JFA Blog

Reflections, studies and news for your walk with God.

December 01, 2022·Rapha Abreu

What is the difference between fundamental and essential?

We often confuse what is fundamental with what is essential. And this is very dangerous for the progress of our spiritual life, as we end up losing focus. There are things that need to be in our essence, like the air we breathe, and others that are important to give us a base and a path to them. That’s what I want to talk to you about today, the difference between what’s fundamental and what’s essential. Fundamental “You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life”. John 5:39-40 The dictionary brings as “Fundamental” something that forming a necessary base or core, of central importance. A central or primary rule or principle on which something is based. Basic, indispensable. Giving an example about this term linked to the Gospel: Reading the Bible is fundamental. Our goal is not to know the Bible for the sake of knowing it. She is not the end. Many people read the Bible and study it without actually knowing God and having their lives transformed by it. Our goal is to know the Living […]

bible biblical-study essential fundamental

November 29, 2022·Ana Júlia Luiz

Prayer for consolation

How many times have you lost someone? Whether it’s a matter of life and death, or someone you loved has moved away? Anyway, there are several concepts to lose someone. Perhaps one of the greatest pains we will experience in this life is to see someone we love leave. I do not say lose, for we know that those who serve the Lord are saved and will find themselves in paradise, but it is a departure from earthly life for eternal life. How many times have you lost someone? Whether it’s a matter of life and death, or someone you loved has moved away? Anyway, there are several concepts to lose someone. Perhaps one of the greatest pains we will experience in this life is to see someone we love leave. I do not say lose, for we know that those who serve the Lord are saved and will find themselves in paradise, but it is a departure from earthly life for eternal life. Prayer “Lord, my God and Father, we thank You for this day of life. Father, so many brothers and sisters have lost someone in recent times. Therefore, I ask that You Lord come with Your love […]

consolation devotional prayer

November 24, 2022·Rapha Abreu

There is only One Way

Today I came here to remind you that there is a right path and a wrong path, however hard it is to see and accept. I know that sometimes it becomes more comfortable to think that there is a third way, because then we would have a better chance of getting it right, but there is not. These days I was playing golf and I paid attention to some details. I’m bad at golf. But I’m learning to play by playing. In the race. There is a right way to position your hands, your body and aim. There is a correct force to apply. Details that I wouldn’t have known without the instruction of someone who knows the sport and lives it. We create our own path In the middle of the game I already started to feel pain in my hands, in my back… I could hit the ball with the club, it would go out of place, but it wasn’t getting as far as the golf players next door, because the The way I was playing was a path I created, not the right path. All this out of sheer laziness and lack of patience to learn from […]

bible follow-jesus

November 04, 2022·Gabriela Angerami

Prayer against anxiety

If you have been suffering from anxiety, stress and have been held hostage by worries, I invite you to pray with me right now. Declare the truths of God’s Word about your life. Take hold of all the blessings that have already been released through the work of Christ! 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 Dear Father, I want to start this prayer by thanking you for all the provision and care for my life. Thank you because in You we can be sure that we are loved. Thank you also that we can enter and remain in Your presence. In You we can dwell in a safe place. I pray that the Lord will help us find the peace that passes all understanding. May Your calm enfold our hearts right now. We cast all anxiety, worry, and distraction upon You. We wish to focus on the blessings of Your inheritance. We trust in Your good […]

bible peace prayer

November 04, 2022·Gabriela Angerami

God is always enough!

IT’S REAL: Regardless of the situation you’ve been living, know that God is enough! Life is made up of many seasons. There are moments of great changes, in which cycles end, some people distance themselves not out of harm or anything, but because life has changed. There are times when we are waiting too long for something and it doesn’t happen. There are people who really want to get married, find a mate or a companion. There are people who have some professional or ministerial dream that has not yet come true. There are people who are hoping to have a child, but they can’t. And often in these seasons we can feel incomplete. When we close a cycle, we lose something or someone, we can feel incomplete. Or sometimes we are waiting for something so we feel complete. But I want to tell you that even in these situations you are COMPLETE in Jesus! He is the fountain of living water and the bread of life “Jesus answered and said to her, `Every one who is drinking of this water shall thirst again; but whoever may drink of the water that I will give him, may not thirst — […]

bible bible-app prayer

November 04, 2022·Gabriela Angerami

How to be remembered forever?

