Monthly Archives: November 2017

CRYING OUT LOUD

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November 9
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While Jesus was here on earth, he offered prayers and pleadings, with a loud cry and tears, to the one who could rescue him from death. And God heard his prayers because of his deep reverence for God. -Hebrews 5:7(NLT)
CRYING OUT LOUD
A poem and essay by ILMA
Do you call out on your Lord when you have troubles?
Do you plead him to get you out of the rubble?
While Jesus was here on earth, he offered prayers and pleadings
He shouted out to God to be rescued from immense suffering.
God heard his prayers because of his deep reverence
He acknowledged his humility and dependence
Cry out lout to the heavenly Father; he will hear you
Confess and repent of your sins and he will make you new.
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When you hear your baby cry, your first impulse is to attend to him or her. You try to find out what the baby needs and meet that as soon as you can. Our heavenly Father is the same to us. When we cry out to him for help, he runs as fast as he can to answer that plea. He doesn’t have a deaf ear to our complaints and concerns. He hears every detail of our situation. How often do Christians even cry out loud to the Lord? The book of Psalms is full of David’s crying out loud to God and pleading to be rescued.
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PRAYER
Lord, I ask you to hear my cries for help.
REFLECTION
When did God answer your cries?
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

DEFEATED BY JESUS Poem Devotional

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November 8
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Then the man of lawlessness will be revealed, but the Lord Jesus will kill him with the breath of his mouth and destroy him by the splendor of his coming.
-2 Thessalonians 2:8(NLT)
DEFEATED BY JESUS
A poem and essay by ILMA
Before the Lord returns, there will be unrest
People will love to satisfy themselves
There will be a mocking of the gospel
Many people will choose to listen to the devil.
The moment Jesus died on the cross
He already manifested that he’s victorious
When the lawless man is revealed
Christ will defeat him and he will be killed.
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Who are antichrists? 1 John 4:3 defines who they are. If someone claims to be a prophet and does not acknowledge the truth about Jesus, that person is not from God. Such a person has the spirit of the Antichrist, which you heard is coming into the world and indeed is already here. In 2 John 1:7 he expounds that many deceivers have gone out into the world, denying that Jesus Christ came in a real body. Such a person is a deceiver and an antichrist. Most of these lawless counterfeits are hiding in order to entice people to go against the Lord. They do it very subtly and if you don’t know the truth, you will be deceived. The apostle Paul emphasizes that this lawless man is going to be exposed and defeated by Jesus himself.
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PRAYER
Lord help me never to lose sight of your splendor and glory.
REFLECTION
How can you triumph over the spirit of antichrist?
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 REJECTING THE GOOD NEWS Poem Devotional

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November 7
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And God will provide rest for you who are being persecuted and also for us when the Lord Jesus appears from heaven, He will come with his mighty angels, in flaming fire, bringing judgement on those who don’t know God and on those who refuse to obey the Good News of our Lord Jesus. – 2 Thessalonians 1:7-8(NLT)
ON REJECTING THE GOOD NEWS
A poem and essay by ILMA
Those who think that they know it all
They are proud and they’ll have a great fall
God gave us his Son so we can have eternal life
If you reject the Good News, you will eventually die.
The Lord provides rest to those who suffer for him
He promises them endless life and a piece of heaven
Jesus will come back to judge those who reject the gospel
They’ll forfeit God’s inheritance if they choose to follow evil.
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John 1:14-15 tells us about the Good News. After John the Baptist was arrested, Jesus went into Galilee, where he preached God’s Good News. He announced that the promise of God has come at last. He says that God’s kingdom is near and that all must repent of their sins and believe the Good News. Those who will refuse to obey the message will be judged and lose their inheritance in God’s kingdom. It was Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross that will be our ticket to receive God’s inheritance.
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PRAYER
Lord, let me be an instrument to spread your Good News.
REFLECTION
How have you responded to the Good News that will save you?
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 UPSIDE OF PERSECUTION Poem Devotional

