Be happy to be chased

Pixabay

Luis Alberto Alves

The time has come when persecutions against Christians have increased. Before, in the first 200 years of our era, we had death in the coliseum, in Rome, when our first brothers in the faith served as food for lions, in addition to the various tortures they suffered so that they would deny faith in Jesus Christ.

Today, suffering is psychological, to hurt the mind and of course the soul. Subtly, politicians from different countries create laws to hinder the preaching of the Gospel, in addition to preventing Christians from publicly manifesting their faith.

It is a fierce dictatorship disguised as democracy, where enemies can say anything about us and we cannot reply, because we are accused of being fundamentalists. That is, you can speak badly and mock me, but I am prevented from making any manifestation.

legions

In Rio de Janeiro, considered a beautiful postcard of Brazil, because of its worldly party, Carnival, rocked by legions of prostitution spirits, a bill has already been presented to the state government prohibiting evangelization in the streets.

In this case, the Christian is prevented from talking about the love of Jesus in public, that is, on the subway, buses, trains, in the streets, squares, bars, restaurants or bakeries. If you're going to visit hospitals, you should just stick to talking about the gospel to the patient you're visiting. You cannot direct the Word to anyone else.

The proposal is to lock the Christian inside the temples. Only there will it be possible, for the time being, to speak about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Outside that location, any evangelistic attitude will be considered an invasion of privacy.

Medicine

Even in the face of a case with someone possessed by demons and who is fallen and attacked by an evil spirit, the Christian needs to keep quiet. Without showing any kind of reaction, waiting for medicine to resolve the situation, applying injections of tranquilizers to make him fall asleep.

A few days ago I witnessed a similar situation, with a hotel employee manifested by several legions of evil spirits. Her state was so violent that more than 5 men could not hold her.

The demonic spirits made her scream terrible names, scaring anyone who passed close to the place where she was squirming on the ground. After almost 2 hours, two military police officers arrived at the scene. When faced with the scene, they did not show any kind of reaction.

Strength

After much struggle, they managed to tie the woman's arms with several strips of cloth, in an attempt to keep her immobilized. I remember that one of the policemen looked scared in the face of that situation, where physical force has no positive effect.

This is the typical case where the mighty Word of Jesus Christ needs to prevail. For Medicine, someone possessed by demons is in a psychotic break. Needs to receive strong injections of tranquilizers to calm down. However, evil spirit rejects any kind of remedy. They are expelled only through the Word of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Unfortunately there are excesses, with denominations that decided to give the devil more ratings, leaving the Word of God in the background. When he preached the Gospel, during his three years of ministry, Jesus Christ, in addition to healing, delivered many demon-possessed people.

Process

But today everything has changed. What is wrong has become right, and what is right has become wrong. It is only possible for a Christian to open his mouth to speak amen. Even in the face of absurd situations, he cannot say anything, otherwise he runs a serious risk of legal action.

In my adolescence and early youth, in the 1970s and 1980s, I felt firsthand the absurdities of a dictatorial regime. I noticed how the police reacted against critics of the military regime that was in power from 1964 to 1985 in Brazil.

At that time it was forbidden to listen to certain songs, especially those that spoke of freedom and justice. Meetings with several people, mainly to discuss politics, were prohibited. Certain books could not be sold, let alone read in public.

Nightmares

When someone disrespected the rules imposed by the dictatorial regime, he died under physical and psychological torture. After 38 years, we live in a democratic Brazil, where people no longer suffer the nightmares of the military dictatorship. On the other hand, Christians became the persecuted of the time.

In theory, evangelicals are free to profess their faith in Jesus Christ. However, in theory this is not what happens. They are ridiculed by the media, through soap operas, films, miniseries, debauchery songs, plays attacking the life of Jesus. All in the name of democracy.

The Christian, on the other hand, needs to remain silent. If you open your mouth to respond to offenses, you are soon classified as fundamentalists and intolerant. That is, someone can invade your home, but you cannot use physical force to expel him from there. This attitude will be interpreted as undemocratic.

Images

You've already heard cases in Brazil of demonstrations where people made fun of the Christian faith. In one of them, a group of women took crucifixes and rubbed them in the genital areas, in addition to destroying images of Catholic saints. All in public. When questioned, they said that artistic expression was free.

There have already been cases of burning the Bible in public, on the grounds that it was a fundamentalist book, not in line with the existing ideals of this 21st century. The authorities were silent. They treated the subject as freedom of expression. That is, wrong becoming right.

In some large companies, mainly in the area of communication, professionals who declare themselves to be evangelicals suffer all kinds of persecution and discrimination. They are treated as if they were someone with a contagious disease. Both men and women became the butt of malicious jokes.

Error

The other employees who profess another type of faith are seen as special people without experiencing any type of discrimination or offenses. It is up to the evangelical to always get it right. If he makes any kind of mistake, he runs the risk of losing his job or being harassed.

