Bible

The price of consistency

A successful marriage, a ministry that fulfills its purpose, a professional achievement. All of this takes a lot of work and dedication. Many times we want to live and enjoy good and intense results, but without paying the price of consistency and perseverance. I don’t know if you’ve ever lit a fire. Starting a fire is not the hardest, but keeping the flame lit requires fuel, work, attention and persistence. Sometimes I watch those survival shows and keeping the flame lit so that they can enjoy it to boil water, keep the body warm and cook food is one of the biggest challenges. Constancy to be relevant In the Bible, people who made a difference were people able to persevere, to keep the flame burning. Daniel in Babylon was called by King Darius to be one of the 3 administrators who would oversee the provinces of the kingdom, something great and probably desired by many. At that time Daniel was between 80 and 85 years old and had led an exemplary life in Babylon. The Bible describes him as “trustworthy, and no negligence or corruption was found in him” (Dan. 6:4). Building a reputation like this takes work, perseverance, and […]

What do you need for a successful 2022?

So many times we put the responsibility for a better year on external factors such as: the economy needs to improve, the pandemic needs to end, they need to give me a promotion at work. But the truth is that having a better year is just up to us. Of our constancy and perseverance in our relationship with God. With HIM even the most difficult situations in life work together for our good. With Him we understand when we need to change direction. With Him we are more and more perfected and transformed. Only He can work miracles. Therefore, the secret to a successful 2022 is how much we will prioritize our life with God. Constancy to make a difference On any project you participate in, you can see many people coming in with lots of dreams and high expectations, super excited but quickly giving up and abandoning the boat. Dreams, goals and purposes without paying the price of constancy are unlikely to materialize. In God’s Word we can see that relevant people were able to persevere. Daniel in Babylon was called by King Darius to be one of the 3 trustees who would oversee the kingdom’s provinces, something great […]

What is the importance of the Bible?

What would Christianity be without the word of its master? About 3.9 billion copies of the Bible have been spread around the world, and it has been translated into more than 3,000 languages and dialects. Throughout the ages, countless people have written to highlight the meaning of Scripture, I mean, to bring understanding about the word, but still what the Bible tells us about itself is all that matters. God’s own word Some writers have called the Bible God’s love letter to us. Others have described it as being a manual for life, but more than that, it is God’s revelation to us (John 1:1-5). Scripture is God’s Word to mankind. It is inspired by God, which means that every word and part of the manuscript comes from God: “For all Holy Scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching the truth, condemning error, correcting faults and teaching the right way of life. And this so that the servant of God may be thoroughly prepared and ready to do all kinds of good deeds,” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). The Bible is also inerrant, meaning that every word in every part of its original, handwritten stage is without error (2 […]

How do you fight your battles?

In the last weeks we have talked a lot about preparation, mortification of the flesh and all of this also having in mind the importance of fasting, because as we have been talking about here, it doesn’t make God nicer, but through the mortification of our flesh our spirit is more attentive and prepared for battle because we are strengthened. So, to begin with, reflect: how do you fight your wars? With your own strength, with total dependence on God, but forgetting to seek Him? With confidence in the Lord, but doing your part? Well, I am sure that if you have not faced any fight in the last times, you have seen someone else go through one. I say go through because there are those who don’t even fight, they just let themselves fall apart. But from today on I declare that even if you don’t know where else to get your strength from, you will not give up, you will do your part, preparing yourself and facing every evil that may be happening to you, because even if you are tired, your God is perfect and strong, so when you are weak, you are strong in Him. Put […]

Fasting, the preparation for battle!

How do I fast? Am I fasting in the right way? These are frequent questions in the Christian environment, and this is a subject that always leaves many in doubt and thinking about it today we will talk about fasting here on the blog. Together we will try to understand what the Bible has to tell us about this subject. But I want to tell you one thing, fasting is preparation for battle! What is fasting? First, we need to understand what fasting is. In general, it is total or partial abstinence from food for a definite period of time and for a specific purpose. Fasting has been applied practically in all eras, nations, cultures, and religions, with different purposes, being spiritual or even medicinal, since its practice brings several physical benefits with the detoxification it produces in the body, but our focus here will be on biblical fasting. Biblical fasting also brings abstinence from desirable things. Daniel, for example, ate no tasty foods and used not fragrant lotions for three weeks (Daniel 10:2-3). What is the purpose of fasting in religion? Fasting does not change God, it changes you! Fasting will not make God kinder or more merciful to […]

Don’t be dominated by the flesh!

