Heart

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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July 13, 2023·Rapha Abreu

Worship the Perfect Love

Gratitude is also a type of worship. Being grateful and worshiping the Lord are natural responses of a heart that lives in His love. They are common actions of someone who loves the Father and His Kingdom. Love that drives “It is good to praise the Lord and make music to your name, O Most High, proclaiming your love in the morning and your faithfulness at night.” Psalm 92:1-2 When we understand the size and beauty of God’s love and grace, it is natural for our hearts to overflow with love. This is praising God, expressing in words and actions how wonderful He is in every detail. We are loved unconditionally and that alone should be a reason to be grateful for the rest of our lives. But many times we stagnate by knowing that we are loved unconditionally. However, I want to tell you that this love does not exist to stop us. We need to evolve into thinking that if God loves us unconditionally, we need to move in that love. Really, this love is not a bargaining chip, it does not exist based on what we do or fail to do. His main goal is for you to move knowing […]

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June 27, 2023·Rapha Abreu

Have you been a false prophet?

I recently spoke to you about the difference between being used and being approved by God. An approved character requires depth and obedience. Approval comes through real devotion. How to recognize I used Balaam’s donkey in the text I wrote before as an example that God uses what He prefers and finds appropriate for the moment. Isso não diz muito sobre o que ou quem Ele está usando, mas revela muito sobre Deus. About the story of Balaam, I want to remind you what he was called. In the Bible he is recognized as a false prophet. Although there is not a verse that clearly calls him that, there are passages in which we can understand this characterization. In 2 Peter 2:15, we can read the following passage: “They have left the straight way and wandered off to follow the way of Balaam son of Bezer, who loved the wages of wickedness.” Or also in Jude 1:11 “Woe to them! They have taken the way of Cain. They have rushed for profit into Balaam’s error. They have been destroyed in Korah’s rebellion.” When we read this, it’s normal to wonder about the revelations he made and the words he took to […]

authority calling heart prophesy

April 18, 2023·Ana Julia Luiz

Prayer: Cleanse me Lord

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” – 1 John 1:9 We are human beings, full of sins. The Word itself says that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Rom 3:23). We are in need of the Lord’s forgiveness. And for that we need to repent. Today, I invite you to pray with me, asking the Lord to purify our hearts from any and all sins. Remembering that you don’t need to pray exactly as I wrote here, because everyone has their own way of talking to the Father. But if you want, I’ll be happy to accompany you. Prayer “Lord, my God and Father, I thank you for this day, Thank you for the chance to pour myself out in Your presence and for Your Amazing Grace that tore the veil that used to separate us. Father, I ask forgiveness for my sins, all those that I have committed. Forgive me, for I am flawed and need correction. Cleanse my heart, purifying it of all the evil present in it and help me to become someone better. That every […]

bible devotional faith forgiveness

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 […]

discernment faith follow-jesus fundamental

December 13, 2022·Rapha Abreu

Have you been a disciple or one of the crowd?

In the stories of Jesus we see several miracles happening wherever He went. But what most calls my attention in them is where the focus of each character was in the face of everything that happened. We can compare it to our focus on situations these days. The crowd seeks the miracle “And the people all tried to touch Him, because power was coming from Him and healing them all” Luke 6:19 The crowd followed Jesus for His works, often craving what He could offer rather than who He was. After the healings and miracles it was possible to see people worshiping Him with greater vehemence. It always leads me to think that I too am often the crowd. Who asks, begs and hopes for a miracle, but who only has that as a goal. We seek God many times for what He can do for us, and we forget to seek Him just because He is God, our Father. The Master for the crowd was often an attraction. The disciple seeks Jesus “Many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him. ‘You do not want to leave too, do you?’, Jesus asked the Twelve. Simon Peter answered him, ;Lord, to […]

deliver follow-jesus heart miracles

August 23, 2022·Ana Julia Luiz

To Be vs. To Do

In our minds it is common to always think in a meritocratic way: “do it to deserve it”. We end up having that same mindset when it comes to God and the way He loves us. We believe that certain sins, considered more serious, such as corruption, murder, adultery, among others, can alter God’s love. There’s an excerpt from one of Max Lucado’s books that says: “God’s love never ceases. Never. Though we spurn him. Ignore him. Reject him. Despise him. Disobey him. He will not change. Our evil cannot diminish his love. Our goodness cannot increase it. Our faith does not earn it any more than our stupidity jeopardizes it. God doesn’t love us less if we fail or more if we succeed. God’s love never ceases.” Unconditional love When we realize that God’s love does not increase or decrease, regardless of whether we have fallen back into sin or not, it is in the least shocking. We get so used to loves that move according to what we do or how we act, that we forget that God is not a man. He doesn’t love in the limited way that we do. He doesn’t change either, he doesn’t […]

bible devotional heart identity

August 02, 2022·Ana Julia Luiz

Vine or Fig?

