Who is behind it?

The disciples lived with Jesus for three years. They saw the blind begin to see, the mute begin to speak, the paralyzed begin to walk and the dead rise. They witnessed almost every moment of our Lord here on earth. What a privilege, right?
They ate with the Lord, spoke with Him and learned celestial teachings directly from the source on how to have a successful life. Those who saw the disciples could safely say that they were holy men, because they were continuously at Jesus’ side. But this was not the case, because it was not enough for Jesus to be next to them, it was necessary for Him to be within them, which later happened, except for Judas.
Only the Lord Jesus knew who lived behind the eyes of those disciples. He knew that:
The spirit of betrayal lived behind the eyes of Judas:
"Now as they were eating, He said, “Assuredly, I say to you, one of you will betray Me.” And they were exceedingly sorrowful, and each of them began to say to Him, “Lord, is it I?” He answered and said, “He who dipped his hand with Me in the dish will betray Me. The Son of Man indeed goes just as it is written of Him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good for that man if he had not been born.” Then Judas, who was betraying Him, answered and said, “Rabbi, is it I?” He said to him, “You have said it.” Matthew 26.21-25
The spirit of unbelief lived behind the eyes of Thomas:
"The other disciples therefore said to him, “We have seen the Lord.” So he said to them, “Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.” And after eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, “Peace to you!” Then He said to Thomas, “Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing.” And Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!” John 20.25-28
The spirit of cowardice lived behind the eyes of Peter:
"Peter said to Him, “Lord, why can I not follow You now? I will lay down my life for Your sake.” Jesus answered him, “Will you lay down your life for My sake? Most assuredly, I say to you, the rooster shall not crow till you have denied Me three times." John 13.37-38
"One of the servants of the high priest, a relative of him whose ear Peter cut off, said, “Did I not see you in the garden with Him?” Peter then denied again; and immediately a rooster crowed." João18.26-27
These disciples lived with the Lord Jesus, but had not been born of Him yet. For this reason, they were worldly and fleshly. With the exception of Judas, who was already condemned, Peter and Thomas were born of God and received the Holy Spirit. But we are left with a warning and a question: Who lives behind your eyes, assistant? If you have been born of Christ, then we know it’s the Holy Spirit. But, if you haven’t, who is influencing what you think, see, hear, say and feel?
This insight is for each of us to contemplate. Lets take a look within ourselves and see our fruit, so that we may reflect and fix what needs to be fixed.
God bless you.

Those who honor Me…

What kind of employee demands a salary without first doing his job?
What kind of farmer demands a plentiful harvest without first sowing seeds?
What kind of professional demands knowledge of a subject from himself without first having studied?
Everything in life follows the law of cause and effect, action and reaction, giving and receiving...
The law of cause and effect is fair;
It begins at the Throne of the Almighty and spreads throughout the earth.
He gave the life of His only Son, so that He could demand ours.
Those who believe in Him and honor Him, will be honored;
Those who reject Him, will also be rejected.
Ahaz was one of the worst kings of Judah.
His mortal sin was trying to erase the Abrahamic faith from his country.
He closed the doors of the Temple, turned off the lamps, stopped burning incense and offering sacrifices to the God of Israel.
Idolatry ran loose and Judah became a bitter political, economic and social chaos. 2 Chronicles 28
Hezekiah, his twenty-five year old son, took over the broken kingdom of Judah.
Influenced by the faith of his mother Abijah, he began restoring the country, starting with their faith.
During his first year of reign, he opened the Temple doors and began its reform, which was in ruins.
He ordered the priests and Levites to sanctify themselves and remove the filth that was in the house of the Lord.
From then on, the kingdom of Judah began to prosper.
"Hezekiah had very great riches and honor. And he made himself treasuries for silver, for gold, for precious stones, for spices, for shields and for all kinds of desirable items; storehouses for the harvest of grain, wine and oil; and stalls for all kinds of livestock, and folds for flocks.
Moreover he provided cities for himself, and possessions of flocks and herds in abundance; for God had given him very much property." 2 Chronicles 32.27-29
Hezekiah honored the Lord and the Lord honored him, fulfilling God's Justice.
"Therefore the Lord God of Israel says: ‘I said indeed that your house and the house of your father would walk before Me forever.’ But now the Lord says: ‘Far be it from Me; for those who honor Me I will honor, and those who despise Me shall be lightly esteemed." I Samuel 2.30
Who wants to be honored by the Almighty?

