Monthly Archives: February 2018

NOWHERE TO HIDE Poem Devotional

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February 28
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The Lord’s light penetrates the human spirit, exposing every hidden motive.
– Proverbs 20:27(NLT)
NOWHERE TO HIDE
A poem and essay by ILMA
When the light of the Lord penetrates your spirit
There is nowhere to hide, better seek it
God’s light pierces your entire being
It exposes your heart and every little thing.
Why do you keep on running and hiding?
Let him change you, instead of keeping on sinning
The Lord sees all of your hidden intentions
Repent each time you succumb to temptations.
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Have you ever kept running from something you feared so much? There were many decades of my life that I did this because I feared rejection and abandonment. Whenever I get close to someone, I would self-protect so I can ensure that I won’t be hurt. So, even before this person can prove their love for me, I already had a strategy to run. It became a coping mechanism so I can protect myself from possible people who would reject, abandon or neglect me. It was a tiring way to live because there are no healthy or lasting relationships. I wasn’t able to give others to get close enough to hurt me. It wasn’t a good way to live life with people whom you have relationships with.
I did this avoidant act also with God because I was full of shame from disobeying him. But I had nowhere to hide from his great love for me.
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PRAYER
Lord, thank you for unceasingly shining your light on me.
REFLECTION
Why do you think people hide from God’s light?
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

MY FORTRESS Poem Devotional

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February 27
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God is my strong fortress, and he makes my way perfect. – 2 Samuel 22:33(NLT)
MY FORTRESS
A poem and essay by ILMA
Why do you doubt the Lord’s faithfulness?
He supplies you your strength, he is your fortress
Why don’t you have enough faith, he saved you
He gave you his life and made you born again and new.
The Lord is our fortress, he makes our way perfect
He loves us so much, he rescues us and protects
Rely only on him and you will have victory
Depend on yourself and you will die slowly.
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Fortress is defined as a fortified place, a stronghold, especially a large and permanent fortification sometimes including a town. A fortress is a large building or complex of buildings used as a military stronghold. In a military sense, a fortress is often called a “fort.” Forts are built in order to secure a nation from infiltration or attack from another nation or enemy. They are walls to defend the country from invasion and capture.
My country of origin was the Philippines and we have forts that was built so that the Spanish conquistador will remain our conqueror, until the British came and took over the fort, and later on the Americans.
The bible tells us that the Lord is our strong fortress. He makes our ways perfect and only in him are we assured of victory over the enemy’s tactics.
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PRAYER
Lord, thank you for being my fortress.
REFLECTION
How can abiding in the Lord ensure your victory over the world’s corruption?
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

UNWAVERING MERCY Poem Devotional

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February 26
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Whenever your people turned and cried to you again for help, you listened once more from heaven. In your wonderful mercy, you rescued them many times.
– Nehemiah 9:28(NLT)
UNWAVERING MERCY
A poem and essay by ILMA
Have you ever been forgiven again and again?
The Lord gives you mercy seventy times seven
He gives you forgiveness afresh each morning
He listens to your cry for help as you are praying.
He is faithful to understand you and give you grace
He never fails to hear the pleas of the human race
Run to his throne and he will never fail you
He is all-loving, he always rescues and renews.
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One of the hardest things to do is to forgive someone who has done you wrong. Human nature makes us respond to hurt in a vengeful reaction. We react to pain with either a flight or fight response. In Exodus 21, we hear that an eye for an eye is how we should respond to a fight. In Matthew 5, we hear the teaching that we must not resist an evil person but if someone slaps us on the right cheek, we must offer the other cheek. Does this mean that we are to allow ourselves to be abused? It means that we need not avenge ourselves from the wrong done to us, but forgive instead. The Lord grants us mercy without cease. Why can’t we do the same for others?
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PRAYER
Lord, give me the grace to grant forgiveness to those who have wronged me.
REFLECTION
How do you know that you have already forgiven someone?
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

