Teddy Stoddard Story

There is a story many years ago of an elementary teacher.
Her name was Mrs.Thompson. And as she stood in front of
her 5th grade class on her very first day of school, she told
the children a lie. Like most teachers, she looked at her
students and said that she loved them all the same. But
that was impossible, because there in the front row,
slumped in his seat, was a little boy named Teddy Stoddard.

Mrs. Thompson had watched Teddy the year before and
noticed that he didn't play well with the other children, that
his clothes were messy and that he constantly needed a
bath. And Teddy could be unpleasant. It got to the point
where Mrs. Thompson would actually take delight in
marking his papers with a broad red pen, making bold X's
and then putting a big "F" at the top of his papers.

At the school where Mrs. Thompson taught, she was
required to review each child's past records and she put
Teddy's off until last. However, when she reviewed his file,
she was in for a surprise. Teddy's first grade teacher wrote,
"Teddy is a bright child with a ready laugh. He does his
work neatly and has good manners... he is a joy to be
around." His second grade teacher wrote, "Teddy is an
excellent student, well liked by his classmates, but he is
troubled because his mother has a terminal illness and life
at home must be a struggle." His third grade teacher wrote,
"His mother's death has been hard on him. He tries to do his
best but his father doesn't show much interest and his home
life will soon affect him if some steps aren't taken. "Teddy's
fourth grade teacher wrote, "Teddy is withdrawn and
doesn't show much interest in school. He doesn't have many
friends and sometimes sleeps in class."

By now, Mrs. Thompson realized the problem and she was
ashamed of herself. She felt even worse when her students
brought her presents, wrapped in beautiful ribbons and
bright paper, except for Teddy's. His present which was
clumsily wrapped in the heavy, brown paper that he got
from a grocery bag. Mrs. Thompson took pains to open
it in the middle of the other presents. Some of the children
started to laugh when she found a rhinestone bracelet
with some of the stones missing, and a bottle that was
one quarter full of perfume. But she stifled the children's
laughter when she exclaimed how pretty the bracelet
was, putting it on, and dabbing some of the perfume on
her wrist. Teddy Stoddard stayed after school that day
just long enough to say, Mrs. Thompson, today you
smelled just like my Mom used to." After the children left
she cried for at least an hour.


On that very day, she quit teaching reading, and writing,
and arithmetic. Instead, she began to teach children.
Mrs. Thompson paid particular attention to Teddy. As she
worked with him, his mind seemed to come alive. The more
she encouraged him, the faster he responded. By the end of the
year, Teddy had become one of the smartest children in the
class and, despite her lie that she would love all the children
the same, Teddy became one of her "teacher's pets."

A year later, she found a note under her door, from Teddy,
telling her that she was still the best teacher he ever had in
his whole life. Six years went by before she got another
note from Teddy. He then wrote that he had finished high school,
third in his class, and she was still the best teacher he ever had in
his whole life. Four years after that, she got another letter, saying
that while things had been tough at times, he'd stayed in school,
had stuck with it, and would soon graduate from college with the
highest of honors. He assured Mrs. Thompson that she was still the
best and favorite teacher he ever had in his whole life. Then four
more years passed and yet another letter came. This time he
explained that after he got his bachelor's degree, he decided to go a
little further. The letter explained that she was still the best and
favorite teacher he ever had. But now his name was a little longer-the
letter was signed, Theodore F. Stoddard, M.D.

The story doesn't end there. You see, there was yet another letter that
spring. Teddy said he'd met this girl and was going to be married. He
explained that his father had died a couple of years ago and he was
wondering if Mrs. Thompson might agree to sit in the place at the
wedding that was usually reserved for the mother of the groom.
Of course, Mrs. Thompson did. And guess what? She wore that
bracelet, the one with several rhinestones missing. And she made sure
she was wearing the perfume that Teddy remembered his mother
wearing on their last time together. They hugged each other, and
Dr. Stoddard whispered in Mrs. Thompson's ear, "Thank you
Mrs. Thompson for believing in me. Thank you so much for making me
feel important and showing me that I could make a difference.
" Mrs. Thompson, with tears in her eyes, whispered back. She said,
"Teddy, you have it all wrong. You were the one who taught me that I
could make a difference. I didn't know how to teach until I met you."

