JFA Blog

Reflections, studies and news for your walk with God.

November 26, 2021·Nicole Leão

Beware of outsourcing the faith!

“21 but test them all; hold on to what is good, 22 reject every kind of evil. 23 May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ“. – 1 Thessalonians 5:21-23 Living in fellowship is of such importance, but outsourcing faith is problematic. What do I mean by this? There are those who only read the Bible in church, who only seek to learn from God’s word on Sunday in the service, and here we come to an important question: how autonomous is this person in the faith? None, this is the same person who also outsources prayer. Of course I am not saying that you should not ask for prayer, advice or direction from someone with greater maturity in the faith, it is very important to have people to instruct us in the right way, to counsel and to pray for us. However, that doesn’t mean that this person’s prayer has greater power than yours, you have access to the same God as your brother, the God who created the world and knows you like the back of […]

faith word-of-god

November 24, 2021·Nicole Leão

Prayer: A refuge for every moment!

There is a refuge for every moment, the presence of God, and today we will pray to find peace in the arms of the One who is peace itself. These days in my devotional I found the passage from Proverbs 14, verse 32, where it is written: “The wicked is destroyed for his wickedness, but the righteous finds refuge even in the hour of death. When I read this passage I received a priceless peace in my heart, knowing that even in the moment of greatest pain for some, God is still there with us, as our perfect refuge. I leave here a passage especially for you today: “I am the Lord who searches the heart and examines the mind, to reward each one according to his conduct, according to his works. “ Jeremiah 17:10 Remembering that you don’t have to repeat the prayer exactly as I’m going to leave it here, not least because each of us has a specific way of communicating with the Lord. But if you want to follow along, it will be a pleasure, feel free to speak it in your own way. Prayer Beloved God, you are my refuge, savior, comforter, and safe harbor. […]

prayer

November 23, 2021·Nicole Leão

The righteous find refuge even in death

When calamity comes, the wicked are brought down, but even in death the righteous seek refuge in God. – Pv. 14:32 The title chosen for this text is a passage from Proverbs 14, verse 32. I really like this book of the Bible, it was even the first one I read in its entirety when I was younger, and every time I read it I learn something new, in it the Word of the Lord comes to meet our hearts with truths that may seem obvious, but that we easily forget. A relief for the soul These days in my devotional time I came across this passage again and what a balm it brought me. I am not sick and even less do I know when I will die, but if I have sought to walk in righteousness and justice, and my Lord will give me refuge even in the hour of my death, what will I say now that I am alive and full of steam. I was in a challenging phase, with the submission of my thesis in college and many things happening around me, it even seemed that 24 hours were not enough. However, as I read […]

devotional word-of-god

November 19, 2021·Nicole Leão

Prayer: Don’t let the enemy deceive you!

You are precious! Repeat… you are precious! So don’t let the enemy fool you, your life is worth a lot and for it a high price was paid on the cross, that you and I might have salvation. I know that life doesn’t always go well and that sometimes nothing seems to have a solution, but I want to tell you today that if you are here it is because God has a purpose for your life and that you will still sing the hymn of victory, because we are already more than victorious in Christ. You see, depression sneaks into the lives of many, and this is usually through the mind. When someone is in this situation, everything may seem fine on the outside, but still the depressed person feels miserable, with thoughts and feelings of anguish. Use the word of God as your child, for it alone is a sure parameter of what is truth. This is because only the one who created you can declare the right way you should function! I leave here a passage especially for you today: For according to the inward man I delight in the law of God; But I see another […]

prayer

November 17, 2021·Nicole Leão

Don’t let the enemy fool you, you are precious

Today I want to talk about a theme that may be a little polemic for some, but is certainly necessary in view of the adversities experienced in recent years worldwide, and that is depression. Depression sneaks into the lives of many and this happens, in general, through the mind. When someone finds himself in this situation, everything may seem fine on the outside, but even so the depressed person feels miserable, with thoughts and feelings of anguish. When we meet Christ as our savior, our spirit is renewed, but our mind is still in the process of transformation and there is a dispute between the “mind prompted by the flesh” and the “mind inspired by the spirit.” But we can choose which mind to operate in. That is, to listen to the lies of the enemy or to the truth of God’s Word. How to identify lies of the enemy? God’s word tells us that the enemy comes to steal, kill, and destroy, while Christ came that we might have life and in abundance. So, one can see that thoughts that steal your future with: “you will never amount to anything”, “your life will not get better”, “you should not […]

