September 19________________________________________
For when we ourselves are comforted, we will certainly comfort you. Then you can patiently endure the same things we suffer. – 2 Corinthians 1:6(NLT)
COMFORT BRINGS ENDURANCE
A poem and essay by ILMA
When we go through pain and misery
You may want be alone or long for company
Don’t feel discouraged, reach out to others
Comfort brings strength and patient endurance.
Don’t hesitate to give others comfort
In doing so, you are going to go forth
By being generous to others who need you
It manifests Christ’s presence and a life renewed.
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I grew up in the Philippines where there is much openness and hospitality. It is a good thing and yet it can be an issue with boundaries. Filipinos have an open door policy with friends, neighbors and relatives. Anyone can just drop in your doorstep and regardless of what one is doing, they welcome these visitors and guests. You don’t need an appointment or notification to go visit someone. Filipinos are also very good at comforting others especially the sick, the grieving and those who are going through adversities. When I came to Canada, it was totally different. I learned boundaries because not all people have open door policy. I became more respectful of giving hospitality and comfort. I learned to adjust to the difference in culture and traditions.
The bible says that when we are comforted, we will also receive comforting. It helps us endure our suffering.
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PRAYER
Lord, help me to be sensitive when I give comfort to others.
REFLECTION
Why do some people feel uncomfortable receiving comfort from others?
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
Monthly Archives: September 2018
UPSIDE OF SUFFERING Poem Devotional
September 18________________________________________
For the more we suffer for Christ, the more God will shower us with his comfort through Christ. – 2 Corinthians 1:5(NLT)
UPSIDE OF SUFFERING
A poem and essay by ILMA
Are you going through a series of suffering?
Fear not! God will shower you with blessings
He uses all kinds of trials so you can come to Him
He strengthens you through it so you can win over sin.
Don’t be discouraged when things are going wrong
Let it be a reminder how God will keep you strong
He will never allow anything beyond your limits
For you to thrive, He gave his Son and His Holy Spirit.
________________________________________Have you ever been bombarded with adversity like it was never going to be over? I experienced unending misery in my late twenties. My son was just born then when I was going through all these painful situations and being surrounded by constant rejection and persecution from others. Many years later, I realized what those rainfall of suffering did to me. It made me strong and closer to the Lord. It made me run to him and depend on him because there was no one else to rely on.
In the book of James, we are encouraged to be joyful when we encounter trials and suffering because it will give us a chance to grow our faith. The more we suffer for Christ, the more God will shower us his comfort through him.
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PRAYER
Lord, remind me to thank you even for the suffering that can bring me strength and endurance.
REFLECTION
Why do people usually avoid suffering?
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
MERCIFUL & COMFORTING GOD Poem Devotional
September 17________________________________________
All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. – 2 Corinthians 1:3(NLT)
MERCIFUL & COMFORTING GOD
A poem and essay by ILMA
To the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ
May all praise be given to Him all your life
He is the only god who forgives you infinitely
Turn your focus on Him who can grant you mercy.
There is no other human who can give you comfort
Only the Father and the Son will bring you forth
Remember to rely only on him for your well-being
He is the only God who can provide for anything and everything.
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¬When my husband and I went through marriage counseling, we bumped into the book “How we Love” by Milan and Kay Yerkovich. Our counselor used this book to address our marriage issues. It mainly focused on the principles of how we love based on the love and we got from our first caregivers. The first thing we were asked was “How were you comforted as a child?” My husband and I apparently couldn’t answer the question or recall any situation when we were given comfort as far back in our childhood that we can remember. It was obvious that we weren’t able to be provided with it. Thus we learned to be independent and self-sufficient. The bible tells us the source of all comfort who is our merciful God.
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PRAYER
Lord, thank you for comforting me in my pain and grief.
REFLECTION
Why do you think comfort giving is becoming a novelty 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
PRIDE DECEIVES Poem Devotional
September 16________________________________________
You have been deceived by your own pride. – Obadiah 1:3(NLT)
PRIDE DECEIVES
A poem and essay by ILMA
Whenever you allow pride to control your life
You are going to be deceived and lose insight
Pride is a sin that will bring about many more
It is like cancer; it brings you down to your core.
