Monthly Archives: May 2018

CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM Poem Devotional

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May 22________________________________________
If you listen to constructive criticism, you will be at home among the wise.
-Proverbs 15:31 (NLT)
CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM
A poem and essay by ILMA
When someone gives you constructive reproach
Listen to it so you can learn and find a new approach
Without someone wise to evaluate your life
You won’t make it far; you’ll struggle to navigate.
Listen to the rebuke of those who have wisdom
They live by truth that will lead you to freedom
Heed to wisdom and you’ll move forward in life
If you avoid it, you will definitely lose insight.
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I worked as a manager and actress onstage for over twenty-five years before I became a teacher. Criticism is the blood line of theatre. Without it, the director won’t be able to squeeze the best out of actors, designers and managers. Criticisms make actors have an overview of how they are actually going to attack their roles and make it believable and engage the audience. When I became a teacher, I needed to change the way I evaluate my students. I couldn’t use the harsh criticisms I was so used to in the theatre because I was dealing with very sensitive young minds who are all still in their formation years.
It is good to hear and listen to constructive criticisms but a demeaning or belittling remark is another thing. If you heed good and wise evaluation, you will be comfortable with the wise.
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PRAYER
Lord, help me to be accepting of wise constructive criticisms from wise people.
REFLECTION
Why is it unwise to always react negatively to constructive criticisms?
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

LOOKING CHEERFUL Poem Devotional

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May 21________________________________________
A cheerful look brings joy to the heart; good news makes for good health.
-Proverbs 15:30(NLT)
LOOKING CHEERFUL
A poem and essay by ILMA
When you think about your Lord Jesus
You can’t help appreciate all that is precious
Looking cheerful will be the result of gratitude
Good news brings good health and a great attitude.
A cheerful look brings joy to the heart of others
It changes darkness and brings light to one another
When you know the Lord, you will manifest joy
When you love the Lord, you will live a life that’s full.
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One of the obvious signs of an authentic believer is “joy.” Although we walk through many different stages of our Christian walk, the worst thing to see is a grumpy Christian. When we whine and complain and live in regret, we are actually not giving a good example to others, especially to those who do not know the Lord. Some people walk their whole lives wondering what it would be like to live with all their wishes and dreams given to them. They do not even thank the Lord for all the blessings they have received and still expect things from God.
I lived seeing many of those cantankerous people who claim they know God, but cannot even see a smile on their faces. The Lord wants us to have a cheerful look because it brings joy to the heart.
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PRAYER
Lord, remind me to always give a smile generously no matter what I feel.
REFLECTION
How can a smile or cheerful countenance change someone’s 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

LOVED EVEN BEFORE THE WORLD BEGAN

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May 20________________________________________
Father, I want these whom you have given me to be with me where I am. Then they can see all the glory you gave me because you loved me even before the world began.
– John 17:24(NLT)
LOVED EVEN BEFORE THE WORLD BEGAN
A poem and essay by ILMA
Jesus loves all those who faithfully stay with him
He promises to share his glory to all those repent of sin
Christ was loved by God even before the world began
Everything God made was all for His one and only Son.
To everyone who will believe in Christ, they will be saved
God is always faithful to his people he will keep them brave
He will ensure that they will all share the glory he gives Jesus
He considers each of his faithful believer as very precious.
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Do you have an idea how much you are loved by your heavenly Father? Just as he loved Jesus before the world began, he also loved each and every thing and person he created. When you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, you will be able to have a glimpse of that unconditional love that he gives all those who love him. He gave his only Son so we could be saved from sin, why do we even doubt that he can forgive us of all our transgressions?
Though we are unworthy, God still gave his only Son to make sure we are saved.
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PRAYER
Lord, help me to accept your unconditional love no matter how much I’ve sinned.
REFLECTION
How does God loved Jesus before the world began?
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