You can never tell what type of impact you may have on another life by
your actions... or lack of actions. Please consider this fact in your
venture through life and just try to...make a difference in someone else
life today

Vengo, maestro, porque me siento tan poca cosa que no tengo fuerzas para hacer nada. Me dicen que no sirvo, que no hago nada bien, que soy torpe y bastante tonto. ¿Cómo puedo mejorar? ¿Qué puedo hacer para que me valoren más?

El maestro sin mirarlo, le, dijo: Cuanto lo siento muchacho, no puedo ayudarte, debo resolver primero mi propio problema. Quizá después…

-y haciendo una pausa agregó: si quisieras ayudarme tú a mí, yo podría resolver este problema con más rapidez y después tal vez te pueda ayudar.

- E…encantado,- maestro- titubeó el joven, pero sintió que otra vez era desvalorizado, y sus necesidades postergadas.

Bien, asintió el maestro. Se quitó un anillo que llevaba en el dedo pequeño y dándoselo al muchacho, agregó- toma el caballo que está allá afuera y cabalga hasta el mercado. Debo vender este anillo porque tengo que pagar una deuda. Es necesario que obtengas por él la mayor suma posible, pero no aceptes menos de una moneda de oro. Ve y regresa con esa moneda lo más rápido que puedas. El joven tomó el anillo y partió.

Apenas llegó, empezó a ofrecer el anillo a los mercaderes. Estos lo miraban con algún interés, hasta que el joven decía lo que pretendía por el anillo. Cuando el joven mencionaba la moneda de oro, algunos reían, otros le daban vuelta la cara y sólo un viejito fue tan amable como para tomarse la molestia de explicarle que una moneda de oro era muy valiosa para entregarla a cambio de un anillo.

En afán de ayudar, alguien le ofreció una moneda de plata y un cacharro de cobre, pero el joven tenía instrucciones de no aceptar menos de una moneda de oro y rechazó la oferta. Después de ofrecer su joya a toda persona que se
cruzaba en el mercado, más de cien personas-, abatido por su fracaso montó su caballo y regresó.

¡Cuánto hubiera deseado el joven tener él mismo esa moneda de oro! Podría entonces habérsela entregado él mismo al maestro para liberarlo de su preocupación y recibir entonces su consejo y ayuda. Entró en la habitación.

-Maestro- dijo- lo siento, no se puede conseguir lo que me pediste. Quizá pudiera conseguir dos o tres monedas de plata, pero no creo que yo pueda engañar a nadie respecto del verdadero valor del anillo.

-Qué importante lo que dijiste, joven amigo- contestó sonriente el maestro-.

Debemos saber primero el verdadero valor del anillo. Vuelve a montar y vete al joyero. ¿Quién mejor que él para saberlo? Dile que quisieras vender el anillo y pregúntale cuánto te da por él. Pero no importa lo que ofrezca, no se lo
vendas. Vuelve aquí con mi anillo.

El joven volvió a cabalgar. El joyero examinó el anillo a la luz del candil con su lupa, lo pesó y luego le dijo:
-Dile al maestro, muchacho, que si lo quiere vender YA, no puedo darle más que 58 monedas de oro por su anillo
- ¡ 58 MONEDAS ! Exclamó el joven.

Sí, replicó el joyero- yo sé que con tiempo podríamos obtener por él cerca de 70 monedas, pero no sé…si la venta es urgente…

El joven corrió emocionado a la casa del maestro a contarle lo sucedido.
-Siéntate- dijo el maestro después de escucharlo- Tú eres como este anillo: una joya, valiosa y única. Y como tal, sólo puede revaluarte verdaderamente un experto.

¿Qué haces por la vida pretendiendo que cualquiera descubra tu verdadero valor?
Y diciendo esto, volvió a ponerse el anillo en el dedo pequeño.

