Assistants In Focus 12/27/15

the Spirit of Faith

In this year there were many assistants who fell.  Everyone was warned and no one can say that he was not advised.  They fell down because they did not give ears to the voice of the Holy Spirit.

You lack nothing in the Church, everything is done for you to remain firm and strong in the faith.  There is the message of Bishop Macedo, there are the groups of the Church, Godllywood for women and Intellimen for men. There are Bishops, Pastors, men of God with enough spiritual experiences separated to help the assistants. Everything is done to preserve you in the faith. All of us have received the care of the Holy Spirit, not only the assistants, but also Bishops, pastors, wives and the auxiliaries.  We all have been taken care by the Holy Spirit. He has taken care of us as souls.

“Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,”

‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭12:1‬ ‭

The Holy Spirit has taught us to remove all the heaviness from within us that has prevented us from bearing fruit. This heaviness can be accusation of the devil, sadness,  grudge, hatred, evil eyes, bad conscience, pride, doubts, etc.

An assistant was carrying the sadness and disappointment of being  abandoned by her husband over another woman. Her husband had left her, but not the Lord Jesus. It is necessary to keep moving forward and get rid of the sadness she’s been keeping inside.

The Spirit of Faith encourages us to look straight to the promises of God, even if  everything is against us. But the Word of God does not fail.

Which heaviness has blocked your spiritual life? What has been a heaviness in your life? Doubts, pride, malice, evil eyes, worries, accusation of a sin? Get rid of this heaviness because many assistants have been left behind because of that.

Are you going to remain in the faith in 2016? It all depends on you to hear and obey the voice of the Holy Spirit.

"Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us,and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us"   Hebrews 12.1

Many people did not resist sin, they did not resist the attacks of the devil because they were not in the Spirit of Faith. When we are in the Spirit of Faith there is an immediate reaction against temptation which is by rebuking  that evil. He who is in the faith always remember the Word of God when evil approaches him. When we use our faith in the Word of God, satan does not resist. This is the secret that many assistants used to practice, but they don’t do it today anymore. In our battles and struggles we have to confess the Word of God. For example; It’s written, for I am with you… Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endures the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of God the throne of God. 

"looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."

Hebrews 12.2

What is to look firmly?  It means to look straight only to the Lord Jesus without deviating to the right or to the left.  Peter deviated his eyes from the Lord Jesus and he sank, but if you look firm to Jesus you will remain until the end

Bishop Carlos

Ex-mendiga conta como mudou de vida - Testemunho Vilma

Uncovering the Roof

In the right place

     "Then they came to Him, bringing a paralytic who was carried by four men.  And when they could not come near Him because of the crowd, they uncovered the roof where He was. So when they had broken through, they let down the bed on which the paralytic was lying.
      When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, 'Son, your sins are forgiven you.'" Mark 2.3-5

    There were many paralytic people in Capernaum at the time those four men brought a paralytic one to the Lord Jesus. But, the question is:  Why did only one decide to come to the place where Jesus was? Why was he the only one who got healed? If there were so many others in the same situation.

     The answer for these questions is not hard to find, of course! He was the only one who did not accept to be in that situation anymore, he was fed up, tired and revolted with that kind of miserable life. He used to depend on others to do everything he wanted to do.  He could not go out by himself, he could not eat, or even bathe alone.  But in the day that he revolted against his suffering his life changed because he went to the place where the Lord Jesus was. He went to the ALTAR.  The four men who were carrying him knew that for him to be put in the place where Jesus was, they would have to make a sacrifice, and they did, they uncovered the roof and let him down in the right place.

   "'I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.' Immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went out in the presence of them all, so that all were amazed and glorified God, saying, 'We never saw anything like this!'" Mark 2. 11-12

    Dear reader,

    Maybe everything in your life seems to be paralyzed, and because of that you have to depend on others for everything. You depend on your friends, your relatives, your boss, your family and many others, but if right now you revolt against your suffering, if you revolt against your situation and come to the place where the Lord Jesus is, which is the Altar, you will be able to change your life. It will happen exactly as it happened to the paralytic man who was not paralyzed anymore.

    The Lord Jesus said to him, “ARISE”, and that’s what He wants to say to you.

    The Altar is the place where you will become independent.
Bishop Carlos

The Value of a Sacrifice

THE VALUE OF A SACRIFICE
The value of sacrifice is not about the amount of money that a person puts on the Altar. For example no one can say that a person has not made a sacrifice for offering little on the Altar. And no one can also say that a person made a real sacrifice by giving a large sum of money.

Zacchaeus made a sacrifice giving much in the eyes of men; the widow made a sacrifice giving little in the eyes of men. Both Zaccheus with his very much, and the widow with the little that she had was a sacrifice in God's eyes.

The question is: What is the value of a sacrifice? I believe that the value of a sacrifice is the sacrifice!

The rich gave a lot of money, however, the widow made a sacrifice,although it was two coins. She gave her life !

Everyone should be aware that sacrifice awakens your faith, the rest is up to God. For it is He Who has the last say, as he did with Gideon. After all, the fire does not depend on gold to be at its most intense flames, but gold depends on the fire to be purified and to have more value. In the case of the Altar, the Altar does not depend on gold to have more value, but the offering presented depends on the Altar to be sanctified.

Everyone can sacrifice, both the rich and the poor, they just have to believe and be revolted.

One person gave their testimony that he gave a wagon worth more than 5 cars in a Campaign , and also another person gave their testimony and gave much less, but the interesting thing is that both were blessed. In terms of values there is a very big difference, but the two people made a sacrifice. The important thing is that the Lord Jesus sits on the Altar observing how people are climbing on it. He does not care about the amount if it's too much or too little, life is all about! I repeat: the value of sacrifice is the sacrifice!

The meeting between God and a person takes place on the Altar, because he is the Almighty. The Altar is a place for sacrifice, no one should go up there empty-handed, but with a REAL sacrifice.

When Gideon put the second bull on the Altar, He was presenting the true sacrifice to God to change his life

Authority in the Spirit.

“The principalities, powers, rulers of darkness and spiritual forces of evil are under Satan’s command and authority to steal, kill and destroy, just as the Lord Jesus said. But they can only do that to those who are in the kingdom of darkness. They can’t touch those who are in the Kingdom of God! Satan’s authority in this ” “world is limited to affect only those who have not been born of the Spirit.

“We know that whoever is born of God does not sin; but he who has been born of God keeps himself, and the wicked one does not touch him.” 1 John 5.18

We see then that personal achievements, economic success, a well-established family, children set in good path or material possessions are not a person’s greatest glory. One day, all these things will come to an end. The greatest glory of all is the one that lasts throughout eternity; the one blessing that the Holy Spirit Himself performs inside the human heart: the new birth. The glory of one who is born of the Holy Spirit is the greatest of all honors because it is the birth of a child of God.

