JFA Blog

Reflections, studies and news for your walk with God.

May 24, 2021·Nicole Leao

We are adopted by God

You may be thinking: What do you mean adopted by God? Well, adopted by God are those who have been redeemed from their sins by the work of Jesus Christ. These are those regenerated by the Holy Spirit and justified by God through the merits of Christ. Those declared righteous by God are also adopted by Him as sons, members of His heavenly family. In Romans 8:13-17, the apostle Paul writes that believers have received the spirit of worship, and are now led by the Spirit of God. This means that it is the Holy Spirit who bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God. But isn’t everyone already a child of God first? Having asked this question, I want to bring the reflection that, in fact, fallen man is a “child of wrath” due to his sinful state (Ephesians 2:3). Therefore, not everyone is adopted by the Lord, of course these people can be used, because when God wants to act, He uses people and situations. He has used even a donkey in the Bible. But to be adopted we must first recognize our salvation in Christ Jesus. (Matthew 13:38; John 8:44; Acts 13:10; 1 John […]

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May 21, 2021·Nicole Leao

The importance of self-evaluation

To talk about this subject, I will tell you a story, a little naive and jovial, but a good example. Well, one day a young woman decided to watch a video about the ten most common makeup mistakes. Always very vain, she used to wear make-up to go out with friends and to church. She liked the subject and felt confident about it. Until one day she decided to watch a video about the ten most common makeup mistakes. After watching the whole video she realized that she had made some mistakes, and that there was much room for improvement. And what happened to this girl? No one looked at her and pointed out the mistakes she was making in her makeup. She had no direct contact with the instructor, she was not evaluated directly by her. So how did she discover that she needed to change? Through self-evaluation! Analyzing the examples given by the instructor in the video, the girl did a self-examination and realized her mistakes and successes. Learning from Jesus Jesus often promoted moments of self-evaluation to his apprentices. He led them to reflect on their own behavior, thoughts, feelings, beliefs, and values, through questions, parables, illustrations, […]

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May 19, 2021·Nicole Leao

God has the power to transform any situation!

Did you know that God has the power to remove from your life everything that limits you and fill it with positive feelings and company, which make you want to evolve and be a better person every day? He can transform our hearts and present a new world, but for that we need to believe and trust this promise. When we trust the Most High, we need not fear any evil, because He will always place us exactly where we need to be to achieve our happiness. God is the master of twists and turns, He knows all the ways, and He is powerful enough to turn all sadness into shouts of victory. But for this we also need to be willing to change our attitudes and allow Him to be in charge of our lives. Allowing some feelings and people to let go, even if it hurts, because God knows better than we do what will bring true joy. And how to do this? The first path to transformation for those who do not yet believe in a single savior, is to accept Jesus Christ. From then on, a whole change will begin in your life. But if you […]

devotional

May 17, 2021·Nicole Leao

Prayer: We can always improve!

Even those who are meek and righteous need to constantly evaluate themselves. We cannot settle for the progress we make in the spiritual life. Even if you consider yourself more meek or righteous than others, the Lord still warns us to examine our hearts, not least because we are all sinners and should seek to grow further according to God’s standards and not our own. So today we will pray for transformation and change of behavior. I leave here a passage especially for you today: Let no one be deceived: if anyone among you considers himself wise according to the standards of this time of ours, then it is better to become foolish in order to attain wisdom. 1 Corinthians 3:18 Remembering that you don’t have to repeat the prayer exactly as I’m 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 thank you for your undeserved love and because even though I am only a flawed person, you still stretch out your hand over […]

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May 14, 2021·Nicole Leao

Prayer: Destroying False Fortresses

Throughout life we can build walls around us believing that they are there to protect us, but in fact they are only keeping us from everything and everyone. Even many times they are just lies invented by us or thrown up by the enemy to keep us from living the supernatural things God has set aside for us. So today I want to pray with you to destroy these strongholds, freeing yourself to live a new time in your life. I leave here a passage especially for you today: Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the Kingdom and healing all sickness and disease among the people. News about him spread throughout Syria, and the people brought to him all who were suffering from various ailments and torments: demon-possessed, madmen, and paralytics; and he healed them. Matthew 4:23-24 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, […]

prayer

May 12, 2021·Nicole Leao

What does the Bible say about jealousy?

