11Observation. Interpretation. Application.

Those moments permeate our souls with gratitude and we see the whole world in a new light. But what is our reaction when devastation comes, when all is dark with no hope and the way out seems so intangible that our thoughts deviate and our desire is just to give up.

In the midst of this darkness, our minds try to figure out what went wrong: why is it happening, what was our mistake. The questions that arise seem endless.

It is in those hard times that we must remember where we will run to draw our strength and perseverance. Psalm 121 helps us remember because it says: “I will lift up my eyes to the mountains; from where shall my help come? My help comes from the LORD, Who made heaven and earth.”

Is your mountain too steep? Do not keep your eyes on the mountains but lift your eyes and keep them focusing on the Lord who is our help!

May our God give us the strength to persevere so that we will be able to glorify His name at all times, during the good and the bad!

Eleni de Campos Leite Training Director Precept Portuguese Ministries

At times, our lives are filled with great moments which make our hearts pound with happiness

To our Readers

Prumo Newslet ter

Pg. 3…Devotional

Pg. 4…Leader in Focus

Pg. 5…Updates

Pg. 6…São Paulo

Pg. 8…Mato Grosso

Pg. 9…Rio de Janeiro

Pg. 10…Rio Grande do Sul –

Pg. 13…How can I Help?

Pg. 14…Lightning

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n dark moments of disappointment, we may find it challenging to keep our eyes on God rather than on our circumstances – or those who may have created them. And yet only

by focusing on our faithful Almighty God can we hope to see the purpose He’s bringing out of the difficulties. Do you remember how Joseph’s brothers plotted his demise? Because of his brothers’ jealousy, Joseph was sold to be a slave in Egypt. There, in the house of Potiphar, he was falsely accused and put in prison for two years. It was enough to make any normal man bitter at God. Joseph had been faithful to God and suffered because of it. He seemed to be victim of the whims and plots of men. And yet, during all this time, Joseph did not dishonor his God. He knew the Most High stood in the shadows, ruling over all. Joseph knew that God had a purpose in everything he endured. How can I say that? Because of what Joseph said to his brothers when they found themselves standing before him as the appointed ruler over all Egypt: “Now, do not be grieved or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life…Now, therefore, it was not you who sent me here, but God…As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive. (Genesis 45:5; 50:20) Quit striving, beloved, and simple rest. God has a purpose. Almighty God , I praise You for Your power to redeem even the darkest moments and work Your purposes through them. ♦

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In dark moments of disappointment, We may find it challenging to keep our eyes on God

From the D

evotional: “Lord, I Give You This D

ay” by Kay Arthur

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little over a year ago, we received the news that our regional leader França was in a

terrible car accident which could have taken her life. The car was completely destroyed and two more vehicles were involved, but God spared França’s life. Since then, she has had two surgeries, and is scheduled for more, in order to be able to walk without crutches. The circumstances are not easy and the pain is a constant issue, but França continues to trust God and rely on His power to overcome. Even though she is not able to teach her classes at church and seminary, she does as much she can to help and is an encouragement to all who visit her. We are excited because despite these adverse circumstances, França is persevering and is an example to all, as she follows the Lord and leads others to Him. França has had reasons to give up, but the e-mail below is a reflection of her perseverance. “This ministry is responsible for my daily and close walk with the Lord. I am learning about His love, His grace, His mercy and His instruction and am being corrected and molded to please Him and to accomplish His purpose in my life.

I am so grateful for Kay’s life and work. Without her, we would not have this precious applicable method in our hands. I am also grateful for the whole Precept team: our Portuguese director, Eleni, and Mira, our regional coordinator, both have helped me to go deeper with the inductive study, and our fellow group students, seeing God work in their lives is a privilege. My prayer is that each person in my country would be able to experience how good it is to know God through His Word, the Bible. May God give His richest blessings to Precept Ministries International.” With a heart filled with gratitude, França Borges Santiago ♦

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Cuiabá -Mato Grosso

Leader in Focus

França Borges

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Updates News areas for Precept Ministries Brazil

Capital, São Paulo

Cuiabá, Mato Grosso

Capital, Rio de Janeiro

Canela, Rio Grande do Sul

here have been results not just with the students and aspiring officers but also with the higher officials of the headquarters in São Paulo. At this annual

training, we had people from different regions of Brazil and a couple from Portugal, all of them will be “deployed” to different places as they graduate from this level. The first year we started training at the headquarters, they were just studying for themselves, but this year after the training session they decide to take some of the principles they had learned and apply them in the field. Here are some of the testimonies from their experience of sharing their studies with people from differing social classes and the responses. All of the testimonies are feedbacks from the officers’ point of view as they applied the study with people of their own choosing.

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São Paulo It has been an awesome privilege to partner with the Salvation Army for the last two years and each year we are making a greater impact

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• Edson Machado is a man in his 40’s and is

the doorman at the Salvation Army headquarters. Even though Edson is not a Christian, he knew Psalm 91 and got very emotional as he discovered truths he had not known about God and His care. He was definitely willing to learn more.

