November 29
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LIVE IN THE LIGHT
A poem by ILMA
We proclaim to you the one who existed from the beginning
We ourselves have heard and seen Him with our own eyes
We touched him with our own hands; He is the Word of life
This one who is life itself was revealed to us, and we have seen him.
Now we testify and proclaim to you that he is the one who is eternal life
He was with the Father, and then he was revealed to us
We proclaim to you what we ourselves have actually seen and heard
This way you may have fellowship with us, with the Father and with the Son.
We are writing these things so that you may fully share our joy.
This is the message we heard from Jesus and now declare to you
We are lying if we say we have fellowship with God
When we live in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth.
But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship others
If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth
But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins
If we claim we haven’t sinned, we call God a liar shows no place for him in our hearts.
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MEMORY VERSE
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
Read: 1 John 1
Many believers have no idea how to live in the light. In this verse, John explains to us how to practically apply this concept in our lives. In verse 6, it is shown by how we relate to God and how we have fellowship with the body of Christ as well.
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REFLECTION
• How can we live in the light when we are isolating ourselves from God and others?
• Why is light and darkness not compatible?
• What happens when we continue to live in the dark and yet we say we believe?
Tag Archives: darkness
LIGHT CAN’T LIVE WITH DARKNESS Poem Devotional
September 1
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LIGHT CAN’T LIVE WITH DARKNESS
A poem by ILMA
Don’t team up with those who are unbelievers
How can righteousness be a partner with wickedness?
How can light live with darkness?
What harmony can there be between Christ and the devil?
How can a believer be a partner with an unbeliever?
And what union can there be between God’s temple and idols?
For we are the temple of the living God
As God said: “I will live in them and walk among them.
He further said: “I will be their God, and they will be my people
Therefore, come out from among unbelievers,
And separate yourselves from them, says the LORD
Don’t touch their filthy things, and I will welcome you.
I will be your Father, and you will be my sons and daughters,
Because we have these promises, dear friends, let us cleanse ourselves
We need to stay away from everything that can defile our body or spirit
And let us work toward complete holiness because we fear God.
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MEMORY VERSE
Don’t team up with those who are unbelievers. How can righteousness be a partner with wickedness? How can light live with darkness? What harmony can there be between Christ and the devil? How can a believer be a partner with an unbeliever? And what union can there be between God’s temple and idols? For we are the temple of the living God.
– 2 Corinthians 6:14-16
Read: 2 Corinthians 6: 14-7:1
Paul explains to the Corinthians how light and dark can never live together. We are asked to work toward complete holiness if we are believers. Never compromise purity.
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REFLECTION
• Why are we discouraged to live with unbelievers if we are true believers?
• What happens if we associate with those who are living in darkness?
EVERLASTING LIGHT Poem Devotional
January 19
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No longer will you need the sun to shine by day, nor the moon to give its light by night,
for the Lord your God will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory.
-Isaiah 60:19 (NLT)
EVERLASTING LIGHT
A poem and essay by ILMA
Have you been living in the dark all your life?
Don’t lose hope; you can avail of everlasting light
With this light, you no longer need the sun to shine by day
Nor will you need the moon to give its light by night
For the Lord your God will be your everlasting light
He will be your glory and you will receive eternal life
This everlasting light can only be found in Jesus
Run to his arms and you will know how you are very precious.
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Light is very important in our lives. Without it, it is impossible to do much. Just as our eyes need light as an aid so we can accomplish our daily tasks, our spirits need everlasting light that is constantly there to guide our paths. Do you wonder why most children are scared of the dark? The absence of light makes us fear. It makes us ponder what could be around us and if we are safe. The same way that when our soul is covered with much darkness, we fear our spiritual death. The bible talks about an everlasting light which only comes from Jesus Christ.
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PRAYER
Lord, let me always stay in your guiding light.
REFLECTION
What are the signs that our lives need everlasting 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
THOSE WHO HATE THE LIGHT Poem Devotional
December 15
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All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed. But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants. – John 2:20-21(NLT)
THOSE WHO HATE THE LIGHT
A poem and essay by ILMA
Those who do evil will fear the light
It will expose what they’re not doing right
The wicked hates light; they don’t want change
They like to remain doing what keeps them in bondage.