As Sadrach, Meshach and Abdenego did when refusing to eat the king's delicacies in Babylon to avoid the spiritual contamination of that nation, today if evangelical officials do not accept consuming alcoholic beverages at the traditional end of year festivities, this attitude will be seen as fundamentalist.

Even with the Brazilian Constitution ensuring the free manifestation of religious freedom, in practice this type of situation does not happen. Subtly, the evangelical is hunted, as in ancient Rome, not to be thrown into the arena to be devoured by lions.

Home

But to suffer all kinds of humiliation. If you become ill and cannot attend work. Soon someone will say that Jesus Christ stopped healing the sick. He didn't come to work because he decided to stay at home. Even without physical and psychological conditions, it is necessary to go to work.

Already other colleagues who serve other gods, none of this happens. Even when they suffered stomach problems from excessive drinking. This attitude is seen as something of someone who enjoys life. Nothing is wrong. Just a fatality.

If an evangelical woman claims that she intends to date, get engaged and get married in a religious ceremony conducted by a pastor in a Christian denomination, she will soon become the target of malicious jokes in the workplace; it will be classified as old-fashioned.

Registry

According to the rules of the world, the correct thing is to move in together, without any matrimonial bond before the Law of God and men, with a marriage certificate issued at the registry office. In the view of most people who are ignorant of the Lord's commandments, this attitude is the right one.

A modern employee or student, in tune with the 21st century, is the one who consumes all kinds of drugs, licit and illicit. Who corrupts himself, does not respect the law, attacks his neighbor with words and commits all kinds of absurdities. This does not suffer any kind of punishment.

As the prophet Isaiah said, when he stated that “woe to him who makes right wrong and wrong right”. This Word is fulfilled in this 21st century. With the darkness investing strongly against the servants of God, using all kinds of weapons, aiming to destroy the communion with Jesus Christ.

Mateus

On the other hand, all these attacks must be well regarded by evangelicals, because the Word of the Lord is being fulfilled, as written in Matthew 24/9: “And because of my name, you will be hated by all. But he who stands firm to the end will be saved.”

These persecutions will increase. Even to serve as a mechanism to prove who really serves Jesus Christ, even paddling against the strong tide of evil. The day is not far off when the Bible will be considered a subversive book, with words that should never be quoted, even in churches.

The secret is to remain firm in faith in the Lord, aware that we are not from this world, where the evil one lies. The refreshment that when we die we will go to Glory and there we will be beside Jesus Christ. In eternity we will enjoy true peace, which never existed on this planet. Stand firm through the trials.

Luís Alberto Alves is a pastor

The current gospel is running out of salt

    Freepik

Luis Alberto Alves/Hourpress

The current Gospel is running out of salt. It's not impacting people like it used to. More and more copies the customs of the world, instead of doing the opposite. In some denominations it is difficult to recognize if there is a place that preaches the Word of God or if it is a concert hall, with the Gospel brand.

It is difficult to find someone who preaches as they did in the past. It's all superficial, self-help talk-like stuff, filled with buzzwords, and worded to keep the audience on their toes. As they say in the world of Communication, it's something full of crutches. The current preacher is similar to an auditorium entertainer.

Because of "political correctness", today care is needed to bring a message, depending on the content, the pastor will walk on eggshells. In other words, nowadays someone like John the Baptist would not be able to preach anywhere. Imagine, a man who was a cousin of Jesus Christ!!

Elias

If he opened his mouth and said that the world is full of a race of vipers, he would soon be embittered in court, in addition to suffering all kinds of insults on the internet, as an irresponsible and hateful person. How can someone who eats locusts occupy the pulpit of an evangelical church???

Elias would also be hounded by the media because of his position against idolatry and people who play at being Christians. Where have you ever seen someone who prays and fire comes down and the prophets of Baal and Azerah end up dead after God answers his prayer?

He and John the Baptist are examples of salt in Christianity. But today, both would have no place in a gospel that is afraid to salt the earth, largely polluted with sin. Denominations with thousands of members are those that tolerate everything, including the presence of the world inside their temples.

Justice

In the name of supposed love for others, any kind of error is allowed in various denominations, even what Jesus Christ does not agree with, as described in I Corinthians 6/9, in Romans chapter 1, Revelation 21/8, Genesis 2/24. In fact, there are already people who accuse the Lord of being a dictator, a tyrant, insensitive.....

Since God is love, the current rule is to accept everything, of course without question. Just like the child who decides to destroy all the furniture in the house, open the fridge and throw food on the floor, scatter garbage over the upholstery and bed. Parents can't do anything, after all, it's someone classified by Justice as incapable.

It's a kind of love that leaves out the word correction. It would be as if the Police could not arrest any type of criminal. Since they are people with imbalance and because of this they commit crimes, such as kidnapping, robberies, rapes and even homicides. There must be agreement with all kinds of nonsense.