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November 6
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And God will use this persecution to show his justice and to make you worthy of his Kingdom, for which you are suffering. In his justice, he will pay back those who persecute you. – 2 Thessalonians 1:5-6(NLT)
THE UPSIDE OF PERSECUTION
A poem and essay by ILMA
When people persecute you because of Jesus
Don’t be discouraged, you know that you are precious
He will make you overcome victory over your suffering
He will make you strong, so keep on praising Him.
He uses injustices in your life to grow your faith
Don’t ever give up; it will surely change your fate
Pray that you will remember Christ’s sacrifice for you
Seek his word and let your mind be constantly renewed.
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When we get discriminated or marginalized, we automatically become defensive or shut down. The bible tells us to look at the upside of persecution. The book of James even tells us to be joyful when we have suffering because it can grow our faith. God allowed the Israelites to be slaves to the Egyptians so they can learn to become more trusting and dependent on him. Despite their unfaithfulness, he was guiding them day and night and patiently waiting for them to focus on him. He never left them. He longs for them to have victory over their strongholds and bondages. He allowed them to go through testing so they can overcome evil and be able to fulfill his plans for his own people.
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PRAYER
Thank you for being faithful especially during trials.
REFLECTION
What have you gone through that God faithfully delivered you from?
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

KEEP ON PRAYING Poem Devotional

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November 5

So we keep on praying for you, asking our God to enable you to live a life worthy of his call. May he give you the power to accomplish all the good things your faith prompts you to do. -2 Thessalonians 1:11(NLT)

KEEP ON PRAYING

A poem and essay by ILMA

When you are facing trials, keep on praying

The Lord is close to those who are suffering

When you need to make a decision, continue to ask

The Lord wants you to have wisdom and constantly trust.

Ask God that he will enable you to live a life that’s worthy

After all, He made you in his image and he is Almighty

May the Lord stir you to constantly ask in his name

It benefits your spirit to be humble and not ashamed.

How often do you pray? It is sad to know that even those who claim they are Christians never find time to pray or spend time with the Lord. No wonder, they go to the same mountains again and again and have not experienced breakthroughs. Many people think that praying is hard work and make an excuse that they won’t have the time to do so. This is the work of the enemy, to keep us away from asking and communicating with God in a personal way just like a little child would do. If we keep on praying, we will experience more miracles.

PRAYER

Lord, thank you for having the freedom to choose to always connect with you.

REFLECTION

How can praying make us more like our heavenly Father?

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 COUNTERFEIT Poem Devotional

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November 4
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This man will come to do the work of Satan with counterfeit power and signs and miracles. He will use every kind of evil deception to fool those on their way to destruction, because they refuse to love and accept the truth that would save them.
-2 Thessalonians 2:9-10(NLT)
THE COUNTERFEIT
A poem and essay by ILMA
Beware of the coming of the counterfeit
He works for Satan and he will steal and take
He will use all kinds of tactics to blind you
Make sure you walk in love and stay true.
There is power in the name of Jesus
Speak it and he will protect all who are precious
You have authority over evil if you believe in God
Declare his name and cover yourself with his blood.
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In Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians, he explained that Christ could return at any moment but some believers misunderstood what it meant so he wrote a second letter to them explaining it. He meant to encourage them and not to give a detailed schedule for the future. He explained that no one really knows when the exact time of Christ’s return would be, but that he will return. In his letter he warned them of the counterfeit, the one who will disguise as someone with powers and deceive people that he can do miracles. Only those who won’t accept God’s truth will be deceived and believe his lies.
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PRAYER
Lord, deliver me from counterfeits.
REFLECTION
How would you know if someone is a counterfeit? How do we expose them?
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