In the Bible, plants have great meanings. Several parables and stories of Jesus take place around this part of creation. From all these events several teachings are taken that can guide our lives. There is one in particular that is narrated in Luke 13. History Jesus told a parable that said the following: A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, but it has not been bearing fruit. He then went to talk to the one who took care of the vineyard so that he could cut it down, after all he had been looking for figs for three years and could not find it. The winegrower replied, asking him to leave it there for another year. He would fertilize and care for that tree, and if, in a year, it remained without fruit, it would be cut down. Where are you planted? A fact that recently caught my attention in this parable was that the fig tree was planted in the vineyard, among the vine trees. I did a little research and opinions are very divided. Some say it’s normal, others say that the fig tree needs the soil to be in certain conditions to bear […]

devotional fig heart place

July 19, 2022·Ana Julia Luiz

Prayer: Change the hearts

“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. I will place my Spirit within you and cause you to follow my statutes and carefully observe my ordinances.” Ezekiel 36:26-27 We have lived in times when hearts have hardened. Recently I was in the intercession room before a service and a brother started to pray saying “Forgive the ‘nos’ that you Lord will hear today”. I immediately remembered the passage at the beginning of the text, and I would like to pray with you about it, so that the hearts of stone become hearts of flesh. 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 “Gracious God, we thank you for this day of life and the opportunity to be in Your presence. So many people have said “no” to You, have despised You. We cry out for a special […]

bible change devotional faith

April 07, 2022·Rapha Abreu

How to protect your heart?

In Proverbs 2, the value of wisdom and how it helps us to have discernment is described in some verses. This discernment protects our hearts so that we can make choices based on God’s will, which is always good, perfect, and pleasing. What is it to be wise? To be wise is to look at life through the eyes of God and act according to what He says. The famous question “What would Jesus do?”. This leads us to have a worthy life in Him, learning to value life and everything that is given to us as an undeserved gift. This discernment received through a life with wisdom allows our eyes to see the real value of things, the opportunities, the paths that come from the Father… You need to seek that gift Wisdom is a gift from God that can only be obtained through Him (Proverbs 2:6: For the Lord gives wisdom, from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.). The search for it in the Lord must begin with us. When we know what the truth is, the false becomes obvious to us. It protects our heart. As it is counseled in Proverbs 4:23, “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything […]

heart wisdom

July 28, 2020·Léo

Help not to look back!

I would like to say a prayer with you to ask for the help of the Lord for us to be consistent and look forward! We constantly need to remember that it is not good to look back and desire what we used to do before we truly met God! Remembering that you don’t need to repeat this prayer exactly as I am going to leave it here, because each of us has a specific way of communicating with the Lord. So if you want to accompany me, it will be a pleasure, but feel free to speak your way. Jesus, first of all I want to thank you for Your love for me and for Your mercy! Even though I don’t deserve it, You pour all that I need into my life. I confess that I have had some difficulties in relation to my past! The desire to look at back and do the same things again has increased! So I ask you to give me strength and make me see with my spiritual eyes, instead of seeing with carnal eyes. Help me to see the beauty in the journey and in the processes! As a sinner, I have […]

heart love-of-god

July 26, 2020·Gabriela Angerami

Ask for a generous heart!

Generosity is a virtue of the Kingdom of God. If being generous is a difficulty for us, we can ask God for a generous heart. We have a kind Father who wants to add to us the virtues of His Kingdom, such as generosity. Sharing a testimony I will start this text by sharing an experience I had last weekend. I was attending an online class and the teacher showed the case of a foundation that serves children and teenagers. It showed a particular action they took to encourage donations. In class we watched the video of this action. And in this action, they asked the children who received help from the foundation, that is, children in need, to donate a toy to other needy children. They not only asked them to donate a toy, but asked them to donate their favorite toy. When I saw the beginning of the video, I was sure the children would donate, but in the end they would get new toys as a reward for the gesture they made. But not! The video ended with the children donating and the call was “everyone can help”. I confess that I was trying to assimilate, you […]

heart love-of-god love-your-neighbor

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 […]

bible heart love-of-god obedience

July 21, 2020·Léo

Thank You for everything!