Modernism

The evangelical church that is salt is currently considered fundamentalist, outdated, straight-faced, with no connection to the advances of the world. Today it is silly to ask the brothers to gather before the preaching and pray for that service. Any reverence during the period that a servant of God brings the Word is something wrong, without purpose.

The thing is to turn on the cell phone to watch the football team's game or any artist's concert while the pastor is there bringing God's message. After all, there's nothing wrong with paying attention to the Word of the Lord. The worship group can play the songs with a beat in tune with the world, to give a hint of modernism.

On top of all that I wrote, I believe that if Jesus Christ came to walk in the evangelical churches of many countries, he would end up expelled. He would be prosecuted for driving merchants out of the temple. If there was a refusal to assist a woman and compare her to a dog, as described in Matthew 15 21-28, the police would go after her. The current gospel is getting difficult for the real Christian.

Luís Alberto Alves is a pastor.

How would you react if God didn't make your dream come true?

Pixabay

Luis Alberto Alves

We have a very ugly habit: that of criticizing God when He doesn't make the dream we cherish so much come true. Imagine something you chased, prayed, cheered, fasted, climbed mountains and stayed there for nights and even dawns. But what I expected did not happen! I'm not talking about something futile, but about a project that would revolutionize your life.

Even for 18 years as a pastor, to this day I meditate on Deuteronomy chapter 29, verse 29: “The secret things (or hidden depending on the translation) belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, to that we do all the words of this law.”

Every human being has a dream. Project that he intends to carry out in several areas of life, before he dies. Some dream of completing a university course to gain financial independence and even the happiness of working with what they love so much. For this he dedicates himself entirely to making it a reality.

Periphery

Others have the goal of buying their own house to fill their lungs and say out loud: "it's our dreamed home"! Even if this home is in a distant neighborhood on the outskirts, which needs to take a bus or train and take a few hours to get to work or even to college. In this scale of tasks, the dream of marrying someone who is your soul mate also enters, because of complete harmony.

Liking is different from loving. Those who love dedicate themselves deeply to the other or another. It is one flesh, as Jesus Christ said. It may seem like utopia or talk in the head, as some young people say, but when single people have this dream. After all, how can we find someone who will make us happy among the millions we meet every day in the streets and avenues of this great city?

The real evangelicals (currently there are very generic ones, with the face of a servant of Jesus Christ, but the heart is still united with darkness) pray and present their petitions to the Lord. The wish is that they come true as soon as possible. But as written in Isaiah 55, verses 8/10, “The Lord's thoughts are higher than ours, because He is in Heaven and we are here on Earth. His ways are higher than ours, for we are on Earth and He is in Heaven.”

You

As much as you are intelligent, have a deep knowledge of the Bible, have a great theological background, you will never know what God thinks about you. How the Lord values you. We have an image about our life. We usually never imagine that we have defects. After all, they only exist in the lives of others. We are perfect.

On top of this we begin to bargain with Jesus Christ. We present projects to Him, which in our human perspective are excellent, but for God it is ruin. It could lead us to bad paths and even increase the distance with the Gospel. Upon this we pray. We ask that the Lord grant this request. We cry out, we go on fasts of up to 12 hours, to sensitize God.

As much as you are spiritual, my sister or brother, we don't have ears prepared to hear God's no. The first reaction is to be sad, upset, discouraged, without strength even to carry out any task. We get up to go to work, but without any disposition. The Lord's denial messed with our self-esteem.

Yes

It's natural, because human beings are spoiled. Unconsciously, we grow accustomed to hearing yes to any question we ask someone. It is like this at home, with parents, wife, husband, children, relatives, etc. Even when our heart's team loses the championship, we let sadness dominate us. Who wasn't upset when the Brazilian team returned early from the World Cup in Qatar?

In this fight, we ignore signs that that dream come true could cause serious problems later on. Even so, we insist that God satisfy our will, which is in conflict with the Lord's. Which person didn't have a great love in adolescence and dreamed of being by his or her side forever? But none of this happened and sadness arose about Jesus Christ?

Do we usually open our mouths to say the word “why”? We are looking for reasons. What attitude contributed to the separation? And for a while this situation will punish our heart, it will hammer in our soul and even shake the spirit. We clash with God. In our view, the Lord was wrong to make us sad.

God

I remember a true story of a mother who lost a daughter in her late teens; she was alone. She remained several years muttering, questioning Jesus Christ for taking someone she loved so much. Every day her prayer consisted only of asking God why He allowed (in her view) such evil. She went on to fast and pray insistently for God to answer her.

A long time has passed. On a certain night she dreamed of her daughter prostituting herself in a nightclub, consuming drugs and showing the suffering coexistence of the two at home. She praying in tears, in this dream, for God to remove her daughter from that dark world. At a given moment in this dream, the Holy Spirit begins to say that this was the future that darkness reserved for that young woman. That's why the Lord took her before.

