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Be Intentional With Your Time

We are the generation of multitasking, especially women. We’ve always had to juggle much and wear different hats. And last year, 2020, don’t even get me started, that was a game-changer. But for the new year, I don’t want to be a multitasker; I want to focus on one thing at a time and do it well. You see, when you multitask, your attention is divided, so you’re not focused, and little things can slip up. This is why, for the new year, I want to be intentional with my time.

Recently I’ve realized that no matter what I’m doing, I like to do only that. For example, if I’m watching TV, I’ll focus only on watching TV and not be on my phone or reading something. Or if I’m working or writing, I like to focus just on the task at hand because I want to do the best job possible; I cannot do that if I’m also focused on doing something else. Also, anything that I’m doing, I’m intentional with it, meaning there is a purpose behind it. Even things I like to do “for fun” are usually educational, like reading; I love reading about history, memoirs, literature, etc. And watching TV, I’m usually watching a documentary, or a documentary series, even podcasts; I love podcasts, but there is usually something that I get out of them while I’m listening to them. Simply put, I don’t like to waste time, LOL.

For the new year, one thing I want to be intentional with is my time with Jesus.

Lamentations 3 verse 25 through 28 says, “The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord. It is good for a man to bear the yoke while he is young. Let him sit alone in silence, for the Lord has laid it on him, (NIV). I listen to the Bible in the morning, either while I’m getting ready for work or working, but I want to change that. I want to spend dedicated alone time with the word of God. I want to understand what I’m listening to and be able to hear God speak to me.

I submitted a devotional for a prayer journal, and the devotional was chosen to be in it. The journal is available for purchase on Amazon. It is a 52-week prayer journal, which I’m going to use starting this new year as part of my plan to be intentional with my time with Jesus. I also won a planner on an Instagram giveaway. It has a daily affirmation, prayer gratitude, prayer requests, scripture readings, and a devotional/reflection section, which I’m also going to use to be intentional with my time with Jesus.

My point is that I have a plan set to be intentional with my time in the spiritual aspect of my life. This is one of my goals for 2021! Is there a place in your life you are looking to be intentional? Do you have a plan or a goal you’d like to achieve? I’d love to hear about it and maybe even help. Let me know!

With Love,

Heidy

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We Cannot Serve God & Money

Our wonderful creator gave us free will – meaning we make our own choices. However, with making our own choices, we also have to be responsible for the consequences that come with those choices.

We use the Bible as a guide to lead us in our life and which choices to make. The Bible is very clear that we cannot serve God and be a servant of money.

1 Corinthians 10:23 NIV – “I have the right to do anything,” you say – but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything” – but not everything is constructive.

1 Timothy 6:10 NIV – For the Love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

If we were to serve money, the more we get, the more we will want because we will indulge in greed and because there is no amount of money that our flesh will be satisfied with.

Leading our life with greed and the love of money will destroy us. It will put us in dangerous places, risky situations, and further away from God.

Plus, God tells us that he will provide everything we NEED! Believe it or not, He will provide us with the money we need. There is a substantial difference between the money we need and the money we want, even though we live in a world that bombards us with the message that we need more and more money; if we give in to that message, we will no longer be living for God but the world.

The world is filled with people eager for power and money but have you looked at what they’ve done in order to get in those positions? A lot of times, it’s not very biblical, or Jesus like.

Jesus came to this world to serve others, not money, and we are called to be like Jesus. We are called to live our lives for God, and in return, He provides for us. Although He gave us free will to choose our lives. We should choose to live our lives for Him because He died for us. And if you find yourself astray from Him, please know that you can come to Him at ANY time and repent. He will forgive you and accept you as His child.

Colossians 1:13-14 NIV – For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sin. 

Are you serving God or money?

With Love,

Heidy

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Serving Others & God with Our Talents & Gifts

We all have a talent; some may have multiple, but different people use their talents differently. Some use it for malice and some for good. Do you know what your talent is? How do you use your talent?

