March 9
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I WILL BLESS THE LORD
Vindicate me, O LORD, for I have walked in my integrity,
And I have trusted in the LORD without wavering.
2 Prove me, O LORD, and try me; test my heart and my mind
For your steadfast love is before my eyes, and I walk in your faithfulness.
4 I do not sit with men of falsehood, nor do I consort with hypocrites.
5 I hate the assembly of evildoers, and I will not sit with the wicked.
6 I wash my hands in innocence and go around your altar, O LORD,
7 Proclaiming thanksgiving aloud, and telling all your wondrous deeds.
8 O LORD, I love the habitation of your house and the place where your glory dwells.
9 Do not sweep my soul away with sinners, nor my life with bloodthirsty men,
10 In whose hands are evil devices, and whose right hands are full of bribes.
11 But as for me, I shall walk in my integrity; redeem me, and be gracious to me.
12 My foot stands on level ground; in the great assembly I will bless the LORD.
– Psalm 26:1-12
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An article on gotquestions.org is about What does it mean to bless God? The Hebrew word translated ‘bless’ or ‘praise’ means literally ‘to kneel’, the implication being to kneel in worship. Therefore, to bless the Lord means to praise Him, exalt Him and worship Him. We offer Him our praise and blessings because He deserves them. Unlike God’s blessings upon us, which are wholly undeserved and by His mercy and grace, our blessing God is done out of an understanding that He is the true praiseworthy Creator and our heavenly Father. God is glorified when we bless and praise and acknowledge Him.
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ADORATION: Praise the Lord of all Nations, lift Him up in exultation.
CONFESSION: Forgive me when I get to be so busy to bless you my Lord and my God.
THANKSGIVING: Thank you for being the perfect Father to all your children.
SUPPLICATION: May all of God’s children never forget their purpose in this life: to bring God all the glory, honor and praise.
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REFLECTION
• What are the benefits of blessing the Lord? Why do we need to make a habit of it? What happens when we don’t do it?
Tag Archives: ILMA ARTS STUDIO
LEAD ME IN YOUR RIGHTEOUSNESS ILMA’S VLOG
March 8
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LEAD ME IN YOUR RIGHTEOUSNESS
Give ear to my words, O LORD; consider my groaning
2 Give attention to the sound of my cry, my King and my God, for to you do I pray.
3 O LORD, in the morning you hear my voice;
In the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch.
4 For you are not a God who delights in wickedness; evil may not dwell with you.
5 The boastful shall not stand before your eyes; you hate all evildoers.
6 You destroy those who speak lies; the LORD abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man.
7 But I, through the abundance of your steadfast love, will enter your house.
I will bow down toward your holy temple in the fear of you.
8 Lead me, O LORD, in your righteousness because of my enemies
Make your way straight before me.9 For there is no truth in their mouth;
Their inmost self is destruction; their throat is an open grave;
They flatter with their tongue.10 Make them bear their guilt, O God;
Let them fall by their own counsels; because of the abundance of their transgressions Cast them out, for they have rebelled against you. – Psalm 5:1-10
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This psalm is an individual lament from David. It is the first psalm that prays for the downfall of one’s enemies. You may wonder how David can ask the Lord to bring downfall to his enemies. Only someone who is so deeply intimate with the Lord will have the honesty and courage to do so. His heart is right because he knows that the Lord hates evil. He knows well how God would react to transgressors and wicked people. He has the confidence that he is one with God’s heart. Do we have such confidence in our relationship with God?
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ADORATION: Blessings to the one who leads us to righteousness, the Lord Jesus Christ!
CONFESSION: Forgive me when I fail to see wickedness for what it is.
THANKSGIVING: Thank you for delivering me from evil each day, Lord.
SUPPLICATION: May we grow our intimacy with the Lord and confidently pray to him.
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REFLECTION
• Have you ever prayed confidently for God to bring justice to your enemies or those who oppose your faith?
THE REIGN OF THE LORD’S ANOINTED ILMA’S VLOG
March 7
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THE REIGN OF THE LORD’S ANOINTED
Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain?
2 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together,
Against the LORD and against his Anointed, saying, 3 “Let us burst their bonds apart
And cast away their cords from us.” 4 He who sits in the heavens laughs;
The Lord holds them in derision. 5 Then he will speak to them in his wrath,
And terrify them in his fury, saying,
6 “As for me, I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill.” 7 I will tell of the decree:
The LORD said to me, “You are my Son; today I have begotten you.
