THANKSGIVING IS COMING SOON!

THANKSGIVING IS COMING SOON!

It does not need to be Thanksgiving to give thanks and have an attitude of gratitude.

The Apostle Paul said in Philippians 4:12, "I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want."

Even wealthy people and celebrities search for happiness and contentment. So whether with little or with much, let's ask God to help us be thankful in every situation.

I pray you will find joy and contentment in the simple and small things of life.

Looking forward to the Fall season and the rain. Wishing all of you a multitude of blessings!!!

For those of you new to my blog, here are the links to my blog interview regarding my writing journey and my TV interview regarding my past fears.

Ok, I'll share a YouTube song too just to make you happy!!! :)

http://inspirewriters.com/more-power-guadalupe-casillas-writes-to-inspire/

http://youtu.be/pM5bnOu7Ymk

 http://youtu.be/-SJR2vdJFXw  (Turn the volume up on this one and dance!)

YOU ARE LOVED!!!

YOU ARE LOVED!!!
This blog is dedicated to you, my reader!

We all want to be loved. Nobody desires to be hated or rejected. There is a longing in the human heart to be accepted and loved. Some of us carry scars of feeling unwanted by a parent, a spouse, a child or a friend.

Since infancy we long to be cuddled and cared for. Some of us grow searching to be popular and accepted by our friends in elementary school, then college and the workplace.

If you've felt the awful pain of a heart wounded by rejection, I have good news...Your Maker, the Creator of this world, loves you! He is passionate about you. His love for you is unconditional. God cares about every detail of your life and emotion. How do I know this? Because the Bible screams about how much you are loved!!!

It's hard to know this fact if you haven't read the Word of God. Or maybe you had a bitter experience when you were judged or criticized by other Christians and decided that God is as mean and cruel like those who hurt you. Other times, you might feel unworthy of God's love.

As always I'm taking you to the verses of the Bible to show you what I mean. There are tons of Scripture verses where God declares His love for you. The entire message of the Bible is of a God who loves you so much that He sent His only Son, Jesus, to die in your place, let me say that again: He died in your place--because you are wanted and loved.

If you've been rejected by a parent, this is what the Lord says in Isaiah 49:15-16, "Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands..."

We are of great value. We are worth God's only Son. 1 John 4:10 says, "This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins."

 He made the first move...He loved us first! 1 John 4:19 says, "We love because he first loved us."

Were you abandoned by your parents? Are you an orphan or a widow? Psalm 68:5 says this about God, "A Father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in His holy dwelling."

When we put our faith in Jesus Christ and believe He is the Son of God, we become God's children. We are adopted by Him. Romans 8:14-16, " For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children."

Do you feel unworthy of God's love? Romans 5:8 says, "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

God said this to Israel in Isaiah 54:5-6, "For your Maker is your husband—the Lord Almighty is his name—the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer; he is called the God of all the earth. The Lord will call you back as if you were a wife deserted and distressed in spirit—a wife who married young, only to be rejected,” says your God.

Deuteronomy 31:8, "The Lord Himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged."

I wrote this in the chapter titled, "Perfect Love" of my book:

Whether single or married we desire to be loved and accepted at all times. But in this world we’ll suffer rejection and disappointments. At times you might feel unloved by a friend or a relative. Keep in mind that God, your Creator, loves you unconditionally and He’ll never leave you nor forsake you.” He loves you so much, that in order to prove His love for you, He chose to give up His life—that is love! (How to Love God with All Your Heart ~ A Personal Journey & Testimonial Bible Study Guide - Copyright 2015)

Sometimes a song can explain it better... so here is a song about God's perfect love for you!

http://youtu.be/Zrc1xHEwtLY

John 3:16, "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life."

 

Cross references:

1. John 3:16 : Ro 5:8; Eph 2:4; 1Jn 4:9, 10
2. John 3:16 : Isa 9:6; Ro 8:32
3. John 3:16 : Ge 22:12; Jn 1:18
4. John 3:16 : S ver 15
5. John 3:16 : ver 36; Jn 6:29, 40; 11:25, 26

For God so loved YOU!!!

Blessings!

  

YOU ARE FORGIVEN AND FREE!!!

                                                                                                              Photography copyright 2011

When I first attended Bible study, I heard the women say they were thankful for Jesus’ sacrifice and that they had assurance of going to heaven. I said to them, “Wait a minute, how can you be so sure? What if I kill someone five years from now, would I still go to heaven?” My thinking was, if you sin, you lose your salvation. That’s why in my example I came up with a serious type of crime such as murder.

My friends pointed out that all sin separates us from our Holy God. Lying, pride, envy are all sin too. And the list goes on and on—sin is sin. No matter what kind of wrong I might commit in the future, Jesus had paid the price at the cross. All I needed was to sincerely repent and ask God for forgiveness.

They assured me that the same day I invited Jesus into my heart I became a child of God, received salvation, forgiveness and the promise of eternal life. This was hard for me to accept. It sounded too easy. I said, “There has to be more I should do—I have to be good all the time.” A friend lovingly said, “Guadalupe, are you saying Jesus’ sacrifice and death wasn’t good enough and that you have to add to it?” 

