JFA Blog

Reflections, studies and news for your walk with God.

May 14, 2024·Rapha Abreu

Prayer: Renewed by the word

The Gospel transforms us. When we truly live out the Word, we are renewed and become unrecognizable. Today, I want to set aside this moment to pray for this genuine transformation, so that Christ has freedom in all areas of our lives. Remembering that you don’t need to pray exactly as I’m going to say here. I know that everyone has their own way of communicating with the Father, and it is important that we seek this intimacy. Feel free to talk to the Lord in your way. But if you wish, I am here to accompany you in this prayer. Prayer “Father, I desire to be truly transformed by Your Word. I acknowledge, Lord, that Your Word is living and effective, capable of penetrating our hearts and shaping us according to Your will, and I am willing to fully surrender myself to make this a reality. Above all, I long to love and seek Your Word and Your presence more deeply, immersing myself in the Scriptures daily to seek Your wisdom and guidance in every aspect of my life. Your Word serves as a lamp for my feet and a light for my path, leading me in the ways […]

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May 07, 2024·Rapha Abreu

Prayer: Authority in Christ

To obtain spiritual authority, we must live the word and be truly Christians, acting like Christ. I want to invite you to pray together for this authority, being completely dependent and surrendered. Remembering that you don’t need to pray exactly as I’m going to say here. I know that everyone has their own way of communicating with the Father, and it is important that we seek this intimacy. Feel free to talk to the Lord in your way. But if you wish, I am here to accompany you in this prayer. Prayer “Father, only You have power; all my strength comes from You, and only by walking with You can I face the enemy with authority. Teach me to be more like Christ every day; I want to walk by Your side in every situation. I know that this authority comes through Jesus and a life in the Word. Enable my heart to resist the enemy in all his schemes, so that I do not believe any of his lies. Keep my spirit firm and focused on You and the truths of the Gospel, so that I trust at all times in Your protection and Your help in times of […]

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May 06, 2024·Rapha Abreu

Living Christ

Being a Christian is not simple. It requires total surrender, dependence, and sacrifice. Emptying our hearts of our desires to align our projects with His often hurts, as we need to give up what we want and plan to trust Him completely, even if the decisions don’t make sense at the time. But we often forget this and consider ourselves Christians just because we go to church…. Ambassadors of the word “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9 God demands nothing in exchange for His power and care. However, to be under His protection, we also need to be aligned with His word. The enemy constantly tries to deceive us with lies to influence our journey. Lies about God, about our identity in Him, and about the things and people around us. He will not respect your church card, but he is obliged to respect our spiritual authority. He can influence our lives even when we are at church; attending all services does not make us immune to his pitfalls. However, he has no power over us […]

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May 02, 2024·Rapha Abreu

Prayer: Love that directs

We know that God is a Father of justice and love, who cares for us and calls us to the best path. Today, I want to pray with you about this. We should not feel punished in some situations, but rather cared for and directed towards something much greater, learning and growing along the way. Remembering that you don’t need to pray exactly as I’m going to say here. I know that everyone has their own way of communicating with the Father, and it is important that we seek this intimacy. Feel free to talk to the Lord in your way. But if you wish, I am here to accompany you in this prayer. Prayer “God, I recognize Your perfect justice and Your endless love. Lord, I know that You are a God of love and justice, who desires for me to live in harmony with Your principles of love and righteousness. I ask that You teach my heart to understand and live according to Your justice. May I be under the shelter of Your loving care, understanding that Your “no” is also a blessing and leads me to “yes” at the right time. I always want to seek to […]

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April 30, 2024·Rapha Abreu

Justice and love!

