JFA Blog

Reflections, studies and news for your walk with God.

July 26, 2022·Ana Júlia Luiz

Everything for the Glory of God

“So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God.” 1 Corinthians 10:31 Our days are usually pretty full. We do thousands of tasks. We work, study, exercise, among many other activities. It happens that we often treat certain tasks, because they are not ministerial, as if they are unimportant and as if we don’t need to dedicate ourselves to them in the same way as we serve in our ministries. It is about everything we do From eating, to getting up or eating, we must do EVERYTHING for the Glory of God. It’s not an easy task, in fact, it’s a change of thinking about life that implies new habits. In praying before something, or thinking “I’m not doing this for myself, nor for people, but for the Lord”. It is about doing everything with excellence, as for the Lord and with love, so that we can manifest the Glory of God through each attitude, each smile or function performed, whether at work, when relating to our families or in our daily routines. I wanted to invite you to pray with me right now, asking that, through each of our attitudes, we […]

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July 21, 2022·Rapha Abreu

[Series: Identity] Do I have a calling?

Another point in our life, which makes up our identity, is our calling. But after all, what is this? How do I find my calling? Am I already doing something in the area of my calling? These are questions I’ve asked myself several times, out of curiosity or fear of making mistakes. But I want to talk more about this subject with you today, in our penultimate text in this series. We all have a calling We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith. If it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach. If it is to encourage, then give encouragement. If it is giving, then give generously. If it is to lead, do it diligently. If it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully. Romans 12:6-8 God has a plan for us since before we were born. He left a specific mission for each person in this world and invites us to act in a certain area. Our greatest and most important calling will always be to worship him above all else, but there is a vocational path that we can choose […]

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July 19, 2022·Ana Júlia Luiz

Prayer: Change the hearts

“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. I will place my Spirit within you and cause you to follow my statutes and carefully observe my ordinances.” Ezekiel 36:26-27 We have lived in times when hearts have hardened. Recently I was in the intercession room before a service and a brother started to pray saying “Forgive the ‘nos’ that you Lord will hear today”. I immediately remembered the passage at the beginning of the text, and I would like to pray with you about it, so that the hearts of stone become hearts of flesh. Remembering that you don’t have 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 a pleasure. Feel free to speak your own way. Prayer “Gracious God, we thank you for this day of life and the opportunity to be in Your presence. So many people have said “no” to You, have despised You. We cry out for a special […]

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July 14, 2022·Rapha Abreu

[Series: Identity] Our Heavenly Family

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

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July 12, 2022·Ana Júlia Luiz

What are you doing with what God has given you?

I would like to start by asking you a question: what have you been doing with the talents the Lord has given you? Maybe at that moment you’re thinking that He didn’t give you any talent, that you don’t have any gifts or anything like that. For a long time I looked at myself and thought, “Why did the Lord give me this talent? How can I serve Him with this?” But recently God taught me that He uses ALL the gifts and talents He gives us for His work. On our side, we just need to allow it. Talents are not just artistic Many times we really think that we don’t have a talent from the Lord, just because we don’t know how to sing, dance, or play an instrument. Most of the time we think that our aptitudes always need to be linked to the artistic side, but this is not always the case. Personally, I’ve tried everything. I took singing lessons, piano lessons, danced, acted, but none of it was really what God had planned for me. Sometimes we are so focused on what we think, that we don’t look at reality and slowly bury our true […]

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July 07, 2022·Rapha Abreu

[Series: Identity] What is your origin?

In the next 4 weeks I want to talk to you about “Identity”. When we are asked about our “origin”, we immediately think about our surname, our family, our country, our city, among other aspects linked to our birth. And we really get a lot of influence from the family that we have as “Guardians” in this world. Our father, mother, grandparents, uncles are people who teach us, accompany us and who we have as a reference in many areas of our lives. They are those from which we also receive a genetic inheritance and that have influenced how we are physically. From the DNA The dictionary brings as the meaning of “Identity” a set of characteristics that distinguish a person or thing and through which it is possible to individualize it. We carry a lot of our earthly family with us. Our first experiences in relationships are at home, with these people. The family identity is formed by different identities. What each person is individually makes up a part of what the others will also be. However, even though we have inherited many things from our family, each of us was designed by the hand of God. “For you […]

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July 05, 2022·Ana Júlia Luiz

