Devotional

March 16, 2022·Ana Julia Luiz

Prayer for families

These days have been difficult, and we have seen and heard many things that have affected our families, husband-wife relationships, children’s minds, and parent-child relationships. Things are not easy, the only solution is to cry out to the Lord, for His care and mercy for our lives. Remembering that you don’t need to repeat the prayer exactly as I’m going to leave it here, because each of us has a specific way of communicating with the Lord. But if you want to accompany me, it will be my pleasure. Feel free to speak your own way. Prayer “Lord my God and Father, I thank you for another opportunity of life, for the good times and even the bad times of our lives. The days have not been easy, the enemy has been committed to attacking our families, but that day I come to the Lord, to ask you to take care of us, our children and adolescents, protect them from the cruel world we live in, Father. Lord, in the mighty name of Jesus, we rebuke all intrigue in our homes, silly fights and serious arguments. Our home is a place of peace and it’s a holy place, so we […]

devotional family

March 10, 2022·Ana Julia Luiz

God’s plans for you

These days it is very common to make plans. We plan what we will do the next day, in our week, the work to be delivered, among other tasks. We also make more complex plans about our future, college, work and family. We plan so much, we establish so many activities, that we forget the main thing: is this God’s plan for our lives? What Bible ‘s say? “Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.“ Proverbs 19:21 The Word tells us that many are the plans in a person’s heart, that is, this attitude is 100% normal. However, we need to remember that the will of the Lord is what prevails. But don’t worry, God’s will is not bad, quite the opposite! “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.“ Jeremiah 29:11 See? In this verse The Lord has made it clear to us that his thoughts and plans are good for us. I would like to invite you to pray about God’s plans for our lives and their impact […]

devotional plans

March 07, 2022·Ana Julia Luiz

A Prayer for Hard Days

The last few times have been very difficult, but the Lord has taught us in His Word not to be afraid: “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; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10 Today let’s pray asking that God be with us, strengthening us in difficult days. Remembering that you don’t have to repeat the prayer exactly as I’m going to leave it here, because each of us has a specific way of communicating with the Lord. But if you want to accompany me, it will be a pleasure. Feel free to speak your own way. Prayer “Lord my God and Father, we thank you for another day of life, for another opportunity to live in your presence, despite the difficulties and bad days. Holy Spirit, we invite You to be with us, calming our hearts, taking care of our lives and helping us to make it through another day. Lord we believe in Your faithful right hand, which sustains us, strengthens us and helps us, in the moments we need it most. We know that […]

devotional faith prayer

March 02, 2022·Ana Julia Luiz

Choose God’s will

Our life is made of choices. Every day we need to decide from small details to important steps that we should take: what I’m going to eat, the combination of clothes I’m going to wear, whether or not to change jobs, the date of my wedding, etc. Every moment is filled with choices we must make. However, we often don’t understand the value of it and the weight it has in our lives. Commit every choice to the Lord There are several types of choices that we have to make in our daily lives. We often define as less spiritual choices such as: where will I work, what college will I go to, where will I live and so many others. These decisions, although they do not seem to have a direct connection with our spiritual life, need God’s participation. When we choose to walk with Jesus, we understand that everything we do has a purpose and must to be committed to the Lord. As it is written in Proverbs 16:3 – Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans. The best thing to do, in a moment of choice like those mentioned, is to ask the […]

choices devotional

February 25, 2022·Ana Julia Luiz

Surrendering Everything to God

It’s not easy to hand things over to the Lord, we often want to hold them so tightly with us, but God is asking for something. On this day, let’s pray together, surrendering to God whatever we are holding. The control or our Isaac, as we discussed in the previous text. Remembering that you don’t need to repeat the prayer exactly as I’m going to leave it here, because each of us has a specific way of communicating with the Lord. But if you want to accompany me, it will be my pleasure. Feel free to speak your own way. Prayer “Lord my God and Father, we want to start by thanking you for your giant and intense love, which manifests itself every day. We also want to come and ask for forgiveness, for all the times you asked us for something and we didn’t want to give up, holding on tightly with us. As difficult as it is, on this day, we propose to surrender to You whatever we are holding. We want to submit to You the control of our lives. May You Lord act as you wish. Guide our steps and days according to Your will. We […]

deliver devotional

February 22, 2022·Ana Julia Luiz

And when God asks to sacrifice the son?

