JFA Blog

Reflections, studies and news for your walk with God.

December 10, 2021·Nicole Leão

Prayer: direction for the next steps!

We are approaching the end of the year, a time when everyone starts to make their plans for the coming year, even those who are not used to planning things have something in their heart that they would like to accomplish ahead. Some want to improve their studies, others plan to start a family, or long for new opportunities. In short, there is always a goal, but they are of no use if we don’t have direction from God. Our Father knows the best path to follow, where we should invest our time and effort. So today I want to pray with you that God will give us direction on where to follow and how to follow. I leave here a passage especially for you today: Consecrate to the Lord all that you do, and your plans will succeed. Proverbs 16:3 Many are the plans in the heart of man, but what prevails is the purpose of the Lord. Proverbs 19:21 Well-laid plans lead to plenty; but the hasty always end in misery. Proverbs 21:5 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 […]

prayer

December 08, 2021·Nicole Leão

What is the importance of the Bible?

What would Christianity be without the word of its master? About 3.9 billion copies of the Bible have been spread around the world, and it has been translated into more than 3,000 languages and dialects. Throughout the ages, countless people have written to highlight the meaning of Scripture, I mean, to bring understanding about the word, but still what the Bible tells us about itself is all that matters. God’s own word Some writers have called the Bible God’s love letter to us. Others have described it as being a manual for life, but more than that, it is God’s revelation to us (John 1:1-5). Scripture is God’s Word to mankind. It is inspired by God, which means that every word and part of the manuscript comes from God: “For all Holy Scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching the truth, condemning error, correcting faults and teaching the right way of life. And this so that the servant of God may be thoroughly prepared and ready to do all kinds of good deeds,” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). The Bible is also inerrant, meaning that every word in every part of its original, handwritten stage is without error (2 […]

bible word-of-god

December 06, 2021·Nicole Leão

Prayer for our Families!

Today is the national family day here in Brazil and thinking about that today we will pray for our homes, for our families. As I wrote in the last text, family is a precious gift given by God to us and the greatest gift that we can give to our family is our time. We are in a time of festivities where many worries about giving expensive gifts, but think: our savior, Jesus, was the one who gave the most gifts and do you know what? He didn’t give gold or silver, but he served, giving all the attention to those who crossed his path and even giving His life for us. So, just like our Lord, may we know how to value the time with our family! I leave here two passages especially for you today: The crown of old men is their children’s children; and the glory of children is their fathers. – Proverbs 17:6 Then his brothers and his mother came and, standing outside, sent for him. And the multitude was sitting about him, and they said to him: Behold, thy mother and thy brethren seek thee, and are without. And he answered them, saying, Who is […]

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December 03, 2021·Nicole Leão

Family: God’s project in risk

We have arrived at that time of the year when much thought is given to the family, when people get together for festivities, are more willing to forgive, and love is a much talked about topic. And today I will bring a reflection on where our real attention should be focused: the family. How is your relationship with your family? Many times, caught up in our own thoughts and tasks, we end up leaving those we live with in second place. Yesterday I even watched a very interesting movie called “Christmas in 8 Bites”, which is exactly about this. The story begins with the daughter really wanting a Christmas present, so her father decides to tell her how he got the video game he wanted so much when he was a child, but his parents could not give him. I beg your pardon, but in this text I will tell you the ending… so the father follows an hour of film telling an involving story about the miraculous plans made by him and his friends. His daughter gets very excited thinking that at some point will come time for the father then get the long-dreamed-of gift, as well as the […]

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December 01, 2021·Gabriela Angerami

Is there a right person for you?

Does the chosen one exist? Perhaps you yourself have already gone to ask for advice on the sentimental area and heard different opinions on the subject. But what I want to share here are some practical tips to look for when choosing someone to share your life with, because there are characteristics and correct attitudes, according to the Word of God. If you are already married, please share this text with someone who is single. #1 Choose someone who truly loves JESUS It sounds cliché, but I decided to go with this tip because the truth is that no one is perfect, but if the person you date truly loves Jesus, he will be in a constant process of sanctification and improvement. If the Gospel is true and real in someone’s life, it always produces transformation. Someone who submits to the discipleship of Christ, will always proceed to a teachable, humble heart that seeks to do the Father’s will. This one would be in my opinion the best match! Look at what Ap. Paulo writes in his letter to the Philippians in relation to the constant growth we have through Jesus: And this is my prayer: that your love may abound […]

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November 30, 2021·Nicole Leão

Prayer: Entering into God’s presence with intimacy!

This week we’ve already talked about outsourcing faith and the importance of breaking through the spiritual and mental barriers imposed by the enemy to keep us from God. Today I want to pray with you specifically for forgiveness from the Lord for our sins that keep us from Him and to break down all the barriers that have kept us from coming into His presence with intimacy. I leave here a passage especially for you today: “Examine everything. Hold fast what is good. Abstain from every appearance of evil. And may the God of peace Himself sanctify you in all things, and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be kept completely blameless for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ”. – 1 Thessalonians 5:21-23 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 giving Your Son to die for me on the cross for my sins, so great is […]

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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 […]

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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. […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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