Give up this deadly disease or you’ll die
Look up the cross so you can see the light
Jesus died so you can be free from wickedness
Pride roots from evil and selfishness.
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One of the many generational sins that the Lord has freed me from these past six years was pride. It was prevalent in our family and manifests in many different ways. Ambition was one way it showed in our lives. My father and mother worked hard so they can show others that they are better than them. It was almost like competing with others and the more they become good at what they do, the more my parents would ensure that we can live up to their lifestyle. They set such high standards for their children that destroyed them in terms of relational skills. All of my siblings and I struggled very hard in keeping relationships because we were all set up to reach an unreachable and unrealistic standard. Pride has deceived many people and the more we cling to it, the more we feel empty inside.
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PRAYER
Lord, show me how to choose humility instead of my selfish ambitions.
REFLECTION
How can pride sneak in your life? What ways can it show?
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
FAMINE ON HEARING SCRIPTURES Poem Devotional
September 15________________________________________
“The time is surely coming” says the Sovereign Lord, “when I will send a famine on the land-not a famine of bread or water but of hearing the words of the Lord.
– Amos 8:11(NLT)
FAMINE ON HEARING SCRIPTURES
A poem and essay by ILMA
There will come a time when people won’t hear Scriptures
People will be focused on satisfying their whims and pleasures
We may have all kinds wealth and all of material possessions
Do we seek God’s word, listen and engage in meditations?
There is a famine on being unable to hear God’s word
The prince of darkness has captured much of this world
What are you doing to ensure that Scriptures is heard?
Do you ensure that the Good News is preached?
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There is much chaos going on in our world today primarily because many people have turned their backs on the Lord and His word. How far do you think would anyone go without nourishment? They would starve and eventually die. So much poverty is prevalent in many parts or the world. Many children die from malnourishment and sickness. Some people get out in the mission field to help these people and ensure that they are not forgotten.
There is another famine that the prophet Amos was prophesying to us. He saw the vision that people will experience a poverty of hearing the truth that comes from the word of God. Isn’t this currently going on now?
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PRAYER
Lord, help me never to be deaf to your word.
REFLECTION
What makes people unable to hear the truth that comes from Scriptures?
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
EVEN BEFORE YOU CALL Poem Devotional
September 14________________________________________
I will answer them before they even call to me. While they are still talking about their needs, I will go ahead and answer their prayers. – Isaiah 65:24 (NLT)
EVEN BEFORE YOU CALL
A poem and essay by ILMA
Do you know that God answers even before you call?
You can count on him to save you from your fall
He is always waiting on you to come to him
This is the only way you can overcome sin.
The Lord sees everything at all times
While you are still talking, he provides
Even before you call, he already answered
Run to your faithful God, your heavenly Father.
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I was a telephone operator for a couple of years in the Directory Assistance and Overseas Calls Departments. It was a job that I had right after graduating from Mass Communication Arts degree. I got many compliments as a teenager how my voice sounded well on the telephone. This was way back before computers became popular. We referred to a more complete yellow pages than the public were given. As one of our responsibilities, we were encouraged to memorize frequently asked queries such as hotels, big companies and to facilitate giving them answers. Sometimes, we operators would bet on what is going to be asked to amuse ourselves from boredom and routine.
The bible tells us that even before we call, our God already answered. He doesn’t guess. He knows and responds quickly.
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PRAYER
Lord, thank you for your knowing our needs.
REFLECTION
Why do we still need to pray knowing that God answers even before we call?
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
IDOLATRY INSULTS THE LORD Poem Devotional
September 13________________________________________
All day long they insult me to my face by worshiping idols. – Isaiah 65:3(NLT)
IDOLATRY INSULTS THE LORD
A poem and essay by ILMA
Are you aware of the idols in your life?
The literally snuff off God’s glorious light
Is it a career or an obsession that steals your time?
What are you idolizing that makes you lose insight?
It insults the Lord when you praise other gods and things
He considers it unfaithfulness and a grave sin
He is a jealous God and he doesn’t want competition
He wants you to make him first, so resist the temptation.
