I Can Only Imagine - MercyMe (Lyrics Video) (HD)

DEATH - PART 2

Excerpt from my book, "How To Love God with All Your Heart" Copyright 2015 by Guadalupe C. Casillas. 

In this section I described my fear of death and what, or better yet, "Who" made that fear go away...

"One of the reasons I love Jesus so much is that He made a way for me to have eternal life with Him. I’m especially grateful to know this because I used to fear death or the thought of my loved ones dying. When I was about nine years old, my parents and I were returning from the beach on a dangerous road in Nicaragua—no guardrails along the winding road and steep cliffs. Many crosses with flowers honored those who died there. The thought of my parents dying one day made me sad. Tears began to roll softly down my cheeks. Death preoccupied me constantly after that. 

In my early twenties depression filled my life. I didn’t want to live. My doctor thought my condition had to do with hormones. I wasn’t attending church at the time. I had lost my faith in God (in a later chapter you’ll read in detail how this came to be). Even though I had a wonderful husband, a beautiful house and was able to stay home with my two children, I wanted to die. One day, I almost did. My husband, Eduardo, and I were in an indoor swimming pool at a hotel in Lake Tahoe, California. I didn’t know how to swim. Standing in the shallow end, I moved slightly and wasn’t able to touch bottom. I called Eduardo for help and raised my arm before going under. As I was drowning, I prayed, “Lord, I’m sorry. I don’t want to die. Please save me.”

God heard my prayer. Eduardo came to my rescue and saved my life. He was exhausted as he kept pushing me to the edge of the pool. He had to push me away so I wouldn’t pull him down. Otherwise we both would have drowned on that day. 

My most recent close-call was different. What I’ve learned about my eternal future with Jesus and the beauty of Heaven has helped me overcome the fear of death. My love for Jesus has increased over the years, and there is no place I’d rather be than with Him. 

Light rain hit the windshield as I drove up Highway 50. I was listening to a CD song based on the Twenty-third Psalm. The lyrics talk about God being in control even when we walk through the valley of the shadow of death. My car had slid a bit twice after hitting a couple of potholes. Remembering that I needed new tires I decided to slow down. On the third pothole, my car hydroplaned and spun onto the center divide. There was no guardrail back then to stop me from heading into oncoming traffic—only a wide patch of grass. Unable to make my car stop from spinning, I said aloud, “Oh, so this is it. This is how I’m going to die—age forty-three—car accident.” It felt like I was spinning in slow motion. Thinking one or more cars would hit me, I imagined the tragic picture of my death in the local paper and the sadness of my loved ones. 

All of a sudden, I thought, “Oh, this means in a few seconds I’ll worship you, Jesus… face to face!” I became excited and joyful, because I love to worship God and sing praises to His name. The thought of doing this in His presence was breathtaking.

In my thoughts I told God, “Okay, Lord, I’m ready. But please make it quick. I don’t want to be in pain for too long.” Then I uttered, “Lord, please protect me.” That’s not what I had intended to say. I wanted to go home with Jesus. I’m crazy in love with my husband and love my two wonderful sons, but I love Jesus more.

When I called on the Name of the Lord, I felt as though a hand had squeezed the midsection of my right foot. That touch brought awareness that my foot was pressed all the way down on the brake pedal. I didn’t want to remove my foot from it. But I automatically did and surrendered control of the vehicle. 

The steering wheel began to turn on its own and my car soon stopped. I couldn’t believe it! I said, “Thank you Lord. You saved me.” Through the rear view mirror I saw that my trunk had popped open. When I got out of my car to close it, I noticed my car was perfectly straight and centered in the divide. I don’t know how to park straight. I knew God had come to my rescue that morning. 

My CD began to play again. I heard no music when my car was spinning—only peace and quiet. In those few seconds, I had nothing to confess. No regrets. When I’d failed in the past, I had repented and asked God for forgiveness. I know I’ve been forgiven of all my past sins.

Surviving that near-death experience allowed me to tell my loved ones the joy I felt in knowing I would have met Jesus. If I had died, they might have thought I’d been terrified, but it was nothing like that!