8 Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage,
And the ends of the earth your possession. 9 You shall break them with a rod of iron
And dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.” 10 Now therefore, O kings, be wise;
Be warned, O rulers of the earth. 11 Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling.
12 Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way,
For his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in him. – Psalm 2:1-12
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This psalm alludes to the promise of God to Abraham. He wanted the Messiah to come from the family of Abraham and David is from that lineage. According to ESV study bible footnote, “kiss the Son” (v12) denotes religious homage which the Davidic king (v2) deserves. The kings must understand that the ruler whom they reject is not just another human ruler but is God’s own appointed king for the whole world. David was the king where Jesus, the true king will come from.
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ADORATION: Praise the Son and the Father, who loves all of mankind. Blessings to them.
CONFESSION: Forgive me when I do not submit to authority and to your will, Lord.
THANKSGIVING: Thank you Jesus for coming down to our crazy sinful world to save us.
SUPPLICATION: May the Lord’s anointed rulers be honored and may all the world recognize that Jesus is the only true king for whom all things were made for.
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REFLECTION
• Why do you think David was anointed by God supernaturally even though he was just an ordinary shepherd boy? What was in him that God loves?
LET US SING SONGS OF PRAISE ILMA’S VLOG
March 6
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LET US SING SONGS OF PRAISE
Oh come, let us sing to the LORD; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!
2 Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving
Let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise! 3 For the LORD is a great God,
And a great King above all gods.4 In his hand are the depths of the earth;
The heights of the mountains are his also. 5 The sea is his, for he made it,
And his hands formed the dry land. 6 Oh come, let us worship and bow down;
Let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker! 7 For he is our God,
And we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand.
Today, if you hear his voice, 8 do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah,
As on the day at Massah in the wilderness, 9 when your fathers put me to the test
And put me to the proof, though they had seen my work.
10 For forty years I loathed that generation
And said, “They are a people who go astray in their heart,
And they have not known my ways.” 11 Therefore I swore in my wrath,
“They shall not enter my rest.” – Psalm 95:1-11
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Do you remember when you first experienced joy? When my son was born, I couldn’t stop marveling at the miracle right in my arm. If you are a parent, you know what I am talking about. That rejoicing was something leaping out of my heart to thank the Lord for getting me through almost 8 hours of labor. It was a delight to see that the person I carried inside me is right in my arms. You can’t help but thank a God who brings life. You want to shout out loud and sing songs of praise to him just like this psalm focuses on how we need to focus on his greatness and constantly thank him with songs of praise and worship.
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ADORATION: Praise be to the rock of our salvation, the greatest God and Maker of all.
CONFESSION: Forgive me when I don’t rejoice in all the big or little things you make.
THANKSGIVING: Thank you for the gift of life and all the provisions you give us.
SUPPLICATION: May all believers never be lukewarm in praising the Lord and giving him all the laud that is due him.
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REFLECTION
MY SOUL THIRSTS FOR YOU ILMA’S VLOG
March 5
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MY SOUL THIRSTS FOR YOU
O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you
My flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.
2 So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory.
3 Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you.
4 So I will bless you as long as I live; in your name I will lift up my hands.
5 My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food,
And my mouth will praise you with joyful lips,6 when I remember you upon my bed,
And meditate on you in the watches of the night; 7 for you have been my help,
And in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy.
8 My soul clings to you; our right hand upholds me.
9 But those who seek to destroy my life shall go down into the depths of the earth;
10 They shall be given over to the power of the sword; they shall be a portion for jackals.
11 But the king shall rejoice in God; all who swear by him shall exult,
For the mouths of liars will be stopped. – Psalm 63:1-11
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This psalm that David wrote while he was in the wilderness of Judah is full of expectancy and passion for God. It sounds like a lover constantly wooing his beloved. He thirsts so much for the Lord as a dry land would for water (v1). He is looking forward to God’s steadfast love as it is better than life itself. He is waiting for that promise that God will deliver him for the mouth of liars and those who seek to destroy his life. Do we have this unwavering hope and passion for God like David had?
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ADORATION: Praise you Lord for your steadfast love that endures forever.
CONFESSION: Forgive me when I stop looking forward to your promises and get discouraged or let down by trials and sufferings.
THANKSGIVING: Thank you for making us in your image; that it is possible to truly love like you do.
SUPPLICATION: May love be always the reason why we do things and relate with others.
