JFA Blog

Reflections, studies and news for your walk with God.

June 18, 2024·Rapha Abreu

Prayer: Creating foundations

Previously, I talked to you about focusing on the structure of the building, laying the foundation, and strengthening the house. Shall we pray about this today? So that we can stand on the firm rock that is Jesus. 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, we know that true transformation begins from the inside out. The search for it must be in secret, in our intimacy with You, where we are molded and renewed in Your image. Teach us to focus on what is within us. Enable us to seek Your face in prayer, meditating and studying Your Word, allowing Your Holy Spirit to work deeply in our hearts. May we grow spiritually in secret, away from the eyes of the world, being transformed according to Your will, forgetting the spotlight that our ego seeks and just wanting to be under Your gaze. Lord, we want […]

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June 12, 2024·Rapha Abreu

Structured by the Creator

Human beings have always cared about what can be seen. We have observed beauty standards for people and places being imposed since ancient times, and we tend to focus more on that than on who we are inside and what we do when no one is watching. But who are you inside? What is your identity? What is its structure? Surface base “Stop judging by mere appearances, but instead judge correctly.” John 7:24 Nowadays, with technology and so much information, appearance and what you are like on the outside have become an unhealthy concern. We think we know people because of what they seem to be, and we choose to go to places because of what they appear to be. Then we get frustrated when we get to know the inside; we place a lot of expectations on what we form from such a superficial characteristic. I don’t know about you, but I love home decor. Seeing an organized, clean, and beautiful environment is something I really appreciate. The look always catches our attention. We are dazzled by what adorns us and, most of the time, we are led to focus more on it. In the end, what matters least […]

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June 11, 2024·Rapha Abreu

Prayer: Fire that purifies

God wants to purify us like gold, making us a mirror of who He is. To do this, we need to allow Him the freedom in our lives to act as He desires. Shall we pray together about this? 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, thank You for all You do in our lives. We give You complete freedom right now to do whatever You want, however You want, whenever You want. Prepare me for everything I have prayed for and align my dreams with Yours. We want to be purified and shaped into the image of Christ. Lord, we ask that You purify us as gold is refined in fire; burn with Your fire in us. Remove from us all impurities, all sins, and imperfections that prevent us from reflecting Your glory. May Your Holy Spirit work deeply in our hearts, transforming and renewing […]

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June 06, 2024·Rapha Abreu

Purified like gold

The Bible tells us in several passages that God fashions us like new vessels and purifies His people like gold and silver. While studying and listening to some sermons on this, I found a deeper meaning on the subject: the way gold looks after going through the fire. Separated For gold to be purified, it is placed at a high temperature for a certain time. This metal is not found pure in nature; it is common to find it mixed with silver or other materials. Therefore, this purification becomes necessary. It’s the same with us. We were created by God and received the identity of Christ in our lives. But we are in the world and we are human beings with flaws. God needs to separate us from what makes us unclean. We need to go through a long process of purification and refinement. These steps hurt and don’t happen on our schedule. They occur at the right time and the correct temperature. It is not easy to be refined, and it is not painless to be purified, but God strengthens us at each moment of the process and promises us His protection. Becoming a mirror “So God created mankind in his […]

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June 04, 2024·Rapha Abreu

Prayer: Be available

In the previous text, we talked about being free from ties and things in our hands that take up space, making it impossible for us to receive what God has for us. Today, I want to pray with you about this, to be available to God. 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 “Dear God, we are here at this moment with sincere and humble hearts. Today, we want to place ourselves entirely at Your disposal, desiring to fully live out Your purposes and plans for our lives. Lord, help us to identify and remove from our lives everything that binds and hinders us, preventing us from being completely available to You. May we discern what occupies the place that belongs only to You in our hearts and minds. God, may we free our hands from unnecessary worries, material attachments, toxic relationships, and dreams that are not […]

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May 29, 2024·Rapha Abreu

Unbind Yourself!

