Bible

December 18, 2020·Nicole Leao

Have you made plans?

Are you a person who plans or who prefers to see where it goes? I particularly have always planned everything, which does not mean that everything has happened as I thought. But the point is that I have always made plans, about my education, lifestyle, family and so many other areas that I consider important. The Bible teaches us to plan, in Luke 14:28, it is written: “Which of you, if you want to build a tower, first don’t sit down and calculate the price, to see if you have enough money to complete it? As reported in this verse, planning is essential if we want to make our dreams come true. In another passage of the Bible, Proverbs 13:16, we are also warned about the need for prudence, which is so necessary when we have dreams and plans, in the first place so that we can evaluate whether or not such a desire is convenient and plan how to make it come true. Act upon your dreams I believe that every realization begins in our dreams, one day a little seed sprouts in our hearts and minds, which may or may not be cultivated – now if you’ll allow […]

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December 04, 2020·Nicole Leao

Make wise choices!

We know that every choice brings consequences. That is why we must be prepared to take responsibility not only for the choice made, but also for its results. Even if we are free to choose, we will never be free of consequences, be they good or bad, because they will inevitably come. This reminds me of Jeremiah’s story. Together with thousands of Jews, Jeremiah had been imprisoned by the Babylonians, as he himself had prophesied. However, the captain of the guard, believing in the prophecies that Jeremiah had previously uttered, released him from jail and gave him freedom to choose, giving him the following options: He could travel to Babylon and stay under his protection, or go wherever he wished, even to return to Judah, which was destroyed, and live with the poor who had remained there (Jer. 39:10). This was a difficult choice, which would certainly have consequences: if he went to Babylon he would have peace and comfort, but he would be considered a traitor by the Jews, if he returned to Judah he would remain poor and rejected. In Jeremiah 40:1-6 it is reported that he was slow to give an answer, probably because he was pondering […]

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November 27, 2020·Paulo Oliveira

What is the real victory?

Have you ever heard of the expression “Pyrrhic Victory”? Pyrrhus was a Greek general who was born at the time of Alexander the Great and died (318 B.C.). He fought for the restoration of his power in Greece and southern Italy. He faced the Romans and defeated them a few times, but at such a cost in lives, that the campaign could not be considered really victorious… When they congratulated him on his victory against the Romans at the Battle of Asculus, he would have responded: “One more victory like this, and I am lost! Since then, the term “Pyrrhic Victory” has been used to express something like “won, but did not take”. What have you been fighting for? Have you experienced victories like this in your life? Fight hard for something, pay a high price and then find out it wasn’t worth it? Actually, our lives are full of Pyrrhus’ victories…men and women who pay high prices for a professional victory, to later discover that they lost their marriage or their children; people who prioritize above all the money, to end their life without friends; people so determined to reach their destiny, that they can’t even enjoy the way […]

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November 26, 2020·Nicole Leao

What does the Bible teach about success?

I would like to start this text by reminding you of a successful biblical character, that is Joshua, who with the death of Moses, was called to take the leadership of God’s people and lead them to the conquest of Canaan. This man of God’s task was to lead more than 2 million people in a strange land to war and conquer a new life. In face of such a challenge, we can already say that without God, this would be impossible, but when we have the Lord by our side, success is guaranteed. Joshua heard God. He was instructed, encouraged and taught by God. So, with him we can learn the secret of the Christian’s success. Read the passage where the Lord speaks to Joshua and encourage him: No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them. “Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave […]

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November 19, 2020·Nicole Leao

Don’t doubt God’s actions!