We will begin this text with a biblical reminder of what the desire of the flesh is. This desire makes a huge mess and is difficult to put away: 5 Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. 6 The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. 7 The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. 8 Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God. 9 You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ. Romans 8:5-9 The flesh makes empty promises In 2 Peter 2:19, it is written that man is a slave to that which dominates him. Therefore, when dominated by the flesh we let ourselves be destroyed by addictions, which sometimes seem harmless and other times not so much, but we lie to ourselves […]

Prayer: No more despair!

This week we talked about making a mountain out of a molehill and saw how damaging it is for us. This term is the result of two things, namely fear and lack of understanding. Let’s see, in fear we find insecurity and lack of trust in God, and when we are desperate we act on impulse, which prevents us from making good decisions and consequently makes things worse. The lack of understanding is a consequence of fear, because when we are disappointed we easily put our fears, insecurities and worries above the fears of others, thus we do not seek to understand the other. Therefore, today I want to pray that self-control and understanding will be more present in our lives and no more despair! I leave here some passages especially for you today: Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:9 He who is longsuffering is great in understanding, but he who is hasty exalts folly. Proverbs 14:29 Look at the birds of the air: they do not sow or reap or store in barns, yet their heavenly […]

Impact the lives of those around you!

Do you impact the lives of those around you? Better yet, do you positively impact the lives of those around you? These are questions that lead us to reflect about how we conduct ourselves before our neighbor and about something that we have talked a lot about lately here, about our ministry as renewed in Christ. You and I have a mission to be light of the world and salt of the earth, living this way for eternity, but have we been acting this way? I would like you to think in this moment: in the last week have I blessed lives, have I been indifferent, or have I caused harm to anyone? Of course, our first mechanism is to believe that we did everything right, but we need to take responsibility. To become responsible for our faith, for our mission, and for the mistakes we make. And as a sinner who is always learning and seeking to improve, I want to admit to you that in the last week I have failed to positively impact people’s lives, I was so focused on my own issues that I didn’t prioritize those around me and more than that, I negatively impacted […]

Prayer: Prepare for battle!

In the last text I wrote about the importance of putting on the armor of God to prepare us for battle, whether it occurs within ourselves, when it is against our flesh, or when the enemy uses someone to get at us. We pray asking and giving thanks for so many things and sometimes we forget to put on the only armor that not only protects our physical, but also our mind and heart. Remember, your mind is meant to be a place of peace, as well as your heart, and if it hasn’t been, maybe it’s time to do a self-evaluation and understand why this has been happening. You are a child of God and called to live a life of abundance, so let’s pray together against the snares of the enemy, against the lies he tells us, for self-control and wisdom. I leave here a passage especially for you today: 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the […]

How is your time with God?

Maybe this is a little different from what you are expecting, but well, here we go. These days I was watching the movie “Cheaper by the Dozen”, a very famous movie that many of you may have seen more than once, about a family that has 12 children. In the movie the family deals with the challenges of everyday life, but with the message of always being united and helping each other. It is not a Christian movie, but it is a movie that when I finished watching, I felt great peace in my heart, it brought me great joy and a feeling of gratitude. But what does this have to do with time with God? Well, at the end of the movie, I looked out my window and had a moment of reflection and contemplation, thinking about how nice that evening was and thanked Him for all that God has done and for His perfect creation. Such a moment led me to reflect a bit on what it is to spend time with God. Our father is omnipresent and is with us all the time, he sees everything we do and to talk to him, we just need to […]

Do you have conviction in God’s sovereignty?

Today I want to have a brief conversation with you about the sovereignty of God. I know that sometimes we can find ourselves afraid and lost, but our Father knows all the pieces of the puzzle in each of our lives. Even though at times we may not find where each one of them fits together, we can have conviction in His sovereignty and be sure that God will direct us to put the final picture together in His time. God’s Sovereignty and our choices The Bible says that God is sovereign and also that we have the ability to make decisions. Our actions are important and bring real consequences. However, God already knows everything that will happen and promotes His plans. Our personal plans and decisions can never destroy God’s ultimate plan. There is much debate about how it is possible for God to be sovereign and for us to have the ability to make choices. But we can say that God is sovereign because He grants the privilege to choose and defines what we can choose and the consequences of our actions. It was God Himself who placed in our nature the ability to make plans and deliberate. […]

The important things cannot be bought

Every year the chorus “Health to give and sell” is sung in Brazil, while partygoers imagine and wish each other a Happy New Year, with lots of money in their pockets and… health to give and sell. This 2021 started with this chorus more current than ever … but with a new meaning: Many going after anyone who can give a vaccine, or willing to pay dearly for a life-saving treatment. Health to give and sell has ceased to be the personal and disinterested desire of friends, to become a profitable business strand, where countries are not asking the price; citizens are wanting the state to give them health and companies in the health sector are selling expensive; from medicines to equipment, supplies and… vaccines. After all, how much would you not pay for some physical, emotional (and political) tranquility in times like this? As I thought about these facts, I remembered this well-known passage from Isaiah 55: 1-2, where God Himself is proclaiming: “…and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost.” And also: “Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does […]

Freed from sin!

