Tag Archives: Poem devotional

THE PRIVILEGE OF KNOWING GOD Poem Devotional

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Sept 8                                                                             The Power of God’s Word
Anyone who continues to live in him will not sin. But anyone who keeps on sinning does not know him or understand who he is. 1 John 3:6(NLT)
THE PRIVILEGE OF KNOWING GOD
A poem and essay by ILMA
Anyone who believes in God will have life
They will have victory over sin and have insight
Those who belong to him follow his commands
They want to God and he makes them understand.
Those who keep on sinning don’t know Christ
They disobey him and blindly follow their desires
Those who know God walk in love and embrace peace
They keep their eyes focused on him that’s why they see.
Many people live not knowing how much they are loved by God. They may have been deprived of love from their parents or their other relatives. This does not change the truth that even when we are unable to accept God’s love, he still wants to have a relationship with us. He loves us deeply and gave us free will to choose. He leaves it up to us to either give him back the love or turn away from him.
Peace and love are some of the privileges of knowing God. Anyone who continues to live in Christ, they will not sin. But those who keep sinning don’t know him or understand who he is.
PRAYER
Lord, help me to choose to love.
REFLECTION
What can “seeking God “ bring in our lives?

CRAVINGS FROM THE WORLD Poem Devotional

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Sept 7                                                                        The Power of God’s Word
For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. – 1 John 2:16(NLT)
CRAVINGS FROM THE WORLD
A poem and essay by ILMA
Do you long to own things and power?
Is your time consumed by satisfying pleasure?
Are you obsessed to have something?
Do you succumb to every physical craving?
Watch out what your flesh yearns for
It can consume your being and make you a fool
Don’t partake of the longings of this world
Instead, crave for the truth that comes from the Lord.
In the past, multi-tasking and finishing many things in a short period of time gave me so much pleasure. Checking the list of things to do gave me a sense of fulfillment. I took pride in finishing my plans and didn’t realize that they were not aligned with God’s.
What are you pre-occupied with? Do you prioritize work, career or your family than spending time with God? Are you always busy with accumulating money and wealth? Do you take time to devote for relationships with God and others? Cravings from the world are usually longings for things we see, pride in our achievements and possessions. The bible says that they are not from God, they are from this world.
PRAYER
Lord, let me long for you always.
REFLECTION
What are the things you crave?

AS LONG AS WE LIVE IN THESE BODIES Poem Devotional

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Sept 6                                                                             The Power of God’s Word
So we are always confident, even though we know that as long as we live in these bodies, we are not at home with the Lord. – 2 Corinthians 5:6(NLT)
AS LONG AS WE LIVE IN THESE BODIES
A poem and essay by ILMA
As long as we live in our earthly bodies
We will always struggle to see
The kingdom of God is not of this world
You’ll have a view of his kingdom through his word.
As long as we continually live in the old life
It will be hard to see a glimpse of his light
When we focus on his truth and promises
We will have his blessings and righteousness.
Have you ever wondered why people suffer? Why are there so much conflicts, wars and corruption in the world? In the beginning, Adam and Eve had everything. They didn’t have to struggle to work. They can eat any fruit of every tree except the tree of knowledge of good and evil in the Garden of Eden. If they did, they would die (Genesis 2:16). When they disobeyed, original sin was born. We inherited sin but God sent Jesus to free us from it if we only believe.
The bible says that as long as we live in our bodies, we will not be at home with the Lord. Sin loses its power when we believe.
PRAYER
Lord, give me grace.
REFLECTION
Why do we need to succumb to God’s will?

