Monthly Archives: November 2016

HASTE MAKES MISTAKES

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Nov 20
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Enthusiasm without knowledge is no good; haste makes mistakes. -Proverb 19:2(NLT)
HASTE MAKES MISTAKES
A poem and essay by ILMA
Do you always want to get things done quickly?
Do you find yourself always running in a hurry?
It is no good to have enthusiasm without knowing
It is wise to seek counsel before you start doing.
Fools do things without planning and meditation
It brings about chaos and leads to destruction
Haste leads to troubles and mistakes
It wastes time and leads to high stakes.
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We live in a very fast paced world. Fast food, fast money, fast relation, fast manufacturing, and many more. Everyone wants to be gratified instantly. No one waits patiently anymore. When we want something, we want it right away, without delay. No wonder we make wrong choices and suffer the consequences of these foolish hasty decisions.
I know someone who is always in a hurry. It is so hard to be with this person because you feel like you are always in their way. When I make conversation with her, I feel like she doesn’t hear a thing I say because she is already on her way to do something else. It is stressful to have a relationship with someone who is always in a hurry. The bible says that we need to treat others kindly. We need to be enthusiastic yet wise and not hurry to avoid mistakes.
PRAYER
Lord, teach me how to do things with enthusiasm and discernment.
REFLECTION
When was the last time you did something in a hurry and regretted the result?
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

HOW TO GAIN WISDOM Poem Devotional

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Nov 19
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If you stop listening to instruction my child, you will turn your back on knowledge.
– Proverbs 19:27(NLT)
HOW TO GAIN WISDOM
A poem and essay by ILMA
Do you allow yourself to learn from wise persons?
Do you heed experienced people’s instruction?
If you seek knowledge and truth in God’s word
You will be able to victoriously live in this world.
You need humility and obedience to gain insight
Pride and arrogance keeps you away from God’s light
Pursue it and never turn your back on knowledge
You will discover that it will bring you lots of privileges.
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In this day and age, we are bombarded by so much information. Gone are those days when people go to a library to read and research about something. Now, everything is at your fingertips. Just open your computer and voila, the internet will give you lots of data to choose from. Sometimes it is a good thing and yet we still have to check the validity of such sources and find out whether they are legit or not. We need to discern which ones are telling the truth and which ones are fabricated. The only way we can gauge authenticity is by knowing God’s word. If you know the truth, it will set you free from all forms of lies and deception in this world. Heed God’s instructions and you’ll gain knowledge. Listening to instructions brings you closer to wisdom.
PRAYER
Lord, help me to be able to heed your instructions always.
REFLECTION
What blocks people from pursuing wisdom and knowledge?
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

PEACE BRINGS HEALTH Poem Devotional

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Nov 18
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A peaceful heart leads to a healthy body; jealousy is like cancer in the bones.
– Proverbs 14:30(NLT)
PEACE BRINGS HEALTH
A poem and essay by ILMA
Are there troubles lurking in your life?
Is darkness covering God’s light?
Are there some sins you need to confess?
Do you pursue peace that brings good health?
You are compromising your health when you envy
It is like cancer in the bones, this thing called jealousy
Embrace peace like you would your beloved
It will bring you a balanced life that is so sacred.
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There are 7.6 million deaths each year worldwide brought about by cancer. Many different types of cancer are caused by various genetic and environmental factors, but there is also, one that is mostly missed out: repressed emotions and unexpressed anger.
Research conducted by the University of Rochester and Harvard School of Public Health found that people who suppress anger have a 70 percent higher risk of dying from cancer. A University of Michigan study found that suppression of anger predicted earlier mortality in men and women.
Ephesians 4:26 tells us to be angry and yet not sin. We should not let the sun go down while we are still angry. So, when we don’t, it gets piled up and repressed. We lose our peace. We compromise our health both physically and spiritually. Discontent and jealousy is also like cancer to the bones. It eats us up.
PRAYER
Lord, show us how to pursue peace at all cost.
REFLECTION
Why do you think lack of peace affects our health?
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