It took me a while to figure out that my talent is writing; although I’ve always been a writer, I just didn’t know it. Let me explain. When I was younger, I want to say middle school; I had a journal for writing poems. Then I had another one that I used as a diary; I would write every day’s events and my feelings. I started writing a book but never finished. I even wrote songs at one point. I was always writing.

I have written on and off for years, but now I want to keep writing consistently. I realized that writing was my talent when I shared my poetry with others and received positive feedback. For years, I would tell myself that I didn’t have a talent because I can’t sing, I don’t dance professionally, I don’t act, and I don’t draw or color. However, writing comes naturally to me. Even writing my papers during my undergrad and graduate career, I enjoyed it.

As I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized that there are more talents beyond acting, singing, and dancing. And the Bible says this too, in Romans 12:6-8 (NIV) We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in according with your faith; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is show mercy, do it cheerfully. 

Some people are good leaders, some are athletic, some are good listeners, and some are good speakers. Nevertheless, what God wants us to do with our gifts is to serve others and bring glory to his name. No matter what the talent is.

In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:16 (NIV)

Maybe you don’t know what your talent is or how to use it to serve others, but you can pray about this. God will provide the answer for you because He provided this talent to you.

I cannot wait to meet God in heaven and answer Him when He asks what I did with the gifts He gave me and say, Lord, I devoted my talents to spreading your gospel on the platform you provided me.

What will you answer Him when He asks you what you did with your talents?

With Love,

Heidy

Photo By J.Colon Photography

More Bible verses about talents:

1 Peter 4:10 NIV – Each of you should use whatever gifts you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.

1 Corinthians 12:4-6 NIV – There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.

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What Is the Value of Friendship?

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How would you define the value of friendship?

We all have friends, from the time we start school, and sometimes before that, if our parent’s friends have kids around our age, those kids usually become our first friends. And if we are lucky, those friends we have at that young age grow up with us and that friendship is for a lifetime. Many would consider those friendships more like family because you grow a bond with that person that is deeper than a friendship.

As we get older, we meet more people, like when we go from elementary to middle school, and middle school to high school, and then to college, and new friendships are created. Even in our workplace, we develop friendships that can become very close. But what is the value of friendship?

Value in friendship is the connection you have with that person.

In other words, an unconditional friendship. You are not trying to gain something out of this friendship because that would mean you’re not a true friend, you’re trying to benefit from knowing the person. Knowing that you can count on that person no matter what the situation is. Knowing that you can be vulnerable with them, and you won’t be judged. Knowing that you can be authentic with each other. That comfort with the person is valuable in a friendship.

This is why many times we are told to build a friendship with someone before entering a romantic relationship with them because friendship is the foundation of many relationships.

Another way to know the value of a friendship is if this person is helping you become a better version of yourself. A true friendship has support, helps you flourish, and will build you up. You should be doing the same for them.

What is the difference between a friendship that is valuable and one that is not?

A friendship that isn’t valuable is draining. You give and give, and nothing is reciprocated. They only come to you when they need something, or they come to you with the same issues each time you provide them with advice, and the next time it’s the same thing again, like a broken record. That gets tiring.

Be intentional with who you spend your time with because many times the enemy disguises himself/herself as ‘friends.’ Just like the Bible tells us……

“Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” 1 Peter 5:8 NIV

We have people we meet in different stages of our lives, and we share different memories. There are friends that you don’t have to speak to every day to know that you are still friends, but when you do get together is like no time has passed. The connection is the same, the love is the same, and friendship is the same.

Sometimes some people you meet do not become your friend, sometimes they can just be an acquaintance or someone who is known to you but not known in a personal way. Not everyone you meet is your friend or will be your friend, and that is okay.

Do you have any friends you haven’t spoken to in a while? Check up on them and let them know that you appreciate their friendship.

Value those friendships that are true.

With Love, Heidy

Proverbs 27_9 Just as lotions and fragrance give sensual delight, a sweet friendship refreshes the soul_ _ The Message (MSG) _ Download The Bible App Now

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My Guest Posts!!!

