Tag Archives: spoken word

WHEN PERSECUTED Poem Devotional

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March 25________________________________________
God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.
– Matthew 5:10(NLT)
WHEN PERSECUTED
A poem and essay by ILMA
When you are undergoing much oppression
Don’t give up or give in to depression
Be joyful when you are being persecuted
For the faithful will definitely be protected.
Do what is right even if others maltreat you
You need not give in, stick to what is true
You will inherit the kingdom of heaven
The Lord is faithful to all his brethren.
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There may be times when people are oppressing you for doing and following the word and commands of the Lord. It shouldn’t matter because what is important is that God knows what is going on and he has your backs covered. It may seem bleak but there is always a light that the Lord shines bright on those who are being persecuted. They are special to him because they will be heirs to his heavenly kingdom.
I have been set aside many times because of my close relationship with the Lord. It never discouraged me because I know how faithful the Lord is to all his promises. I also know that he is Spirit and that those who don’t live in the Spirit will not understand the ways of the Lord. Be encouraged if you are marginalized because of your faith for you will be spiritual millionaires when you do what’s right.
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PRAYER
Lord, help me to focus on you when I am persecuted.
REFLECTION
Why do you think persecution for doing what’s right is rewarded by 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

PURE HEARTED PEOPLE’S REWARD Poem Devotional

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March 24________________________________________
God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God. -Matthew 5:8(NLT)
PURE HEARTED PEOPLE’S REWARD
A poem and essay by ILMA
You have been commanded to guard your heart
Never turn your back to God or be apart
The Lord blesses those whose hearts are pure
He protects them from the devil’s tactics and lure.
Why do you compromise your allegiance?
You will see God when you are in alliance
He will allow the pure to see him face to face
It’s a great reward for those whose hearts are in place?
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Why do you think God mentions many times in the bible to guard our hearts? When we don’t watch what is going on inside our spiritual heart, it will be vulnerable to be enticed and corrupted by the world systems. The bible also mentions how important it is to see things like a little child would. Children are innocent and pure. That is why they are very vulnerable to be victimized by ill-intentioned adults. God even said that you cannot enter his kingdom unless you are like a child. Children have no ill intentions because they are still unable to really fathom and weigh what’s right and wrong. There are no schemes or bad motivations. They are just outwardly open, honest and fresh in their perspectives.
The reward of the pure-hearted people is that they will definitely see God.
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PRAYER
Lord, help me to always stay pure for you.
REFLECTION
Why are there some believers who compromise their integrity?
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

REWARD FOR NEEDING CHRIST Poem Devotional

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March 23
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God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs. – Matthew 5:3(NLT)
REWARD FOR NEEDING CHRIST
A poem and essay by ILMA
Those who do not ask for help from Christ
They will fail and struggle much in life
God blesses those who realize their need for him
To them, the kingdom of heaven, he will bring.
Wouldn’t you want to be spending eternity with God?
Why continue to be self-sufficient and not bring him laud?
When you acknowledge your weakness and seek his guidance
You are humbling yourself and you’ll receive divine assistance.
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Have you ever had a relationship with someone who is so independent that he thinks that he doesn’t need anyone else in his life? They believe the lie that they have it altogether and have no desire to reach out or give help to anyone. They think that in their own strength, they are perfect. What a pity it is to watch these people who have accepted the lie that they are okay without anyone else’s assistance. I have had many relationships with these kind of people. It was draining to be with them because they resist to accept any form of care or love and concern for them.
The bible tells us that those who have realized their need for Christ and others will inherit the kingdom of heaven. He values God-dependence.
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PRAYER
Lord, always remind me to be dependent on you.
REFLECTION
Why do you think God gives his kingdom to those who acknowledge their need for him?
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