Today I would like to talk to you about Generosity and how it is capable of producing an eternal memory. After all, no one would like to simply be forgotten. I think we all want to do something relevant that people will remember us positively and in a way that glorifies God. I never met my great-grandfather, but everyone who talks about him gets emotional and remembers him as a good and generous man. I don’t know about you, but whenever I received something generously, it was engraved in my heart with great affection and gratitude. A generous gesture marks people, generates memory. Even if there is a remarkable way for us to express God’s character and love, it is through generosity. Your deeds will be remembered forever “Good will come to those who are generous and lend freely, who conduct their affairs with justice. Surely the righteous will never be shaken; they will be remembered forever.” – Psalm 112:5-6 Psalm 112 describes the conduct of a God-fearing person. This biblical chapter reveals that the fear of the Lord leads to a generous life. The person who fears is upright, honors the principles of the Kingdom of Heaven, and blesses his […]

bible generosity love-your-neighbor

November 02, 2022·Rapha Abreu

Why know God’s will?

God has so many desires and dreams for your life. So many projects and accomplishments to shower on you. We constantly seek to know what these dreams are. But have you ever stopped to think about why you want to know God’s will for your life? We try to suit the Creator “But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well“ Luke 12:31 At times I found myself asking this, thinking my curiosity had to do with how much I cared about God and His thoughts about me. But I noticed that I often ask His will because I care too much about myself. We think we are seeking the Lord, but in certain situations we use Him as a means and not as an objective. We begin to see God as an amulet, to use Him as a ladder to reach places we dream of. Trying to adapt the Creator of everything to our own creation. Remember: He is Life itself In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:16 He is not the way for you to get something you want […]

blessings creation dreams god

November 02, 2022·Rapha Abreu

What is the dynamic of faith?

The dynamic of faith is when something is anticipated. As it is written in Hebrews 11:1: “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see“ Faith is not a reaction to something, it is an anticipation. It is when we can understand the end without necessarily seeing the whole process. When we recognize that He is taking us to an amazing place, even if I don’t understand the way. Predetermined “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart. I appointed you as a prophet to the nations… Do not say, ‘I am too young.’ You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you.” Jeremiah 1:5 and 7 This is the greatest folly of the gospel! God calls you what you are, even before you become. And we need to trust God even before something happens. He called Abraham the father of multitudes in Genesis 17, even before that man had a son. When God anoints David as King in 1 Samuel 16, Saul was still in power and David was a shepherd in his father’s house. This is the dynamic of […]

blessings faith follow-jesus kingdom-of-god

November 02, 2022·Rapha Abreu

Are you an ambassador for the word?

These days I came across the word “Ambassador” and went to research more about it. In this search I found some Bible verses that pointed to the fact that we are ambassadors through Christ. But after all, what does that mean? Authority in speaking “…For there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God“ Romans 13:1 Ambassador means being a spokesperson for a certain issue, be it a brand, a company, an organization, or the word of God. To be an ambassador it is not necessary for you to be from the company you will be speaking about, for example. But knowledge on the subject is mandatory, it is essential that you identify with a certain positioning and thinking. An Ambassador is someone who is up to date on the subject and has full authority and knowledge about it, whether an employee of a company or a user of its brand. You might be wondering where I’m going with this. Depth breeds authority “We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God“ 2 Corinthians 5:20 In the passage […]

ambassador authority depth relationship-with-god

November 01, 2022·Ana Júlia Luiz

Praising in the fight

“When her owners realized that their hope of profit was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to the authorities. Bringing them before the chief magistrates, they said, ‘These men are seriously disturbing our city. They are Jews and are promoting customs that are not legal for us as Romans to adopt or practice.’ The crowd joined in the attack against them, and the chief magistrates stripped off their clothes and ordered them to be beaten with rods. After they had severely flogged them, they threw them in jail, ordering the jailer to guard them carefully. Receiving such an order, he put them into the inner prison and secured their feet in the stocks. About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the jail were shaken, and immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone’s chains came loose.” Acts 16:19-26 This is certainly one of the stories that most impacted me. The way God took care of Paul and Silas, worked a miracle, converted the jailer, how they handled the situation, are questions […]

