DESPITE MY BITTERNESS Poem Devotional

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Nov 11
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Then I realized my heart was bitter, and I was all torn up inside. I was so foolish and ignorant – I must have seemed like a senseless animal to you. Yet I still belong to you, you hold my right hand. – Psalm 73:21-23(NLT)
DESPITE MY BITTERNESS
A poem and essay by ILMA
Despite my bitterness, you continued to love me
Even when I didn’t forgive, you waited patiently
I must have seemed senseless and foolish
Yet, I still belong to you and considered precious.
In the face of my anger and resentment
You waited for my return and was so lenient
You showed me compassion and loyalty
After all my disobedience, arrogance and cruelty.
________________________________________Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you. This is a command given to us in Ephesians 4:31-32. Bitterness is a form of anger. The Hebrew word for bitterness is “marah” which means to be contentious or rebellious. When someone is bitter, we know for sure that there is discontent in that person’s heart. Bitterness can be like cancer. It can slowly kill our joy, peace and belief in God. We can have the root of bitterness and yet not be aware of it. Despite our bitterness, God still love us and is faithful.
PRAYER
Lord, reveal to me any signs of bitterness in my heart.
REFLECTION
How has bitterness affected 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

THOSE WHO ARE QUICKLY PROVOKED

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June 15
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Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit, for anger resides in the lap of fools.
-Ecclesiastes 7:9(NIV)
THOSE WHO ARE QUICKLY PROVOKED
A poem and essay by ILMA
When there is a spirit of offense
There is temptation to use defense
Those who are quickly provoked
Their spirits have been hurt and broke.
For anger resides in the lap of fools
Their fury or rage can make them cruel
Watch out when you are reactive and explosive
A hardened heart can make you be very impulsive.
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One of the generational sins that I inherited from my family of origin is the spirit of offense. Most of the people who raised me had anger issues. Some of them are explosive but others are implosive. I learned at a very young age to guard what I do or say because it might get me in trouble and be deprived of love and attention. I literally walked on eggshells because I don’t even know why they get to be so easily angered even when I just ask simple questions. It was inevitable that I learned their ways because I was too young to process and understand why they behave in such impulsive and reactive ways. I learned it the hard way when I became a high school teacher. Some of my students got my implosions and on some occasions my explosions as well. The bible tells us not to be easily angered.
PRAYER
Lord, forgive me for my spirit of offense.
REFLECTION
When have you regretted an explosion, irritability or implosion?
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

ANGRY AND DEJECTED Poem Devotional

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February 22________________________________________
Why are you so angry? The Lord asked Cain. Why do you look so dejected?
-Genesis 4:6(NLT)
ANGRY AND DEJECTED
A poem and essay by ILMA
What is causing your sadness?
Why are you full of madness?
Anger is a manifestation of bitterness
It hinders your progress and makes you digress.
Why are you offended easily?
Do you think of yourself so highly?
Give up your bitterness and surrender to him
He will free you and make you overcome sin.
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Have you ever observed how an angry person looks? I have lived with many angry people in my life that I can easily spot a bitter and angry person just by looking at their eyes. Their eyes look dead, no life, no glow. There is a saying that our eye is the window to our soul. Matthew 6:22-23 says that “Your eye is a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is good, your whole body is filled with light. But when your eye is bad, your whole body is filled with darkness.” This is the reason why our eyes reflect our spirit. When you are angry, you will exude the darkness in your heart in your eyes. When you are peaceful and joyful, you will radiate a glow.
In Genesis 4:6, doesn’t God already know that he killed Abel? I think God is confronting Cain, waiting for him to confess and repent.
PRAYER
Dear Lord, please release any form of anger and sadness in my heart.
REFLECTION
Why do you think God confronts us when we sin?