The end of June and July was certainly exciting because I had my first guest posts published! I reached out to a few blogs and asked if I could guest post on their website. I had a few responses that they don’t do guest posts, but I did receive three, yes!!

The first guest post was published on The Godly Chic Diaries – you can read my post by clicking here. June has a fantastic faith-based blog right here on WP, and her posts are encouraging and uplifting about God and His marvelous work. I was so honored that this was my very FIRST guest post, and her followers were just as uplifting and encouraging!

My post was about how God removed my fear of loneliness. I decided to share my story because that fear stemmed from a young age, and I know many shares that fear too, but God is so powerful and amazing that He can help them as well.

My second guest post was published on YMI.today, and you can read the post by clicking here. YMI.today is a Christian Blog for young adults. They have articles on various topics like faith, relationships, and everyday living, but all with a Christian worldview.

I wrote about how the Growth Group at my church helped me grow in my faith, grow closer to God, and lead me to become an adult leader for the youth ministry.

The last guest post was published on Candidly Christian, and this blog is for Christian Woman. They have topics about faith, prayers, marriage, and parenting. You can read my post by clicking here.

This post was about overcoming bitterness after being betrayed. I got personal with sharing this story, but I know I’m not the only one who has been betrayed. Usually, afterward, the person becomes bitter because they are hurt and feel broken, but God helped me get through it, and He can help anyone else who has been in the same situation or similar.

I am humbled to had been featured in three different blogs, and I am looking forward to seeing where else God would like for me to share His messages.

If you read any of them let me know your thoughts. I love feedback.

With Love, Heidy

 

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The Worst Thing You Can for Your Marriage!

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The worst thing you can do for your marriage is compare it to other people’s marriages!

People are different, personalities are different, you don’t know what their spouse likes or doesn’t like. You don’t know their dynamics. You don’t know how long it took them to get where they are or the struggles they’ve been through.

What works for them will not work for you. You are not married to their spouse you are married to your spouse. Talk to your spouse about what they want, like, or desire, talk to your spouse, and see how you can be a better spouse. But be willing to listen. I mean, really listen. Not listen to respond but listen to receive, to understand, to comprehend where they are coming from.

Talk to God and ask Him to reveal how you can be a better spouse for your significant other. Pray for your spouse.

“Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” James 5:16 NIV

Watch how God transforms your spouse, you, and your marriage as you seek Him in your marriage.

Marriage is between two people. Not two people and their friends, and friends of friends, and their family, and their long lost cousin, NO! Marriage is between you and your spouse.

If you need advice, seek advice but be intentional on who you ask for advice. Seek it from a couple who you look up to, who you can tell they have a strong connection and have it together because not everyone wants to give advice, some just want to be nosey.

Also, seek it from someone you know has your best interest at heart. A couple who you know will be genuine and honest. But don’t compare your marriage to theirs because, again, those are two different individuals to you and your spouse.

“Listen to advice and accept discipline, and at the end, you will be counted among the wise.” Proverbs 19:20 NIV

My best advice is to seek guidance from God. Only He knows both of you from inside out, only He knows each of your hearts, and He can guide you on how to overcome challenges together, instead of against each other.

You are a team and God is your coach.

Your marriage will not flourish if you keep comparing it to Maria and Jose’s marriage or Sally and John’s, because those are different marriages, different people, and different situations. Even your parents marriage, don’t compare it!

Keep your focus on God and your spouse and see what works for you guys. If something isn’t working out then change it and try something else, but find what works for you and your spouse.

With Love, Heidy

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Do you have any questions?

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Patience & Faith

The Bible tells us to ask, and it shall be given, and it also says that God wants to provide us with the desires in our hearts, but we have to be patient. Our prayers aren’t answered right away, we don’t pray for something one night, and then God says yes in the morning, that isn’t how to works. We have to be patient and have faith that God will provide what we ask. And He does provide, at his time.