The birth of the Lord Jesus was the greatest manifestation of God’s glory here on earth. The entire heavenly host rejoiced as never before. The Bible says that “suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: ‘Glory to God in the highest’” (Luke 2.13,14). The same joy is repeated in heaven whenever “abandons his evil ways. The Lord Jesus said, “I say to you that likewise ” “there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance” (Luke 15.7).

He who is born of the flesh is flesh. He is a corruptible body subject to decay, which will eventually be destroyed. But he who is born of the Holy Spirit is spirit, and belongs to God’s world; therefore, he is eternal. The born again, or born of God, belongs to God; that is, he is a child of God just as the Lord Jesus Christ is the Son of God!

Being a child of God means being issued out of God. This is exactly the greatest glory a person can have. Only those who have been conceived by God have His divine and eternal nature. In addition, they are also the only ones who enjoy exclusive access to His holy presence, since they too are spirit. “God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth” (John 4.24)”

Bishop Macedo

Caleb Group I have a Dream

All on the Altar

Building an Altar

    "Then Noah built an altar to the Lord, and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird, and offered burnt offerings on the altar.

And the Lord smelled a soothing aroma. Then the Lord said in His heart, 'I will never again curse the ground for man’s sake, although the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; nor will I again destroy every living thing as I have done'" Genesis 8.20,21

    All those who became heroes of faith and made a huge difference built an Altar.  They all knew that it was not enough just to have the promises of God, but above all they knew that for them to take possession of all of them they had to sacrifice on the Altar. And they did so!  

    And why does God require the sacrifice? God requires the sacrifice for us not to relax in the faith. There is no other way to conquer God’s Greatness and make our dreams come true. We must manifest our faith through the sacrifice.

    For all the areas of your life to be totally transformed, for you to break free from negative results you have been reaping throughout your entire life, for you to remove the shame caused by so many failures in your life, there is just one way for you to do it. Go to Altar and sacrifice. The Altar is between you and realization of your dreams. Do you believe this?

Bishop Carlos

Assistants in Focus Nov/29/15

Assistants in Focus Nov/22/2015

Good works

How have you glorified God?

 “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 so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:14-16

God cannot be glorified through word alone, but principally through our victories. It is not wrong to exalt Him by saying beautiful words as many people do. Actually this has become very common among many nations. However, most of those who have praised Him with their lips, when we look at the quality of life that they have been living we see something that cannot glorify God at all, instead it is a shame for His name.

How have you glorified God? Just by saying beautiful words? Or by the victories that you have conquered?

When the Angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon and saying ‘, “The Lord is with you, you mighty man of valor!” Judges 6.12

Gideon did not praise Him, nor glorified Him but he manifested his revolt with the type of life that he was living at that very moment. He had in mind that for him to exalt the God of Abraham, his life could not be the way it was, a shameful life.

Dear all,
We cannot be hypocrites, instead we should be honest and sincere with ourselves. If you see  that your life is not in the way that exalts God, so what's  the point of glorifying Him through words alone?

Revolt against what is wrong in your life and don’t accept to be defeated by the problems that you are going through right now, otherwise the words that have come out of your lips are just empty words.

Do as Gideon did. Revolt against everything that has put you down and the light will shine on you and everyone will see your good works.
Bishop Carlos

No revolt, No strength

Two types of Revolt

The revolt of flesh is momentary, because it just manifests in a moment of anger or in a moment of dissatisfaction. It is not based on the Word of God, but in the physical arm, it does not have enough strength to provide sufficient power until the end of the battle to conquer the victory. Time passes away and they end up losing the revolt of flesh and the person ends up living conformed to the same problems again.

But the revolt of the spirit is different because it is built on the Promises of God.  The person who has a revolted Spirit does not accept to live a shameful life because he has his life on the Altar of God.

This revolt leads him to fight with all his strength against the circumstances of life. He does not give rest to his faith, he does not accept defeat, because he acknowledges that heaven and earth can pass away, but the promises of God are alive as God is.

The servant who is revolted in the spirit has the understanding that he serves the God who promised him an abundant life, for this reason he does not accept to live from the crumbs nor to live in misery.

The revolted in the spirit does not wait for anybody, he goes ahead to fight his battle because he does not have time to waste. He knows that if he does his part God will do His in his life.

Assistant, analyze your life, do not accept to live with the crumbs because you are a child of God, do not accept that the infirmities prevail over your health, do not bow down before the family problems, do not hide your faith before your problems, because God is with you, warrior.

Do not allow the years to pass you by and you remain with the knowledge of the rights as a child, and you do not take possession of what He promises in His Word.

Do not care about the time, nor about the circumstances around you, just be strong and manifest your revolt, and you will see the strong arm of your God stretched out towards you.


Carlos Da Costa
Bishop

Assistants in Focus Nov/15/2015

I came back

Fe Autenticada

Para que um documento seja considerado verdadeiro é preciso que ele esteja autenticado. Essa autenticação é necessária em todas as questões importantes que envolvem identificação, compromisso e garantia. Toda informação que não é considerada autêntica torna-se inválida e é tida como falsa. Não há quem confie no que não possui os quesitos necessários para ser considerado verdadeiro, e nada pode ser feito com ele ou por meio dele.

Assim também é a fé: ela precisa ser autenticada por Deus para ser considerada verdadeira e gerar resultados. Mas, infelizmente, muitos tentam produzir frutos com sua fé e não conseguem, porque estão fazendo uso de uma fé ilegal, que não recebeu a autenticação de Deus. Essas pessoas têm ignorado o fato de o Altíssimo não considerar autêntica a fé sem sacrifício.

O sacrifício é a única prova de que a fé existe e é verdadeira. Conforme está escrito, a fé sem obras é morta (Tiago 2.17). Afinal, como provar a existência de algo que não se vê? Apenas com resultados visíveis! Assim como a existência do vento é provada pelo balanço das folhas das árvores, a existência da fé é provada com atitudes de sacrifício.

Quem abre mão das suas vontades para fazer o que Deus orienta em Sua Palavra recebe o selo de autenticação da sua fé. Caso contrário, a fé fica apenas nos lábios de quem a professa, e, assim como uma informação não pode ser tida como verdadeira simplesmente por palavras, a fé também não pode ser validada por afirmações sem provas.

Se para as coisas passageiras deste mundo a autenticação se faz necessária, muito mais para as coisas de Deus, que envolvem a eternidade.

A fé válida tem o poder de identificar alguém como filho do Altíssimo, comprovar o compromisso que se tem com Ele e garantir a Salvação de sua alma. Por isso, Deus não confia e desconsidera a fé não autenticada. Se esse tipo de fé não pode ser usado como moeda de troca sequer para as conquistas terrenas, muito menos para as conquistas celestiais!

Ninguém poderá viver uma vida de qualidade ou entrar no céu de forma ilegal. Por isso, precisamos legalizar a nossa fé dia após dia, através de atitudes de sacrifício.
O Deus Autêntico exige a fé autêntica. E se a sua crença é inválida, o seu deus também é inválido – porque o seu deus é você mesmo.
Bishop Macedo

Removing the stone

     Take away the stone

    The reason why many people, though they believe in God, they have faith, courage, and good character, but they haven’t seen their lives moving forward as it should is because they haven't removed the stone that is in their ways.