How great is the grace of salvation, isn’t it? Think with me, sin has put us in a prison, locked behind bars, guilt, shame, deceit and fear. So sin has done nothing but chain us to a wall of unhappiness. But Jesus came and bail us out, being punished in our place, so we are set free. Christ died for us and when we gave our lives to Him, we died for our old self. Many people think of this as a burden, but in fact it is a great deliverance. Salvation does not imprison you but liberates you, in Christ we are truly free to find our identity as children of God and have the mercy of his divine forgiveness. New garments Once talking to a friend, he used a very good analogy to talk about repentance and forgiveness. Let’s think about purity as represented by a white suit, you went out to perform your daily tasks, and then it gets dirty, at the end of the day it’s not whiter as when you left. So, you come home you put her to wash and soon she is clean, free of any brand. So is repentance and forgiveness, when […]

Prayer: A quiet night’s sleep!

How are your nights sleeping? Have you been able to relax? The Bible instructs us that the night was made for sleeping, but often with the rush of day to day at bed we can not relax, a thousand and one things pass in our minds. The moment before we sleep, is not the time to look for a solution to our challenges, but to give everything in God’s hands, trusting that he is already working in each of the areas you need. Our Lord takes care of us, whether during the day or at night, and today we will pray for a quiet and safe night’s sleep, so that you wake up renewed, willing for another day of many blessings. I leave here a passage especially for you today: I lay down and slept; I woke up because the Lord sustained me. Psalms 3:5 Remembering that you don’t have to repeat the prayer exactly as I will leave it here, because each of us has a specific way to communicate with the Lord. But if you want to accompany me, it will be a pleasure, feel free to speak your way. Prayer Dear God, I thank you for another […]

Don’t let fear stop you!

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10 Today when I woke up I was thinking about how fear can get in the way of simple daily tasks. Particularly I was a very fearful child, I was afraid of the dark, of dentist, hospital and a lot of things, even my parents instructing me in the ways of the Lord and knowing that “heavenly father”, as he affectionately called God, was taking care of me. This is because I did not understand where these fears came from. Many times we can feel frightened without even knowing the reason. Today, at my 20 years of age, I have overcome many of them, but there is still much to improve. Last week I started my driving lessons and I can say that in the first day I couldn’t even hear the voice of the instructor so afraid that I was hitting the car. As soon as my first lesson was over I ran to talk to several people to better understand how the clutch, the […]

Be careful with your tongue!

Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless. James 1:26 Today we will talk about a very important topic for the good functioning of the body of Christ, we will talk about the language, this small organ with power to bless and curse. And I would like to focus on a more specific topic that is gossip, because as we live in community, naturally we come to know more about each other’s lives and with the advent of social networks, this “word-of-mouth” has gotten worse and much worse in the churches. It seems just innocent talk Avoid godless chatter, because those who indulge in it will become more and more ungodly. 2 Timothy 2:16 Whoever has never seen “gossip” gain the affectionate nickname “comment”, a somewhat euphemism for something that can bring weight to the life of the one who speaks and the one who is the target. Often a simple comment passes from one to the other until it becomes something bad and as the verse above reminds us, it leads to impiety. Maybe the one who started it hadn’t seen evil in what […]

3 application features that can help you!

The year has started and with that people make plans and goals. We know that the goal of many of our users is to have a routine of prayer and reading the word. That’s why today we want to present to you some resources of our application that can help you in this objective so that your 2021 is a year when you grow in the word and take the relationship with God to another point. 1. Audios Now reading the Bible can be much more dynamic, because in our application you can listen to the Bible in audio, not to mention the original audios of the New International Version (NIV) and Christian Standard Bible (CSB) translations. Check out the explanatory video: 2. Versions Something that can make it easier for you to understand the word and find the version of the Bible that you are already used to and in our application you have the main versions in English. So, be sure to check it out and find the ideal biblical translation for you. Check out the explanatory video: 3. Pray more Pray more, it is a Christian social network for you to pray more, which you can access […]

