Tag Archives: spoken word

GOD’S INTERVENTION poem devotional

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January 24
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For the time has come for me to avenge my people, to ransom them from their oppressors. I was amazed to see that no one intervened to help the oppressed. So I myself stepped in to save them with my strong arm, and my wrath sustained me.
-Isaiah 63: 4-5 (NLT)
GOD’S INTERVENTION
A poem and essay by ILMA
When you are oppressed or depressed
Don’t lose hope for your Lord will be there
Your heavenly Father will intervene in your situation
And you will be amazed at his unwavering devotion.
The Lord will avenge his people and rescue them
He will ensure their oppressors will be incriminated
The Lord will always step in to ransom his people
Run to your Creator and witness his faithfulness.
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Intervention is defined as “to intentionally become involved in a difficult situation in order to improve it or prevent it from getting worse.” Most counselors, social workers, therapists or mediators fulfill this duty to ensure that their clients’ situations are confronted without much damage to them.
When we encounter much trials in life, sometimes God allows us to go through it for he might be teaching us something or strengthening our faith and endurance. In this verse from Isaiah, the Lord stepped up just at the right time to ransom his people from their oppressors. You may not understand why he allows suffering, but God is in control. In his perfect timing, he will rescue you.
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PRAYER
Lord, help me to hold on to your promises during trials.
REFLECTION
When and how did God intervene in your suffering?
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

LIKE A GARDEN IN EARLY SPRING Poem Devotional

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January 23
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The Sovereign Lord will show his justice to the nations of the world. Everyone will praise him! His righteousness will be like a garden in early spring, with plants springing up everywhere. – Isaiah 61: 8(NLT)
LIKE A GARDEN IN EARLY SPRING
A poem and essay by ILMA
God’s righteousness is like a garden in early spring
Like plants springing up everywhere, his goodness will be seen
The Sovereign Lord will show his justice to all nations
He will protect all his people from all kinds of temptations.
The Lord is like a gardener who sows his seeds on the ground
His words water each seed so fruits of his Spirit can be found
Praise the Lord for his love, provision and faithfulness
Devote your life to him and you will harvest righteousness.
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I love flowers, plants, trees and gardens. When I moved to Canada from the Philippines, my visual and smell senses were heightened by the variety of colors and scents from God’s wonderful creation. When I migrated to Canada, I had to give away plants that I tended for 15 years back in the Philippines and these people I handed them down to were so grateful. Now that I am surrounded by much gardens and vast landscapes of various plants, flowers and trees, I thank the Lord for such blessings. God’s righteousness is likened to a garden in early spring. It fills the earth with all of his goodness.
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PRAYER
Lord, thank you for your goodness that is everywhere in your creation.
REFLECTION
What can stop us from experiencing God’s righteousness and missing it?

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 COVENANT WITH THE LORD Poem Devotional

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January 22
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For I, the Lord, love justice. I hate robbery and wrongdoing. I will faithfully reward my people for their suffering and make an everlasting covenant with them. – Isaiah 61: 8(NLT)
A COVENANT WITH THE LORD
A poem and essay by ILMA
Have you given your life to Christ?
If you did, he will transform your life
You will no longer compromise
You will look forward for his prize.
He gave you a covenant and will keep his promises
He is faithful to help you in all your weaknesses
Be joyful when you encounter sufferings
You can grow in your faith and keep enduring.
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Have you ever been into an agreement with someone? We usually want to take into consideration what we will gain when we enter into a commitment with someone. We don’t want to get involved with dishonest people or those without integrity. Just like marrying someone, we want to make sure that we are getting tangled with someone who can make us grow. Getting into an agreement with crooks or wicked people will likely turn us to the way they are.
The Lord gets into a covenant with all those who love him. He promises to protect them and take care of them. He especially rewards those who continue to live honest and pure lives. God gives them assurance of his faithfulness by keeping his promises as part of this covenant.
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PRAYER
Lord, deliver me from ungodly and wicked people.
REFLECTION
Why is it important for us to choose carefully those whom we will get into commitment with?
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

