Monthly Archives: August 2014

WHAT SEPARATES US FROM GOD Poem Devotional

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Aug 31                                                        The Power of God’s Word
This includes you who were once far away from God. You were his enemies, separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions. – Colossians 1:21(NLT)
WHAT SEPARATES US FROM GOD
A poem and essay by ILMA
What is in your heart and mind?
Do you see God in others or are you blind?
When you think about only of your own interests
You do not follow his commands and what he says
If your thoughts are pre-occupied with desires and evil
You are surely his enemy and an ally of the devil
Is your life aligned to his will or do you please your own?
God wants you to be with him he never wants you to shun.
Do you know what separates us from God? Our evil thoughts and selfish desire separate us from his love. Why does he want us to constantly be with him? Just like two lovers who don’t want to be separated from each other, God expects us never to be separated from him. He made us for his own consumption, not for our own. That is why there is suffering. When we do not conform to God’s design for us, we are breaking his heart. It is like divorcing him. How is your relationship with God? Are you blissful in your marriage with him? Are you separate or divorced from him?
PRAYER
Lord, remind me never to part from you.
REFLECTION
What things do you need to give up for God?

FUTILE HUMAN RULES Poem Devotional

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Aug 30                                                        The Power of God’s Word
These rules may seem wise because they require strong devotion, pious self-denial and severe bodily discipline. But they provide no help in conquering a person’s evil desires. – Colossians 2:23(NLT)
FUTILE HUMAN RULES
A poem and essay by ILMA
Do you strictly adhere to do certain things in particular ways?
Do you follow traditions and do what other people say?
Do you enjoy your life when you are always bound by rules?
They are futile and are only followed by many fools.
The only rule that matters is the one that asks you to love
With it, there is no limit; it focuses on what is above
The cross of Christ and his blood made rules worthless
Love is the only thing that’s necessary and is priceless.
Human rules and traditions are made by people not by God. The only commandment that God wants us to follow is “Love God above all and love your neighbor as yourself. He summed up all the 10 commandments and all the other Jewish law into this law of love. If you will take a close look at this summed up law, you will notice that it includes all the other 10 commandments if you follow it. Some human rules may seem pious because it requires strong devotions to do them, but they don’t let you conquer evil desires.
PRAYER
Lord, help me to give up legalism and embrace love.
REFLECTION
How can rules impede your righteousness with God?

BELIEVING THE MESSAGE Poem Devotional

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Aug 29                                                                   The Power of God’s Word
Did you receive the Holy Spirit by obeying the law of Moses? Of course not! You received the spirit because you believed the message you heard about Christ.– Galatians 3:2(NLT)
BELIEVING THE MESSAGE
A poem and essay by ILMA
Do you believe the good news about Christ?
Are you receiving the message that gives hope and light?
The only way you’ll receive Christ’s spirit is by faith
It is not by obeying laws that you will satiate.
No amount of good works will buy your salvation
The cross of Christ has already paid your redemption
Grow your faith by prioritizing Christ in your life
Free yourself from legalism so you can have God’s insight.
Have you heard the good news? Are you excited to know that Christ paid your debt of sin on the cross and you are free indeed? I used to live my life under the law by legalistically following the rules to the letter. I was blinded by these laws that prevented me from discerning what Christ had already done for me when he died on the cross. I did everything I can to gain my salvation, until God revealed to me in the bible that I didn’t have to. All I had to do was believe. Paul reminds the Galatians to focus on growing their faith instead of strictly adhering to the laws of Moses.
PRAYER
Lord, thank you that you saved me.
REFLECTION
How can you avoid legalism?

