Heart Attack Lessons in Faith - 2 versions

 

YouTube Testimony (3–4 minutes)

Opening (hook – first 10 seconds)
I’ve always been confident in my abilities.
I’m a self-starter.
I figure things out.
I do.

But that confidence made something difficult for me—
depending fully on the Lord.

Story
That changed the night I was rushed into the emergency room
having a heart attack.

In that moment,
all my confidence meant nothing.

I couldn’t fix anything.
I couldn’t help myself.
I had no strength to rely on.

And because of that,
dependence came easily.

I placed myself completely into the Lord’s hands—
trusting Him with my life.
Whether it would continue
or end that night…
that decision was His.

And I had peace.

From the operating room,
where the stents were inserted,
to lying awake all night in ICU,
I had time—
real time—
to talk with the Lord
about His will
and His plan for my future.

Reflection
What surprised me most
was how focused my faith was then.

When I had nothing left to offer Him,
trust came naturally.

But here’s the struggle…

Living with that same dependence
in everyday life
is much harder.

Because when there’s no crisis,
my flesh tells me,
You’ve got this.

So instead of relying on the Holy Spirit…
instead of looking to Jesus…
instead of praying to the Father…

I just do.
I lean on my own ability.

Biblical anchor
And I’ve realized something important:

Being confident in yourself
can actually hinder
what God wants to do through you.

Jesus said,
“I am the Vine.
You are the branches.”

And then He said this—
“Without Me,
you can do nothing.”

Closing
That wasn’t just true
in the emergency room.

It’s true every single day.

And I’m learning—
real dependence on Christ
isn’t born only in crisis…
it’s meant to be lived in ordinary life.

---

2️⃣ Short-Form Clip (60–75 seconds)

Hook (first 3 seconds)
I didn’t learn dependence on God in church.
I learned it during a heart attack.

Clip Script
I’ve always been confident in my abilities.
A self-starter.
I figure things out.

But when I was lying in an emergency room
having a heart attack,
all of that disappeared.

I had no strength.
No control.
No self-sufficiency.

And for the first time,
dependence came easily.

I placed my life fully
into the Lord’s hands—
whether I lived or died
was completely up to Him.

And I had peace.

Here’s the hard part though…

Living with that same dependence
after the crisis
is harder than during it.

Because when life feels normal,
my flesh says,
You’ve got this.

But Jesus said,
“I am the Vine.
You are the branches.”

And then He said this:
“Without Me,
you can do nothing.”

That’s not just true
in an emergency room.

That’s true every day.

Learning to Trust in the Vine - One Fateful Night

 I have always been very self confident in my abilities.

This means sometimes it's difficult for me to be "dependant" upon the Lord 

in the way He wants me to be.

Now, put me in the Emergency room 

having a heart attack, 

and I can be "very dependent" upon the Lord.

I had NO "self sufficiency" to rely upon.

I found it easy to put myself 

completely into the Lord's hands.

Looking to Him - Trusting in Him for my life 

( whether it was to continue 

or end that night.. 

totally up to Him ).

And I had peace through the whole process 

From the operating room 

where I had my stents inserted,

To lying awake all night in ICU.

Lots of time to talk to the Lord 

about His plan for my future.

It's been a little harder to have this same focused faith 

in my everyday life....

Because my fleshly mind thinks I can "do things", 

and therefore I forget 

or find it hard to "depend" upon the Holy Spirit.

To look to Jesus. 

To pray to the Father.

I just "do" what comes to my mind, 

and use my "ability" to "do".

So.... being a "self starter" 

and having "confidence" in one's own ability 

can a hindrance to anyone wanting to serve the Lord

and to allow Him to do His Work through you.

We must learn to rely upon the "Vine" 

and realize we are just the "Branch".

Jesus clearly tells us in John 15:5

Without Him, we can do nothing. 

**** With AI editing : 

Spoken Testimony Script

I’ve always been a very self-confident person.
Confident in my abilities.
Confident that I can figure things out.
Confident that I can do what needs to be done.

