March 7
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The Lord mocks the mockers but is gracious to the humble. – Proverbs 3:34(NLT)
GRACIOUS TO THE HUMBLE
A poem and essay by ILMA
To those who put down their brothers and sisters
The Lord isn’t please how you treat others
There is no room for mockers in God’s kingdom
He won’t allow oppression to all his children.
God is gracious to the humble
He guides them so they won’t stumble
When one lives in humility
They are living in sanctity.
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The problem with our world today is that it propagates selfishness and pride. We boast about our abilities, possessions, power, fame and many things and fail to recognize that we are nothing without God. We take credit for all the gifts and blessings that the Lord has bestowed upon us. We perform and show off all that we have without praising the Lord for whatever we were endowed with. Sometimes, we do it unknowingly or at times we purposely do it.
When Christ was among us during his lifetime here on earth, he set an example for us to follow. He wants us to live in humility. The fact that even though he was God, he didn’t brag about it. He always pointed back to the Father who sent him and yet, he was equal with God. He never flaunted his power and authority. He used it to give God glory. God is gracious to the humble.
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PRAYER
Lord, give me humility so I can point to you always.
REFLECTION
Why is it easy for us to boast about things we have?
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
Tag Archives: ILMA’s Poem Devotional
CHOOSE PEACE OVER CONFLICT Poem Devotional
March 6
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Don’t pick a fight without reason, where no one has done you harm. -Proverbs 3:30(NLT)
CHOOSE PEACE OVER CONFLICT
A poem and essay by ILMA
A true believer pursues peace at all times
Conflicts or arguments, he doesn’t find
When someone has done you wrong
Pray and gently confront the person.
Don’t pick a fight without reason
Jesus will never overreact to treason
He kept silent instead of retaliating
He chose peace over all kinds of fighting.
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Psalm 34:14 asks us to turn from evil and do good, to seek peace and pursue it. Hebrews 12:14 says that we must make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy.
Romans 14:19 tells us to aim for harmony in the church and try to build each other up. James 3:18 states that those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of righteousness. Why do you think God asks us to choose peace over conflict?
In English, the word peace means an absence of civil disturbance or hostilities or a personality free from internal or external strife. The bible meaning of peace is deeper than this English definition. The Hebrew root “slm” means to be complete or whole or to be well. No wonder we are commanded to pursue it. Peace is not just a passive result of not having conflicts. It is a state of wholeness that God wants us to always be experiencing.
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PRAYER
Lord, show me whenever my peace is being compromised.
REFLECTION
How can a person literally pursue peace on a daily basis?
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
WISEST THING TO DO Poem Devotional
March 5
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Getting wisdom is the wisest thing you can do! And whatever you do, develop good judgment. -Proverbs 4:7(NLT)
WISEST THING TO DO
A poem and essay by ILMA
It is good to ask the Lord for understanding
He knows how to help you in your suffering
He sees everything and can direct your life
Don’t rely on human counsel, they are finite.
Getting wisdom from God is the wisest thing to do
It will give you knowledge because it is all true
You won’t gain good insight when you follow this world
The fountain of knowledge can only be found in God’s word.
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There are many people who pursue knowledge without wisdom. These two concepts are oftentimes interchanged. Some people could be educated and have all the intelligence in the world, but that doesn’t make them wise.
Wisdom is the quality or state of being wise. It is understanding what is true or right coupled and making good judgment to act upon it. Knowledge is facts, information, and skills acquired by a person through experience or education. It may be theoretical or practical understanding of a subject. In knowledge, we have the data we need stored in our brain while in wisdom, we apply an act of choosing and making the right decision to act or apply what we know.
The bible recommends that the wisest thing to do is to get wisdom and develop good judgment.
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PRAYER
Lord, help me discern what is true always.
REFLECTION
Can intelligence be a sign of wisdom? Why or why not?
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
EXUDE YOUR LIGHT Poem Devotional
March 4
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Let your light shine for all to see. For the glory of the Lord rises to shine in you.
– Isaiah 60:1(NLT)
EXUDE YOUR LIGHT
A poem and essay by ILMA
When you exude the light that comes from Christ
Your heavenly Father is going to transform your life
Let your light shine for all the people to see
It will glorify your Lord and he will set you free.
Darkness can never hide in God’s light
He exposes all evil as he shines so bright
Radiate your love for it will bring many to Christ
Jesus’ radiance manifests in all of believers’ lives.
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I’ve been a photographer for almost three decades now. The camera lens consists of one or more precisely shaped pieces of glass or plastic called elements. Its main function is to focus and direct the incoming light. The light coming through the elements is “bent” or directed to the image sensor where the information about the light is captured
The camera lens is an extremely important part of the camera. That is because the type of lens and the quality of the lens being used will contribute greatly to the sharpness and overall appearance of the picture.
I’d like to compare the role of light in producing great pictures through the lens. Just like how important light is in photography, we also need to exude God’s light so we can affect other’s lives and make a difference.
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PRAYER
Lord, help me to always exude your light to everyone I meet.
REFLECTION
How can a believer exude God’s light in practical ways?
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 TO GIVE Poem Devotional
March 2
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On the first day of each week you should put aside a portion of the money you have earned. -1 Corinthians 16:2(NLT)
WHEN TO GIVE
A poem and essay by ILMA
To give is more blessed than to receive
We honor the Lord when we give
On the first day of each week
A portion of our wage we must give.
When you cheerfully give, you are praising him
It keeps you from selfishness and all kinds of sins
God is generous to provide us all our needs
Why don’t we make him first when we give?