Let’s start by defining, what is the son in this case? When we talk about the son, we talk about what has real value to you and me, something we feel we couldn’t live without. Imagine that there comes a day when the Lord comes and asks you for your son, that is, He asks you to deliver something that you love very much. What would you do at that moment? Abraham and Isaac There is a well-known biblical story, reported in Genesis from chapter 18 to 22, that talks about this. The story begins with a promise: even though Abraham was old, the Lord promised that he would have a son. This child was the long-awaited Isaac. Sara, his wife, was elderly and past childbearing age. However, the Word of God never fails and Sarah became pregnant even in her old age, giving birth to the child of promise. The Bible reports that after some time, when Isaac was a grown child, God asked Abraham to give his son as a sacrifice. In obedience, the next day, Abraham prepares wood for the burnt offering and proceeds to the place God had indicated. Would you dare to do this? Honestly […]

deliver devotional

February 17, 2022·Ana Julia Luiz

Take heart!

The days have definitely not been easy, we’ve been through so many things that discourage us and leave us with a restless heart. Every day, every second and every moment feels like they’re there just to discourage us, to make us stop. But can I tell you something? The message “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33 Jesus’ last words were not intended to punish, but to bring comfort and consolation. He promised PEACE and JOY. He also brought the fact that He had already conquered the world. Spiritually we are already conquerors with Christ. We are joint heirs with Him and given access to all spiritual riches. Therefore, no matter how much we experience trials and difficult situations in the present time, we can have PEACE because we know that we are already victorious for eternity. There is no message more consoling and that can bring more encouragement than this. Praying about it The words of Jesus correct us, guide us, but they also bring us hope. As we read: “…In this world you will […]

courage-of-the-lord devotional

February 15, 2022·Ana Julia Luiz

And when God seems silent?

At some point in our Christian walk we experience this moment: the silence of God. It happens that we often don’t understand this moment. We want to find reasons for this. The silence that is not silence Have you ever stopped to think that maybe this silence isn’t quite a silence? We can often be out of “in tune” with God and what does that mean? It means that many times we may have drifted away and God is not really silent, on the contrary, maybe He is talking repeatedly and we just didn’t pay the necessary attention. And how to change it? That is simple! Try to cultivate a deeper relationship with God. Don’t just read the Word, but examine it, pray without ceasing, fast, all of these, bring us closer to Him. The silence of waiting In Jeremiah it is told of a potter who molds his jar according to his will. It is common knowledge that this jar is you and me, molded by the Lord. And there is a time in the preparation of the jar when it is placed in the oven, so that the heat makes the clay hard enough. This is the moment […]

devotional silence-of-god

February 14, 2022·Ana Julia Luiz

What are you afraid of?

Being afraid is a feeling that is part of our daily life, starting from our childhood. When we are children we are afraid of things like the dark, clowns and heights. Sometimes fears persist, but they can also disappear, giving way to others. Fear of the future Have you ever felt afraid of what was to come? Did you have that butterflies in your stomach thinking about what to expect for the next day? Often the future is the most frightening thing we face because we don’t know what it will bring us, whether it will be good or bad things. Fear of the future is simply fear that things will get out of our control. It is being afraid of seeing everything we’ve built collapse or even a responsibility we don’t know we’ll be able to handle. Matthew 6:34 says: “Then have no care for tomorrow: tomorrow will take care of itself. Take the trouble of the day as it comes.” Can you understand that? Jesus does not want us to be restless about tomorrow. After all, today itself already has its challenges and difficulties. Fear of changes I confess that this is a fear that plagues me. When […]

devotional faith fear

February 10, 2022·Ana Julia Luiz

What to do with anxiety?