    When the Lord Jesus had approached the tomb, where Lazarus had been placed for four days, Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, “Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead for four days.” John 11:39-40
    Though Martha had manifested doubts, the stone was removed, and when the Lord Jesus cried out saying, “Lazarus come forth”, he who had been dead for four days, came forth and he could live freely.

     The stone that has prevented many people from leaving the tomb, and enjoying a free and abundant life, can be grudges, hatred they’ve directed towards someone for a long time, or a pain for the lost of someone they loved too much. Or perhaps the fear of making the same mistakes they've made in the past, and/or being criticized by family members or friends.

    The truth is, if the stone that you’ve been carrying in your life is not removed out of your way, then your life will never change from what it has been so far. Though you may have known God for years, like Lazarus knew the Lord Jesus, but however, he was dead and could not enjoy his life at all, just because there was a stone in his way.

Assistants in Focs 11/08/15

Exercising your faith

Faith needs to be exercised.


     “But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works” James 2.18

     When the water in a river, or a sea is not moving for a certain period of time, it will gradually lose the power to bear life in itself. Fishes and plants won’t survive for a long time, they will die little by little. The same happens to our physical body, no matter how strong your body may be, if you don’t exercise, sooner or later, you will develop different types of problems that will affect your health, especially the heart.

     In Israel, there is a sea called the Dead Sea and it carries this name just because there is no life in it. Though the Dead Sea receives water from different rivers and seas, it remains dead because the water gets stuck there. It goes nowhere.

     Many people including Christians have been living a dead life in every aspect, because they stopped exercising their faith. Faith is the Power of God that manifests inside of those who call upon His name. It is God Himself acting in the life of those who have surrendered their whole life in His hands. If this Power is not exercised, it will lose strength and it will get weak. Needless to say that it will die.

     A dead faith has no power to bring results in a person’s life, this has been the reason of so many frustrations and disappointments among those who have served God. Many of them believe that because they are God’s servants everything is going to happen automatically. This is a big mistake they make. Whatever we want is possible, but you have to act on your faith. Try to find in the Bible someone who received a miracle without exercising his faith. Even Lazarus who was dead came out of the Tomb walking by himself.

     If this has been your situation, then it is time for you to do something to awaken your faith, this can be done through prayers, Bible reading, sacrifices, vows and purposes.

     You should not allow your faith to get stuck, otherwise, your faith will die.

     “What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith, but does not have works? Can faith save him?” James 1.14
Bishop Carlos

Assistants from Bedford, Brooklyn NY

The Purpose of the talents

In the parable of the talents, written in Matthew 25.14-30, we can see that the Lord did not give talents to His servants in vain. He had a purpose, a goal, a vision, an expectation in regard to these talents. Have you ever considered why God gave you the talent you have? What did He have in mind when He granted you with a greater capacity to do a certain thing? Or what is His intention when He enables us to do a specific task?

God wants to receive the fruits of this talent; this is, He wants us to multiply our talent. Just like when we give something to God, He gives it back to us back multiplied, He should also receive multiplied! This would be the fair thing to do, right?

There are talents we are born with and there are talents we develop as we grow up and mature. And the development of new talents is not something superfluous or unnecessary, it is an obligation! Isn’t this what He demanded from His servants in the parable? Weren’t they supposed to multiply the talents they were given?

The multiplied talent is what we acquire through the talent we were born with. A good and faithful servant multiplies the talents he received; this is, he develops other talents through the ones he already possess! He is not content with what he already knows how to do, but invests in learning more! He doesn’t just return what he received, but also returns the talents he developed as well!

In the parable, the servant with the five talents made five more, and the one who had two, made two more. This means we can develop at least one talent from the one we already have! This is extraordinary!

The talent you have, whatever it may be, was not given to you in vain. Therefore, you should not receive it in vain either. As it is written:

We then, as workers together with Him also plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain. 2 Corinthians 6.1

God gave you this talent so that you may cooperate with Him, saving and multiplying it into other talents, so that you may save even more! Every talent you have or develop is one more channel to win souls. This means that the more talents you have, the more souls you can win!

So what are you going to do now that you understand the purpose of the talent?
Bishop Macedo

No Divisions

                                                                  Say no to divions

     “Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.” I Corinthians 1.10


     One of the most efficient tactics used by the devil to prevent the Work of God from growing up as it should is exactly the division among the servants of God, as a matter of fact, it was through division that satan divided the angels in heaven when he was cast out of the Presence of God, because of his rebelliousness. The third part of the angels who before were angels of light dwelling around the Throne of God, became demons, evil spirits, spirits of darkness just because they heard the voice of the devil and obeyed him.

     Well, if among the angels of God he was able to cause division, imagine among the servants of God today? There’s no doubt that he’s been acting successfully because there are many servants who have already lost the fear, the respect they once had for God. For this reason, they have given satan enough room for him to use them inside of the church. They are those who are always complaining against everything in the church. If there’s a campaign, they complain, if there’s a night vigil, they complain, and list goes on… more over, they are those who are always forming groups, making gossips and worse than that, they do not enter the Kingdom of God and they have prevented others from entering it. But for them the Lord Jesus said,
   
     “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea.” Matthew 18.6

     Dear assistants,
     There is a big responsibility upon all of us who are serving God, therefore all should take care of their spiritual life. Walk away from those who cause divisions, dissensions, gossips. If you truly fear God, then I am sure that you are understanding what we are talking about; but if you have already lost the fear you once had, then this message means nothing for you. Sooner or later you will find yourself in the same place where you came from.

     Let us walk in the same spirit, same faith because together we are strong, and if we are strong we are able to win every battles that we fight against hell.

Bishop Carlos

The best at everything

God Almighty is the best at everything. He is the Best Lord, Best Comforter, Best Father, Best Motivator, Best Friend, Best Guide, Best Husband… And as His representatives here on Earth, we should also standout as the best at everything, so that those around us can see who He is through who we are.

The problem is that many don’t try to do this, or have lost this vision over time. These are the best people in Church and with services directly linked to the spiritual realm, but fall short in their daily roles as parents, sons, husbands, wives, employees, bosses… They seek to improve themselves as servants of God, but forget to improve as servants to those around them. For this reason, it is not surprising that their faith loses credit with those closest to them.

We must remember that, to efficiently fulfill the mission that was given to us, which is to win souls, it is essential that we be considered a reference to those who do not know God, so they become interested in knowing Him. After all, who would want to serve the Eternal God of a father that is distant, a son that is always getting into trouble, a careless husband, a nagging wife, a lazy employee or an unfair boss? Who would want to learn about the faith of someone that behaves worse or just like them? The Most High, in His Infinite Wisdom, advises us regarding this:

Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. Matthew 5.16
But, how can you be the best at everything? God gives us a tip in Colossians 3.17-24:

And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus… Whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men… for you serve the Lord Christ.

