KEEP WATCH CAREFULLY! Poem Devotional

May 4________________________________________
Stay alert, watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. – 1 Peter 5:8 (NLT)
KEEP WATCH CAREFULLY!
A poem and essay by ILMA
Do you know that you have an enemy?
He exists in a realm that we cannot see
Stay alert, watch out for the devil
He prowls like a roaring lion to spread evil.
He is always looking for someone to devour
He watches you constantly each and every hour
Keep feeding on the truth that comes from God’s word
It is your best weapon and sword to defeat this evil world.
________________________________________
When you have an enemy that you can see, it is easy to avoid an attack isn’t it? You can wear protection so you can avoid being hurt. But it is a different story when your attacker is invisible to the naked eyes. How can you strike back when you don’t even see where he attacks you?
In Ephesians 6, we are cautioned and made aware that we have a daily battle with unseen forces. Even though we cannot see them with our naked eyes, it doesn’t mean that they are not real. 1 Peter 5:8 gives us a warning to stay alert and watch carefully for the wiles and the tactics of the devil. He is always there watching who he can devour and tempt into sin.________________________________________
PRAYER
Lord, please defend me from any form of attack by the devil.
REFLECTION
How can you be more vigilant in keeping watch over the devil’s tactics?

For more testimonials about God’s word, please go to YouTube and type ILMA’s poem devotional or go to www.ilmaarts.com posts. To receive emails of my poem devotionals, email me at ILMA.ARTS.STUDIO@gmail.com

Acknowledge God Poem Devotional

May 3________________________________________
Acknowledge that the Lord is God! He made us and we are his. We are his people, the sheep of his pasture. – Psalm 101:3(NLT)
ACKNOWLEDGE GOD!
A poem and essay by ILMA
Do you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ?
Are you acknowledging his presence in your life?
We are God’s people, why are we not loyal?
He wants us to come back to him and be faithful.
Never forget who gave you everything
He wants you to turn your back to sin
He made us all in his own image and likeness
Turn to him and give up all your wickedness.
________________________________________
One of the many things that the enemy stole from me was my identity in Christ. He made me believe many lies that were not true. He whispered thoughts in my head that I was not worthy and that no one really loved or cared about me. I believed this lie for five decades of my life and wasted many opportunities to grow because I didn’t know that the Lord considered me as his prized possession. I was grateful that God reclaimed my ignorance and stolen identity when I became born again.
The bible tells us to recognize and acknowledge the Lord as our God. He created us all and we belong to him, like sheep in his great vast pasture. He loves and cares for each one of us and will look for even just one lost sheep.
________________________________________
PRAYER
Lord, thank you for considering me as priceless.
REFLECTION
How often do you praise the Lord for all that he made you?
For more testimonials about God’s word, please go to YouTube and type ILMA’s poem devotional or go to www.ilmaarts.com posts. To receive emails of my poem devotionals, email me at ILMA.ARTS.STUDIO@gmail.com
 

CHAMPION OF FAITH Poem Devotional

May 2________________________________________
We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross disregarding its shame.
-Hebrews 12:2(NLT)
CHAMPION OF FAITH
A poem and essay by ILMA
Do you struggle growing your faith?
Keep your eyes on Jesus so you’ll change your fate
Because of his obedience and selflessness
We experience our Father’s love that is boundless.
The champion of faith is exemplified in Jesus
His sacrifice to save us is so very precious
He perfected it by his death on the cross
He wants us to emulate him so we can come across.
________________________________________
When we want to excel in something, we usually find someone whom we can emulate. When I was a young girl, our family loved playing scrabble. The times we played this board game was my fondest memories of our family together. My mother taught us the basics of the game very well, so I would say that she was the one I emulated in becoming good at this game. When I joined a tournament in my twenties, I won seventh place out of the fifty final contestants from three eliminations. I realized that the constant practice helped me excel at this game.
The bible says that for us to be champions of faith, we need to look up to Jesus who endured the cross’ shame by focusing on the joy ahead of him.
________________________________________
PRAYER
Lord, help me to focus only on you so I can grow my faith.
REFLECTION
How can we become champions of faith?
For more testimonials about God’s word, please go to YouTube and type ILMA’s poem devotional or go to www.ilmaarts.com posts. To receive emails of my poem devotionals, email me at ILMA.ARTS.STUDIO@gmail.com