This week I wrote a prayer on the subject here on the blog and it was remarkable that there are many people dealing with this very bad feeling. So in today’s text we will better understand what it is to feel jealousy, how it arises, and what the Bible says about it. To feel jealousy, in and of itself, is not a sign of sin or a problem. The word jealousy originates from the Latin zelúmen or, again, from the Greek zelosus. Its origins are related to the word zelos, which means fervor, heat, ardor, or intense desire. And the apostle Paul, in his first epistle to the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 13:4), says that “love does not burn with jealousy. This jealousy spoken of in this passage is the Greek zelosus. Which can be both good and bad, in the good sense it can mean a “zealous care” that seeks the good, protection, welcome, integrity and happiness of the other person. God Himself expresses His zeal and care for those He has created, saying, “You shall have no other gods before Me. For I am a jealous God” (Exodus 20:3,5). But unfortunately we live in a world corrupted by sin, […]

love-your-neighbor

May 10, 2021·Nicole Leao

Prayer: Saying Goodbye to Jealousy!

Today I want to pray with you about an issue that I see afflicting many people and that can cause so many disagreements: jealousy. This is a difficult feeling to deal with, which takes people off their axis and can even become an obsession. Jealousy is not only related to the love relationship of a couple, so it can affect any relationship and cause damage that is difficult to repair. I leave here a passage especially for you today: Incline my heart to your statutes, and not to greed. Turn away my eyes from worthless things; make me live in the paths You have marked out. Psalm 119:36-37 Remember that you don’t have to repeat the prayer exactly as I’m going to leave it here, because each one 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 it in your own way. Prayer Beloved God, I thank you because I know that you love me so much that it is difficult to imagine such a love. I know that you take care of me and those around me, and for this I […]

prayer

May 06, 2021·Nicole Leao

What would be the world without mothers?

Total chaos! Mothers are essential to society, they have an arduous task of teaching, caring and loving. As such, they have a strong influence on their children and their love is incomparable. The characteristics of a good mother reinforce the woman’s structure as a whole, which is possible to notice even when she plays other roles as a professional or wife. I believe that being a mother is a tremendous profession, because with the day to day it is necessary to manage crises, to be a nurse, a teacher, a psychologist, a chef, an economist, and we could include in this list a series of other professions. My mother always used a very nice term to describe what motherhood is, which is to be a PhD in Human Development. In addition, many mothers, if not most nowadays, are included in the labor market, having to do a real multiplication of their time. We see so many mothers who don’t even have time for themselves and I’m not here to romanticize this, but just the opposite, as a daughter, I want to remind other children the importance of valuing their mothers not only on a business day, but all year round […]

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May 05, 2021·Nicole Leao

What is your certainty?

In a world of so many doubts and fears, what is your certainty? Or where is your confidence? It is not easy to face the day to day when we are not at all sure, after all, doubt generates a series of feelings in us that are not good, but when we carry well-founded truths with us, there is no more room for bad thoughts. Some trust in cars, others in horses… Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God. Psalm 20:7 We see many out there putting their trust, in money, men, power and positions. However, we know that all this is fickle, that is, fleeting. But fortunately those who have been justified by the blood of the lamb have salvation and can now put their trust in the only one who never failed and never will fail. As human beings, our mind is always making up lies for us and one of them is that we cannot trust the Most High, this is a horrible lie that the enemy uses to cause us lack of faith, which generates fear, frustration and other bad feelings. I have seen […]