FALLING AWAY FROM GOD’S GRACE Poem Devotional

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March 22
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For if you are trying to make yourselves right with God by keeping the law, you have been cut off from Christ! You have fallen away from God’s grace – Galatians 5:4(NLT)
FALLING AWAY FROM GOD’S GRACE
A poem and essay by ILMA
When you committed your life to Jesus Christ
You will be showered with his grace in life
You need not keep on following rules
Openly receive his mercy, grace and his truth.
You will be falling away from God’s grace right away
When you obsessively follow the law always
You will be denying yourself of all his blessings
Walk in love instead of keeping the law strictly.
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Are you a stickler to rules? Do you follow the law just so you can be right with the Lord? I used to be legalistic and followed the commandments so I can feel right with myself and with God. I didn’t know I lived in the old testament by following the ten commandments and abiding by it for the sake of being saved. Romans 13:10 says that love is the fulfillment of the law and in Matthew 22:36-40, we are given the highest commandment to love God first and our neighbors as ourselves. It states that love rules over law. When we do things out of just obeying the law, we lose out on what is more important, which is love. We fall away from God’s grace when we prioritize law over love.
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PRAYER
Lord, let me follow your commands out of love and not just out of duty.
REFLECTION
How can we avoid falling out of grace?
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

LIVE A FREE LIFE Poem Devotional

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March 21
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So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don’t get tied up again in slavery to the law. – Galatians 5:1(NLT)
LIVE A FREE LIFE
A poem and essay by ILMA
When you believed in Jesus, he freed you from sin
You need to seek his word so you can totally win
Christ died for us on the cross to set us free
Why do we struggle to receive freedom from sin?
We were set free while we were still sinners
Why do we allow Satan to trap us constantly?
Remember to choose a life that is free and loving
This is how we to stay away from bondage to sin.
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I watched a movie of someone who was released from prison after over ten years in it. He was innocent but was a victim of the corrupt judicial system in the U.S. and was given a verdict to serve for a decade. When they are released from prison, they are brought into a place where they can start joining the society again. A lot them
ended up depressed and killed themselves a few weeks later from their release because they didn’t know how to live free lives anymore. They wallowed in the discrimination that society easily threw at them.
Just like these former prisoners, we can also allow our old lives to prevent us from embracing the new creation from believing in Jesus.
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PRAYER
Lord, help me to embrace the new life you have given me.
REFLECTION
How can we continue to live free lives?
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

NEW CREATION IN CHRIST Poem Devotional

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March 20
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What counts is whether we have been transformed into a new creation.
-Galatians 6:15(NLT)
NEW CREATION IN CHRIST
A poem and essay by ILMA
What have you been trying to change in your life?
Do you realize that you can’t do anything without Christ?
Total transformation comes only by believing in Jesus
All our efforts to change will be in vain and fruitless.
Only God can transform us into a new creation
He made all things, so he can do all kinds of alterations
Put on your new nature in Christ and you will thrive
If you don’t let your old self go, you will constantly strive.
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How do we change our old stinky ways? Do we do it in our own effort? Do we look for self-help books that can alter how we think and do things? I used to say yes to all these questions before I became a born again Christian. No wonder I constantly struggled. I relied on my own strength and didn’t allow God to do the transforming. As a result, I wavered back and forth to the old and new and became more frustrated and discouraged. When I re-committed my life to Jesus, he revealed to me that I needed to relinquish control to him so he can change me into the new creation he wanted me to be. That was the only time I had been freed from frustration and discouragement.
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PRAYER
Lord, thank you for being my Lord and Savior.
REFLECTION
Why is total surrender to the Lord essential in becoming a new creation?

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

YOU’LL HARVEST WHAT YOU PLANT Poem Devotional

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March 19
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Don’t be misled- you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant. – Galatians 6:7(NLT)
YOU’LL HARVEST WHAT YOU PLANT
A poem and essay by ILMA
God is a very fair and just God
He doesn’t reward those who do bad
You will only harvest what you have sowed
If you didn’t plant any, how do you expect it to grow?
There is always a consequence for choices you made
Do your best to do the right thing for your own sake
You will reap a harvest of good results if you sow God’s word
Grace will abound and you’ll definitely overcome this world.
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When I read the book of Cloud and Townsend “Boundaries”, I learned that God had laws that he set for us to have healthy boundaries. One of these laws is the law of sowing and reaping which is spelled out in Galatians 6:7. We can only harvest what we plant. There is no way we can get results if we don’t sow it. Boundary violations exists because some people expect something that they didn’t actually invested in. Matthew 12:33 tells us that a tree is recognized by its fruits. It says that if you make a tree good, it’s fruit will be good but if you make it bad, therefore, you will have bad fruits. We have a just God who can allow you to harvest what you have sown.
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PRAYER
Thank you for being a just and fair God.
REFLECTION
What do you think is the source of expecting something that you never have sowed?
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