I’ve heard many people talk about God’s justice as divine punishment. He doesn’t punish; He teaches and guides. The consequences of our choices have never been God’s fault, but rather our own errors and steps taken alone. Warning “He rules the world in righteousness and judges the peoples with equity.” Psalm 9:8 He is love. But God cannot be a God of love without also being a just God. Love comforts and confronts. It corrects, guides, warns, and cares. If your child makes a mistake, you teach them. You show them where they went wrong, instruct them on the right way to do things. But most of the time, you cannot prevent the consequences. If they climb somewhere they shouldn’t and fall, the pain of the fall is inevitable. However, your role as a parent is to instruct and correct, so that it does not happen again. God warns us, gives us new chances, directs us, and calls our attention repeatedly. But often, we continue in error and suffer the consequences, blaming God for them. Fair judge “For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: […]

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April 25, 2024·Rapha Abreu

Prayer: Influencing through the Spirit

In the previous message, I mentioned the importance of not allowing ourselves to be influenced by others, but rather allowing ourselves to be guided by God and influencing others through that. I would like to take this moment to pray together about this matter. Remembering that you don’t need to pray exactly as I’m going to say here. I know that everyone has their own way of communicating with the Father, and it is important that we seek this intimacy. Feel free to talk to the Lord in your way. But if you wish, I am here to accompany you in this prayer. Prayer “God, lead my heart to follow in the footsteps of Jesus. Teach me the way and direct my focus to where You want me to go. I long to move towards Your promises and the calling You have for my life. I do not want to be shaped by the influences of the world around me. I acknowledge, Lord, that You are the source of all wisdom and truth, and Your words and deeds are the standard by which I should live. Empower my heart to discern what I should absorb and learn from the things […]

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April 23, 2024·Rapha Abreu

Influenced by the Spirit

Jesus was in the world physically. He walked among sinners and lived among those whom society excluded. And because of that, we distort this message and find comfort in being in certain places and situations that distance us from Him. Presence of God “Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.” Matthew 16:24-25 Jesus was not influenced easily. He was so rooted in God and lived out the Word so deeply that He was not swayed by His surroundings. He did not approach these people just for the sake of it; He stayed close to teach and exhort about the word and the truth of the Gospel. The environment never corrupted Him; instead, in the authority given by God, He transformed environments and people. The Father was with Him at all times. He was a teacher, a brother, a friend, and an intercessor for those people, not just a companion. Standing firm in Christ “Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand […]

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April 22, 2024·Nicole Leão

Say yes, because it is God who enables you!

Many times we are afraid of not feeling up to the positions and challenges given to us, we forget who is the God who enables us and thinking about this, today I want to bring in this text biblical truths about our identity and about the One we believe in! When the Lord called Moses he immediately thought of five reasons to say no and we also sometimes raise these same points as a reason to give up which are described in Exodus 3 through 4. 1. “Who am I?” Moses thought that God had chosen the wrong person, because he did not feel able to accomplish what was asked of him. It was too much responsibility! Have you ever felt this way? Have you ever thought about giving up something because you thought you couldn’t do it? Then here is God’s answer to that thought: “I will be with you” (Exodus 3.11). No matter who you are, He has chosen you and will be with you. 2. “Who are you?” Moses realized that he didn’t know God well enough to introduce him to the people, after all God is so great, tremendous and magnificent. How to describe Him? Thoughts […]

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April 18, 2024·Rapha Abreu

Prayer: Chosen Children

We are children of God, chosen and set apart to live by His side, building His Kingdom and experiencing the fullness of His love. I want to invite you to pray together today, so that we can feel in our hearts that we are beloved and desired children of the Lord, no longer carrying within us the feeling of orphanhood. You don’t need to pray exactly as I’m going to say here. I know that everyone has their own way of communicating with the Father, and it is important that we seek this intimacy. Feel free to talk to the Lord in your way. But if you wish, I am here to accompany you in this prayer. Prayer “Father, we acknowledge that we are Your beloved sons and daughters and we thank you for this truth. We know that You have adopted us and given us the privilege to call You Abba Father! Teach our hearts to fully understand the meaning of this adoption. May we deeply feel the unconditional love You have for each one of us, even before we were born. Empower us to trust in Your paternal providence and care, even in moments of difficulty and uncertainty. […]

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April 16, 2024·Nicole Leão

God hears your cry

There are situations in life that are desperate. Calamities happen to families, cities, and nations. Health crises, wars, earthquakes, floods, deaths, rampant violence, persecution and so many other evils. These situations leave people terrified, afraid, and not knowing what to do. What the Bible says In Lamentations, it is told that the few Jews left in Israel lived this way, in the midst of chaos and fear. They were terrified and hopeless, but Jeremiah decided to summon them to cry out to God. It was time to confess their sins to the Most High and ask for help. Righteous they prayed and poured out their hearts before God for his merciful action. (Lam 5.1-22). In Psalm 51.17 David speaks that God is pleased with a broken spirit and does not despise a repentant heart. In 2 Chronicles 7.14, the Lord appeared to Solomon and told him that if his people would humble themselves, pray, seek and turn from their wicked ways, then he would hear them, forgive them and heal the land. Psalm 107 tells how God acted on behalf of his people, when in distress, the people cried out to the Lord and he delivered them from their tribulations. […]

