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What a God!!!

Published by S.M. Wibberley on July 13, 2016
“Praise the LORD. Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good….” Psalm 106:1
 
You, Lord Jesus, are powerfully, deeply, broadly, thoroughly, completely good. There is nothing in you that even remotely resembles rebellion, or rejection of what is right, or any relaxing of your righteousness. You are purely, positively, perfectly, powerfully good: you reject sin, you abhor sin, you cannot sin, and we praise you for it!
 
You love righteousness, you love purity, you love light: in you there is no darkness, no evil, no shadow, no turning from good, no twisting of truth, no scheming, no inconsistency, no contradiction, no sneakiness, no double-mindedness, no self-centeredness, no egoism, no wrong motive, no mistake.
 
You are the Rock of Righteousness, the Lion of Light, the Lamb of Love. In your goodness you are unshakable, unstoppable, unquenchable, unending: “…his love endures forever” (Ps.106:1b). From eternity to eternity, through blessings and difficulties, through our obedience and rebellion, through pleasure and tragedy, your Love goes on and on, flowing like a mighty river, unending, unceasing, unwavering.
 
In your mighty flood of majestic ministry to your creatures, your gracious stream of Love sweeps over sinful people, transforming those who yield to the current of your grace, while sweeping aside those who resist in their rebellion and rejection of righteousness. Your Love endures forever. Hallelujah!
 
“Who can proclaim the mighty acts of the LORD or fully declare his praise?” (Ps.106:2). Your powerful acts are as many as your multifaceted Character is marvelous. Your praise is ever expanding, ever growing, ever widening, ever deepening, filling the universe because you are absolutely worthy.
 
No matter how much we praise, you deserve more, for you are infinitely good and great: there is always more to learn about you, giving us more reason to exalt you. Your light that reveals much about you also blindingly hides aspects of your being which you will reveal to us only in eternity, the unending display of your marvelous, majestic, multifaceted, mighty Character.
 
Truly you are worthy of endless praise, ever-flowing glory, ever expanding exaltation, full trust and complete obedience. You are great, gracious, gorgeous, glorious and good, worthy of the worship of every creature, every feature, every measure of creation—and that’s not enough, for you deserve more!
 
Prayer: “May you be glorified through praise and obedience in my life today before the unseen hosts, before the unseeing peoples, before your saints, before the Throne of Grace, for you are worthy, O Lord our God, our Savior, our Sanctifier, Supplier and Shepherd, the King of Glory, Lord of Hosts and Ruler of All. Amen!” –from the devotional book EDIFIED:
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Wait on the Lord Psalm 27:12b-14

Published by S.M. Wibberley on July 12, 2016
 
Psalm 27:12b “…false witnesses rise up against me, breathing out violence.”
 
[Satan certainly rises against me and incites people to do the same. I think of a neighbor who spread lies about me in town and threatened me.
 
I praise you that you allow such attacks to strengthen my faith, expose my sin and mature me. As you led me to offer the sacrifice of thanksgiving for my neighbor’s actions, and to respond by doing good to him, you resolved the situation and he’s become pleasant and positive.
 
Help me to discern these lies, wherever they come from—from the devil, my flesh, people, the world—and to counteract them with your truth.
 
I praise you for your gracious, selective protection. I need to be alert to any time that I allow violent aspects to be a part of my emotions: anger, impatience, strong words and negatives, for these are not from you, but of my old nature, the world and the devil.]
 
Psa 27:13 “I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.”
 
[No matter how bad things get, your goodness will always be there, and it will shine through in the end. “Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life”(Ps. 23:6).
 
My confidence needs to be in your goodness, not measured by my desires being fulfilled, by my comfort or success, but by your greatness and glory revealed in your Word; by your doing what is best as revealed in history; by your beautiful and pristine character as revealed in creation.]
 
Psalm 27:14 “Wait for the LORD;”
 
[So I must wait for you by spending time with you, by listening to your direction, by not acting too early and on my own desires. As my wife is fond of saying “Waiting on the Lord is the greatest economy of time.”
 
“be strong and take heart”
 
[In you, in the midst of my weakness, I can be strong and take heart, for you are strength itself, you are faithfulness itself, you are great and wonderful in every way. I can give you glory, honor and praise in all things.]
 
“and wait for the LORD.”
 
[Repetition of this command shows how important it is. I praise you, Lord, for your trustworthiness, for the certainty of your moving and answering my prayers at the right time. “In the day of my trouble I will call upon you, for you will answer me” (Ps. 86:7).
 
You are right, you are true, you are good and faithful. Therefore I can rest in you. Praise be to you for what you will do today as I wait on you.]
 
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Psalm 27:11,12 Straight Path

Published by S.M. Wibberley on July 11, 2016
Psalm 27:11 “Teach me your way, O LORD; lead me in a straight path”
 
[Praise you, my Great Shepherd, that you consistently teach me through your Word and Spirit—help me to pay attention and implement what you teach.
 
And you continually lead me, even though I sometimes stray off your straight path. Forgive me for my failures to obey and to follow. I praise you for your consistent care, continual help and constant protection. Teach me your way today, Lord, and keep me on the straight path that I may be bring joy to you, light to others and hope to all I meet.]
 
“…lead me because of my oppressors.”
 
