Relationship With God

Prayer: Taking off the masks

Masked

Prayer: Faith in action

To know or to follow

Jesus is not a priority

We hear a lot about how God needs to be our priority, the number one on our “to-do” list. But I disagree with that and I want to talk a little bit about it with you today. He is urgent! “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” Matthew 6:33 When we enter a hospital looking for care, we need to go through triage, where patients are sorted and prioritized according to their situation. If you have a headache and arrived first, you are a priority. But, if someone arrives in an ambulance after you, having suffered an accident, this is an emergency patient, and the urgency to assist him, allows him to undergo care ahead of all the people who are waiting. Jesus is not a priority in our lives. He is urgency! He doesn’t have to be number one on your “people I love the most” list, He can’t be on lists, he’s above that and before that. Putting Jesus in a ranking takes away the true meaning of urgency and pre-eminence that He has. He is everything! “And he is the head of the body, the church; he is […]

Prayer: Planting time

In recent texts, I brought some reflections about sowing and burying some dreams, projects and ideals. Leaving space for the act of God and the fulfillment of His promises. Today I want to invite you to pray with about this matter. Ask the Lord to take care of each stage of planting and each season, taking care of your heart in every process. Remembering that you don’t need to pray exactly as I’m going to write here, because I know that everyone has their own way of talking to the Father and I want you to feel comfortable talking to Him in your way. But if you want, I’ll be happy to accompany you in this prayer. Prayer “Lord, at this moment I want to thank you for everything you have done in me like a soil. I also thank you for the seeds that You has prepared and helped me to cultivate. I ask that you, Lord, watch over my heart during the time of waiting, as You prepare me to receive the best of Your blessings. I want to ask you for moments when the seed is in silence and darkness, when the root is growing. Don’t let […]

Prayer: Dependence on Him

We currently have access to so many things. New products, new ideas, new dreams. Thousands of information and news. And that can easily take our focus away from the Lord, steal our attention to something that quickly fades away. But we need to be dependent on Him at all times, on His amazing grace. It is this grace that enables us to go through the most difficult situations in life without losing sleep, faith and hope. So I would like to say a prayer on this topic. Say this powerful prayer with me! Remembering that you don’t need to pray exactly as you are here, because everyone has their own way of talking to the Father. Prayer “Lord, teach me to depend only on You. In so many situations, I end up depending on people, resources, my work or my own understanding of life. But I ask that I may remember Your sovereignty every day. it is the Lord who has all knowledge, understanding and power over any circumstance. In this prayer, I want to exalt You and recognize that You Lord is greater than anything. Bigger than any relationship crisis, bigger than any financial crisis, bigger than any illness. […]

Prayer: Good Fruits

In the last text we talked about the seed that He sows in our hearts and the fruit that is generated in us when we are in Him. Today I want to use this space to pray together about these fruits and these seeds. Let’s pray for the soil we are (or should be) to be fertile for the Kingdom. I invite you to pray with me. Remembering that you don’t have to pray exactly as it is written here. Everyone has their own way of talking to the Father and I want you to feel free to pray as you prefer. But if you want, I’ll be happy to accompany you. 🙂 PRAYER “Father, thank you for pouring so much on me, even though I didn’t deserve it. I am filled with gratitude for your work, for your mercy, love and care. For entrusting me with something so much greater than myself. I thank you for my gifts and my calling. More than giving thanks for what I receive from You every day, I want to pray for what I deliver before it. God, teach me to take care of what You have entrusted to my hands. Give me […]

No space for the new

How do you want to receive new things from God if you remain the old man? No, our attitudes do not change God. His character is something permanent and solid. But our actions directly interfere with everything we receive from the Father. Not because we influence His power, but because we impede the miracle and blessings in our lives by being full of ourselves. We leave no room for the will of God. Empty yourself “For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want.” Galatians 5:17 In some of the texts I wrote here for the blog, I commented on how the actions of people at the time of Jesus prevented them from living profound experiences with God, prevented them from enjoying the presence of Christ. A very simple and quick explanation related to this is that God is not going to put new wine in an old wineskin. If we live a life for our desires, without emptying ourselves, we don’t make room for the new. Even if God poured out His new […]