Since the beginning of this pandemic, it was clear that we have become increasingly anxious. Not only that, but we’ve also been developing disorders like toc, panic and so on. But what stands out most is anxiety. The big question that remains is: what does God think about it? What does the Bible say about anxiety? The Bible When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy. Psalm 94:19 The Psalmist says that anxiety was great within him. I start to imagine what could be going on, maybe he was being stalked, or having trouble at home, maybe he had a fight with someone, maybe, maybe, maybe… The possibilities of what was happening are infinite, but it is a fact that he was going through a moment of difficulty that caused him anxiety. However, he looked for solace and relief for his soul in only one: God. God is the answer! He brings calm and relief to our minds and souls. Remembering that: do not discard therapy, it is extremely necessary, after all, the Lord gave wisdom to these people to work with it, helping those who need it. He can use healthcare professionals to bless us. The […]

devotional peace

January 28, 2022·Ana Julia Luiz

Table Fellowship

Table fellowship is like the relationship we have with our families, where we eat together. A relationship in which we know each other so well to the point of knowing what the other likes or not, the quirks and certain things that it is only possible to know in an intimate environment. But how does this apply in our life with God? Jesus on the road to Emmaus This story is related in Luke 24:13-25. This episode took place after the death of Jesus, where two disciples were walking and the Master, already resurrected, began to walk with them. It turns out that none of them recognized Him and Jesus started a dialogue with them: “He asked them, “What are you discussing together as you walk along?” They stood still, their faces downcast.” Luke 24:17 Both, annoyed, begin to share with the Master the last great event: Jesus had died, crucified. They also begin to say how much this upset them, for He was expected to be the one who would redeem Israel. Jesus then explained to them about the Scriptures and how the Messiah would have to suffer to enter His Glory. It turns out that all the way […]

devotional relationship-with-god

January 26, 2022·Ana Julia Luiz

Better than words

When we accept Jesus into our lives, we always say a prayer, something like: “Lord, I accept You as my Savior and I ask You to come and live in my heart.” It is interesting how many moments in our Christian walk are marked by moments with words. Attitudes To be honest, I’ve always been someone who values actions more than words, that person who always says, “Do you love me? So prove it” and over time I’m learning that with Jesus it’s not that different. It’s not that He wants proof of our love for Him, because He knows everything, including whether our love is true or not. What God really wants is for this love not only to be real in our hearts and minds, but that we can shine His Glory everywhere. He wants us to make a difference and also wants to see the fruit in our lives. What’s the point of saying we have a life with Him if we don’t bear fruits? The wordless prayer There is a practice called meditation that basically consists of being silent, with your eyes closed, trying to empty your mind. Many people say it works and that after […]

devotional follow-jesus

January 21, 2022·Ana Julia Luiz

The good day and the bad day

The truth is, if you think about it, lately we’ve had more bad days than good days. There are so many bad things happening in the world, in our lives, that we often wonder, “Why is God allowing this to happen?” Have you ever thought that we don’t thank for the bad days? God has been working this in my heart, even ’cause my thoughts were always: “Why I have to be grateful for the bad days, who make me so sad?” I believe that’s a question that passes in your head. What do you think we discuss a little about? The House Now imagine Jesus saying this to you: “In the world you have trouble: but take heart! I have overcome the world” John 16:33b (BEB) In our lives, we went through bad days. After all, life isn’t perfect. But we have a lot of good days that give us strength to carry on. One time, I saw a reflection that said: Imagine that you are in a house and every day the only thing you have to eat is something you don’t like, but then, on the last day, you know that there is delicious chocolate waiting for you. […]

devotional faith love-of-god

November 23, 2021·Nicole Leao

The righteous find refuge even in death

When calamity comes, the wicked are brought down, but even in death the righteous seek refuge in God. – Pv. 14:32 The title chosen for this text is a passage from Proverbs 14, verse 32. I really like this book of the Bible, it was even the first one I read in its entirety when I was younger, and every time I read it I learn something new, in it the Word of the Lord comes to meet our hearts with truths that may seem obvious, but that we easily forget. A relief for the soul These days in my devotional time I came across this passage again and what a balm it brought me. I am not sick and even less do I know when I will die, but if I have sought to walk in righteousness and justice, and my Lord will give me refuge even in the hour of my death, what will I say now that I am alive and full of steam. I was in a challenging phase, with the submission of my thesis in college and many things happening around me, it even seemed that 24 hours were not enough. However, as I read […]

devotional word-of-god

November 17, 2021·Nicole Leao

Don’t let the enemy fool you, you are precious

Today I want to talk about a theme that may be a little polemic for some, but is certainly necessary in view of the adversities experienced in recent years worldwide, and that is depression. Depression sneaks into the lives of many and this happens, in general, through the mind. When someone finds himself in this situation, everything may seem fine on the outside, but even so the depressed person feels miserable, with thoughts and feelings of anguish. When we meet Christ as our savior, our spirit is renewed, but our mind is still in the process of transformation and there is a dispute between the “mind prompted by the flesh” and the “mind inspired by the spirit.” But we can choose which mind to operate in. That is, to listen to the lies of the enemy or to the truth of God’s Word. How to identify lies of the enemy? God’s word tells us that the enemy comes to steal, kill, and destroy, while Christ came that we might have life and in abundance. So, one can see that thoughts that steal your future with: “you will never amount to anything”, “your life will not get better”, “you should not […]

devotional word-of-god

November 12, 2021·Nicole Leao

How to acquire good habits and stop procrastinating?