And because of that…
it’s sometimes been hard for me
to truly depend on the Lord
in the way He wants me to.

But then—
put me in an emergency room…
having a heart attack…

And suddenly, dependence comes very easily.

In that moment,
I had no strength to lean on.
No abilities to rely on.
No self-sufficiency left at all.

I couldn’t do anything.

And because of that,
I found it easy—
almost natural—
to place myself completely
into the Lord’s hands.

I looked to Him.
I trusted Him with my life.

Whether it would continue…
or end that very night…
that decision was fully up to Him.

And somehow—
in the middle of all of it—
I had peace.

From the operating room,
where the stents were inserted…
to lying awake all night in the ICU…

I had time.
A lot of time.
To talk with the Lord
about His will
and His plan for my future.

And what stood out to me most
was how focused my faith was then.
How completely dependent I became
when I had nothing left to offer Him
but trust.

But I’ve noticed something since then…

Living with that same level of dependence
in everyday life
is much harder.

Because when there’s no crisis…
my fleshly mind tells me,
You’ve got this.
You can handle it.
You know what to do.

So instead of relying on the Holy Spirit…
instead of looking to Jesus…
instead of praying to the Father…

I just do.
I act on my own thoughts.
I lean on my own ability.

And I’ve realized this:
Being a self-starter…
having confidence in your own strength…
can actually become a hindrance
to serving the Lord.

It can get in the way
of allowing Him
to do His work through you.

Jesus tells us plainly—
we are not the Vine.

He is.

We are just the branches.

And He makes this statement unmistakably clear:

“Without Me…
you can do nothing.”

That’s not just true
in the emergency room.

That’s true
every single day.

From Fear to Faith - My Daily Prayers

Simple truths we must remember and practice each day.

That is really all it takes..... 

If you have FAITH, 

then "FEAR" will not control your thoughts, emotions, and actions.

I've "heard" this message for 50 years.

I've been working on it for most of that time.

But only in the past 6 years has it started to "SINK IN" enough 

to actually transform the way I "respond" 

to what is going on in my life / the world.

It is a DAILY process. 

Each morning I start over, 

and ask God for the fruit of His Spirit ( Galatians 5:22-23 ).

I surrender my life ( Romans 12:1 ),

and ask that the VINE will supply 

What I ( the Branch ) needs to become fruitful ( John 15:5 )

Finally taking all "anxious thoughts" to the Lord ( Phil. 4:6-7 )

Trusting in Him, and not my own understanding ( Proverbs 3:5-6 )

** You can hear ( and watch ) more about it here

( from EvanTell ),

https://youtu.be/CPDJP2WU1TU

From Fear to Faith | Sharing Good News in an Anxious Age

--

Saved by Grace,

Andrew Cross

"Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. 

And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, 

not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, 

but exhorting one another, 

and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.

Hebrews 10:23-25

YouTube channel = We belong to the Day

Why are Things this Way? The Problem, Provisions, and Promises ( According to the Bible )

The Problem, Provisions, and Promises (What the Bible Actually Says)

https://youtu.be/SZD25qjrptY

At some point we all wonder

Why are Things this Way?

To have a clear idea of the reality we live in,

You need to know the reason we have a Problem =

That there is a spiritual battle in progress.

You need to know what Provisions are available to you =

God's power being the source of strength we are to be relying upon.

You need to know the Promises of what to expect =

God's glorious plans for the future of His chosen.

Let's take a close look at a couple of passages of scripture 

that touch on each of these 3 aspects of these spiritual realities.

First the problem:

Ephesians 2:2 

tells us

in which you once walked 

according to the course of this world, 

according to 

the prince of the power of the air, 

the spirit who now works 

in the sons of disobedience,

And in Ephesians 6:11-12

Paul tells us there is a spiritual battle going.

We read,

Put on the whole armor of God, 

that you may be able to stand 

against the wiles of the devil. 