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REFLECTION
• How can we thirst for God like David does? What is the most crucial virtue we can have to be able to pursue God’s own heart?
GOD WHO JUDGES THE EARTH ILMA’S VLOG
March 4
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GOD WHO JUDGES THE EARTH
Do you indeed decree what is right, you gods?
Do you judge the children of man uprightly? 2 No, in your hearts you devise wrongs;
Your hands deal out violence on earth.3 The wicked are estranged from the womb;
They go astray from birth, speaking lies.4 They have venom like the venom of a serpent,
Like the deaf adder that stops its ear, 5 so that it does not hear the voice of charmers
Or of the cunning enchanter.6 O God, break the teeth in their mouths;
Tear out the fangs of the young lions, O LORD!
7 Let them vanish like water that runs away;
When he aims his arrows, let them be blunted.
8 Let them be like the snail that dissolves into slime,
like the stillborn child who never sees the sun.
9 Sooner than your pots can feel the heat of thorns,
Whether green or ablaze, may he sweep them away!
10 The righteous will rejoice when he sees the vengeance;
He will bathe his feet in the blood of the wicked.
11 Mankind will say, “Surely there is a reward for the righteous;
Surely there is a God who judges on earth.” – Psalm 58:1-11
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This community lament is sung by God’s people when they are confronted with injustice from their own rulers. When rulers are wicked, they do not honor God. They will be answerable to the Lord for not stewarding the people that God allowed them to rule over.
Since the Israelites know that the Lord will deliver them from all the unfair practices of these people ruling them, they are sure that God will deliver them from such wickedness.
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ADORATION: Praise the Lord who is just and who is our deliverer.
CONFESSION: Forgive me each time I fail to pray for my leaders.
THANKSGIVING: Thank you that you are a sovereign and just God who sees all things.
SUPPLICATION: May all leaders and rulers seek guidance from God as they lead their people and nations.
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REFLECTION
• How have you steward the responsibilities that God has given you?
BLESSED ARE THOSE WHO FEAR THE LORD ILMA’S VLOG
March 3
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BLESSED ARE THOSE WHO FEAR THE LORD
Praise the LORD! Blessed is the man who fears the LORD,
Who greatly delights in his commandments! 2 His offspring will be mighty in the land;
The generation of the upright will be blessed. 3 Wealth and riches are in his house,
And his righteousness endures forever. 4 Light dawns in the darkness for the upright;
He is gracious, merciful, and righteous.
5 It is well with the man who deals generously and lends;
Who conducts his affairs with justice.6 For the righteous will never be moved;
He will be remembered forever. 7 He is not afraid of bad news;
His heart is firm, trusting in the LORD. 8 His heart is steady; he will not be afraid,
Until he looks in triumph on his adversaries. 9 He has distributed freely;
He has given to the poor; his righteousness endures forever;
His horn is exalted in honor. 10 The wicked man sees it and is angry;
He gnashes his teeth and melts away; the desire of the wicked will perish!
– Psalm 112:1-10
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This psalm is a companion to psalm 111 and focuses on the moral character of the faithful and on the benefits such people bring to themselves and others. In Psalm 111, it praises the great works of the Lord and that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. We clearly see the blessings that is bestowed on those who stay righteous and faithful to the Lord. The biggest aftermath of faithful and loyal servants of the Lord is that they will be strong, immovable and persistent. They will have power, blessings, wealth and riches (vv2-3); will never be moved and be remembered forever (v6); he is not fearful but he is strong (vv7-8); just and generous (v9).
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ADORATION: Praise and glory to God’s power and might. Hallelujah to a loving God.
CONFESSION: Forgive me when I tread the path of unrighteousness unknowingly.
THANKSGIVING: Thank you for all the blessings and promises you grant us when we stay faithful and loyal to you.
SUPPLICATION: May all believers continue to be loyal, persevering and faithful to God.
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REFLECTION
• Share an experience of strength and stability from Christ in your Christian walk?
GOD IS OUR FORTRESS ILMA’S VLOG
February 28
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GOD IS OUR FORTRESS
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way,
Though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea,
3 Though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling.
4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
The holy habitation of the Most High.5 God is in the midst of her;
She shall not be moved; God will help her when morning dawns.
6 The nations rage, the kingdoms totter; he utters his voice, the earth melts.
7 The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.
8 Come, behold the works of the LORD, how he has brought desolations on the earth.
9 He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;
He breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the chariots with fire.