PROTECTED FROM PRIDE Poem Devotional

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February 25
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He makes them turn from doing wrong; he keeps them from pride. – Job 33:17(NLT)
PROTECTED FROM PRIDE
A poem and essay by ILMA
When you become a believer
You will become aware of the deceiver
The enemy will plot to destroy you
Let God have your mind renewed.
The Lord will protect you from pride
He will always be by your side
He delivers you from arrogance
He shows you humility and temperance.
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One of the greatest sins that we can commit is being proud. This is probably why it is considered to be one of the deadliest sins. Pride as a noun is defined as a feeling or deep pleasure or satisfaction derived from one’s own achievements, the achievements of those with whom one is closely associated, or from qualities or possessions that are widely admired. As a verb, it means to be especially proud of a particular quality or skill.
Humility is the opposite of pride. Jesus Christ championed the act of humility by becoming human even though he was God. The world has turned humility into a false idea of not acknowledging one’s strengths and belittling oneself. True humility is actually knowing who you are in Christ and recognising your strengths and weaknesses and using it to further his kingdom.
The bible tells us that the Lord protects all his children from pride. He brings them a thorn in their flesh so they’ll remember who they are in Christ.
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PRAYER
Lord, keep me humble always.
REFLECTION
What are the manifestations of pride in your life that can be tricky to discern?
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

AS YOU REST Poem Devotional

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February 24
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He speaks in dreams, in visions of the night, when deep sleep falls on people as they lie in their beds. – Job 33:15(NLT)
AS YOU REST
A poem and essay by ILMA
As you lie down in your bed to sleep
God sorts your problems while you rest
Keep still and know that he is there
Don’t live in anxiety and fear.

As you rest and replenish your strength
The Lord straightens everything that is bent
As you relax and trust him, he will give you answers
He wants you to have faith for he is the best provider.
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There are many bible characters that have been given visions and prophecies while they sleep. Joseph, the husband of Mary was given instructions to marry his fiancée even though she was pregnant already. Daniel was able to interpret Nebuchadnezzar’s dream which made him part of the king’s counsel.
Sadly, in our modern age, we sometimes get little time to sleep or rest. There are so many stimulants to give us time to relax. Even planning a vacation becomes work in itself and fail to be a source of replenishing the mind and body. Researchers say it does seem clear that sleep is key to the brain’s ability to reorganize itself — a feature called plasticity.
I think that God designed us to sleep so he can help us solve our issues and regenerate our minds, bodies and spirits.
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PRAYER
Thank you Lord for giving us time to rest.
REFLECTION
Why is sleep or rest crucial in our existence?
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 HEARING GOD’S VOICE

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February 23
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For God speaks again and again, though people do not recognize it. – Job 33:14(NLT)
ON HEARING GOD’S VOICE
A poem and essay by ILMA
When you regularly spend time with the Lord
Your heart will yearn to praise and be awed
Why can’s some people not hear his voice?
They are too busy to make that choice.
God speaks to his people, yet they don’t recognize it
They are preoccupied with life instead of hearing his Spirit
When you hear his voice, do not let your hearts be hardened
One can easily recognize his voice if they are not over burdened.
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When I taught Oral Communication to high school students, one of my favorite topics to teach is “How to Reach out to Audiences and Engage in Conversation.” The basic step to reach a target audience is to know the demographics of their listeners. Once they know this, they can always customize their speech or talk in order to engage and persuade them to hear you out. It is important to break the ice so that they become comfortable to hear out what you are presenting to them. If you analyze what may block them from listening, you may be successful to reach out to them effectively.
This communication concept goes true with your relationship with God. If you haven’t established a rapport or relationship with God, there will be many hindrances to hear his voice.
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PRAYER
Lord, please keep me focused on you alone.
REFLECTION
What have stopped you from hearing God’s voice at certain periods of 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

SUPERNATURAL STRENGTH Poem Devotional

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February 22
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By my power, I will make my people strong, and by my authority they will go wherever they wish. I, the Lord have spoken. – Zechariah10:12(NLT)
SUPERNATURAL STRENGTH
A poem and essay by ILMA
Do you have limitations with what you can do?
When you are born again, it changes, you are made new
He gives you authority to fulfill all that he has planned
By his power, he prospers you and make you “grand”
Without God’s grace, you can do nothing
All things are possible once he gives you the anointing
There is nothing impossible with the Almighty
He gives you strength to conquer and have victory.
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During the dark times of my adult life, I experienced so much suffering and pain. I didn’t know that I caused all these traumatic experiences with the wrong choices I made. I also lived a life without a personal relationship with God. There were times I wondered how I survived such dreadful situations. I took credit for being a survivor. I didn’t realize that the Lord was the one who gave me supernatural strength to survive and thrive the many upheavals I had in life. He had a purpose when he allowed me to go through such circumstances. He was preparing me for something big in his ministry.
The bible says that apart from God, we can do nothing. It is through him that we get supernatural strength and power.
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PRAYER
Lord, thank you for the power and authority you bestowed on all of mankind.
REFLECTION
Why don’t people use the power and authority given to them by 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

