THRILLED BY GOD Poem Devotional

July 27________________________________________
You thrill me Lord with all you have done for me. – Psalm 92:4(NLT)
THRILLED BY GOD
A poem and essay by ILMA
When I wake up each morning
You excite me with your blessings
You thrill me Lord with all you’ve done
You sent and gave us your only Son.
You are always there for me
You make sure that I am free
Thank you for your faithfulness
I am grateful that I am so blessed.
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When was the last time you felt excited by someone? When I met my husband for the first time, I was so thrilled to know that he was so interested in me. His gentle and quiet nature attracted me to him. I can’t get enough of him.
As a believer, do you feel the same way for the Lord? Do you get up each morning, delighted by the truth that he is always there for you? Do you feel special by how God treats you? To stay exhilarated by the fact that you are very much loved by your heavenly Father is something that you need to dwell on each day of your life.
The psalmist in chapter 92 declares to the Lord how much he feels grateful for all the things the Lord has done for him. Are you the same about how we feel about God? Can you say that you are always thankful for all you have been given?
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PRAYER
Lord, keep me constantly thrilled with your faithful love for me.
REFLECTION
How can one stay thrilled with the Love of Jesus?
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

START AND END YOUR DAY RIGHT Poem Devotional

July 26________________________________________
It is good to proclaim your unfailing love in the morning, your faithfulness in the evening.
– Psalm 92:2(NLT)
START AND END YOUR DAY RIGHT
A poem and essay by ILMA
Do you praise God when you wake up?
Do you tell him how much you love him?
Spend time with him as you rise up
You will thrive and win over sin.
If you constantly start your day right
It is also good to end it under his light
Proclaim your faithfulness in the evening
It will bring you peace, joy and all the blessings.
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There are many ways to show your love for someone. For those who have spouses, it is great to wake up beside your beloved and greet them as soon as you wake up. It usually makes your day go well, doesn’t it? My husband calls me once a day from work during his break, just to keep in touch and tell me how his day is going. At the end of the day, we spend time cuddling before we retire to bed.
Spending time with the Lord is crucial to a Christian’s daily life. Just like we spent time with our beloved, we need to manifest our faithfulness to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We do this in the morning as we pray and spend time reading and meditating on his word. At the end of the day, we finish it by declaring our love to him.
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PRAYER
Lord, thank you for your faithfulness.
REFLECTION
Why is it important to start and end your day praising 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

SING PRAISE TO THE LORD Poem Devotional

July 25________________________________________
It is good to sing praises to the Lord; to sing praises to the Most High. -Psalm 92:1(NLT)
SING PRAISE TO THE LORD
A poem and essay by ILMA
Sing out loud to praise the Most High
It will definitely change your life
When you glorify the Lord with your voice
You are doing well; you’ve made a good choice.
Sing praise to the Lord Jesus Christ
It will make you prosper and thrive
When you magnify him through psalms and hymns
It is a form of worship that makes you overcome sin.
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Someone told me when I was a young girl that when you sing praises to the Lord, He hears more clearly. Because I was gifted with a good singing voice, I always sang out loud at church. I became a church choir member at a young age. That notion about being heard more if I sing my heart out stuck with me for many years of my life. I think it was the Holy Spirit who used that person to let me know that singing praise to the Lord is something that God wants me to engage in.
King David was always playing a musical instrument and singing psalms and writing poetry. The book of Psalms was a compilation of how he magnified the Lord with his gift for music and poetic rhythm. It is good to sing praises to the Lord Most High.
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PRAYER
I lift up your Holy Name and give you all the praise you so deserve Lord.
REFLECTION
Why do you think singing is one of the best forms of worship?
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