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 EXPRESSING ANGER poem devotional

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October 28________________________________________
Fools vent their anger, but the wise quietly hold it back. – Proverbs 29:11 (NLT)
ON EXPRESSING ANGER
A poem and essay by ILMA
Anger can do us good or harm; let us express it right
We can be angry but we need to do it just like Christ
Fools vent their anger, but the wise hold it back
Face and manage it so you do not have to be mad.
God gave us anger so we can use it for good
He wants us to express it without being rude
We can use it to defy evil and fear the Lord
If we abuse it, God won’t be glorified or given laud.
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I had over five decades of repressed anger living inside me. I didn’t even know I was angry because I didn’t feel it. I swept it under the rug trying to be Ms. Perfect to everyone I come in contact with. I was harsh, tactless and oftentimes confrontational without considering what the other person would feel. When I was part of the academe, one of my co-teachers told me I was a very angry person. I justified and proved to her that I wasn’t. I patched it with “performance skills.” without realizing that I was in total denial. The bible tells us not to vent our anger but quietly hold it back. By doing so, we are considered wise.
PRAYER
Lord, help me to have godly anger.
REFLECTION
Why do you think God created the emotion “anger?”
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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

CONTROLLING ANGER Poem Devotional

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February 6
Don’t sin by letting anger control you. Think about it overnight and remain silent. – Psalm 4:4 (NLT)
CONTROLLING ANGER
A poem and essay by ILMA
Are you able to manage anger when it comes?
It can manifest as irritability or reacting to someone
Anger can consume you if you let it
It can destroy relationships in a swift.
Think about it overnight and remain silent
Be still and dwell on good things and be patient
When you bridle your tongue, you are in control
When you meditate in God’s word, you won’t fall.
Anger is a powerful emotion. God also created anger, so he must have a reason for making it. Ephesians 4:26-27 says “Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger and do not give the devil an opportunity.” This is called righteous or godly anger. When we have children, we get angry with what they do that can hurt them because we love them. God is the same with us. When Jesus tossed all the tables of the vendors in the temple, he was angry that they are desecrating the house of the Lord.
The bible says that we shouldn’t allow anger to control us. One way to have it under control is by reflecting on it overnight and being silent. When you are still, anger dissipates.
PRAYER
Lord, help me to control anger.
REFLECTION
How can “stillness” overpower anger?
For more testimonials about God’s word, please go to YouTube and type ILMA’s Poem Devotionals, or go to www.ilmaarts.com or to receive emails of the poem devotionals, email me at ILMA.ARTS.STUDIO@gmail.com

MANAGING ANGER Poem Devotional

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July 3                                                                                        The Power of God’s Word
Don’t sin by letting anger control you. Think about it overnight and remain silent.– Psalm 4:4 (NLT)
MANAGING ANGER
A poem and essay by ILMA
Anger is an emotion created for a reason
It can protect you from the enemy’s treason
It can make you defend those who are oppressed
It can drive you to do something for the depressed.
Don’t sin by letting anger control you
Instead, control it by thinking it through
Remain silent until you reach tranquility
Then you will have victory over the enemy.
I was a slave of many generational sins before I became a born again. Among the list would be: seeking approval, perfectionism, performance, reasoning, judgment and anger. Each of these sins leads to the other. Because of rejection, it was a big deal for me to seek approval and attention which brought me to always perform. I reason and argue to prove my point and that I am right. When I don’t persuade others or they don’t live up to my expectations, I judge and then get angry. Sometimes this anger is manifests in many ways like irritations, sarcasms, jokes or confrontations and outbursts.
The bible tells us to manage our anger and not let it control us. Thinking about it overnight and remaining silent helps us calm down and win the battle.
PRAYER
Lord, give me strength to manage anger.
REFLECTION
How can awareness of anger and its source help us manage it?

STEER CLEAR OF ANGER Poem devotional

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April 26 The Power of God’s Word
Don’t befriend angry people or associate with hot-tempered people, or you will learn to be like them and endanger your soul. –Proverbs 22:24-25 (NLT)
A poem by ILMA
Do you associate with angry people?
Be wary for your spiritual progress will detour.
Steer clear of anger and quarrelsome beings
Your soul will be endangered by their bickering.
Have nothing to do with anyone who thrives on conflict
They will constantly keep you on edge and rob you of peace
Resentment, arrogance and judgment are all anger’s signs
They may be calm on the outside but imploding on the inside.
If I had known what the bible says about anger in my younger days, I would have steered away from it. It took me many years to realize that I was an angry person myself. Anger was something I absorbed from my own family and from someone I lived with. It was a stronghold in my family. The two types of anger are implosions and explosions. I was both exposed to the two types. For over 3 decades I was implosive and explosive for a couple of years. I can see through an angry person easily after being one for many years. The bible tells us to steer clear from anger and angry people or you will endanger your soul.
PRAYER
Lord, help me to stay away from conflicts.
REFLECTION
When does anger becomes sin? How can you avoid anger?