Loss of vision

People who are born blind have no idea of the beauty of nature.
They are used to the absence of light.
But, when someone loses their sight, it is harder for them to get used to the darkness.
However it is even worse when someone loses his or her spiritual vision.
Many people who have worked with me, side by side, and even ate from the same plate, who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit (Hebrews 6.4), and relaxed in faith, ended up losing their spiritual vision.
Such loss has cost them the salvation of their souls.
Yesterday, while talking with a colleague in ministry, this issue came up.
He showed me recent pictures of a family of someone who became blind by choice.
Looking sad, pale, weak, straight faced, lifeless...
His wife was once so beautiful, so happy and so full of life, but now she conveyed grief and sorrow.
In the family picture, no one expressed any happiness, as they would normally do.
Sadness and sorrow tried to take hold of me.
However, thinking according to the Word of God, I came to the conclusion: what more could I do except pray for them?
When you lose your spiritual vision, you lose your life.
And the rest of that family will likely fall into the same pit without Light.
It happened to Israel in the past, and it happens to many Christians in the present.
Israel exchanged their glory for spiritual and moral corruption.
Many evangelical church leaders have also exchanged their Salvation for the things this world has to offer.
What can we do about it?
Each person has the power to choose who they want to serve.
God does not interfere in anyone’s choice; however, He is always ready to support those who want to return to Him.
Both Zechariah and Malachi served as instruments of the Holy Spirit to warn Israel in those days.
"Therefore say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts: “Return to Me,” says the Lord of hosts, “and I will return to you,” says the Lord of hosts.” Zechariah 1.3
"Yet from the days of your fathers you have gone away from My ordinances and have not kept them. Return to Me, and I will return to you,” says the Lord of hosts..." Malachi 3.7

What have I to do with You?

"When he saw Jesus, he cried out, fell down before Him and with a loud voice said, ‘What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg You, do not torment me’!" Luke 8.28
By examining this passage, we can see how we should behave in this world, which, by the way, "lies under the sway of the wicked one”. From the moment we give our lives to the Lord Jesus and are born of His Spirit, we can no longer have any kind of direct or indirect link with the devil.
Notice that Satan acknowledged that Jesus is the Son of the Almighty God, and that there is no agreement or communion between them.
In this passage, we can see the wicked recognizing the Holy; the unclean recognizing the pure; darkness recognizing the light.
We must also be recognized like this by the devil. Once we are born of the Holy Spirit, we can no longer have part with Satan. For this reason, our testimony has to be seen by hell, because our Lord said:
"You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven." Matthew 5.14-16
As assistants, when the devil appears before each one of us, he prostrates himself, calling us sons of the Most High God, yelling, "What have I to do with you?" or has he done like he did with the sons of Sceva :
"And the evil spirit answered and said, ‘Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?’ Then the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, overpowered them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.” Acts 19.15-16
If he is acting like he did with the sons of Sceva, it's because you are lacking Holiness, Anointing, Fear, prayer at the feet of Jesus, fasting and a life committed to the Lord Jesus.
THINK ABOUT IT!
God bless you.

The three masons

It’s said that in the Middle Ages, three stonemasons were working hard on a construction site, below the hot sun, when a visitor arrived and asked what they were doing.
The first mason, working hard with sweat running down his forehead, said complaining: “I’m cutting this rock.”
The second mason, although less annoyed, answered after a deep breath: “I’m building this parapet.”
The third mason answered with a radiant face: “I’m building this beautiful cathedral which will glorify God for centuries to come.”
The same work, three different visions. One was concerned with the here and now; the next with the near future; and the last was concerned with eternity.
Where is your vision?

Wrath of God

The transgressor of the Law of man carries within himself a sense of punishment.
If he gets away with it, he’ll consider himself smart and plan something bolder.
But, the transgressor of the Law of God does not.
Instead, he continues in sin relying on God’s Divine love and compassion.
‘God is love’, he tries to convince his conscience. ‘He understands me and after all, He will forgive me’.
He does not believe in being sent to hell as a punishment just because of a little sin...
Usually, mankind forgets that because of His Righteousness, the Almighty cannot subject Himself to the infinite feeling of compassion. Except when there is sincere repentance and the confession of sins. In this case, He justifies and redeems the sinner through the blood of His Son Jesus.
However, if the sinner does not do such thing, how will He have mercy on him and justify him before hell and save him?
Impossible.
"My son, be wise and make my heart glad, that I may answer him who reproaches me," Proverbs 27.11