This is, we should behave in front of others as we would in front of God, treat them with the same dedication we treat God and do to them as if we were doing for God! And all this in the Name of Jesus, aware that He is receiving the souls we are winning, through our testimony, in His Arms!

To be the best at everything is not arrogance, pride, conceit or vanity. It shows the DNA of the Almighty running through our veins. To be the best at everything is a Christian duty.
Bishop Macedo

Assistants in Focus Nov/01/2015

What is in your mind?

     The little foxes

     What has been your greatest concern related to your sins? I know that majority of people are most likely concern with what they consider as big sin, such as: adultery, robbery, prostitution, violence, crime… etc. It’s not wrong to keep an eye on them, but how about those sins that they consider as small and therefore, they don’t put their attention on them, but they are the ones that destroy the most.

     “Catch us the foxes,
The little foxes that spoil the vines,
For our vines have tender grapes”. Songs of Solomon 2.15

     Dear reader,
     Be careful with the sins that perhaps you do not consider as sin, like an evil thought that you’ve been keeping and from time to time you feel like putting it into practice, or can be a desire of having something or someone which is contrary to the will of God, you know that it is wrong but you insist on feeding this evil desire inside of you.

     Do not forget that what is big today was small yesterday, and what is small today will be big tomorrow. If there’s a little fox inside of you today, then you better remove it right away; otherwise it’ll become big tomorrow and you won’t be able to remove it and your life will be destroyed.
Think about it.

Bishop Carlos

Remaining in the Paradise

    “ The snake was the most clever of all the wild animals that the Lord God had made. The snake spoke to the woman and said, 'Woman, did God really tell you that you must not eat from any tree in the garden?'
      The woman answered the snake, 'No, we can eat fruit from the trees in the garden.  But there is one tree we must not eat from. God told us, 'You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden. You must not even touch that tree, or you will die.''
    But the snake said to the woman, 'You will not die. God knows that if you eat the fruit from that tree you will learn about good and evil, and then you will be like God!'
     The woman could see that the tree was beautiful and the fruit looked so good to eat. She also liked the idea that it would make her wise. So she took some of the fruit from the tree and ate it. Her husband was there with her, so she gave him some of the fruit, and he ate it.
     Then it was as if their eyes opened, and they saw things differently. They saw that they were naked. So they got some fig leaves, sewed them together, and wore them for clothes.” Genesis 3.1-7

    Dear all,
    Take care of your spiritual life by living in the fear of God all the time. Do this so you may be able to enjoy what God has promised in His Word. Adam and Eve were living in the Garden of Eden, Paradise. There was no pain, sickness, poverty, misery, violence, no suffering simply because they were living in the fear of God. There was respect and consideration with everything that God had done and had given them. However, a time came when they gave ear to the voice of the devil. Instead of rebuking it right away, Eve decided to keep a conversation with the evil one. Like many are still doing today and as a consequence of her mistake she fell into temptation and ended up doing what she knew in advance that she should not do. God was very clear with her when He said, “You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden. You must not even touch that tree, or you will die.” Genesis 3.3

    Their lack of fear brought suffering and shame upon everyone who had nothing to do with their mistake. That’s why we all have to be very careful about whatever we do, otherwise we will destroy the life of innocent people.

    It does not matter what you have to do to live in the fear of God, whether you are criticized, persecuted or whatsoever, just do it because in the end you will have the guarantee of your salvation.
Bishop Carlos

I HAVE A DREAM CONCERT - COMING SOON

Assistants in Focus Oct 25, 2015

He who truly fears God

Fear God and Live

The fear of the Lord is to hate evil;
pride and arrogance
and the evil way and the perverse mouth I hate. Proverbs 8.13

      He who truly fears God searches above all things to preserve his salvation and for this to happen he knows that he has to live his life according to the Holy Scriptures.
The man and the woman born of God they carry inside of them the character of the Almighty, they have the pleasure to please the One who saved their souls. They know how precious it is to have the assurance of salvation. They don’t neglect their communion with God, nor do they allow their character and reputation to become a shame for them and their Lord. For this reason, the ones born of God do not get involved in gossip, or conversations that do not edify their spiritual life. They do not waste time by pointing fingers toward somebody else’s mistakes because their concern is to correct their own mistakes.

      “Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not see the beam that is in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me remove the speck that is in your eye,’ when you yourself do not see the beam that is in your own eye? You hypocrite! First remove the beam from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck that is in your brother’s eye. Luke 6.41-42

     He who is born of God is always keeping his heart from evil desires, hatred, grudges. There’s no lies, no half true. He is God’s blessing everywhere he goes.
And you? Have you been living your life in the fear of God?

Bishop Carlos

Those who are of God accept discipline

Those who are of God accept discipline

The Lord’s body is disciplined and works in harmony, because all parts are in agreement. There is no division, because all of its elements are important and are part of this Body.

There are people waiting in line at the hospital for a liver transplant because their own liver is no longer working. Therefore, I ask: Do you want to be transplanted, changed or removed by force? We must identify these damaged organs so they can be removed from among us. This is not injustice. Honestly, it would be unfair to allow this organ to remain in the Body and contaminate everyone else. This is discipline within the Church.

When someone remains in indiscipline, they are not part of the Body; instead, they are a foreign body.

You have to have the sensibility that, above all things, God must come first in your life, even above your family, though they are also important. And, when a wife speaks words of doubt, instigating the pastor against the Church, then she is no longer being a helper, and her husband must protect his heart and correct her.

You have to keep in mind that you are a man of God. Assistant, pastor or bishop is a mere title that you borrowed. But, as a man of God, wherever you may be, God will be with you. What does He expect from His servants?

When God called Joshua, He said:

“After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, it came to pass that the Lord spoke to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ assistant, saying…” Joshua 1.1

The Holy Spirit refers to Moses as a servant of the Lord, but He initially refers to Joshua as the son of Nun. In the universal story of God, the name of the pastor, bishop or assistant is included. But is he described as a servant of the Lord or just his father’s son?

After he was called and served God with his life, servant of the Lord was added to the name of Joshua, son of Nun. As it is written:

“Now it came to pass after these things that Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died, being one hundred and ten years old.” Joshua 24.29

As a servant, you are disciplined, and your nature becomes disciplined too. It was the Holy Spirit that did this. Discipline was born in you when you were born of God. And we serve each other because we are part of the harmonious Body of the Lord Jesus. A person who rebels against this harmony is not of God, and does not serve God. Therefore, he must be expelled.

But why are there people who have been in church for such a long time, yet they’re not part of the Body of the Lord Jesus? He says:

“Serpents, brood of vipers! How can you escape the condemnation of hell?” Matthew 23.33

This is the only kind of person that Jesus is revolted with: those who are fake, hypocritical and deceive. It’s the kind of person who appears to be one thing, but inside he is something completely different; he is insincere and wears a mask.
Bishop Macedo

O que fez a diferença?

Assistants in Focus Oct/18/15

Assistants in Focus 101815

Love your neighbor

Being born of God

Don’t deceive yourself!