devotional word-of-god

November 16, 2021·Nicole Leão

Prayer: I will not procrastinate

In the last few texts we talked about procrastinating, what the behavior of a procrastinator is, what conduct God expects from his servants, and how to overcome this problem that seems to harm so many these days. Today to complement the study, I want to pray for you and for me, and for everyone who has ever faced this difficulty, after all, we all have our days. So come with me and prostrate yourself before the Father, asking for His help and recognizing that our strength comes from Him! I leave here a passage especially for you today: Everything has its appointed time, and there is a time for every purpose under heaven. There is a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to throw down, and a time to build; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to scatter stones, and a time to gather stones; A time to embrace, and a time to withdraw from embracing; A time to […]

prayer

November 12, 2021·Nicole Leão

How to acquire good habits and stop procrastinating?

Today we are in the last day of our study about procrastination, and we couldn’t finish without talking about how to acquire good habits and speaking of good habits, there is a servant of God who was a pioneer in this, Daniel. As a great man of faith, he knew that having healthy habits was fundamental to his relationship with the Most High, so come check out how to acquire healthy habits and stop procrastinating with a great example! Daniel, a holy man in the midst of gluttony Daniel was still young when, among the Israelites taken captive to Babylon, he was selected to serve in the king’s court. Certainly, in that environment where he was, he suffered many temptations. However, in each moment he sought sanctification, tried to live according to God’s will, and acquired good habits, remembering that these make us leave procrastination behind. In Daniel 1:5-7, it is written: “From his own table, the king assigned them a daily portion of food and wine. They would receive training for three years, and after that they would go on to serve the king. Among these were some who came from Judah: Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. The chief […]

devotional word-of-god

November 10, 2021·Nicole Leão

Procrastination and priorities

Today we are on our second day of the “3 days to get out of procrastination” series, on the first day we reflected on how being anxious and thinking about the whole paralyzes and today we will look for a solution to that. Let’s see, if being anxious and thinking about the whole paralyzes, then we need to deal with one goal or need at a time, but where to start? What are your priorities? Do you know what your priorities are? Here is the first step, ask the Lord for wisdom to define what you have the most urgency to accomplish and put it on paper, organizing and visualizing your tasks can help you a lot. Another point is: have goals that are feasible, specific, and easy. What does this mean? Well, feasible is something achievable, something that can be done, specific is something measurable, concrete and objective, and easy is to turn a certain activity into its easiest possible version. Let’s take some examples… for someone who is not used to running, participating in a marathon is not at all feasible. Working out may be too generic and distant a goal. Walking for two hours may be too […]

devotional word-of-god

November 08, 2021·Nicole Leão

3 days to get out of procrastination

We wake up, what do we do? We grab our cell phone and there goes our start of the day, but it’s time to give it a rest, so join me in a 3 day study to get out of procrastination. I’m sure you’ve felt like you needed more time in the day, that 24 hours seemed too little, but you know our God gave us the exact time we need, what happens is that many times we don’t manage it wisely. Procrastination and inconstancy These two words are well related, procrastination and inconstancy, you want to accomplish your tasks and one day you do, but the next day… then you don’t feel the same spirit as the day before and you do much less than you need to. This is the inconstancy generated by procrastination. You feel paralyzed with a lot of things to do. You feel that life is moving forward relentlessly while you are pushing it along. Your plans seem too big to carry out, so you’d rather put them off until later, when you’re more “relaxed”, but you know what? There is no perfect time to start, in this life we will have troubles and if […]

biblical-study devotional

November 05, 2021·Nicole Leão

Prayer: Guidance for sentimental life!