• Elisa Mendes is 20 years old and a Christian. She was very insecure at the beginning, but as she saw how the tools of the inductive study would help her to understand the text better, she was filled with enthusiasm about this new way of studying.

• Giullia Matos is 9 years old; she is a very smart girl from a Christian family and already had some Bible knowledge. She was delighted with the study and approached it with interest.

• Joel is approximately 50 years old and a Christian. At first, he had difficulties interpreting the text but as he started seeing God’s attributes, he became overjoyed with the discoveries. As he marked the word “refuge,” he shared how God had been a refuge for him and his family in times of need. Once we got half way through the study, he was already studying by himself and awing other aspiring officers by applying the study. It was exciting to reach other people and be edified at the same time.

• Marli a non-Christian lady said that she was blessed and happy for this opportunity extended to her. She expressed this happiness at each new discovery made in the text.

Please, pray for the aspiring officers and also for all the people who have experienced the inductive studies that they will continue their studies and sharing with others as well.

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My experience with Precept Ministries started around the year 2003 when I started participating in a class at my church. It did not start very well because

on this occasion I was not open enough and did not understand the method. I thought it was difficult, morose and boring; to put it simply, I developed a certain resistance. Then in 2010, an inductive study class started with the book ‘Lord, Teach to Study in 28 days’, and under my pastor’s support, I was invited to participate. I was deeply impacted by the study! I fell in love with the method; I started to study and could not stop. I always wanted a way to comprehend the Word of God better and suddenly I recognized this method was right there in my hands. How marvelous! But my testimony does not stop there, in the beginning of 2011, I went through a crisis in my marriage wherein I experienced bitterness, sadness, anger, resentment and a lack of forgiveness. It was then that, following my pastor’s counseling, I studied the book 40 minutes: ‘Forgiveness – Breaking the Power of the Past’. The program was six weeks of study, but I finished it in four days. Through every text, every lesson, I was ministered by God and I began to see that forgiveness – which I thought was a choice I had to make – was much more than that. I clearly understood that if I really loved God (and I do), if I wanted to obey His Word and to enjoy His forgiveness, I would , as a true Christian, have to forgive! It seems like it should have been so difficult; but I could see and live this forgiveness in my life. Forgiveness is liberating, I know the inductive method was fundamental for me to experience it, because I discovered in only four days, what could have taken my whole life to experience. I thank God for this discernment and for Precept Ministries for divulging this method and precious material. Nowadays, I am not just studying other books, but also I have promoted the method to other friends. Patrícia Furtado Aguiar Free Methodist Central -Cuiabá-MT

Mato Grosso

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od has opened many doors in Rio de Janeiro and one of them came through

Aparecida Caetano, who after going to a workshop at Assemblies of God in Copacabana realized it was exactly the tool her church, Reconciliation and Life Ministries, needed. With the approval of her pastor we were able to do two workshops there. It was precious seeing a wonderful group of adults at the How to Study the Bible workshop and our hearts were filled with joy seeing the

children and their teachers, who attended the workshop How to study inductively for kids, participate and delight in learning about the gospel of John as they studied “Jesus in the Spotlight”. Continue to pray for pastor Iago and all the teachers and assistants who are persevering with their studies and surely they will be rewarded with many blessings from heaven! ♦

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Rio de Janeiro

God has opened many doors in Rio de Janeiro

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od has given us the privilege of meeting many brothers and sisters in the faith. On

one such occasion, we went to a Four Square Church, a denomination which has increased in popularity here in the south, and agreed to do a class for the leaders of the church. It turned out to be profitable; we had a group of 20 leaders in the class to study the book "How to Make Choices You Won’t Regret". What caught our attention was hearing the pastor say that even though he was born in a Christian home and had given many messages on the text of David, but missed some aspects he observed while studying with the inductive method.

He got excited and wanted the studies to be done in all the churches he is in charge of. We are grateful for this opportunity God has given us to minister His word inductively! Surely, God will use the material and His Word and Precept Ministries will be propagated. Milton Campos Coordinator of the South Region of Brazil ♦

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Rio Grande do Sul We went to a Four Square Church, a denomination which has increased in popularity here in the south

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Rio Grande do Sul Canela

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he ring of many voices resounds with excitement, the lights and ornaments are

glittering provoking even more laughs and happiness, everything is alive, ready to celebrate one more Christmas, seemingly there is richness and abundance, but it is not so in the outskirts of the city away from all the glamour lies the reality, the darkness of poverty, where a little girl thinks that she did not receive a Christmas gift because her mother was not able to put up enough Christmas lights and a tree filled with ornaments. It is exactly to this place that we brought the real light of Christmas through the event Precept Christmas. For an entire week, we reached those children who live away from the city’s festive center. They were happy just to receive a bag with the book “Jesus in the Spotlight” and three colored pencils less than perfect condition. Approximately 100 children, pre-teens and some teenagers came, many of them considered “high risk,” came day after day eager to learn.