"There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews." John 3.1

Even though Nicodemus was an expert in the law, a teacher, and a very well respected man among the Jews, he was a Pharisee. In other words, he taught one thing, but he used to do other thing. He had ever had an encounter with the Lord Jesus, therefore he was not born of God.
Biblical knowledge is not enough to save anybody. If this was the case satan would be saved because there’s no one in the world who knows the Bible better than he does. However he is condemned to spend all his eternity in the Lake of Fire.

The only way that a person can be saved is when he or she has an encounter with God and is born of the Holy Spirit, exactly as it happened to the Lord Jesus.

“Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And having come in, the angel said to her, 'Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!  But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.  And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David.  And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.'
 Then Mary said to the angel, 'How can this be, since I do not know a man?'
 And the angel answered and said to her, 'The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God'. Luke 1.26-35

This is what has to happen to all those who want a new life and to guarantee their salvation. It does not matter what you have done in the church or the title that you have, if you were not born of the Holy Spirit, then there’s no assurance of salvation.

Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.” John 3.5,6

Bishop Carlos da Costa

Assistants in Focus 101115

Assistants in Focus 100415

Walking in the Spirit

Walking in the Spirit

To walk in the Spirit is to walk in the faith. To live in the assurance of the fulfillment of the promise.  At the same time getting away from doubts, fear, and memories from the past that are always attacking.

It is not possible to walk in the Spirit and have doubts. That’s why is important to rebuke all negative thoughts that are blown into our mind all the time. It’s not too much to resist doubts by saying “it’s tied up in Jesus name”! You don’t need to speak in a loud voice. Use the Word of God against any type of negative thought.

The Lord Jesus was straight forward with Peter when He said
"Don’t hesitate before the threaten of evil, resist it strongly all the time. Don’t think that evil thoughts will go away by themselves. A little bit of distraction is not going to help."

“But when He had turned around and looked at His disciples, He rebuked Peter, saying, “Get behind Me, Satan! For you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.””
‭‭Mark‬ ‭8:33‬ ‭

You must confront them, rebuke them, resist them as if they are satan himself, as soon as he blows thoughts that go against your faith your faith. Because of that Paul said "Remember, the biggest battle of faith happens inside of us against doubts, fear, anxiety and worries with the past."

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”
‭‭II Timothy‬ ‭4:7‬ ‭

To walk in the Spirit is to walk in the faith. To live in the Spirit is to live in the faith. Only those who are born of the water and of the Spirit are able to do that


Carlos Da Costa
Bishop

They despised the spiritual

Day 16 of the Fast of Daniel


Let him hear what the Spirit says

Like many, who do not want to invest in spiritual things, half of the virgins did not want to invest in the things of the Spirit either.
Most likely, they thought their religious practices were enough.
They despised the Oil that keeps the fire (faith) lit.
It is very common nowadays, for people to invest in their children’s education, the stock exchange, their career, family, relationships, etc. They are always thinking about the future. None of this is wrong. But, the spiritual is most important.
This is why we are putting all our strength into the 21 days of the Fast of Daniel.

When a person is committed to receiving the Holy Spirit, they don’t give any excuses for not doing the Fast. There are 365 days in a year, so why cant we stay away from Facebook, YouTube, TV shows and all other sorts of entertainment for 21 days? How did we live before Facebook (it was created in 2004)? What about YouTube (created in 2005)? So how can anyone say they can’t live without them? We have to invest in the spiritual.

The five foolish virgins waited for the groom, just like the wise virgins. When we compare them to those who do not invest in their spiritual life, we can see the
same attitude. When the groom arrived, their lamps had gone out and they desperately ran to buy more oil. They had money to buy oil, but preferred to keep it to invest in other things.
And why would a bride want to save money? If this happened today, she would use it to buy her wedding dress, jewelry, makeup, pay for the reception, invitations, cake, etc. And that’s exactly what many people do: they rather invest in material things, and not in spiritual things.

This is our opportunity to invest in spiritual things. And those who do not invest will lose.

When the five foolish virgins came back, the door was already closed. And, if many do not invest in pouring out their life on the Altar through sacrifice and complete surrender, they will find the door closed too. In other words, they will lose the greatest opportunity to transform their lives. Just like the foolish virgins knew where to find more oil, but did not go earlier, many know where to find the Holy Spirit, but they must seek Him now.
Do not allow your spiritual life to go out. Let’s go get the oil while there is time.

Collaborated by: Bp. Ubirajara Fonseca

This is My beloved Son

Day 15 of the Fast of Daniel


He who has ears, let him hear what the Spirit says:

It came to pass in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And immediately, coming up from the water, He saw the heavens parting and the Spirit descending upon Him like a dove. Then a voice came heard from heaven, “You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased”. Mark 1.9-11

As I meditated on this passage, I asked myself why did the Lord Jesus, being the Son of God, have to be baptized in water and have the Holy Spirit descend upon Him? I think it was to give us an example of what happens to those who sincerely repent of their sins and surrender at the feet of the Most High, ardently yearning to have a new, clean life from that moment on, where their essence is to obey God’s Word and walk in His path, sacrificing their flesh, their feelings, who they are (spiritual sacrifices, such as being promiscuous, committing adultery, illicit desires, etc.) what they have (material sacrifices, such as having their heart on their money, property, children, etc.) to receive the greatest Treasure a man can receive, the baptism with the Holy Spirit.

When the Lord Jesus sees such surrender, a thirst in the soul of the candidate for the baptism of His Spirit, the heavens open and the Holy Spirit descends upon him and fills his being. Those who are around him cannot hear the voice that comes from heaven, perhaps not even he can hear it, but the spiritual world, such as the heavenly angels and, most importantly, all of hell, can hear it loud and clear.

“You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.“
In other words, “attention angels, archangels, cherubim and seraphim serve him as needed, keep him from all evil, another beloved son was born, and pay attention hell because from now on THIS IS MY SON and no one will dare touch him. From now on he bears my Seal, my DNA”.  Praise God.

I think this is the purpose of the Holy Spirit for this Fast of Daniel.
So, are you willing to give up everything you have and everything you are to become an untouchable child of God, carrying within yourself His DNA?
THINK ABOUT THIS.
Collaborated by: Bp. Sergio Correa

COMMENTS

Gabrieli Beretta
Good afternoon, Bishop!
My name is Gabrieli and I am from Criciuma. I wanted to leave a comment about the Holy Spirit.