The Hole

Will you remain in the hole? Its your DECISION!

Devil's greatest fear!

If you understand what Jesus’ death on the cross means for you, you will never accept suffering in your life again. If you believe in what He accomplished for you on the cross, you will reject every kind of curse, disease, guilt, failure, sadness and defeat.

The Holy Spirit through the apostle Paul spoke about what the Lord Jesus achieved on the cross: “And having disarmed the powers and authorities, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.” (Col. 3:5)

Do you know what the devil’s worst fear was? That Jesus would go to the cross and die as a perfect and redeeming sacrifice. He tried to stop Him many times and in many ways, but he couldn’t. From the day the Lord Jesus was born until His last moments on the cross, Satan was trying to stop His sacrifice:

Why? What was Satan’s fear and why did He want Jesus to come down from the cross? Why did he try to use even the apostle Peter to block Jesus from going to the cross? (See Matthew 16.21-23)

Satan knew that if Jesus went through with His sacrifice, it would mean the end of his control over mankind. He knew he would be finished.

Now the question is: Are you benefiting from the blessings He conquered for you? If not, you should know that the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus does not automatically bring blessings to your life.

For you to receive His blessings, you need to show a faith with actions, and sacrificing your life for Him is the highest, purest manifestation of faith.

Remember: faith without works is dead.

People of faith don’t wait – they make things happen.

People of faith don’t stand still and watch Jesus pass by – they use their faith to get His attention.

People of faith are not content with a miserable life after seeing what happened on the cross.

If it cost Him so much, it’s because it was worth that much. Are you taking advantage of it?

Have a great week!

Bishop Renato Cardoso

Day of Decision!

One decision can change your life. On this premise, the YPG will hold the “Day of Decision” Event on September 13th in all of its Northern California branches, along with over 500 churches in 5 continents around the world. That means at least 100,000 people will gather in one spirit on that day to ask God for ‘fire’ in their life.

The ‘fire’ comes from the story of Elijah in the Bible, when he proposed a challenge to the prophets of Baal. “The God who answers by fire, He is God.” 1 Kings 18.24

Elijah was angry and tired of the situation where God’s prophets were being killed, the nation of Israel was turning to Baal, and nothing seemed to halt that tragedy. His words of rebuke, however sharp, kept falling on deaf ears. He knew that unless something supernatural happened, a clear sign from God, the situation would not change. And he himself would be killed soon.

So Elijah went for the all-or-nothing. God had to answer him or else he (and the entire nation) was doomed.

The Day of Decision Event is for people who find themselves in similar situation. Words cannot help them, Christian music soothes them but doesn’t change anything, knowledge of the Bible alone is proving meaningless. They need real answers, right now. They need God to send the fire and get them out of their miserable situation.

If you are at crossroads in life; have reached a point where it’s do-or-die; are tired of worshiping God while living in pain and defeat — then the Day of Decision is FOR YOU.

Attend a YPG meting before September 13th to get ready and know more.

The 10 Commandments of the Young Christian web user

Teens today spend more time on the Internet than watching TV... I thought I'd draw up these '10 Commandments' as a guide to them, as they surf through dangerous waters on the Web.

1. Thou shalt beware that it’s easier to find evil on the Internet than good.
2. Thou shalt not give thy personal details to anyone thou knowest not.
3. Thou shalt bear in mind that on the Internet anyone can pretend to be somebody else, therefore increasing thy chances of being tricked. ‘Friend’ on a social site may in fact be an enemy.
4. Thou shalt flee from sites whose content doesn’t build you up, just like Christians should avoid places that are not beneficial to their faith.