10 “Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!”11 The LORD of hosts is with us;
The God of Jacob is our fortress. – Psalm 46:1-11
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This is hymn that rejoices in the strength that we can hold on to in times of troubles. The psalmist enumerates the many dangers that God’s people can face (v 2-3) such as catastrophes. Zion, the city of the Most High cannot be moved because God resides in the chosen place. Because God is our fortress, we are reminded to be still and rely on him alone. Whenever we are overwhelmed, confused and beset by troubles, we can remember to choose peace and know that God is in control.
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ADORATION: Bless the Lord for he is our fortress, our protection, our strength!
CONFESSION: Forgive me when I succumb to panic, fear and desperation.
THANKSGIVING: Thank you for being my rock, my fortress, my source of strength and hope. You are so generous with your loved ones.
SUPPLICATION: May we encourage others with the strength that we draw from God and lead them to rely only on the Lord.
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REFLECTION
• Why do people easily panic when struck with disaster or suffering?
WHY ARE YOU CAST DOWN O MY SOUL -ILMA’S VLOG
February 27
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WHY ARE YOU CAST DOWN O MY SOUL?
As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God.
2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?
3 My tears have been my food day and night, while they say to me all the day long,
“Where is your God?” 4 These things I remember, as I pour out my soul:
How I would go with the throng and lead them in procession to the house of God
With glad shouts and songs of praise, a multitude keeping festival.
5 Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation 6 and my God.
My soul is cast down within me; therefore, I remember you
From the land of Jordan and of Hermon, from Mount Mizar.
7 Deep calls to deep at the roar of your waterfalls;
All your breakers and your waves have gone over me.
8 By day the LORD commands his steadfast love, and at night his song is with me,
A prayer to the God of my life. 9 I say to God, my rock: “Why have you forgotten me?
Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?”
10 As with a deadly wound in my bones, my adversaries taunt me,
While they say to me all the day long, “Where is your God?”
11 Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God. -Psalm 142:1-11
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This psalm expresses a longing for peace amidst the many circumstances that depletes the soul. It is bordering between hopelessness and hopefulness. It exhibits the psalmists choosing to trust God despite the seemingly desperate situation he is experiencing. It is an honest prayer of dependence on God especially in times of weakness.
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ADORATION: Lord, you are my rock, my salvation, my hope. Praise to you Lord!
CONFESSION: Forgive me when I don’t rely on you during times of weakness.
THANKSGIVING: Thank you for a solid foundation in your word.
SUPPLICATION: May we see hope in the midst of all the chaos surrounding us.
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REFLECTION
• What are the reasons why a believer can feel downcast?
• How can feeling downcast be a good chance to exercise our dependence on God?
BLESSED ARE THE FORGIVEN ILMA’s VLOG
February 26
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BLESSED ARE THE FORGIVEN
Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.
2 Blessed is the man against whom the LORD counts no iniquity,
And in whose spirit there is no deceit 3 For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away
Through my groaning all day long.4 For day and night your hand was heavy upon me;
My strength was dried up as by the heat of summer.5 I acknowledged my sin to you,
And I did not cover my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,”
And you forgave the iniquity of my sin.6 Therefore let everyone who is godly
Offer prayer to you at a time when you may be found; surely in the rush of great waters,
They shall not reach him.7 You are a hiding place for me;
You preserve me from trouble; you surround me with shouts of deliverance.
8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
I will counsel you with my eye upon you.
9 Be not like a horse or a mule, without understanding,
Which must be curbed with bit and bridle, or it will not stay near you.
10 Many are the sorrows of the wicked,
but steadfast love surrounds the one who trusts in the LORD.
11 Be glad in the LORD, and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy,
All you upright in heart! – Psalm 32:1-11
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This psalm is a praise and thanksgiving song to the Lord. The psalmist is full of gratitude as he points out how the Lord forgives those who are able to admit and confess their sins. It encourages God’s people not to forget to check their hearts for any impurities so they can bring it to the Lord for forgiveness. This psalm is a reminder of the steadfast love that surrounds the one who trusts in the Lord and the blessings he receives
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ADORATION: Praise the forgiving and faithful God we love!
CONFESSION: Forgive us when we hide and don’t confess our sins.
THANKSGIVING: Thank you for the unconditional love you give us.
SUPPLICATION: May we have courage to face our sins and confess it to the Lord.
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REFLECTION
• Why is confession essential in a believer’s life?
• What happens when we don’t regularly examine our hearts and confess?