Wisdom

January 29, 2024·Rapha Abreu

Take a stand!

In the book of Judges, we see some challenges and victories recounted, and in the midst of them, a woman emerges as a spiritual mother for the people of Israel. Deborah was a wise leader, but beyond emphasizing that, I want to remind you of one of her actions that made all the difference: rising up. Challenged to act “Villagers in Israel would not fight; they held back until I, Deborah, arose, until I arose, a mother in Israel.” Judges 5:7 Deborah stood up as a mother to Israel in a time of need, and her story powerfully tells the transformative impact of standing up and taking action. In Judges 4, we see Israel immersed in times of war, crying out to God for guidance and deliverance. Being a leader in moments like this is very challenging and complicated, but even so, Débora stood up with determination, as a judge and spiritual mother. She decided to act boldly, guiding and inspiring the people, in God. How long has it been since you stood up and truly stood with authority in your life? Acting in fear of the Lord “Who, then, are those who fear the Lord? He will instruct them in the […]

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January 23, 2024·Rapha Abreu

Prayer: Identity of Jesus

Previously, we talked a little about some of the names by which Jesus is called throughout the biblical texts. There are many others that I did not mention in the previous text, names that are presented in prophecies since the Old Testament until they become palpable in the New Testament. Regardless of the name that catches your attention the most or the one that is most repeated in the Bible, God remains the same and reveals Himself to us with grace and mercy. I want to invite you to pray today about recognizing this God at any time, place, or situation. You don’t need to pray exactly as I’m going to say here. I know that everyone has their way of talking to the Father, and it is important that we individually seek intimacy with Him. Therefore, feel comfortable talking to the Lord in your own way. But if you want, I will be happy to accompany you in this prayer. Prayer “Lord God, I recognize Your greatness and majesty. I know that Your name is the clear expression of Your love and grace towards us. I cry out for Your presence in my life. Thank you for revealing to […]

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December 22, 2023·Rapha Abreu

Creating other gods

The Lord instructs us several times that He should be the Only One worshiped, above anything else, because He is the Only God. This is not because He simply desires exclusivity. It goes far beyond that thought. Thinking like this makes it seems like God pleads for attention and needs us. But that is not it. One God for all The Father desires to be first in our lives, but He does not instruct us to worship Him solely out of a desire for exclusivity, as if His power depended on it. He calls us to have Him as the Only God because it is not necessary for us to look for something elsewhere. He is already the true source of everything. He is complete, whole, unique, and incomparable. Why would we worship other gods? Why would we create other gods? Just as the disciple Peter said in John 6:68: “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” If He already possesses everything and gives us all these wonders through His grace and love, why would we run to other gods? In the past, it was common to hear about a god for each subject. […]

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December 18, 2023·Rapha Abreu

Prayer: Aligning Paths

In the last text, I spoke to you about walking. We mus know that the path and steps will often seem messy, but we must follow with a focus on God’s promises and directions. I want to invite you to pray today for the perfect path we find in God. Also for obedience and faith to take each step towards what the Father has for us. You don’t need to pray exactly as I’m going to say here. I know that everyone has their way of talking to the Father, and it is important that we individually seek intimacy with Him. Therefore, feel comfortable talking to the Lord in your own way. But if you want, I will be happy to accompany you in this prayer. Prayer “Lord, first, I want to thank You. For loving me and guiding me, even though I don’t deserve to follow in Your footsteps. Thank You for speaking to me, even though I’m not worthy of hearing Your voice. Make me sensitive to what You have to speak to me, that I can feel You in every breath always. I ask you for firmness to walk with you. My eyes are limited, and Your […]

faith follow-jesus obedience prayer

November 16, 2023·Rapha Abreu

Message not sent

The word thrown can hurt, both those who receive it and those who say it. It is capable of dirtying our spirit. But it can also positively transform places and hearts. It is capable of hurting and healing. But what have your words done? Do you understand how important they are? Artificial world “Sin is not ended by multiplying words, but the prudent hold their tongues.” Proverbs 10:19 Since I was a child, I was taught that we should control what we say, that this is part of self-control. It’s something difficult to do in moments of great emotions (good or bad), because at the time the feeling ends up taking over us, if we’re not focused. And we end up losing control of what comes out of our mouths. We are in a technological era full of different functionalities. We can communicate with someone miles and miles away as if we were right next to each other. This facilitates and unites, but if we don’t know how to balance the use of technology, we easily lose control in our real lives. Power of the word “From the fruit of their mouth a person’s stomach is filled. With the harvest […]