The concept of time isn’t the same for God as it is for us, with that in mind, are you willing to wait five years for a prayer to be answered? It sometimes could be more, but that is the thing with having faith in God, is knowing that He will answer, eventually. Once you wait, faithfully, and God answers your prayer, you can look back and see why it took so long or why He waited until that particular time to respond. Everything works out, falls into place, and you can tell that it was only God’s doing.

As Christians, God asks us to be patient, “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience,” Colossians 3:12 (NIV). This is one of the factors that sets us apart! And I know it can be hard because we are waiting for something we truly desire, and we want it when we ask for it. I know I’ve struggled with being patient before, and because of it, I’ve taken some matters into my own hand and realized that if I had waited for God, the situation would have come out better.

“The end of a matter is better than its beginning, and patience is better than pride,” Ecclesiastes 7:8 (NIV). Those times I took matters into my own hands, I was letting my pride get in the way, thinking, “I can figure this out on my own, I don’t need to wait,” or thinking that I knew what I was doing because I knew what was best for me, all to have it come back and slap me in the face. I’ve definitely made a mess of things before for no reason, just because I wasn’t patient enough to wait for God to answer me.

And sometimes, God won’t answer your prayers. Wait, what are you saying? Yeah, that’s right; sometimes God won’t answer your prayers precisely how you’re asking Him, sometimes He will give you something better!

When God is making you wait, it’s because He is working things out better than you could even imagine. God is always working things out for your good because He loves you, He takes care of you, and He wants you to thrive! God is faithful, always! And He will NEVER fail you.

With Love, Heidy

Prayer,

Lord, I will live in patience for my faith. For I know that your promises will fulfill, not when I want, but when your time is right. Patience is a virtue in my trust in you because I won’t always see, but I always know, and you, Lord, are faithful. Amen.

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Identity

We all struggle to find our identity or trying to identify ourselves. We have different titles and different hats we wear, whether it’s in our career or personal lives, but none of this actually defines us. We live in a culture that wants to push agendas about how they think we should be and try to identify us. They want us to look a certain way, act a certain way, dress a certain way, and do certain things. As a result, we add pressure on ourselves to fit in the box or mold ourselves to meet those expectations, thinking that this will give us an identity in this world.

Our identity comes from The Lord. Only seeking a relationship with God will we find our true identity and our purpose in this world. He knows each of us from the inside out because he created us.  Like it says in Psalm 139: 13 – 14, “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well,” (NIV).

How beautiful is it to know that the one who created us is the one who we find our identity in? Since he created us he also gives us our purpose, just like it says in Ephesians 2:10, “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do,” (NIV). Think about this, what talents do you have and how do you use these talents?

The purpose of life is to find our purpose in Christ and do the work He wants us to do. Along the way, we meet people and try to bring them close to God, by sharing our testimonies, our talents, and love towards them.

Do not let this world try to define you. You are a child of God, you are beautifully and wonderfully made, and you have a purpose. As long as you have a heartbeat, you have a purpose, and its never too late to find what it is. Find your identity in Jesus Christ, the one and only who can define you.

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Forgiveness

Why is it so hard to forgive? Is it because of the hurt? Or who we were hurt by? It’s always who we least expect it from. Or maybe it was the action? But whatever the reason forgiveness is hard and we have to a lot of it, the Bible says 70 x 7.

Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven,” Matthew 18:21-22 of the Revised Standard Version 

The Bible talks quite a bit about forgiveness, and we have to forgive. We have to forgive ourselves, and we have to forgive others. God forgives us every day for our sins. Every single day!

Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. Ephesians 4:32 New International Version

We aren’t perfect – no one is, which is why we hurt other people. Sometimes intentional, and sometimes we don’t realize it. But regardless, it is wrong, and we have to forgive. Forgiveness isn’t for the person you’re forgiving – it’s for you. It’s freeing you of that burden. You carry around all this weight that’s holding you down and aren’t able to move on. But once you let it go, it’s so freeing.

