Discernment

July 25, 2023·Rapha Abreu

Justice and righteousness

In the beginning, when God created the world and everything in it, He also laid the foundation for righteous living. He is infinite wisdom himself and recognizes the importance of us living according to His righteousness. What are? “Follow justice and justice alone, so that you may live and possess the land the Lord your God is giving you.” Deuteronomy 16:20 Justice means the quality of who has a just behavior or treatment. It is a way of perceiving, evaluating what is right, just. Righteousness has a close meaning. It means quality, characteristic or attribute of what or who is upright. The virtue of following, without deviation, the direction indicated by the sense of justice, by equity. Virtue of being in conformity with reason, with duty. Justice and righteousness are very necessary traits. We can see their importance being expressed since the first books of the bible by great prophets and leaders. Just like god “Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne. Love and faithfulness go before you.” Psalm 89:14 Throughout the biblical texts, we find in the nature of God teachings, through words and actions, about justice and righteousness. And He invites us to express His glory, to be […]

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June 15, 2023·Rapha Abreu

Led by the Spirit

The Holy Spirit transforms many things in us and many of them have to do with our positioning. These days I heard a preaching from a very special pastor and I would like to share with you some of the ideas he presented. To position “Be on your guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong. Do everything in love.” 1 Corinthians 16:13,14 Sometimes we think that having the Holy Spirit, in certain situations such as arguments or difficulties, is keeping quiet and just holding back, sitting back and waiting for Him to do something. But the Spirit of God gives us discernment for a good position in any situation. To be filled with this Spirit is to know how to position yourself, but not with your own strength, but by recognizing your dependence on Him. God expects us to position wisely. Even if we are without strength, He calls us to act according to His will. If the call comes from Him, He will be the source of strength to walk toward it. He empowers you “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid. Do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with […]

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May 30, 2023·Rapha Abreu

Slaves of Desire

Immanuel Kant was one of the greatest philosophers of the 18th century. In one of his works (Foundations of the Metaphysics of Morals, chapter 2), he brought the idea that being free is not doing what you want, but doing what you don’t want. And today I want to talk about this idea and how it appears in different ways in the bible too. The power to evaluate “You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh. Rather, serve one another humbly in love.” Galatians 5:13 As humans we have the false feeling that, if we do what we want, we are free. Kant breaks this pattern and shows that, if you do what you want, without measuring consequences, you become a slave to desire and, from that, it is impossible to be someone free. To be free is to do what we don’t want to. For example, I train in a gym. If someone offers me a lot of candies and fried foods after a workout, my craving would be immediately accept it and eat it all at once. But that way I would become a slave to desire, which […]

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May 23, 2023·Rapha Abreu

Understanding God’s Wisdom

The quest for wisdom is something that goes far beyond the accumulation of knowledge on a subject. Wisdom leads us to a deep understanding of life and divine purposes. It guides us to a full and meaningful existence. The source of all understanding “For the Lord gives wisdom. From his mouth come knowledge and understanding. He holds success in store for the upright, he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless.” Proverbs 2:6-7 When we are anchored in the wisdom from on high, that which comes from the Father, it becomes a sure lighthouse in the midst of dark moments and storms. True wisdom is not found in human sources, it comes as the gift and gift of God. It is revealed through the scriptures and by a communion with the Holy Spirit of God. It involves understanding God’s ways, purposes, and principles. It allows us to discern between right and wrong, choose wisely, and act with integrity. Divine wisdom guides us in all areas of our lives, whether in relationships, financial and career decisions, among others. It also helps us to find balance at times when our emotions struggle to rule our lives. God is the source of true wisdom. […]

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February 02, 2023·Rapha Abreu

Does God punish us?

Have you understood the weight and responsibility of freedom or have you constantly tried to sign your decisions with the name of God? Have you remembered that even though everything is released to you, not everything builds your life? “I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but not everything is constructive“ 1 Corinthians 10:23 Divine punishment “You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh. Father, serve one another humbly in love“ Galatians 5:13 It is normal (but should not be) to hear the phrase “God punishes” as a warning to stop acting in some way, transforming the fear we should have into God by fear, distorting the image of a loving God and merciful, placing in His hands a whip. I see that this phrase arose in the face of a difficulty that human beings have in assuming responsibility. We celebrate the freedom of choice that God gives us, but after we choose, we want Him to take the blame for our bad choices. It’s not fair to blame the tools if we are the ones operating them. The […]

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January 05, 2023·Rapha Abreu

Seeing with Eyes of FAITH

Claude Monet was one of the most important impressionist painters of the 20th century. He once said a sentence that always caught my attention: “To see, we must forget the name of the things we are looking at”. I don’t know about you but, in addition to using it for many areas of my life, I can see this phrase in the gospel too. Discernment and vision “To humans belong the plans of the heart, but from the Lord comes the proper answer of the tongue’. Proverbs 16:1-9 To these four young men God gave knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and learning. And Daniel could understand visions and dreams of all kinds“ Daniel 1:17 We are the only beings who receive from God rational abilities to plan, decipher codes, dream… This characteristic leads us to always seek the path of reason. We often rationalize too much, question and wish that everything makes the most sense to us. We want to have complete knowledge of everything that happens in our lives. However, God in different situations will use what makes no sense to us. He breaks the mold and invites us to see through faith and understand through His voice. And faith […]

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