5. Thou shalt avoid people who flirt with thee online like the plague.
6. Thou shalt not set up ‘dates’ via the Internet with people thou knowest not. Remember thou the third commandment.
7. Thou shalt remember that whatsoever thou revealest of thy life on the Internet, as well as thy words and behavior, are being watched by others – and are therefore thy testimony.
8. Thou shalt not spend hours on end surfing the net mindlessly, at the expense of thy other responsibilities. Remember thou that there is life outside the Internet too.
9. Thou shalt not look at pornography on the Internet, under any excuse. Thou shalt keep thy mind, thy eyes, and thine heart.
10. Thou shalt be a force for good on the Internet and not an accomplice of evil.

Pass these 10 Commandments on to every friend, sisther, brother, cousin, parent, teacher, youth leader you know!

Bishopt Renato Cardoso

1,000 Girlfriends

You try to read the Bible but it always seems to open on the same page. Nothing you set your eyes on interests you - it all looks the same. You go to church, and to you, the pastor is going on and on about something you could care less about. No sooner has he started the service than you want him to finish it. Your prayers are mechanical, starting and finishing with the same words every time. For some reason, you fail to get excited about anything to do with God and church.

You are bored!

But that's not the worst. The same time you start getting bored with the things of God, you begin to get excited about things of the world. Suddenly you get into something that sparks an interest and is consuming more and more of your time and attention. It may be a subject at school, your friends, a TV show, music, a relationship, work, clothes, the Internet - you name it. On the surface it seems harmless. But though these things may not be sinful in themselves, the problem is that they have been pulling you away from God.

Call it "Solomon's Syndrome" - the man who was a victim of boredom. If you read the first few verses of Ecclesiastes you will see the picture of a bored man. "Vanity of vanities," says the Preacher; "Vanity of vanities, all is vanity."

Was it boredom that drove him to get 1,000 girlfriends, who eventually led him away from God? For a king who had seen everything under the sun and was looking for excitement, it wouldn't be surprising.

What do we have to do to keep Christian life exciting? How do we keep the blues away? How do we stay enthusiastic about faith after five, ten or twenty years?

Here's what I have found helps us stay fresh and motivated.

Have a purpose. One of the main causes of boredom in life is the lack of rason d'etre, a purpose to exist. What do you want to be known for after you die? What legacy do you want to leave to the generation after you? What is the single most important thing you want to accomplish with your life? If you don't know the answer to these questions, you are living without a purpose. You'd better find one quickly.

Set goals. Why do people get excited about sports? Because every sport, from pool to snowboarding to weight-lifting, has goals. The pursuit of scoring those goals, more and better every time, and the sense of achievement it brings, keeps it motivating. It's the same everywhere else in life. Set goals you would like to achieve with your faith. They don't have to be very lofty either. I knew someone who set a goal of never being late for a church service again. That small goal put him on the road to being more serious about the things of God.

Get involved in church life. Let's be honest. Coming to church every week, sitting in the same chair, listening to the same pastor, can get a bit boring after a while. But the moment you start getting involved in some activity in your church, there will be a new shine in your eyes. You will be surprised how much there is to do in church when you are willing to help. Don't be shy to go and ask your pastor. You may have to try a few different things, until you find the one to which you can make the best contribution.

Change your mental diet. You've heard it said that you are what you eat. It's true - even more so about the food of your mind. You are what you think. I have found that one of the main reasons people's faith gets cold is because they decrease their intake of the Word of God. The Lord said we should meditate on His Word day and night. How can we do that and not get bored? By thinking about what we read. The first time you read about the blind man of Jericho you got really excited. But now you find that you skip past it. In fact, you yawn. But there are tons of hidden messages from God to you in that passage, just waiting to be found. You won't find them, and you won't get excited about it, unless you meditate on what you read.

Start getting involved in soul-winning. Think of a fireman in action. Maybe he's going through a house on fire, running through the blaze to save the crying baby upstairs. Now pause that image in your mind. Zoom in on the fireman's face. Does he look bored? I'm sure he looks much more excited than when he was sitting idly at the fire station! There are millions of people who will spend eternity in the flames of hell unless someone gives them a chance of salvation by bringing them to Jesus. When you start doing something to save souls, I guarantee you: You will NOT get bored.

So, Your Majesty, lose the "girlfriends" and start doing something really exciting with your life.

