Have the faith of the blind Bartimaeus

* Luís Alberto Alves

Jesus Christ had come to the city of Jericho and found a blind man sitting by the roadside. Hearing the noise of the crowd, he began to shout, "Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me." The apostles and other people tried to shut him up. Yet he went on, demanding his healing.

Finally, as it is written in Mark, chapter 10, verses 46-52, Jesus called him and asked what he wanted: "Master, let me see," he replied. Then the Lord affirmed that his faith healed him. How many times do we go through great tribulation and forget the promises of God in our lives?

It is blowing a weak wind for the dreams to be destroyed. We set aside what Jesus had promised and we fell into despair. The role of darkness is to take away our vision, to prevent us from continuing to see the light of Jesus Christ. In the dark you can not see a thing. The ideal place to suffer accidents and get seriously injured.

The important detail in this passage narrated in the book of Mark is that Jesus answered the blind man that his faith had healed him. Simple. At no point did he doubt that the master would not give him sight. He faced the crowd, maybe he was pushed, and even trampled, but he did not give up. He continued to cry out for the Lord.

Sometimes we give up easy dreams. A pebble can weaken our spirit. We throw everything up and we confess defeat, putting in mind that we are the worst people in the world. It is precisely in these moments that we must act just like this blind man mentioned above. Continue to cry out for Jesus Christ. He will hear our voice and come to our rescue.

* Luís Alberto Alves is a pastor

Jesus Christ will make the difference between just and unjust

* Luís Alberto Alves

For a moment I began to remember the end of several people without communion with God, as the walk ended. Slowly I realized that they lost everything. Some saw the arrival of the death in a bed of hospital, clogged of threads connected to the ICU.

He even had the case of a Colombian trafficker, Juan Abadia, who lived in a luxury and rich condominium. Arrested, he has been extradited to the United States, where he will die in prison because of the high conviction. His assets, including luxury cars and furniture, were confiscated by Justice. Woman and children lost everything, feeling the bitter taste of misery.

If Jesus Christ said that He will make the difference between the just and the unjust, He will fulfill His Word. This painful moment of agony will not remain. We will not have a fortune, but the Lord will provide what we need to have a decent life and support the family. God despises waste. Grants only the necessary measure.

Therefore when you look at the wicked and see him well of life, wasting money and walking in luxurious cars, covered with expensive jewels and exuding perfumes of great value; do not be sad. God will pour forth from the high heavens good measure to rejoice our heart and give strength to continue on the walk. He knows who is just and faithful on this earth.

* Luís Alberto Alves is a pastor

Why do the wicked live in luxury?

* Luís Alberto Alves

Since my conversion in 1996, something always makes me think deeply: why do the wicked live in luxury? They walk in new cars, wear expensive clothes, have homes in gated communities or grandiose apartments in elite neighborhoods, travel constantly to point-of-line cities, and of course, cash-flow owners?

On the other side I met brothers in Christ who needed to work bent to keep food on the table, bought clothes only at the time of the 13th salary and the word luxury passed away from their lives. Precisely in these observations came to mind the Word written in the Gospel of John: "I have come that they may have life and life in abundance."

In the course of the journey I met other brothers and sisters in Christ filled with the anointing, but always in fierce struggles. At bedtime I asked Jesus Christ why we the Lord's servants go through so much war and sometimes walk on the razor's edge.

The answer took many years. Over 18 years. One day he heard a shepherd preaching about the passage of Malachi, chapter 3, verse 11, which read: "Behold, the day will come that the Lord, the everlasting God, will make a difference between those who serve the Lord and those who They do not serve, between the just and the unjust. "

* Luís Alberto Alves is a pastor

When sleeping in faith, the Christian distracts himself

* Luís Alberto Alves

When Sarah heard from the angel that she would become pregnant, she was standing by the tent. Moses did not receive the tablets of the Ten Commandments while lying down. Elijah stood facing the prophets of Baal. Joshua stood in the battle to overthrow the walls of Jericho. That is, everyone was paying attention to the Lord's move.

By sleeping in faith, the Christian becomes distracted. It is impossible for someone to lie in bed for too long and not feel sleepy. It is natural, because the masses that were in the lower part of our body will now pass from the waist up.

Many people in the churches are lying down and can not stand to hear the Lord. Discouraged even forget to read the Word. Prayer, which was once fervent, gives way only to "thank you Lord for today," and then turns to bed to sleep.

In our inattention we will never be able to hear any instruction from Jesus Christ for our lives. Instead, we made room for Satan to dump his garbage before us. Every warrior of the Lord must walk in faith. Seek to always hear the voice of Jesus Christ and how to react to certain situations.

How He did to Ezekiel will apply the same method to us. This prophet had the mission to speak to a rebellious people, who even knowing the wonders of God, always fall into the arms of the idolaters. If Ezekiel lived in bed he would never perform this mission. When we are standing, Jesus walks side by side with us, sometimes even farther, to take away the stones thrown into the darkness.