ACCESSING GOD’S GRACE

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Aug 28                                                                  The Power of God’s Word
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)
ACCESSING GOD’S GRACE
A poem and essay by ILMA
Those who are legalistic and religiously follow the law
Watch out! You become an easy prey to the foe
God doesn’t want us to live only to follow a set of rules
He wants us to trust him completely and not be a fool.
When you focus on the law, you break away from Christ
When you work to earn points to make yourself right
There’s a chance you lose accessing God’s grace
Instead, he wants us to walk in love constantly and grow in faith.
Have you ever worked at earning points by doing good works and following a set of rules and regulations? I used to do it all the time. As children, we were told to follow a set of rules to protect us because we don’t have the maturity to understand consequences of actions. Sadly, many people reach adulthood but still in bondage to human traditions. We are cautioned not to be bound by it in Mark 7:8. If you try to make yourself right with God through following laws and traditions, you are cut off from Christ and have fallen away from God’s grace.
PRAYER
Lord, help me mature in faith.
REFLECTION
How does love break down legalism?

UNCOMPROMISED TRUTH Poem Devotional

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Aug 27                                                             The Power of God’s Word
You happily put up with whatever anyone tells you, even if they preach a different Jesus than the one we preach, or a different kind of Spirit than the one you received, or a different kind of gospel than the one you believed.
– 2 Corinthians 11:4(NLT)
UNCOMPROMISED TRUTH
A poem and essay by ILMA
When you do not seek God and his word
You are vulnerable to be corrupted by the world
If you happily put up with whatever anyone tells you
You will be blinded and pulled away from the truth.
Have a constant hunger for what will set you free
When you study God’s ways, you will clearly see
Whenever they present lies and wrong teachings
You can easily detect what is incorrect and missing.
The apostle Paul was lovingly warning the church in Corinth about many false teachings and teachers and prophets thriving during his time. The enemy is still so much at work in our current society. Satan deceives many people with twisted teachings that seem like the real thing. How can we protect ourselves from these counterfeits?
The bible warns us not to put up with false teachings. The only way we can discern a lie from the truth is by studying the bible. If we know it by heart, then we can clearly see the difference.
PRAYER
Lord, thank you for your guidance and love.
REFLECTION
How can you protect yourself from deception and lies?

GLORY ONLY TO CHRIST Poem Devotional

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Aug 26                                                            The Power of God’s Word
You must grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. All glory to him both now and forever. – 2 Peter 3:18(NLT)
GLORY ONLY TO CHRIST
A poem and essay by ILMA
Whatever you do in obedience to God
It will bring him glory and applaud
Remember that you are nothing without him
Everything you have is part of his blessings.
You must grow in grace and knowledge of Jesus
It will free you from pride and from being pretentious
Give him all the credit for every little thing you receive
Repent fast when you sin and he will surely forgive.
How often do we acknowledge the grace that we receive from Christ? Many believers run to him when they are in trouble. They get helped and they easily forget the grace they got. The bible talks about the ten lepers in Luke 17:11-19. Jesus healed ten and only one gave him praise and thanksgiving.
We are summoned to grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus and expected to give him all the glory now and forever. Whenever we take the merit of his grace to ourselves, we show ungratefulness. Christ expects us to receive his grace and acknowledge his generosity. When we have a thankful attitude, we are giving him praise and glory. When was the last time you thanked him?
PRAYER
Lord, thank you for all your blessings.
REFLECTION
How do you give praise to God?

COUNTERFEIT ANGELS OF LIGHT Poem Devotional

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Aug 25                                                                    The Power of God’s Word
Even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no wonder that his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. In the end, they will get the punishment their wicked deeds deserve.
– 2 Corinthians 11:14-15(NLT)
COUNTERFEIT ANGELS OF LIGHT
A poem and essay by ILMA
Be watchful of counterfeit angels of light!
They disguise themselves to bring life
They study you carefully to infiltrate your mind
They want to generate conflicts and make you blind.
Satan camouflages as a servant of righteousness
He wants to trap people into sin and darkness
All counterfeits will be punished harshly
God’s people will be protected and gain victory.
There are many counterfeit religion and religious leaders. Some churches create and add doctrines that are not biblical. Many of these false prophets and teachers are able to penetrate into those who do not have biblical foundation. This is why it is very important for believers to study the word of God because that is the only way they will know the counterfeits. Only the truth will set people free. If you don’t know the truth, how can you be free? Satan will do everything to keep you in the dark. He disguises himself as an angel of light and all who serve him deceive many believers and unbelievers. They will severely be punished in the end.
PRAYER
Lord, protect all believers from counterfeits.
REFLECTION
How can you protect yourself from the counterfeits?