What most caught my attention was that everyday, as soon as they got to the center, before the start of class, they would request their books to finish whatever they had not finished the day before. They were also interested in knowing

if they would be able to finish the rest of their books after the week was over and I could confirm: yes! Each neighborhood will continue the studies through their local church, with leaders we trained. This was not just a passing event they participated in, but something which will produce fruits in their lives by studying God’s word inductively. Please, pray for these new

leaders and the children, pre-teens and teens, who are continuing their study of D4Y John Part 1 “Jesus, in the Spotlight”. If it is God’s will, we plans for this year’s event to expand to other region. So, please pray for the clarity and wisdom necessary for the advance planning and management of the event. ♦

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How Can I Help? Your participation is a vital part of our ministry: If you have been to one of our many workshops and have been blessed, share with your friends and think about starting your own small study group that way you will not only be helping us, but you will also be taking the Word of God to many. Remember that another way to help us is by communicating to us any new groups so that we

Events Calendar

Main Workshops

February 18 – March 03 International Conference U.S.A. March 21 40 Minutes – Forgiveness: Breaking the Power of the Past Salvation Army - São Paulo March 24 40 Minutes – Forgiveness: Breaking the Power of the Past Jaguariúna - São Paulo * April 20 - 22 Lord, Teach me to Study the Bible in 28 Days Gramado - Rio Grande do Sul

Facebook Follow our status updates. Be sure to leave comments, questions, concerns your opinion is important to us Facebook.com/ministeriopreceito Twitter Keeping you up to date with ministry news, new products, sales, and events that will take place in every region of Brazil and Portuguese speaking countries. Twitter.com/preceito

Access our Podcast: Moments with God 60 seconds of powerful precepts to guide not only your day but precepts to guide your life. momentoscomdeus.tumblr.com/

Follow us online:

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Mark LORD Think: Look at the markings. What did you learn from marking LORD? What difference does it make to know Him this way? Are you seeking His face to obtain help? What is God’s promise to those who persevere? Mark heart Think: Look at the markings. What did you learn about the heart? What made it possible for the heart not to fear?

Mark psalmist Think: Look at the markings. What did you learn about the psalmist or the reader? Did you notice the word “though”? What are some of the situations he may find himself in? What are his requests to the Lord? Why is he able not to fear? Compare his requests and the results? Are you waiting and trusting in the Lord? If not, why not?

Take time to meditate and pray about what you have learned and how you can confront your circumstances with a new attitude in your heart.

In times of trouble, a way out may seem impossible. What to do in such situations? We need to be prepared and be able to know what it really means to persevere. Is it possible to persevere and how we can achieve a confidence that will lead us to perseverance?

Follow the instructions below and discover truth for yourself:

Lightning Study

Psalm 27 – Understanding Series - Perseverance

What is lightning study? It is the easiest way to start to study inductively. I am sure you will like the study and if you want to continue, you can study more about perseverance with our 40 minutes “Living Victoriously in Difficult Times,” a short study with great results. After studying it for yourself it would be great to share what you have learned with others so why not start a study group?

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Psalm 27 1 The Lord is my light and my salvation;

Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the defense of my life; Whom shall I dread?

2 When evildoers came upon me to devour my flesh,

My adversaries and my enemies, they stumbled and fell. 3 Though a host encamp against me, My heart will not fear; Though war arise against me, In spite of this I shall be confident. 4 One thing I have asked from the Lord, that I shall seek: That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the Lord, And to meditate in His temple. 5 For in the day of trouble He will conceal me in His tabernacle; In the secret places of His tent He will hide me; He will lift me up on a rock. 6 And now my head will be lifted up above my enemies around me; And I will offer in His tent sacrifices with shouts of joy; I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the Lord. 7 Hear, O Lord, when I cry with my voice, And be gracious to me and answer me. 8 When Thou didst say, “Seek My face, “ my heart said to Thee, Thy face, O Lord, I shall seek.” 9 “Do not hide Thy face from me, Do not turn Thy servant away in anger; Thou has been my help; “Do not abandon me nor forsake me, O God of my salvation!

10 For my father and mother have forsaken me, But the Lord will take me up 11 “Teach me Thy way, O Lord, And lead me in a level path, Because of my foes. 12 Do not deliver me over to the desire of my adversaries; For false witnesses have risen against me, And such as breathe out violence. 13 I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord In the land of the living. 14 Wait for the Lord; Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the Lord. Psalm 28:7 7 The LORD is my strength and my shield; My

heart trusts in Him, and I am helped; Therefore my heart exults, And with my song I shall thank Him.

James 1:12 12 Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.

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Directors of Precept Portuguese Ministries: Waldemir and Eleni Campos Leite Precept Brazil P.O. BOX 5639 Nova Campinas Campinas CEP 13095-970 Phone #: (423) 822 - 2429 (423) 296 – 8629 E-mail: eleite@precept.org