You must bear fruit

As Christians, the greatest mission that Jesus left us is very clear: “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.“ Matthew 28:19-20 As we are called the Bride of Christ, we must BEGET spiritual children for the Kingdom of God. The Fiance I once heard a preacher saying the following phrase: “The Lord says He is not barren, but the bride has not entered the secret room.” Honestly, this sentence was something extremely striking in my walk with Jesus. Many times we stop bearing and we think that the Lord has stopped giving us the fruits, but that only happens because we don’t relate to the Bridegroom. We have such superficial relationships in our daily lives that we think this will be enough for the Lord, but it is not. We have to relate to Him daily. How can we be intimate with someone we don’t talk to? Or do we even know? Our relationship with the Father has […]

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June 30, 2022·Rapha Abreu

[Series: Miracles of Jesus] God multiplies what we give

Today, in our last text of the series “Miracles of Jesus”, I want to talk about the multiplication of loaves and fish. The passage in Mark 8 begins with Jesus speaking to the disciples about the great crowd that had not eaten for 3 days, asking them to have mercy on those hungry people. The logic of the miracle What is striking about this story is that it was described that there were about 4,000 men, without mentioning women or children. Considering one woman and one child for each man present, we can estimate about 12 thousand people present. When Jesus asks the disciples to feed that multitude, they ask in verse 4 where, in that desert place, they could get enough bread to feed so many people, and then Christ responds with a new question: “How many loaves do you have?” They answered, “Seven” and still find some small fish. Jesus took that little food the disciples had, gave thanks and asked them to start distributing it among the people. Would it make sense to start sharing just 7 loaves and a few small fish to feed a crowd? The confronting gospel Jesus has the power of heaven, He […]

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June 28, 2022·Ana Júlia Luiz

God has chosen the foolish things

We can often feel small and think that what we have to offer to God is little and insufficient. But remember that Lazarus received new life when he died, when he could no longer offer anything to God, it was at that moment when the Father resurrected him and acted on him. That’s what I want to talk to you about today, about how God will use the least likely, where you least expect it. Where there is no more path, in the valley of dry bones, God forms flesh, sinew and new life! Pouring wisdom in place of misinformation and giving a clean look in place of blurred vision. He chooses the despised “Instead, God has chosen what is foolish in the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen what is weak in the world to shame the strong. God has chosen what is insignificant and despised in the world — what is viewed as nothing — to bring to nothing what is viewed as something, so that no one may boast in his presence.” 1 Corinthians 1:27-29 When we read the text of 1 Corinthians 1:27-29, we see that God chooses those we least expect. Often, people who never thought […]

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June 23, 2022·Rapha Abreu

[Series: Miracles of Jesus] Outstretched Hands

For the penultimate miracle in this series I chose the story of the man whose hand was withered and Jesus healed him. This was yet another healing that Jesus performed on Saturday, a day when non-emergency medical assistance was not allowed. But He always put the human need and the doing of good above this law, showing once again how mercy and generosity are above traditions. Is there a day to heal? The passage begins in Matthew 12, from verse 9. The priests who were working in the temple where Jesus was spending that day wanted to accuse Him of healing on the Sabbath, questioning Him if healing was allowed on the holy day. If the priests were allowed to do active work on the Sabbath inside the temple, Jesus could act too, for He is greater than the temple! Mercy should also be greater than such a doctrine. The Pharisees did not understand that the Sabbath was created for the good of the people, not to burden them. In verse 7, Jesus also mentions the passage in Hosea 6:6, in which God says that he desires the practice of love and mercy above the offering of sacrifices. Even knowing […]

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June 21, 2022·Ana Júlia Luiz

Called to Influence

The word influence, these days has been used a lot. Influencing has even become a profession. But do you know the meaning of that word? “In” is a prefix that brings the sense from within. And fluency comes from the word to flow, therefore, in short, it means to flow from the inside out. But what does it affect us? We were called to influence Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. – Matthew 5:25-16 Recently I heard a phrase that goes like this: “What I have inside me is so powerful that when I get somewhere, something changes inside others”. What do you carry inside? It can change where you are and others around you. You have been called to influence, regardless of whether you will open your mouth to speak or not. Influencing is not bringing attention to yourself We are like the salt described in Matthew 5:13-16. When salt comes in contact with food, it does not […]

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June 16, 2022·Rapha Abreu

[Series: Miracles of Jesus] Restoring the walk

Today I brought you a thought about the miracle of healing the paralytic for our series of miracles of Jesus. We can often see this story focusing on one person and how Jesus restored his ability to walk, but I want to encourage you to look beyond that. The story The Word says in the book of John, chapter 5, that there was a tank in Jerusalem. In a few moments an angel came down, stirred the waters and the first one who entered the tank was healed. One man in the crowd was paralytic. When Jesus saw him, He asked if he would like to be healed, but because of his difficulty in moving, he never arrived in time to be the first to enter the tank when the water moved, so he thought he would not be able to receive the cure. Christ then said in verse 8, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk“. And in that moment the man was healed. The Generosity of Christ What draws attention in the text above is that even though in some parts of the Bible we read that to be healed we need to have faith in God. […]

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June 15, 2022·Ana Júlia Luiz

Prayer: Where will I go?