A few hours later I asked God why I hadn’t been worried about my husband and sons. In my thoughts I heard, “It’s because you have already given them to me.” When I die, I know God will take care of my family as He has taken good care of me."

I leave you with this beautiful song, "I Can Only Imagine". Imagine what it would be like to be in the presence of Jesus! On my next and final blog on this subject, "Death - Part 3," I will show you the verses of the Bible that describe Heaven and the beauty that awaits us after this life. Be blessed!!!

https://youtu.be/Da4fnYIuV9s

If you cannot open this YouTube link, I will share the video separately...

DEATH...

I woke up around 5:00 a.m. on the first day of the new year with the thought of writing a blog titled, "Death" and this Bible passage, "Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” - 1 Corinthians 15:55. My immediate thought was, "Who is going to want to read a blog titled, "Death?" Especially as we start the New Year? And then I thought of the great news that Jesus conquered death with His resurrection. And because He lives we will live also. Death is not the end. It is actually the beginning of a glorious eternity with Jesus Christ.

I included this picture of Cancun where we eat our delicious breakfast during our vacation time. And I think this is paradise! Actually, the true and most beautiful paradise awaits for those who have placed their faith in Jesus, the Son of God! Can death be painful? Yes. But it can also be a glorious thing! I don't know who needed to read this, but I know I needed to write it. I was not planning to blog until a month from now, but the Lord woke me up with these beautiful thoughts of a glorious afterlife with Him!



"When King David’s baby died at birth, he was sure he would see him again in Heaven. He said in 2 Samuel 12:23b, “I will go to him, but he will not return to me.” If you lost a child soon after he or she was born and you didn’t have a chance to dedicate the precious one to the Lord, rest assured you’ll be reunited with your baby in Heaven. God is good and gracious. He knows babies don’t have a mature mind to decide whom to place their faith in, like we do. God let us know His Kingdom belongs to little children." (Excerpt from "How To Love God with All Your Heart" Copyright 2015)

"If you lost a loved one, God can ease your sorrow. He does it with the comforting hope and assurance that those who died in Christ Jesus will be reunited with all believers in Heaven." (Excerpt from "How Do You Love God with All Your Heart?" Copyright 2015) 

I will continue this blog to share about my fear of death and what changed that on my upcoming blog titled, "Death - Part Two".

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

WISHING ALL OF MY WONDERFUL BLOG READERS, FRIENDS ON TWEETER, FRIENDS AND FAMILY ON FACEBOOK A HAPPY NEW YEAR AND A BLESSED 2014!!!

My prayer for all of you is that you will experience the presence of God more in your lives. He loves you and wants to help you navigate this life. Signing up for a study of the Bible in 2014 will help you discover God in a new loving way! Here is an excerpt of my book titled, "How To Love God with All Your Heart" Copyright 2015.

"For a meaningful and intimate study time, remember the Word of God is not only to be read but to be experienced. When you’re reading a Bible passage try to do the following:

·       Visualize it

·       Meditate on it (stop and think about it)

·       If you read a promise—claim it!

·       If a verse “jumps off the page” and speaks to your heart, receive it, for it is the voice of God. Underline the verses that seem to be speaking directly to you.

·       If you read a passage that talks about how much you are loved by God, you may want to pause and give Him thanks for what He has done for you.

When you read the Bible in this manner, your experience will be more profound. For instance, recently I read Numbers 6:22-26 that says, “The LORD said to Moses, ‘Tell Aaron and his sons, this is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them: The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace.’”  

Then I considered Hebrews 4:14, which state that Jesus is our Great High Priest, “Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess.” At that moment I visualized Jesus, as my High Priest, saying this particular blessing over me. Can you imagine that? I said, “Lord, this is how you commanded the priests to bless the Israelites, so please Lord Jesus bless me, keep me, protect me, make your face shine upon me, give me favor and give me peace. I also ask this blessing on all my family and friends.” I then wrote about this experience in my journal. This is what I mean by making the Bible come alive and being a blessing in your life! 