GUIDED BY THE WORD Peom Devotional

April 29________________________________________
Guide my steps by your word, so I will not be overcome by evil. – Psalm 119:133(NLT)
GUIDED BY THE WORD
A poem and essay by ILMA
Are you overwhelmed and confused by circumstances?
Don’t worry, God uses his word to give us answers
He guides our steps by the truth that comes from his word
It helps us thrive and navigate through this corrupt world.
Do not depend on human advice, run to the truth
The Lord has solution and his words soothe
He comforts you through Scriptures
He leads you to his plans for your future.
________________________________________
Many decades of my life were spent on taking care of myself and figuring out how to go through this world successfully. I didn’t care how God wanted things for me because I was busy making it on my own. I was wrapped up in my traumas and consumed by the desire to fix things so I could make a name for myself and be respected by others. I wanted to prove to everyone that I had worth. I never read the bible until I was in my late twenties. I consulted many books to help myself make it as a self-made woman.
When I became born again, I started reading and studying the bible. It opened my eyes and heart and learned so many mistakes I made because I never let God guide my steps. No wonder I was overcome by evil.
________________________________________
PRAYER
Lord, guide me and let me follow your word as you reveal them to me.
REFLECTION
Why is it important to let the Lord guide you?
For more testimonials about God’s word, please go to YouTube and type ILMA’s poem devotional or go to www.ilmaarts.com posts. To receive emails of my poem devotionals, email me at ILMA.ARTS.STUDIO@gmail.com

SIMPLICITY OF GOD’S WORD Poem Devotional

April 28________________________________________
The teaching of your word gives light, so even the simple can understand.
– Psalm 119:130(NLT)
SIMPLICITY OF GOD’S WORD
A poem and essay by ILMA
God’s word is simple enough for all to understand
It brings about light and wisdom to all humans
It pierces the heart of everyone who seeks it
Correction and teaching comes from the Holy Spirit.
Seek it and you will find clarity and peace
It leads you to freedom from attacks of the unseen
Consume and meditate on it day and night
You will find wisdom, blessings and insight.
________________________________________
Why are some books hard to read or study? When I was in high school, I hated history because of the memorization that went along with it. It was something that I didn’t take pleasure in. I loved Mathematics in grade school up until high school. Though there are formulas to memorize, I was challenged because my brother and I were tutored by my mother’s friend. She is s smart and pretty lady, so, her personality brought inspiration to learning Math skills. When I went to college, a history professor, changed my perspective about the subject. She made me see history as compilation of stories and not just dates and people’s name. I began to see it very differently after that.
The bible may be hard for some to read, but if you allow the Holy Spirit to guide you, it is the simplest to understand.
________________________________________
PRAYER
Lord, give me a heart and mind like yours as I study your word.
REFLECTION
Why do you think some people find the bible complex?
For more testimonials about God’s word, please go to YouTube and type ILMA’s poem devotional or go to www.ilmaarts.com posts. To receive emails of my poem devotionals, email me at ILMA.ARTS.STUDIO@gmail.com

WHEN YOU SEARCH AND SEEK GOD Poem Devotional

April 27________________________________________
Search for the Lord and for his strength; continually seek him. -Psalm 105:4(NLT)
WHEN YOU SEARCH AND SEEK GOD
A poem and essay by ILMA
Do you have a heart that searches to know the Lord?
Do your priorities include seeking God’s word?
When you search for him, you will know him
When you seek him first, you will win over sin.
Whenever you give your loyalty to our faithful God
You will have life, harvest his Spirit’s fruit and be glad
When you seek his truth, you will be set free
When you search for him, he will make you see.
________________________________________
The trouble with our world today is that we don’t even know our priorities or if we do, they are based on our human desires. No wonder we live in chaos and confusion. How do we live a life of clarity and peace? So many different religions offer many different ways to achieve such happiness. In God’s economy, we are commanded to seek him first and everything will be given to us. Christianity does not offer a fixed answer to trials and sufferings. God gave us his son Jesus to redeem us from the corrupt world we live. He did this by being born among us and experiencing the deepest and gravest kind of persecution, pain and death. He sampled us a man who, even though he was God did nothing to prove it. He prioritized God’s will over his.
________________________________________
PRAYER
Lord, give me a heart that seeks you and your will.
REFLECTION
Why do you think God commands us to seek him first?
For more testimonials about God’s word, please go to YouTube and type ILMA’s poem devotional or go to www.ilmaarts.com posts. To receive emails of my poem devotionals, email me at ILMA.ARTS.STUDIO@gmail.com

THE GOD WHO RESCUES AND PROTECTS Poem Devotional

April 26________________________________________
They will not conquer you, for I am with you to protect and rescue you. I, the Lord, have spoken. -Jeremiah 15:20(NLT)
THE GOD WHO RESCUES AND PROTECTS
A poem and essay by ILMA
We live in a world of chaos, violence and confusion
Do we rely on human strength or run to God for protection?
When you have faith like King David’s, you are covered by Christ
Though suffering and pain may be present, his light still shines.
Believe that your Lord and Savior’s is in the business of restoration
No matter what happens, he will never leave or abandon
He is our stronghold, he will never be defeated by the devil
Run to your only Lord and master, so you can overcome evil.
________________________________________
Have you ever feared something or someone that kept you running away from that person or situation? You can only run so much or avoid what you fear. One day, you will eventually cave in to stop it and confront that person or circumstance or object that you fear. I kept running away from the fear of rejection and abandonment and from being taken cared of. These fears kept me from having good healthy relationships. It made me unconsciously sabotage a relationship to self-protect.
The bible tells us that we need not fear for we have a God who is in the business of rescue, protection and restoration. Run to him.
________________________________________
PRAYER
Lord, let me always run to you instead of running away from you.
REFLECTION
From what bondages have God rescued you? How has he protected you?
For more testimonials about God’s word, please go to YouTube and type ILMA’s poem devotional or go to www.ilmaarts.com posts. To receive emails of my poem devotionals, email me at ILMA.ARTS.STUDIO@gmail.com