In my 62 years of the race that Jesus stipulated for me to run and I don't know when it will end, I had many dreams that God did not fulfill. I confess that for some time I was upset, without spirit. I even thought about sleeping soundly all day and night, trying childishly to forget everything. I went to church and prayed that the Lord would bring joy back to me, such melancholy.

Head

Fortunately, I am married to a great servant of Jesus Christ, small in stature, but gigantic spiritually. To look at me and ask, in the name of Jesus Christ, to lift my head and continue walking. Keep running towards victory. I was able again to stand and hope in the Lord's best. It's not easy. However, Jesus Christ will always have the best for all of us. He knows our future.

I don't know my brother or sister what is the dream you've been chasing for so long and so far it hasn't come true or maybe it won't even come true. But regardless of the outcome, keep trusting Jesus Christ. He will put into your life what is excellent. It doesn't matter how it happens. God's projects will be much better than ours. Do not lose faith.

As written in Deuteronomy chapter 29, verse 29, what is hidden belongs to God. The Lord will not reveal it to us. Even for our own good. Continue believing in Jesus Christ that the Lord's wonderful projects will come to you in the form of a blessing. Don't let sadness get you down. Get up, take a deep breath and return to the fight. In Jesus Christ we are more than conquerors. Sorrow is of Lucifer, "the joy of the Lord is our strength."

Luís Alberto Alves is a pastor.

Less formalism, more Christianity

    EBC

Luis Alberto Alves

Today, evangelical churches are rare that are not tied to formalism, that is, tied to rules, precepts, methods and rigor. In some, the pastor-president is treated like a king, with the right to sit in a higher chair, making it clear that he is someone important in that place. When it should be Jesus Christ who deserves such reverence.

In some cases, this pastor-president enters through a separate door, the access of which is forbidden to other “mortals”. To talk to him, in certain denominations, it is necessary to make an appointment, even when the situation requires urgency. If you are a member who tithes less than R$1,000.00; interest is reduced.

The first row of chairs or benches, depending on the location, is reserved for people of relevance to that location. The faithful with less money in their checking account have to settle for other places, perhaps close to the exit door. That place is intended for those who, in the eyes of this type of pastor-president, deserve perks, when in the Kingdom of God, the smallest is considered the greatest.

Holy Spirit

The pulpit, in many denominations, is reserved for PHDs in Christianity, preferably with theological degrees from the best colleges or universities in this segment. No giving way to the Holy Spirit. What counts is the theoretical knowledge obtained on university benches. Not that it is a sin to study, on the contrary it is good. However, study should never leave Jesus Christ in the background.

To preach the Word of the Lord, in this type of denomination, the pastor needs to go to the good clothing stores and buy nice suits, nice ties and shoes, preferably German chrome. Luxury must prevail over the Word of God. Big hair ever. No beard. I imagine that John the Baptist, the cousin of Jesus Christ, would never be called to preach in this type of denomination.

The doors of this type of denomination are always open to good citizens. To those without any suffering at the hands of the devil and his demons. If a prostitute, a street dweller (preferably with dirty clothes and smelling bad due to lack of bath), adept at works of sorcery, criminal, or pervert, even speaking disconnected words; they will hardly be able to attend the service.

expelled

The workers' shock troops will remove that person from the room so as not to disturb the preaching and leave a bad impression on the rest of the brothers and sisters. If by chance a spiritual manifestation occurs, the demons will not be expelled, but that person possessed by darkness will soon have many workers around him to remove him from that place and take him to some small room.

In this type of church full of formalism, demons will not be cast out, as Jesus Christ did when he preached his Word in Israel. What counts is to bring sermons with a self-help hue. It is not worth confronting the kingdom of darkness, but just talking that the devil can destroy lives, but without touching the heart of the matter, resisting in prayer against him.

In the great ministries, whose founders or their children, it is impossible to get close to them. If you're a millionaire or a football player, an artist or a famous singer, it's a different story. When it comes to simple members, who earn up to 2 minimum wages, it is the worker who will assist you. After all, the founder or heir of that ministry has more important missions than listening to a desperate mother with her son on drugs.

Faces

They are very spiritual people, in their view of course, to waste time on a question considered banal. What counts is the liturgy. With cults or meetings, as some of these enlightened, similar to shows prefer to speak. The ancient and beautiful praises of the Christian harp are stamped with faces. What matters is the distorted guitar solo, the loud bass and the drums playing at a frantic pace.

The lyrics, full of sweet choruses, are repeated several times like a mantra. Praise groups in some of these denominations do not differ from secular bands, even in dress. What counts is showing up, leaving Jesus Christ aside. Even the most spiritual praises are ignored. What counts is lyrics with several biblical errors.

