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

WHEN YOU LONG FOR IDOLS Poem Devotional

April 24________________________________________
Longing after idols has made them foolish. They have played the prostitute, serving other gods and deserting their God. – Hosea 4:12(NLT)
WHEN YOU LONG FOR IDOLS
A poem and essay by ILMA
When you long for idols, you are compromised
You risk your life and you’ll pay a high price
You are committing adultery to your creator
When you serve other gods, you defy your Father.
Don’t give your loyalty to idols who cannot save
Be faithful only to the Lord and he’ll make you brave
Don’t ever long for idols, they have no power
Your faith in Christ will make the devil cower.
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In the book of Hosea, we are given a detailed account of how the Israelites played a prostitute role by serving other gods and turning their backs on the Lord Jesus Christ. After the Lord delivered them from the Egyptians in the Red Sea and giving them manna in the desert, they started complaining and pining for what they had when they were slaves in Egypt. They started to lose patience and demanded Moses why God has made them to suffer in the desert. It took an eleven-day journey in the Promised Land forty years because of their disobedience, stubbornness and idolatry. The bible tells us that we commit spiritual adultery when we turn to other gods. God is a jealous god and he doesn’t’ want competition. He created us for himself, not for other gods.
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PRAYER
Lord, take away from me anything that will become an idol.
REFLECTION
Why does God hate the sin of idolatry?
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

WINNING US BACK Poem Devotional

April 23________________________________________
But then I will win her back once again. I will lead her into the desert and speak tenderly to her there. -Hosea 2:14(NLT)
WINNING US BACK
A poem and essay by ILMA
The Lord loves us unconditionally
Even when we behave lawlessly
He forgives us our sins when we repent
He comforts our hearts when we lament.
He wins us back when we rebel and disobey
He lets the Spirit convict us when we go astray
He speaks to us wisely and gives us discernment
If we depend on him, he will give us enlightenment.
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When I lost someone’s love because of a wrong decision I made, I began to pursue to win back his trust. I asked for forgiveness and became accountable for what I did. Forgiveness can be granted easily, but sometimes, trust may take a while to happen. If the person repeatedly changed his behavior, then the other party may start to build the trust again and the relationship may be repaired. But if the offending partner do not follow through his or her word, there may be consequences that will ensue from the lack of accountability.
The bible tells us an account of God’s great love for Israel. Despite his people’s unfaithfulness, he still wins her back and brings her to a place where they initially became lovers. He shows how much he grants us grace and mercy despite all our sins.
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PRAYER
Lord, thank you for loving me unconditionally.
REFLECTION
How do you respond to God’s winning you back when you turn your back on him?
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

CHARGES AGAINST THE UNFAITHFUL Poem Devotional

February 11
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The Lord has brought charges against you saying: There is no faithfulness, no kindness, no knowledge of God in your land. -Hosea 4:1(NLT)
CHARGES AGAINST THE UNFAITHFUL
A poem and essay by ILMA
The Lord has brought charges to the unfaithful
Because there is no kindness in them at all
They couldn’t care less about knowing their God
They wouldn’t bow down to bring him laud.
The Lord will bless those who are faithful
There are no promises for those who are fools
When you seek the Lord and abide in him
He will ensure that you can overcome sin.
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We always hear that “We ought not to judge one another.” Some people use this phrase to excuse themselves from doing evil and turning their backs on God. They serve the world rather than the Lord and have no qualms prioritizing their pleasures over worshiping their own creator.
Psalm 75:7 says God is the Judge; He puts down one and exalts another and Psalm 96:13 warns us that He is coming to judge the earth He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in His faithfulness. Jeremiah 17:10 says “I, the LORD, search the heart, I test the mind, even to give to each man according to his ways, According to the results of his deeds. What would you do if you hear Hosea’s warning to the unkind, the unfaithful and those who don’t want to know the Lord?
PRAYER
Lord, grant grace to those who are lost and don’t know you.
REFLECTION
Why is it important to stay devoted to seeking the Lord?
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

ADULTERY BRINGS SHAME Poem Devotional

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July 28
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But the man who commits adultery is an utter fool, for he destroys himself. He will be wounded and disgraced. This shame will never be erased. – Proverbs 6:32-33(NLT)
ADULTERY BRINGS SHAME
A poem and essay by ILMA
To be unfaithful to the one you love is a form of adultery
It is a way of breaking your promise to your one and only
When you commit this sin, you destroy your relationship
It brings about pain and betrayal in your friendship.
Anyone who commits adultery is destroying himself
It brings chaos, shame and guilt to the inner self
The indignity of this act brings much pain and sorrow
Never commit this act so you won’t destroy your tomorrow.
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Easton bible dictionary defines “adultery” as conjugal infidelity. An adulterer was a man who had illicit intercourse with a married or a betrothed woman, and such a woman was an adulteress. Intercourse between a married man and an unmarried woman was fornication. Adultery was regarded as a great social wrong, as well as a great sin. Idolatry, covetousness, and apostasy are spoken of as adultery spiritually in Jeremiah 3:6-9 , Ezekiel 16:32, Hosea 1-3 and Revelation 2:22. In James 4:4, he calls those who are friends with the world as adulterers. One cannot be following the standards of this world and also be loyal to the Lord simultaneously. Anyone who commits adultery is destroying himself or herself.
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PRAYER
Lord, let me never be unfaithful to you and to all my commitments.
REFLECTION
Why do you think adultery brings so much shame?
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