DEVOUR GOD’S WORD Poem Devotional

April 25________________________________________
When I discovered your words, I devoured them. They are my joy and my heart’s delight, for I bear your name, O, Lord God of Heaven’s Armies. – Jeremiah 15:16(NLT)
DEVOUR GOD’S WORD
A poem and essay by ILMA
When you become a believer, you begin to crave for the Lord
You will only know him deeper if through devouring his word
It is the food for the spirit that keeps us spiritually healthy
It brings all lies into the light and gives us the victory.
When we eat the food for our spirits, we become wise
It clears our minds and hearts and exposes ill advice
Consume the word so you can experience a life of peace
It brings us comfort, corrects, convicts and makes us see.
________________________________________
I don’t know of anyone who does not like eating. In fact, one of the hardest to control in our senses is “taste.” With the explosion of the culinary arts in the last decades, it has become harder to control ourselves from cravings. How we consume food and how the food industry has brainwashed us to think that we are being fed good food, when we are actually slowly poisoned.
We can look at how the enemy also poisons our spirit with all kinds of lies and tricks. The word of God is our weapon and shield. It can deliver us from bondage to sin and addictions.
________________________________________
PRAYER
Lord, thank you for your word that gives us life.
REFLECTION
How often must a believer consume the word of God?
For more testimonials about God’s word, please go to YouTube and type ILMA’s poem devotional or go to www.ilmaarts.com posts. To receive emails of my poem devotionals, email me at ILMA.ARTS.STUDIO@gmail.com

WHEN YOU LONG FOR IDOLS Poem Devotional

April 24________________________________________
Longing after idols has made them foolish. They have played the prostitute, serving other gods and deserting their God. – Hosea 4:12(NLT)
WHEN YOU LONG FOR IDOLS
A poem and essay by ILMA
When you long for idols, you are compromised
You risk your life and you’ll pay a high price
You are committing adultery to your creator
When you serve other gods, you defy your Father.
Don’t give your loyalty to idols who cannot save
Be faithful only to the Lord and he’ll make you brave
Don’t ever long for idols, they have no power
Your faith in Christ will make the devil cower.
________________________________________
In the book of Hosea, we are given a detailed account of how the Israelites played a prostitute role by serving other gods and turning their backs on the Lord Jesus Christ. After the Lord delivered them from the Egyptians in the Red Sea and giving them manna in the desert, they started complaining and pining for what they had when they were slaves in Egypt. They started to lose patience and demanded Moses why God has made them to suffer in the desert. It took an eleven-day journey in the Promised Land forty years because of their disobedience, stubbornness and idolatry. The bible tells us that we commit spiritual adultery when we turn to other gods. God is a jealous god and he doesn’t’ want competition. He created us for himself, not for other gods.
________________________________________
PRAYER
Lord, take away from me anything that will become an idol.
REFLECTION
Why does God hate the sin of idolatry?
For more testimonials about God’s word, please go to YouTube and type ILMA’s poem devotional or go to www.ilmaarts.com posts. To receive emails of my poem devotionals, email me at ILMA.ARTS.STUDIO@gmail.com

WINNING US BACK Poem Devotional

April 23________________________________________
But then I will win her back once again. I will lead her into the desert and speak tenderly to her there. -Hosea 2:14(NLT)
WINNING US BACK
A poem and essay by ILMA
The Lord loves us unconditionally
Even when we behave lawlessly
He forgives us our sins when we repent
He comforts our hearts when we lament.
He wins us back when we rebel and disobey
He lets the Spirit convict us when we go astray
He speaks to us wisely and gives us discernment
If we depend on him, he will give us enlightenment.
________________________________________
When I lost someone’s love because of a wrong decision I made, I began to pursue to win back his trust. I asked for forgiveness and became accountable for what I did. Forgiveness can be granted easily, but sometimes, trust may take a while to happen. If the person repeatedly changed his behavior, then the other party may start to build the trust again and the relationship may be repaired. But if the offending partner do not follow through his or her word, there may be consequences that will ensue from the lack of accountability.
The bible tells us an account of God’s great love for Israel. Despite his people’s unfaithfulness, he still wins her back and brings her to a place where they initially became lovers. He shows how much he grants us grace and mercy despite all our sins.
________________________________________
PRAYER
Lord, thank you for loving me unconditionally.
REFLECTION
How do you respond to God’s winning you back when you turn your back on him?
For more testimonials about God’s word, please go to YouTube and type ILMA’s poem devotional or go to www.ilmaarts.com posts. To receive emails of my poem devotionals, email me at ILMA.ARTS.STUDIO@gmail.com