JFA Blog

Reflections, studies and news for your walk with God.

September 05, 2023·Rapha Abreu

Negotiating the price of blood

Do not negotiate what cost the price of blood! Several times to fit in places and intentionally approach people, we give up what we are and what we received from the Father. But He didn’t die for you so that you can use this truth only when it suits you. Focus on him “You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires. To be made new in the attitude of your minds. And to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” Ephesians 4:22-24 Jesus paid with His own blood so that we could freely live out the identity we received through Him. Through his work we are children loved, cared for and protected by the Father. However, in certain situations in our lives, we are so focused on feeling part of something that we lower ourselves to fit into scenarios that are not for us. When I see myself in those moments where I start to negotiate my truths, I realize that this has almost 100% to do with fear of the future. It’s as if the place where I […]

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August 31, 2023·Rapha Abreu

Prayer: Urgency to move

In recent texts, I spoke to you about how the Father is not just a priority, but an urgency. And how He moves through us. Today, I want to use this space to pray about these matters. I want to ask that we can move for Him with that sense of urgency, looking for the Spirit and His work in us. Having strength and boldness to put Him before first place and move in favor of it. Remembering that you don’t need to pray exactly as I’m going to leave it here, because I know that everyone has their own way of talking to the Father and I want you to feel comfortable talking to Him in your own way. But if you want, I’ll be happy to accompany you in this prayer. Prayer “Father, how good it is to know that, even moving in You, I can rest in Your love and in Your action. I can rest knowing that You move through me and gives me strength in the face of everything that is impossible. I want to ask today for my heart to be open and understand how important and essential it is that my first search […]

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August 29, 2023·Rapha Abreu

Jesus is not a priority

We hear a lot about how God needs to be our priority, the number one on our “to-do” list. But I disagree with that and I want to talk a little bit about it with you today. He is urgent! “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” Matthew 6:33 When we enter a hospital looking for care, we need to go through triage, where patients are sorted and prioritized according to their situation. If you have a headache and arrived first, you are a priority. But, if someone arrives in an ambulance after you, having suffered an accident, this is an emergency patient, and the urgency to assist him, allows him to undergo care ahead of all the people who are waiting. Jesus is not a priority in our lives. He is urgency! He doesn’t have to be number one on your “people I love the most” list, He can’t be on lists, he’s above that and before that. Putting Jesus in a ranking takes away the true meaning of urgency and pre-eminence that He has. He is everything! “And he is the head of the body, the church; he is […]

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August 24, 2023·Rapha Abreu

Move yourself

The word “movement” appears for the first time in Genesis 1, verse 2. From that text, from Genesis to Revelation, it was through people moving that miracles happened. Do not stop “The earth was an empty waste and darkness was over the deep waters. And the Spirit of God was moving over the top of the waters.” Genesis 1-2 It is after this word that the text of Genesis begins to tell us how God created everything in the world in those 7 days. It was after His movement that everything began to emerge. Movement means success. No one who has won and reached incredible places has managed to stand still. People who move change their position and achieve their goals and dreams. Even if it’s not overnight, with each step they get closer to where they want to go. And as the Father moves, He calls you to move and work. Not to stand still. The Lord can do anything with a snap of His fingers, but He will work the impossible and He expects us to do everything that is possible as humans beings . We have the opportunity to participate in the work of the Father. I […]

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August 22, 2023·Rapha Abreu

Prayer: Planting time

In recent texts, I brought some reflections about sowing and burying some dreams, projects and ideals. Leaving space for the act of God and the fulfillment of His promises. Today I want to invite you to pray with about this matter. Ask the Lord to take care of each stage of planting and each season, taking care of your heart in every process. Remembering that you don’t need to pray exactly as I’m going to write here, because I know that everyone has their own way of talking to the Father and I want you to feel comfortable talking to Him in your way. But if you want, I’ll be happy to accompany you in this prayer. Prayer “Lord, at this moment I want to thank you for everything you have done in me like a soil. I also thank you for the seeds that You has prepared and helped me to cultivate. I ask that you, Lord, watch over my heart during the time of waiting, as You prepare me to receive the best of Your blessings. I want to ask you for moments when the seed is in silence and darkness, when the root is growing. Don’t let […]

