(adapted from article by Maxwell J Horton Qld Australia)
HEART FACTS
Every year thousands of Australians die because they fail to recognize a heart attack, or wait too long to act, with devastating effects on their families. Statistics show that one person dies from a heart attack every hour. heartattackfacts.org.au/heart-attack-facts
Many people ‘hope’ it is something else, like a pulled chest muscle or indigestion. The National Heart Foundation of Australia urges you to act fast if you think it is a heart attack. heartattackfacts.org.au
Warning Signs:
heartattackfacts.org.au/heart-attack-facts/recognising-your-heart-attack
heartattackfacts.org.au/warning-signs
If you experience the warning signs of heart attack for 10 minutes, if they are severe or get progressively worse, call Triple Zero (000) immediately and ask for an ambulance.
What is heart disease?
Heart disease is the result of a gradual process which causes blood vessels (arteries) feeding the heart to become narrow. High blood cholesterol, smoking and high blood pressure all contribute to clogging the arteries.
What is a heart attack?
heartattackfacts.org.au/heart-attack-facts/what-is-a-heart-attack
What is a stroke?
This occurs when the blood supply to part of the brain is cut off, usually by a blood clot, but sometimes when a brain artery bursts. As with heart attack, some strokes are mild, but they can also be fatal.
Four steps to a healthier heart
- Be a non-smoker
- Eat a low-fat diet and know your cholesterol level
- Keep a check on your blood pressure
- Be more active and exercise
“Each year, almost 10,000 Australians die of heart attack.”
The National Heart Foundation of Australia 2013
HARD FACTS
How dependent we are on our heart! If one eye is blind, we see with the other; if one ear is deaf, we can turn our head and listen with our good ear; if one leg is gone, an artificial one can help us along through life. But our earthly existence depends, we all know, on our heart.
This most interesting ‘machine’ is about the size of a person’s fist and weighs a little more than 250 grams. At rest, your heart beats approximately 70 times a minute, 4,200 times an hour, 100,800 times a day. In an average lifetime, a heart will beat around 3 billion times! The volume of blood pumped by the heart in one year is about 3 million litres.
The BIG Question
What happens when the faithful little organ, the heart, finally stops?
Can I ask you a personal question, “Where will you go as you move out of this life into eternity?”
When your heart stops and you pass from this life, what assurance do you have of peace with your Creator and a home in heaven?
Now comes the GOOD NEWS
The more active you are, the better for your heart and health generally. Regular moderate physical activity such as walking is beneficial. To eat healthier usually means changing long established habits related to shopping and cooking.
God’s good news is different!
While there is a necessity to do something ourselves about a physical heart problem, it is by an act of faith and of the will, we are one heartbeat away from settling our eternal destiny…heaven or hell.
Mankind by his own effort can never get into God’s heaven. Making changes in our lifestyle will help us to have a healthier heart, but our sinful heart will affect where we spend eternity.
“For it is by believing in his heart that a man becomes right with God.” (Romans 10:10)
If you don’t know where you’re going… IT’S NOT SAFE TO DIE!
Dr Maurice Rawlings, who was a cardiologist and professor of medicine at the University of Tennessee College of Medicine in Chattanooga, treated many patients who had near death experiences. youtube.com/watch?v=vQ8TEGMj-jc It was quite common to hear about people who spoke of “seeing a bright light, lush green meadows, rows of smiling relatives, and experiencing a deep sense of peace.” Others he interviewed reported lakes of fire, devil-like figures, and sights reflecting the darkness of hell. “Just listening to these patients has changed my whole life. There is life after death, and if I don’t know where I’m going, it’s not safe to die.”
WHAT JESUS SAID: “Do not let your heart be troubled: trust in God; trust also in Me. In MY Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you, and if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.” (John 14:1-3)
You are one heartbeat from…?
If you truly want to be forgive of your sins, you can pray something like this: “God, I know that I have sinned and I a sorry. I believe that Your Son, Jesus, died for me so that I could be forgiven. As an act of my will, I believe in my heart, and ask Jesus Christ to be my Lord and Saviour; and thank Him for His gift of eternal life. Amen!”