Today we are in the last day of our study about procrastination, and we couldn’t finish without talking about how to acquire good habits and speaking of good habits, there is a servant of God who was a pioneer in this, Daniel. As a great man of faith, he knew that having healthy habits was fundamental to his relationship with the Most High, so come check out how to acquire healthy habits and stop procrastinating with a great example! Daniel, a holy man in the midst of gluttony Daniel was still young when, among the Israelites taken captive to Babylon, he was selected to serve in the king’s court. Certainly, in that environment where he was, he suffered many temptations. However, in each moment he sought sanctification, tried to live according to God’s will, and acquired good habits, remembering that these make us leave procrastination behind. In Daniel 1:5-7, it is written: “From his own table, the king assigned them a daily portion of food and wine. They would receive training for three years, and after that they would go on to serve the king. Among these were some who came from Judah: Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. The chief […]

devotional word-of-god

November 10, 2021·Nicole Leao

Procrastination and priorities

Today we are on our second day of the “3 days to get out of procrastination” series, on the first day we reflected on how being anxious and thinking about the whole paralyzes and today we will look for a solution to that. Let’s see, if being anxious and thinking about the whole paralyzes, then we need to deal with one goal or need at a time, but where to start? What are your priorities? Do you know what your priorities are? Here is the first step, ask the Lord for wisdom to define what you have the most urgency to accomplish and put it on paper, organizing and visualizing your tasks can help you a lot. Another point is: have goals that are feasible, specific, and easy. What does this mean? Well, feasible is something achievable, something that can be done, specific is something measurable, concrete and objective, and easy is to turn a certain activity into its easiest possible version. Let’s take some examples… for someone who is not used to running, participating in a marathon is not at all feasible. Working out may be too generic and distant a goal. Walking for two hours may be too […]

devotional word-of-god

November 08, 2021·Nicole Leao

3 days to get out of procrastination

We wake up, what do we do? We grab our cell phone and there goes our start of the day, but it’s time to give it a rest, so join me in a 3 day study to get out of procrastination. I’m sure you’ve felt like you needed more time in the day, that 24 hours seemed too little, but you know our God gave us the exact time we need, what happens is that many times we don’t manage it wisely. Procrastination and inconstancy These two words are well related, procrastination and inconstancy, you want to accomplish your tasks and one day you do, but the next day… then you don’t feel the same spirit as the day before and you do much less than you need to. This is the inconstancy generated by procrastination. You feel paralyzed with a lot of things to do. You feel that life is moving forward relentlessly while you are pushing it along. Your plans seem too big to carry out, so you’d rather put them off until later, when you’re more “relaxed”, but you know what? There is no perfect time to start, in this life we will have troubles and if […]

biblical-study devotional

November 03, 2021·Nicole Leao

What do you need for a relationship?

Yes, this is a text for singles. But don’t panic! Don’t leave yet. Because if you are dating or married, you can send this blog post to someone. Of course, I don’t have a perfect marriage. After all, how could a relationship be if it is made up of two imperfect people. But if someone were to ask me for advice regarding this subject, I would pass along some that are listed below. #1 – Before looking for a boyfriend/girlfriend, look for a relationship with God Only God can complete you, heal you, and give meaning to your life. After all, who better than your Creator to reveal the purposes for which you came into the world? He knows all the precious things deposited in your life (skills, gifts, talents, characteristics, sensitivity to specific issues/things) because He is the one who put them all in you. And He knows exactly why you are the way you are. And if you think you have no value or qualities, you are very wrong! You were made in God’s image (Gen. 1.27) and everything He does is good (Gen. 1.31). You are a beloved child of the Lord (1 Jn. 3:1) and you […]

devotional love-of-god

October 29, 2021·Nicole Leao

How to live in harmony?