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August 15, 2023·Rapha Abreu

Be a good soil

Still on the subject of burying and planting, I want to remind you of the importance of taking care of the soil first. We often think that just the seed and how much we water it are the only things that matter. We also care about the sun, the temperature, whether the vase is beautiful…But knowing the ground and preparing it are the first and most important steps. Multiplied harvest “He also said, ‘This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground.” It is because of the quality of the soil that at different times we will need to wait for God’s preparation. In Mark, chapters 4 and 13, we can read parables about sowing, stories that make clear the importance of preparing a good soil and paying attention to the place where we are planting our seeds. The Word says that the seed cannot be planted shallowly, lest its roots burn with the sun because they are not deeply fixed. If it is just dropped on any surface, birds can eat it and you will lose it. If it is among thorns, it will suffocate and not grow. But if it is in good […]

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August 15, 2023·Rapha Abreu

Not yet…Wait!

I have a potted oxalis purple clover at home. It is a flower that hibernates at certain times, and during the day it opens or closes more depending on the incidence of the sun. I want to focus with you precisely on this period when the clover is silent. Writing the last text on the blog, about burying and planting, I thought a lot about this flower and I’d like to talk about the details in its care. Process “…Is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither— whatever they do prospers.“ Psalm 1:3 I commented with you in the last text about the importance of understanding the right time to bury and plant, the difference between these two actions. But do you know the similarity between them? Both take place in darkness and silence. When the clover arrives in the “hibernation” season, we cannot water it or put it in the sun. He needs to be recluse, as if there is nothing inside the vase. It is the moment when we really need to forget about it and, when it grows back, we take care of it again so that it is […]

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August 10, 2023·Rapha Abreu

Bury X Plant

There is a big difference between burying and planting. Many times we confuse these two words and take actions that take us off the right path or take us in the wrong direction. What’s the difference? Even if there is nothing in the bible that directly compares “burying” and “planting”, there are several passages that treat each of these concepts in isolation. In Ecclesiastes 3:1-2 we see the following passage: “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot” The term “bury” is seen, for example, in the text of Luke 9:60, where it is written: “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” Planting is sowing to reap something in the future, burying is linked to burial, the completion of something. In our lives, we need to have discernment and wisdom to understand when to plant and when to just bury. Closed cycles “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” 2 Corinthians 5:17 We’ve all heard that life […]

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August 08, 2023·Rapha Abreu

Why is discipline so hard?

I’ve heard a lot of people talking about how taking the first step in situations is difficult. But I disagree with that statement. The first step, in most cases, is the easiest because it can be given in a moment of impulse, excitement, emotion, euphoria… I believe that from the 2nd step onwards, it gets more complicated, because emotion mixes with reason and we need to be very focused on what is really worthwhile and what we really want. Strength for the walk “In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.” Proverbs 16:9 Have you ever tried making a decision in a moment of great joy? Or very sad? It is in this type of situation that we usually make decisions that we later regret. We get the feeling that we shouldn’t have done that or that we could have done more or otherwise. The problem is that, even following reason from the first step, thinking several times before taking any action and asking for the Father’s direction, overcoming the difficulties that exist in the next steps is completely linked to our constancy and discipline, and these are not easy things, because each day requires a different […]

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August 03, 2023·Rapha Abreu

There is life in pain!

In churches and in the Christian environment, one of the most discussed topics is the death of Christ, that is, His sacrifice. It’s been a while since I heard a preaching in which the pastor compared Jesus’ death to a woman’s labor. This sermon left a deep impression on me and I would like to share some insights with you. The gestation “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.” Ecclesiastes 3:1 When a woman is pregnant, there is the entire waiting period of pregnancy, the 9 months, which is a necessary preparation time. It’s no use wanting it to take less or more time, the body has a determined time to generate and be generated. From the birth of Jesus to the day of His death, there was a time of 33 years. During all these years, He knew the promise. He knew what must be done, that he would die for all of us. But even though He had the knowledge of what would happen, the time of waiting and preparation was essential and indispensable. He needed to walk among us, teach the word in a tangible way. Operate miracles and wonders. His […]