Bishop Renato Cardoso

Anesthetised Faith

Nothing makes the devil happier than seeing believers addicted to the Bible. They no longer care about practising what is written; their pleasure is to hear wonderful messages and learn more and more… so that they can proudly boast that they have more Biblical knowledge than others.

The Word of God provides guidance for disciples. And, a disciple is someone who follows the teachings of his master. The Bible is not to be memorised, but rightly divided—that is, practiced (2 Timothy 2.15).

The purpose of the revelations contained in the Bible is not to cause a feeling of well being, but to prepare people for the war against hell.

So if it is not put into practice, what’s the profit?

In the same way that our muscles need exercise in order to be strengthened, our faith needs to be exercised in order for our dreams to come true.

To exercise our faith is to be obedient to the Word of God.

Obviously, Bible reading is an excellent food for the spirit, but if it’s not practised, all it brings about is hypocrisy. It becomes meaningless…

The Scribes, for example, were like that. They knew the Law, the Commandments and the prophecies better than anyone—after all they were officially in charge of copying the Bible. Yet, Jesus called them hypocrites, blind guides, serpents and brood of vipers. He gave them insight of their future trial by saying, ‘How can you escape the condemnation of hell?’ (Matthew 23.1-35).

How many Christians are spiritually anesthetised because of their extensive biblical knowledge? People who are eager to learn, and yet hesitant to practise God’s thoughts…

Do you know why?

Because they hate the thought of having to sacrifice!

They even like reading about sacrifice—after all, it doesn’t cost a thing! But, in practice, they hate it.

The devil knows that faith becomes powerless if it is not practised.

That’s the reason why many are called, but few are chosen…

Bishop Edir Macedo
UCKG Founder

Big Rocks

One day, an expert was speaking to a group of business students. As this man stood in front of the group of high-powered over-achievers, he said ‘Okay, time for a quiz.’ Then he pulled out a large jar and set it on a table. 

Next he produced 12 fist-sized rocks and carefully placed them, one at a time, into the jar.

When the jar was filled to the top, and no more rocks would fit inside, he asked, ‘Is this jar full?’ Everyone in the class said, ‘Yes.’ He replied, ‘Really?’ and reached under the table to pull out a bucket of gravel.

He dumped some gravel in and shook the jar causing pieces of gravel to work themselves down into the spaces between the rocks. Then he asked the group again, ‘Is this jar full?’ By this time the class was onto him. ‘Probably not!’ one of them answered. ‘Good.’ He replied.

He reached under the table and brought out a bucket of sand. He started dumping the sand in, and it went into all the spaces left between the rocks and the gravel. Once more he asked the question, ‘Is this jar full?’ ‘No!’ the class shouted. Once again he said, ‘Good.’ Then he grabbed a pitcher of water and began to pour it in until the 

jar was filled to the brim.

He looked up at the class and asked, ‘What is the point of this illustration?’ One eager beaver raised his hand and said, ‘The point is, no matter how full your schedule is, if you try really hard, you can always fit some more things into it.’ ‘No!’ the 

speaker replied, ‘that’s not the point. The truth this illustration teaches us is, if you don’t put the big rocks in first, you’ll never get them 

in at all.’

What are the ‘big rocks’ in your life? A project that YOU want to accomplish? Time with your loved ones? Your faith, your education, your finances? A cause? Teaching or mentoring others? Remember to put these BIG ROCKS in first or you’ll never get them in at all. Tonight or in the morning, when you are reflecting on this story, ask yourself this question: what are the ‘big rocks’ in my life? Then put those in your jar first. 

Have a great week!

Low Self-esteem: Will I fit in? Will I make it?

There are days when you wake up, look at yourself in the mirror and think: "Oh boy, what's wrong with my hair, or I'm too skinny, my nose is too big, my skin is full of acne...". To be honest, It is comprehensible if this happens once in a while, and It is okay for youths to take care of their physical appearance, God does not prohibit them to do so. However, if these complaints start becoming a habit, then the time has come to stop and carefully analyze what is really happening. It is time to seek the help of God. 

