Devotional for friends // Devocional para as amigas

 "Seguir a Cristo não é uma prática casual ou ocasional, mas um compromisso contínuo e um modo de vida que se aplica em todos os momentos e em todos os lugares." - Elder Dallin H Oaks How seriously do you take your Christian life? I mean, how hard do you try to be like Jesus? How often do you think of Jesus during the day? How often do you mention your sins, by name, to Jesus when you pray? For example, “ Oh Jesus, forgive me because I have sinned against you and that woman whom I lusted this afternoon. Jesus, help me to overcome this bad habit of mine.”   Don’t you think we have often taken for granted the grace of Jesus, and we are so sure we are already forgiven, although we have not stopped sinning or confessed that same sin? Sometimes, we don’t even think about that anymore because we are sure that we are forgiven or don’t recognize it as a sin anymore.    I once talked to my husband about confession. I didn’t understand the need to go to a priest to confess bec...

  Traitors This morning, I listened to a devotional, which was very beautiful, by the way. It started talking about Judas Iscariot. I have never thought about the way out Judas had. I had only seen what I wanted to see. Judas I. was a traitor, a coward who killed himself out of remorse for what he did. I bet he didn’t think about the consequences of his actions. Despite walking with Jesus for three years, he didn’t know Jesus. It is not enough just to walk by Jesus’ side. Because if he knew Jesus, he would have known that there was forgiveness for his actions, even if he knew he had just murdered his Master. But what did Judas do? He was probably ashamed and remorseful that he couldn’t even look at Jesus. Maybe he thought he was lost, that his actions were unforgivable. He just killed the Messiah. If he thought that, it would prove he didn’t know the Word of God. Better he didn’t have it in his heart. So, what did he do? He despaired.    Who never? I have despaired so man...

  In the previous post, I have talked about love. Love is very complex. It is full of details and a hard thing to do, especially in the current time that we live in when love is something physical, carnal, and often related to sex. But Love, in reality, has very little to do with sex at all.    When the word righteousness is translated into our current language, it is often translated as justice, and the meaning is a little bit deeper than just justice like we are used to currently.   In its deeper spiritual meaning, righteousness is the quality of being right in the eyes of God, including character (nature), conscience (attitude), conduct (action), and command (word). Righteousness is, therefore, based upon God's standard because He is the ultimate Lawgiver (Isaiah 33:22).   The Righteousness of God looks a lot like Love to me, or at least there is some sort of integration between them. They most likely happen together. As I see it, one word depends on the othe...

 "Na vida, você tem 3 escolhas: desistir, ceder ou dar seu tudo!" It is easy to love your best friend or your spouse, am I right?   How about loving that rebellious kid, that ungrateful colleague, that unlovable person? How many times do you see yourself in the mirror for the day? Why is that? Don’t you know your own face? Do you love that person in the mirror? Most of people love themselves very much. The order of the day is: To Love Thyself, the more, the better. Really?   So, how come the number of people committing suicide and depression and anxiety medicines have gone up? How is that working out for you? Does it make any sense?   People are not getting married or having children. They think it is awesome to be without gender or whatever word they choose today. How is changing the natural course of life making people happier?   Anyway… God loved the world so much that He gave his only Son, and whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life ...

So do not Fear, for I am with You; do not be dismayed, for I am Your God. I Will Strengthen You and Help You; I Will Uphold You with My Righteous Right Hand. Isaiah 41:10 Por isso não tema, pois estou com você; não tenha medo, pois sou o seu Deus. Eu o fortalecerei e o ajudarei;   eu o segurarei   com a minha mão direita vitoriosa.  Isaias 41:10   “If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them if a large millstone were hung around their neck and they were thrown into the sea. If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter ( in the eternal) life maimed than with two hands to go into hell, where the fire never goes out.  And if your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than to have two feet and be thrown into hell.  And if your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of G...

  I am weary with my moaning; every night I flood my bed with tears; I drench my couch with my weeping. My eye wastes away because of grief; it grows weak because of all my foes. Depart from me, all you workers of evil, for the LORD has heard the sound of my weeping. The LORD has heard my plea; the LORD accepts my prayer.” Psalm 6:6-9   I have talked a lot about Fibromyalgia already. But I haven’t really talked about depression. Some people say, “It doesn’t exist; it is just in her head,” or “Why are you sad? You have a good life; there is no reason for you to be like that,” and so many other things that people say because fortunately, they have never been through it.    Let me explain the way I experience it. First, I have been battling depression for as long as I can remember.  We don’t choose to be sad. We don’t choose to cry. We don’t choose to desire to die. Yes, there is no reason to be sad about it most of the time. And that is sad. Because we can’t expla...