We hear a lot about being available for what God is going to do. The Bible says in several passages that we need to open our hearts and allow the Lord to act in our lives. But, after all, what does this mean? Be aware “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.” Revelation 3:20 Being available does not mean being idle but being open and attentive. To be available, you can’t be tied to something; it is necessary that we are not entangled in any situation. When we try to embrace the world, we lose focus, and that puts us in a spider’s web. We make our lives so busy that we don’t have free time to pay attention to what the Lord wants to do. This makes us miss opportunities because we are too busy and miss the blessings of heaven because we are distracted by things that take us nowhere and just take up unnecessary space. Make room for “yes” “The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries […]

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May 28, 2024·Rapha Abreu

Prayer: Blessed to Bless

The Lord has a calling for each of us, with a personal and individual direction. But this calling is for the Kingdom, not for oneself. In the word of God, we are encouraged to love as God loved us, caring for one another and being channels of blessings to those around us. The answer to someone’s prayer could be you! Today, I want to invite you to pray together for this sense of community and body, so that we may understand that, in addition to our calling to serve the Kingdom, we must also serve people. 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 “Dear God, I want to thank You for Your blessings upon my family and friends. I ask that You use me as a channel, so that I can be an answer to prayer in their lives, bringing Your love and light. Illuminate our paths […]

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May 23, 2024·Gabriela Angerami

We should take care of each other

We often assume that caring for people within the church is solely the responsibility of leaders or pastors. However, the Gospel instructs us to love our neighbors as God does and to emulate the example of the Good Shepherd, Jesus. I believe that if we grasped the concept that caregiving and shepherding aren’t exclusive duties of ordained pastors, the entire church would function more effectively. If individuals understood their call to care for one another in a compassionate manner, conflicts might be less severe, and many situations could be managed more adeptly or with greater empathy. We all need to learn to view circumstances through a lens of compassion and caring. How Jesus Demonstrated Care Jesus left the synagogue and went to the home of Simon. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was suffering from a high fever, and they asked Jesus to help her. So he bent over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her. She got up at once and began to wait on them. At sunset, the people brought to Jesus all who had various kinds of sickness, and laying his hands on each one, he healed them. – Luke 4:38-40 Your text is clear and well-structured, but […]

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May 21, 2024·Gabriela Angerami

Blessing your family

Last year, during one of the meetings at my church, we discussed how parents’ generosity blesses their children. Each person shared a different experience that, in some way, highlighted this idea. David’s Great-Grandparents Do you know who King David’s great-grandparents were? Some biblical narratives teach us about generosity and its blessings for families. I’d like to emphasize the story of Ruth and Boaz here. They were King David’s great-grandparents and are also mentioned in the genealogy of Christ, as we see in the Gospels, where Jesus is depicted as a direct descendant of King David. The book of Ruth narrates their story. Ruth, an incredibly generous woman, chose to stay with her mother-in-law Naomi after losing her husband, despite having the option to return to her family. She famously declared, “Wherever you go, I will go; wherever you live, I will live. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God” (Ruth 1:16). Together, they returned to Naomi’s homeland, Israel. Ruth committed herself to caring for her mother-in-law and started working in the fields to support them both. It was there that she met Boaz, a man who showed kindness to them. Boaz had heard of […]

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May 14, 2024·Rapha Abreu

Becoming unrecognizable

The journey of faith needs to make us unrecognizable. This does not mean forcing ourselves to look like something we are not, but truly being transformed. Processes “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” Galatians 2:20 Nothing changes who God is; no situation or person holds such power. But nothing remains the same wherever God passes. His presence needs to kill who you are so that you become more and more like Him. At times, we try to change the Lord without realizing it. We want to teach Him how to do something, aligning His desires with ours, not the other way around. The problem is that this frustrates us and keeps us away from our promises because we are the ones who need change and direction. Change hurts; the refinement process is painful at some points. We need to let go of who we are used to being. And the secret to getting through all this stronger is to focus on who we will become while walking with Christ. […]

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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 Leao

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 Leao

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 Leao

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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