Work will not make anyone richer

You do not need to have money to put your head to work. It does not matter if you did not go to school or did not have a refined upbringing. Or, maybe you had an opportunity, but were never a fan of going to school. Thinking has nothing to do with education or upbringing. Everyone can do it, however, only a few do. And this is where this second sentence comes in:
YOU CAN ONLY BECOME RICH BY THINKING.
That’s right, if you thought that the only way to become rich was by working, you’re wrong. Of course, work is a big part of it, but not all of it. If it were, then you should be rich, right? Plus, didn’t your father work, and he worked a lot didn’t he? Before him, didn’t your grandparents also work too? So where is your great inheritance? You can work hard, like our friend in the picture above, carrying bricks to the point where he can’t even see, yet I don’t think this will make him rich.
Let's think about this. How did the rich people you know become rich? Have you analyzed their life story? Maybe you’ve read their biography or watched their documentary, or even seen their success in the news. However, it is very likely that you have not noticed something they all have in common. It is something that is not common in most cultures and, therefore, most people are born, live and die poor: they invested in their talents.
You will only multiply your money if you know what your talents are and how to use them. And although it’s free, not everyone is willing to do this. On the other hand, everyone is willing to work (or has to work, whether they want to or not). Sadly, many people live on this earth for 70, 80, 90 years without discovering their talents. These people live with what "life gives him" without going after what they really want.
Probably, what your grandparents passed down to your parents and what they passed down to you with respect to your finances is: "Study hard and get good grades, so that you can get a good job when you grow up." It’s worth the warning: if you have also been teaching your children this, please stop! You should teach them to have a greater vision. Your children should be taught to be leaders. To discover and develop their talents, just like you should be doing as well.
You are talented. And you probably have more than one talent (we have already written previous posts about this). But have you discovered them yet? If yes, how have you used them? And how have you invested in them?
Discover your talent and use it to become a leader, to be an entrepreneur, to be your own boss. The benefits and stability that a good job can provide you probably will not be enough to make you rich. So if this is your goal, start thinking like a leader, in order to become one. Be inspired by leaders and, very soon, your children and the people around you will be inspired by you. Leaders inspire people. And if your goal isn’t to have your own business, it’s all right, go in your faith, there is nothing wrong with that. But, even so, be a leader at your job. Be the one who inspires others!
Get out of your comfort zone, use your free time to think about strategies to make money and put them into practice. If the first idea does not work, go to the second. If that one also fails, go to the third. You just cannot surrender. A leader is determined and does not take no for an answer!
OBS.: If you have difficulty understanding this message, then DO NOT COME TO THE MEETINGS ON MONADAY FOR YOUR FINANCES.

Does the place make a difference?

Many people move to a different city, state and even country, thinking that if they move to a different place, their life will change. But this is just an illusion.
I met a couple that sold everything they owned in Brazil and moved to the United States, full of dreams. Once there, they went through all kinds of humiliations. Unable to take it anymore, they returned to Brazil and went to live with their family, because they sold their house before going to the U.S.
Adam and Eve were unsuccessful in Paradise, but the Lord Jesus overcame in the desert. Lot was unsuccessful in the plains of the Jordan, but Abraham was successful in the desert.
Do not say that the problem is the place, because the place does not make a difference, it’s what is inside you that matters.

Many who read this will lose the opportunity presented here

Opportunity is not something permanent. It comes and goes. Maybe you’ll get another, maybe not. It’s like the wind needed to sail a sailboat. When it hits, the sailors have to be quick to pull up the anchor and open the sails. If there is even a split second of hesitation, it can result in days of delay and mean the failure of the trip.
Knowing how to take advantage of opportunities is crucial to those who want to have successful lives. Salvation is no different; it’s the most glorious of opportunities that God granted to mankind.
The Lord Jesus spoke of this to the Jews of Jerusalem:
But as he came closer to Jerusalem and saw the city ahead, he began to weep. “How I wish today that you of all people would understand the way to peace. But now it is too late, and peace is hidden from your eyes.
Before long your enemies will build ramparts against your walls and encircle you and close in on you from every side. They will crush you into the ground, and your children with you. Your enemies will not leave a single stone in place, because you did not accept your opportunity for salvation.
The Jews didn’t recognize Jesus as the Messiah (Savior) they waited for, and still wait for. Why? They were waiting for a military Messiah who would come with power and strength to free Israel from the hand of the Romans and restore peace to the nation.
Jesus didn’t meet their expectation. He explained that the kingdom of God does not have a visible appearance. (Luke 17:20) 
Which is to say that the kingdom of God does not come with bells and whistles, in a grandiose package fit to impress, making people fall to their knees from just looking at it. Jesus came with simplicity, so that only the simple and sincere of heart would recognize Him. After all, he wouldn’t have any real glory if he would make them bow down because of imposition or emotion. He didn’t seek such worshipers; he sought those that seek Him in spirit (using their minds) and in truth (with sincerity.)
Many didn’t see the Savior in Him because they were looking for an experience, which would impact them emotionally. Until today, this continues happening. People are more inclined to religion and religious experiences tha.n to truly getting to know God. They don’t want to think, they want to feel. They don’t want to search for Him, they just want to come face to face with Him without any effort.
One of the biggest differences between Universal and many religions and denominations is exactly the simple and brutally honest way that God is presented to people. No detours, rituals, peculiar religious teachings, or using emotions that lead people to a mere religious experience. Universal doesn’t prioritize the giftwrap but the content. Perhaps it’s because of this simplicity and transparency that many despise it, because what they see isn’t to their taste. So they lose the opportunity and continue restless.
It’s like the prophecy the Lord Jesus said to Jerusalem. Because they didn’t recognize the opportunity to reach salvation, which was right in front of them, the time would come when the enemies would destroy it completely. This is the same destruction that has been happening to those who haven’t valued the opportunities that God has given them to receive salvation.
What are you looking for? The gift wrap or content? To live by feelings or intelligence? Destruction or peace?
May God open your eyes to see the opportunities you have to repent and receive salvation. May you not hesitate to grab them. Right here.
Right now