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May 03, 2021·Nicole Leao

Prayer: For the sick

These days passing in front of a hospital I got shivers when I thought how many people were there fighting against an illness or worried about a relative in a bed and today I wanted to pray for the sick of the nations. The last few years have not been easy for many with the worldwide crisis caused by the coronavirus, but I have faith that everything will get better. So today I invite you to pray for those who are sick, either in hospital beds or in their own homes. I leave here a passage especially for you today: Prayer made with faith will heal the sick; the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. James 5:15 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, first of all I want to thank you for your love, because I know that you are God […]

love-your-neighbor prayer

April 26, 2021·Nicole Leao

Prayer: a well-resolved parenthood

When we are born, God who is our true Father, grants our parents here on earth the blessing and grace to care for that human being who still has so much to learn. However, these parents do not always fulfill the role given to them in the best way, for they are human beings and are bound to fail. There are parents who do their best to take care of their children and others who choose not to play this very important role. I don’t know what your reality is or how your parents were to you, but today I want to tell you that your True Father will never abandon you. He loved you even before you were in your mother’s womb, He raised you and knows you better than anyone else, He listened to all your nights of crying and will stand by you no matter what. I know that it is not easy to have an absent father, I also know the marks that this leaves and the time that these wounds take to heal, but this does not define who you are, because your true identity is in the Father who will never leave you. Today […]

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April 22, 2021·Nicole Leao

How to discover my purpose in God?

We, human beings, have the need to find answers for everything, because our Father made us intelligent beings capable of logical thinking. With this come questions about how we should live, what is our purpose in life, why we are here, and many others. Fortunately, we find answers to all of them in the Holy Scriptures and today we will understand a little better how to discover our purpose in God, after all, our Father has a purpose for the life of each of His children. Why are we here? For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. Colossians 1:16 No one is born by chance, we are here with a mission, and because the breath of life has blown upon us. With that I want to start by telling you that if anyone ever said that you were not worth it or that you should not exist, this is a lie. Such a person allowed himself to be used by the enemy to discourage you. The perfect creative God who created you would […]

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April 19, 2021·Nicole Leao

Prayer: No more injustice!

Unfair situations can happen to us, and when we are hit by them, we usually feel weak and powerless. We may even feel anger and many other unpleasant feelings, which do us no good at all. But I would like to tell you that our Father is a just Judge, and although man’s justice is flawed, His is not. And today we will pray that the righteousness of God will reign over our lives and that His kingdom will be exalted, recognized and glorified. Before that, I leave here a passage especially for you today: Whoever sows injustice reaps calamity,and the rod they wield in fury will be broken. Proverbs 22:8 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 thank you for being my savior, for being a just God who always watches over me. I thank you because you do everything perfectly. Today I want to pray that there will […]

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April 14, 2021·Nicole Leao

The power of intercession

As you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many. 2 Corinthians 1:1-11 We are living a moment in which intercession is so necessary, with a health crisis that directly affects the economy, causing besides deaths, unemployment, and so many evils to society. It is at this moment that we think there is nothing more to be done, we see no way out, and the only desire we have is to disappear until everything is over. However, we have what to do, we are children of God, called to freedom and to be light in a world of darkness. Now you may be asking yourself: “but what is within my power?”, and I answer you that you have a powerful weapon against all that is attacking the world, prayer, and more than that, prayer with the intentionality to intercede. So often our prayers can be shallow and selfish, focused only on ourselves, sometimes not even seeking what God wants for us, but almost begging for our own will to be done instead of the will of the Most High. But it is […]

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April 07, 2021·Nicole Leao

And when the spiritual discouragement hits?

