June 18
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THE BLINDING OF A SORCERER
A poem by ILMA
Among the prophets and teachers of the church at Antioch of Syria
Were Barnabas, Simeon called the black man, Lucius from Cyrene
Manaen, the childhood companion of King Herod Antipas
With them was also Saul, who used to persecute believers.
Barnabas and Saul were sent out by the Holy Spirit to Seleucia
They sailed for the island of Cyprus, then ended in Salamis
They went to the Jewish synagogues and preached God’s word
They had with them an assistant by the name of John Mark.
Afterward, they traveled from town to town up to Paphos
They met a Jewish sorcerer and false prophet named Bar-Jesus
He had attached himself to governor Paulus who was an intelligent man
They were invited by the governor for he wanted to hear the word.
Bar-Jesus, the sorcerer interfered and urged the governor not to listen
He was keeping the governor from believing but Peter looked at him
He confronted him and told him he was perverting the true ways of the Lord
The sorcerer became blind and when the governor saw this, he became a believer.
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MEMORY VERSE
When the governor saw what had happened, he became a believer, for he was astonished at the teaching about the Lord. – Acts 13:12
Read: Acts 13
When Barnabas and Saul were commissioned to preach the Good News about Jesus, they were sent out by the Holy Spirit. They were able to discern counterfeit prophet as the spirit of the Lord made them see these. Because of the works of the Spirit through the apostles, even the governor was convinced of the amazing works of the Lord.
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REFLECTION
• When was the last time you were amazed by the Holy Spirit’s work manifest in the body of Christ?
Tag Archives: ILMA’s Poem Devotional
PETER’S MIRACULOUS ESCAPE FROM PRISON Poem Devotional
June 17
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PETER’S MIRACULOUS ESCAPE FROM PRISON
A poem by ILMA
Peter was woken up in the prison cell where he was surrounded by guards
An angel of the Lord instructed him to get up and the chains fell off his wrists
He was led to put on his coat and pass the first and second guard posts
He arrived the iron gate to the city and was opened for them all by itself.
Peter thought it was all a vision but later came to his senses
As soon as he realized it, he went to the home of Mary, mother of John Mark
Many were gathered in Mary’s house for prayer when he knocked on the door
Rhoda, the servant girl came to open it and was overjoyed when he saw Peter.
The servant girl instead of opening the door, ran back and told everyone
She announced Peter was standing by the door, but at first, they didn’t believe
Peter continued knocking, and when they saw him, they were amazed
He told them to quiet down and narrated how the Lord led him out of prison.
After he said the miracle to them, he went to another place
AD dawn, there was a great commotion among the soldiers
Herod Agrippa ordered a thorough search and when he failed
The guards were interrogated and sentenced to death.
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MEMORY VERSE
When she recognized Peter’s voice, she was overjoyed that, instead of opening the door, she ran back inside and told everyone, “Peter is standing at the door.”– Acts 12:14
Read: Acts 12
What an astonishing thing the Lord did to get Peter out of prison. Despite the heavily guarded condition he was in, God showed his power by letting Peter be free without any resistance at all. What an awesome God we have who can do anything to bring people into witnessing his power and glory.
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REFLECTION
• What miracles in your life have Jesus set you free from just like Peter?
• Why can it be sometimes hard to admit a miracle when you see one?
PETER EXPLAINS HIS ACTIONS Poem Devotional
June 14
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PETER EXPLAINS HIS ACTIONS
A poem by ILMA
Even as Peter was talking about Jesus, The Holy Spirit fell upon all
The Jewish believers who came with Peter were amazed
The Gentiles spoke in tongues as they were filled with the Spirit
Peter gave orders for them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.
Soon the news reached Judea that the Gentiles received God’s word
Peter arrived back in Jerusalem and the Jewish believers criticized him
He was accused of disobeying the law by entering a Gentile’s home
Peter told them that he saw a vision when he was in the town of Joppa.
Peter said that while he was praying, he went into a trance a saw a vision
Something like a large sheet was let down by its four corners from the sky
It came right down to him and when he peeped into the sheet, he saw this
He saw all sorts of tame and wild animals and was instructed to kill and eat them.