devotional fight praise

October 27, 2022·Rapha Abreu

God doesn’t just want to help you

Last week I spoke to you about the passage in Acts 3 where Peter and John are brought to Peter and John who was looking for alms. This man brought to them asks for some coins, and is healed. In the last text I talked about the apostles turning that man’s eyes to God. Today I want to talk about what he was looking for when he went to them. Daily view “When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money” Acts 3:3 That man’s intention was to receive help for that moment. Something that would allow him to feed that day. And then, probably, the next day he would be in that same place again looking for supplies for that new day and so on. In our lives we also look for solutions that we believe would solve our problems, but in fact are just keeping us in the same place, in a vicious cycle. If Peter and John had given the man alms, his life would have remained the same. He would continue to think that it was okay for him to live like that, that life had no more hope, that he […]

cure gods-touch growth love-of-god

October 25, 2022·Ana Júlia Luiz

Prayer for Children

In October we celebrate Children’s Day here in Brazil. Our little ones have been targets of attacks from the evil one. After all, if he wants to unbalance the Church, why not go straight to the source? If he attacks children today, he mainly affects the future and the next generations. The Bible says: “Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.” Proverbs 22:6 We must invest time teaching children the Eternal Way, but also intercede for their lives, crying out that the Lord will take care and protect them from all the evil that has plagued this world. Today, I invite you to intercede with me for the lives of our little ones, remembering that you don’t need to repeat the prayer exactly as it is here. After all, everyone has their own way of talking to God, but if you want, I’ll be happy to accompany you. Prayer “Lord, our God and Father, we thank You for Your love for our lives. Father, this world is so evil and the forces of darkness have been working to get our children out of Your way. We […]

children devotional prayer

October 20, 2022·Rapha Abreu

Has your mind paralyzed you?

These days I was looking at some posts on social media and came across the text of Acts 3. This passage tells the story of a miracle performed in the life of a lame man. One day Peter and John were on their way to the temple and came to them bringing a man with a disability in his legs, which made it impossible for him to move. A detail in the text caught my attention, I looked for some studies and words about it and I need to share it with you. Healing cause and consequence “Now a man who was lame from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts. When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, “Look at us!” So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them. Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and […]

bible-themes biblical-study gods-touch mental-health

October 18, 2022·Ana Júlia Luiz

What is your treasure?

I particularly am one of those people in love with books. I have a full bookcase and sometimes I haven’t read all the works and titles, but I keep them all neatly organized. Because of that, this week a friend lent me a book called “The Gutenberg Bible Enigma” (Maurício Zágari), which tells that one day a missionary took one of the 48 copies of the Gutenberg Bible (the first printed book) to a Brazilian Church and the book was stolen. The whole story revolves around this fact, because that Bible was extremely valuable and could not be lost in that way. That book was the treasure of that missionary, that church, and it could not be lost. The Hidden Treasure The story in this book reminded me of the treasure hidden in the field: “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure, buried in a field, that a man found and reburied. Then in his joy he goes and sells everything he has and buys that field.” Matthew 13:44 I’m still reading the book, so I’m imagining the ending: have they found the Bible? Who was to blame? Was there really a culprit? If they found it, imagine how happy […]

devotional hidden-treasure seek-the-kingdom

October 13, 2022·Rapha Abreu

Take Risks!

“It is only fair that much costs what is worth much”. This phrase is one of my favorites. I heard it from a writer that I admire a lot and it was forever in my heart. Many times we want something so badly, and we make it too valuable for us. We ended up marveling at the idea of arriving at this place, forgetting that the path we have to walk to it requires a responsibility on our part. Come out of the shadow “You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did” James 2:20-22 A lot of passion doesn’t get you anywhere, it needs to be filled with strategy and action. And the answer to that comes from above. When we don’t leave the place and don’t take the risks that come with what we want, we also don’t get anywhere and here comes the monotony and frustration, making us believe that God has abandoned […]

bible choices courage-of-the-lord dreams

October 10, 2022·Ana Júlia Luiz

And when is not the time?