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, 

but against principalities, 

against powers, 

against the rulers of the darkness of this age, 

against spiritual hosts of wickedness 

in the heavenly places.

That's a big problem.

Fortunately there are hundreds of verses 

about the Provisions God provides.

Here are just two examples

Continuing with Paul's words to the Ephesians,

Chapter 6:14-18 

we read

Therefore take up the whole armor of God, 

that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, 

and having done all, to stand.

Stand therefore, 

having girded your waist with truth, 

having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 

and having shod your feet 

with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 

above all, taking the shield of faith 

with which you will be able to quench 

all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 

And take the helmet of salvation, 

and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; 

praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, 

being watchful to this end 

with all perseverance and supplication 

for all the saints—

We also have Jesus' assurance 

that God is looking out for us,

and are told to have no fear 

because of His loving concern for us.

in Matthew 10:29-31

He said

Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? 

And not one of them falls to the ground 

apart from your Father's will. 

But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 

Do not fear therefore; 

you are of more value 

than many sparrows.

The promises of what the future holds for believers

is something to get excited about.

Here are somethings to expect upon 

and after the return of Jesus Christ,

In Philipians 3:20-21

we read,

For our citizenship is in heaven, 

from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, 

the Lord Jesus Christ, 

who will transform our lowly body 

that it may be conformed to His glorious body, 

according to the working 

by which He is able even to subdue 

all things to Himself.

There are many things to be looking forward to in our future.

In Hebrews 13:14

we learn,

For here we have no lasting city, 

but we seek the city to come.

Revelation chapter 21 has more details about 

this city, New Jerusalem, 

that is a part of a new heavens and a new Earth.

The point I want you to understand is that

your life is more than what you see right now.

Which is pretty MESSED UP.

I want you to know 

that the power to succeed in life

is available to you as a child of God.

I would encourage you to study and memorize these truths.

Striving to follow what Paul advised

in Romans 12:12

rejoicing in hope, 

patient in tribulation, 

continuing steadfastly in prayer; 

More Biblical teaching can be found on this channel.

Check it out. Until next time, Maranatha.

--

Saved by Grace,

Andrew Cross

"Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. 

And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, 

not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, 

but exhorting one another, 

and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.

Hebrews 10:23-25

YouTube channel = We belong to the Day

Tribulation = 3 1/2 years - Not 7 Years.

Is the Tribulation period 7 years long?

Or is it really only 3 1/2 years?

The answer is pretty clear.

Just look in the book of Daniel,

and in Revelation

You will find mention of

Time, Times, Half a Time 

( or 3 1/2 years ) 

= Daniel 7:25, 

Daniel 12:7 

and Revelation 12:14

1260 Days are mentioned in

Revelation 11:3 

and chapter 12 verse 6

42 Months are referenced

Revelation 11:2 

and chapter 13 verse 5

Also we find

1290 Days mentioned in 

Daniel 12:11

and 1,335 Days in

Daniel 12:12

I discuss the possible reasons 

why they are longer in other posts.

So, where did the idea of 

the 7 years of Tribulation come from,

Since there is no place in the Bible that says this?

It comes from one place - 

Daniel chapter 9 verse 27

and the way Dispensationalist interpret 

the 70 weeks of Daniel.

The 70 weeks or 490 years 

are divided into 3 parts.

7 weeks and 62 weeks 

and the final week.

Looking at Daniel 9 verse 24

we read

"Seventy weeks are determined
For your people and for your holy city,
To finish the transgression,
To make an end of sins,
To make reconciliation for iniquity,
To bring in everlasting righteousness,
To seal up vision and prophecy,
And to anoint the Most Holy.

In Verse 25,

We are told that after a period of 

seven weeks and sixty-two weeks, 

or 483 years

The Messiah would come.