How to say that "whoever has a promise does not die". Moses had the promise of taking the people to the Promised Land and God took him to the top of Mount Nebo, in Jordan, and from there God showed the long-awaited Promised Land from afar and there he died. But this detail does not matter in this type of evangelical church. Vale is the full house.

battles

No matter the location, whether luxurious or not, that has a plastic chair, wooden benches, cement or marble floors, with a fan or air conditioning; the pastor speaking with several mistakes in Portuguese, wearing the old jacket worn from so many spiritual battles. It is necessary, my brothers and sisters, to let Jesus Christ speak, through the Holy Spirit, with his sheep.

The Good News message needs to be conveyed. No one can be treated differently because of the value of offerings and tithes. What counts is a sincere heart and faith in Christ. Follow what determines your Gospel. Cults where the Holy Spirit has freedom to work freeing captives, cheering hearts, restoring families, curing infirmities.

More Christianity means commitment to the Gospel. No stardom. Everyone, from the homeless person to the businessman, from someone living in a simple house to the brother who owns a penthouse apartment, are equal before God. You need to put vanity aside. Ask forgiveness for mistakes and depend on Jesus Christ in making any decision. Bury the ego and live in the Lord.

Luís Alberto Alves is a pastor.

Are you sure you're free?

Luis Alberto Alves

Spiritual deliverance is a very serious thing. It cannot be treated as something unimportant in the Gospel. God's Word says that "If Christ sets us free, we shall be free indeed." The problem is that many brothers and sisters have not yet known this liberation.

The same patient with a serious illness, who only received an injection of dipyrone in a vein and returned home, without discovering the illness that had afflicted him. The most curious thing about this sad story is that some pastors resist talking about this subject. For them, just deliver a sermon and everything, in their view, is solved.

Unfortunately, this is not how such a serious problem should be treated, responsible for the removal of people from the Gospel and even the incidence of suicide, due to strong oppression. There are few evangelical churches that hold liberation services. From touching the wound, removing the pus and cleaning the wound.

Darkness

The big problem is that when we know Jesus Christ we try to get away from the devil and his traps. However, Satan and his demons are on our trail. They don't give up. They continue offering their lentil dishes so that the newly converted or converted for many years give up the Gospel and return to the world of darkness.

But how can a person know that he is still a hostage of the devil? For the Glory of God, satan leaves a trace on everything he does to us. He cannot hide. It is up to the Christian to identify these signs and seek help. This is when the process of total deliverance really begins, when done by true servants of Jesus.

Dark spirits bother. They can't get close to someone without causing discomfort. Just as angels sent by God provide us with peace, demons do the opposite, taking away our peace. It is not possible to be well anywhere, no matter how peaceful it may be.

Signals

Pay attention to the signs that you are still not freed from darkness: 1) Seeing figures at your side, inside your house, your car, your office. 2) When walking down the street, you have the impression that someone is following you. When he is in the backyard or hallway of the building where he lives, he realizes that he is being watched. 3) Hears voices. Usually asking to do something bad, like killing someone, committing suicide, committing adultery, using drugs, trying to solve problems using violence. 4) The praises and preaching of the Word of God bother you. You can't get comfortable around people who talk about Jesus.

5) In the case of men, when walking through the streets or inside the company, they cannot look at women without the desire to have a sexual relationship with them. Even within the church, he nurtures adultery desires with the servants who are working in that ministry. 6) When you access the internet, you end up wasting time on pornography websites and blogs. Get addicted to this filthy practice. Even on the road, he uses his cell phone to look at this type of content.

Love

7) Another sign is to use the practices of the world to succeed, such as corrupting yourself, stealing, lying, betraying your wife or husband. 8) Whether men or women, they masturbate for pleasure. This can happen to someone who is married or married, as they cannot find satisfaction in making love with their husband or wife.

8) Nervousness is another sign that there is no deliverance. For whatever reason, the evangelical or evangelical loses patience. Hits the children frequently. He treats them with violence. Aggresses with words and physically those around you. Depending on the situation, it even clashes. 9) Some Christians justify themselves by saying they are evangelicals, but not fools. 10) If you are a church leader, you treat workers like slaves. Charge commitments from them, which are impossible to fulfill. He does this in plain sight, during the services.

11) Is envious of the success of the wicked. When he prays to God, he begins to criticize the Lord for blessing someone he doesn't know, and he, who supposedly serves Jesus Christ, never has access to any blessing. 12) During the preaching of the Word, he cannot disconnect from the world. He remains plugged into the internet, sometimes interested in the result of his team's soccer game or some entertainment program.

Prostitutes

12) Does not find time to study the Word of Jesus. When he gets home from work, he goes straight to shower, have dinner and plug into social media. 13) When sleeping, you forget to give thanks for the day of life given by God. In fact, he prays very little. 14) When you meet the wicked, you never make a difference. On the contrary, he behaves just like them.