Do you want to experience the presence of God more? Begin to worship Him more. I start my groups with a worship song. I first read the words of the song aloud to reflect about what we’re singing. People can either sing or close their eyes to listen to the words and pray in the quietness of their hearts."  (How To Love God with All Your Heart - Copyright 2015)

What a better way to start the year than worshiping the God who created you and loves you unconditionally...just as you are!

http://youtu.be/PH-snsXw1as

Praying for all of you in 2014!!!

FINDING JOY DURING CHRISTMAS!

FINDING JOY DURING CHRISTMAS!

Growing up I thought Christmas was supposed to be the happiest day of the year. The magical idea that a very generous person named, Santa Claus would bring me many presents was this little girl's delight. I counted the days. Expecting to receive the gifts I wrote about in my Christmas list would bring me the ultimate joy I was seeking.

My expectations of a happy day had been high the entire month. However, opening gifts, eating a delicious dinner with my parents and sisters and lighting a few fireworks in Nicaragua didn't create the magic I hoped for. I thought, "That's it? This is what I waited for so long?" Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the gifts, my family, the meal, but I still didn't have the deep joy I had anticipated.

Later on, I was married and had two boys. They also were excited about Christmas, but only hours after opening gifts, the boys were fighting and didn't seem happy or grateful. I heard my sons expressing what next toy they were eager to obtain just days after they opened all of their presents. I said, "This is going to change!" The following year the number of toys were reduced and we gathered as a family to thank God for the birth of Jesus and the precious gift of eternal life. 

Nowadays, we avoid the shopping malls and we give our two grown sons money, so they can pick exactly what they want. We don't deal with return lines either. We enjoy attending the Christmas service together and have a wonderful meal at home. Christmas is everyday of the year in our hearts! 

I personally like the gift of friendship and time more than shopping for gifts. I love to go out to lunch or coffee with friends and family. My Christmas is peaceful because I don't have a long list of things to do. Several years ago I told my mother, "You know what I want for Christmas, mom? She said, "What, honey?" I replied, "Nothing, please don't buy me any presents. I have everything I need and I don't want you to spend money. Let's instead go out to lunch and relax."

There are people who love crowds and the excitement of  a packed mall energizes them, that's okay...go for it! But, if you're like me, then don't let other people decide how to spend your Christmas.  

Several years ago the highlight of my Christmas was to sing and praise God in the Christmas Choir at church. I finally felt the warmth of God's love filling the desire of my heart. May you be filled with the love of Jesus and enjoy a relaxed and safe Christmas!

"Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is the Messiah, the Lord." - Luke 2:11

Jesus came to save us, that's what Christmas is all about. 

CHRISTMAS... WHY JESUS?

CHRISTMAS... WHY JESUS?

  

...Because our lives and eternal lives depend on Him! That is a bold statement, right? Let me share why I believe this...

This is what we Christians celebrate at this time of the year:

Luke 2:10-12

¹⁰ But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. ¹¹ Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. ¹² This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

Isaiah 9:6

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Matthew 1:21

She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.

John 3:16-17

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. ¹⁷ For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

1 John 5:12

Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.

Jesus said in John 5:24:

²⁴ “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life.

And there are many, many more Bible passages! Christmas is not about shopping or a beautiful Christmas tree, which are nice things. The true meaning of Christmas is that God sent Jesus into the world to save us and die for our sins, so that those of us who believe in Him as the Messiah and only Son of God, will not perish, but have EVERLASTING LIFE, ETERNAL LIFE!!! What better than a powerful video to demonstrate the true meaning of Christmas...Here you go...

THANK YOU FOR READING AND HAVE A BLESSED CHRISTMAS!!! GOD LOVES YOU THIS MUCH...PLEASE WATCH THIS VIDEO...

http://youtu.be/qrPAZbD6fG0

May the Lord Jesus Christ bless you and prosper you this Christmas and in the New Year!!! I don't know many of you that read my blog in many different parts of the world, but I thank you and love you with the love of Christ!  

Guadalupe 

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!)