JUST LIKE CHRIST AND THE FATHER Poem Devotional

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May 19________________________________________
I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one -as you are in me, Father and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me.
– John 17:21(NLT)
JUST LIKE CHRIST AND THE FATHER
A poem and essay by ILMA
Jesus prays for all believers to be unified
He doesn’t want anyone to diversify, but to be united
Like him and the Father, he likes us all to be in harmony
That is the best way we can stay in relationship and unity.
Just like Christ is never separated from the Father
He likes us to stay faithful to him and to one another
It will bring us victory whenever there is no division
Let us stay in love and passionate in our relations.
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One of the most fervent prayers that Jesus has for all believers is that we should stay united with the Father and him just as he is very intimate with God. Because of their intimacy, Christ never did anything to make him different from God. He follows everything his heavenly Father does. He says what he says, follows his will and would never do anything that would compromise his relationship with him. Are we like this to our Father or to Christ?
Harmony and unity is essential in any form of relationship or love dies and it doesn’t last long.
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PRAYER
Lord, keep me always intimate with you.
REFLECTION
What can separate us from 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

BELIEVE THE MESSAGE Poem Devotional

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May 18________________________________________
I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me through their message -John 17:20NLT)
BELIEVE THE MESSAGE
A poem and essay by ILMA
Go and believe the message from the Holy Spirit
It will surely help and you’ll benefit from it
All believers will pray for all who follow Christ
That is why God gave us each other in our lives.
Believe the truth that comes from the Good News
God gave his only Son to save us and make us new
Believe the message that comes only from his word
And you’ll have victory to overcome this crooked world.
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All believers are asked to preach the good news to everyone and bring the message that God loves them so much and gave us his only begotten Son so we can all be saved and have eternal life. But how many believers actually believe and appreciate this message? We are also asked to pray for all those who believe in the message. Do we actually do all these?
Some Christians do not even understand or appreciate the great love and sacrifice that the Lord Jesus Christ did for them. I didn’t either for many years because I was so wrapped up with my selfish desires. My prayers were all for my own benefit, but the Lord revealed to me and gave me the ability to spread the message and pray for other believers.
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PRAYER
Lord, give me the desire to always spread your message.
REFLECTION
Why is it important for us to pray for all those who believe God’s message?
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 YOU TEST GOD’S SPIRIT Poem Devotional

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May 17________________________________________
How could the two of you even think of conspiring to test the Spirit of the Lord like this? The young man who buried your husband are just outside the door and they will carry you out, too. – Acts 5:9 (NLT)
WHEN YOU TEST GOD’S SPIRIT
A poem and essay by ILMA
When you try God’s Spirit
You will have a lot of difficulties
Do not ever conspire to test it
Some people died from doing it.
Do not grieve the Holy Spirit
Unless you want to perish from it
Trust whatever God’s word says
He faithfully keeps his promises.
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In Acts 5, a certain man named Ananias who, with his wife, Sapphira, sold some property. He brought part of the money to the apostles, claiming it was the full amount. With his wife’s consent, he kept the rest. Their conspiracy to test God’s Spirit was fatal. The property was theirs to sell or not sell, as they wished but after selling it, the money was also theirs to give away. They lied instead to the apostles which cost them their lives. Peter the apostle warned him that he shouldn’t test God’s spirit by lying. When we lie to others, we are actually lying to God and grieving his Spirit.
You may think that it seems so lethal that lies can kill, but it actually separates you from God which is actually a spiritual death.
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PRAYER
Lord, keep my tongue from lies.
REFLECTION
Why should you not make light of lying for whatever reasons?
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

WHY LIE Poem Devotional

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May 16________________________________________
Why have you let Satan fill your heart? You lied to the Holy Spirit and you kept some of the money for yourself. How could you do a thing like this? You weren’t lying to us but to God. -Acts 5:3,4(NLT)
WHY LIE
A poem and essay by ILMA
When you allow Satan to fill your heart
It wouldn’t be long when you will depart
If you lie to others, you are also lying to the Spirit
Why lie when you can choose honesty and integrity?
How could you compromise your loyalty?
Why hoard or live a life of dishonesty?
To lie is to question God’s omniscience
Why would you let this bother your conscience?
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Why do people lie? An article on Psychology Today says Participants were provided with the following description of what might constitute lying: Most people think a lie occurs any time you intentionally try to mislead someone. Some lies are big while others are small; some are completely false statements and others are truths with a few essential details made up or left out. Some lies are obvious, and some are very subtle. Some lies are told for a good reason. Some lies are selfish; other lies protect others.
The Bible contains several cautions on lying. Leviticus 19:11 tells us not to lie. Proverbs 12:22 gives us a description how God detests lying lips. When we lie, we lie to the Lord who knows all things.
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PRAYER
Lord, guard our mouths from saying lies.
REFLECTION
How can we protect ourselves from lying?
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