WAGING WAR WITH STRONGHOLDS Poem Devotional

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Sept 5                                                                 The Power of God’s Word
We are human, but we don’t wage war as humans do. We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments. – 2 Corinthians 10:3-4 (NLT)
A poem and essay by ILMA
Strongholds are mindsets that the world is conveying
They come in the form of arguments, reasoning and thinking
They slowly sneak in our minds, hearts and souls
They can ruin relationships and make us out of control.
We use God’s mighty weapons to wage war with the world
Take the sword of the spirit which is the word of God
Put on peace that comes from the good news and have faith in the Lord
This is the only way we can have victory over strongholds.
Have you ever have recurring negative thoughts and behaviors or attitudes that sometimes you have no control over? It just comes out naturally from you. Beware! They can be strongholds. They can be passed on to you from many generations or they can be curses that you were unaware of that your families had suffered in the past.
Confession and repentance is essential for God to give us revelations how to wage war with these strongholds. We wage war by walking in love, embracing peace, and using the word of God.
PRAYER
Lord, be with us as we battle the world and overcome strongholds.
REFLECTION
What strongholds hamper your life?

DEPENDING ON GOD’S GRACE Poem Devotional

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Sept 4                                                                     The Power of God’s Word
We can say with confidence that we have lived with a God given holiness and sincerity in all our dealings. We have depended on God’s grace not on our own human wisdom. –2 Corinthians 1:12(NLT)
DEPENDING ON GOD’S GRACE
A poem and essay by ILMA
Do you live a life of purity and holiness?
God wants you to abide by his righteousness
Do you depend on God’s grace for everything?
He wants you to rely on him for anything.
Do you always count on your own intelligence?
If you do, you won’t have God’s grace and his essence
Reliance on God is the measure of one’s holiness
It protects us from selfishness, pride and foolishness.
What is holiness? Many people view holiness as a pious act or religious ritual that shows they belong to a church. Some people think that going to church on Sundays and wearing your church behavior is an act of holiness. Others think that being holy is going out on a mission and helping the poor. These are all acts of love, but they do not necessarily make one holy.
The bible tells us that when we rely on God for everything and not depend on our own understanding, that is when we are considered holy. We need to heavily rely on God to be holy. We need to give up independence.
PRAYER
Lord, help me to depend on you always.
REFLECTION
How is independence a manifestation of pride?

HIGH SOUNDING NONSENSE Poem Devotional

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Sept 3                                                                             The Power of God’s Word
Don’t let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of the world rather than from Christ. – Colossians 2:8(NLT)
HIGH SOUNDING NONSENSE
A poem and essay by ILMA
Are you dazzled by someone else’s intelligence?
Do you easily get swayed by high sounding nonsense?
Don’t let anyone capture you with empty philosophies
They come from human thinking, viewpoints and beliefs.
Rely only on the truth that will set you free
God’s word is the only way that you will see
There is nothing else that works and gives life
Only the one that God provides can bring us light.
I used to be amazed by people’s intelligence and verbosity. I found it fascinating to hear what they have to say about a topic especially about life. I attended symposia, forums and discussions about different philosophies from noted scholars and philosophers when I was in college. I became exposed to Ancient, Asian, Greek and Western viewpoints about life, death and relationships. They gave answers to the many questions that had been left unanswered by my family since I was a child. By the time I was an adult, I was a mishmash being. The bible warns us to believe only God’s truth and not what comes from human thinking and the spiritual powers of the world.
PRAYER
Lord, lead me always to your truth.
REFLECTION
Why is it important to focus on God?

FUTILITY OF HUMAN WISDOM Poem Devotional

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Sept 2                                                            The Power of God’s Word
Since God in his wisdom saw to it that the world would never know him through human wisdom, he has used our foolish preaching to save those who believe.
– 1 Corinthians 1:21(NLT)
FUTILITY OF HUMAN WISDOM
A poem and essay by ILMA
How often do you rely on your own wisdom?
Can human knowledge lead you to God’s kingdom?
Without God, we can never comprehend anything
It is foolish to try and figure out for yourself something.
God’s wisdom is beyond our understanding
He wants us to continue following and trusting
Even foolish preaching God uses to save those who believe
You can open your heart, accept him and receive.
The quest for knowledge and wisdom had always played a big role in my life. Even at a very young age. I always wanted answers to unending questions in my head. I get frustrated when I can’t get answers. I became an easy prey to the enemy. My mind became my stronghold. It was used so I can be enslaved by “thinking addiction.” Overanalyzing things became automatic and later on, I became proud of what I knew. God revealed to me that I can’t have answers to everything.
The bible tells us that we can never know God through human wisdom. He uses foolish preaching to save those who believe. Only his word can lead us to know him.
PRAYER
Lord, keep me in your word.
REFLECTION