Peter explained that he has never defied the law by eating anything impure
But the voice from heaven told him that what God has made clean is now clean
When the Gentiles heard this, they stopped objecting and began praising God
They realized that God gave the Gentiles privilege of repenting of their sins.
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MEMORY VERSE
John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit. – Acts 11:16
Read: Acts 11
Visions were one way of God giving instructions to his believers. The Lord filled all the believers with God’s Spirit and enabled them to receive the word of God through Peter. They were given the privilege of repenting of their sins and receiving eternal life.
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REFLECTION
• Have you seen how the Holy Spirit equips God’s people?
• What can happen when the Holy Spirit indwells in a believer?
• What did the dream of Peter mean?
• How can you explain God’s fair treatment of the Gentiles?
GENTILES HEAR THE GOOD NEWS Poem Devotional
June 13
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GENTILES HEAR THE GOOD NEWS
A poem by ILMA
Peter told Cornelius that he saw clearly how God shows no favoritism
In every nation, he accepts those who fear him and do what is right
He declares the message of the Good News for the people of Israel
“That there is peace with God through Jesus Christ who is Lord of all.”
After John began preaching his message of baptism, we know Jesus went
He baptized the Lord and God anointed him with the Holy Spirit
Then Jesus went around doing good and healing the oppressed
He did all these miracles as God’s Spirit was so alive in his human body.
The apostles are witnesses of all Christ did throughout Judea in Jerusalem
They put him to death by hanging him on a cross, but rose from the dead
Then God allowed him to appear, not to all but to whom he has chosen
He did that in advance to be his witnesses, so they can do his work.
Jesus ordered us all to preach everywhere and to testify that it is only Jesus
That his only Son Jesus was the one appointed by God to be judge of all
This includes the living and the dead, that Christ is the one Scriptures spoke about
Everyone who believes in him will have their sins forgiven through his name.
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MEMORY VERSE
I see very clearly that God shows no favoritism. In every nation he accepts those who fear him and do what is right. – Acts 10:34
Read: Acts 10
What amazing fair and just God we have. He never shows favoritism to anyone. He accepts anyone who fears him. This story of the apostles gave us a solid picture of how God treats anyone who believes in him and do what is right.
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REFLECTION
• How does favoritism play a part in destroying people?
• Why is it important that we fear the Lord and do what is right?
• What kind of an apostle was Peter bringing this Good News to the Gentiles?
PETER HEALS AENEAS & RAISES DORCAS Poem Devotional
June 11
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PETER HEALS AENEAS & RAISES DORCAS
A poem by ILMA
Peter traveled from place to place and came to visit believers in Lydda
There he met Aeneas, who had been paralyzed and bedridden eight years
Peter spoke “Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you! Get up, and roll up your mat!”
The man was healed instantly and the whole town turned to the Lord.
There was a believer in Joppa named Tabitha (Dorcas in Greek)
She was always doing kind things and helping the poor
She became ill and died and her body washed for burial
They laid her dead body in the upstairs room and called Peter.
As soon as Peter came, they took him in the upstairs room
The room was filled with widows who were weeping
They showed him the coats and other clothes Dorcas made
But Peter asked them all to leave the room and knelt and prayed.
Turning to the body, he said “Get up, Tabitha!” And she opened her eyes
When she saw Peter, she sat up and he gave her his hand to help her up
Then he called in the widows and all the believers and he presented her to them
The news spread through the whole town and many believed in the Lord.
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MEMORY VERSE
The news spread through the whole town, and many believed in the Lord. – Acts 9:42
Read: Acts 9
What amazing miracles did the apostles did in those days. There were so much people who witnessed Peter raising the dead. All these were proof of the Holy Spirit living in them and equipping them to make all these signs and wonders.
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REFLECTION
• Why do you think Peter chose Tabitha/Dorcas to be raised from the dead?
• How can we take authority over the sick and use God’s powerful name to bring about life to those who have been dead?
• Why is faith an important requirement for healing to occur?