A blessed year is a year with the knee on the ground

To have a blessed year we need to keep our knees on the ground, that is, we need to pray. Prayer is the main way to develop intimacy with God and the prayer of the just is powerful, so it is one of the main weapons of everyone who believes in the Most High. Surely, you have heard someone say that dialogue is the basis of every relationship, well, our way of dialoguing with the Lord is through prayer. Through prayer, we talk with our father, we are instructed by Him, we thank Him, and we deliver our supplications. God hears your prayers Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops. James 5:17,18 Perhaps at some point you thought that God no longer heard your prayers, but God always hears us. Often what happens is that we want an answer, but we are not able to hear, or simply do not want the answer our God is giving. This happens because of our […]

Prayer: See the opportunities of God

Sometimes I find myself wondering if we don’t miss many opportunities for such banal reasons as time, mood, shame and so many others. I don’t speak only of those opportunities that are very clear, but also of those that seem more like a common everyday event. Examples of this are moments between children and parents that are lost because they are “too busy”, when a friend comes to tell us about a delicate situation that is going on, and we simply speak a generic phrase instead of being willing to pray, or when we have the great opportunity to speak of God’s love for someone and out of shame we stop doing it. Finally, in 2021, we cannot let opportunities pass us by, whether big or small, and today I invite you to pray that God will open our eyes before them. I also want to leave a passage here for you today: Be very careful, then, how you live not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Ephesians 5:15,16 Remembering that you don’t have to repeat the prayer exactly as I’m going to leave it here, because each one of […]

A year of victory!

We are on the fourth day of the year 2021, which is just beginning. Well, one of the most beautiful things for me at this time is to see how everyone fills up with hope, a few weeks ago I wrote here in one of the blog texts about how and important it is that this hope is not only kept in the time of parties, but that we carry it all year long. This is because we serve a God who is hope itself. Over the past year I’ve heard many pastors saying that this would be a special year for the people of God, of many victories and I really don’t doubt it at all. I don’t know if you noticed the same thing, but I saw many people returning to Jesus last year, choosing baptism and having their lives transformed, which is already a victory. The True Victory With this, I believe that 2020 has been a year of preparation, but the preparation does not last only a year when we are God’s people, but a whole life, because our victory is in heaven, it is on high. The true victory is the one we have in […]

Discover your ideal reading plan for 2021!

Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Joshua 1:8 We know that with the rush of day by day, reading the Bible daily can be a challenge. Sometimes in the midst of our routine we find ourselves completely out of time, but reading from God’s word is essential. The Bible is food for our soul and through it we are often directed by God. In addition, God’s Word says it is important that we seek knowledge and listen to the instructions and advice of the wise, and surely there is no wiser advice than we can find in the Bible. So today I want to present you with reading plans that can help you a lot in this challenge. Reading plans are super important, they can help you in your daily life and also to make you accumulate knowledge. In our application we have an area especially for them, which is very easy to find, just look in its menu section “Plans”. And now I invite you to get to know each […]

Be a messenger of good news!

Are you easy to talk about the gospel? In talking about the sacrifice of our Lord and Savior? Many times we think that we can be invasive or bother the other, but this is a mistaken thought on our part. That is because knowing Jesus is a privilege, and when we stop talking about His love we are being negligent in spreading salvation. Some time ago I met a girl who only heard about Jesus and his beautiful sacrifice of love, when she was 15 years old, even though she lived in Brazil, a mostly Christian country. Fortunately, this girl, who is now over 20 years old, had time to have a real encounter with Jesus and today has been used a lot to reach other lives. With this, I keep thinking, how many times have I stopped talking about salvation? how many lives could have been reached? Knowing Jesus is something wonderful and we who already know him have the mission to be messengers of the best news anyone can receive, the news of salvation. I know it can be challenging, but that is why we must prepare ourselves in prayer and reading the word. Well, thinking about it […]

How to find the path to prosperity?

Have you noticed what we say to each other when the Year ends …? We wish you all a Happy and prosperous New Year! To prosper is to advance, to grow, to move forward. So, when we think about prosperity, we think about the future. Do you think 2021 can be a prosperous year in your life? Do you think, want or need? In fact, the distance between being prosperous and wanting to be prosperous is not wanting too much or needing too much … who doesn’t? Many need it! It is also not to have a hunch or even a feeling. The difference is in finding, finding the path to prosperity! So I want to leave here some tips of what we learn from the Word of God about it: “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.” Isaiah 43:18-19 “Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what […]

We want to thank you!