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October 19, 2023·Rapha Abreu

Prayer: Decoding messages

In the previous text I brought you a phrase that appeared several times in some dreams I had. Today I want to use this space to pray for clarity. Just as I sought answers from God, I want to pray that He gives us an open heart to receive and understand the messages He has to give us. Furthermore, I would also like to ask for patience in the process, so that we respect the right time for each step along the way. You don’t need to pray exactly as I’m going to say here. I know that everyone has their own way of talking to the Father and it is important to have our intimacy with Him. Feel comfortable talking to the Lord in your own way. But if you want, I will be happy to accompany you in this prayer. Prayer “Father, thank you for always speaking to me, for guiding me and comforting me with Your sweet voice. Make my ears attentive to everything You want to tell me. Give me courage and boldness to follow everything You tell me and wisdom to understand and respect each process. I don’t want to skip steps, God. I don’t […]

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September 21, 2023·Rapha Abreu

Giving up understanding

We hear a lot about the passage from Philippians 4, about receiving into our hearts the peace of God that surpasses all human understanding, that is beyond what we can comprehend with our intellect. Looking at the world around us we come across many reasons not to believe, not to maintain our peace. And at these times I remember a quote from Bill Johnson… Don’t depend on the obvious “In order to have a peace that surpasses all understanding, you have to give up your right to understand.” Bill Johnson Feeling peace after the storm or when dreams come true is very simple, as it is obvious. If everything happened as I wanted, everything is going well, without any difficulties, it’s easy to have peace, it’s an obvious feeling. To experience the peace of God, the one that goes beyond everything that happens around us, we need to not let ourselves be shaken by what happens around us. We always want to have the peace of mind of being with God, but even though we are with the Father, we don’t focus on Him, and this shakes our calm in the face of life’s situations. We focus on problems as […]

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September 07, 2023·Rapha Abreu

What is the enemy’s power?

Whoever looks for you in your past will find you there? Or will you find an empty place? Hell at all times wants to take us to a place of our past, making us live all the mistakes again or taking away our peace with remorse for what has already gone. But while the enemy wants to remind you of your past, God keeps releasing things about your future… God made you new! “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” 2 Corinthians 5:17 Christ made all things new. You are no longer the same person you were yesterday, He constantly puts you in new positions, plants new dreams in you, continues daily to pour new blessings into your heart. But the enemy just as constantly tries to focus your eyes on what has already been forgiven by the Father. He knows that have been given to you a son’s identity, he knows how much access you have to the Father. What he always struggled to have, you have for free. But we have a lot to learn from the enemy and I know this phrase sounds strange, but I’ll explain. […]

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August 10, 2023·Rapha Abreu

Bury X Plant

There is a big difference between burying and planting. Many times we confuse these two words and take actions that take us off the right path or take us in the wrong direction. What’s the difference? Even if there is nothing in the bible that directly compares “burying” and “planting”, there are several passages that treat each of these concepts in isolation. In Ecclesiastes 3:1-2 we see the following passage: “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot” The term “bury” is seen, for example, in the text of Luke 9:60, where it is written: “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” Planting is sowing to reap something in the future, burying is linked to burial, the completion of something. In our lives, we need to have discernment and wisdom to understand when to plant and when to just bury. Closed cycles “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” 2 Corinthians 5:17 We’ve all heard that life […]

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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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March 09, 2023·Rapha Abreu

The strength does not come from you

We are in women’s month, which is celebrated on March 8th. In today’s times, much is heard about the strength of women. This subject is in great evidence and there are millions of people fighting for this force to be recognized. I think it’s important that we talk about it. Identity in Him “Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting. But a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised” Proverbs 31:30 I want to start by saying it’s not through your strength, woman. I don’t know about you, but a lot of issues about women being empowered sometimes overwhelm me. I feel as if I need to produce, do and create at all times, because that way I don’t express my vulnerability, something that every human being has. I understand that people’s struggle has many points and arguments. This is not what I want to discuss or judge, because I understand that this role is not up to me. But I want to remind you that you don’t need to burden yourself with an identity that God has already given you. Graced by Him “And now, my daughter, don’t be afraid. I will do for you all you ask. All […]