It is common to see people doubting God’s actions. Many times we find ourselves in situations so complicated that we begin to fear that our Lord is not listening to our prayers or has forgotten us. But, although it is common, this should not happen because our Father is the first to want the best for us, His children. So today we are going to reflect on doubt and how dangerous it can be. Is it a sin to doubt? And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. Hebrews 11: 6 Doubt is not a sin, as long as it does not compromise our faith, so when it comes to God’s action in our lives it is wrong to doubt, because in this case we are showing unbelief about what the Lord has already done and is doing in our lives. And how it is written in verse above, it is necessary to have faith to please God. When we doubt, we act by our own strength, being unstable. In James 1:6-8, it is written that whoever doubts must […]

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November 12, 2020·Nicole Leao

4 lessons from Esther’s life

Esther was a young Jewish woman from the tribe of Benjamin, whose parents died during the Babylonian exile. Esther was raised by her cousin Mordecai in Susan, one of the capitals of the Medo-Persian Empire, during the reign of Ahasuerus – approximately 483 B.C. The story of the young Jewish woman unfolds after the banishment of Queen Vashti, when King Ahasuerus, at a feast that lasted 180 days, asked her to parade before the guests and she refused. Then he ordered another woman to take the queen’s place. The king summoned all the virgin and beautiful women of the kingdom, to choose his new queen and Mordecai who served in the palace, arranged that Esther be among the suitors. With this, she was taken by the guards together with the other women to the palace. Esther did not tell anyone she was Jewish because Mordecai had warned her not to reveal where she came from. One year later, the king started calling the girls he had selected. Finally, Esther was called to the presence of the king, who was delighted with her beauty and attitude, so much so that made her his queen, (Esther 2:17). In time, Esther proved to […]

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October 09, 2020·Nicole Leao

Learning about the fruit of the Holy Spirit: Forbearance

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Galatians 5:22 (NIV) We are in the fourth text of the series “Learning about the Fruit of the Spirit”, in which we will delve into what is written in the Bible about the fruit of the Holy Spirit of God, mentioned in the book of Galatians and today we will learn more about forbearance. And I would like to start by leaving the passage in Galatians 6: 9 as a reminder: “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up“. Forbearance As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Ephesians 4: 1-2 (NIV) Forbearance is the characteristic or quality of greatness of spirit, a person who faces adversity with courage, in the Bible we see that this is a virtue of those who are good and generous and have faith in God to help solve […]

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October 08, 2020·Nicole Leao

4 lessons we can learn from the life of Joseph

Joseph is an emblematic character of the bible and today we are going to learn 4 lessons about his life. He was Jacob’s eleventh and favorite son, as well as Rachel’s eldest son, who remained infertile for years, but was his father’s most beloved wife. Because of this, he became the most protected and favored. Throughout his history, he was despised by his brothers, threatened with death, sold as a slave, tempted by a powerful woman, unjustly imprisoned, forgotten in prison, challenged by Pharaoh to interpret dreams, appointed governor of Egypt, and put to the test before his brothers, whom he forgave. In all of this, he had faith in God and was honored. 1. The evil of envy, jealousy and hatred When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him and could not speak a kind word to him. Genesis 37: 4 Driven by hatred, envy, and jealousy, Joseph’s half brothers conspired against him and sold him as a slave. To justify Joseph’s absence to his father, they anointed his animal tunic and gave it to Jacob, so that he would think that his protected son had been devoured by a wild […]

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October 01, 2020·Nicole Leao

4 ways for God speak to you

In times when the world is in constant motion and we are always in a hurry, it can be difficult to pay attention to what God has to say to us, with this many believe they are incapable of it, or even that our Father chooses people to speak, but in In truth, the Lord wants to have a deep relationship with us, so much that He speaks to us at all times and in different ways. In this blog post, you will see the 4 ways in which God speaks to you. 1. God speaks through the Bible All Scripture is divinely inspired and profitable to teach, write, correct, instruct in justice; So that the man of God may be perfect and perfectly instructed for every good work. 2 Timothy 3: 16,17 The Bible is God’s main tool for talking to us, because as it is written in the above passage it was entirely inspired by God, and therefore it is sacred and important for us to know His will for our lives. Through it the Lord manifests himself, whether to advise, exhort or comfort us. Therefore, try to take the time to read the Bible daily, it is […]

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September 25, 2020·Nicole Leao