FAN INTO FLAMES YOUR SPIRITUAL GIFTS Poem Devotional

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Aug 24                                                                The Power of God’s Word
This is why I remind you to fan into flames the spiritual gift God gave you when I laid my hands on you. For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love and self-discipline. – 2 Timothy 1: 6-7(NLT)
FAN INTO FLAMES YOUR SPIRITUAL GIFTS
A poem and essay by ILMA
Fan into flames your spiritual gifts from God
Fear or timidity does not give him laud
God anointed you with these abilities, use your authority
He gave us spiritual gifts to help others and have victory.
Use and grow your spiritual gifts to proclaim his power
Whether the gift is to prophesy, discern, speak in tongues or counsel
We have to be bold to use them to bring others into his fold
He wants us to walk in love and develop discipline to be able to unfold.
Do you know your spiritual gifts? 1 Corinthians 12 enumerates the different gifts that the spirit of God has anointed us with. To some, the spirit gives the ability to give wise advice, to others, the ability to prophesy. Some are given the power to perform miracles or to heal; while some are able to speak in tongues or to interpret or given a vision. We are asked to be passionate about the gifts we are given to spread God’s kingdom.
PRAYER
Lord, help me to thrive in my gifts.
REFLECTION
What gift did you receive from the spirit?

GOD WATCHES ALWAYS Poem Devotional

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Aug 23                                                                    The Power of God’s Word
He will not let you stumble; the one who watches over you will not slumber.
-Psalm 121:3(NLT)
A poem and essay by ILMA
Whenever you feel alone and feeling down
Don’t worry, God is always around
He will not let you stumble
He watches always and never slumbers.
He is watching every moment of your life
He wants to make sure you are under his light
Don’t be anxious; he wants you to be happy
He gave his son so you will be free.
Whenever you are experiencing many challenges and difficulties in life, it can be overwhelming. I used to feel so down and desperate before I had a real relationship with Christ. His words had set me free from all the negativities and lies I believed since I was a child. After studying his words, my life was transformed. He changed me to be strong and overcome my weaknesses. I now know that in my weakness, he is glorified. I can never be without God.
The bible says that God will never let you stumble and fall because he constantly watches over you. He doesn’t sleep. He sees everything that happens to you even before it does. He only allows the things that you can handle to strengthen you and make you enjoy his promises. He is always after your welfare.
PRAYER
Lord, help me to overcome all my difficulties.
REFLECTION
Why is it important to seek God’s help?

CRY OUT AND RUN TO GOD Poem Devotional

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Aug 22                                                              The Power of God’s Word
I took my troubles to the Lord; I cried out to him and he answered my prayer.
– Psalm 120:1(NLT)
CRY OUT AND RUN TO GOD
A poem and essay by ILMA
Do you have troubles and difficulties in life?
Who can make you understand and give you light?
I took my troubles to the Lord and cried out to him
He listened to me and made me see.
What a compassionate God we have
He is always there to give me love
He is waiting for me to run to him
He unconditionally forgives and redeems.
When you seek solace from someone, they may help you or worsen your situation. I used to depend on counselors so much because I wanted to overcome my abuse cycle. It became an addiction to run to them whenever I have panic attacks. Sometimes I feel better after talking to them but most of the time, I still go to the same patterns of seeking comfort from them. There was a trauma therapist who I saw for almost a year. The more I came to him, the more troubles I got into.
I took my troubles to God, cried out to him and he answered my prayer. The spirit told me to seek and study God’s word so I will see what lies I have been listening to.
PRAYER
Lord, keep me faithful to seek your word.
REFLECTION
Share how God’s word has healed you ?