Another friend asked me, “How many times does Jesus have to die on the cross to keep on forgiving you?” She showed me in Scripture where it says Jesus died once and for all.

Hebrews 7:27 says, “Unlike the other high priests, He does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for His own sins, and then for the sins of the people.  He sacrificed for their sins once and for all when He offered himself.”

This amazing verse made perfect sense. Of course, we need to repent of our sins and ask God to help us not continue to sin, but the Word of God assures us that eternal life is obtained by faith in Jesus, the Son of God, not by our behavior. (Excerpt from my book, Chapter 3, "How Do You Love God With All Your Heart?" Copyright 2011)

During my years as a Bible study leader, I’ve listened to many people express their guilt for past sins. Even though they’ve asked God for forgiveness, they continued to carry burdens that according to the Word of God, no longer exist.  

Think for example of a child who says to his parent that he’s sorry and truly repents for what he has done. The parent forgives the son, but the son still goes on the rest of his life feeling heavy with guilt and shame. The parent no longer remembers what the child did because he forgave him. That’s an example of how God is with us.

After repenting and asking God for His forgiveness, I still carried guilt, until I realized this meant I didn’t fully accept God’s forgiveness. We need to be able to believe and accept His total forgiveness—He wants us to. (Excerpt from my book, Chapter 3, "How Do You Love God With All Your Heart?" Copyright 2011)

It took me years to understand that eternal life was given to me as a “free” gift.  Have you ever heard of a gift that isn’t free? God loves us so much, He wants to make sure we “get it” by telling us His gift is “free”— no strings attached. We can’t earn eternal life, it’s given to us the minute we place our faith in Jesus. 

There are many religions that believe people have to do many good deeds in order to go to heaven. The truth is we can’t make it on our own effort. Our righteousness comes from God through the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus. He is the only way to the Father. Look at the thief at the cross. How many good deeds did the thief have to do to enter paradise? None! Yet he received this response from Jesus, “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43), because he believed Jesus was truly who He said He was, the Son of God.I love pleasing God in all that I do. But it comes from a heart filled with love and gratitude instead of fear or obligation. We cannot earn our salvation. We’re saved by faith and grace alone. The Bible says, we’ll be rewarded for our good deeds— however my greatest reward will be to kiss the hands and feet of Jesus! (Excerpt from my book, Chapter 3, "How Do You Love God With All Your Heart?" Copyright 2011)

Here are some Bible passages that assure us of forgiveness and eternal life:

Ephesians 2:8-9 “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.”

Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Romans 10:9 “That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”

Colossians 2:13-14 

“When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; He took it away, nailing it to the cross.”

 Isaiah 1:18

“Come now, let us settle the matter,” says the Lord. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.

John 5:24

“I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life."

John 8:36
 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

This is only a small section of my chapter and just a few verses, where I explain salvation and the assurance of eternal life.

Today, by placing your faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, you can become a son or daughter of God. Read the following prayer. You may want to read it aloud and sign your name. By doing this, you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord. When you repent of your sins, you will receive His complete forgiveness and the assurance of eternal life. 

After you do this, you can celebrate and literally jump up and down out of joy from now knowing where you’ll spend eternity! Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, whoever hears my Word and believes Him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.”- John 5:24.

PRAYER TO INVITE JESUS INTO YOUR HEART

 LORD JESUS,
I BELIEVE BY FAITH YOU ARE THE SON OF GOD
THAT YOU DIED FOR ME ON THE CROSS
AND GOD RAISED YOU FROM THE DEAD.
 I REPENT OF ALL MY SINS… EVEN THE ONES I HAVE ALREADY FORGOTTEN.
I SURRENDER TO YOU.
 I INVITE YOU TO COME INTO MY HEART
AS MY PERSONAL LORD AND SAVIOR.
THANK YOU FOR WASHING AWAY ALL OF MY SINS
AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR GIFT OF ETERNAL LIFE.
 PLEASE HELP ME TO FOLLOW YOU
AND TO DO YOUR WILL
ALL THE DAYS OF MY LIFE!
 IT IS IN YOUR NAME, LORD JESUS, I PRAY. AMEN!!!
  _______________________________________
Sign & Date
The word "condemn" means to pronounce guilty and to convict. When we are in Christ, we are free from condemnation—Glory to God!

 Romans 8:1 says,“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”
Celebrate with this YouTube Video song, "I Am Free"

 http://youtu.be/nR7bBEBIC9g

Photo and blog are excerpts from my book, "How Do You Love God With All Your Heart?" Copyright 2011

Guadalupe C. Casillas

DOOMSDAY

Definition of DOOMSDAY

1: a day of final judgment

2: a time of catastrophic destruction and death

Is Doomsday going to take place this year on December 21st? Some people believe this and are planning ways to survive the destruction of the earth. There are TV shows that have led people to think this way. The Bible clearly tells us that nobody knows the day or the hour, not even the angels in Heaven.

Matthew 24:36
[ The Day and Hour Unknown ] “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.

The Bible also affirms there will be a Day of Judgement. But for those who have placed their faith in Jesus Christ it will be a time of redemption and joy not of fear.