Learning about the fruit of the Holy Spirit: Joy

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Galatians 5:22 This is the second text in the series “Learning about the Fruit of the Spirit”, in which we will delve into what is written in the Bible about the fruit of the Holy Spirit of God, mentioned in the book of Galatians and today we will learn more about joy. To begin, I want to affirm that true joy is that which comes from our Lord! Joy Nowadays, joy seems scarce in the world, where there is room for so much fear, worry, discouragement, anxiety and depression, but our Father called us to joy and would like to start this text by differentiating joy and happiness. Happiness is an emotion, and God does not expect people to be in that emotional state all the time, after all, as it is written in Ecclesiastes 3: 4, there is time to cry and to laugh; time to cry and time to dance. Joy, according to the Bible, fills the spiritual void through an intimate relationship with the One who is pure joy. In John 15: 5, […]

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September 23, 2020·Nicole Leao

A study about Samuel

Samuel was born during the last few years when Israel was ruled by the judges and is the son of Hannah, a barren woman. He was a prophet and led Israel as a priest, military and political leader, being a great example of faithfulness and obedience to God. Therefore, I invite you to study and delve into the life of this great man. His early years Samuel is one of the few biblical characters that we can find reports about childhood. The prophet’s father was Elkanah, a godly man from the region of Ephraim and of Levitic lineage. His mother, already mentioned, was Hannah who for a long time remained sterile, which saddened her a lot. On one occasion, Hannah went to the sanctuary of God and promised that if she had a son, she would dedicate it to the Lord. Then, the high priest Eli told her that God would fulfill her heart’s desire and Hannah became pregnant. Samuel was born in a troubled time for Israel, when the Israelites faced great oppression from the Philistines and the nation was in complete spiritual decline. As promised, Samuel was taken to the sanctuary early, where he stayed in the care […]

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September 16, 2020·Nicole Leao

A study about Ruth

Ruth’s story is so important that it is recorded in the Bible in a book that bears its own name. She was a Moabite woman who lived during the era of Israel’s judges – a period of great spiritual degradation for the nation – and although the Moabites were Israel’s enemies, she was married to a Jew named Mahlon, who moved from Bethlehem to Moab with your family during a time of famine. By marrying a Jew, Ruth joined not only her husband, but also the God of Israel. Mahlon’s death Soon the story of this woman of faith became a sad drama, because in addition to not having children, she soon lost her husband who died at the same time as her brother. As her father-in-law had passed away, the women of the family were left alone. Naomi, Ruth’s mother-in-law, decided that she would return to her community in Israel and encouraged her daughters-in-law, Ruth and Orpah, to remarry in Moab. But while Orpah reluctantly agreed, Ruth decided to go with her mother-in-law to Bethlehem and remain faithful to God (Ruth 1: 16,17). Naomi and Ruth As widows, her mother-in-law and daughter-in-law had to take care of themselves. So […]

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September 10, 2020·Nicole Leao

A study about Gideon

The account of Gideon’s life is in the book of Judges and begins with the devastation of the Israelites by the Midianites, as a result of disobedience to God. For seven years, they faced invasions from Midianites, Amalekites and Orientals who ruined their crops and destroyed their flocks. Although they were unfaithful to God, they cried out to the Lord for His help without realizing why this was happening to them, and then God sent the prophet Gideon to remind them who the one God was, who cared for them in the past and yet they abandoned quickly (Judges 6: 8-10). The summons of gideon God hears the people’s cry and graciously intervenes by sending an angel to Gideon to call him to service. Gideon, whose name means “lumberjack”, was the son of Joás and belonged to the least important clan of his tribe, but by the greeting of the angel – who called him “brave man” – we can assume that Gideon had already proven himself to be a powerful warrior (Judges 6:12). Although Gideon was a servant of God, he needed to be sure that it was, in fact, the Lord who was calling him to this service. […]

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September 06, 2020·Nicole Leao

5 Lessons from the book of Acts for the Christian walk

Today we will learn 5 lessons from the book of Acts, which was written by Lucas in the form of a letter to his friend Teófilo. In it the author deals with themes such as the beginning of the church, the story of perseverance of our first brothers in the faith – among them the missionaries Paul and Peter stand out – amid persecution and the care of God with his servants. In Acts we see the action of the Holy Spirit, guarding His people which has resulted in the salvation of many lives. 1. Pray before making important decisions Then they prayed, “Lord, you know everyone’s heart. Show us which of these two you have chosen, to take over this apostolic ministry, which Judas left to go where he belongs”. Then they cast lots, and the lot fell to Matthias; so he was added to the eleven apostles. Acts 1: 24-26 In this chapter, Peter who assumes the apostolic leadership of this new moment in the church, presents the need for the appointment of a new apostle to the place of Judas Iscariot and then, after praying and asking for God’s direction , Matias is appointed. This passage teaches […]

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July 23, 2020·Léo

What are your priorities?

