Tag Archives: spoken word

PRAY ALWAYS AND NEVER GIVE UP Poem Devotional

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November 7________________________________________
One day Jesus told his disciples a story to show that they should always pray and never give up. – Luke 18:1(NLT)
PRAY ALWAYS AND NEVER GIVE UP
A poem and essay by ILMA
Are you weighed down with life’s demands?
Pray that you will seek him and follow his commands
When you pray, you keep your focus on Jesus
When you don’t, you keep your focus on yourself.
The enemy will distract you from praying
He knows it is a weapon in winning over him
Never give up and be preoccupied with things
Make God first and you will have victory over sin.
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I love to pray since I was seven years old. It meant spending time with Jesus for me. It gave me comfort during those times when I had no one else to run to. I always made sure I found time to be with a God who was always there for me and faithful to provide for all my needs. Because the enemy knew how much I loved Jesus, he stole a decade of my life through strongholds and weaknesses passed on through many generations in my family. Those dark periods in my life focused on reaching my ambitions and proving to everyone that I had worth. I stopped praying and got derailed with selfish dreams and quest to fulfill my unmet needs. Jesus said that we must always pray and never give up.
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PRAYER
Lord, help me to stay intimate with you always.
REFLECTION
What do you think will happen if you stop praying and give up on 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

UNASHAMED PERSISTENCE Poem Devotional

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November 6
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If you keep knocking long enough, he will get up and give you whatever you need because of your shameless persistence. – Luke 11:8(NLT)
UNASHAMED PERSISTENCE
A poem and essay by ILMA
When you commit your life to God
You will surely want to walk in love
Do not give up; always persist
God will answer your prayers and plea.
He values diligence and faithfulness
Continue to pursue and live in righteousness
Have an unashamed persistence to obey
Be bold and brave to follow his ways.
________________________________________Persistence is defined as determination to do something even though it is difficult or other people oppose it. It is continuing to do something despite obstacles. In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared what people thought. And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’ “For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care what people think, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually come and attack me!’” This was the parable of the persistent widow in Luke 18 that Jesus told.
Persistence can be a good thing if it is something true and right, it is pressing on and never giving up. We are urged to have shameless persistence.
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PRAYER
Lord grant me an attitude that persists and never gives up.
REFLECTION
Share a shameless persistence that you have done in 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

CONSEQUENCE OF UNREPENTANCE Poem Devotional

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November 5________________________________________
If a person does not repent, God will sharpen his sword. He will prepare his deadly weapons and shoot his flaming arrows. -Psalm 7:12-13(NLT)
CONSEQUENCE OF UNREPENTANCE
A poem and essay by ILMA
When you are convicted with sin
Do you admit or ask God to forgive?
Confess your sin to him and repent
The consequence of unrepentance is big.
Any form of sin angers the Lord
It defies him and doesn’t bring him laud
Are you ready to suffer as a result of rebellion?
If you don’t repent, you will end up in oblivion.
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When the psalmist talks about God sharpening his sword and shooting his flaming arrows at the unrepentant person in this verse in Psalm 7, I shivered. I couldn’t imagine God can hurt anyone. Then I suddenly remembered verses like God created us in his image. It also brought me back to that verse in James 4:4 which says “You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. Now it is starting to make sense that God hates sin and the corruption of this world. He considers loyalty to the world as an act against him. They become an enemy. It is only therefore justified if God takes a weapon to shoot back at those who betrayed him. The consequence of unrepentance is high.
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PRAYER
Lord, please grant me a repentant heart at all times.
REFLECTION
What would you do to someone who betrays you and considers you an enemy?
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