I’ve always been a person that had doubts about everything. I always allowed doubts to invade my mind, because I thought it was just the way I was, but now I know it was the devil that put those negative thoughts in my head.
For about 3 years, I was in Church seeking the Spirit of God, but never received Him. That’s when I stood up against the devil, I participated in the Israel Challenge and what hurt me the most to sacrifice wasn’t the money, but all my doubts. There were days when all I wanted to do was sit on my bed and cry because the devil would bombard me. He sent thoughts 24 hours a day trying to convince me that I would never receive God’s great Treasure. He would tell me that a drug dealer or prostitute could come to Church and could receive the Holy Spirit, but I wouldn’t…
I’d go outside sell sweets to build my sacrifice and the devil would be there, putting doubts into my head. However, my biggest dream was none other than being baptized with the Holy Spirit.
One day before giving in my vow, I closed my bedroom door and separated the money I’d be putting into the envelop in ascending order. I sprayed it with my most expensive perfume, because my God deserves the best. That Sunday, I sat in the first row and when the pastor called everyone to come forward, I couldn’t help but think about all the times I had told the devil, “All the doubts are tied up, because I know I’m going to be baptized”. I repeated this until I was sure he had run away from me. Like it is written in the bible: resist the devil and he will flee from you. I couldn’t hold back the tears as I remembered everything I went through to get to that moment. But today there is only joy. A short time later, on a Wednesday, I was determined to receive the Living God, either He was going to descend upon me or I would go get Him in heaven. And it was during this meeting that an ABSOLUTE CONVICTION burned in me and never left again. Oh, what day Bishop! Then, whenever I’d think about that moment, I’d be overcome with such joy that I’d laugh, even while hanging the clothes to dry, lol. Bishop, I just wanted to share a little bit of my story, because a lot of people might find themselves in the same situation during this Fast. I didn’t receive the Holy Spirit until I stopped doubting.

God bless you.

Esse é meu filho amado

15º Dia do Jejum de Daniel

Quem tem ouvidos ouça o que o Espírito diz:

Naqueles dias, veio Jesus de Nazaré da Galileia e por João foi batizado no rio Jordão. Logo ao sair da água, viu os céus rasgarem-se e o Espírito descendo como pomba sobre Ele. Então, foi ouvida uma Voz dos céus: Tu és o Meu Filho amado, em Ti Me comprazo. Marcos 1.9-11
Meditando sobre essa palavra, fico a me indagar: por que o Senhor Jesus, sendo o Próprio Filho de Deus, teve que Se batizar nas águas, e o Espírito Santo descer sobre Ele?

Penso que foi para deixar o modelo de como acontece com aqueles que se arrependem sinceramente de seus pecados e se rendem aos Pés do Altíssimo, desejando ardentemente seguir uma vida nova e limpa, em que sua essência é obedecer à Palavra de Deus e andar nos Seus caminhos. Sacrificando sua carne, seus sentimentos, o que são (sacrifício espiritual como prostituição, adultério, desejos ilícitos etc.) e o que possuem (sacrifício material como coração no dinheiro, nos bens, nos filhos etc.), para receber o maior Tesouro que um ser humano pode ter: o batismo do Santo Espírito.

Quando o Senhor Jesus vê essa disposição, essa sede na alma de um candidato ao batismo de Seu Espírito, então os céus se rasgam e o Espírito Santo desce sobre ele e inunda o seu ser. Os que estão ao redor não conseguem ouvir Essa Voz que vem dos céus, talvez nem mesmo a própria pessoa ouve, mas o mundo espiritual, tanto os anjos celestiais como, principalmente, o inferno inteiro ouvem em alto e bom som: “Tu és o Meu filho amado, em ti Me comprazo.”

Em outras palavras: “Atenção, anjos, arcanjos, querubins e serafins! Sirvam-no em tudo que ele precisar, guardem-no de todos os males. Nasceu mais um filho amado. E, atenção, inferno! A partir de agora, ESSE É MEU FILHO. Ninguém ousará tocá-lo, daqui para frente ele carregará o Meu Selo, o Meu DNA.”

Graças a Deus!
Vejo que essa é a proposta do Espírito Santo para este Jejum de Daniel.
E você está disposto a abrir mão de tudo que tem e tudo que é para se tornar um intocável filho de Deus, carregando em si o Seu DNA?

PENSE!

* * *

Comentários

Gabrieli Beretta

Boa tarde, bispo!
Meu nome é Gabrieli, sou de Criciúma. Queria deixar meu comentário sobre o Espírito Santo. Sempre fui uma pessoa que duvidou de tudo, sempre deixei os pensamentos de dúvidas entrarem na minha mente, e achava que era eu quem pensava assim. Hoje sei que era o próprio diabo quem jogava os pensamentos negativos, e eu os alimentava.

Fiquei uns 3 anos e meio na Igreja buscando o Espírito de Deus, mas nunca O recebia. Foi quando eu parti para cima do diabo e fiz a Fogueira Santa. O que mais doeu sacrificar não foi o dinheiro, mas sim todas as minhas dúvidas. Houve dias em que minha vontade era apenas de sentar na minha cama e chorar, pois o diabo veio com tudo. 24 horas por dia ele tentava, jogando pensamentos de que eu não poderia receber o Bem maior de Deus, que um traficante ou uma prostituta poderiam chegar à Igreja e, na mesma hora, poderiam receber o Espírito Santo, mas eu não poderia…

Olha, bispo, fui para rua vender docinhos, e o diabo lá estava, tentando jogar dúvidas na minha mente. Mas o meu maior sonho não era outro, além de ter o batismo com o Espírito Santo.

Um dia antes de entregar o meu voto, fechei a porta do quarto, separei as notas em ordem crescente e as perfumei com o meu perfume mais caro, mais cheiroso, pois o meu Deus merece o melhor. No domingo da entrega, sentei na primeira fileira e quando o pastor chamou a todos, não pude deixar de me lembrar de quando eu falava para o diabo: “Tá amarrada toda dúvida, eu creio que vou receber!” Eu repetia isso até ter certeza de que ele tinha fugido de mim, como diz a Bíblia: “Resisti ao diabo, e ele fugirá de vós.”

Não pude conter as lágrimas ao lembrar de tudo que passei para chegar àquele momento. Mas hoje é só alegria, bispo! Depois de um tempinho, em uma quarta-feira, estava determinada a receber o Deus Vivo. Ou Ele descia ou ia buscá-lO no céu. E foi nessa reunião que uma CERTEZA ABSOLUTA entrou dentro de mim e nunca mais saiu. Ah, que dia!

Depois, quando me lembrava, sentia uma alegria no meu interior, e ficava rindo sozinha, estendendo a roupa… kkk. Bispo, só queria deixar aqui uma pequena parte da minha história, e dizer que enquanto não parei de duvidar não puder receber o batismo. E muitas são as pessoas que se encontram assim neste Jejum. Deus o abençoe.

Day 12

THE MARK OF CAIN

Day 12 of the Fast of Daniel 

Let the unbelievers hear what the Spirit says:

Surely You have driven me out this day from the face of the ground; I shall be hidden from Your face; I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond on the earth, and it will happen that anyone who finds me will kill me. Genesis 4.14

It is definite, just as the seed of obedience produces blessings, the seed of disobedience brings curses.

And the worst curse of disobedience is the absence of FAITH.

The signs of the mark of Cain were: fugitive, wandering the earth and fear. This is, he was a pit of doubts.