How to live in harmony when we feel we are failing so badly? After all, we are sinners struggling against our own flesh and against the evil that is in this world. But there is a way to live in harmony, and it involves three blessed words: the first is love, the second is forgiveness, and the third is patience. The Bible teaches us to live in harmony by putting on these three acts, the first of which is the most important and determines the fulfillment of the other two, for as it is written in Colossians 3:14, love is the perfect bond. On Friday we talked about forgiveness, and today, in our last day of this series, we will delve a little deeper into a virtue that we have been lacking: Patience. Patience is a fruit of the Spirit to be perfected 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Galatians 5:22 No one is born patient, and this is clear to those who live with children. Who hasn’t asked when they were little on a road trip: “Are we there yet?”, or when they went to the doctors they were worried about […]

devotional

October 27, 2021·Nicole Leao

How to live in harmony?

How to live in harmony when we feel we are failing so badly? After all, we are sinners struggling against our own flesh and against the evil that is in this world. But there is a way to live in harmony and it involves three blessed words: the first is love, the second is forgiveness, and the third is patience. The Bible teaches us to live in harmony by putting on these three acts, the first of which is the most important and determines the fulfillment of the other two, for as it is written in Colossians 3:14, love is the perfect bond. On Wednesday we talked about love, and today we will deepen a little on a not easy but necessary theme, forgiveness, after all without it it is impossible to have harmony. Forgive 70 times 7 Then Peter came to him and said, “Lord, how many times shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times? Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times; but up to seventy times seven. Matthew 18:21,22 Are you willing to forgive 70 times 7? By ourselves this would be impossible, for […]

devotional word-of-god

October 25, 2021·Nicole Leao

How to live in harmony?

How to live in harmony when we feel we are failing so badly? After all, we are sinners struggling against our own flesh and against the evil that is in this world. But there is a way to live in harmony and it involves three blessed words, the first is love, the second is forgiveness, and the third is patience. The Bible teaches us to live in harmony by putting on these three acts, the first of which is the most important and determines the fulfillment of the other two, for as it is written in Colossians 3:14, love is the perfect bond. And in the next few days we will delve a little deeper into each of these acts, starting today with LOVE. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love This is one of the best known passages in the Bible, 1 John 4:8, but if only it were the most understood, it perfectly sums up the nature of our creator, that He is love, and what does that mean? Well, in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 we find the definition of love: love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does […]

devotional follow-jesus love-your-neighbor

October 18, 2021·Nicole Leao

God takes care of the sick!

Today I will begin this text by telling you that God holds our hand at all times, but especially when there is no one around. This weekend I had my four wisdom teeth removed and what an agony this surgery was, as soon as I arrived at the clinic I found out that nobody could enter the room with me, which was a torment to me at first. As I spent a lot of time in the hospital in my childhood, I used to get very nervous when I saw a needle. So there I found myself, in an operating chair, with three dentists surrounding me, putting a cloth to protect my face during the surgery, and then they started to administer the local anesthesia, with a needle that for those who don’t feel very comfortable, looks twice the size it really is. I was scared, feeling alone and uncomfortable, but then I remembered that I was not alone and that my Lord is the doctor of doctors. It was a 3 hour surgery and during this time I prayed from beginning to end, which kept me firm and strong in that chair, because I would have stopped at the […]

devotional uncategorized-en

October 13, 2021·Nicole Leao

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart

Today I want to bring here on the blog a story that is to fill our hearts with emotion and happiness. This weekend I had the opportunity to meet Anderson Novais, his wife and their little boy, a blessed family full of faith. Now you may be wondering, who is this young man and why was this an opportunity, and for this I will tell you how my family met him. But first, I ask you: are you faithful in little? A servant at the traffic light Last week my mother was taking my cousin to an appointment when the traffic light closed, and they were surprised to see a young man with a neat beard, suit and tie, selling candy at the traffic light. An unpredictable scene in the city of São Paulo, where we are usually approached by beggars and small children who should be at school. The young man approaches the car, very politely offers the candy he is selling and hands over a card with his phone number, Instagram, and professional information, such as the college he is attending. My mother is intrigued by the scene, praises his posture and asks why he is so dressed […]

devotional love-of-god love-your-neighbor