Have we given due importance to the Word of God? Has the Lord been a priority in our lives? Or do we leave to have a moment with God only at the end of the day and prefer to do other things before? In today’s blog, we would like to bring this reflection! We know that God and His Word are extremely important, but have we given due attention? I think this reflection is valid for all of us! Come on? The day by day! “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” Matthew 6: 33 In our life, we have several things to do. We have dreams, plans and projects and we strive and dedicate ourselves to achieve them. However, we understand that if our dreams and plans are not in accordance with God’s will, we will never be able to please God, much less be truly happy. Happiness is exclusively tied to the will of God in our lives. We Christians know very well that deep, true and overflowing happiness cannot be found in the things of the world. Okay, but what does all this have to do […]

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July 09, 2020·Léo

Where can I run from You?

Have we tried to flee from the Lord? Have we tried to hide from our responsibilities to Him? There is not a single space that the Lord is not in. Today I would like to talk about our responsibilities to the Lord! It is important to understand, embrace and fulfill the responsibilities we have as children of God! Come on? We have nowhere to go! “Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea,even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,”even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.” Psalm 139: 7-12 I think it is very important to make a correlation between our responsibilities and the Lord’s omnipresence! How does it work? As we said in the last text on Communion, each of us has a specific responsibility in the kingdom. So, if […]

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June 25, 2020·Léo

There is no problem on having fear!

Many times we go through difficulties, moments of tribulation and we are afraid! And fear is a natural human feeling. The big problem is from there: in what we do in the face of fear. Have you been afraid? Have you let fear paralyze you, or have you taken advantage of that fear to grow? I would like to talk to you today about how to use fear to learn, grow, depend more on God and glorify Him more! Come on? Be afraid! “When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.” Psalms 56: 3 It is extremely common to be afraid and, unfortunately, it is also common to think that it is wrong to be afraid! Fear is a simple reaction of our mind and thoughts. It is normal to be afraid of something. However, we need to use this fear to glorify God! But how? Use that fear to depend even more on the Lord. The moment we are afraid is the perfect time to look at ourselves and realize how small we are. That way, when we notice that we are fragile and flawed, we realize that we need to run to the Lord and put all […]

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June 19, 2020·Léo

A sincere heart!

I would like to bring a brief and simple message, to analyze our hearts! Have we done things from the heart for the Lord? Did we fall into the routine and end up praying or reading the Bible out of obligation? Do we worship the Lord in spirit and in truth? Shall we talk about? Routine compliance It is true that we all have a routine and that, regardless of how busy the routine is, we need to have time for our spiritual life. Time for prayer, reading the Word and worship is sorely needed. However, we often fall into the routine and start doing things out of a simple obligation and do not think about the real reason we are doing that. Unfortunately, this often happens in our spiritual lives. We started to pray simply to pray, to fulfill the table. Read the Bible to fulfill the table. Is this right? With absolute certainty, it is not right at all! The Lord wants us to be whole, wants us to do things with our understanding. What does the Lord seek? “let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts […]

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June 11, 2020·Léo

The importance of discipleship!

Your difficulties, your failures, your sins … with whom have you shared? Who has helped you on your spiritual journey? I have realized the importance of having people to accompany us in our life with Christ. We cannot walk alone, because together we can grow and learn more about our Father and his principles revealed in the Word. I would like to talk to you a little about this! Come on? Have someone accompany you “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” Hebrews 10: 24-25 The Bible makes it very clear to us the importance of having fellowship with our brothers and encouraging one another. We all know that a spiritual journey is far from easy. Every day we have struggles, problems, difficulties and sadness that we carry. We are human beings with our limitations; unable to account for all of our problems. We are often ashamed to confess our sins, to open up any difficulties. We are afraid or even think we don’t need to. However, […]

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June 04, 2020·Léo

Give Thanks to the Lord!