Doubt generated fear, which generated distrust, which generated worry, which generated weakness and he became a cursed man. These are characteristics of the children of darkness.

the wages of sin is death… Romans 6.23

Without FAITH it is impossible to please Him; (Hebrews 11.6)

Without FAITH it is impossible to approach God;

Without FAITH it is impossible to obtain the Promises of God;

Without FAITH it is impossible to have life since the just shall live by FAITH. (Hebrews 10.38)

Without FAITH, mankind is subject to the plans of evil.

Because evil is a spirit, it is impossible to confront him with physical and conventional weapons. A much more powerful spiritual weapon is required to overcome him.

FAITH is the only spiritual Power that is able to overcome all of hell.

Knowing this, evil puts all his strength into trying to prevent man from possessing the Spirit of FAITH.

This is why, when it’s time to seek the Holy Spirit, evil thoughts, worries, doubts, fears, etc. surface out of nowhere.

It is precisely to distract your attention away from the Holy Spirit.

Faith is the Power of God that emanates from His Holy Spirit.

Octavio has a doubt. He asks:
I’ve been in a relationship with someone for 1 year and we live together in the same house. This happened without us ever being officially married. I would like to know if this sinful behavior could contribute negatively to me not receiving the Holy Spirit? Bishop, I’m asking for help because I’m 100% surrendered to this Fast of Daniel, but so far, nothing has happened. I’m being plagued by negative thoughts…
Have a good day and God bless you.

Octavio’s question is relevant because it addresses the root of all evil that afflicts mankind: sin.

My dear Octavio, you said yourself that this relationship is a sinful act. You have condemned yourself. This means you have numerous doubts. This is the worst evil that sin does to man. It weakens faith and establishes itself firmly in the person’s consciousness in the form of doubts. And everything that is done with doubt, end up going wrong. I advise you to get rid of that sinful burden, and then, you’ll be able to get rid of the doubts. Through this sacrificial faith, you will be forgiven and receive the Seal of God.
The power of faith is not measured in size, but in quality. This is, absent of any doubt

The well is deep, but...

Blog do Bispo Macedo
The Well is Deep, but…


Day 11 of the Fast of Daniel

Let him hear what the Spirit says to the people of Faith:

Though it was deep, the Samaritan woman was always at the well, seeking an essential element for survival, water.

This also happens in the lives of many, because people are willing to go deep; in other words, they will do any sacrifice necessary to achieve their dreams and desires.

The Samaritan woman represents those who, in search of a happy love life, find themselves in their sixth relationship. Still, many others have surrendered to addictions, prostitution, sacrificing their own family or career and many other things, just because of an extramarital affair. There are even some who surrender to a life of crime.

The Lord Jesus knew that the Samaritan woman had problems with her love life, but He also knew that when this problem was solved, her biggest problem would still be there: the thirst for the Water of life.

The Water of Life is truly very deep. However, this does not mean it’s impossible to drink from it. To do so, those who are thirsty must be willing to “pay the price”. This price is to sacrifice everything. Obviously, if we want everything from God, we must surrender our all, even if it is an insignificant and miserable life.

Without the Water of Life, sooner or later, the Samaritan woman would be thirsty again and, who knows if she wouldn’t become discouraged during her search, like so many have done?

This is why we must dive deep into this well; there is no other option. If people are willing to go to great lengths to obtain material possessions, imagine the kind of sacrifice that is needed to resolve all your spiritual problems once and for all.

Those who have made innumerous sacrifices for material things, such as having a deity “take charge of their head”, giving spiritual entities expensive gifts, etc., would go to what extent to drink the Water that the Lord Jesus offers?
This is a conscious sacrificial Faith!

On October 11, we will all be in spirit, together with the seven bishops, representing the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God throughout the world, on the Mount of Transfiguration. From there, we will extend our hands to those who have believed and sacrificed during the Fast of Daniel, so that they will be transfigured and glorified by God the Father, in the Name of God the Son, by the Spirit of God.
Those who believe will see great things!

Collaborated by: Bp. Clodomir Santos

Assistants in Focus 092715

Palavra Amiga do Bispo Macedo 9:21:15

The Fast of Daniel

Day 3 of the Fast of Daniel

Blessings that are Crumbs

They returned from a glorious mission where they healed the sick, delivered the captive and used Christian authority over satan.

They were overcome by an uninhibited joy.

But the Lord immediately warned them. He said: do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven. Luke 10.20
It is one thing to receive blessings in every area of your life while in this world and, also, serve as the vessel of these blessings.

It is another thing to receive the blessing of blessings: the conviction, which is given by the Spirit of God, that your name is written in the Book of Life and also serve as an instrument of this glory.

Every blessing that has to do with something material is a crumb compared to the greatness of serving as the temple of the Holy Spirit.

Nothing in this world, no matter how rich, beautiful, pleasurable, etc., compares to the fullness of the Spirit of the Lord Jesus.

Therefore, nothing and nobody is able to remove the joy, peace and conviction of His presence within.
He is an endless Hidden Treasure, found by those who seek Him with all their strength, with all their understanding and with all their heart.

Of course, in His absence, any crumb, even if it’s bitter, seems as sweet as honey.

The immense joy those disciples felt had nothing to do with the joy of having an absolute conviction they were living Temples of the Holy Spirit.

This is what we see in the following testimonies…

21 Days of the Fast of Daniel

The Fast of Daniel at Mount Hermon

 “Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, led them up on a high mountain by themselves.”
Matthew 17.1-2

 When the Lord Jesus took these three disciples to the Mount Hermon, He did that in order to reveal to them something very strong and intimate. This should also be how the person delivers her life to the Lord on the Altar, with intimacy, something private between the person and God. It’s a separation of everything and everyone. There should not be any interference of anything or anyone.

 The Lord Jesus knew what was going to happen on that Mountain. He was conscience that the sacrifice to climb that high mount was worth.

 Everyone must also have the same conscience of being total free. Their life must be completely surrendered in order to receive the Spirit of the Almighty, because this sacrificial faith is what leads the candidate into the baptism with the Holy Spirit.

 When the Lord Jesus was transfigured, He wanted to show to His disciples what would happen to all who receive the Holy Spirit. His face shone like the sun and His garments became white like light, it means there was a transformation inside and outside.

 This was exactly what has happened to all those who were baptized with the Holy Spirit, and this is what is going to happen to those who will stay away from this world during the Fast of Daniel for them to be connected with God. Their face will shine and everyone will see the light on them, principally our enemy, the devil.

 May God bless you by pouring Holy Spirit on you during this twenty-one days of the Fast of Danie

Bishop Macedo's Message 9:15:15

Don't be deceived

Deceiving Spirit

Since the Garden of Eden the devil has been using the weapon of deceit! It was not in vain that the Lord Jesus said that even the chosen ones would be deceived. The devil is very subtle in his way of action. A person starts to fall in the moment in which he or she has access to the heart.  With all astuteness, satan is able to sow feelings and emotions. This causes the pure faith to give room to malice.