Are you looking for direction in your emotional life? Then there is no better person to direct you than our good God. He knows what is best for us, what we need, and at what time we need it, so before we seek anyone else we must first seek our Father and He will direct us. It is in a daily relationship with our Father, that we find our identity and emotional security. Secure people have secure relationships, and this security is in God, for we are His children, and this is the true source of happiness. Remember that a boyfriend, husband or wife will never be able to satisfy you completely. Another thing is to look for someone with real values, remember that beauty is fleeting! Of course physical attraction is important in a life together. But don’t let someone’s physical beauty stop you from looking inside and looking for qualities that will make a difference in the long run. Today I want to pray with you that God will give you direction in your love life. That you may find someone with good values, who seeks to please the Lord. I leave here a passage especially for you […]

prayer

November 03, 2021·Nicole Leão

What do you need for a relationship?

Yes, this is a text for singles. But don’t panic! Don’t leave yet. Because if you are dating or married, you can send this blog post to someone. Of course, I don’t have a perfect marriage. After all, how could a relationship be if it is made up of two imperfect people. But if someone were to ask me for advice regarding this subject, I would pass along some that are listed below. #1 – Before looking for a boyfriend/girlfriend, look for a relationship with God Only God can complete you, heal you, and give meaning to your life. After all, who better than your Creator to reveal the purposes for which you came into the world? He knows all the precious things deposited in your life (skills, gifts, talents, characteristics, sensitivity to specific issues/things) because He is the one who put them all in you. And He knows exactly why you are the way you are. And if you think you have no value or qualities, you are very wrong! You were made in God’s image (Gen. 1.27) and everything He does is good (Gen. 1.31). You are a beloved child of the Lord (1 Jn. 3:1) and you […]

devotional love-of-god

October 29, 2021·Nicole Leão

Prayer: How to live in harmony?

How to live in harmony when we feel we are failing so badly? This has been our topic of study for the past few days after all, we are sinners struggling against our own flesh and against the evil that is in this world. But there is a way to live in harmony and it involves three blessed words that we have studied, the first is love, the second is forgiveness and the third is patience. The Bible teaches us to live in harmony by putting on these three acts, the first of which is the most important and determines the fulfillment of the other two, for as it is written in Colossians 3:14, love is the perfect bond. Today, to close our reflection with a golden key, I want to pray with you that we will live a life of harmony and that we will be renewed in Christ, filled with the fruit of the Spirit. I leave here some passages especially for you today: Put on therefore, as God’s elect, holy and beloved, a heart of mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, longsuffering; Bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; as Christ […]

prayer

October 29, 2021·Nicole Leão

How to live in harmony?

How to live in harmony when we feel we are failing so badly? After all, we are sinners struggling against our own flesh and against the evil that is in this world. But there is a way to live in harmony, and it involves three blessed words: the first is love, the second is forgiveness, and the third is patience. The Bible teaches us to live in harmony by putting on these three acts, the first of which is the most important and determines the fulfillment of the other two, for as it is written in Colossians 3:14, love is the perfect bond. On Friday we talked about forgiveness, and today, in our last day of this series, we will delve a little deeper into a virtue that we have been lacking: Patience. Patience is a fruit of the Spirit to be perfected 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Galatians 5:22 No one is born patient, and this is clear to those who live with children. Who hasn’t asked when they were little on a road trip: “Are we there yet?”, or when they went to the doctors they were worried about […]

devotional

October 27, 2021·Nicole Leão

How to live in harmony?

How to live in harmony when we feel we are failing so badly? After all, we are sinners struggling against our own flesh and against the evil that is in this world. But there is a way to live in harmony and it involves three blessed words: the first is love, the second is forgiveness, and the third is patience. The Bible teaches us to live in harmony by putting on these three acts, the first of which is the most important and determines the fulfillment of the other two, for as it is written in Colossians 3:14, love is the perfect bond. On Wednesday we talked about love, and today we will deepen a little on a not easy but necessary theme, forgiveness, after all without it it is impossible to have harmony. Forgive 70 times 7 Then Peter came to him and said, “Lord, how many times shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times? Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times; but up to seventy times seven. Matthew 18:21,22 Are you willing to forgive 70 times 7? By ourselves this would be impossible, for […]

devotional word-of-god

October 25, 2021·Nicole Leão

How to live in harmony?