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August 01, 2023·Rapha Abreu

Prayer: Strength, Faith and Spirituality

Today I want to pray with you for strengthening of faith and spirituality. The Bible brings faith as the certainty of things we still don’t see, as the hope of what we ask for, dream of, but which is not yet palpable. It’s about what’s yet to happen. Our faith needs to exist when we still have no clue that something is happening. When we ask and still don’t have an answer, that’s where our full trust in the Father lives. Spirituality is when our life is based on what is spiritual, what is supernatural. It concerns the moment when we elevate our thoughts to what is Divine and Eternal, having faith and trust in the word that comes from above. Remembering that you don’t need to pray exactly as it is here, because everyone has their own way of talking to the Father. But if you want, I’ll be happy to accompany you in this prayer. Prayer “Father, today I want to ask you for my faith. I cry out to You so that You fill my life with full trust in Your word and in Who You are. Teach me to trust even when my eyes still can’t […]

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July 27, 2023·Rapha Abreu

Prayer: Dependence on Him

We currently have access to so many things. New products, new ideas, new dreams. Thousands of information and news. And that can easily take our focus away from the Lord, steal our attention to something that quickly fades away. But we need to be dependent on Him at all times, on His amazing grace. It is this grace that enables us to go through the most difficult situations in life without losing sleep, faith and hope. So I would like to say a prayer on this topic. Say this powerful prayer with me! Remembering that you don’t need to pray exactly as you are here, because everyone has their own way of talking to the Father. Prayer “Lord, teach me to depend only on You. In so many situations, I end up depending on people, resources, my work or my own understanding of life. But I ask that I may remember Your sovereignty every day. it is the Lord who has all knowledge, understanding and power over any circumstance. In this prayer, I want to exalt You and recognize that You Lord is greater than anything. Bigger than any relationship crisis, bigger than any financial crisis, bigger than any illness. […]

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July 25, 2023·Rapha Abreu

Justice and righteousness

In the beginning, when God created the world and everything in it, He also laid the foundation for righteous living. He is infinite wisdom himself and recognizes the importance of us living according to His righteousness. What are? “Follow justice and justice alone, so that you may live and possess the land the Lord your God is giving you.” Deuteronomy 16:20 Justice means the quality of who has a just behavior or treatment. It is a way of perceiving, evaluating what is right, just. Righteousness has a close meaning. It means quality, characteristic or attribute of what or who is upright. The virtue of following, without deviation, the direction indicated by the sense of justice, by equity. Virtue of being in conformity with reason, with duty. Justice and righteousness are very necessary traits. We can see their importance being expressed since the first books of the bible by great prophets and leaders. Just like god “Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne. Love and faithfulness go before you.” Psalm 89:14 Throughout the biblical texts, we find in the nature of God teachings, through words and actions, about justice and righteousness. And He invites us to express His glory, to be […]

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July 20, 2023·Rapha Abreu

All spiritual blessings

“All spiritual blessings,” as written in Ephesians 1:3, is a way of describing the abundant blessings received from the Lord. They are divine favors. This term is linked to the favor and grace of God manifested in our lives. It is not something received on merit or at random. The essence of this term “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ” Ephesians 1:3 Many times our mind refers the word “blessing” to something material. Like money, house, car… But God blesses us from the material to the immaterial. He blesses us spiritually and emotionally. He gives us health, family, relationships, spiritual growth, peace and resources. Receiving all spiritual blessings does not exempt us from challenges. Trials exist and difficulties can arise in some areas, even as they coexist with blessings in other aspects of our lives. The point here is that He has already blessed us and we can rely on God’s love and faithfulness in all circumstances and at all times. This awareness of God’s presence and care in our lives is sharpened as we develop intimacy with Him, not whether we […]