 “But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.” 2 Corinthians 11.3

The intelligent faith leads us to a daily sacrifice of our will in order for us to prioritize the will of God.
God was not ashamed to be called the God of Abraham, not because Abraham was perfect, but because God knew that whatever He told to Abraham to do it would immediately executed. Abraham lived in obedience.

When the assistant stops living by the intelligent faith, he becomes religious. He puts his uniform on and works in the meeting, but he does it mechanically and without any satisfaction. As time goes by, many allowed the genuine faith to give place to a religious faith,  like Amaziah, “ And he did what was right in the sight of the Lord, but not with a loyal heart”. 2 Chronicles 25.2.
Amaziah did, but not led by a pure heart because he was a religious person. Many have lost the condition of helping the people because they have become religious, proof of this is what the devil has been doing whatever he wants among evangelical people by deceiving many of them with emotions.

The Lord Jesus said, “ Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?'" Matthew 7.22

Who did He said this word to? Those who were outside? No! He said this to those who do the work of God, the officials of the church, assistants, pastors, etc. There are many of them using the name of Jesus to preach, to cast out demons, even to heal the sick, but it doesn’t mean that they are really His servants.

To do the work of God means to believe in the Lord Jesus with all your heart, this belief is to sacrifice your will over the will of God. John 6.28-29
We cannot only stay away from sin like adultery, addictions, etc. We also need to watch the little fox, sins that are inside of a person and seem to be simple, they don’t appear, like malice, lies, disobedience, religiosity.
We are fighting against hell and if you give him a gap he will take advantage on that.

The same spirit that deceived Eve, he has been deceiving the servants through out the centuries. Is he not deceiving you as well, by making you to nurture a feeling for someone to the point of making this person even above God in your life? Who is more important for you? Your parents or the Lord Jesus? Your husband, your wife or the Lord Jesus? Your job, your goods, or the Lord Jesus?

Good and faithful servant

Good and faithful servant

In the parable of the talents we all get a chance to analyze the type of servants we have been to the Lord. Either we are good and faithful, or lazy servants. 

There’s no doubt that our attitude toward God, in relation to what He wants us to do, will define who we are. In the parable of the talents, the Lord Jesus gave the same command for each of them, independent of the amount of talents each one had received, they all should have done what the Lord expected from them. 

The first and second servants were considered good and faithful servants, why? What did they do to be called good and faithful servants? What’s the definition of a good servant? A good servant is the one who always puts all his strength, dedication, and love in everything his does. Despite the distance, weather, or anything else, he obeys.  This person always pushes his or herself to be the best in all he or she does. Better spouse, better child, etc.  The greatest mistake is when your will is put over God’s will. This has happened to many who had great potential and talents to be used by God, but they rather use it for themselves.

The faithful servant is the one who wants the will of God to be done above all things, no matter what, he understand that he was chosen, called, and anointed by the Holy Spirit specifically to serve God, and not himself. This unfortunately, has been the mistake of many servants of God.  In the beginning they presented themselves as those who were ready to serve God in any circumstance, but as time went by they started to change. They put their faith aside and began to be controlled by their feelings and emotions. They stop to be focused on the will of God, to focus on their own will, they lost the vision of winning souls. They grew cold in their faith and today there’s no pleasure in doing they will of God. Many of them are in the work of God, but just doing only what pleases them. In other words, they have already buried their talent.

A good and faithful servant doesn’t have time to think about himself, his intention is to put and keep they will of God in the first place of his life. For this reason the Lord Jesus knows that He can count on him for whatever He needs. As He touch the disciples saying, “ let your will be done"

To multiply the talents was not a hard task for the two first disciples because they were aware of their responsibility with what God had entrusted in their hands. They never focused on their own desires, but God’s.

The good and faithful servants are those who can openly stand before the Lord Jesus to cry out for justice. They enjoy whatever God has promises. They are those who do not supposed to live a life of shame and pains due to their sincerity and loyalty and faithfulness to God.

Bishop Carlos da Costa

Sit down first and calculate

There is only one way to achieve things that are out of our reach: be an ally of God. And there is only one way to be an ally of God: when we manifest a conscious Faith in Him and His Word. The impossible is no longer impossible before this Faith. Other types of beliefs, religions and rituals cannot do what this Faith does, because they are not accompanied by sacrifice, which is what brings us closer to the Most High.

This is why, in order for the impossible to happen, the manifestation of this Faith is essential, by forsaking our own thoughts to absorb the thoughts of God. It is a small sacrifice in favor of achieving great things.

And it could not be any different. Only God can do the impossible, but He has shared His power so that we can accomplish the impossible for His Glory. This power is the gift of Faith, which comes from listening to His Word, and becomes effective when we put it into practice boldly through acts of sacrifice.

For this reason, only those who are truly His disciples can make use of this power. After all, a “disciple” is someone that receives instructions from another person and puts them into practice. It’s a person who adopts a doctrine, follows an idea or imitates the examples of their master. Therefore, those who want to adopt the teachings of Jesus as a guide for their behavior must forsake their own life. He made it clear that, to be His disciple, it is necessary to obey Him, forsake our own life and give up everything this world offers.

And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. Luke 14.27

So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple. Luke 14.33

No wonder He advises those who want to follow Him to sit down first and calculate whether they are truly willing to assume the commitment to obey until the end and be able to pay the price of this decision. This is what we call conscious faith, rational faith or intelligent faith. This Faith requires us to use reason to make choices that we will actually honor, without emotions or precipitated decisions, since we know what it will require of us.

The Most High does not impose His discipline on anyone, but He also does not share His Power with everyone. He makes us aware of how we should act if we want this Power in us. We should analyze this proposal with our mind, not our heart – because there is a price to pay, it is not a gratuitous grace.

Bishop Macedo

Your friend’s child

Do you have a best friend?
If the answer is yes, how would you treat this friend’s child?
You would certainly love him and take care of him, giving him your full attention.
The way you would treat your friend’s child is the same way God treats the children of Abraham. Abraham was God’s friend. Notice His consideration, His care, His attention to the children of His friend Abraham.

When the Lord Jesus was at the synagogue, He saw a woman that was possessed by a spirit of sickness for eighteen years; she walked hunched over, without being able to stand up straight at all. He called her and said: Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity. And He laid His hands on her, and immediately she was made straight… Luke 13.12-13
Soon after, the Lord Jesus asked a question, and revealed His thoughts in regards to the children of Abraham.
So ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound—think of it—for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath? Luke 13.16

In the case of Zacchaeus, the Lord Jesus knew that he would also be a son of Abraham. This was a determining factor for his house to be chosen among the houses of the families of the people in the crowd. Once in the house of the man that would also be the son of His friend, the Lord Jesus said:

Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham; for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost. Luke 19.9-10

Who wouldn’t feel at home in the house that belongs to their friend’s child?

Today, God has other friends too.

You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. John 15.14

When you are respectful, loyal, trustworthy and obedient to God, He will love and take care of you.
Not only because you are a son of Abraham, but because you will also be another friend of God.
In fact, those who are the children of Abraham, the friend of God, are a friend of God too!