15) In the case of women, he throws more and more fuel on the bonfire of sensuality. Abuses clothes of great sexual appeal, as prostitutes do. She wears very short skirts, low-cut T-shirts, leaving part of her breasts on display, wears dresses that are very close to her body, sometimes preventing her from sitting down easily. 16) Whether wife, fiancée or girlfriend nurtures sexual desire for other people. 17) It starts to consider all kinds of perversion normal, even the most terrible ones, like having sex with animals (zoophilia).

18) Everything that is sin before God is what attracts the undelivered evangelical. He begins to use the argument that Jesus is a dictator, that there is nothing wrong with consulting a fortune teller, reading a horoscope, participating in white table seances, making a pact with demons.

Heat

19) Can't sleep well. Has constant nightmares. He feels that someone is suffocating him. The nightmares are so terrible that sometimes the person wakes up with a sweaty face. Even in intense heat, those suffering from spiritual oppression feel very cold. Because of this, wear cold clothes in the heat.

20) Is careless with personal cleanliness. Goes to the bathroom and doesn't do the right hygiene. In the case of women, some in the menstrual cycle, daily hygiene is forgotten during this period. The person himself does not realize that he is filthy. For her, everything is considered normal.

21) Depression is another visible sign of spiritual attack. For whatever reason, the person becomes sad. It cannot separate the normal criticism that we all suffer, as something natural. A look or comment is enough to take the peace and let the sadness prevail. It is common at this stage for the person to want to use drugs or drink or become a prostitute.

22) Lack of liberation makes one become nostalgic. It's common for people to miss you a lot. She forgets about the present and focuses too much on the past. He even values everything he accomplished during that period. Remember the love relationships of that time. Satan takes advantage of this gap and puts thoughts of adultery in that person's mind.

Resignation

23) All the projects that this person tries to put into practice fail. From the simplest, like selling sweets and food on the streets, to the sophisticated of creating brilliant business strategies in the business environment. Can't keep a good job. Most of the time, he resigns, deluded by something that satan offered him, such as opening his own business with the money from workers' compensation.

24) The sentimental life is a failure. If single, the devil does not allow that person to have a great love relationship. He only gets involved with bad people. It is very common, in this type of situation, for women to get involved with criminals or drug addicts. At this stage, if they are teenagers or young people, they do not accept any type of advice. The person is literally blinded. They lose track of what they are doing.

25) If married or married, marriage loses pleasure. One does not feel happiness with one's husband or wife. The devil starts sending demons to that person to consider that he should return to the arms of his ex-boyfriend (a), ex-fiancé (a) to try to find happiness again. Comparisons arise between the current husband or wife with the ex.

Wife

26) Another spiritual attack is on the couple's sex life. The devil causes husband and wife to lose interest in making love. And when they try to relate sexually, there is no pleasure. It is something mechanical, without any involvement. It is common, in this type of spiritual attack, for the woman to feel disgust for her husband and vice versa.

27) In the case of the evangelical man, not yet freed, sometimes he smells menstrual blood without being next to any woman. That is, he is the target of a spell to affect his sex life. With that, the devil tries to make that person feel disgusted with women and even his wife, if he is married.

28) The evangelical woman, not yet freed, is also attacked by the devil and his demons. If she is a girlfriend, engaged or married, the darkness puts it in her head that that person does not deserve to be by her side. She feels disgust for her partner. Everything he does is up for debate. Even his voice, his style of speaking, serves as a trigger for discussion.

Regime

29) Lack of liberation stirs up gluttony. The person eats non-stop. Can't quench. It's not hunger. She stuffs herself with food trying to fill a void in her soul. Then she doesn't even know why she's eating so much. The devil messes with self esteem too. In the case of women, they become hostages of the mirror. They think they are overweight. At this stage, the devil plunges them into a crazy diet, when they stop eating everything.

30) Lack of release reflects on financial life. The person cannot tithe, nor offer in the church where he congregates. When he gets paid, he disappears like hot water. It makes unnecessary debt. The devil holds the unreleased evangelical in default. At this stage, the demons put it in this person's head that before he belonged to Jesus, his life was better.

31) The lack of deep liberation makes people go into abysses. Some become hostages to loan sharks. In desperation to get money, they enter the world of crime and sink deeper into this process. Women often resort to prostitution to get money more easily. When it reaches this stage, the person has already moved away from the Gospel.

Type

These signs that I listed above do not have a chronological order to happen in the life of someone not yet freed. It may happen that some happen, and others don't give any sign. Even so, it's a reason to look for the pastor of your church and explain the situation. It is also necessary to analyze in which type of denomination the person congregates.

The Word of God is very clear, as written in 1 John, chapter 3, verse 8. “He who practices sin is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. For this the Son of God was manifested: to destroy the works of the devil. Those who are not spiritually liberated urgently need Jesus. The problem is that there are many false pastors who don't like to be used in spiritual deliverance.