It does take time to forgive. Do it when you’re ready. Once you’ve processed the hurt and understand your emotions. Ask God to help you – he will guide you, but it needs to be done. Don’t live with the pain, it will make you bitter. Let go of the hurt – it will free you. And once you let go, don’t ever look back.

I challenge you to write a letter to someone you need to forgive. Write down how they hurt you and how it made you feel. Write your thoughts, everything you wish you could tell them, and then read it out loud to yourself, and then rip it up and throw it away.

Protect yourself – yes, sometimes people deserve a second chance, but you decide. You get to decide if you want to give them another chance. You can forgive and not give another chance because you have to protect yourself. Just don’t let one person pay for what someone else did, that’s not fair.

Forgive – because you deserve peace.

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Trusting God With Our Plans

We have many plans for our lives. We have goals, timeline on how we want things to go, but almost always, our plans do not go as we pictured them. Sometimes things go worse, but when you have God in the center of your plans or life, things go much better than what you imagined. I had planned to start looking for a new job, a management position to be exact, at a new company by May 2020. I thought May because by then the wedding would be long over, the honeymoon would be long over, and I graduate from my Master’s degree in May, so that would be under my belt. But like almost always, God had other plans for me. I told myself that this year I will fully follow God’s lead in my life. Well, at the beginning of January, I received an email from Advent Health, one of the leading hospitals in Central Florida, to apply for a position in their billing/collections department. I was confused because I didn’t remember the last time I updated my profile with them since I had applied to the hospital years ago, but I thought about it and discussed it with Jonathan, my then fiancé now husband, and he said it wouldn’t hurt to apply.

So, I applied thinking nothing of it and actually forgot that I had applied. That following Tuesday, I received a phone call from an HR recruiter to do a phone screening for the position. She then invited me for a face-to-face interview for the following Friday. I went and interviewed with the director of the department, and at the end of the interview, she told me she really liked me and wanted me to join the team. That following Monday, they called me back to offer me the position and send over the offer letter to accept. When I informed my then-current employer that I was leaving, my director had a meeting with me to see why I was leaving and if there was something she could do for me to stay. I told her that I wanted to work at the hospital and thought it was a great opportunity.

A few days later she called me into the office again, this time with my manager, to tell me again that she didn’t want me to leave and two new positions were opening up and she wanted me for one of them. She told me to think about it and that she will be able to offer me more money than what the hospital offered me. I’m not money motivated, I just kept thinking about the opportunities available at the hospital. I kept going back and forth on whether to stay at my current job or leave. I interviewed for both positions at my job. But when I went to the HR and health screening appointment for Advent Health, I got excited all over again about working at the hospital, so after that appointment, I made my final decision, I was going to the hospital. The following day I got a call offering me the Team Lead position at my current job with more money than what the hospital was offering, but I went to talk to my director and I declined the offer.

She told me she appreciated me telling her and that it would be a loss for her because she thinks I’m a great employee, but at the end of the day, she wants me to be happy. She mentioned that if the hospital is the route I want to go, then she cannot compete with that, there is no money in the world she could offer me. And she was correct. Something kept pulling me towards the hospital, even when I was trying to make excuses as to why I should stay, I kept getting this pull towards the hospital, and now I know it was God.

He provided this opportunity when I least expected it, but it’s such a blessing. Today I completed my second day of orientation, and tomorrow I start training at my department, and I feel like I am right where I belong. Yesterday before any of the programs began, we prayed, and today every segment started with a bible verse. I absolutely loved that. I genuinely feel like I am in the right place at the most perfect time. I cannot thank God enough for how he moves in my life and how he has moved. I am forever grateful to him, will continue to be grateful to him, and live out my life for Him.

Always remember to trust him in all of your plans and to place him in the center of them. Things may not always come out as you’d like, when you place your trust in Him, they will come out better.

PROVERBS 3_5-6 Trust in and rely confidently on the LORD with all your heart And do not rely on your own insight or understanding_ In all your ways know and acknowledge and recognize Him, And He will