How to live in harmony when we feel we are failing so badly? After all, we are sinners struggling against our own flesh and against the evil that is in this world. But there is a way to live in harmony and it involves three blessed words, the first is love, the second is forgiveness, and the third is patience. The Bible teaches us to live in harmony by putting on these three acts, the first of which is the most important and determines the fulfillment of the other two, for as it is written in Colossians 3:14, love is the perfect bond. And in the next few days we will delve a little deeper into each of these acts, starting today with LOVE. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love This is one of the best known passages in the Bible, 1 John 4:8, but if only it were the most understood, it perfectly sums up the nature of our creator, that He is love, and what does that mean? Well, in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 we find the definition of love: love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does […]

devotional follow-jesus love-your-neighbor

October 18, 2021·Nicole Leão

Prayer: Going through trials with faith!

Today we will pray for a theme recently written here on the blog… as it is known, in this world we will have afflictions, as Jesus said in John 16:33, but in the same verse He also says: “but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world”. How good it is to know that our King has already conquered all the evil that we could face, isn’t it? Sometimes it seems that we will not be able to cope, as I told some of my testimonies, but it happens that in Christ we are strengthened, we find shelter, salvation, healing, care, and much more when we believe that there is no way out, but He is the solution, He sends resources and people from where we never imagined He would come. So today let’s pray together for the strengthening of our faith and for His provision in the midst of all the trials we are going through! Here are some passages especially for you today: 3 Not only so, but we[a] also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not put us to shame, because […]

prayer uncategorized-en

October 18, 2021·Nicole Leão

God takes care of the sick!

Today I will begin this text by telling you that God holds our hand at all times, but especially when there is no one around. This weekend I had my four wisdom teeth removed and what an agony this surgery was, as soon as I arrived at the clinic I found out that nobody could enter the room with me, which was a torment to me at first. As I spent a lot of time in the hospital in my childhood, I used to get very nervous when I saw a needle. So there I found myself, in an operating chair, with three dentists surrounding me, putting a cloth to protect my face during the surgery, and then they started to administer the local anesthesia, with a needle that for those who don’t feel very comfortable, looks twice the size it really is. I was scared, feeling alone and uncomfortable, but then I remembered that I was not alone and that my Lord is the doctor of doctors. It was a 3 hour surgery and during this time I prayed from beginning to end, which kept me firm and strong in that chair, because I would have stopped at the […]

devotional uncategorized-en

October 15, 2021·Nicole Leão

Prayer: Based on Colossians 3

Today we are going to pray based on Colossians 3, a text that carries very special teachings and values for our lives, among them the need to mortify our flesh, ridding ourselves of fornication, impurity, inordinate affection, vile concupiscence, and greed, which is idolatry. 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 seek the things above, to think about what comes from above. I ask for help to put to death my earthly nature, namely impurity, lustful passions, evil desires, and greed. I know that my sinful nature drives me away from You, and I ask forgiveness for my sins. Pluck from me all the anger, indignation, malice, slander, and foul language that may be in my speech. Forgive me for the lies I have told in the course of my life, for I know that You are a God of truth, that I may walk according to Your […]

prayer

October 13, 2021·Nicole Leão

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart

Today I want to bring here on the blog a story that is to fill our hearts with emotion and happiness. This weekend I had the opportunity to meet Anderson Novais, his wife and their little boy, a blessed family full of faith. Now you may be wondering, who is this young man and why was this an opportunity, and for this I will tell you how my family met him. But first, I ask you: are you faithful in little? A servant at the traffic light Last week my mother was taking my cousin to an appointment when the traffic light closed, and they were surprised to see a young man with a neat beard, suit and tie, selling candy at the traffic light. An unpredictable scene in the city of São Paulo, where we are usually approached by beggars and small children who should be at school. The young man approaches the car, very politely offers the candy he is selling and hands over a card with his phone number, Instagram, and professional information, such as the college he is attending. My mother is intrigued by the scene, praises his posture and asks why he is so dressed […]