CONSEQUENCES OF HARD WORK

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Nov 17
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Work hard and become a leader, be lazy and become a slave. – Proverbs 12:23(NLT)
CONSEQUENCES OF HARD WORK
A poem and essay by ILMA
Do you diligently work hard towards a balanced life?
Are you content and grateful that you live in God’s light?
When you work diligently and faithfully, you become a leader
When you succumb to laziness, you become a loser.
The consequences of your hard work is a life of freedom
The result of laziness and complacency is usually boredom
Hard work entails patience and persistence
Laziness only breeds poverty and impatience.
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There are many positive consequences of those who work hard. They are able to get paid for their hard work. People rely on them because they are stable. They have food to eat, and place to sleep because they are responsible to provide for their own needs. They won’t be without provision because God honors those who work hard. They become leaders because people see the good examples they set, a life of diligence, persistence and integrity. They become role models for others to emulate.
On the other hand, lazy people becomes poor because they do not want to exert effort to meet their own needs. They rely on others to do things for them. They usually want much but get little according to Proverbs 13:4, but those who work hard will prosper. The lazy are slaves and have no freedom.
PRAYER
Lord, please help me to never stop using all the resources you gave me.
REFLECTION
What do you think is the root cause of laziness?
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 ONE LOVES MONEY Poem Devotional

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Nov 16
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Trust in your money and down you go! But the godly flourish like leaves in spring.
– Proverbs 11:28(NLT)
WHEN ONE LOVES MONEY
A poem and essay by ILMA
When a person becomes obsessed with money
The focus is to get more of it to have plenty
The love of money is the root of all evil
It opens a very wide door for the devil.
When you trust in your money, and down you go
If you trust in the Lord, there is always an overflow
The godly flourish live leaves in the spring
Making money your first is clearly a sin.
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Matthew 6:19-20 says “Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal.” We are warned of the danger of accumulating worldly wealth because they don’t last forever. We are asked to store treasures in heaven instead so that they cannot be stolen or be destroyed. The next verse concludes “For where your treasure is, there your heart will also be. Many people do not see that it is sin to love money. Money in itself is not bad. We need money so we can have physical comforts and needs satisfied, but to be obsessed with it is idolatry which is putting it first than God.
PRAYER
Lord, guard my heart from greed.
REFLECTION
Share an experience of someone you know loves money so much that it brought about their downfall.
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

SEARCH ONLY FOR THE GOOD Poem Devotional

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Nov 15
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If you search for good, you will find favor; but if you search for evil, it will find you.
– Proverbs 11:27(NLT)
SEARCH ONLY FOR THE GOOD
A poem and essay by ILMA
To those who seek the Lord and his truth
They will find favor and his teachings will take root
If you search for evil, it will find you
If you look for the good, it will renew you.
Search only for the good so you can stay out of trouble
The enemy seeks to destroy you and throw you in a rubble
Seek him and let the Lord be the first priority in your life
It will bless you and cloak you with his dazzling living light.
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Proverbs 23:7 states that as a man thinks, so is he. Dr. Becca Levy, from the Yale School of Public Health, has found some extraordinary benefits of an optimistic outlook. In one study, she looked at 660 people who’d completed a survey about their attitude to aging in 1975, then correlated their responses to the ages at which they died. “We found that individuals with a more positive view of aging tended to live seven-and-a-half years longer than those with more negative views of aging,” says Dr. Levy.
The book of Proverbs suggests that you must search for the good to find favor and avoid looking for evil, for it will find it’s way to you.
PRAYER
Lord, let me always look for only the good that comes from you.
REFLECTION
Why are we advised not to search for evil? What happens when we do?
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

PROTECTION FROM EVIL Poem Devotional

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Nov 14
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Godliness guards the path of the blameless, but the evil are misled by sin.
-Proverbs 13:6(NLT)
PROTECTION FROM EVIL
A poem and essay by ILMA
Do you guard your hearts with the renewal of your mind?
Do you soak in God’s words so you won’t stay blind?
Godliness guards the path of the blameless
It protects them from sin and wickedness.
If you want a shield from all of the snares of the devil
Run to God’s throne so you can stay away from evil
Only his grace and mercy will be our defence
Stay away from worldliness and the spirit of offense.
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When soldiers go to war, they are first trained so that they can defend themselves and be victorious over the enemy. They learn how to use weapons and use them so that they can ensure triumph against the opponent. In the same way, we need to protect ourselves from evil. In Ephesians 6, we are given the armor of God. It instructs us to put on all of his armor so we will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. We are asked to stand our ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. For shoes, put on peace that comes from the good news so that you will be fully prepared. In addition to this, hold up the shield of faith. Godliness protects us from evil.
PRAYER
Lord, let me always wear your armor for protection.
REFLECTION
How do you know if you are being attacked by the 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