In Verse 26 and 27

We find a list of things 

that would occur in the final week

or ( 7 years )

It says 

"And after the sixty-two weeks",

We are to expect the Messiah to be Cut Off,

( which occurred during this last 7 years )

and the city to be destroyed,

( which happened about 40 years later )

and He 

( I believe the Messiah in this context )

puts an end to sacrifice and offerings

( by His sacrifice and offering on the cross of Calvary ).

The 490 years 

likely ended after the stoning of Stephen

we see in Acts chapter 7. 

The Jews drove out the early Christains from Jerusalem,

and the message of the Gospel spread 

to the rest of the world from that point onward.

The time of the Jews 

as God's chosen instrument 

came to its end.

Daniel was told,

"Seventy weeks are determined

For your people and for your holy city,"

No 2000+ year "gap".

Although you will find many preachers 

repeating this theory from their pulpit.

Primarily because that is the way 

it was explained to them 

when they went to seminary school.

For more details on why 

the Tribulation Period does not last 7 years,

please check out some of the other posts on this channel.

Maranatha.

Youtube version:

https://youtube.com/shorts/evHslKBUPsc

The right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name

But when the fullness of time had come,

God sent forth his Son, born of woman,

born under the law,

to redeem those who were under the law,

so that we might receive adoption as sons.

(Galatians 4:4–5)

He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.

But as many as received Him, 

to them He gave the right to become children of God, 

to those who believe in His name: 

who were born, 

not of blood, 

nor of the will of the flesh, 

nor of the will of man, 

but of God. 

( John 1:11-13 )

For by grace you have been saved through faith, 

and that not of yourselves; 

it is the gift of God, 

not of works, 

lest anyone should boast.

( Ephesians 2:8,9 )

--

Saved by Grace,

Andrew Cross

"Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. 

And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, 

not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, 

but exhorting one another, 

and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.

Hebrews 10:23-25

YouTube channel = We belong to the Day

How Long are the End Times going to Last ( According to the Scriptures )?

We find several mentions in the book of Daniel,

and in Revelation as to how long the End Time Events will last.

Time, Times, Half a Time ( 3 1/2 years ) = Daniel 7:25, 12:7 and Revelation 12:14

1260 Days = Revelation 11:3 and 12:6

42 Months = Revelation 11:2 and 13:5

1290 Days = Daniel 12:11

1335 Days = Daniel 12:12

* There is also a "time" reference of 2,300 evenings and mornings

in Daniel 8:14, 26, but I don't see a clear connection to the End Times.

It looks to be literally normal days, since it references both days and nights ( 6 1/3 years ).

The time period covered, 2,300 days, figures to about 6 1/3 years. 

Most theologians believe this prophecy was fulfilled before the birth of Christ, 

during the reign of the Seleucid king Antiochus IV (Epiphanes). 

Antiochus desecrated the temple in Jerusalem 

and severely persecuted the Jews 

from about September 171/170 BC to December 165/164 BC. 

When Antiochus died, 

the Jews purified and rededicated the temple, just as Daniel had predicted. 

These events are commemorated in the celebration of Hanukkah.

Although, there are a few "theories" on it.

Seventh-day Adventists, interpret the period as 2,300 literal years. 

Which they say "ended" in 1844 A.D.

In this view, 1844 marks the beginning of the "Investigative Judgment" 

or the cleansing of the heavenly sanctuary, rather than a physical temple on Earth. 

* Sounds to me like something they MADE UP when Christ did not come back in 1844.

Making up alternate "meanings" has been done by every person or group 

whose "prediction" failed to turn out as they had preached.

I've got a long post on this whole "DATE SETTING" issue.

With several examples of predictions that did not come to pass.

see:

https://cloudsonthehorizon.blogspot.com/2023/02/date-setting-second-coming-of-jesus.html

or the video version,

 Rapture When Setting Date

https://youtu.be/PDSwvXeO6VY

--

Saved by Grace,

Andrew Cross

"Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. 

And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, 

not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, 

but exhorting one another, 

and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.

Hebrews 10:23-25

YouTube channel = We belong to the Day