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April 15, 2024·Rapha Abreu

Adopted by the Creator

The Bible says that we have been adopted by God as beloved children. As stated in Galatians 4:5: “…to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship….” For a long time, the word “adoption” bothered me. Perhaps because it carries a connotation of not being directly begotten, as if it were less important. But today, I see it as something even deeper, because we were chosen. Desired “The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.” Romans 8:16 A biological child is often unexpected and unplanned. In some situations, we even hear the word “accident” when referring to a pregnancy. Having a child is a blessing, and pregnancy is a gift. But truly, depending on the timing in the parents’ lives, it may not be desired right away. This is not the case with adoption. The process of adopting someone is filled with difficulties, choices, decisions, and planning. It does not happen by chance at an undesired time. God loves Jesus as a son begotten by Him, as part of Who He Is, and loves us as chosen and set apart children. God and Father “Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God […]

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April 11, 2024·Rapha Abreu

Prayer: Merciful like Christ

I spoke last week about how our mercy is often selective and limited. Today, I want to pray with you about this, to be meek and have a heart filled with God’s love and grace. We need to express this care that the Father has for us, reflecting this to the people around us, being witnesses of God’s grace and mercy on earth. And God has His eyes and ears open to receive our prayer at all times. Remembering that you don’t need to pray exactly as I’m going to say here. I know that everyone has their own way of communicating with the Father, and it is important that we seek this intimacy. Feel free to talk to the Lord in your way. But if you wish, I am here to accompany you in this prayer. Prayer “God, I want to be more like you. Knowing You transforms me every day, walking with the Lord renews me. I know how much I make mistakes. I am not worthy of Your love, but even so, the Lord continues to pour it into me abundantly. Your mercy accompanies me every day, and just as the Lord forgives and consoles me, I […]

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April 10, 2024·Nicole Leão

Meekness, the missing fruit of the Spirit

Do you consider yourself a meek person? Meekness is a fruit of the Holy Spirit that seems so lacking in our society. What we see most often are reactive people, who get stressed over little things and more than that end up being aggressive in their communication with others. But surely this is not how those who have been transformed in Christ should act, is it? We serve a God who is meek and who values such a way of behaving, and today we will see what the Bible has to tell us about being meek. Be careful how you respond An angry man provokes quarrels, and he of a violent temper commits many sins. Proverbs 29:22 Our Father is pleased with those who have meekness in their hearts, being humble, kind, calm, and sure toward their neighbor. The enemy is quick and often provokes various disagreements just so that we fall into his temptations, but we must pray and watch always, so as not to give in to any sin. He who gets angry too quickly, will easily fall into great temptations. So, be gentle at all times, if someone hates you and wishes you harm, do it differently. […]

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April 08, 2024·Rapha Abreu

Selective mercy

God expects from us a merciful heart, just like His. And in several biblical passages, He teaches us about mercy, love, and compassion… But have you truly been merciful? Weaknesses “Not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.” Philippians 2:4 One of the things I ask God for the most, and where He has worked the most in me, is patience. It’s understanding other people’s timing and difficulties, as this sometimes prevents me from being merciful. Our tendency is not to show mercy toward what is not our weakness, but to desire mercy in our moments of weakness. What hurts us deserves all the grace and gentleness in the world, but have we shown gentleness and grace toward what doesn’t cause us pain but affects others? The Bible calls us beyond ourselves. And I write this text in complete vulnerability about one of my own struggles as well. Unit “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together […]