CROWN OF BEAUTY FOR ASHES Poem Devotional

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January 21
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To all who mourn in Israel, he will give a crown of beauty for ashes, a joyous blessing instead of mourning, festive praise instead of despair. – Isaiah 61:3 (NLT)
CROWN OF BEAUTY FOR ASHES
A poem and essay by ILMA
Have you been grieving for something lost?
You have been promised a crown from the Lord
This crown replaces all the pain from your losses
He will replace all the ashes of death with beauty.
The Lord gives you hope when there is despair
He will bring you to a resolution and find a way
Run to the Lord for all your cares and burdens
He will restore and bring you closer to heaven.
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For five decades, the enemy have kept me in bondage from all the pain that traumatic experiences and losses brought in my life. There were stages in these years that I was in deep despair. I was blinded by the enemy to keep believing the lies that I have learned since I was a small child. I had no idea that there were many promises to those who love the Lord until I became born again and hungered for knowing the truth. The Lord revealed to me many of his teachings to correct all the lies that I was made to believe. In a few years, he delivered me from all the ugliness of my experiences and gave me a crown of beauty.
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PRAYER
Lord, thank you for recycling all the ashes into the beauty you have made me.
REFLECTION
How can we easily recognize the beauty in the ugly experiences we encounter?
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

END OF MOURNING Poem Devotional

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January 20
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Your sun will never set; your moon will not go down. For the Lord will be your everlasting light. Your days of mourning will come to an end. – Isaiah 60:20(NLT)
END OF MOURNING
A poem and essay by ILMA
Is there a loss that you are grieving for?
Don’t fret, pray instead and take it to the Lord
God cares for all his people who are suffering
He will give you his light that is everlasting.
The Lord is there to help and give you comfort
Your days of mourning will come to a halt
He loves you and will release you from pain
Your dark days will be over and you will finally gain.
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When you have lost something or someone in your life, it may take a while to recover. Denial of the loss usually makes it longer to heal from it. We can easily deceive ourselves when we refuse to accept that we had a loss. For many decades, I went through so many losses and it was much later that I realized how I used many coping mechanisms such as denial in order to alleviate the pain that came with it. The longer I kept shrugging it and hiding from the agony of it, the further I regressed. We can be stuck in a stage of grieving and hamper us from moving forward. The bible says we must give up mourning and let God’s light shine on us.
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PRAYER
Lord, be with me in my agony and losses.
REFLECTION
How can we deal with grief in a positive way?
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’S RESTORATION BUSINESS Poem Devotional

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January 18
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Though you were once despised and hated, with no one traveling through you, I will make you beautiful forever, a joy to all generations. -Isaiah 60:18(NLT)
GOD’S RESTORATION BUSINESS
A poem and essay by ILMA
If you felt despised and hated by someone
Don’t feel alone, God sent you his only Son
He will restore your former beauty by his truth
He will make you new and let peace take root.
When you are ignored and neglected
He will refresh you and make you rejuvenated
He loves those who are poor and oppressed
He sent Jesus for you to follow and bring out your best.
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There are many renovation and restoration architectural shows on television these days. What amazes me is one show called Grand Designs where some people would buy properties and very old dilapidated buildings and the hard work they put into restoring or renovating it to something definitely new or to its old glory. God is into the restoration business. The prophet Isaiah talks about the promise of God’s restoration to Israel in this verse. He told them that even if they were once loathed and hated by many other countries, he will make them almost new and bring about blessings and favor to the next generations to come.
God is in the restoration business. Will we put our life and all our resources and invest in his kingdom so we can be restored and renewed?
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PRAYER
Lord, thank you for restoring me and making me beautiful again after all the pain I went through.
REFLECTION
How can we participate in God’s restoration business?
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

WOE TO IDOLS & IDOLATRY Poem Devotional

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January 16
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What sorrow awaits you who say to wooden idols, ‘Wake up and save us!’ To speechless stone images you say, ‘Rise up and teach us!’ Can an idol tell you what to do? – Habakkuk 2:19 (NLT)
WOE TO IDOLS & IDOLATRY
A poem and essay by ILMA
What sort of idols are you giving praise?
Is it money, power or any new craze
What sorrow awaits those who have idols
They are making God so very jealous.
When people prioritize other things over the Lord
They lose much by following the standards of this world
Why waste time on things that fade away
Only the Lord is the real God who can save.
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The New Living Translation gives a background to the book of Prophet Habakkuk. He preached during the last days of Judah, before its fall to Babylon in 586 B.C. He foresaw the impending doom and was troubled by two things: why God allowed the people of Judah to sin and how God could use a sinful nation like Babylon to punish Judah. Desperate for answers, Habakkuk boldly and confidently took his complaints directly to God which the Lord replied with righteousness ultimately prevailing despite the impending dark days ahead.
Habakkuk 2:18-19 is a warning to all regarding idols and idolatry. How meaningless it is to put your trust in idols carved by man. He warns the people to give up idolatry for there is much sorrow awaiting them.
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PRAYER
Lord, convict me of any idols in my life.
REFLECTION
What is the gauge that something or someone is becoming an idol?
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