CONCISE WORDS FROM THE WISE Poem Devotional



July 24________________________________________
A truly wise person uses few words; a person with understanding is even-tempered.
– Proverbs 17:27(NLT)
CONCISE WORDS FROM THE WISE
A poem and essay by ILMA
It is best to use fewer words and stick to what is true
More words will be more prone to be misconstrued
A truly wise person uses concise and few words
It shows someone who can discern the ways of the world.
Whoever keeps his mouth and tongue avoids troubles
If you love to talk, you will eventually fall into the rubbles
Whoever guards his mouth, is actually preserving his life
A fool will talk more and yet lacks wisdom and insight.
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I have met many people who talk a lot and can’t stop speaking. One of these people I know just mutters and think aloud. She doesn’t even hear a thing anyone else’s say. She is so busy dumping all her toxic mind into words to anyone who is around her. She targets strangers, friends, family, acquaintances just so she can dump all the noise in her head. I think she used this learned behavior as a result of rejection in her life and not having someone to talk to for quite a long time. She would talk to everyone around her and also to herself. Most of the time, she just chatters away to anyone and everyone. The bible says that a truly wise person uses few words.
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PRAYER
Lord, help me to be concise and true to your word.
REFLECTION
How can we limit our words to the bare minimum?
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

TO QUARREL IS TO SIN Poem Devotional

July 23________________________________________
Anyone who loves to quarrel loves sin. – Proverbs 17:19(NLT)
TO QUARREL IS TO SIN
A poem and essay by ILMA
When one is inclined towards conflict
That person is actually embracing sin
Anyone who loves to quarrel loves evil
They only listen to the lies of the devil.
When someone engages you in a fight
Don’t get into the trap, run for your life
Pursue peace and avoid fights of any kind
This will make you lead a conflict-free life.
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I lived a good number of life amidst passive conflict. What I mean by this is that there was not any loud screaming or arguing, it was more emotional provocation and belittling that I experienced growing up. As a result of living with these challenges, I learned to react to conflicts defensively. I became obsessed to prove myself right to almost everyone. Thus, I learned to thrive in it. When I became a born again Christian, the Lord dealt with the sin of conflict in my life. He convicted me of all that caused me to choose to fight rather than to pursue peace. He brought me to those moments when I cradled the wounds of the traumas and abuses from those closest to me.
Romans 12:18 tells us that if it is possible, as far as it depends on us, we must live at peace with everyone. Anyone who loves to quarrel loves sin.
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PRAYER
Lord, deliver me from the tendency to argue or fight.
REFLECTION
Why do you think the love of conflict is considered a sin?
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

NO HEART FOR LEARNING Poem Devotional

July 22________________________________________
It is senseless to pay tuition to educate a fool since he has no heart for learning.
– Proverbs 17:16(NLT)
NO HEART FOR LEARNING
A poem and essay by ILMA
When you try to tell a fool something
Be ready to be ignored; he is not listening
They have no heart for learning or following
They only want to satisfy their cravings.
It is futile to teach fools; they are unteachable
When you connect to them, they are unreachable
Do not waste your time or effort on them
They have no care to other people’s help.
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I have been in relationships with many foolish people in the past. I myself was foolish for many decades in my life. I believed that I have all the answers if I just search hard and long for it. I mostly relied on my intelligence and resourcefulness without knowing that it was all a gift from God. It was a long process until I was able to recognize that if I do things on my own, I will always be making mistakes. When God revealed to me that I was full of pride, I began to see what role he was playing in all those booboos I made. It was senseless for others to teach me because I was so arrogant to even hear anything other people said. When I succumb to God’s guidance, things changed.
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PRAYER
Lord, help me to always have a teachable spirit.
REFLECTION
What do you think hinders others from learning?
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

BEFORE A DISPUTE GROWS Poem Devotional

July 21________________________________________
Starting a quarrel is like opening a floodgate; so stop before a dispute breaks out.
– Proverbs 17:14(NLT)
BEFORE A DISPUTE GROWS
A poem and essay by ILMA
Whenever a conflict is brewing
Be aware of it before engaging
Starting a fight is opening a floodgate
Involving yourself in it is an actual bait.
Just like poison that travels rapidly
Stop it at its core immediately
Seek and pursue peace at all cost
It will break a dispute before it grows.
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I used to love to debate and prove my point until the Lord convicted me of this futile and harmful act. Because I was deprived of being heard as a child, I learned to survive by fighting back and proving my point. It filled the void of being rejected and disrespected. When I became a born again Christian, I had to let it go because the bible says that we are to pursue peace at all cost.
The book of Proverbs warns us of engaging in conflicts. If we start a fight, we are actually opening the floodgate to hell. The antidote to fights would be choosing love and peace. When we choose to love, we are shutting the door to Satan to fill us with all kinds of lies and evil acts. Before the poison kills us, we need to stop it where it entered our body. Stop a dispute before it breaks out.
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PRAYER
Lord, help me to never engage in any form of conflict.
REFLECTION
How do you deal with people who love to argue or start fights?
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