I would like to say a prayer with you to thank the Lord for all that He has done for us! We constantly need to give thanks to God for His goodness and mercy! Remembering that you don’t need to repeat this prayer exactly as I am going to leave it here, because each of us has a specific way of communicating with the Lord. So if you want to accompany me, it will be a pleasure, but feel free to speak your way. “Jesus, thank you so much for the life the Lord has given me. I am grateful for all the undeserved things I have and received. With my own hands, I could never reach any of them, but by His grace, love and mercy, I can enjoy them. Thank you for my family, God. I apologize, because I often end up stressing them out and I don’t appreciate their presence and life. But I am extremely grateful for each one of them. I am also grateful for the friends You gave me. For all the dear companions that the Lord has placed beside me. And I ask You to show me if any of my friendships are […]

grace heart love-of-god prayer

July 19, 2020·Léo

I can’t hear God’s voice

Have you also been troubled by not being able to hear the Lord’s voice? Have you ever wondered why you didn’t hear God speak? Are you going through this today? Today I would like to talk about one of the phrases that I spoke most in my life and that I hear many times! If you’ve ever felt that way, I imagine it’s an important text for you! Shall we talk about it? The noise is too loud! “But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.” Luke 5:16 The Bible shows us that, on several occasions, Jesus withdrew from the presence of others, went to a quiet place and prayed to His Father. But for what reason did He do this? In my view, Jesus withdrew for two reasons: to avoid noise and to be alone with the Lord. I would like to speak specifically about the noise. Noise that deafens us and disturbs us. What noise would that be? The vast majority of us have a busy schedule and a very busy life. We got involved in a lot of activities and ended up with a very full mind too. It is important to say that there is […]

devotional faith follow-jesus grace

July 14, 2020·Léo

Purify my heart!

I would like to make this prayer with you, to ask the Lord to cleanse our being and our hearts. We need to repent and purify our soul and heart! Remembering that you do not need to repeat this prayer exactly as I am going to leave it here, because each of us has a specific way of communicating with the Lord. So if you want to accompany me, it will be a pleasure, but feel free to make it as you wish. “Father, today was a difficult day. Several times I got distracted from Your ways and I gave way to temptation. Even though I knew I was going the wrong way, I decided to go on. I got dirty with the impurities of sin, polluted my mind and ignored Your Spirit, I am dirty and I have neither the strength to get up nor the water to wash myself. Therefore, I ask You, once again, to pour out Your water on me and extend Your mighty hand to me. Free me from myself, purify my heart, my mind and my soul from the things that I put in me. I ask you, God: please, have mercy on me […]

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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 […]

bible heart love-of-god

July 04, 2020·Léo

A prayer from the heart!

I would like to make this prayer with you, to ask the Lord for a sincere and pure heart! We must have a heart that seeks the Lord with all of its strength! Just let me remind you that there is no need to repeat this prayer exactly as I am going to leave it here, because each of us has a specific way of communicating with the Lord. So if you want to accompany me, it will be a pleasure, but feel free to speak your way. “Lord, today I come here to ask for your forgiveness for all the times that I didn’t seek you with all my heart. Also, for the times that I didn’t worship you in spirit and in truth. I do not want my search, my life and my devotion to be superficial. I want to find fullness in You; guide my heart, show me how to overflow of joy in Your presence. I’m tired of living something shallow and meaningless. I seek you, but I feel that I do not put myself there entirely. I know that Your Word says that all those who seek with all their heart will find You, but […]

heart prayer

June 30, 2020·Léo

Forgive me, Lord!

Today I would like to bring one more prayer! Prayer to ask the Lord for forgiveness for our sins and failures. Remembering that you don’t have to repeat this prayer exactly as I am going to leave it here, because each of us has a specific way of communicating with the Lord! So if you want to accompany me, it will be a pleasure, but feel free to speak your way. “Father, thank you for another day of life and thank you for all that the Lord has done for me! Thank you, because even without deserving it, Your grace was renewed on me again. I come here today to open my heart and ask for forgiveness I know that I have failed and I have not done Your will. I know that the Lord gives me many opportunities to escape temptation, but I continue to fall and continue to search for the wrong things in the wrong places. I don’t want to sin against You anymore. Forgive me for not give my best, not resist. Besides, I apologize for the times that I tried to cheapen Your grace, trying to justify my sin. I should receive, understand and accept […]

heart love-of-god prayer

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 […]

bible faith grace heart

June 23, 2020·Léo

Help me to seek You!

I would like to say a brief prayer with you, to ask for the Lord’s help! We often lose the incentive and the will to seek the Word of the Lord and His presence! You do not need to repeat this prayer exactly as I am going to leave it here, not least because each of us has a specific way of communicating with the Lord! So if you want to accompany me, it will be a pleasure, but feel free to speak your way! “Lord, I came here again today to open my heart and ask you for help! I have been having difficulties to seek You. I confess that I no longer have the same desire to talk to you, read Your Word and spend time in worship, as it was before This has been bothering me! I want to seek you with all my heart and worry about what really matters, which is pleasing You! So I ask you for mercy. Give me strength, give me hunger, give me thirst. of the Lord and without You, I cannot survive, without His Word, I have no strength to continue this journey! I ask you Lord to guide my […]

devotional faith follow-jesus grace

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 […]

bible devotional faith follow-jesus

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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