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Billy Graham said “We have found in our own home, as have thousands of others, that God’s blessing upon the nine-tenths, when we tithe, helps it to go farther than ten-tenths without His blessing. Other Christians who tithe do so simply because they respect the Old Testament principle and find it a helpful place to begin in their giving. The matter of your giving is between you and God, and He always takes into account our circumstances. He knows when they are beyond our power to direct and control. The important thing is that we see giving as a privilege and not a burden. It should not be out of a sense of duty, but rather out of love for the Lord and a desire to see His kingdom advanced.”
When you prioritize giving to God’s kingdom, you are honoring him.
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PRAYER
Lord, give me a cheerful heart to give.
REFLECTION
What hampers people from giving generously to God’s kingdom?
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
MY FORTRESS Poem Devotional
February 27
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God is my strong fortress, and he makes my way perfect. – 2 Samuel 22:33(NLT)
MY FORTRESS
A poem and essay by ILMA
Why do you doubt the Lord’s faithfulness?
He supplies you your strength, he is your fortress
Why don’t you have enough faith, he saved you
He gave you his life and made you born again and new.
The Lord is our fortress, he makes our way perfect
He loves us so much, he rescues us and protects
Rely only on him and you will have victory
Depend on yourself and you will die slowly.
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Fortress is defined as a fortified place, a stronghold, especially a large and permanent fortification sometimes including a town. A fortress is a large building or complex of buildings used as a military stronghold. In a military sense, a fortress is often called a “fort.” Forts are built in order to secure a nation from infiltration or attack from another nation or enemy. They are walls to defend the country from invasion and capture.
My country of origin was the Philippines and we have forts that was built so that the Spanish conquistador will remain our conqueror, until the British came and took over the fort, and later on the Americans.
The bible tells us that the Lord is our strong fortress. He makes our ways perfect and only in him are we assured of victory over the enemy’s tactics.
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PRAYER
Lord, thank you for being my fortress.
REFLECTION
How can abiding in the Lord ensure your victory over the world’s corruption?
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
UNWAVERING MERCY Poem Devotional
February 26
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Whenever your people turned and cried to you again for help, you listened once more from heaven. In your wonderful mercy, you rescued them many times.
– Nehemiah 9:28(NLT)
UNWAVERING MERCY
A poem and essay by ILMA
Have you ever been forgiven again and again?
The Lord gives you mercy seventy times seven
He gives you forgiveness afresh each morning
He listens to your cry for help as you are praying.
He is faithful to understand you and give you grace
He never fails to hear the pleas of the human race
Run to his throne and he will never fail you
He is all-loving, he always rescues and renews.
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One of the hardest things to do is to forgive someone who has done you wrong. Human nature makes us respond to hurt in a vengeful reaction. We react to pain with either a flight or fight response. In Exodus 21, we hear that an eye for an eye is how we should respond to a fight. In Matthew 5, we hear the teaching that we must not resist an evil person but if someone slaps us on the right cheek, we must offer the other cheek. Does this mean that we are to allow ourselves to be abused? It means that we need not avenge ourselves from the wrong done to us, but forgive instead. The Lord grants us mercy without cease. Why can’t we do the same for others?
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PRAYER
Lord, give me the grace to grant forgiveness to those who have wronged me.
REFLECTION
How do you know that you have already forgiven someone?
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
PROTECTED FROM PRIDE Poem Devotional
February 25
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He makes them turn from doing wrong; he keeps them from pride. – Job 33:17(NLT)
PROTECTED FROM PRIDE
A poem and essay by ILMA
When you become a believer
You will become aware of the deceiver
The enemy will plot to destroy you
Let God have your mind renewed.
The Lord will protect you from pride
He will always be by your side
He delivers you from arrogance
He shows you humility and temperance.
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One of the greatest sins that we can commit is being proud. This is probably why it is considered to be one of the deadliest sins. Pride as a noun is defined as a feeling or deep pleasure or satisfaction derived from one’s own achievements, the achievements of those with whom one is closely associated, or from qualities or possessions that are widely admired. As a verb, it means to be especially proud of a particular quality or skill.
Humility is the opposite of pride. Jesus Christ championed the act of humility by becoming human even though he was God. The world has turned humility into a false idea of not acknowledging one’s strengths and belittling oneself. True humility is actually knowing who you are in Christ and recognising your strengths and weaknesses and using it to further his kingdom.
The bible tells us that the Lord protects all his children from pride. He brings them a thorn in their flesh so they’ll remember who they are in Christ.
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PRAYER
Lord, keep me humble always.
REFLECTION
What are the manifestations of pride in your life that can be tricky to discern?
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
AS YOU REST Poem Devotional
February 24
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He speaks in dreams, in visions of the night, when deep sleep falls on people as they lie in their beds. – Job 33:15(NLT)
AS YOU REST
A poem and essay by ILMA
As you lie down in your bed to sleep
God sorts your problems while you rest
Keep still and know that he is there
Don’t live in anxiety and fear.
As you rest and replenish your strength
The Lord straightens everything that is bent
As you relax and trust him, he will give you answers
He wants you to have faith for he is the best provider.
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There are many bible characters that have been given visions and prophecies while they sleep. Joseph, the husband of Mary was given instructions to marry his fiancée even though she was pregnant already. Daniel was able to interpret Nebuchadnezzar’s dream which made him part of the king’s counsel.
Sadly, in our modern age, we sometimes get little time to sleep or rest. There are so many stimulants to give us time to relax. Even planning a vacation becomes work in itself and fail to be a source of replenishing the mind and body. Researchers say it does seem clear that sleep is key to the brain’s ability to reorganize itself — a feature called plasticity.
I think that God designed us to sleep so he can help us solve our issues and regenerate our minds, bodies and spirits.
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PRAYER
Thank you Lord for giving us time to rest.
REFLECTION
Why is sleep or rest crucial in our existence?
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