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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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May 26, 2022·Rapha Abreu

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 […]

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April 11, 2022·Ana Julia Luiz

Prayer for wisdom

Wisdom is about looking through God’s eyes and acting as such. This is a gift that we should all have. We understand its importance when we search the Scriptures and see that Solomon asked for it in his life. On that day, I invite you, as King Solomon did, to ask God for wisdom. 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 thank you for this day, for another breath of life that you have given us. Father, on this day we ask You to give us wisdom to act in accordance with Your will and what You would do. During our days, we have to deal with many situations and make many decisions that we don’t know how to proceed, but we ask You Lord to give us wisdom so that we can live according to Your will every day. Holy Spirit, You are welcome into our lives to help us […]

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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 […]

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March 01, 2021·Nicole Leao

Prayer: Wisdom in the midst of crisis

We are not in an easy moment worldwide, the coronavirus is still circulating around, many people are hospitalized, others are still unemployed, and with this we see the hope of many getting dimmed. More than ever we need to be strategic, focus on what matters, and be wise in our actions and decisions. That is why I want to pray together with you for wisdom in the midst of this crisis, so that we can deal with it in the best way. I leave here a passage especially for you today: And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who[a] have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28 Remember that you don’t have to repeat the prayer exactly as I am going to leave it here, because each one of us has a specific way of communicating with the Lord. But if you want to follow me, it will be a pleasure, feel free to speak it in your own way. Prayer Beloved God, I want to thank you first of all for all that you have been doing, for your care and protection. I thank you for your provision […]

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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 […]

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July 10, 2020·Gabriela Angerami

A kingdom of justice and righteousness

The Lord’s justice will dwell in the desert, his righteousness live in the fertile field. The fruit of that righteousness will be peace; its effect will be quietness and confidence forever. My people will live in peaceful dwelling places, in secure homes, in undisturbed places of rest. Isaiah 32:16-18 If today we live in a world of injustice, corruption and evil, it is because the human being has neglected the Creator’s initial plan. God’s plan for the earth and for humanity has always been that we could dwell in a kingdom of justice and righteousness, in a perfect kingdom, just as He is perfect. The chaotic social context in which we live is the result of distorted relationships, a consequence of sin. The fall damaged the relationship between man and God. And a damaged relationship with God has had consequences in all kinds of human relationships: in family, between people in general, and in the relation between human beings and nature. God called man in Genesis to take care of His creation, and today there is irresponsible exploitation of nature. But all is not lost, there is hope! He brought us into the kingdom of light For he has rescued […]

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June 26, 2020·Léo

Love and respect the others!

Have we been stressed easily? Have we respected and loved people, regardless of their opinions? Both Christians and non-Christians? Today I would like to talk a little about love and respect! I was talking to my psychologist, who is a Christian, and she showed me that love and respect goes beyond what I thought it was! Come on? Constant respect! “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves,” Philippians 2: 3 In this conversation with my psychologist, I started talking about relationships with her. Through my speech, she noticed that my attitude / posture changed, depending on who I was talking to. When I talked to a person who respected herself and was respectful, I was respectful, but when I talked to a person who did not respect herself and was not respectful of others, my behavior was different. I thought about it a lot and went to research what the Bible said about respect. I found the above verse, which says that we must consider others superior to ourselves, that is, treat absolutely everyone with respect, listen to everyone and love each one of them. And that is totally related to the […]

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April 30, 2020·Léo

God is beside you!

It is extremely important to understand that the Lord is on our side, regardless of the situation! Do not walk ahead if the Lord is not ahead of you! I would like to bring a brief theme that touched my heart a lot! If you have also had a hard time understanding that the Lord is at your side or having a hard time staying in Christ, I think it’s important that we talk about it! Come with us! What happened? During the past three weeks I confess that I was distant from God! I was trying to do things by my own strength, without letting God take over. Furthermore, I did most of them for myself and not to please and glorify God! There came a moment that was sunk in myself. I didn’t understand what was going on, where I was supposed to go and what I was supposed to do! Why? Because I was trying to take everything in my hands and do more than I should, doing things that God showed me not to do and worst of all: I thought I was doing God’s will and doing things to please Him, when in fact, I […]

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