The business of this minority is a spotlight. It's appearing in the media. Being idolized and even winning political office. Unfortunately, within many evangelical churches there are several members in need of deliverance. People held hostage by the devil for years or decades. Who never really knew the delicious taste of happiness. My solution? Look for a serious church, which doesn't put its hands on the head of demons, but casts them out to hell. Then you will be free.

Luís Alberto Alves is a pastor.

Are you in the world or is the world in you?

 Where HAVING is valued and not BEING

   Pixabay

Luis Alberto Alves

“I am in the world, but I am not of the world”, John 17:14. Every day the siege is tightened on the evangelical who decides to serve Jesus Christ, obeying his words. It's not as easy as many imagine. Contaminated with the Gospel of Results, tailored to please and never to confront.

The current system seeks, through various resources, to disqualify the Word of God, trying to place it as something despicable, without any value. It criticizes the commandments of Christ, as something straight, contrary to the rules of the current world.

Right is seen as wrong and wrong as right. From the worldly perspective, the evangelical should not continue following the commandments of Jesus Christ, as they keep people away from what is best in this society, where HAVING is valued and not BEING.

World

To make this broth thicker, some evangelical denominations had the sad idea of putting the world inside the church. Chapters and verses condemning wrong are suppressed from preaching. The pulpit is used for amenities only. Just like the doctor who, instead of using all the mechanisms to cure the patient, prescribes drugs that are ineffective.

Prayer is left out. There are rare denominations where, before the beginning of the service, people pray. To make matters worse, some pastors enter the Word without asking Jesus Christ for direction. Instead of the “Peace of the Lord”, they prefer to say hello and move on to the festival of nonsense. They are preaching similar to self-help videos.

In some denominations around this planet Earth, the pulpit is not a holy place. It is just a space to read something written in the Bible, aiming to please the hearts of hopeless people, who perhaps entered there as the last lifeline, before suicide. But none of that matters to the wolves in sheep's clothing.

Bad

The world is seductive. Mind anyone who says otherwise. Sin is sweet at first, then bitter at the end. Lucifer knows how to sell his spoiled fish in a pretty package. Testimonials from drug addicts reveal that the pleasure of using them is what holds the person in that sad ritual of using something that is bad, but with the appearance of good.

This is why many drug addicts find it difficult to give up addiction, because of the pleasure they feel when they are intoxicated with this type of substance. Drugs are presented in a variety of ways, some of them with the “sociable” label, as is the case with alcoholic beverages.

Prostitutes are usually beautiful. They wear beautiful and sensual clothes, to make an impact on the eyes of future customers. They don't scream, but whisper in their ears, words they like to hear, even if they are someone devoid of any beauty. It is the fowler's snare, as described in Psalm 91. Otherwise, they would not be able to attract anyone.

Cash

Making money by stealing, stealing or even through corruption is another trap used by Lucifer to seduce the weak in faith or those who have not yet had a true encounter with Jesus Christ. In the current financial crisis in which several countries are going through, who wouldn't want to see the current account with a lot of money? All earned easily, without breaking a single drop of sweat?

The first few months as a thief and corrupt are good. Luxury becomes routine at home. As well as lunches and dinners in elite restaurants, trips to cities, which were previously seen as dreams to come true, soon come true. High limit credit cards, quality clothes and shoes, top of the line cars.

The simple house in the distant neighborhood on the outskirts is replaced by mansions in luxury condominiums or penthouse apartments, with high quality furniture. At this time, misery will not be present in the life of this person who started to eat the delicacy offered by the devil and his demons. In proverbs it is written that abyss calls to an abyss, and that victim will sink into this mire.

Eternity

What person wouldn't want to see their checking account filled with money? Riding in luxury cars, wearing designer clothes, living in a beautiful property, enjoying the good and the best? All without making any effort. It's a dream world, especially for young people, achieving something without straining, as in the magical world of social networks.

However, the Gospel of Jesus Christ does not guarantee that our life will be like this while we are passing through this world. Our Master warned that we would have afflictions, we would conquer the Heavens by making a lot of effort, to cross the narrow gate that is the path towards eternity.

But the human being does not like to push. He likes to receive everything with a kissed hand. He imagines that life must be like the movies, where ease always gets in the way of making everything okay. Some go to evangelical churches dreaming that the life promised by Christ is something magical. It arrived on the first day, on the second everything is already transformed.

Good

Today much of the Lord's flock is contaminated with anxiety. He is immensely thirsty to put the water of sin in his mouth, most often in beautiful bottles, offered by false shepherds, wolves in sheep's clothing. These people meet inside the churches, not to seek salvation in Jesus Christ, but something good that He can offer.

There is no effort to please the Lord. They come from the world, but they refuse to leave it. They intend to remain hostages of prostitution, vices, idolatries, lies, disbelief, beliefs (how many false evangelicals do not consult horoscopes, fortune tellers, play games of chance, etc.), of pacts made with darkness.