Have you ever had the feeling of being in the wrong place at the wrong time? Getting to the level where you clearly feel within you the Holy Spirit saying, “Get out of there!”? It’s a slightly hopeless feeling, it leaves you agitated and scared. Wrong place at the wrong time Earlier this year, I was walking home after a day at work, and while waiting for the bus, I saw a man passing by, being carried by two others. He had a strange appearance and I felt uncomfortable in his presence. It was when I felt inside me someone clearly saying “get out of there”, at that moment I knew it was the Holy Spirit speaking to me. At the same moment this happened, my bus arrived and I had no peace until the moment it left the station and I was heading home. To be ready or not to be? Later, the Lord told me that it was a much more complex situation than I had imagined, which I was not ready to handle. In another situation, maybe He would send me to the man to pray for him, but I wasn’t ready for that, I still didn’t […]

devotional time

October 06, 2022·Rapha Abreu

Where does this light come from?

Last week I brought a text about Genesis 1, about you not despising your “Nothing”, because that’s where God creates, how the earth was created. Today I want to talk about a detail in the order of creation that we often miss: the Light. “Let there be light!” In verse 3 of chapter 1 of Genesis, on the 1st day of creation, God says “Let there be light”. Reading like this, we already imagine the light of day, right? But this light of verse 3 could not be the sun, for it was only created in verse 14, on day 4. So what light is this? What is the source of this lighting? Under a revelation In Revelation 21:11, it says: “It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal”. The first light in the world was not from the sun or a lamp, that first light was from the glory of God!! The light that illuminates everything was and is God himself. In the last chapter of the bible, in Revelation 22:5, it says: “There will be no more night. They will not need the light of […]

bible creation light-of-the-world overflow

October 04, 2022·Ana Júlia Luiz

Ask for help to solve!

These days I was at home absently playing with a Rubik’s Cube. I shuffled it all and after that I wanted to fix it again. Turns out I’m a denier tidying Rubik’s Cube and I always use an app that passes me all the way to tidying up. I usually use it just because I want to keep the cube tidy on my shelf after messing it up, so I’ve never had a problem. That day, God spoke to me through a Rubik’s Cube. Our hearts are like a Rubik’s Cube How many times have we messed up our whole life? We make decisions that are not God’s will, we act on impulse, we sin, we don’t repent, and this is repeated until we find ourselves in a mess that we created without knowing what to do. When we find ourselves like this, we try to fix everything by ourselves, and it seems that every time we try, it gets even messier. That’s exactly what the Lord spoke to me about. Like the Rubik’s Cube, we mess up our hearts, and every time we try to go back and fix it, it seems like the situation only gets worse. There […]

devotional expert-god love-of-god mess

September 29, 2022·Rapha Abreu

Don’t despise your “nothing”

I feel that many times we end up neglecting the text of Genesis 1. Maybe because we see this text only as a “Check-list” of what has been done. I heard a word these days that marked me a lot and I want to invite you to see more deeply the first verses of the bible just as my eyes were opened too. Something is created for something to be formed Verse 1 of chapter 1 says, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth“ A little later, in verse 7 of verse 2, we see the following passage: “Then the Lord God formed a man“. Did you notice any difference between the two sections? In the first, the term “Created“ is used and then the term “Formed“. And it’s not by chance. You cannot create anything from what already exists. When something already exists, we just give that matter a different form. A chair, for example, is not created, it is formed through wood, which already exists. The earth was created, because there was no previous matter for it to form. There was no governorship before Joseph, only Pharaoh existed. God prepared a place for Joseph, a created place where nothing existed. There’s […]

