the center of chest; pain or discomfort in arms, jaw, neck, back or stomach; shortness of breath; cold sweat, nausea or lightheadedness.  Since this list is like some scary checklist on which I can mark almost every item, I think I better make some changes.

First, I am going to follow my husbands Blood Type diet which means he’ll bug the heck out of me with tips and advise but I know it's because he loves me.  Of course, my blood type diet is not rocket science.  I can’t have bread, pasta, potatoes, or sweets. Basically all of the good stuff.  So, if you see me walking down the hall at work with a doughnut, knock it out of my hand because you are probably saving my life.  Remind me that I have my kelp, canned salmon and gluten-free crackers sitting on my desk. Yummy!  Also, I am going to move more.  I may have to re-position the computer farther away from the TV and hide the remote so that I can get my cardio workout in.   My husband and I just got back from Costco where we spent a small fortune on vitamin supplements, sea food and grapefruit juice.  Pray for me!!!!

I am being stubborn about going to doctor.  Baby steps, people.  But the Lord did give me a Bible verse for inspiration:
My flesh and my heart fail; But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever….I have put my trust in the Lord God, that I may declare all Your works.” Psalm 73:26-28 (NKJV)

I am praying that the Lord strengthens my heart because I just started this writing ministry and I want to declare all of HIS marvelous works. I also know that I have to do my part to improve my heart health.  But I am following God's instructions and I am going to live and use each day to the fullest.  I am going to love the Lord God more than I have ever loved Him and I am going to cast off fear and doubt and share that love with my friends, family and anyone else God brings into my life.

How about you?  How is your heart?

Love,
Yolanda

Go Red For Women presents, "Just A little heart attack"





 

Daddy, Don't Let Me Ride Too Far Ahead...

A friend asked me last week if writing comes easy to me. I had just posted my Valentine’s devotion  and was set to share it with my coworkers and I literally felt like I was having a heart attack. I was surviving off Diet Coke and Bayer Aspirin.  I don’t think Dr. Oz recommends aspirin as a cure all, but I’m Mexican and we kind of fixate on stuff like that. My mom has her Vicks VapoRub, I have my Bayer. Anyways, I shared with my friend how writing devotions can be gut wrenching for me. She was surprised because she told me it seems like the writing just flows.  I explained how the sarcasm and wit come easy, it’s praying that the Holy Spirit guides my writing that gives me panic attacks.

It is dangerous to run ahead of the Lord and worse to go someplace without Him.  Trust me, I’ve been there, done that.  Not fun.  I was in this college class when strangely I was given an opportunity to share the gospel with my fellow students and teacher.  Week after week, different conversations would come up where I could openly share. I was patting myself on the back and I was on a roll.  Only I forgot to take one thing with me into class every time, Jesus.  Did I pray? No. Did I seek His wisdom and strength? No.  On the last day of class, it all ended very badly.  What started off as innocent questions turned into a full on interrogation.  I was literally verbally attacked and through my tears I could see dark images all around me in class.  Remember that scene from the movie, Ghost, when the evil spirits come and claim the bad guy? Well, those are the images I saw in the corners of that classroom.  I was totally freaked and scared to witness for a while after that.

I should have remembered a similar story in the Bible about some Jewish men that thought they could cast out evil spirits just because they were the sons of a priest. They figured it was easy because Paul was doing it.  So they say to the spirits, “Come out in the name of that same Jesus that Paul preaches about.” You can tell by their comment that they did not even know Jesus personally. They figured their “religious” affiliation would do the trick.  Well, you can imagine how they panicked when the evil spirit spoke up and said, “I know Jesus! And I have heard about Paul. But who are you?” The Bible goes on to say that the men were beaten up by the possessed man and had to escape naked and bruised. (Acts 19:13-19)

That is how I felt after class, beaten down. But I learned a very important lesson that day. Never do God’s work for your own sake, to make yourself feel righteous. All our deeds must be empowered by God, directed by God, and for the glory of God. God compares out attempts at righteousness without Him to filthy rags. (Isaiah 64:6)

So now, with my writing, I am praying that I stay in God’s will.  I was even nervous about calling my writings “devotions” until I looked up the word in the dictionary. Devotions are described as prayers or worship.  Whew! I figure I am just praying out loud and if you want to pray along with me that’s great.  A friend encouraged me to pray, Ephesians 6:10-18 everyday.

Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh and blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world….Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in time of evil.

So this is what my daily regiment has become:
I put on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness.
I put on shoes of peace that come from the Good News of Jesus.
I hold the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil.
I put on the helmet of salvation.
And finally, I take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, into every battle.