NOT OF THIS WORLD Poem Devotional

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January 15
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My Kingdom is not an earthly kingdom. If it were, my followers would fight to keep me from being handed over to the Jewish leaders. But my Kingdom is not of this world.”
-John 18:36 (NLT)
NOT OF THIS WORLD
A poem and essay by ILMA
We were created by God to live in this world
Yet we are not of this life according to his word
God’s kingdom is something we cannot see
It is a place where we are free and have peace.
Jesus’ kingdom is not one that is earthly
It has dominion over everything you can see
The kingdom of God is invisible yet powerful
You will have a taste of it if you stay faithful.
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For many years, I didn’t actually know the real purpose of my existence. I was being tossed around by the systems of this world and the standards that it has set. I was a slave of performance, work and materialism. I craved for many things and worked hard at getting my desires met. I thought that was what life was all about, until the Lord called me to come back to him. It was when I became born again that I realized that even though I live in this world, it is not the destiny that my Lord have planned for me. God’s kingdom cannot be found in the world we live in.
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PRAYER
Lord, thank you for letting me take part in your kingdom.
REFLECTION
How can we be authentic believers in this very chaotic world?
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 YOU SCHEME AGAINST THE LORD Poem Devotional

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January 12
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Why are you scheming against the LORD? He will destroy you with one blow; he won’t need to strike twice! – Nahum 1:9(NLT)
WHEN YOU SCHEME AGAINST THE LORD
A poem and essay by ILMA
Whenever you try to plot against the Lord
You are definitely blinded by the world
He can destroy you with one blow
Why risk doing it? It will retard your growth.
If you go with God’s plans, he will bless you
If you fight against it, you will be confused
The Lord is mighty and you should be fearful
He rewards those who are obedient and faithful.
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There are some people who like to compete or test the Lord. They have no idea that with one blow, he can destroy anyone. He is powerful, omnipotent and omniscient. So, why would someone even have the nerve to do it? Our sin nature automatically makes us rebellious. Without God’s Spirit, no one can even be righteous and holy. We are all sinners and fall short of God’s glory.
The prophet Nahum warns the people how to have a reverent fear of the Lord because he is all powerful and all knowing. He created us all and can do anything to us that we deserve. Although he is a just and loving God, he also hates sin. If we purposely want to follow our sinful nature, we are going to suffer the consequences of it.
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PRAYER
Lord, keep me away from my sinful nature and always obey you.
REFLECTION
Why shouldn’t we plot against the Lord?
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

TEACH THE TRUTH Poem Devotional

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January 11
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Let everything you do reflect the integrity and seriousness of your teaching. Teach the truth so that your teaching can’t be criticized. – Titus 2:7-8(NLT)
TEACH THE TRUTH
A poem and essay by ILMA
A true follower of Christ possesses integrity
He teaches the truth in love and humility
The truth is absolute and last for eternity
When you teach truth, you will have victory.
Teach the truth so that you can’t be judged
The word of God is truth and it can’t be dodged
When you turn your back on truth, you will suffer
It will enslave you and make life much harder.
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The bible says that we ought to teach truth in love and humility. We cannot teach truth to those whom we are not in relationship or we will be misunderstood. A relationship is important when we talk about God and his truth, especially to unbelievers. Another Christian may be able to relate to what you are teaching, but an unbeliever may not totally understand what you are saying. When you engage in a relationship with someone you are teaching, you reflect to them your walk and not just your talk. People like to see that you actually do what you say. Any inconsistencies with your doing and teaching will be an open door for mistrust, legalism, and judgment. If you focus on the truth, you can’t be criticized because it holds true till eternity.
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PRAYER
Lord, show me how to live an detach your truth.
REFLECTION
How can you bring truth to those who don’t believe in 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