Knowing True Love

Here in Brazil, June is Valentine’s month. Dating is the initial step towards one day having a marriage and building a family, which is the greatest ministry. Love is something that needs to be watered and taken care of. Once it exists, it is necessary that we work to keep it firm and grounded. Loving like Christ “Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ… For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, His body, of which He is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word.” Ephesians 5:21-26 Bible shows how to keep love firm and grounded: Loving as Christ loved the church. Loving as He loved us is quite challenging and carries with it a weight and a very deep meaning. Jesus is the main and greatest example of a sacrificial and unconditional love. His love for us carries with it the full meaning of redemption and surrender. God calls us to love […]

How to know God?

Do you know what a house of prayer is for? Do we need to “consecrate” a space as a place of prayer? I wanted to bring some thoughts about the text of Isaiah 56: “For my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations”. Go to him “If you seek Him, He will be found by you, but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you”. 2 Chronicles 15:2 The Father’s house was not called the house of “preaching” or “mysteries”, such as miracles and prophecies, but of “prayer”. Pointing directly to a relationship with God and the way worship should be performed. Several times I come here to talk about one of our actions. That’s because a lot is heard about what He does and we already know His promises, but it’s important to remember daily what needs to come from us. Knowing God through preaching and miracles takes away our action to build a relationship with Him. Receiving is easy, watching God speaking and doing is easy. But being willing to seek Him requires a step on our part. Listen and do “My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you”. Job […]

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 […]

Don’t be like a fish out of water

It is very common to hear or use that expression “I feel like a fish out of water”, but at this point I would like to use this phrase with a different meaning. Our Christian life is like being a fish, living in a pond or in the sea. Just like a fish out of its natural habitat, when we leave God’s presence, we end up dying, not physically, but in our interior. The absence of God generates discouragement, anguish and emptiness, because only He is able to fill us completely. As Psalm 16:11 says: You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand. That is, a path of life is only found in God. He is the source. It is in His presence that we find full joy. Responsibility in Life with God During our Christian walk we constantly hear the phrase: “Jesus loves you”, and that is a fact, because it was for love that He laid down His life for us. However, several times we end up using this as an excuse, after all “if He loves me regardless of doing something wrong […]

Have you turned the key?

It is true that God opens doors and paths. But we are so preoccupied with His opening that we forget the importance of the passing action. It is necessary and essential that we trust in God’s work, but we also need to remember certain steps that depend on us. We must move Whoever watches the wind will not plant; whoever looks at the clouds will not reap. Ecclesiastes 11:4 Doors separate places. To access one place, we need to leave another. For example, you live in a condominium where there is a guardhouse with a doorman controlling entry and exit. If you need to leave the house, you’ll need to go through the gate. Even if the doorman opens it for you, is it any good if you just stand there and not move? We can’t just watch! God opens doors, but the choice to go there and enjoy what’s on the other side is completely yours because the Lord gave you freedom of choice. He can only guide you on a path if you want to walk towards it. God will not force you. Trust comes from knowing Those who know your name trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those […]

When is the right time to pray?

When is the right time to act? To what extent is risk taking the right decision? How long should we wait for something? With each passing day, the answer to these questions becomes clearer to me. The answer is always Jesus. Who knows more “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you”. James 1:5 A while ago my car started making an unusual noise. Instead of consulting a mechanic right away to find out what that noise was and what to do, I postponed it for a few long days. The noise was coming from the damper. If I had changed it when it was defective, I would have had to change it alone. But as several days passed, the bad shock absorber ended up overloading the other 3, so I had to change them all. Conclusion: I spent more, I needed to spend more days without a car and I almost had problems with other parts of the car. If I had changed it too soon I would have thrown a still good shock in the trash and had unnecessary work. So who […]

Are you an ambassador for the word?

