Devotional for friends // Devocional para as amigas

  I want to start today with a prayer. Pray with me; this prayer was inspired by Paul, the apostle of Christ when he wrote to the Philippians. (Philippians 1:27-30)   Lord, only let the manner of my life be worthy of the gospel of Christ so that when people hear of me, I am standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel, and not frightened in anything by those who oppose me. This is a clear sign of my salvation. For it has been granted to me that for the sake of Christ, I should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake, engaged in the same conflict that I have seen Your people do, and now Your people can hear that I also have.     And Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through me. John 14:6”.   We celebrate Christmas, right? Christmas is a celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. We are celebrating the life: a new life, a newborn. Halloween is the celebr...

  You know, in Brazil, we do not have in our culture Halloween. However, we have the Day of the Dead on November 2nd. But I have never been in a cemetery if a person wasn’t in a casket waiting to be buried. And I have never visited any grave. I know many cultures people go to the cemetery to talk to the grave or just leave flowers.   I have an opinion about that, but I’ll keep it to myself for now.  It has been a few years since Halloween became a thing in Brazil. It doesn’t seem right.  I don’t know what people do over there if they just go to parties wearing costumes or do something else.    According to the History Channel website:   “ This day marked the end of summer and the harvest and the beginning of the dark, cold winter, a time of year that was often associated with human death. Celts believed that on the night before the new year, the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead became blurred. On the night of October 31, they...

Have you thanked the Lord today for living in a place where the turmoil of war doesn’t get near your house?   I was brushing my teeth, and I noticed the silence around me. It is a blessing. I am no better than anyone. But I have to be grateful that my troubles don’t involve guns or death on a daily basis.    The world is getting hot with wars. We see that there are more to come.  Every war has casualties. And we pray for the weak, the orphans, the widows, and every victim of the war. We pray for the authorities; may God grant them wisdom and strength to guide his people and army.    I have read Psalm 83, a prayer to God for Israel. It talks about those who have planned evil and seek the destruction of Israel. I pray verses 11 – 18.   11 Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb,     all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna, 12 who said, “Let us take possession     of the pasturelands of God.” 13 Make them l...

  The gospel of Mark records that people went after Jesus to be healed. If you want to be healed. By Jesus, you must go after Him.   The human eyes can only see the exterior of the body. The human medicine can only heal the body, and sometimes not even the body. But Jesus can heal not only the body but also the soul. My parents had a very bad divorce. I got very angry and let all the evil thoughts come to my mind. I didn’t filter. I was soaked in hate. For so many years I was sick, my soul was sick, and eventually, my body got sick too.     We do things that bring consequences, like it or not. These consequences don’t go away just because Jesus healed me. Jesus healed my soul. Something that only He can see. I am cured. I am a very different person from 15- 20 years ago.  My sins were forgiven. However, I carry my cross. The consequences of my acts. The Bible says you reap what you sow. My harvest will be awesome, but I am still reaping what I sowed years ago....

  I have noticed that it is “cool” to question everything. Science is there as a god, to answer and validate everything. Although I used to be a person of science, I don’t hold it as holy. I am still aware that science doesn’t answer every question nor is it a permanent truth. Science is constantly changing; however, people treat science as holy. Don’t you dare question science, “it is written”, “scientists studied”, “it was proved”… today, tomorrow everything can change just like that. And all these are man-made things. And all can be manipulated for their own gain. They all have an expiration date. Something new is coming out every day or week. A new phone, a new shoe, and a new medicine with a new promise, a new theory that will revolutionize the world.   Do you know what has never changed? The Word of God. He can’t change. He is above all, above time and space. He can’t be contained. He is the only one who cannot change. His words won’t change, His promises still count....