I don't have time for God! two

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Luis Alberto Alves

In this 21st century, we have the microwave generation. When everything must be fast. Very fast, nothing can be slow. Even the worship of the Lord needs to be short. Worshiping God for more than 5 minutes is wasteful. It's something corny. They take the biblical text in which Jesus says that “our prayers cannot be repetitive, because God already knows what we are going to ask for, before we ask. Not by much talking that we will be heard,” as written in Matthew 6/7. For lack of theological knowledge people turn the questions around. Worship has nothing to do with asking Jesus Christ. Worship is our demonstration of love to the Lord, when we make it very clear, that He is our All, in our life. We pour ourselves out before God. We were delighted to be in his presence. But because of the rush, many stopped worshiping the Lord. Jesus Christ is not an object, a commodity. To seek only when we are in need. He is our Father. The creator of our life. Who bet on us, when the world left us aside, thrown around the corners, like an orange after the withdrawal of its juice. Without any discrimination, he reached out his hands and rescued us from the mud and put us on our feet, to have an abundant life. Luís Alberto Alves is a pastor.

I don't have time for God! 1

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Luis Alberto Alves I'm a journalist (because a pastor is not a profession, it's just called God) and in my job we learn to observe, to obtain information to write a text, whatever it may be. In the case of a soccer match, we pay attention to how many times team A attacked, defended, scored, avoided a goal, missed, and articulated brilliant plays. Nothing escapes the eyes of the reporter, who is one of the positions in journalism. In this observation exercise I realize that, most of the time, people are liars, first to themselves and then to others. Most say "I don't have time". Therefore, he removes from his face any intimacy with God. They only communicate with the Lord through monologues: “thank you Father for this day”, “Jesus, I love you”, “The Lord is my everything”, “God keeps my family”, “God holds me in this job”. "... There are few Christians who pour themselves out before Jesus Christ. Some consider it silly to say hallelujah in a service, amen, Holy is the Lord. In fact, there are many evangelicals who participate in the cult browsing social networks, without paying attention to what the pastor is preaching. That moment, which should be of reverence for God, is seen as boring. Luís Alberto Alves is a pastor.

I don't have time for God!

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Luis Alberto Alves How many times in these 26 years of walking with Jesus Christ have I heard that phrase. As a member, then as a worker, and then, by the Lord's mercy, as a shepherd. I confess that I never understood this statement: “I don't have time”! It is something very vague and untrue. We all have time. We just make the most of 24 hours a day. We waste the opportunities offered by life. We focus on something that is not good and will bring harm in the future. Example: filling the body with drugs! Has anyone ever seen a chemical dependent end their life perfectly? Unfortunately, there are people who waste part of their time chasing happiness pills. They spend part of the money they earn, when they don't steal or prostitute themselves, as women do to support their addiction, to sow destruction within themselves. Yet they say they don't have time! Luís Alberto Alves is a pastor.

See what Namaã left in the Jordan River 10

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Luis Alberto Alves The seventh and final dip in the waters of the Jordan River was for Namaã to free himself from “corruption”. In this biblical passage it reports that he was going to take silver and gold as a gift to the prophet Elisha. This gift actually had the connotation of corruption, when trying to buy something, leaving something in return. Just like the evangelical who makes a vow with God, using a certain amount of money to get a blessing. After the seven dips, Namaan was cured of leprosy. His soul and spirit were freed from the evil spirit forces that held him hostage to the disease. Many Christians, serving Jesus for several years, remain trapped in malignancies that prevent them from being blessed. It's time for you to pray to God to ask Him to show and remove from within you the leprosy that consumes you. It is usually something difficult. That the person insists on keeping inside. He doesn't want to stay away from it. Since sin is sweet at the beginning and bitter at the end. Ask Jesus to cleanse you of the dirt the devil has thrown into your life and be free forever! Luís Alberto Alves is a pastor.

See what Namaã left in the Jordan River 9

Luis Alberto Alves The fourth dip of Namaan was for him to get rid of the spirit of “harlotry”, for he shared the same idolatry as the king of Syria, who did not serve the Lord. In this case, how many times people prostitute themselves with the god money, consumerism, alcohol, pornography, drugs. Prostitution in the spirit world is engaging in things displeasing to the Lord, such as idolatry, using that to replace God. His fifth dive was to remove “selfishness” from his soul and spirit. Since leprosy is a contagious disease, when Namaan received the news that he could be cured in Israel, he did not think of other soldiers who might have the same disease. He thought only of himself, like the selfish person who always leaves other people in the background. Namaã's sixth dive was to remove his “vanity”. This detail is visible in the choice of ten fine garments he chose to take to Israel. It is not written in this biblical text that he would take ten pieces of Syrian army captain's uniforms. Most of the time, people become slaves to vanity, leaving the spiritual in the background. Luís Alberto Alves is a pastor.

See what Namaã left in the Jordan River 8

Luis Alberto Alves As a great man of God, Elisha knew that Namaan needed to be freed from various malignancies, responsible for the leprosy that consumed him. The first of these was “Wrath”. This is visible when he is nervous about not being received by the prophet Elisha. He imagined that as an army captain, Elisha would kiss his feet. How many times within the churches, a corrupt politician, when talking to the pastor, in search of liberation, demands VIP treatment? The other evil that was to leave Namaan was the spirit of "death." How many times as an official in the Syrian army has he not taken the lives of several people? In this case, the slave of darkness is the devil's representative to try to kill people's faith and the happiness of their family members. The third dip in the Jordan River was to remove the spirit of “deception” from Namaã's life. This attitude is very clear when he chooses to take gold and silver, in order to sensitize the prophet Elisha. The devil's slaves, most of the time, live by deceiving others, including their relatives, saying that they will give up that life of prostitution, drugs, robberies, perversion, etc. Luís Alberto Alves is a pastor.

See what Namaã left in the Jordan River 7

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Luis Alberto Alves This detail explains why people turn to witchcraft or Satanism in search of a miracle, because there Satan's wonders are offered through money. Nothing comes for free. Not a lit candle to burn someone's life. Everything is paid. Jesus Christ does not act like that. He himself said that the disturbed must look for him the way he is. Namaan imagined that the prophet Elisha would be impacted by his offer. He is disappointed not to be received by him. This scene reminds people who arrive at the church wanting to see God and find a servant of the Lord there doing the work. At the height of despair, they do not accept being attended by that man or woman of God. Unbelievers, they refuse to hear the Words sent by Jesus Christ. When Elisha orders Namaan to dive into the Jordan River to be cured of leprosy, he does not accept the proposal. I think that's disrespectful. How many junkies refuse to quit when they are told they need to have a new life, through Jesus Christ. Are they inside the church, but still thinking about the world? Luís Alberto Alves is a pastor.