Let’s admit that we are not always excited, sometimes we feel tired and sad. But then, instead of seeking our Lord, the more we turn away from Him and everything that involves His kingdom, that is, the church, ministries, and so many other important areas of our lives. I believe that many of us have been through this and no matter how hard we try to get out it seems so difficult. But enough of the discouragement, the weakness and the sadness! Today we will meditate on what the Bible tells us about this spiritual evil that can afflict any of us. Elijah in the cave The great prophet Elijah in 1 Kings 19, even after witnessing the Lord’s great deeds, went through a period of profound discouragement. He was afraid because Queen Jezebel had threatened to kill him, felt lonely for being God’s only prophet and was disappointed with the people of Israel, who had broken their covenant with the Lord. In verse 4 of chapter 19, Elijah wishes for his own death and asks God to take his life. However, the Angel of the Lord goes to Elijah and gives him something to eat and drink (1 Kings […]

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April 05, 2021·Nicole Leao

Prayer: Jesus, exchange my burden for yours

Today I want to pray for the theme of the last theme presented here on the blog, we will pray that Jesus will exchange our burden for His, which as it is written in Matthew 11:28-30, is soft and light. How often do we not fill ourselves with things to do and forget what we should really be doing for God’s honor and glory. Your work is an important area of your life, as well your family, church, friendship and so many others. Well, today we will pray that in all these areas our Lord will show us how we should act. I leave here a passage especially for you today: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30 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 […]

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March 31, 2021·Nicole Leao

The greatest act of love in all history

We have arrived in April and we find ourselves on the eve of Easter, a date so important to us in which we commemorate the greatest act of love in all history. I was thinking throughout this week about how people celebrate this milestone. I believe that many families have the habit of getting together and having a special lunch, in the case of Christians, we go to church and we also have a special service, we eat in memory of the sacrifice of our Lord. Despite this, I feel that Easter does not get the same attention as, for example, Christmas for many people. I believe that this happens because of the commercialization of this date, society has made this period extremely commercial, with the famous Easter eggs (which every year get more expensive) and bunnies. I know that at Christmas we also have symbols and man-made traditions, but especially at Easter I see this directly affecting children who are still learning about the word of God. So today I want to bring here the real story of Easter. The first Easter This year everyone will celebrate this moment with their families in seclusion, due to the Pandemic and […]

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March 29, 2021·Nicole Leao

Prayer: Remembering the sacrifice on the cross

We are approaching Easter, such an important date for us Christians, where our Savior died for us on the cross, freeing us from the bonds of sin. And today I want to pray that we will never forget what our savior did for us, giving his life so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. I also leave here a passage especially for you today: 25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; 26 and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?” John 11:25-26 Remember that you don’t have to repeat the prayer exactly as I will leave it here, because each one 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 in your own way. Prayer Dear God, I thank you for giving up your only Son to die for me on the Cross. I thank you because you had mercy on me, even with my faults and sins. I thank you for your infinite love […]

prayer

March 24, 2021·Nicole Leao

How do you deal with your feelings?

So many feelings are capable of dominating us throughout life, fear, envy, anger, anxiety, sadness, jealousy, love, courage, and so many others. Sometimes we act driven by anger, sometimes by gentleness and calm. Who has never been anxious, worried or anguished? Fortunately, once in a while we become joyful and happy, even infecting those around us. Feelings can be intense, and we don’t always feel we have power over them. There are many kinds of feelings, good, bad and those that we cannot define. But in the Bible we find examples and answers to deal with each one of them. The Bible and feelings David was often overcome by loneliness during the time he lived in hiding from Saul, but he also had moments of intense joy, such as when the ark of the covenant arrived in Jerusalem. Gideon was first afraid in the face of his challenges, but later showed courage. Samson was overcome by passion. Elijah was depressed and sad when faced with the consequences of his call, but received an answer from God. Peter was ashamed, afraid and perplexed to see Jesus being arrested, but then became sad and bitter for denying Him. Well as we can […]

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March 22, 2021·Nicole Leao

Prayer: May the wall fall!