I am determined to never go into battle without Jesus before me, empty handed and vulnerable again.  But I know myself, this is going to have to be a daily discipline and choice. You see with the excitement of my new Blog, I want to run ahead of Jesus.  I worry about advertising and marketing, should I, shouldn’t I, membership, lack of membership and my biggest frustration, no comments.  My writer friend and I were talking about when you write and no one comments it's disappointing because you feel as if you are talking to yourself.  But then I remembered, I am not talking to myself. These are my conversations with God.  My form of prayer and worship.  Every devotion I write is for me. He is stretching me, molding me, taking me out of my comfort zone.

My daughter brought home a great book from her library about the young artist Akiane (akiane, her life, her art, her poetry by Akiane and Foreli Kramarik).  You have probably seen her divinely inspired paintings of Jesus. The book details how God started using her artwork at the age of 4 and continues to inspire her work to draw others to Himself.  The book, her art and her poetry gave me chills.  God spoke to my heart with this book and reminded me to devote this Blog to Him.  I need to let Him be in control of its' destiny and purpose. I love this quote from Akaine’s mom, “Whenever we tried to move Akiane’s mission forward to help God, the doors were consistently closed. But whenever we stopped pushing them, God opened them up and blessed us. The best opportunities always come through His timing and direction - not ours.”    

So I have decided I want to be like Whoopi Goldberg’s character in Ghost.  Remember how she let Patrick Swayze take over her body to tell Demi Moore how much he loved her. That’s how I want God to use me. I want the Holy Spirit to completely take residence in me and to inspire my thoughts and use my hands to type every word I write.  It’s His message of love to you that He wants to convey not mine. I think I am just here for the comic relief.

I want to end with this image that God placed in my heart of the journey I am on.  It was a picture of my daughter learning to ride her bike.  Her daddy was holding on to the back, running along side and finally watching her pedal on her own.  My "Abba Father" in heaven is teaching me how to ride, holding on to my bike, taking pride in me starting to pedal alone, but He will always be there to ensure I don’t go too far ahead and lose my way and when I stumble and fall, I know He'll pick me up.
And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out,“Abba, Father.” Galatians 4:6 (NLT)

Love in Christ,
Yolanda




   

Love Bites - Valentine's Day Devotion for Young Adults

This devotion is dedicated to my daughter and my adopted (by heart) teenage daughter who God placed in my life to prepare me for the teen years.  LORD help me...

The inspiration for this devotion came from a recent birthday gift.  My friends thought it would be fitting to give me a bracelet with a heart charm that says “Love Bites”.  Love it! Most of you know, I have a little crush on the literary character, Edward Cullen, from the Twilight books. With my favorite movie being released as my personal Valentine’s gift, I couldn't resist paying a little tribute. Usually, the expression “Love Bites” implies that love is bad, boring, common, and generally stinks. And since all of us have felt the mean bite of love, I am going to leave that depressing devotion to someone else. Because when I look at my charm, I don’t see a vampire’s bite. This heart reminds me of a young man who valued the life of the girl he loved more than his own selfish desires.

Those who have never read the Twilight books mistakenly assume their popularity is due to the vampire aspect. That is where many marketing executives have erred, putting their money in copycat versions that emphasis the supernatural instead of realizing the draw of this story is the very human emotion of love.  I never accept anything at face value, but question and investigate. So, when I found myself at age 40 enjoying this story and especially this character, I thought, "It can’t be just a mid-life crisis, can it?"  I forced myself to conduct a little research and found that girls from age 13 to 70 loved this character. His popularity has soared to the heights of the literary classics Darcy and Romeo.

The following is why I believe Edward Cullen is beloved among women of all ages.  He represents the lost art of courtship between a man and a women. His character was raised in the 1900's when men were taught to be chivalrous and respectful to women. Edward and Bella fall in love the old fashion way, by having meaningful face to face conversation. They have almost no physical contact in the entire book series until after they marry. Every emotion is conveyed through eye contact, verbal communication, and hand written notes. The most important theme running through these books is Edward’s desire to put Bella’s well-being and interests above his own. This is a foreign concept to women today. Women are drawn to this character not because he is a vampire, but because they fear the probability of finding a man who shares these qualities is as likely as finding a vampire in the woods.

I have a young friend who shared how this boy professes “she’s the one” via text, but never bothers to actually call her. When the texts stopped, he had to “Facebook” her to let her know he’d lost his phone instead of merely going to see her. He never bothers to pick her up at her home nor is he willing to meet her parents. He considers himself above these acts of common courtesy. I tell her, “You are far too worthy to waste your time on someone like this. You need to wait and pray for God’s best in your life, and daughter this is not God’s best!” Sadly, she is not alone. Women today feel overwhelmed by all the roles society insists upon: successful career woman, girlfriend, mom, wife, seductress; competing with magazine models who are airbrushed to look perfect. And please ladies, stop posting near naked pictures of yourself on Facebook. There is wisdom in the saying, “Leave some things to the imagination." Sadly, in a desperate need to gain attention and affection, some young women have lost their sense of respect and worth.