Low self-esteem consists of a series of ideas that were formed during some part of a person's life. It acts over human conduct and provokes feelings of guilt, and excessive emotional load related to frequent thoughts of little self-assurance. The person always has a feeling of frustration for discouraging his/her capacity and personal ability. 

The Bible mentions a number of cases about low self-esteem that were treated by God. A very clear example was Hannah, a woman who could not bear children and was constantly humiliated by her husband's other wife, Peninnah. She spent years of her life distressed and feeling as if she were the worse woman to walk the planet. In those days a woman who could not have children was looked at by society as someone insignificant. However, when Hannah left her little world of "poor me" and entered the presence of the Almighty God to talk to Him about her issues, He immediately answered!

God is only able to change a person's story when inside of him/her exists the willingness to share with Him his/her problems. If He is placed as the only solution for your life, certainly He will reign, and He will do it quickly for God is in a hurry to make positive changes!

Jesus is completely aware of the difficulties that men face; this can be proved through the book of John 16:33, where it is said that in the wolrd human beings would have afflictions, but that we must keep the faith, for He himself overcame the world!

Maybe, youth, your self-esteem is low not because of the way you look, but rather because of the clothe you wear, or the house you live in, or the car your dad drives. Whatever issue you have, go to Him. All of those who went to Him, received the solution to their problems. Nothing changed ever since, He still continues to transform the lifes of those who truly believe.

Faith In Action

Whoever waits for a miracle as if it were magic from God will never experience one. That’s because a miracle doesn’t only depend on the Holy Spirit to happen - there must be partnership with the one who believes in Him and takes action.

Since God created human beings, He never performed any miracles without His creatures’ participation. He created the animals, but it was up to Adam to name them - this was a sign of His authority given to Adam over the earth.

From that moment on, all other miracles resulted from this partnership between the Creator and the creature. That’s why Paul affirms that we are God’s fellow workers. (1 Corinthians 3.9).

If a desire is strictly according to the will of God, then it comes from God. And in the same way that He gives us a dream, He also gives us the ability to achieve it.

The realisation of our dreams starts within us, based on attitudes of faith. If I want to achieve a dream I need to take attitudes of faith towards it. I must apply all my efforts to it and never lose focus.

In practice, it’s like getting married, for example. I have no one, no financial conditions, nothing… Just a great desire to get married.

Then I start buying my trousseau. First I buy the cheaper things. Every month, according to my financial conditions, I add something to my trousseau. This is pure practical faith!

In the partnership with God, each hero of faith did his part:

1. Noah built the ark according to God’s instructions. When he finished it, God sent the flood;

2. According to God’s instructions, Abraham left his country. As a result, God made him a great nation;

3. In obedience to God’s instructions, Moses lifted up his rod and touched the Red Sea. God sent a wind and parted the sea for His people to cross.

4. Inspired by God, Joshua prayed, and God made the solar system to stand still;

5. God guided Gideon to surround the enemies with only three hundred men. The enemies were the Midianites, the Amalekites and all the people of the East. They were lying in the valley as numerous as locusts. (Judges 7.12)

Gideon’s physical vision was terrifying, but the spiritual one was glorious. God made terror take control of the enemies and they killed each other;

6. The Lord put a mud mixture on the eyes of a man who was born blind and told him to go wash in the Pool of Siloam; after he had done that, he immediately started seeing.

If God has worked both to will and to do, for His good pleasure (Philippians 2.13), what have you been doing to achieve

Bishop Edir Macedo

UCKG Founder

Clean Your Heart!

There are youths in the YPG who truly desire for a transformation to take place in their hearts.

God is very simple, He will never ask of us what we cannot do. In order for a transformation to take place, we must first stop making excuses and recognise who we are before God. We must stop saying we want to change, and show that we want to change.

There are youths who say they want to change, they pray about it, but they choose to keep grudges in their hearts, they speak badly about others and so on. Their conscience is being accused, yet they bring this behaviour to the church.