HUMILITY IN SHARING Poem Devotional

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March 18
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Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ. – Galatians 6:2(NLT)
HUMILITY IN SHARING
A poem and essay by ILMA
When you are going through some difficulties
Reach out to others in your area or community
God didn’t make us isolated and alone
He gave us each other so we can grow.
When you humbly share your burdens to others
You are admitting your weakness to your sisters and brothers
We are all called to help each other in our lives
Let us heed God’s command and give up our pride.
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In our world today, independence and self-reliance is predominant. Gone are those days when people openly offer their help to their neighbors and community. We get absorbed by society’s dictate that we must earn money to thrive and in the process, we barely have time for anyone, not even to ourselves. How many of your neighbors do you actually know or talk to? Do you reach out when you see them struggling?
The bible encourages us to share our burdens with others. In fact, it is said in Galatians 6:2 that it is a law of Christ to share your struggles with others. We need to be wise who to share it with because not all people can be trusted. Share it with another believer who understands and live the commands of the Lord. By doing this, you are humbling yourself.
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PRAYER
Lord, thank you that you created others to be around us when we are in need.
REFLECTION
Why do you think reaching out to others is a law of Christ?
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

LIVE IN HARMONY Poem Devotional

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March 17
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Let us not become conceited or provoke one another, or be jealous of one another.
-Galatians 5:26(NLT)
LIVE IN HARMONY
A poem and essay by ILMA
Do you go out of your way to know others?
Do you encourage and appreciate your sisters and brothers?
Let us not become conceited or provoke one another
We are commanded to love all especially believers.
Humility is acknowledging your strengths and weaknesses
It is being supportive when others are being blessed
Don’t be envious but live in harmony with everyone
The Lord wants us all united just like him and his Son.
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Harmony in art and design is the visually satisfying effect of combining similar, related elements. For instance: adjacent colors on the color wheel, similar shapes. In music, it is defined as the sounding of two or more musical notes at the same time in a way that is pleasant or desired. It is essential for us to live in harmony with others in order for us to have peace, joy and love. Without love, nothing will matter (1 Corinthians 13:1-3). We may have everything but if we don’t have love, we do not know God. If we don’t know God, it is impossible to live a life of joy, peace and harmony.
The bible tells us that we must not be conceited, provoke one another or jealous of each other. Selfishness is the root cause of all conflicts.
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PRAYER
Lord, help me to pursue peace so I can enjoy a harmonious life with others.
REFLECTION
What usually causes disunity in the body of Christ?
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

NAILED AND CRUCIFIED Poem Devotional

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March 16
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Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. -Galatians 5:24(NLT)
NAILED AND CRUCIFIED
A poem and essay by ILMA
When Jesus died for you on the cross
He saved you and you are no longer lost
When you become born again in Christ
Your passions and desires have also died.
Believers have nailed on the cross their cravings
They have repented and turned their back to sinning
Their old ways are gone and a new creation has begun
They are transformed because of God’s one and only Son.
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There are some Christians who professed their faith and yet never nailed and crucified their old lives on the cross. How do we know if someone is really saved? Not all Christians will be saved even though it is God’s desire for us. He gave us all a free will and he never forces us to follow him. You will know a true believer by the fruits of the Spirit manifested in their lives. If they have love, joy, peace, kindness, goodness, patience, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control, then you can be sure that they are authentic Christians. They don’t have to have to have all of the nine simultaneously, because we are all a work in progress. A true disciple of Jesus has nailed and crucified their old sinful nature on the cross.
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PRAYER
Lord, thank you for dying for me on the cross and so I can also nail my old life there.
REFLECTION
What have you nailed on the cross that you struggled for so long?
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