Sometimes we feel in our lives that we don’t have anywhere to go or we don’t know what to do regarding ministerial, professional, family and personal issues. Probably in the face of some important decision, you spent a few days reflecting on one of these questions: What is my vocation? What do I have to do in relation to my work? How should I proceed with college? Should I end my relationship? Not finding the answer easily makes us feel lost. It is at times like these that we can and should turn to God to ask Him to bring clarity to our thoughts and decisions. May we consecrate to Him everything we feel, think, plan and do. 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 a pleasure. Feel free to speak your own way. Prayer “Lord my God and Father, we thank you for this day and for another breath of life you have given us. Father, we have a hard time deciding so many things, where […]

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June 09, 2022·Rapha Abreu

God unites people…

…through a commom purpose. This weekend is Valentine’s Day in Brazil. So I would like to talk about relationships. Not specifically about love relationships, but about whatever connection we can have with others. There is a well-known phrase in Portuguese that says “God does not unite people, unites purposes”. But does it make biblical sense? Let’s reflect together. About Purpose he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ. – Ephesians 1:9-10 In the dictionary, purpose means intention. When two people’s intentions, pursuits, and desires are aligned, it’s the moment when bonding becomes natural. God has bring unity to all things in Christ. And He unites our hearts around His good pleasure, goals and will. In this way, by adding our strengths, we can express His Kingdom together. For a body to be a body, each member needs to be aligned and focused on being functional. Two legs only get us somewhere when both are aligned with the same goal, which is to move in the […]

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June 06, 2022·Ana Júlia Luiz

Waiting for the Bridegroom

Our life is made of meetings, those remarkable, those not so much, some good and some bad. The meeting with the first job, with the person you love, the first day at school or at the college you dreamed of… Anyway, these are meetings that mark our journey, but today I want to talk to you about one in particular. The Parable of the Ten Virgins Jesus begins Matthew 25 with a parable, where He talks about 10 women, who were waiting for the bridegroom. Five of them were wise and the other five were foolish. It turns out that the bridegroom took a long time to pass and they all fell asleep. At midnight, a cry was heard declaring that the bridegroom was passing by: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’ (v.6) The foolish ones began to ask the wise women for some of the oil as theirs had run out and they had not bought any more. However, the wise could not give of their oil. After all, it wouldn’t be enough for everyone. When the foolish ones went to look for oil to buy, the bridegroom passed and together with the wise ones He entered […]

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June 02, 2022·Rapha Abreu

[Series: Miracles of Jesus] Restoring sight

In the next 4 weeks I want to bring you some texts about the miracles of Jesus. I chose for today the miracle of restoring the sight of blind Bartimaeus, a beggar from Jericho who cried out for Christ to have mercy on him and heal him. Clamor out loud In the passage of Jesus through the city of Jericho, in the texts of Matthew in chapter 10, the blind man became aware of his presence and began to cry “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me”. Many around him told him to shut up, but he continued to cry out loudly, as he didn’t care what the people around him thought, he just wanted to get closer to the Only Begotten. Then Jesus, hearing him, commanded that he be called to himself. At that moment, verse 50 says that he threw his cloak to the ground and ran to meet Jesus. The cover message The cover at that time showed the level of a certain person in society, so this Bartimaeus cover told everyone that he had a disability and was a beggar. She was different from the covers of people at a higher social level. Even before […]

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May 30, 2022·Ana Júlia Luiz

Prayer: God’s Plans

Many times the Lord gives us promises and shows us His plans for our lives, but as time goes by we seem to lose faith that they are really going to happen or that they are in fact true. I encourage you to pray with me today, so that the Lord will renew hope in your heart, and that you will remember all the plans He told He has for your life. Remembering that you don’t have 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 a pleasure. Feel free to speak your own way. Prayer Lord my God and Father, we thank You for this day of life, for Your goodness and also for Your love. Father, bring to our remembrance the plans and promises You have given us. Renew our hope for them to happen in our lives. May we walk by faith, trusting You and believing Your Word never fails. The days have been bad, but we know that You Lord is faithful and just to fulfill what You have promised […]

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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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May 23, 2022·Ana Júlia Luiz

Choose your priorities wisely

Currently, we have many priorities: work, studies, personal projects, among others. But have you ever stopped to think about YOUR priority? Are you prioritizing things wisely? God and wealth Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matthew 6:19-21 The “treasures” that Jesus talks about in the above passage are not just money or possessions, but can be anything that is really important to us: desires, work, studies, personal projects, etc. It refers to what can even take the place of God in our lives. Concerning these things, the Lord directs us not to “store up”. After all, the Bible itself says that everything is fleeting. The truth is that we have to focus, first of all, on what produces results for eternity. Also in that same chapter, Jesus says in verse 33: But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. […]

