Monthly Archives: February 2017

MIRACLES AROUND YOU Poem Devotional

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February 9________________________________________
Pay attention to this, Job. Stop and consider the wonderful miracles of God! Do you know how God controls the storm and causes the lighting to flash from his clouds?
Job37:14-15 (NLT)
MIRACLES AROUND YOU
A poem and essay by ILMA
Pay attention to what surrounds you
Stop and gaze at the sky so blue
Be amazed at the nature that you behold
God considers you a gem that will soon unfold.
Isn’t it a miracle to watch your child born?
You gaze at that baby that slowly had formed
What about those flowers that slowly bloom in spring?
Be astounded by the birds that are harmoniously singing!
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Miracle is defined as a highly improbable or extraordinary event, development, or accomplishment that brings very welcome consequences. How often have you witnessed a miracle in your life? Many people miss so many miracles because they think they are big events. They get so used to thinking that it is a big, spectacular occurrence. Many of us forget and take for granted the nature around us. Because of our busyness, we fail to watch a flower bloom or even smell it. We forget to watch the clouds pass by against the blue skies. We scold our kids and forget that first time we laid eyes on them when they were born. We forget to thank the Lord that he always manages to make things work for our good. Watch miracles around you.
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PRAYER
Lord, remind me to be aware of your goodness and greatness.
REFLECTION
Share what and how many miracles did you see today?
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 WE CHALLENGE THE LORD Poem Devotional

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February 8________________________________________
Then the Lord answered Job from the whirlwind: “Who is this that questions my wisdom with such ignorant words? Have you ever commanded the morning to appear and caused the dawn to rise in the east?” – Job 38:1,12(NLT)
WHEN WE CHALLENGE THE LORD
A poem and essay by ILMA
Do you ever question the Lord’s omnipotence?
Do you argue or debate about his omniscience?
The people of God need to revere him with all their might
It is the only way we can be victorious in this life.
Who are we to question or challenge our heavenly father?
Didn’t he made everything including our sisters and brothers?
When you challenge and contend with a powerful being
You are clearly defying your own image and also sinning.
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There had been a time in my life when I challenged the Lord. I was in my twenties and foolish. Like Job, I questioned him. I was so rude and acted like a brat, giving a tantrum fit just so I could maneuver God into giving me what I planned to do. I bargained with him and gave him a condition that if he gives me my request, I will come back to him. Have you ever done that?
In Job 38, the Lord challenged Job and gave a clear soliloquy of all the things that he and only he can do. He gave Job a litany of his omnipotence and omniscience.
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PRAYER
Lord, help me to learn to trust you and never question your power.
REFLECTION
What makes humans question God’s infiniteness?
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

PRIDE IS A BEAST Poem Devotional

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February 7________________________________________
The tremendous strength in Leviathan’s neck strikes terror wherever it goes. Nothing on earth is its equal. No other creature so fearless. Of all the creatures, it is the proudest. It is the king of beasts. – Job 41:22,33-34(NLT)
PRIDE IS A BEAST
A poem and essay by ILMA
Who claims that they know it all?
If you do, you are bound to fall
Who can ever question God’s power and infinity
Only the proud questions his greatness and validity.
Pride is a beast that can attack all of us
It is a spirit that blocks the ability to trust
It brings about a desire to be equal with the Lord
There is nothing or no one greater than Him in this world.
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Strong’s Concordance (3882, 3867) defines leviathan as a wreathed animal or a serpent. He is also called the constellation of the dragon, or Orion. Another word for leviathan means to twine, to unite and to remain. Again we are reminded of his serpentine nature and that he is a strongman. A word which occurs six times in the Old Testament and comes from a root word which means to bend or twist. It means literally wreathed; like a wreath; to be wreathed; gathering itself in folds.
Job 41 talks about the spirit of leviathan which is the spirit of pride. Leviathan is described as strong, fearless and very proud. He is the king of beasts. ________________________________________
PRAYER
Lord, help us to cast out the spirit of pride in our hearts.
REFLECTION
Have you been delivered from the spirit of pride? Share your testimony.
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 HOPE IS DEFERRED Poem Devotional

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February 6________________________________________
Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a dream fulfilled is a tree of life.
-Proverbs 13:12(NLT)
WHEN HOPE IS DEFERRED
A poem and essay by ILMA
What keeps you pressing on in life?
Are you easily discouraged or do you fight?
When hope is deferred, it makes the heart sick
It pulls you down and gets you weak.
Why do you delay something that may fulfill your dream?
The Lord wants us to grow our faith and not be grim
Ask him and he will give you your desire
He wants to bless you, so let your heart be on fire.
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In Romans 5:2, we get a glimpse of what hope is. It says that because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory. I think it is very hard to hope when we do not believe in a creator who is greater than us. Faith and hope are almost interchangeable. It is faith that makes us hope and it is hope that makes our faith grow.
When we delay our hope, we move a step backwards in our faith. It weakens us and gives the enemy a chance to tempt and deceive us. So, why do we choose to defer hope? It delays our dreams to come true. It makes the enemy’s delaying tactic succeed.
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PRAYER
Lord, grow my faith and let me never defer hope.
REFLECTION
Why do you think some people get hopeless?
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