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April 04, 2024·Rapha Abreu

Prayer: Anointing of the Spirit

God grants us gifts, pours His grace upon us, and empowers us for various actions, specific to each of His children. But, furthermore, He also desires to anoint us in these areas. He has set us apart for the Kingdom and guides us daily toward His work. I want to invite you to pray today for this anointing, for boldness and wisdom to serve the Kingdom. It’s important for us to pray for our dreams, but beyond that, it’s necessary to be thankful for what we already have and to seek empowerment for what He calls us to do. You don’t need to pray exactly as I’m going to say here. I know that everyone has their way of talking to the Father, and it is important that we individually seek intimacy with Him. Therefore, feel comfortable talking to the Lord in your own way. But if you want, I will be happy to accompany you in this prayer. Prayer “Father, I acknowledge the need I have to be anointed and washed by You, Lord. In this moment, I pour myself out before You, surrendering all that I have and am, allowing myself to be crushed and molded so that […]

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April 02, 2024·Nicole Leão

It is not far from Christ that we find transformation

We are sinners and failures, so shame before God’s presence can so often come upon us, but let me let you in on a secret… did you know that our Father is willing to forgive you no matter what the mistake was? Sometimes we may think we are not worthy of God’s love because we have made mistakes or our faults, but he sent his son to save us from condemnation and today we can have free access to Him. We are set free from our fears, bonds and our sins no longer dictate who we are, for in Christ we find our true identity. We understand the identity that God gave us when He created us. It may be that at the moment you find yourself ashamed of yourself for an attitude and it is taking you away from God and all that he has for you. But it is not away from Christ that you will get rid of sins and the old man, after all, He is the way, the truth, and the life. If there is anyone who can transform your life it is your Savior and I can assure you that He wants you by […]

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April 02, 2024·Rapha Abreu

Anointed

What have you done with what God has poured out on you? We often seek instant fulfillment, asking for everything or new things immediately, hoping to feel needed. However, true fulfillment comes only from Him, and we can only attain new things when we learn to cherish what we already have. God desires to anoint what you already possess! You already have the gift “If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.” 1 Corinthians 13:2 God will not give you something new if you do not value what you already have. Routine makes us forget all that we have with us, everything we have received from God. We ask for gifts and more gifts, and we neglect the anointing. We long to be talented people, but when we have the ability to do something, we often think only of serving ourselves. Seeking validation in something that should point to the Kingdom. There is a very big difference between a gift and anointing. God wants to anoint us in our gifts; He wants to direct us to impact lives through our […]

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March 28, 2024·Rapha Abreu

Prayer: Living in the Supernatural

Let’s pray together about the supernatural? Just as I mentioned in the previous text, God wants us to live out promises and miracles through His hands and calls us today to draw near to Him. And it’s important that we pray for this, entrusting our trust to the Father. You don’t need to pray exactly as I’m going to say here. I know that everyone has their way of talking to the Father, and it is important that we individually seek intimacy with Him. Therefore, feel comfortable talking to the Lord in your own way. But if you want, I will be happy to accompany you in this prayer. Prayer “God, allow us to live in the supernatural. Open our eyes to Your wonders and miracles. We don’t want to see just the ordinary in our days, but to perceive the extraordinary that happens through Your mighty hand. We know that You are a God who performs miracles, and that Your power knows no limits. We ask, Lord, that You pour out Your Holy Spirit upon us and grant us the ability to see miracles in our lives, just as we see in the Bible. You parted the Red Sea […]

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March 26, 2024·Rapha Abreu

Live the supernatural

I see many people questioning why those who don’t follow God prosper, while others who do, encounter afflictions. But that’s simply the nature of life. Natural cycle “Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.” 2 Corinthians 9:6 Whoever walks without God experiences what is natural. There is planting, rain, and then the harvest, as this is the normal cycle of things. And amidst all this, there are the consequences of your mistakes. We who live with God experience the supernatural daily. We witness miracles and events that can only exist in Him, which clearly demonstrate the presence of God and His hand in everything. Those who walk far from the Father only experience the natural, the obvious, and the expected cycle. But those who live for the Kingdom also need to understand that this does not provide an antidote to the bad things that happen. Battles exist, whether they are necessary for our growth or those in which we get involved due to wrong choices along the way. But achievements exist too, those of our own work and those that the Lord grants us. He promises to be with us […]