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May 19, 2022·Rapha Abreu

Praise X Worship

These days I was reading about exaltation and I felt a desire to seek more about the difference between Praise and Worship. Also, is there a distinction? In grammar… Looking in the dictionary found these two meanings: Praise The act of extolling and glorifying something. Exalt the action of someone or a deity. We can see it as the act of talking, praising, putting out what you feel or think about something or someone. It’s about announcing something. An example text in the bible:Psalm 9:1-2: “I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart. I will tell of all your wonderful deeds. I will be glad and rejoice in you. I will sing the praises of your name, O Most High“. Worship Worship a superior being, a deity. Expression of affection, affection, homage or submission. Excessive love. Here it does not necessarily involve words, but it has to do with action, with doing and expressing. It’s about recognizing the greatness of something and acting in awe of it. An example text in the bible:Psalm 95:6: “Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker”. A mix of the two They are not contrary, they are complementary to each other. It is the […]

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May 16, 2022·Ana Júlia Luiz

Prophesy Life

In Ezekiel 37, we are told a curious story: the Lord led the prophet to a valley of dry bones. And then in verse 3 a short dialogue is narrated. Then he said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” I replied, “Lord God, only you know.” Ezekiel 37:3 Ezekiel’s response was basically a “Thy will be done”, and that’s what happened. Then the Lord commanded the prophet to prophesy life on the bones. There was no hope there, but still, the prophet began to prophesy life over that valley, and the situation reported in verses 7 to 10 happened. So I prophesied as I had been commanded. While I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. As I looked, tendons appeared on them, flesh grew, and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them. He said to me, “Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man. Say to it: This is what the Lord God says: Breath, come from the four winds and breathe into these slain so that they may live!” So I prophesied as he commanded me; the breath entered them, and they […]

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May 11, 2022·Rapha Abreu

The Christian as the Cedar of Lebanon

The Cedar of Lebanon is a common tree in mountainous regions and Mediterranean climate. This tree grows slowly, but reaches a great height, being considered one of the largest trees, reaching 40 meters. A curiosity about this tree is that, in the first 3 years of life, its root reaches almost 2 meters deep, even though its height is about 5 cm at that time. Only when its root is well-grounded and secure does the tree begin to grow in height. And that’s the point I want to bring up today. Don’t worry about the external This tree doesn’t need to show everyone at first how big it will be. This period is dedicated to her firmament, so that she stays strong at the base. The well-founded root is what prevents it from growing fragile, only then will it reach its final height with safety and strength. In Psalm 92:12 we find the following passage: “The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon” Christ wants us to grow like her, grounding us in His Word, focusing on the inside and strengthening our hearts so that, from there, our growth becomes visible without it melting […]

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May 05, 2022·Rapha Abreu

The gift of motherhood

It’s Mother’s Week and I couldn’t come here with a different subject. I want to honor them and remember the value of their role. Remember that when a child is born, with it is born a mother and her strength. A Strong mother Today I want to talk about Jochebed. At that time the King of Egypt, with the desire to prevent the growth of Israel, ordered that all boys born from the Hebrews should be killed or thrown to the crocodiles in the Nile River. Jochebed gave birth to Moses, who, by the law of the government, was to be given into the hands of soldiers to be sacrificed. But she was a woman of faith and made a basket, put Moses in it, and left him by the river, hoping the Lord would guide him to safety. This mother’s attitude could lead to her death, for disobedience to Pharaoh’s orders. But Jochebed trusted, surrendered everything to God and the heavens heard! The rest of the story you should already know, right? Across the river the basket reached the palace. The king’s daughter found the baby and felt sorry for him. Then Moses’ sister asked if the princess would […]

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May 04, 2022·Ana Júlia Luiz

What love is that?

There are people who dream of a super declaration of love, after all, this is a feeling that constantly affects our hearts, not only in romantic matters, but in general. It turns out that we often don’t think we’ve already received the greatest declaration of love we could ever receive. The incomprehensible love “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16 We forget that He SO loved us. And we often say phrases like: “nobody loves me”. Jesus’ Sacrifice was so strong, so painful. Every pain He suffered, every drop of blood shed, was for me and you. And yet, many times we don’t surrender before Him when we remember that sacrifice, we talk like if it was just a small fact. So today let’s pray that the Father will bring us close and turn our heart of stone into a heart warmed by His love. Remembering that you don’t have 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 […]

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