WHAT BRINGS STABILITY Poem Devotional

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February 5________________________________________
Wickedness never brings stability, but the godly have deep roots. -Proverbs 12:3(NLT)
WHAT BRINGS STABILITY
A poem and essay by ILMA
Where do you rely for your strength and growth?
Is it from a greater source or from this world?
Are your roots anchored on God’s righteousness?
What will destroy you will be a love for wickedness.
Evil never brings stability, it makes you weak
The godly have deep roots and it is God they seek
They will be rewarded with his power and wisdom
Why compromise your inheritance and freedom?
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The world has corrupted many people’s view of strength and stability. We have been bombarded with a craving for material things in this world. We seek to gratify ourselves often rather than serve God and others. We work hard to purchase stuff that we don’t even have time to use or look at. We try to keep up with the Joneses’ and satisfy our desires most of the time. We scheme and want more in life and end up with less. The enemy steals our time, our joy and peace without us even being aware of it. If our priorities lie in self-gratification, we are in for much trouble. We open the door for the enemy to use us as a platform to propagate wickedness.
The bible says that evil will never bring us a good foundation. Only in relying to Christ can we have deep roots.
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PRAYER
Lord, help me to rely only on you alone.
REFLECTION
Why is it important to abide in Christ while we are in this 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

ON CONFRONTATION

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February 4________________________________________
Do not nurse hatred in your heart for any of your relatives. Confront people directly so you will not be held guilty for their sin. -Leviticus 19:17(NLT)
ON CONFRONTATION
A poem and essay by ILMA
When we are born again in Christ
We have the courage to face life
God’s Spirit guides us to do the right thing
Are we opening our hearts to his calling?
We are asked not to build up hatred for others
Confront directly if you really love your brothers
When something needs to be addressed and corrected
Allow the Spirit to move you so you won’t sin or be tempted.
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I used to live in a country where confrontation is a norm rather than a novelty. When I moved to Canada, it became a novelty. I observed how patient Canadians are and learned to step back each time I wanted to assert myself. Confrontations are something that are frowned upon here. I think that it was almost a norm in the Philippines because of the large population and the survival for the fittest. If you don’t voice out your opinion, you are going to be eaten up alive. Relatives are the hardest people to confront because they are closest to you.
The bible tells us to avoid nursing hatred in our hearts for our relatives. We are instructed to confront directly if there is sin. Not telling them is making them fall deeper.
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PRAYER
Lord, give me courage and wisdom to confront when I need to.
REFLECTION
Why do you think God asked us to confront others when there is a need?
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 WANTS YOUR FULL LOYALTY Poem Devotional

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February 3________________________________________
Do not put your trust in idols or make metal images of gods for yourselves. I am the Lord your God. – Leviticus 19:4(NLT)
GOD WANTS YOUR FULL LOYALTY
A poem and essay by ILMA
Are you consumed by things around you?
Do you allow God to have your mind renewed?
God won’t put up with idolatry
He wants your full attention and loyalty.
Do not put your trust in other gods in this world
He wants you to seek him and follow his word
It pains him to see us waste our time with idols
Why won’t you give your full allegiance to your creator?
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What preoccupies your thoughts? How is your day going? Do you have time to give praise and thanksgiving to God? How often do you go out of your way to know more about him and how hungry are you for his word? These questions are not supposed to condemn or make you feel guilty. They are reminders to all of us who sometimes forget to give full loyalty to God.
When God created humans, he was expecting them to give him the same faithfulness that he gives us. He created us in his own image and according to the bible, he is love. If we don’t operate or live like loving people, we are actually destroying the creature that God has made. He forbids us to make other things or other gods a priority.
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PRAYER
Lord, thank you for your unfailing love for me.
REFLECTION
What are things that stop you from making God your priority?
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

DESTRUCTION OF CORRUPTION Poem Devotional

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February 2________________________________________
God observed all this corruption the world, for everyone on earth was corrupt. So God said to Noah, “I have decided to destroy all living creatures, for they have filled the earth with violence. Yes, I will wipe them all out along with the earth. -Genesis 6:12-13 (NLT)
DESTRUCTION OF CORRUPTION
A poem and essay by ILMA
The Lord created human beings for love and perfection
He made humans from his image so man can bring him exaltation
The enemy corrupted the very first man and woman
As a result, evil became rampant with all humans.
God decide to destroy this world’s corruption
He built a covenant with Noah to bring restoration
Repent and do not take part in any form of evil
Judgment will come to all those who follow the devil.
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So many people get stuck with God’s punishment to man’s wickedness. A lot of believers I know think that God is a punitive person. Many people think in the Old Testament period when God literally punished man’s corrupted hearts and minds. In John 3:16, we are given a glimpse of a very loving father who gave up his only begotten son, so he could save all of our sins. He gave us a way out from the judgment that we will receive if we sin. He gave us Jesus, so that when we believe in him, we will have eternal life. God will never tolerate evil.
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PRAYER
Lord, thank you for giving us your son to save us from evil.
REFLECTION
Why do you think some people view God either as punishing or loving?
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