RUN FROM FOOLISH DISCUSSION

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November 3
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Avoid godless foolish discussion with those who oppose you with their so-called knowledge. – 1 Timothy 6:20(NLT)
RUN FROM FOOLISH DISCUSSION
A poem and essay by ILMA
If you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ
You will seek God and his will in your life
Avoid godless foolish discussions
Don’t participate in evil conversations.
Do not waste your time with arguing
Be clear and don’t make things confusing
Meditate on Scriptures and you’ll discern
Care only about what God wants you to learn.
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Have you ever engaged a conversation with a person with high conflict personality? It is tiring to deal with this spirit who likes to drag people into reasoning, debate and arguments. I used to be fascinated by philosophy and when God revealed to me that human reasoning is actually foolish. In 1 Corinthians 1:19-21, Paul says that God will destroy the wisdom of the wise and discard the intelligence of the intelligent. So where does this leave the philosophers, the scholars, the world’s brilliant debaters? God has made the wisdom of this world look foolish. God in his wisdom saw to it that the world would never know him through human wisdom. When I studied these verses, I let go of all my interest in philosophy, logic and debate. The Lord showed me that engaging in such foolish discussion is a waste of time and I open doors for the enemy to trap me into sinning.
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PRAYER
Lord, show me when I am being lured into human reasoning.
REFLECTION
What is the antidote to human reasoning and arguing and foolish discussions?
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

GRACE BUILDS YOU UP

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November 2
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And now I entrust you to God and the message of his grace that is able to build you up and give you an inheritance with all those he has set apart for himself. – Acts 20:32(NLT)
GRACE BUILDS YOU UP
A poem and essay by ILMA
When you go through trials and feel discouraged
Focus on the grace of God so you will be encouraged
He will not allow you to be tested beyond your capacity
His grace is there to build you up in all your suffering and frailties.
When you cannot understand what you are going through
Grace gives you comfort by leading you to His truth
You need not understand why he unconditionally loves you
Just receive grace, thank the Lord and be renewed.
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The word “grace” used in the bible like forgiveness, repentance, regeneration, and salvation, mean something as broad as describing the whole of God’s activity toward man or as narrow as describing one segment of that activity. An accurate, common definition describes grace as the unmerited favor of God toward man. It was hard for me to comprehend “grace” before I became a born again Christian. I was raised in the concept of working for my salvation. I wouldn’t be saved if I didn’t do good works. It enslaved me to think that I wasn’t going to be saved because I wasn’t good enough. God’s unconditional love for me is manifested in his grace.
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PRAYER
Lord, help me to see the grace I receive from you daily.
REFLECTION
What might block you from receiving God’s 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

DANGERS OF THOUGHTLESSNESS Poem Devotional

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November 1
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Don’t act thoughtlessly but understand what the Lord wants you to do.
– Ephesians 5:17(NLT)
DANGERS OF THOUGHTLESSNESS
A poem and essay by ILMA
Do you listen to what God is saying?
Do you hear his voice as you are praying?
Don’t act thoughtlessly, heed his word
Keep your minds uncorrupted by this world.
When thoughtlessness becomes a habit
You will grieve the Holy Spirit
Think of what God wants you to do
Seek the Lord and you’ll know what is true.
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Have you ever met someone who is thoughtless? I have been in relationship with many thoughtless people in the past. It was a struggle to maintain sanity and intimacy with people who have an “I don’t care” attitude. No amount of explanation will make them understand the importance of relating with someone. When someone does things without thinking, they are bound to commit mistakes or hurt someone. Speaking out something thoughtlessly will most likely bring a tactless and insensitive statement or comment. When we are absorbed with our own selfish desires or wants, we are unable to hear God’s will for us. The bible tells us to consult the Lord in all things, big or small. We are also asked to love one another like he loves us. One of the dangers of thoughtlessness is that we miss out on what God is saying to us and fail to receive his promises and blessings. Thoughtlessness kills relationships. It isolates us from others.
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PRAYER
Lord, give me an ear to hear what you are saying.
REFLECTION
How can one become more thoughtful?
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