Have we recognized God’s blessings in our lives? Have we been grateful for the things we received undeservedly? In these last days I have been thinking a lot about gratitude and I started to analyze my ingratitude habits, in my relationship with God! I would like to talk to you about it! Come on? Undeserved life No. I don’t want to talk only about the goods and passing things that we receive from the Lord! I want to talk about everything, everything! I imagine that the main thing we receive from the Lord is life. I think about it a lot and the more I think about it, the more I realize that God really didn’t need any of us! His own glory is enough for Him. However, in love, He decided to create the heavens and the Earth and to place His creatures to command, care for and manage His own creation. In fact, not only has he given us the privilege of taking care of His creation, but the sovereign and sublime God has decided to share with us. It has allowed us the honor of being reached for its power, love, kindness and purity. He loved us […]

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June 02, 2020·Maria Clara Arruda Marques

Analyze your heart

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matthew 6:19-21 Where is your heart? This is an important question and that over time, we must look within and analyze: Is my heart really in the right place? How to analyze our hearts The meaning of the word “treasure” is a set of riches, so this Matthew 6 biblical text is telling us that our hearts will always be in what is precious to us. What is most valuable today? What makes our hearts beat faster? What has been our motivation each day? These are questions that we need to ask daily and especially at decisive moments in our lives so that we can probe what our real intention is. When we question where our hearts are, we must investigate and analyze what has defined our priorities. So, if we want to find where our heart are, we need to realize where we put most of our stengths […]

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May 31, 2020·Léo

Run to the Lord!

Where is our refuge? Who have we believed and trusted? In moments of anguish and pain, into whose arms have we been running? These days I have been thinking a lot about refuge. About who I have placed my hopes on. In times of suffering, we need to run to the right place. I would like to talk a little about it! Come on? Where is our heart? “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:21 The Bible makes it very clear to us that what we pay attention to will greatly influence our decisions. However, several times we pay attention to things that do not matter and this brings us great losses. Whenever we have our hearts in the wrong place, as soon as we experience some difficulty, we tend not to run to God or even to blame Him, even though we have no reason to do so. However, this does not happen only when we are in an uncomfortable or painful situation. This also happens, often, when we are happy and “without problems or difficulties” in our lives. We end up forgetting that it is the Lord who does all things and […]

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May 26, 2020·Léo

The importance of interceding

We need to talk about the importance of intercession! In moments like the one we are experiencing in the world, of great crisis in several sectors, one of the best things we can do is to intercede. But do we know the true importance of intercession? Are we interceding correctly? Prayer / intercession is one of the sustenance of the body of Christ. A church that moves forward to establish the Kingdom of God is also a church that prays and intercedes. If we want to make a difference, we need to intercede! Shall we talk a little about? Intercession for those who exercise authority I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— 2 for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. 1 Timothy 2: 1-2 Many passages speak about prayer. But I would like to bring this biblical passage to show that there are important issues related to intercession. One is that we must intercede for the authorities and leaders who are above us. Although we often find it difficult to accept certain leaders or certain actions from our leaders, we need to […]

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May 22, 2020·Maria Clara Arruda Marques

A study about David

David’s story is one of the best known in the Bible. He was the man chosen by God to lead his people and he was certainly a man very used by Him. The story begins to be told, in the Old Testament in the chapters of 1 and 2 Samuel and continues until 1 Kings and 1 Chronicles. It is one of the stories that most impacts and confronts my life. I was always intrigued by the fact that David was considered “a man after God’s own heart”, and as I studied his life, I began to notice that he was like that because he sought to understand God’s heart. David’s early life He was the youngest of Jesse among 8 brothers and belonged to the tribe of Judah. He was raised and trained to exercise the profession of shepherd. He also stood out for countless talents such as being a great warrior with the right to even sing in his honor, play the harp and even make musical instruments for worship in the house of the Lord (1 Chronicles 23: 5). When describing David, one of Saul’s servants used the following terms (1 Samuel 16:18): “is a talented harp […]

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