The righteous on the other hand, comes right into the light
They walk into it to shine Jesus and show they obey what’s right
Stay away from those who hate the truth and life
They will pull you down into evil ways and you’ll soon die.
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I know someone who don’t like the light literally. He’d prefer to be in the dark. He turns off anything that will bring in light and work in the dark. I didn’t realize that there was something deeper than just not wanting any form of light. As I got to know him deeper, I found out that there were many secrets he kept and the psychological and spiritual things that he hid caught up with him.
The bible has always referred to Jesus as the source of light and life. Where there is darkness, there is death. In him, there is no darkness at all.
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PRAYER
Lord, deliver me from those who hate the light that comes from your truth.
REFLECTION
Why is light essential in life both literally and spiritually?
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
MINDS FULL OF DARKNESS Poem Devotional
August 16
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Their minds are full of darkness, they wander far from the life God gives because they have closed their minds and have hardened their hearts against him.
– Ephesians 4:18(NLT)
MINDS FULL OF DARKNESS
A poem and essay by ILMA
When your mind is pre-occupied with selfishness
Chances are that you have deviated from righteousness
When you constantly dwell on worldly matters
You are likely to run from your heavenly father.
Those who wander away from the life God gives
They forfeit their blessings; they fail to receive
Their minds close and their hearts hardened
Darkness draw them further away from the Father.
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When I was in my twenties, I turned my back on God. I was dazzled by the world and what it offered. Because I had no knowledge about the truth that comes from God’s word, I became an easy prey for the enemy to target. My mind was full of darkness and I drowned in the sea of confusion and pain. I sank deep into the bottom of hopelessness and desperation. I stayed there for over three decades until I re-committed my life to Christ in my early fifties. After that, the veil of darkness was removed and God led me to hunger for him and his word. Little by little, the chains of strongholds and sins were dealt with and I became bold to apply God’s word to light the darkness in my heart and mind.
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PRAYER
Lord, thank you for constantly guiding me through your word.
REFLECTION
What things contributed to your emotional and spiritual demise?
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 THE TRUTH Poem Devotional
Nov 29
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God is light and there is no darkness in him at all. 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 1:5-6(NLT)
PRACTICE THE TRUTH
A poem and essay by ILMA
When you first heard the truth about God who is our Father
Did you also heed his command to love your sisters and brothers?
God is light and there is no darkness in him at all
Practice the truth by living in light so you don’t fall.
To live in the light means that you’ll live by God’s word
You will give up darkness that is in this corrupted world
If we claim that we love Jesus yet live in darkness
We are lying because we are not in his righteousness.
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In John 17:14, Jesus says that the world hates God’s children because they do not belong to the world, just as he doesn’t belong to it. James 4:4 cautions us not to be friends with the world or we become an enemy of God. Matthew 6:24, it talks about the impossibility of serving two masters which will eventually bent on one.
We are called liars if we claim we love God but live in darkness. We cannot live in this world and love it because God’s kingdom is not of this world.
PRAYER
Lord, let me always practice truth by living and doing what you require from me.
REFLECTION
What happens when we live double lives claiming we believe in Christ and yet love the world?
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
LIGHT THAT COVERS ALL DARKNESS Poem Devotional
September 22
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I have come as a light to shine in this dark world, so that all who put their trust in me will no longer remain in the dark. -John12:46(NLT)
LIGHT THAT COVERS ALL DARKNESS
A poem and essay by ILMA
Is there any area of your life that remains in darkness?
If you believe in Jesus Christ, he will shine over these areas
The Son of Man came so that he can be a guiding light
Look up to him so that you can have freedom in this life.
God’s one and only Son is the light that covers gloom
He transforms you like a flower, so you can bloom
Build your trust in him so you can live out of slavery
He is the light that takes you out of all forms of misery.