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July 18, 2023·Rapha Abreu

Prayer: Forgiveness and Love

In the last texts we talked about forgiveness and perfect love. Although we’ve talked about the two separately, forgiveness and perfect love always go together. God’s love is full of mercy and grace, so we have the Father’s forgiveness at all times. Today I want to use this space to pray for forgiveness and love. I invite you to pray with me so that we can learn from the heart of God. Remembering that you don’t have to pray exactly as it is written here. Everyone has their own way of talking to the Father. Please feel free to pray as you wish and if you wish, I will be happy to accompany you in this prayer time. Prayer “Lord, Your heart teaches me so much! Your steps minister and illuminate mine. Mold my heart to be like Yours. May I in all my days remember the walk of Your Son Jesus, which was full of wisdom and full discernment of Yours word. Guide my life in love, teach me to love as You love. I know that in Your love lives complete forgiveness and I want to know how to release that forgiveness on other people too. As I […]

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July 13, 2023·Rapha Abreu

Worship the Perfect Love

Gratitude is also a type of worship. Being grateful and worshiping the Lord are natural responses of a heart that lives in His love. They are common actions of someone who loves the Father and His Kingdom. Love that drives “It is good to praise the Lord and make music to your name, O Most High, proclaiming your love in the morning and your faithfulness at night.” Psalm 92:1-2 When we understand the size and beauty of God’s love and grace, it is natural for our hearts to overflow with love. This is praising God, expressing in words and actions how wonderful He is in every detail. We are loved unconditionally and that alone should be a reason to be grateful for the rest of our lives. But many times we stagnate by knowing that we are loved unconditionally. However, I want to tell you that this love does not exist to stop us. We need to evolve into thinking that if God loves us unconditionally, we need to move in that love. Really, this love is not a bargaining chip, it does not exist based on what we do or fail to do. His main goal is for you to move knowing […]

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July 11, 2023·Rapha Abreu

Where does forgiveness live

I want to talk to you today about the power of forgiveness and reconciliation. That’s how God demonstrated on the cross how he loves us. He calls us to act in this way towards one another as well. What have you valued? “For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.” Matthew 6:14 In this passage from Matthew 6 Jesus teaches us about the importance of releasing forgiveness. He underscores in that sentence how the forgiveness we offer others is linked to the forgiveness we receive from Him. Forgiveness shouldn’t be a choice for us, it should already be one of our foundations. When we offer forgiveness we can experience the fullness of the Father’s forgiveness. We are not perfect, we all make mistakes at some point. We are often inflexible. When we demand of the people around us that they be perfect, we seem to erase from our minds the fact that we fail too. To forgive is to say that we value the relationship and communion more than the pain and anguish that exist in pride. Beloved in failure “Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just […]

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July 06, 2023·Rapha Abreu

Prayer: Good Fruits

In the last text we talked about the seed that He sows in our hearts and the fruit that is generated in us when we are in Him. Today I want to use this space to pray together about these fruits and these seeds. Let’s pray for the soil we are (or should be) to be fertile for the Kingdom. I invite you to pray with me. Remembering that you don’t have to pray exactly as it is written here. Everyone has their own way of talking to the Father and I want you to feel free to pray as you prefer. But if you want, I’ll be happy to accompany you. 🙂 PRAYER “Father, thank you for pouring so much on me, even though I didn’t deserve it. I am filled with gratitude for your work, for your mercy, love and care. For entrusting me with something so much greater than myself. I thank you for my gifts and my calling. More than giving thanks for what I receive from You every day, I want to pray for what I deliver before it. God, teach me to take care of what You have entrusted to my hands. Give me […]

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July 04, 2023·Rapha Abreu

Gift X Fruit

For a long time I had doubts about the difference between gifts and fruits. And the meaning is so deep and beautiful. When we understand this difference, we feel part of something and it fills us with hope and identity. A good soil “Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit.” Matthew 12:33 What God does and pours out to us concerns the gift. Fruit is the result of what we do with the gift He has given us. If the gift is the seed that God gives, it says much more about the Lord. The fruit speaks more about the type of land in which that seed was deposited. That is, the fruit speaks about us. Everything we receive from Him must be used for the sake of the Kingdom. We are graced by Him so that we can serve each other better. Thus, we can build the path to His Kingdom in the best way. These seeds planted in our hearts, the gifts we receive from the Father’s grace, need to be watered and cultivated. Through the […]

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June 29, 2023·Rapha Abreu

Prayer: Where will I go?