They find it difficult to leave the world where they have lived for many years. They are used to the garbage of sin. They classify the commandments of Jesus as something terrible. “What harm is there in making a “fezinha” in the animal”, say some. “My lover gives me the best and the best, I can't let go of him”, retort some women.

Corrupt

“In this Brazil, everyone steals, especially the rulers. I will not be the one to become holy. If I can get that money, I will”, say the corrupt ones. “Mom and Dad, what a sin is there in having sex with my boyfriend. It is proof of the love that exists between us”, justify some teenagers. “I am a believer, but my revolver has not yet been converted”, assume people who are still hateful.

It is not easy to leave the world. It's like certain stains on clothes. Need to soak, wash with plenty of water, after long period. The impression that remains is that we are against the grain of this society contaminated by sin, where wrong is seen as right. It takes a lot of commitment and faith in the Lord.

For many years I was in the carnival world. It was my habitat. The songs, the frantic drumming of more than 300 percussionists on the drums, the chords of my cavaquinho, the bass sound of the seven-string guitar, the women dancing samba before my eyes, dressed in clothes that only hid their genitals; filled my eyes.

Carnival

It was something that made me ecstatic. He criticized those who didn't like carnival. He classified them as grimaces. When back home, I would meet some brothers, on Carnival Sunday, on the way to church, I would make jokes. In my opinion, the right world was mine, not the one that led to eternity with Jesus Christ.

He forgot that the carnival party lasted only three days, and then he would have to go back to work, sometimes having difficulty paying the day-to-day bills, because the money had been spent on the party. I tried not to see that the beautiful women who paraded beside me were people held hostage by spirits of prostitution, vices and illnesses.

Many of them worked in nightclubs selling their bodies to pay the rent for a tenement room rented in some corner of the city. Others had their husbands serving time and she was forced to support the rest of the family. But the devil, in those days of revelry, blinded all of us, who liked to eat the crumbs he threw from his dirty table.

Sad

It was not easy to get out of this rotten world, just as it is not easy to get out of drugs, prostitution, theft, drug trafficking, corruption, idolatry, sorcery, enchantments. We need to embrace Jesus Christ with all our strength. Ask Him for help. To find support and ways to get out of this vicious circle that is the delicacy offered by the world.

Time waits for no one. It is recommended that you look into your heart and see if there is anything that still holds you to the world. What provokes, even after being converted, longing for something that is not good, because it made him sad after the seconds of pleasure. Does the devil still rule your life?

Don't make the mistake of trying to please both God and the devil. Nobody can do this. Tap your feet on the ground and cry out to Jesus Christ that you need to get out of the world forever. While you're here, may the Lord give you strength to resist the dishes that the devil will continue to offer you. It was difficult for me, but Jesus rescued me from the mud where I had been for many years. I'm no better than you. It will be the same with you.

Luís Alberto Alves is a pastor.

Inside your soul have you changed?

    Hourpress

Luis Alberto Alves

Another year is coming to an end. Thank you for reading my articles that I always post in this space. I have reached different countries, bringing the Word of God through texts inspired by the Holy Spirit.

I changed the format, putting it in a short text, always an impactful message. But have you in your soul really changed? Or do you keep repeating the same actions that have been with you for several years?

If you are married, have you been a great father or mother? Are you affectionate or affectionate, sweet or sweet, do you make your home an altar to the Lord? How is your relationship with money? Do you boss him or is it the other way around?

Do you consult God in all the decisions you are going to make, especially the simplest ones, or even, in your assessment, without any impact on your routine? Do you prefer to close the bedroom door and talk secretly with Jesus or do you lean on anyone's shoulder?

Days

Do you spend more time on social media than meditating on the Word of the Lord? As you look back on this year that is coming to an end, how many times have you pleased Jesus Christ and made the devil nervous or the opposite?

Never forget that everything that exists in this world, where we are passing through, is futile. Even the feasts of the world, which at most last three days, soon come to an end. Even the quick pleasure provided by drugs is a very quick thing.

Only the Word of the Lord is eternal. It is always fulfilled, regardless of our will, our ugly face, our bad mood or even annoyance. Contrary to what many pastors say, God doesn't need any of us.

Before the universe existed, He was God and will remain God eternally. Without Jesus Christ we cannot even dodge the arrows and darts launched by darkness to overthrow us. So before this New Year's Eve, take time to talk to God.

Years

Turn off your cell phone, TV or anything else that distracts you. If you prefer, go out for a walk in the streets or look for a quiet park and have a quality dialogue with Jesus Christ. Ask the Lord to change you forever. Do not repeat the same behavior that has been with you for many years.

Excellent 2023 to you and your whole family. Keep letting the light of Jesus Christ shine brightly in your face. May your life always be a source of joy for God, never of shame or humiliation. Be happy always in the Lord.

Luís Alberto Alves is a pastor.