SAUL’S CONVERSION Poem Devotional
June 9
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SAUL’S CONVERSION
A poem by ILMA
Saul was threatening to kill every breath of all of the Lord’s followers
So he went to the high priest and asked their cooperation to arrest them
He wanted to bring them – both men and women in chains back to Jerusalem
As he was approaching Damascus on this mission, a light shone from heaven.
He fell to the ground and a voice said “Saul, why are your persecuting me?”
Saul asked who he was and he identified himself as Jesus, the one he is killing
He was told to get up and go into the city and be instructed further
The men with Saul was speechless for they heard the voice but saw no one.
Saul picked himself up off the ground, but when he opened his eyes, he was blind
So the men led him by the hand to Damascus and remained blind for three days
He did not eat or drink during those time; there was a believer named Ananias
The Lord spoke to him in a vision and told him to look for Saul from Tarsus.
Ananias complained to the Lord what Saul has done to the believers
The Lord reassured him that Saul will be the messenger to Gentiles and kings
Then instantly like scales from Saul’s eyes, he immediately regained his sight
Then he was baptized then he ate food some food and regained his strength.
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MEMORY VERSE
He fell to the ground and he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting me?”. – Acts 9:4
Read: Acts 9
What a twist of fate we see in this story where Saul was converted from being a killer to a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ. God has interesting choices to use to bring about his kingdom to the Gentiles and to kings.
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REFLECTION
• Why do you think God chose someone who persecuted Christians to be a disciple who brought about the Good News to the Gentiles and the kings?
• What was the interesting characteristic of Saul that made him a witness to Jesus?
PHILIP AND THE ETHIOPIAN EUNUCH
June 8
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PHILIP AND THE ETHIOPIAN EUNUCH
A poem by ILMA
As for Philip, an angel of the Lord said to him, “Go south down to Gaza”
He started out and met the Ethiopian eunuch of the queen of Ethiopia
The eunuch had gone to Jerusalem to worship and now returning
Seated in his carriage he was reading the book of Isaiah.
The Holy Spirit ask Philip to walk along beside the eunuch’s carriage
Philip ran and asked him if he understood what he was reading’
“How can I, unless someone instructs me?” He urged Philip in
The eunuch was reading the word on “Like a sheep, he was slaughtered.”
The eunuch asked if he was talking about himself or someone else?
This was how Philip began to tell him about the Good News about Jesus
As they rode along, they came to some water and asked to be baptized
He ordered the carriage to stop and the eunuch was baptized in the water.
When they came up out of the water, Philip was snatched by God’s Spirit
The eunuch never saw him again but went on his way rejoicing
Meanwhile, Philip found himself farther north at the town of Azotus
He preached the Good News there and each town until he reached Caesarea.
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MEMORY VERSE
When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away. The eunuch never saw him again but went on his way rejoicing. – Acts 8:39
Read: Acts 8
This story was an amazing account of Philip’s Holy Spirit led preaching of the Good News that led a powerful eunuch to have the desire to be baptized after hearing how Philip explained to him the meaning of the book of the prophet Isaiah. Philip was snatched literally out of a physical place into another one by the Spirit of the Lord.
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REFLECTION
• What made the eunuch have that great desire to be baptized?
• How do you explain Philip’s disappearance from the eunuch’s presence?
PHILIP PREACHES IN SAMARIA Poem Devotional
J
une 6
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PHILIP PREACHES IN SAMARIA
A poem by ILMA
The believers preached the Good News about Jesus wherever they went
Philip went to the city of Samaria and told the people there about the Messiah
Crowds listened intently to Philip because they were eager to hear the message
The people who were witnessing were eager to hear the miraculous signs he did.
Many evil spirits were cast out, screaming as they left their victims
Numerous who were paralyzed or lame were healed and restored
Because of all of these miraculous signs, there was great joy in the city
Philip’s message of Good News converted many people in that place.
Simon the sorcerer amazed many people for many years claiming greatness
Everyone spoke of Simon as the Great One and they were astounded by him
But when Philip preached there, so they snapped out of Simon’s magic
Many were baptized and began to follow Philip wherever he went.