OBEDIENCE: A SPIRITUAL WEAPON

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November 4________________________________________
This is how I spend my life: obeying your commandments. – Psalm 119:56(NLT)
OBEDIENCE: A SPIRITUAL WEAPON
A poem and essay by ILMA
Have you submitted yourself to Jesus Christ?
What have you done to imitate his life?
A life of obedience glorifies the Lord
It leads to you overcome this world.
Without obedience, one can’t have victory
Rebellion is how we are attacked by the enemy
When we follow God’s instructions
It becomes a weapon against temptations.
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Many of the people that God used in fulfilling the promise of a Messiah had one thing in common. They were all obedient to God’s call. Abraham was the epitome of complete surrender to God’s call. In Genesis 12, Abram was called by the Lord and instructed to leave his native country, his relatives and his father’s family to go to a land that he wasn’t sure of. God instructed him in verse 1-2 that he will show him where that place is going to be and that he will make him into a great nation. In verse 3, God said that all families on earth will be blessed through him. Abram came from Ur in the Chaldees and they were from a pagan land. God used him to bring his people to Canaan, the promised land. Because of his obedience, he became the father of all nations. He became the leader of many nations.
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PRAYER
Lord, let me always live in obedience to your will.
REFLECTION
How is obedience a spiritual weapon against Satan?
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

Babbling Prayers poem devotional

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November 2________________________________________
When you pray, don’t babble on and on as the Gentiles do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again. -Matthew 6:7(NLT)
BABBLING PRAYERS
A poem and essay by ILMA
When you repeat again and again your request
It leads you nowhere, it is a futile quest
Some people think that by nagging the Lord
They can have every wish they have in this world.
God knows already what you need even before you ask
Why not just be honest with Him and open your heart?
Babbling and rote prayers doesn’t have meaning
They are just an exercise for sound uttering.
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I grew up surrounded by people who prayed formula prayers. At age seven, I can remember the mass in Latin where I just heard sounds and a language I can’t understand. It seemed like it was all a ritual. We were going inside the church, genuflecting before I sat in the pews and making sure my head was covered with veil, not making noise aside from what we were told to answer and saying out loud in unison with everybody the prayers that were taught to us in school. It is amazing that even at that young age, the Holy Spirit was teaching me that this kind of praying was wrong. So, I had this voice inside my mind that told me to talk to Jesus instead. It felt right to pray this way. ________________________________________
PRAYER
Lord, please let me never babble on when I pray.
REFLECTION
How can one avoid babbling when praying?
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

A GOOD STEWARD Poem Devotional

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November 1________________________________________
Guard what God has entrusted to you. – 1 Timothy 6:20 (NLT)
A GOOD STEWARD
A poem and essay by ILMA
A good steward cares for what’s given him
He doesn’t hoard for his pleasure such gifts
He makes sure that what’s entrusted will prosper
He guards it and uses it to give God the honor.
The more gifts we are given, the more is expected
God gave us all this so that his kingdom will be propagated
Use what is assigned to you with love and wisdom
He rewards good stewards with much joy and freedom.
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In Matthew 25:13-40, a master entrusted money to three of his servants. He gave five bags of silver to one, two bags of silver to another, and one bag of silver to the last—dividing it in proportion to their abilities. Then he left them. The one who got five bags invested it and earned five more. The one who received two also went to work and earned two more. The last servant who got one, dug a hole in the ground and hid it there. After a long time, the master came back and asked for an account from the three servants what they did with the money he left them. When he found out what the three did, he praised the first and the second servants but threw the third one out because he didn’t steward well what was entrusted to him.
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PRAYER
Lord, please help me never to take for granted what you give me.
REFLECTION
How can you be a good steward to God’s gifts to 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

STUDY AND REFLECT ON GOD’S WORD Poem Devotional

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October 31________________________________________
I will study your commandments and reflect on your ways. I will delight in your decrees and not forget your word. – Psalm 119:15-16(NLT)
STUDY AND REFLECT ON GOD’S WORD
A poem and essay by ILMA
When you become a believer of Jesus Christ
Follow his words and changes happen in your life
As you study and reflect on God’s ways
You will be stronger not to be swayed.
If you hide his truth in your heart
He will live in it and never depart
Delight in his commands and obey it
It is how we can have the fruits of the Spirit.
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As a new born again Christian, I was surprised to know that there are many Christians who do not really spend time on the word of God. I was a voracious reader of many different subjects before I became born again, but since I started studying the bible, there is no other book that can transform me and heal me. In Timothy 3:16 we know that Scriptures is God breathed and is there to teach us, correct us and tell us what to do. If this is the map to life, how come many believers don’t use it. It is sad to know that many of us don’t want to grow spiritually or else we won’t miss a day in reading, meditating and applying the word of God. We need to feed on it daily.
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PRAYER
Lord, give us all a hunger for your truth in the word.
REFLECTION
Why do you think some Christians fail to study and meditate on 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

