END OF MOURNING Poem Devotional

January 20
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Your sun will never set; your moon will not go down. For the Lord will be your everlasting light. Your days of mourning will come to an end. – Isaiah 60:20(NLT)
END OF MOURNING
A poem and essay by ILMA
Is there a loss that you are grieving for?
Don’t fret, pray instead and take it to the Lord
God cares for all his people who are suffering
He will give you his light that is everlasting.
The Lord is there to help and give you comfort
Your days of mourning will come to a halt
He loves you and will release you from pain
Your dark days will be over and you will finally gain.
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When you have lost something or someone in your life, it may take a while to recover. Denial of the loss usually makes it longer to heal from it. We can easily deceive ourselves when we refuse to accept that we had a loss. For many decades, I went through so many losses and it was much later that I realized how I used many coping mechanisms such as denial in order to alleviate the pain that came with it. The longer I kept shrugging it and hiding from the agony of it, the further I regressed. We can be stuck in a stage of grieving and hamper us from moving forward. The bible says we must give up mourning and let God’s light shine on us.
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PRAYER
Lord, be with me in my agony and losses.
REFLECTION
How can we deal with grief in a positive way?
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

SORROW REFINES US Poem Devotional

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February 23________________________________________
Sorrow is better than laughter for sadness has a refining influence on us.
-Ecclesiastes 7:3(NLT)
SORROW REFINES US
A poem and essay by ILMA
When we go through trials and challenges
We can stay broken or embrace changes
Let grief bring us closer to Christ
It can refine us and transform our lives.
Losing something or someone can bring pain
Looking up to Jesus will turn that agony into gain
Allow the Holy Spirit to comfort and console you
If you learn to live with sorrow, you’ll be renewed.
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There are many people who do not deal with grief or loss in a godly manner. Some people stay stuck in blaming, anger or wallowing in pity. I got stuck in anger for many years simply because I didn’t acknowledge the loses I went through. I fixed myself and covered up the anger with performance and achievements. I was deceived by the enemy into thinking that I can patch up all my pain with worldly pursuits. So it took over five decades of running around in circles of anger which later turned into rage. It wasn’t explosive outward fury. It was a very subtle slow form of wrath that imprisoned my spirit. Because I didn’t acknowledge the many loses I had, it opened the door for more sins. The bible tells us that sorrow is better than laughter for it refines us and brings us on our knees to God.
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PRAYER
Lord, help me to have a positive attitude towards sorrow.
REFLECTION
When was the last time you grieved over someone or something? Did it make you strong?
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

GRIEF BRINGS PAIN

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June 25
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I am bent over and racked with pain. All day long I walk around filled with grief.
-Psalm 38:6 (NLT)
GRIEF BRINGS PAIN
A poem and essay by ILMA
If you are bent over and racked with pain
The hurt from a loss can make you insane
Grief brings much sorrow and numbness
It can make you consumed with sadness.
A loss in your life can make you lose determination
It can make you an easy prey to temptation
Bring your sorrow to the Lord so he can handle it
He will grant you peace if you accept his Spirit.
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It took me many years to realize that I have not been dealing with much losses in my life. The enemy robbed me of peace and joy for over five decades of my life. I was made to believe that I am okay and I minimized all the losses and just covered it up with work and ambitions. The funny thing about dismissing or burying your losses and skipping grief is that you are the last person to know that you are actually going through the motions of grieving. There are various stages of the grieving process and if we are not able to confront our losses, we get stuck in certain stages of it. I got trapped in anger for many years without even knowing it. The bible tells us to take our grief to the Lord.
PRAYER
Lord, help me to face all my losses and grief.
REFLECTION
How is it healthy to acknowledge our losses?
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

GRIEF & PAIN FROM FOOLISH CHILDREN Poem Devotional

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April 25
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Foolish children bring grief to their father and bitterness to the one who gave them birth.
– Proverbs 17:25 (NLT)
GRIEF & PAIN FROM FOOLISH CHILDREN
A poem and essay by ILMA
When children do not heed instructions
They open the door to a lot of temptations
When an offspring challenges his own parent
It grieves the heavenly father in heaven.
Foolish children bring sorrow to their fathers
They cause pain and bitterness to their mothers
Honor your parents for it will bring you blessings
When you rebel against them, you reap sufferings.
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The spirit of stubbornness and rebellion ran in my ancestry. It was one of the many generational sins that my family inherited from past generations. It was almost second nature for me to rebel. Strong willed child is the term they would have used for my attitude, but back in my time, I was labelled the “black sheep.” I didn’t know how grieved and bitter I made my parents back then. Now, I am reaping the same thing I gave my parents from my own son. I am continually praying and breaking all the generational curses and soaking all our iniquities in the blood of Jesus. God instructs us to honor our parents so that life will go well with us. No wonder I struggled in life for many decades due to my foolishness and stubbornness.
PRAYER
Lord, break all forms of pride in me.
REFLECTION
What forms of rebellion do you need to surrender to God?
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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