Simon himself believed and was baptized and followed Philip everywhere
He was amazed by the signs and great miracles Philip performed
When the apostles in Jerusalem heard Samaria accepted God’s message
Peter and John then prayed for the new believers to receive God’s spirit.=
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MEMORY VERSE
But now the people believed Philip’s message of Good News concerning the Kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ. As a result, many men and women were baptized.
-Acts 8:12
Read: Acts 8
In the Acts of the apostles, we witness how the power of God was with Philip, Peter and John. Without the Spirit’s power, they won’t be able to do all the miraculous signs and wonders that brought about much conversion in Samaria.
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REFLECTION
• Have you witnessed for God to someone?
• What can the Holy Spirit do through you if you believe?
Stephen Arrested and Stoned
June 6
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STEPHEN ARRESTED AND STONED
A poem by ILMA
Stephen, a man full of God’s grace and power, performed amazing miracles
It became a concern for some men in the synagogue of Freed Slaves
They all started to debate with Stephen, none of them couldn’t win
Stephen had a supernatural wisdom from the Spirit that they couldn’t beat.
These Jews were from Cyrene, Alexandria, Cilicia and the province of Asia
They couldn’t accept that Stephen could beat them in wisdom
They persuaded some men to lie about Stephen and accused him of blasphemy
They lied that they heard Stephen blaspheme Moses and even God himself.
They claimed he said Jesus will destroy the Temple and change Moses’ customs
It was at this time that Stephen’s face became as bright as an angel’s
The high priests brought Stephen to council asked him if the accusations were true
Stephen gave them a long discourse on God’s faithful love to their ancestors.
Stephen replied by giving a history of God’s deliverance and Israel’s stubbornness
He accused the leaders as stubborn people who are heathens and deaf to truth
The Jewish leaders were enraged by Stephen’s accusation and shook their fists
Stephen gazed into heaven steadily as they dragged him and stoned him to death.
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MEMORY VERSE
As they stoned him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. He fell to his knees shouting, “Lord, don’t’ charge them with this sin!” And with that, he died.
– Acts 7:59-60
Read: Acts 6-7
What courage Stephen had to confront these hypocrites! The Holy Spirit never left his side. He was able to have the boldness to accused these Jewish leaders and expose their sins of idolatry, stubbornness and rebellion which led to her being stoned to death.
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REFLECTION
• Would you do everything to expose the lies of those who pretend they are godly?
• Why is hypocrisy a grave sin in the eyes of God? What other sins stem from it?
JOB’S THREE SO-CALLED FRIENDS Poem Devotional
June 5
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JOB’S THREE SO-CALLED FRIENDS
A poem by ILMA
When three of Job’s friends heard of the tragedy their friend went through
Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar got together and went to console and comfort Job
When they saw Job from a distance, they scarcely recognized their friend
Job was wailing loudly and they tore their robes and showed their grief.
Eliphaz gave his first response to Job’s bitterness and anguish in his condition
At first, you’d think this friend was really there to comfort Job in his agony
Then he started accusing Job that he must have sinned to go through this
His discourse was all about making Job repent and gave counsel that is biased.
Then Bildad the Shuhite started verbalizing his theories about Job’s predicament
He assumed that Job or his children must have sinned that’s why he’s punished
He mentioned that God will never reject a person of integrity
He thinks that Job is actually guilty for him to have such adversities.
Then Zophar the Naamathite started rebuking Job as well
Like the two other friends, he was sure that God was punishing him
He asked Job to confess and get rid of his sins so his life will be better
For if he didn’t, he will be blinded and the only hope is death.
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MEMORY VERSE
For the life of every living thing is in his hand, and the breath of every human being.
– Job 12:10
Read: Job 2-12
When I read these chapters, it was hard to believe how Job could have friends like these three people who were such accusers and blaming. It is interesting what these three friends represent in Job’s life. I see a parallel to the Pharisees in Jesus’ time where they accused Jesus of something he never did. I think the devil used these friends to add torment to Job’s loss of wealth, family and health in the guise of friendship.
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REFLECTION
• How do we know if our friends are really godly and righteous people?