"God is very simple, He will never ask of us what 
we cannot do."

It is not that God does not want to change them, or that their prayers are not working. It is simply because when it comes down to it, when someone looks at them in the wrong way, when someone offends them, they choose to make that person their enemy.

Imagine for a moment if God hated us the way we humans are capable of hating one other. They spat at Jesus, mocked and came against Him daily. And what did Jesus do?...He forgave them each and every time. Yet some believe they have the right to hold a grudge against a person because of the way they looked at them? Come on!

You have heard that it was said, "You shall love your neighbour and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect." (Mathew 5:43-48)

If God Himself is willing to see us as perfect, who are we to see and treat others as our enemies? Part of transformation is when you put a stop to all the grudges, division and gossip.

When you apply this Word to your life, even your enemies become your friends! Remember, it is always your choice. Today, you will have the choice to make enemies or friends...

Are You Praying Right?

Prayer is the only channel of communication between man and God. Only through prayer can our communion with the Lord Jesus Christ be maintained.

When we make a sincere and honest prayer, we open our hearts to the Lord; this is a prayer “in spirit and in truth”, as the Bible refers to it. When we pray this way, we have a better understanding of what our deepest needs are and how much we depend on God. In addition, we develop greater spiritual strength, which guarantees our victory over temptation.

Since prayer is an expression of our soul to the Creator, it need not be refined and sophisticated, or marked by long and difficult words. God knows every detail of who we are and what we are asking - so prayer should be simple and objective, and made in a very humble way.

Prayer is effective when we pray with the absolute assurance that God can hear us. If we do not have this assurance when we are praying, then our words are a waste of time. For this reason, the place we choose to pray must be a place where we can concentrate, making it easier to be wholehearted in what we are doing.

When Jesus taught the Lord’s Prayer to His disciples, He did not intend for us to say it word for word whenever we wanted to speak to God. On the contrary, He was simply leaving a model of how we should communicate with our Heavenly Father. Characteristics of prayer

There are many aspects to prayer, but basically we can divide them into three different parts:

Worship
Request
Thanksgiving

• Worship: Worship is essential to entering into the presence of God in prayer. As we praise, honour and magnify our Lord in an ever-increasing manner, our humility deepens and sincerity of our soul shines through. When we enter into the presence of God through worship, we are acknowledging His Holiness.

• Request: Our requests have no meaning to God unless they have a clear objective. We have to ask ourselves if what we want will bring glory to God, or if it will simply be used to satisfy our lusts and cause an even greater separation between Him and us.

• Thanksgiving: When we thank our Lord, even before we receive the answer we are offering solid proof of a true faith in Him.

“And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.” (John 14:13) God the Father answers our requests because of the name of His Son Jesus. This name is the secret behind every miracle!

Bishop Edir Macedo
UCKG founder

Don't Give Up!

Any goal requires of us effort, courage, boldness, and much determination. At first, we have the impression that our conquest is far too distant. But in order to reach it, it is crucial that we fight with all our strength.

The hours go by, days, weeks, months, and even years, and you ask yourself: When will it happen? How much time will I have to wait? Don't give up, especially if you trust God and have the capacity given by the Lord to keep going no matter what.

Be a determined youth, face your battles with the assurance that you will reach your victory. Do not question or let your feelings interfere in the fulfillment of your ideas. Exercise your faith. 

It if does not happen today, it will tomorrow; if not tomorrow, next month. In other words, it will happen! It only depends on youtr determination to fight and trust God's promises. Do not look back, do not listen to negative voices. Advance, because your victory will certainly become a reality. Do not give in, do not be discouraged; remeber that, beside you, there is a God that has never lost a battle!

"You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world." (1 John 4:4)

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How many times have you asked yourself if God really cares. You've heard people tell you that He gave His only son for you, but what does that really mean? Watch and pay careful attention to this video. You'll be able to have at least an idea of what Christ's sacrifice truly meant, and why you should trust and keep your faith in Him day after day.