IGNORING EVIL Poem Devotional

July 20________________________________________
If you repay good with evil, evil will never leave your house. – Proverbs 17:13(NLT)
IGNORING EVIL
A poem and essay by ILMA
Whenever evil creeps in your life
Do not succumb but instead fight
If you allow it without confrontation
You’ll have a hard time battling temptation.
Do not ignore the evil that comes to you
Or you will find it hard to abide in truth
Soak in God’s word so you can detect sin
That is the only way you can actually win.
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There are some people who are very compliant about evil. We can be easily attacked if we don’t equip ourselves with God’s armor. In Ephesians 6, we are given the weapon to fight back evil. We do not let evil conquer us, but we win over it by abiding in God through his word and applying it in our lives. Jesus always confronted and exposed the Pharisees for their judgmental attitude and hypocrisy. That is why they were angered and plotted to kill him. They do not want to be uncovered because they won’t be able to continue their malicious acts.
The bible warns us of repaying evil with good because when we do, we are condoning it and it will never leave us alone. In Psychology, there is a term called “co-dependency” which is a relationship addiction. When we let evil dwell in our lives, it will co-exist with us and we’ll be enslaved.
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PRAYER
Lord, deliver me from evil.
REFLECTION
What is the best way to keep evil out of your life?
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

REBUKING ONE WITH UNDERSTANDING Poem Devotional

July 18________________________________________
A single rebuke does more for a person of understanding than a hundred lashes on the back of a fool – Proverbs 17:10 (NLT)
REBUKING ONE WITH UNDERSTANDING
A poem and essay by ILMA
When you rebuke someone with wisdom
You’ll succeed because he is walking in freedom
When you correct a fool however
It is futile because you’ll end up nowhere.
One rebuke does more for someone with understanding
Rather than altering a fool’s mind continually, he has no inkling
It is better to leave fools alone because they are unteachable
Don’t waste your precious time with those unreachable.
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Before I was born again, I didn’t know that I could teach everyone. So, as a faithful teacher, I would do my best to teach my students with all that I got. Sadly, the ones who are failing are not really dumb but they chose not to prioritize their studies, so I thought. But after God revealed to me different ways the enemy works on people, I realized that one of the hindrances to learning is a spirit of stubbornness and pride or laziness. One of the most challenging students I encountered was probably in my third year of teaching. This girl would literally defy what I was instructing her to do. She wanted power and she didn’t like that someone was telling her what to do. The bible tells us not to waste our time teaching fools.
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PRAYER
Lord, show me when to stop teaching when they don’t want to learn.
REFLECTION
How can we develop a teachable spirit?
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 A FAULT IS FORGIVEN Poem Devotional

July 17________________________________________
Love prospers when a fault is forgiven, but dwelling on it separates close friends.
-Proverbs 17:9(NLT)
WHEN A FAULT IS FORGIVEN
A poem and essay by ILMA
When you forgive a wrong done to you
You are emulating Christ and being brand new
Dwelling on resentment and bad feelings
Will only open your doors to the devil.
Love prospers when a fault is forgiven
You will experience joy and blessings
Holding on to un-forgiveness makes you bitter
It doesn’t contribute to being a victor.
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How do you know that you have forgiven someone? It is not enough to say “I forgive you.” Sometimes one must allow the process to happen. Recognizing you are wronged or offended and praying for that someone who hurt you takes a lot of courage and maturity. Some people think they have forgiven someone, yet they still keep a record of wrongs done to them. The minute something brings them back to that memory, the offense comes back in their minds. And the cycle of un-forgiveness goes on. In 1 Corinthians 13, we are reminded that love is patient, kind and does not keep a record of wrongs. When we hold on to all that others did wrong to us, we are not walking in love. Instead, we are embracing “bitterness.” Whenever we choose not to forgive, we are choosing death. Love prospers when a fault is forgiven, but dwelling on it separates relationships.
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PRAYER
Lord, remind me to always forgive myself and others.
REFLECTION
How can forgiving oneself sometimes be more challenging than forgiving others?
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