THE PLAN Poem Devotional

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Nov 13
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God has revealed to us his mysterious plan regarding Christ, a plan to fulfill his own good pleasure. And this is the plan: at the right time, he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ, everything in heaven and on earth. -Ephesians 1:9-10(NLT)
THE PLAN
A poem and essay by ILMA
Have you been planning your life all these years?
If you are a faithful believer, there’s nothing to fear
God has revealed his mysterious plan for all mankind
He wants us to be released from being blind.
At the right time, he will bring all under Christ
He has authority over all in heaven and all that has life
Are you lining up your own goals with God’s plan?
Are you following the example of his one and only Son?
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Planning is an indispensable skill that a person can use in his or her life. Without planning, we will not go far. God gave me a gift for organizing and planning. Time management and setting priorities are the good aspects of planning. Without setting deadlines and knowing which comes first and last, our planning will not take us far. It is easy to plan alone but it is challenging to do it with someone else.
God knows “the plan”. We are all participants in his big plan for mankind. All things in heaven and on earth will bow down to Jesus.
PRAYER
Lord, never let me digress from “the plan.”
REFLECTION
What part has God given you in his plan and what’s your contribution to make it close to fulfillment?
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

HOW TO INCREASE STRENGTH Poem Devotional

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Nov 12
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For God says, “I will break the strength of the wicked, but I will increase the power of the godly.” – Psalm 75:10 (NLT)
HOW TO INCREASE STRENGTH
A poem and essay by ILMA
Are you struggling with some weaknesses?
Don’t fret, for God will manifest his faithfulness
If you want your strength to increase
Stay in his love, righteousness and peace.
He promises provision to those who love him
Stay faithful and abide in him to avoid sin
He will break those who perpetuate evil
To his people, he lets them defeat the devil.
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Have you ever been so sick that you had no strength to even lift your hands or go to the bathroom by yourself? There were three months of my life in my early thirties that I was bogged down by Hepatitis A. It was probably caused by ingesting with contaminated food from street food. In the Philippines, it is a common practice to buy foods from street vendors. It was the most helpless experience I have ever had. My son was about 8 years old that time and I had a cousin who was vacationing with us who was 12 years old. I felt so weak and tired and couldn’t even get on my feet or sit up in bed. Just like we need physical strength and good health, we need spiritual strength, which can only be given to those who are godly.
PRAYER
Lord, please remind me to run to you when I need strength.
REFLECTION
What does the bible mean when it says we are strong when we are weak?
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

DESPITE MY BITTERNESS Poem Devotional

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Nov 11
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Then I realized my heart was bitter, and I was all torn up inside. I was so foolish and ignorant – I must have seemed like a senseless animal to you. Yet I still belong to you, you hold my right hand. – Psalm 73:21-23(NLT)
DESPITE MY BITTERNESS
A poem and essay by ILMA
Despite my bitterness, you continued to love me
Even when I didn’t forgive, you waited patiently
I must have seemed senseless and foolish
Yet, I still belong to you and considered precious.
In the face of my anger and resentment
You waited for my return and was so lenient
You showed me compassion and loyalty
After all my disobedience, arrogance and cruelty.
________________________________________Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you. This is a command given to us in Ephesians 4:31-32. Bitterness is a form of anger. The Hebrew word for bitterness is “marah” which means to be contentious or rebellious. When someone is bitter, we know for sure that there is discontent in that person’s heart. Bitterness can be like cancer. It can slowly kill our joy, peace and belief in God. We can have the root of bitterness and yet not be aware of it. Despite our bitterness, God still love us and is faithful.
PRAYER
Lord, reveal to me any signs of bitterness in my heart.
REFLECTION
How has bitterness affected 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