SAVE YOURSELVES Poem Devotional

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May 15________________________________________
Save yourselves from this crooked generation! – Acts 2:40(NLT)
SAVE YOURSELVES
A poem and essay by ILMA
We live in a crooked world these days
Do we even follow what the bible says?
Save yourselves from this crooked generation
It is time for you to think of your salvation.
The Lord gave us a map to navigate the corruption
He wants us to strengthen our faith to resist temptations
He warns us to guard our hearts at all times
He commands us to pray for every believer.
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According to the Encyclopedia of the Social and Behavioral Science, learned helplessness refers to the maladaptive passivity shown by animals and people following experience with uncontrollable events. The individual learns in one situation that responses and outcomes are independent, represents this learning as an expectation of helplessness, and then generalizes this expectation to other situations in which outcomes objectively can be controlled to produce passivity. An important influence on the degree of helplessness shown by people is how they explain the causes of the original uncontrollable events. Individuals who tend to explain such events with internal (‘it’s me’), stable (‘it’s going to last forever’), and global (‘it’s going to undermine everything’) are said to have a helpless or pessimistic explanatory style.
2 Timothy 1:7 says God did not give us a spirit of timidity or fear, but of power, love and self-discipline. We can save ourselves from this crooked generation by living this promise.
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PRAYER
Lord, thank you that we can overcome fear by your power.
REFLECTION
How can we literally save ourselves from this crooked generation?
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 PROMISE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT Poem Devotional

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May 14________________________________________
Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. This promise is to you, to your children and to those far away-all who have been called by the Lord our God. – Acts 2:38-39(NLT)
THE PROMISE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
A poem and essay by ILMA
When you believe and commit to Jesus Christ
You need to repent of your sins and live a right life
Be baptized in the name of Jesus for your sin’s forgiveness
Though you were far away, he still gave his promises.
He will grant you the indwelling of the Holy Spirit
Repent so all of your sins will be forgiven
Give up pride and turn to God so he can live in you
He will transform your life and make you new.
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One of the greatest gifts that God gave us when we become a believer is the promise of the Holy Spirit. When Jesus came to save us from sin, he assured his disciples that it was better for him to leave since that will ensure that the Holy Spirit will live in their hearts.
It is sad to know that some Christians take this treasure for granted. Only though the Holy Spirit can we be transformed and become the people God planned for us.
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PRAYER
Lord, please help me to never grieve your Spirit.
REFLECTION
How do you know that someone has God’s Spirit living in 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

TEACHING, FELLOWSHIP & PRAYER Poem Devotional

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May 13________________________________________
All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper) and to prayer. – Acts 2:42(NLT)
TEACHING, FELLOWSHIP & PRAYER
A poem and essay by ILMA
To those who wants to be a follower of Christ
You need to follow his teachings and apply in your life
Fellowship and prayers are part of your calling
You cannot isolate yourself; it hinders you from growing.
Jesus’ disciples shared meals often during the Lord’s supper
He calls us to fellowship and to pray with all believers
When we surround ourselves with our sisters and brothers
We encourage each other as we all share our burdens.
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Ephesians 6:18 tells us to pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere. We are commanded to always pray for all believers everywhere. Matthew 18:20 says that where two or three are gathered in his name, Christ is there. I am sure that God wants you to pray on your own regularly but getting into fellowship with other believers to pray is much more powerful. Corporate praying is integral in the church, along with worship, communion and fellowship. Praying together enlightens and ties us as we share our common faith.
It knits us together in a unique bond of friendship found nowhere else in life. Participate in fellowship and you will grow.
PRAYER
Thank you for giving us a family of believers to bond with.
REFLECTION
What happens when you don’t fellowship with other believers and keep to yourself?
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