* Luís Alberto Alves is a pastor

What is standing before the Lord?

* Luís Alberto Alves

This Bible passage from the book of Ezekiel, chapter 2, verses 1 and 2 leaves a very confused Christian: "And he said unto me, Son of man, stand thou up, and I will speak with thee. Then the Spirit entered into me, when he spake with me, and set me on my feet, and I heard him speak. "

In much of the Old Testament, the Lord sets prophets to take His Word to the Israelites. Blessed and rebellious people. It was an obedient time and then plunged into idolatry, lies and paganism.

Theologically standing is when one is attuned to the desires of Jesus Christ. As you read the Bible, you feel that God is speaking to you, praising you feel the spiritual atmosphere changing around you and even walking alone in the street, you realize that the angels of the Lord keep you.

Jesus Christ does not speak to anyone without commitment to his Word, for they lie down, prostrate in the arms of the Devil, without offering any reaction when attacked. When a person falls ill it is normal to lie down, because they do not find the strength to remain standing because of the pains in the body.

When we look at the sentry in the barracks, she is not sitting, much less leaning against the wall holding the weapon. He stands with his weapon in his hands and attentive to the probable attack of the enemy. Spiritually the standing Christian is one who pays attention to the Lord's move.

When attending a preaching, pay attention to details, try not to be distracted, because in a short sentence, God can speak something very great and extremely important. When we look at the various books of the Bible, we realize that the Lord always directs His Word to men and women attentive to His will.

* Luís Alberto Alves is a pastor

In the least things we deny Jesus Christ

* Luís Alberto Alves

Psychology explains that the forbidden is more attractive, than the liberated. At the time of the United States Dry Law, it was a crime to market alcohol. It was the time that most Americans got drunk. All for the taste of committing transgression. At the time of the Military Regime, from 1964 to 1985, newsstands could not sell pornographic magazines without a black stripe on pictures of the intimate parts of naked women. Never sold so many magazines.

It is thus, in detail, that the human being denies God. Sometimes to justify, people respond: "it has nothing to do". It would be like shooting a gun and killing a homeless, instead of taking the life of an honest man, a good family man and man. But before God the two lives are valuable. The same situation can be applied when women wear sexy clothes to get attention on the streets.

It is common to deny God a lie. In a round of friends or co-workers, in order not to be underneath, in some situations a story is heightened and reality distorted. In our mind is something insignificant, such as sucking a bullet instead of eating a large cake slice, full of calories for anyone who makes diet.

But when we have doubts about our conduct, it is interesting to ask the following question: "In my place would Jesus Christ take this attitude? Would you do what you're suggesting? "You can be sure that the Holy Spirit will respond quickly, leaving your heart heavy.

We will never see Jesus Christ approving of any kind of transgression. Be it anyway. He is holy. He never sinned and will never sin. The Lord has always walked the good way. Even when tempted he defeated Satan. It is not easy to please the Lord, because the dishes offered by the darkness are initially appealing, but exude stench, even in a subtle way.

The Christian must understand that he no longer belongs to the schemes of the world. He was rescued from the deceit, from the clutches of the evil one. It's the same as the person who got out of prison. You can not miss the chain anymore. He lives in freedom, needs to abandon the habits acquired in the time of seclusion. Unfortunately the old creature seeks to resist within us and when that happens we take unpleasant actions to the Lord. The suggestion is to ask Jesus to hold firmly in our hands.

* Luís Alberto Alves is a pastor

When we deny God

* Luís Alberto Alves

In the speed of day to day, preoccupied with work, study and even doing the work of God, we make small slips where we deny the Lord, without realizing it. Usually in a hurry we let go of phrases or adopt strange behaviors before Jesus Christ.

I myself had a curious experience buying a certain merchandise in a store. The clerk made two proposals to me: without tax invoice, contributing to tax evasion, that is, robbing the government, I would pay a lower price than if it were the legal way.

For a moment Satan hissed in my ear, "You'll save more money by taking no notice." But on the other side the lightness of the Holy Spirit suggested that it was best to continue on the path of honesty. When I answered that I would close a purchase with an invoice, the boy was frightened.

This is how the world acts. They deny Christ at all times. The situation may change, but the goal is the same. How many people in the Income Tax return seek to make up expenses to reduce the value of the statement? Even parents, people who love to criticize corrupt politicians.

Many people are unaware of the content of the phrase used by the apostle Matthew, chapter 10, verse 33 in the Bible: "But whosoever shall deny me before men, I also will deny him before my Father which is in heaven." Sometimes this can occur in traffic, when the traffic light turns red and has no pedestrians traversing. The rush makes us commit the infraction.

* Luís Alberto Alves is a pastor