bible bible-themes god growth

September 27, 2022·Ana Júlia Luiz

Prayer: return to your First Love

There is a term widely used to define those people who have just started to walk their path in faith: “First Love”. The use of this term is due to the fact that these people are extremely excited and euphoric about all this, in a gigantic level of passion for Jesus. We talk so much about these people and say things like, “wow, it’s so beautiful when we’re in first love”. But we forget that our life with God shouldn’t change after a while. It turns out that the more “time as Christians” we have, the more we limit our passion for Jesus. We have lost the enthusiasm of “wanting to preach even to a pole” and we are limiting ourselves to living only in that small space that we find to love Jesus, but not do absolutely everything for Him. We have to return to our first love and cry out to the Father to help us to be extremely in love with Him again. 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 […]

devotional first-love love-of-god prayer

September 22, 2022·Rapha Abreu

Emotion vs Feeling

We are approaching the end of September, but that does not mean that we should let our guard down in relation to our emotions and our psychological state. You deserve care. Faced with this subject, I want to ask you a question…Do you know the difference between emotion and feeling? The insecurity to feel “If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness.” 2 Corinthians 11:30 In common sense emotions and feelings are synonymous, but according to some scientists, emotions are automatic and unconscious behavioral responses, whereas feelings are characterized by being conscious experiences that add up to all these unconscious responses. That is, it is as if the feeling only exists because of several emotions together. I brought this explanation so you don’t feel guilty anymore. When we feel, we think we are to blame for it. Some people may even consider this to be a lack of God. But we are in a human body, and we can go through many afflictions in the world, and that is not our fault. Feelings only become our fault when we don’t act against them and allow them to rule us. Don’t listen to what’s transient In […]

bible choices eternity feelings

September 20, 2022·Ana Júlia Luiz

Furious ocean

There is an ocean known for its fury. Its waters close to the coast are calm and serene, but when looking further away, it is possible to see its agitated waters that run from one side to the other. Few are those who venture, sometimes men, women and even children, taken by their courage in the deepest waters. It is said that those who are completely submerged never return. And indeed, why would they return? When diving into these waters, they are taken by peace, an inexplicable peace. They are taken to adventures that would never be taken, but mainly, they live what without that Raging Ocean, they would never live. Rumors about the ocean are spread by those who observe from afar, not daring to go a little further than the waters that reach their waists. Otherwise, they would be with those who have gone deeper. The ocean For a long time, I heard the text of Ezekiel 47 about the torrents of water, being compared to our relationship with the Lord. Instead of an ocean, the chapter talks about a river, in which the Prophet is carried deeper and deeper to a point where he could only swim […]

devotional dive ocean

September 15, 2022·Rapha Abreu

Do you have the culture of worship in you?

“We must create a culture of worship”. Today I want to talk about this phrase. I don’t know if you too, but I’ve heard a lot. I want to share my view on her. Culture of caring First let’s understand the meanings of culture. There are several, such as cultivation, development, relationship, expressions… What we hear most about is culture as the material or immaterial art that exists in a society. Culture is what shapes who we are and concerns where we come from. They are the characteristics of a people. The Romans brought another, even deeper, meaning to this word. A meaning considered in discussions to date: Beware. Culture, for them, was fully the act of caring. Taking care of a plantation, a dance, a painting, a building…On today’s topic: TAKING CARE OF WORSHIP. Desde quando o Senhor separou Seu povo, como descrito a partir do capítulo 25 do livro de Êxodo, Ele deu instruções detalhadas a respeito do local e de como as ofertas de adoração deveriam ser prestadas. Havia todo um zêlo, ritual e cuidado em relação a isso. Hoje a partir de Cristo, nós edificamos um novo templo espiritual e passamos todos a ser sacerdotes. Podemos […]

care overflow transformation water-of-life

September 13, 2022·Ana Júlia Luiz

A Prayer for Rest

How many times have you closed your eyes tightly, breathing deeply and crying out for the Father? Maybe because you couldn’t take it anymore or maybe because you were already one step away from giving up. The Lord says there in Matthew 11:28, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” The Lord wants to give you rest, but the first step is yours: draw close to Him, trust the Father. Let’s pray for this rest and surrender to God everything we need. 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 breath of life that you have given us today. Father, on this day, we want to give you all the worry, fatigue, sadness and anguish that have taken over our hearts. We ask that you take care of these things, over which we have no power. Holy Spirit, […]

devotional prayer rest