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People need exposure to light because sunlight provides ultraviolet B (UBV) rays that help the body produce vitamin D. Vitamin D helps balance the calcium that the body needs in order to maintain healthy bones and teeth. Sunlight and light generally also help prevent and treat depression and sadness in people of all ages. The brain begins producing the mood-influencing chemical called serotonin upon first exposure to light in the morning. Just as our bodies need light, our spirits need a beacon to free us from all forms of bondage. Jesus came so that he can be that light that covers all darkness.
PRAYER
Let me never live in darkness anymore, Lord.
REFLECTION
How can a believer stay in the light that covers all darkness?
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 these poem devotionals, email me at ILMA.ARTS.STUDIO@gmail.com
LIGHT WILL SHINE IN THE DARK
July 13
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The people who walk in darkness will see a great light. For those who live in a land of deep darkness, a light will shine. -Isaiah 9:2(NLT)
LIGHT WILL SHINE IN THE DARK
A poem and essay by ILMA
Those who are in darkness will see a great light
Fear not for the Lord will give hope and sight
It is in total darkness the light shines through
It is by depending on him that you’ll be renewed.
Light will shine in the dark and can’t be extinguished
Hope will be given back to them; it won’t be diminished
The light will guide them back to the love of the Lord
It will help them to navigate through this dark world.
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There were many years of my life that I lived in total darkness. I went through a phase of desperation in my teen life that I almost succeeded ending my miserable life. The Lord had a plan and didn’t let me die. He used this darkness to teach me how to rely on him totally. One of my weaknesses is “rebelling”. It detoured my journey to God. Just like the Israelites took them to reach their promised land. The trip should have taken just 11 days; instead it took them 40 years. It also took me 40 years to have the light shine in my life when I gave up rebellion and opt to obey God.
PRAYER
Thank you for shining on me in my darkest times Lord.
REFLECTION
Why should a believer never lose hope?
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
PEOPLE OF LIGHT Poem Devotional
March 1________________________________________
For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord, So live as people of light. For this light within you produces only what is good and right and true.
– Ephesians 5:8-9(NLT)
PEOPLE OF LIGHT
A poem and essay by ILMA
Once, I didn’t know God much and lived in the dark
I was hurt, unloved and didn’t have a good start
I swirled in darkness that kept blinding my sight
Sins were handed down to me, not knowing they were lies.
But Jesus shone his light on me one day when I was so confused
I had nowhere to run because others let me down and refused
Now, I choose to live as one of God’s people who live in the light
I am free from darkness and God’s will finally was fulfilled in my life.
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It is sad to see some Christians who still live in darkness when Christ already died for our sins and released us from it. I used to live in so much chaos up to my fifties. I believed in Jesus since I was seven but didn’t really know that I was conflicted inside me. I chose most of the time to live out of God’s will which led to so many consequences that I still suffer right now. The bible tells us that we ought to choose to live in the light and get out of darkness.
PRAYER
Lord, reveal to me all dark areas of my life.
REFLECTION
Why should we literally choose to live in the light? How do we do that?
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
RIVER OF DELIGHTS Poem Devotional
February 27________________________________________
You feed them from the abundance of your own house, letting them drink from your own river of delights. -Psalm 36:8(NLT)
RIVER OF DELIGHTS
A poem and essay by ILMA
Are you investing in God’s kingdom by hungering for him?
Are you able to live the new life He gave you that conquered sin?
God loves you so much, you must drink from his river of delights
If you believe him, you will be pulled out of darkness into his light.
Feed on his unfailing love and you will be quenched in this river
Drink and be satisfied with what he is offering you, the living water
You will be refreshed and invigorated; it cleanses and purifies
You will find peace and joy and will be constantly energized.
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Water is very important in our life. Without it, we cannot live. We can go on without food but we can’t survive without water. Water has many functions. It cleanses our bodies inside and out. It quenches our thirst and make us feel satisfied and whole. Most illnesses can be traced down when we get dehydrated or we don’t drink enough water.
The bible talks about the river of delights in Psalms 36. It refers to the unfailing love of God for his people and how he will give an abundance of his resources to those who come and seek him. All humanity can find solace in his overflowing love.
PRAYER
Lord, thank you for your river of delights.
REFLECTION
When has God allowed you to enjoy in his river of delights?
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