devotional love-of-god love-your-neighbor

October 11, 2021·Nicole Leão

The Children of Today

Building Alliances In one of our schools, we made a street with a round-trip track that surrounds some of those big plastic toys. For a parent meeting, I was visiting this unit in the evening and came across some beautiful (and well made) parked cars and trucks, neatly made out of cardboard by the parents of the small students, for a traffic education activity that would take place the next day. At the moment I thought of the pleasure and joy that both parents and children were feeling: one making the cars and the other playing and learning with something made by their parents. Seeing that, I remembered that a little over 20 years ago I was unemployed and had no money to buy presents for my twin sons…I had no doubts: I got some cardboard and Styrofoam…I took the two tricycles they had and turned them into two beautiful airplanes, with wings and tails. On the street at home (where no cars go) I drew a runway on the ground and we played all afternoon. This is how I see commemorative dates as Children’s Day (in Brazil, October 12nd): a great opportunity to celebrate the fact that we have […]

devotional

October 08, 2021·Nicole Leão

Prayer: Understanding your value as a child of God!

Today we are going to pray for something that can be so basic, but is sometimes so forgotten by us, the value that we have as children of God. We are more valuable than birds to Him, but sometimes we put ourselves in the condition of being forgotten by the Lord, we believe that He is not looking after us and seeing our pains, but do you know what? He is, He sees your pain, He knows your needs and as a loving Father will satisfy them when the time is right! I leave here a passage especially for you today: “No one can serve two masters; for he will hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and Money.” “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your own lives, as to what to eat or drink; nor about your own bodies, as to what to wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air: they do not sow or reap or store in barns, yet their heavenly Father feeds them. Are […]

prayer

October 06, 2021·Nicole Leão

Are you not more valuable than the birds of the air?

On a Wednesday I wake up more than calm, enjoying all the peace that those who believe in God should enjoy, until I get to the living room and my mother is making bills with a very worried face, I ask her what happened and she answers me: “I wanted to do so many things, but this month will be tight, we won’t be able to buy the water filter I wanted, or clothes for your brother. Let’s see, it’s not that we wouldn’t be able to pay the bills we had, but that we wouldn’t be able to buy these necessary things, but they could wait a little longer or be bought in other stores than the ones she wanted. My brother is at the peak of his growth, in puberty, so he won’t stop growing any time soon and soon he would have to buy clothes again, so the better brand clothes she wanted wouldn’t fit for long and he would soon lose them. The same with the water filter, ours had broken down and we thought about buying a better one that we have wanted for a long time, but the better one is not only better, […]

biblical-study

October 04, 2021·Nicole Leão

Going through trials with faith

In this world you will have tribulations… Jesus said it in John 16:33, but in the same verse He says: “But be of good cheer, I have overcome the world. Everyone who is alive has faced difficulty, because we live in a world fallen by sin, all humanity suffers, trials and difficulties arise in our lives, we do everything in our power to literally get rid of these bad ones, including asking God to deliver us from this adversity faced. 3 Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. Romans 5:3-5 This is totally understandable, we don’t want to suffer, we all seek a full life, free from instabilities. However, there are so many things that God wants to do in us and through us through the trials we face. Of course, far be it from me to romanticize trials, and I say this with the short but intense experience on this earth of someone who […]

faith word-of-god

October 01, 2021·Nicole Leão

Prayer: I am a beloved child!

Last week we talked a little bit about favoritism and God being things that don’t go together, our Father is just and loves his children equally, and then maybe you ask yourself: why does my brother have this or that, or is better off than me? Does God love the other more than He loves me? These seemingly harmless questions are doubts planted by the enemy in our minds and hearts, and we can’t let them take root, because soon we will be far from the glory of God, feeling unjust, and that our Father gave his only begotten Son to die for us all. So counter such lies with a single truth: you are a beloved child! God is no respecter of persons, He loves all His children equally, but each one chooses whether to live in this love. Each one chooses his or her own way, our Father has given us freedom, we have the right to choose to walk by His side in an upright way or not. The Gospel is not easy, for it demands surrender. Everything is achieved through effort and sacrifice. It is difficult to live like this in a world where everything seems […]

prayer