These days I came across the word “Ambassador” and went to research more about it. In this search I found some Bible verses that pointed to the fact that we are ambassadors through Christ. But after all, what does that mean? Authority in speaking “…For there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God“ Romans 13:1 Ambassador means being a spokesperson for a certain issue, be it a brand, a company, an organization, or the word of God. To be an ambassador it is not necessary for you to be from the company you will be speaking about, for example. But knowledge on the subject is mandatory, it is essential that you identify with a certain positioning and thinking. An Ambassador is someone who is up to date on the subject and has full authority and knowledge about it, whether an employee of a company or a user of its brand. You might be wondering where I’m going with this. Depth breeds authority “We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God“ 2 Corinthians 5:20 In the passage […]

[Series: Identity] Our Heavenly Family

Still in our series on identity, I want to talk about another part of shaping who we are. This time I want to emphasize that, in addition to the biological family, we are invited to be part of God’s family! From origin to stoning The dictionary brings as one of the meanings of “Identity” a close similarity, although also a person in the individual. That is to say, having an identity in God makes us like Him too. We are admirable works created by His hands. “For you created my inmost being, you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made, your works are wonderful, I know that full well“ Psalm 139:13-14 Through Jesus, the Father also wants to give us the identity of children and gives us our calling and purpose. As it says in Galatians 3:26-27, “So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ“ Just as Christ the Son had the call and purpose to become flesh and come into the world to save us, so God has given you a purpose and an essence. We spoke of the origin […]

The power of discernment

“Discernment” comes from the Latin “Discernere”, which means: to separate, divide, recognize. This word in the Bible is placed as the intelligence of knowing how to distinguish things, like recognizing the voice of God, separating the good way from the bad, dividing what we should or should not do wisely. A well resolved life Having this wisdom in our lives is what determines whether we will have a successful life, as our choices and planning will be thought out with prudence and prudence. We gain this kind of intelligence through a relationship with God. For from Him comes all wisdom, as we see in Jeremiah 10:12: “But God made the earth by his power. He founded the world by his wisdom and stretched out the heavens by his understanding“ The best advisor The closer we are to God, the more we perceive His voice guiding us. There is no better and greater guide than the Creator himself! And He is available to you at any time. God with all His wisdom and understanding proposes daily to share them with us, to teach us like a good master. He desires for each of us a snare-free walk in which we walk with balance and […]

Prayer: Opening the Door to the Lord

Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me. – Revelation 3:20 As this passage reveals to us, the Lord desires to eat with us. I particularly like to have people over at home. I’m not the best person to decorate the table, but I like to separate my best glasses, cutlery and plates when I receive someone. That’s because my husband and I invite dear friends or people we want to be closer to to dinner at our house. Sharing a meal is a symbol of friendship or alliance. Jesus wants to be with us. He has already chosen to love us and reconcile us to the Father. Before we chose Him, He chose us (John 15:16), bought us and forgave us. Direct communion with the presence of God was re-established in the work of Christ. He made us worthy to sit at the table with the Lord. But for that, first we need to choose Him and open the door to Him. So let’s pray together making an invitation. May we open the door to every area of […]

The power of God’s touch

I was studying the book of Daniel these days and I found a passage that caught my attention. The main image of this message was the intensity of God’s light touch. That sounds a bit contradictory, right? But I will explain. The incessant search In Daniel 10:10 the prophet says: “A hand touched me and set me trembling on my hands and knees“ This verse refers to the touch that Daniel received from the messenger who was sent by God. The phrase “a hand touched me” makes us think of something serene. But the meaning is much greater! God’s touch on him, through the messenger, was so intense, so powerful, that it made Daniel, trembling, kneel down and lean on his hands. The extraordinary vision that Daniel had received before that touch had already made the other men hide, while he remained without strength, almost fainting, with his face on the ground (verse 8 and 9). Do not misunderstand me. God is a sweet and loving Father, but His touch is powerful. As smooth as it sounds, it’s brash and leaves nothing standing. Daniel says in verse 8 that there was no strength left in him. But will I fill that […]

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 […]