LASTING FAVORS TO THE GODLY

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October 30________________________________________
Sing to the Lord, all you godly ones! Praise his holy name. For his anger lasts only a moment but his favor lasts a lifetime. -Psalm 30:4-5(NLT)
LASTING FAVORS TO THE GODLY
A poem and essay by ILMA
Praise to the king of kings
Declare your love as you sing
Do not avoid his discipline
It will let you avoid sin.
He may be angry at you momentarily
Repent and confess and he forgives infinitely
He showers the godly with lifetime favors
He treasures deeply those who are faithful.
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Have you ever asked someone a favor? Wasn’t it great when they respond to your request? We don’t usually approach strangers or just anyone to ask for favors. We want to make sure that we have a relationship with that person already so that we are assured that we won’t be turned down. I think it is just courtesy to ask something from someone we know either by acquaintance, friendship or kinship. Otherwise, we would fall in the category of “entitled” persons.
In Psalm 30:4-5, we get to have a glimpse of how God loves those who are his people, especially those who worship him in spirit and truth. In these two verses, we see the generosity and mercy that God so easily gives to those who confess and repent of their sins. He showers them with much blessings and favors. So, why don’t all believers avail of these wonderful opportunities?
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PRAYER
Thank you for your generosity to all those who faithfully praise and worship you.
REFLECTION
How can you avail of such favors from a generous 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

IDOLS COMPETE WITH GOD Poem Devotional

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October 29________________________________________
How foolish to trust in your own creation-a god that can’t even talk. – Habakkuk 2:18(NLT)
IDOLS COMPETE WITH GOD
A poem and essay by ILMA
When one trusts his own creations
It is an impediment to receive salvation
God is the only one who has infinite wisdom
How foolish to turn away from God’s kingdom!
When you turn to idols created by mere creatures
You are competing with God’s sovereignty and power
Anything man-made is fleeting and temporary
Trust only in the Lord who can bring you eternity.
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According to the international bible society, Habakkuk is somewhat unique among the prophetic writings in that it includes no oracle addressed to Israel. It contains, rather, a dialogue between the prophet and God. This account of wrestling with God is, however, not just a fragment from a private journal but that it was composed for Israel. No doubt it represented the voice of the godly in Judah, struggling to comprehend the ways of God. God’s answers therefore spoke to all who shared Habakkuk’s troubled doubts. And Habakkuk’s confession became a public expression—as indicated by its liturgical notations. Anything that distracts us from having a relationship with God or making him first in our lives is a form of idol. Habakkuk warns us not to rely on idols because it is not going to bring us eternal life. It is actually allowing competition to hinder our pure relationship with God.
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PRAYER
Help me Lord to never allow any idols to come between us.
REFLECTION
How can idols become a way of competing with 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

GOD SATISFIES EVERY NEED Poem Devotional

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October 28________________________________________
He himself gives life and breath to everything and he satisfies every need.
– Acts 17:25(NLT)
GOD SATISFIES EVERY NEED
A poem and essay by ILMA
Are you always longing to meet your needs?
Does it lead you to desperation and greed?
If you look for someone to fulfill it
You’ll be disillusioned, no one can give it.
Only God can give life and breath
He is the answer for your quest
Turn to Jesus so you can be contented
He is faithful to provide, have you requested?
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Many years of my life was a quest to have someone provide for my needs. I was desperate in my search because I thought another person could actually fill in all the unfulfilled needs I had. I felt empty and alone for many decades because I didn’t know that no human being can ever fill that void.
When I became born again six years ago, God revealed to me that no one but him can satisfy every need I have. I began seeing everything different. I had always set up very high expectations from the people I have relationships with. Because I lived a life of neglect growing up, I became an anxious person.
When I got deep into studying God’s word, he showed me how to rely on him and not on others or myself. I began to live under his grace and mercy and it was awesome.
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PRAYER
Lord, thank you for meeting all my needs.
REFLECTION
What need has God satisfied in your life lately?
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