COMPASSIONATE GOD Poem Devotional

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February 21
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I will restore them because of my compassion. It will be as though I had never rejected them, for I am the Lord their God, who will hear their cries. – Zechariah10:6 (NLT)
COMPASSIONATE GOD
A poem and essay by ILMA
Whatever you are going through right now
Run to Jesus, give him praise and bow down
He will restore you for he is a God of compassion
He is there to provide relief and a resolution.
The Lord created us all to be like him
When we cry out to him, he hears and redeems
Stay devoted and true to someone who treasures you
He understands you totally, he knows things concerning you.
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Racham is the Hebrew for “compassion.” Strong’s exhaustive concordance defines it as
tender love, great, tender mercy, pity, womb. It is interesting how the definition includes pity. I personally think that without a sense of pity, one cannot be compassionate. The word womb also gives us a picture of a baby in a woman’s womb where she can literally experience what the baby feels because it’s inside of her. One cannot give compassion if one cannot put himself or herself in the same shoe as the person suffering. It is as if she or she is actually experiencing that person’s predicament.
The bible tells us that God is full of compassion and he hears our cries and understand everything that we are going through.
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PRAYER
Lord, grant me a heart that is full of compassion.
REFLECTION
What hinders us from being compassionate to others who are going through something?
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 THERE’S NO SHEPHERD Poem Devotional

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February 20
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Household gods give worthless advice, fortune-tellers predict only lies, and interpreters of dreams pronounce falsehoods that give no comfort. So my people are wandering like lost sheep, they are attacked because they have no shepherd. – Zechariah 10:2(NLT)
WHEN THERE’S NO SHEPHERD
A poem and essay by ILMA
When there is no one leading a flock
It is easy to get lost and be stuck
Like a sheep without a shepherd
We can become very helpless.
If one ever goes astray from God’s fold
He will look for him and leave them all
When you feel lost and start wandering
Your beloved Jesus will always be rescuing.
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Hundreds of sheep followed their leader off a cliff in eastern Turkey, plunging to their deaths this week while shepherds looked on in dismay. Four hundred sheep fell 15 metres to their deaths in a ravine in Van province near Iran but broke the fall of another 1,100 animals who survived. Shepherds from a nearby village neglected the flock while eating breakfast, leaving the sheep to roam free. The loss to local farmers was estimated at $74,000. One sheep wandered off a cliff and 1,499 others just followed along. This shows how dumb sheep are. Another trait they have is that they are directionless. This is why they need a shepherd because they have no clue where they are going. The bible says that when we don’t have a shepherd to watch us, we will stray.
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PRAYER
Lord, let me never lose focus on you shepherding me.
REFLECTION
What happens to believers who have no one to lead 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

PRAY FOR RAIN Poem Devotional

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February 19
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Ask the Lord for rain in the spring, for he makes the storm clouds. And he will send showers of rain so every field becomes a lush pasture. – Zechariah 10:1(NLT)
PRAY FOR RAIN
A poem and essay by ILMA
Have you had a drought in your life lately?
Pray for a shower of blessings from God Almighty
Ask the Lord for rain and he will grant it to you
He is faithful to deliver his promises if you don’t let go.
Diligently ask anything in his name, and you will get it
Pray for rain of gifts and anointing from the Holy Spirit
If you have already envisioned you have it, it will be done
Nothing is impossible the most powerful one and only Son.
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In 1 Kings 18, we hear the story of Elijah praying for rain and the Lord granting him such request. If you live in a desert, the rain is a much welcome thought especially if you have been walking in the heat of the desert. Probably those poor people living in developing countries only access to clean water is from the rain.
In John 14:14, we are told that if we ask anything in his name, he will do it. Mark 11:24 says that you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you’ve received it, it will be yours. So, why don’t people boldly and confidently ask in God’s name?
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PRAYER
Lord, shower me with anointing so I can do the work for your kingdom.
REFLECTION
Why is faith essential in order for prayers to be answered?
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