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March 25, 2024·Nicole Leão

The burden of Christ is light

28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30 How this passage can impact us, isn’t it? These days I was very busy, full of commitments and issues to resolve, but then in a conversation with a dear friend, she reminded me of this passage so precious and necessary to us. I don’t know about you, but I particularly have a hard time saying no to commitments or requests made to me. I get that feeling that if I don’t help I’ll be boring or that I might disappoint others. Surely this is not good, because we are not able to do everything at the same time, we are still only one person, aren’t we? Well, but as I read this passage I thought about what was not being light, as we read in Matthew 11, our Lord did not say that we would not have a “burden”, but that his burden is […]

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March 21, 2024·Rapha Abreu

Where Christ is not welcome

As tempting as it may be to journey where you desire, refrain from proceeding if it means leaving God behind along the way. Any path without Him leads towards the abyss. Despite the pain involved, relinquishment and surrender bring us peace and accomplishments far beyond what we could ever imagine. Don’t follow your limits “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God. They are brought to their knees and fall, but we rise up and stand firm. Lord, give victory to the king! Answer us when we call!” Psalm 20:7-9 God calls you to live your best life in this world, not as a slave to your desires and dreams, but with the Father by your side, guiding you to ever greater heights. When we walk alone, we rely solely on our own abilities and strength, reaching only as far as our own limits allow. However, when we choose to walk with God, we surpass our own strength, being empowered by Him. Consequently, we reach places that we could never reach on our own, as there are no limits to Him. Our minds can only comprehend so much, and our strength has its limits. But […]

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March 19, 2024·Rapha Abreu

Prayer: Rebuilding the altar

Shall we pray concerning our relationship with God? We must reconstruct the altar, renew our intimacy and profound connection with the Father, as He beckons us to do. Today, I wish to set aside this time to pray collectively regarding this commitment with the Lord, ensuring that we consistently prioritize the altar and submit to Him. You don’t need to pray exactly as I’m going to say here. I know that everyone has their way of talking to the Father, and it is important that we individually seek intimacy with Him. Therefore, feel comfortable talking to the Lord in your own way. But if you want, I will be happy to accompany you in this prayer. Prayer “Dear God, I thank You for Your constant presence in my life and for granting me access to You, even when I do not deserve it. I am eternally grateful for the grace of being able to be with You, God. I acknowledge the importance of rebuilding the altar of worship and relationship with You as a top priority. I desire to offer You my firstfruits, knowing that You have much more in store for me. Often, I find myself distracted by the […]

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March 18, 2024·Nicole Leão

Have you complimented anyone today?

Praise is just as important as warning. How many times have you mentally praised someone for a change in attitude and forgotten to verbalize it? Certainly we remember more to demand changes than to praise, when everything is fine we tend not to pay attention to the behavioral changes of those we live with, but when people do something that displeases us, we soon notice and get upset. Family relationships Now bringing it to a more specific topic, I have an 11 year old brother and like any child, sometimes he is a bit fumbling or doesn’t want to do what was asked of him at the time he should have done it and recently I realized that I as a sister was taking the wrong approach by just criticizing him about these things. Of course I can admonish him to be more committed to his tasks, but how many times has he done what he was supposed to do and come to me happy, and I in turn said “that’s very good, but it could always be like this”. I praised him, but soon after charged him for an attitude that he was already trying to change. Maybe in […]

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March 14, 2024·Rapha Abreu

Rebuild the altar

God is calling you to rebuild your story. He not only wants you to appear healed and renewed on the outside, but He desires a genuine transformation from within. He needs to flow in you for something to flow through you, through His hands. Build an altar to Him in your heart, and witness the Lord moving everything else. Restoring the connection “Despite their fear of the peoples around them, they built the altar on its foundation and sacrificed burnt offerings on it to the Lord, both the morning and evening sacrifices.” Ezra 3:3 If the altar is the first step in reconstructing your story, there will be no difficulty in building everything else. In the biblical context, the altar was a place of encounter with God, where sacrifices were offered as expressions of devotion, lament, and surrender. Rebuilding starting at the altar implies restoring connection and intimacy with the Lord first and foremost, placing Him at the center of our lives, and prioritizing our relationship with Him. After the people returned from exile in Babylon, the first thing they did in the reconstruction was to build the altar. They offered sacrifices and surrendered everything they had to God, seeking His presence […]

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