This time instead of writing a blog you get to hear me talk about my story, my fear of death and the wonderful assurance of eternal life. I talk about my lack of understanding about God's grace and love and how at one point in my life I did not believe God existed.

So, here is my interview on the TV show, "Love, Hope and Faith with Heather Murdock." I'm glad this time you get to hear my voice and what I sound like as you watch the video :)

Open the link to watch my story! Have a safe and blessed Christmas season.


http://youtu.be/pM5bnOu7Ymk

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!!!

Guadalupe :)

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!

Just a big THANK YOU to all my blog readers!!!  

May God bless you and encourage you greatly! I'm always praying for you :) 

I don't know some of you in other parts of the world. But I pray and hope I will meet you one day in Heaven! God loves you more than you can even imagine. May He bless you always!

Check the YouTube video link below. I pray it will encourage your journey.


http://youtu.be/s2RzgzN5FWY


Love & Blessings, 

Guadalupe :)

THE ECONOMY

Have you lost your job or your house? Are you having a hard time making ends meet? I'm sorry if you are facing difficult times. Unfortunately, I'm not an economy expert and cannot predict the future of our economy either. I know someone who can give you the right kind of advice though. His name is Jesus. Here is what Jesus said about worrying about our provisions in Matthew 6:25-34:

Do Not Worry
²⁵ “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? ²⁶ Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? ²⁷ Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

²⁸ “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. ²⁹ Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. ³⁰ If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? ³¹ So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³² For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. ³³ But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. ³⁴ Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Job was a man in the Bible who lost all his possessions, children and health. This is what he said in Job19:25-27:

²⁵ I know that my Redeemer lives,
and that in the end He will stand on the earth.
²⁶ And after my skin has been destroyed,
yet in my flesh I will see God;
²⁷ I myself will see Him
with my own eyes—I, and not another.
How my heart yearns within me!

The disciple, Paul, said in 2 Corinthians 5:1-2, "For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling."

We all know this world is not our permanent home and when we leave this earth we won't be able to take anything with us, not even the clothes we're wearing. If God is your Heavenly Father then you don't need to worry. He will watch over you and provide for you. We become children of God by placing our trust in Him and receiving forgiveness of sins through the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus, on the cross.You can say the following prayer:

Lord, Jesus
 
I believe You are the Son of God and that You died for me on the cross. Please forgive all my sins. I receive your grace and forgiveness and your gift of eternal life. Thank you for cleansing me and making me right with God. Help me to follow You and do Your will all the days of my life. It's in Your name, I pray. Amen!

If you meant this prayer in your heart, you are now a son or daughter of God. You have a beautiful future and place that Jesus went to prepare for you. I pray you will be content with what you have and trust God to provide for your needs.

The dollar bill in the picture above says, "In God We Trust." May we trust God and not the economy. We have a Father who cares for us!

Here is an uplifting song about not worrying about tomorrow. Enjoy and may God bless you!!!

Guadalupe :)

http://youtu.be/lGKr9EI_rYc

I WANTED TO DIE...

I WANTED TO DIE...

Depression and low self-esteem were my constant companions. A dark cloud not only hung over me, it had a crushing effect as well. I wanted to end my life. Why did a 24 year old with a wonderful husband, two healthy and handsome little boys with a beautiful house wanted to take her life?

I had lost my faith in God. I doubted His existence. No more church for me, no more prayers. My prayer request had been for my husband to start coming to church with me. I thought, "I'm asking for a good thing, if God does not care, then there is probably not a God." On top of that my self-esteem had plummeted and I felt miserable. 

I admire people who are strong in spite of tragedy and trauma in their lives. I'm emotionally weak. The only reason why I didn't take my life is because I didn't want any pain and didn't want my two boys to grow up without a mother.

Have you ever felt depressed and hopeless? Is life too hard and painful? I'm writing this for you. In spite of the fact that my back and neck hurt as I sit in front of my computer to write, there was an urgency today for me to write and tell you to please be strong and courageous.

Joy comes in the morning and God's mercies are new every morning. There were times when I struggled with an issue and it seemed overwhelming. I would go to bed not wanting to ever wake up. The next day, I would wake up and the issue didn't seem as big anymore. Sometimes the solution to my problem came right away. If I had ended my life, I wouldn't be here writing to you today.

My healing began when I was invited to attend a Bible study. I learned about God's unconditional love and His amazing grace. I began to trust and love God gradually. For my readers who know me personally, you are probably shocked to know this is who I was in my early twenties. You have only known a woman who is filled with joy and a zest for life, a woman who is passionately in love with Jesus! God transformed my life and gave me a reason to live. 

If you are struggling right now, this is my prayer for you:

Dear Lord,

I thank you for removing the chains of depression from my life. I pray for protection for the person who is reading this blog and might be contemplating suicide. Lord, please give them hope and comfort at this very moment. Lord, the enemy, the devil, wants to destroy them, but You want to give them life and life to the fullest. Please surround this person with your love and your peace. Please embrace them and reveal your love to them. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

This is me now....

May this song bless you and encourage you...you are loved!!!

http://youtu.be/Jbe7OruLk8I

Until next time :)