You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to.

                                                                                            – Philippians 2:5-6 (NLT)                                                                                 

HUMILITY BREAKS ENTITLEMENTS

A poem by ILMA

Do you often expect people to treat you right?

Do you seek approval and recognition in your life?”

Do you get angry when you are oppressed?

Do you struggle when you are treated less?

You must have the same attitude as Christ had

Though he was divine, he didn’t think equality with God

Instead, he chose to be humble and lowly

As a young adult, I always fight for my rights and never tolerated injustice or discrimination towards me. It was a result of not having a voice and not being seen during the first formative years of my life. I continued on with this crusade to be treated right up until my forties. I role modeled this kind of entitlement with my son. I reaped what I sowed. The spirit of entitlement consumed my life and sadly, it was passed on to my son. He absorbed that same spirit of pride. The bible tells believers that we must have the same attitude as Christ had. Though he was God, he did not claim equality with him.

PRAYER

Lord, break away the spirit of entitlement in my life.

REFLECTION

How can humility break down entitlements?

The words of the godly are a life giving fountain; the words of the wicked conceal violent intentions.       –Proverbs 10:11 (NLT)     

LIFE GIVING FOUNTAIN

A poem by ILMA

Those who are godly and righteous

They are prudent and courteous

Their words are life giving fountain

They help you overcome your own mountains.

The words of the wicked conceal violent intentions

They deceive you and bring you confusion

Feed on God’s word and stay away from evil

I have had many encounters with wicked and ungodly people. I became an easy prey to target because I didn’t know God’s truth. I read the bible in my late twenties but didn’t really study it until a few years ago.  When I started seeking God’s word and following them, convictions and revelations finally dawned on me. Everything I needed to know about God, myself, family, friends and all the relationships in my life were explicitly explained in the bible. Suddenly, everything became lucid to me. I can distinguish clearly between evil and good. The enemy always wants us to be in a state of confusion so that we will stay in sin. The only way we can discern evil intentions is when we soak in God’s words. It reveals to us lies from the truth.

My words are plain to anyone with understanding, clear to those with knowledge.    –Proverbs 8:9 (NLT)     

COMMON SENSE FROM THE WORD

A poem by ILMA

The word of God is alive

It brings light and makes you thrive

Only those who have faith can understand

They gain knowledge by following his commands.

It becomes plain to anyone who believes

It brings clarity to those who pursue and seek

God brings revelations and convictions to the wise

There are so many Christians I know that have a hard time understanding God’s word. In the past, I also struggled with it. These past three years I have gotten some revelations from reading it. The bible is not like any other book. It breathes life on the heart of the reader. It speaks to us when we need to hear some things in our lives. It teaches and guides us to the truth. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us what is right. (2 Timothy 2:16)

Proverbs 8:9 specifically states that those who seek God’s word are granted understanding and knowledge. It becomes second nature to hear God’s voice and discern things when you are consumed by it.  Like lovers, the more you want to know your beloved, the deeper your relationship turns out to be.

PRAYER

Lord, give me a constant hunger for you.

REFLECTION

What has God’s word taught you in life lately?

It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to the Most High. It is good to proclaim your unfailing love in the morning, your faithfulness in the evening.

                                                                                   -Psalm 92:1-2 (NLT)     

PRAISE, WORSHIP & THANKSGIVING DAILY

A poem by ILMA

Remember to start your day with praise

Give thanks and listen to what he says

It renews your mind and makes you see

It protects you from bondage and sets you free.

Proclaim the Lord’s unfailing love constantly

The Lord’s love and help will be yours instantly

Seek his word and remain faithful to God

What do you do as soon as you wake up each day? Does your mind race to achieve your goals and do your own will? I have developed the habit of waking up and thanking God each morning.  I started this habit when I was seven years old. I got interrupted with this habit by sin in my mid-twenties and stopped relating with God for a decade. I felt condemned with the sins so I was trapped into thinking that I don’t deserve his love; then I rebelled. The bible tells us that it is good to give thanks to God and proclaim our unfailing love in the morning and return his faithfulness in the evening.

PRAYER

Lord, I glorify you constantly.

REFLECTION

Why is exulting and thanking God indispensable in a Christian’s life?

Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart.

                                                                                -Colossians 4:2 (NLT)             

PRAY WITH AWARENESS & GRATITUDE

A poem by ILMA

Do you find yourself overwhelmed with life?

Do you search everywhere but God’s light?

Devote yourself to prayer daily

It will alleviate your burden easily.

Pay attention to what you think

The enemy can steal if you blink

Always be thankful for what you have

Many people depend too much on their own strength to make it through life. Every day, we make a lot of little or big decisions and if we never consult God with any of these choices we make, we can end up hurting others and ourselves.  Self-will was a major contributor to many adversaries in my life.  I was always taught to be independent and self-reliant. When I studied God’s truth, I was surprised to know that I was supposed to depend on God for everything. If I only operate based on my own desires without consulting his plan for me, I run the risk of doing things that will hurt me eventually. Aligning my life’s map with God’s design for my life will make me reap his promises. The bible tells us to devote ourselves in prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart. When we do, we follow God’s plan.

PRAYER

Lord, keep me focused on you.

REFLECTION

What happens when someone is aware and thankful?

In this new life, it doesn’t matter if you are a Jew or a Gentile, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbaric, uncivilized, slave or free. Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us. – Colossians 3:11 (NLT)             

CHRIST IS ALL THAT MATTERS

A poem by ILMA

It doesn’t matter if you are rich or poor

It doesn’t count what religion or from what culture

Whether you are educated or uncivilized

Christ is all that matters in our daily lives.

In this new life, Christ will bring light

We can enjoy wisdom and insight

All prejudices and discrimination will vanish

Discrimination and prejudices are rampant in our society. They lead to all forms of conflict and oppression. It is sad to watch people suffer, especially the innocent ones who are directly affected by these injustices. In God’s economy, bigotry does not exist. Everyone is treated equally. No one is higher or better than someone. He created us all differently but by the same token.

The bible says that when we become Christians, all the prejudices will be replaced by love. There will be no distinctions that will create injustice. There’ll be respect and acceptance of each other’s differences. In God’s eyes, we are all equally given gifts with different degrees according to his own purpose.

PRAYER

Lord, let me not participate in any injustice.

REFLECTION

Why do we need to seek and focus only on God?

An angry person starts fights; a hot-tempered person commits all kinds of sin. Pride ends in humiliation, while humility brings honor.-Proverbs 29:22-23 (NLT)             

AVOID THE ANGRY

A poem by ILMA

When you bump into an angry person

Run fast to avoid conflict and confusion

Where there is a dispute or fight

There an angry person is in sight.

Beware when you are provoked to anger

This means that your spirit is in danger

Avoid all people who are angry and proud

Have you ever been in a relationship with an angry person? It is very stressful to be around angry people. There are two types of anger; the implosive and the explosive. The first type are quiet and looks like they are in control, but they give sarcastic remarks, insults or put downs. The second type is easy to spot because they are loud and like time bombs.

The bible cautions us from people who start fights, those who are hot-tempered and proud.  They often lead to other sins. They have no dignity and integrity. All they want is to attract attention and impatiently want to get their way. These kinds of people end up humiliated in the end. We are summoned to be humble so we can bring honor to God.

PRAYER

Lord, do not lead me to angry people.

REFLECTION

Why do we need to avoid angry and proud people?