{"id":27,"date":"2013-01-22T15:36:00","date_gmt":"2013-01-22T15:36:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.vivianefreitas.com\/en\/2013\/01\/22\/the-40-day-challenge-day-2\/"},"modified":"2013-03-07T16:54:35","modified_gmt":"2013-03-07T16:54:35","slug":"the-40-day-challenge-day-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vivianefreitas.com\/en\/the-40-day-challenge-day-2\/","title":{"rendered":"The 40-Day Challenge: Day 2"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
“For you to be independent in your faith, you need to learn how to read the Word of God, which is a fundamental tool for our spiritual life.”<\/span> Viviane Freitas<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\u201c<\/span>There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the division of Abijah. His wife\u00a0was\u00a0of the daughters of Aaron, and her name\u00a0was\u00a0Elizabeth.\u00a0<\/span>And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.\u00a0<\/span>But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both well advanced in years.<\/span>\u201d (<\/span>Luke 1:5-7)<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Even though Zacharias was a righteous man before God, and he and his wife led a blameless life, they had a problem: they could not have children because Elizabeth was barren.<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
That was his situation despite being a priest and preaching about a Living God\u2026<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
But there is something very interesting that most people do not understand and even misjudge: the fact that Elizabeth could not have children did not make her feel “guilty” or “weak”.<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
If that were the case, the Bible would not say that they were both righteous before God.<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
What does it mean to be righteous?<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/b><\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
It is to live by faith!<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
No human being is perfect in all the commandments of God, but there are those who “think”, who use their faith intelligently. And they are the ones who become “righteous”.<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Even though the couple was going through that problem, they were not affected by it; their faith was not “weak”. On the contrary! Both of them were righteous and blameless.<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Think about it: a priest without children. Everybody knew about it\u2026 Wasn\u2019t it shameful?<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
However, they were not worried about it!<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
To live by faith has nothing to do with how you feel or what other people think.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/b><\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
To live by faith is to be “righteous”, it is “ignore” our feelings; it is to detect what separates us from God and get rid of it immediately. It is to reject the idea that \u201cthis is who we are\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
It is to lead a blameless life and not to depend on the circumstances; on the contrary, we should make every circumstance work for the good of our faith.<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
“Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks!”<\/b><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Examine yourself. Are your words negative? Do you complain a lot? Do you look at the circumstances in a negative way? Do you badmouth others? Do you get angry easily? Do you judge people by their personal failures?<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
The righteous are not like this. They\u2019re independent! \u00a0They do not rely on other people\u2019s faith, but on their own faith, that is, on their own belief in God.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/b><\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Nowhere in the Bible do we see Zacharias and Elizabeth complaining, feeling sad or discouraged because of their problem. On the contrary: they had joy. They did not allow their circumstances to overwhelm them, but they trusted in God\u2019s justice. They relied on God and on His power! And the same must happen today. <\/p>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
You have the right to make your own choices when you decide to think and examine your life. <\/p>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Go on, examine you life!<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/b><\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
If you search for the truth, you will find it; but if you allow your emotions to take over, you\u2019ll end up thinking that you\u2019re a lost cause.<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Think! God wants your life to develop the way it should. If this is not happening, it is because you\u2019re not using your faith in the right way.<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
If you feel weak when faced with adverse circumstances, you should examine yourself and seek guidance in the Word of God.<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
You too can become a righteous person, but you have to make use of your ability to think and\u2026 cut the evil at its root.<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Do not waste your time… The time is today \u2014 it\u2019s now!<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
Viviane Freitas<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

“For you to be independent in your faith, you need to learn how to read the Word of God, which is a fundamental tool for our spiritual life.” Viviane Freitas \u201cThere was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the division of Abijah. His wife\u00a0was\u00a0of the daughters<\/p>\n

Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-40-day-challenge"],"better_featured_image":null,"yoast_head":"\nThe 40-Day Challenge: Day 2 - Viviane Freitas<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.vivianefreitas.com\/en\/the-40-day-challenge-day-2\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The 40-Day Challenge: Day 2 - Viviane Freitas\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"“For you to be independent in your faith, you need to learn how to read the Word of God, which is a fundamental tool for our spiritual life.” Viviane Freitas \u201cThere was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the division of Abijah. His wife\u00a0was\u00a0of the daughtersRead more\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.vivianefreitas.com\/en\/the-40-day-challenge-day-2\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Viviane Freitas\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2013-01-22T15:36:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2013-03-07T16:54:35+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-FclkYmk699g\/UP6x_PSz9PI\/AAAAAAAAHbc\/qXJLxw7xPEU\/s400\/timthumb.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Silvia Alvarenga\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Silvia Alvarenga\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.vivianefreitas.com\/en\/the-40-day-challenge-day-2\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.vivianefreitas.com\/en\/the-40-day-challenge-day-2\/\",\"name\":\"The 40-Day Challenge: Day 2 - Viviane Freitas\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.vivianefreitas.com\/en\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.vivianefreitas.com\/en\/the-40-day-challenge-day-2\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.vivianefreitas.com\/en\/the-40-day-challenge-day-2\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-FclkYmk699g\/UP6x_PSz9PI\/AAAAAAAAHbc\/qXJLxw7xPEU\/s400\/timthumb.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2013-01-22T15:36:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2013-03-07T16:54:35+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.vivianefreitas.com\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/0067f6a62f06cbd9c4777b925b44e14a\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.vivianefreitas.com\/en\/the-40-day-challenge-day-2\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.vivianefreitas.com\/en\/the-40-day-challenge-day-2\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-FclkYmk699g\/UP6x_PSz9PI\/AAAAAAAAHbc\/qXJLxw7xPEU\/s400\/timthumb.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-FclkYmk699g\/UP6x_PSz9PI\/AAAAAAAAHbc\/qXJLxw7xPEU\/s400\/timthumb.jpg\"},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.vivianefreitas.com\/en\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.vivianefreitas.com\/en\/\",\"name\":\"Viviane Freitas\",\"description\":\"Welcome to my blog\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.vivianefreitas.com\/en\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.vivianefreitas.com\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/0067f6a62f06cbd9c4777b925b44e14a\",\"name\":\"Silvia Alvarenga\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.vivianefreitas.com\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7a1f23c440407aa73786057a8a1ed13c?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7a1f23c440407aa73786057a8a1ed13c?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Silvia Alvarenga\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.vivianefreitas.com\/en\/author\/silvia-alvarenga\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The 40-Day Challenge: Day 2 - Viviane Freitas","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.vivianefreitas.com\/en\/the-40-day-challenge-day-2\/","og_locale":"en_GB","og_type":"article","og_title":"The 40-Day Challenge: Day 2 - Viviane Freitas","og_description":"“For you to be independent in your faith, you need to learn how to read the Word of God, which is a fundamental tool for our spiritual life.” Viviane Freitas \u201cThere was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the division of Abijah. His wife\u00a0was\u00a0of the daughtersRead more","og_url":"https:\/\/www.vivianefreitas.com\/en\/the-40-day-challenge-day-2\/","og_site_name":"Viviane Freitas","article_published_time":"2013-01-22T15:36:00+00:00","article_modified_time":"2013-03-07T16:54:35+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-FclkYmk699g\/UP6x_PSz9PI\/AAAAAAAAHbc\/qXJLxw7xPEU\/s400\/timthumb.jpg","type":"","width":"","height":""}],"author":"Silvia Alvarenga","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Silvia Alvarenga","Estimated reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.vivianefreitas.com\/en\/the-40-day-challenge-day-2\/","url":"https:\/\/www.vivianefreitas.com\/en\/the-40-day-challenge-day-2\/","name":"The 40-Day Challenge: Day 2 - Viviane Freitas","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.vivianefreitas.com\/en\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.vivianefreitas.com\/en\/the-40-day-challenge-day-2\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.vivianefreitas.com\/en\/the-40-day-challenge-day-2\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-FclkYmk699g\/UP6x_PSz9PI\/AAAAAAAAHbc\/qXJLxw7xPEU\/s400\/timthumb.jpg","datePublished":"2013-01-22T15:36:00+00:00","dateModified":"2013-03-07T16:54:35+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.vivianefreitas.com\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/0067f6a62f06cbd9c4777b925b44e14a"},"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.vivianefreitas.com\/en\/the-40-day-challenge-day-2\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/www.vivianefreitas.com\/en\/the-40-day-challenge-day-2\/#primaryimage","url":"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-FclkYmk699g\/UP6x_PSz9PI\/AAAAAAAAHbc\/qXJLxw7xPEU\/s400\/timthumb.jpg","contentUrl":"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-FclkYmk699g\/UP6x_PSz9PI\/AAAAAAAAHbc\/qXJLxw7xPEU\/s400\/timthumb.jpg"},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.vivianefreitas.com\/en\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.vivianefreitas.com\/en\/","name":"Viviane Freitas","description":"Welcome to my blog","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.vivianefreitas.com\/en\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.vivianefreitas.com\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/0067f6a62f06cbd9c4777b925b44e14a","name":"Silvia Alvarenga","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/www.vivianefreitas.com\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7a1f23c440407aa73786057a8a1ed13c?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7a1f23c440407aa73786057a8a1ed13c?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Silvia Alvarenga"},"url":"https:\/\/www.vivianefreitas.com\/en\/author\/silvia-alvarenga\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.vivianefreitas.com\/en\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/4\/files\/","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vivianefreitas.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vivianefreitas.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vivianefreitas.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vivianefreitas.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vivianefreitas.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.vivianefreitas.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":66,"href":"https:\/\/www.vivianefreitas.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27\/revisions\/66"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vivianefreitas.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vivianefreitas.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vivianefreitas.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}