Today I want to pray with you for the falling of the walls in our lives. Sometimes we may feel that we can’t go any further, that something is holding us back and this can discourage us. However, this is the time to gather our strength and keep going until the walls that are keeping us from going further fall down, and we can enjoy the peace and fullness of what our God has for us. We need to be prepared for the battles in fasting and prayer. So today I invite you to pray for the walls to fall to the ground. I also leave here a passage especially for you today: He will bring down your high fortified walls and lay them low;he will bring them down to the ground, to the very dust. Isaiah 25:12 Prayer Dear God, thank you for your protection, your love, and for being with me in the battle. Thank you for all that you have done for me, for the opportunities that I have had and for those that are to come. Today I pray to You, for I feel that there are walls in my way. I feel that there are aspects of […]

prayer

March 17, 2021·Nicole Leao

Where does your insomnia begin?

In peace, I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, Lord, make me dwell in safety. Psalms 4:8 Tick-tock, tick-tock, so the clock beats, one more hour passes and no sleep comes, we start to wonder why we are in such a situation, but not always accept the real reason, creating even unfounded reasons in our imagination. These days I found myself this way, almost time to wake up and sleep “didn’t come”, or rather, I was too restless to sleep, so I thought of a thousand things, I took some tea, tried to change position in bed, but nothing seemed to help. Until at a certain moment I realized that I was thinking for hours about the same subject and the same person, and that was when I realized the origin of such restlessness. In fact, my insomnia had a name and a reason, even though I was insisting that it was just lack of sleep. I was so stuck on that thought that I started to feel distressed and then I realized that the enemy was trying to attack my mind, because that way I would not have the disposition to do everything I needed to do the […]

word-of-god

March 15, 2021·Nicole Leao

Prayer: Saying goodbye to insomnia

These days I can’t sleep, and I was thinking about how many times we have insomnia and say we don’t understand why, and sometimes we just don’t want to admit that we are worried about a specific issue or that we need to solve something with someone. But we can’t always do what we need to do at that exact moment, or we don’t even know how to solve such a situation, so we need to give it into the Lord’s hands and let Him guide us to rest and then calmly know how to act on a certain matter. With this in mind, today I want to pray with you that we can together say goodbye to insomnia. I leave here a passage especially for you today: In peace I lie down and soon I fall asleep, for only you, Lord, make me live in safety. Psalms 4:8 Remember that you don’t have to repeat the prayer exactly as I’m going to leave it here, because each one 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 it in your own […]

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March 10, 2021·Nicole Leao

The Seasons of Life: Autumn

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot; Ecclesiastes 3:1,2 Today we will continue the series “The Seasons of Life”, where through 4 texts we will be led to reflect on the moments through which our lives are composed by making an analogy with the seasons of the year, thus being spring, summer, autumn and winter. Without a doubt, we can say that our life is full of different circumstances that are not always well defined as the seasons, sometimes spring is not only flowers and thinking about this I remembered a violin concerto by a very famous Italian composer named Antonio Vivaldi, entitled “The Four Seasons”. In his composition, through music he brings in different notes these nuances that exist within each season, just like life, but it is still possible to perceive that there is a cycle, a beginning, a middle, and an end. In the Bible we find numerous passages that speak exactly about this, the weather, and for our reflection we will talk about autumn. Autumn Be glad, people of […]

biblical-study word-of-god

March 08, 2021·Nicole Leao

Prayer: No more tears!

Crying can sometimes be good, but we know that it isn’t always… so many times we have a lump in our throat that doesn’t seem to go away, the world gets a little gray and everything seems worse than it really is. But lately I’ve learned something that has helped me a lot, and I believe it can help you too: when the world seems bad, be thankful for the good things. Once, when I was very young, my father taught me to look out the window. That is, to look out the window and see what was beautiful through it. Our eyes are sometimes so used to looking at everything in a negative way that we simply forget to look for what is good and brings peace. So I want to pray together with you for joy and that our window of the soul, the eyes, will be clean to look for what is good. I leave here a passage especially for you today: For your anger lasts only a moment; in your favor is life. Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning. Psalms 30:5 Remember that you don’t have to repeat the prayer […]

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