It’s been a while since we’ve had a prayer moment around here, hasn’t it? Prayer is an opportunity to show our feelings to God and for God. We can use these moments to surrender our worship to Him, to learn in practice to trust, rest and say with our mouths how we want Him in every detail of our lives. I don’t want to bring a specific topic to pray together today, but I want to use this space to pray for His work in our lives. Feel free to pray in your own words as you present your needs and requests before the Lord. Or if you prefer you can accompany me. It will be a pleasure to have this moment together. PRAYER Lord, at this moment we cry out for Your complete act in our lives. We are human and constantly have a need to grab control. The feeling that everything is going according to our wishes and that our lives are going as planned gives us the false feeling that everything is going well. But with our failing hands everything can fall apart at any moment. Remind us at all times how we need to let go […]

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June 27, 2023·Rapha Abreu

Have you been a false prophet?

I recently spoke to you about the difference between being used and being approved by God. An approved character requires depth and obedience. Approval comes through real devotion. How to recognize I used Balaam’s donkey in the text I wrote before as an example that God uses what He prefers and finds appropriate for the moment. Isso não diz muito sobre o que ou quem Ele está usando, mas revela muito sobre Deus. About the story of Balaam, I want to remind you what he was called. In the Bible he is recognized as a false prophet. Although there is not a verse that clearly calls him that, there are passages in which we can understand this characterization. In 2 Peter 2:15, we can read the following passage: “They have left the straight way and wandered off to follow the way of Balaam son of Bezer, who loved the wages of wickedness.” Or also in Jude 1:11 “Woe to them! They have taken the way of Cain. They have rushed for profit into Balaam’s error. They have been destroyed in Korah’s rebellion.” When we read this, it’s normal to wonder about the revelations he made and the words he took to […]

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June 22, 2023·Rapha Abreu

No space for the new

How do you want to receive new things from God if you remain the old man? No, our attitudes do not change God. His character is something permanent and solid. But our actions directly interfere with everything we receive from the Father. Not because we influence His power, but because we impede the miracle and blessings in our lives by being full of ourselves. We leave no room for the will of God. Empty yourself “For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want.” Galatians 5:17 In some of the texts I wrote here for the blog, I commented on how the actions of people at the time of Jesus prevented them from living profound experiences with God, prevented them from enjoying the presence of Christ. A very simple and quick explanation related to this is that God is not going to put new wine in an old wineskin. If we live a life for our desires, without emptying ourselves, we don’t make room for the new. Even if God poured out His new […]

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June 20, 2023·Rapha Abreu

I AM

God reveals who He is to us through various passages of the Bible. Until the moment when He sums it all up in the famous phrase “I Am who I Am”. Being “God said to Moses, ‘I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I am has sent me to you.” Exodus 3:14 In the book of John God is presented to us as the Light of the World (8:12), the bBead of Life (6:35), the Good Shepherd (10:14), the Door (10:9 )… Throughout the biblical text, from the first book, we see God presenting himself to the people in different ways. In each moment He revealed himself in a different way. But he never ceased to exist in the other forms he had already revealed or would reveal himself in the future. Sometimes God needs to remind us of something specific in His character. In moments of pain, He shows himself as Comforter. In the hour of uncertainty, He is the Promise. In times of confusion, He is the Way (14:6). But in all these situations, even if an attribute of the Father is in greater evidence, He simply remains Being. God’s character […]

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June 15, 2023·Rapha Abreu

Led by the Spirit

The Holy Spirit transforms many things in us and many of them have to do with our positioning. These days I heard a preaching from a very special pastor and I would like to share with you some of the ideas he presented. To position “Be on your guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong. Do everything in love.” 1 Corinthians 16:13,14 Sometimes we think that having the Holy Spirit, in certain situations such as arguments or difficulties, is keeping quiet and just holding back, sitting back and waiting for Him to do something. But the Spirit of God gives us discernment for a good position in any situation. To be filled with this Spirit is to know how to position yourself, but not with your own strength, but by recognizing your dependence on Him. God expects us to position wisely. Even if we are without strength, He calls us to act according to His will. If the call comes from Him, He will be the source of strength to walk toward it. He empowers you “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid. Do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with […]

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