WHAT SEPARATES US FROM GOD Poem Devotional

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Aug 31                                                        The Power of God’s Word
This includes you who were once far away from God. You were his enemies, separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions. – Colossians 1:21(NLT)
WHAT SEPARATES US FROM GOD
A poem and essay by ILMA
What is in your heart and mind?
Do you see God in others or are you blind?
When you think about only of your own interests
You do not follow his commands and what he says
If your thoughts are pre-occupied with desires and evil
You are surely his enemy and an ally of the devil
Is your life aligned to his will or do you please your own?
God wants you to be with him he never wants you to shun.
Do you know what separates us from God? Our evil thoughts and selfish desire separate us from his love. Why does he want us to constantly be with him? Just like two lovers who don’t want to be separated from each other, God expects us never to be separated from him. He made us for his own consumption, not for our own. That is why there is suffering. When we do not conform to God’s design for us, we are breaking his heart. It is like divorcing him. How is your relationship with God? Are you blissful in your marriage with him? Are you separate or divorced from him?
PRAYER
Lord, remind me never to part from you.
REFLECTION
What things do you need to give up for God?

FUTILE HUMAN RULES Poem Devotional

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Aug 30                                                        The Power of God’s Word
These rules may seem wise because they require strong devotion, pious self-denial and severe bodily discipline. But they provide no help in conquering a person’s evil desires. – Colossians 2:23(NLT)
FUTILE HUMAN RULES
A poem and essay by ILMA
Do you strictly adhere to do certain things in particular ways?
Do you follow traditions and do what other people say?
Do you enjoy your life when you are always bound by rules?
They are futile and are only followed by many fools.
The only rule that matters is the one that asks you to love
With it, there is no limit; it focuses on what is above
The cross of Christ and his blood made rules worthless
Love is the only thing that’s necessary and is priceless.
Human rules and traditions are made by people not by God. The only commandment that God wants us to follow is “Love God above all and love your neighbor as yourself. He summed up all the 10 commandments and all the other Jewish law into this law of love. If you will take a close look at this summed up law, you will notice that it includes all the other 10 commandments if you follow it. Some human rules may seem pious because it requires strong devotions to do them, but they don’t let you conquer evil desires.
PRAYER
Lord, help me to give up legalism and embrace love.
REFLECTION
How can rules impede your righteousness with God?

BELIEVING THE MESSAGE Poem Devotional

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Aug 29                                                                   The Power of God’s Word
Did you receive the Holy Spirit by obeying the law of Moses? Of course not! You received the spirit because you believed the message you heard about Christ.– Galatians 3:2(NLT)
BELIEVING THE MESSAGE
A poem and essay by ILMA
Do you believe the good news about Christ?
Are you receiving the message that gives hope and light?
The only way you’ll receive Christ’s spirit is by faith
It is not by obeying laws that you will satiate.
No amount of good works will buy your salvation
The cross of Christ has already paid your redemption
Grow your faith by prioritizing Christ in your life
Free yourself from legalism so you can have God’s insight.
Have you heard the good news? Are you excited to know that Christ paid your debt of sin on the cross and you are free indeed? I used to live my life under the law by legalistically following the rules to the letter. I was blinded by these laws that prevented me from discerning what Christ had already done for me when he died on the cross. I did everything I can to gain my salvation, until God revealed to me in the bible that I didn’t have to. All I had to do was believe. Paul reminds the Galatians to focus on growing their faith instead of strictly adhering to the laws of Moses.
PRAYER
Lord, thank you that you saved me.
REFLECTION
How can you avoid legalism?