Well, there is good news!  Daughters, do you know you are worthy of a great love?  Did you know there is even one greater than Edward? Who is also immortal, unchanging, and He won’t just sparkle in the sunlight.  His brightness is so great it surpasses the sun. He loves you with an everlasting love and He is waiting for you. We were created with an emptiness inside that yearns to be filled. But you can’t fill it with cheap imitations. This emptiness can only be satisfied by perfect love. How do you find this perfect love? By following the road map, love B.I.T.E. S.

B stands for broken.  Did you know that God compares us to clay and that He is the master potter?
…we are the clay and You our potter….and we are the work of Your hand. Isaiah 64:8
You see, in order for clay to be used, the potter must first prepare it by wedging. During the wedging process, clay is pounded and kneaded on a hard surface to remove the hard spots and to force air bubbles out. If the air bubbles are not removed, they could expand during the heating process and explode in the kiln. When clay is properly “broken” it is pliable and ready for the Potter to create his masterpiece. You are God’s masterpiece.  He wants to use us to do great and mighty things but first He must lovingly remove any “hard spots” that are holding us back, such as negativity, doubt, fear, bad attitudes, pride or sin. Be encouraged, God promises He will not leave us as lumps of clay and He wont let us explode under the fire.
Being confident in this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ. Philippians 1:6
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful. Psalm 139:14

I is for Intimacy.  God knows us more intimately then we are probably comfortable with. He knows our inner most thoughts and the desires of our heart. The Bible says:
You know me inside and out, you know every bone in my body; You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit, how I was sculpted from nothing into something. Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth; all the stages of my life were spread out before you.” Psalm 13914-15 (MSG)
God knows you and loves you.  Zephaniah 3:17 says, “He will take delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.” God desires that we know Him too.  He wants you to pour out your heart to Him, to be honest with Him. He wants to be your shoulder to cry on. Just like the woman who approached Jesus with a heavy heart, wept at His feet, and dried her tears with her hair.  (Luke 7:38-45) You may wonder, “How do I get to know Him?” First invite Him into your life and heart, then ask Him to forgive you of the things that are making you feel unworthy of His love, and finally read His love book to you, the Bible.  He’ll guide you in the rest.

T is for trust.  I read a heart breaking quote by Marilyn Monroe, “A wise girl kisses but doesn’t love, listens but doesn’t believe, and leaves before she is left.” I worry that women are hardening their hearts and lowering their standards because it is safer than being hurt. God’s love is true and He  wants you to put your trust in Him. He will never leave you or forsake you.  God says, “I will never forget you - never. Look I have written your names on the back of my hands.” Isaiah 15-16 (MSG)  He is your protector, your refuge in times of trouble, better than any prince or imaginary knight in shining armor. Trust Him, He can handle anything that comes your way.
He declares, “Because I, your God, have a firm grip on you and I’m not letting go. I’m telling you, don’t panic, I’m right here to help you.” Isaiah 41:13 (MSG)

E is for everlasting.  God is eternal. His love for you is everlasting. He won’t change His mind.  Max Lucado wrote, “You are valuable because you exist, not because of what you do or what you have done, but simply because you are.” God can’t help but love you because God is love.
And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Who ever lives in love, lives in God and God in them. 1 John 4:16
…Nor anything in all creation, will separate us from the love of God, that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:39 
I have loved you will with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness. Jeremiah 31:3

Lastly S is for Sacrificial Love.  All great love stories require sacrifice. You have to value the other person more than yourself.  Jesus is our perfect example of sacrificial love. He said that there was no greater love than for one to give up his life for his friends.  He calls us friends if we follow His commandments. (John 15:9-16)  We don’t have to try and earn His friendship and love. He gives it freely.  He paid the ultimate sacrifice for us so that we would never have to be separated from God’s love.
This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 1 John 4:9-10

Do you want to be the heroine in God’s great love story?  Your savior awaits with open arms, call out for Him and He will rescue you.  

So this Valentine’s day, if you are feeling lonely and depressed, thinking “Man, Love Bites!”, remind yourself that it doesn’t have to be that way. Once you have been bitten by God’s unconditional love, you’ll find no love is sweeter.  And you won’t need venom to gain special powers because God will fill you with the power of the Holy Spirit.
We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves. 2 Corinthians 4:7

God knows that is not good for us to be alone, that we are better off in pairs. That is why he ordained marriage and said that when two marry they will become one. But that does not mean you should rush ahead of God's plan and settle for less. That just leads to heartache. With the Holy Spirit’s power residing within you, God will give you wisdom to discern and eliminate the werewolves in this world that are seeking to destroy you. You are God’s daughter, and like any good father, He wants the best for you, you just have to be willing to pray and wait for it. Daughter, you are worthy of God’s best!
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11 

You are probably wondering, “How will I recognize God’s best when I meet him?”  Easy, he’ll be the guy looking at you with the love of Christ in his eyes. And when you meet him, then let love take a bite!
Happy Valentine's Day Ladies.
Love,
Yolanda