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What is the worst thing one can do when he or she is in a relationship? Unfaithfulness is what breaks and ruins relationships. Why do you think it is so? The bible says that God is love in 1 John 4:8. In Genesis 1:27, we are told that we are made in the image of God. The way God created us is exactly like him. We were not created for betrayal, unfaithfulness and adultery. It is the exact opposite of love. So, when we focus our attention, priorities, time and adulation to someone or something other than the Lord Jesus Christ, we are committing adultery. James 4:4 bluntly calls us adulterers when we become friends with the world. Idolatry is one way that Satan derails us from the straight path to Jesus. It insults the Lord seriously when we worship idols.
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PRAYER
Lord, deliver me from anything that will take away my focus on you.
REFLECTION
What kinds of idols can easily sneak in our lives?
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
REBELLIOUSNESS Poem Devotional
September 12________________________________________
All day long I opened my arms to a rebellious people. But they follow their own evil paths and their own crooked schemes. – Isaiah 65:2 (NLT)
REBELLIOUSNESS
A poem and essay by ILMA
Do you oftentimes question and defy things in life?
Have you purposely disobeyed a command of Christ?
The rebellious spirit wants you to go against the Lord
Fight against being bound by it through God’s word.
Do you know that God always waits on you to obey?
He has your welfare look after, that is his way
Do not follow evil paths and crooked plans
You’ll invite trouble if you resist his commands.
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Why are people inclined to rebel instead of obey? Do you notice how children in their innocence still have that tendency to not follow? The spirit of rebelliousness is an aftermath of the first original sin. After the fall of Adam and Eve, we naturally tend to go against rules or laws. The whole theme of the old testament is the rebelliousness of the Israelites against a God who had a good plan for them. This is why it took them forty years to go on a journey to the promised land when it was just an eleven-day travel. Don’t we rebel at some point in our lives? I was freed from this spirit when I became born again. The word of God led me to obey because it was the antidote for it.
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PRAYER
Thank you Lord that you are always there to welcome me back when I turn against your will.
REFLECTION
What consequences have you suffered through rebellion?
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
A GOD LONGING FOR HIS PEOPLE Poem Devotional
September 11________________________________________
I was ready to respond, but no one asked for help. I was ready to be found but no one was looking for me. – Isaiah 65:1(NLT)
A GOD LONGING FOR HIS PEOPLE
A poem and essay by ILMA
When two people love each other, they usually want to be together
Just like a parent always want to watch over their children’s welfare
Our heavenly father longs for all his beloved children
How come they have neglected to come to him for help?
God is always waiting for all his people to run to him
How can we be so proud not to do so; and choose to sin?
If you claim you love Jesus, why don’t you stay faithful?
Why can’t you be open to his Spirit so you can be fruitful?
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My own father just died two weeks ago. He had been longing for me to spend time with him ever since he stopped working abroad and retired. I was too busy making a career, raising my son alone and running a business. My son and I were the only one who lived far from my parents. He would manage to find time to see me and my son.
Like my biological father, our heavenly Father is also pining for us to run to him and ask help. He wants us to depend on him for anything and everything. Why do we get so busy giving that time that he so longs from us?
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PRAYER
Lord, thank you for patiently waiting for me to come around.
REFLECTION
Why do some Christians never find time for 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
Practice Truth poem devotional
September 10________________________________________
So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth. -1 John 1:6(NLT)
PRACTICE TRUTH
A poem and essay by ILMA
What good is it to get revelations from truth
If we don’t do it and allow it to take root?
If we claim to have fellowship with the Lord
And yet not obey regularly his teachings in his word.
We are liars and hypocrites since we don’t follow it
We can’t live in darkness and let in the Holy Spirit.
To practice truth, we must abide and be in the Lord
Without his grace, we won’t prosper in this world
Live in his light and you will be free from bondage
Stay in darkness and you will be at a disadvantage.
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How many Christians get revelations from Scriptures and yet unable to apply it in their own personal lives? In the book of James, we are encouraged to follow the word and not just hear it. When we hear it and not do what it says, it keeps us bound and makes us unable to see with God’s viewpoint. In other words, we will continue to live in spiritual darkness. This was why Jesus constantly confronted the Pharisees because they teach the word of God academically but don’t really practice what it says. Practicing truth is what transforms us into the new creation God intended us to be.
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PRAYER
Help me to constantly wear my new self Lord.
REFLECTION
Why do you think some Christians fail to practice truth?
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