[The main oppressor, Satan is always there, using people and events to trip me up, keep me in fear, make life difficult, and lead me into disobedience.
 
So, when Satan accuses, tries to beat me down and seeks to make me stumble, help me to stay on your straight bath, laying aside every weight and sin that Satan wants to entangle me with, so that I may run with perseverance the race you have set out before me (Heb. 12:1,2).]
 
Psalm 27:12 “Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes,”
 
[I praise you for how you protect us from our foes who are too strong for us. At the same time, thank you that you do not protect us from many of the consequences of our wrong choices, in order to teach us, to chasten us, to redirect us, to bring surrender and growth.
 
Thank you that you protect us from what will be truly injurious, helping us to discern and reject the voice of our enemy, while listening to and heeding your Word and your Spirit.
 
Thank you for the warning to me to slow down in life, to consistently spend more time with you, to be careful in not doing too much but to select with your help what I should be involved in.
 
Thank you that you help me to discern and reject the desires of my foes to do too little, to be lazy, self-indulgent and to waste time in insignificant activities.
 
I praise you, Lord Jesus, that you are my Wisdom, my Shield, my Shepherd and my Strength. Help me to distrust my natural responses, which my foes want to use, and to fully trust you and your Word, so I can stay on your straight path. Use me today for your purposes and bring honor to your Name.]
 
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Set on a High Rock

Published by S.M. Wibberley on July 8, 2016
 
Psalm 27:5 “For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle and set me high upon a rock.”
 
[This is what you will do for us when we seek you, when we choose to dwell in your presence and trust you: protect, provide, shelter and deliver.
 
My part is to immediately seek you when trouble comes, rather than venture out in my puny strength and very limited wisdom to accomplish my own deliverance—a futile effort.
 
As I seek you, you will hide me from the enemy, you will set me on a high point, giving me both your protection and your perspective. Help me to consistently take shelter in you by offering the sacrifice of thanksgiving in the face of trouble, thereby honoring you and opening the way so you can show me your salvation (Ps. 50:23).]
 
Psalm 27:6 “Then my head will be exalted above the enemies who surround me;”
 
[You will work things out, you will do what is best in defeating the enemies around me—primarily Satan and his minions–who attack me, who want to bring pressure and harm. You will accomplish this deliverance as I follow and trust you in praise, in prayer, in obedience to what I know to be true, keeping on your armor.]
 
“at his tabernacle will I sacrifice with shouts of joy; I will sing and make music to the LORD.”
 
[Because of your great Love, your mighty Help, your gracious g
Goodness, I will rejoice in you, call out praise, sing and exalt you in music. I praise you, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, for your constant and good work in my life.
 
Guide me today, Lord, in giving you glory and exaltation that those around me may also rejoice in you. I will give you honor through praise, I will give you glory through obedience. Help me to let go of what is temporal, help me to hold on to what is eternal, and give me the wisdom to discern which is which. May you be honored in my life today. Amen.]
 
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Living in the Temple

Published by S.M. Wibberley on July 7, 2016
Psalm 27:4 “One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life,”
 
[When David wrote this, he was thinking of the tabernacle in Jerusalem. Today this request has come true for every believer because we have each become a temple of God (1 Cor. 6:19) and the Holy Spirit lives in us. That is part of the wonder of being your children, Lord: we are ever with you. And as we are with we you call us]
 
“to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple.”
 
[This takes intentionality, it takes focus, surrender and discipline—I must turn my eyes from the distractions of my desires, of the world’s offers and look instead to you.
 
I praise you, Lord Jesus, that you have led me to begin learning to gaze upon your beauty in personal worship. In that you are teaching me to see your greatness, your power, your wisdom, your grace, your wrath against sin, your mighty love demonstrated in redeeming your rebellious creatures, and your great patience in working in us to bring us to maturity in you.
 
In teaching me to worship, you are helping me to give you the glory and honor which is due your name for your wonderful greatness. Then when trouble comes, I can reject my natural tendency to first seek solutions on my own, or from those around me. Instead I can, as my first move, seek you, the only One who can help in every difficulty. More than that, you are the One who delights in helping us in exactly the way we need.
 
Forgive me for my independent attitude; help me to be fully dependent on you instead.
Thank you, Lord, for all that you are, and for revealing some of it to us–breaking into our lives and dwelling with us, even though we deserve only rejection and punishment. Help us to continually “gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple,” praising you, the Great and Glorious One who stoops down to see and help us in our weakness and need.]
 
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Being Healthily Emotionally Independent

Published by S.M. Wibberley on July 6, 2016
In daily praying on the armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-18), there has been a significant solidification of my emotional state, with a growing stability that is very encouraging. In this the Lord is bringing an emotionally healthy independence from others—I no longer feel obligated to be influenced and controlled by others negative emotions.
 
And He is also bringing an emotionally healthy dependence on Himself—His unshifting character manifested in His love, acceptance and graciousness is the rock upon which I can rest.
 
This is not a self-centered focus, but is believing and accepting what God says about us, living in the light of His love rather than in self-condemnation, vague shame and negative thinking that Satan has for us.
 
Below here is what I pray in putting on the belt of truth and breastplate of righteousness. But I do not just say the words, I seek to enter into the truths emotionally, letting myself feel both sides (negative and positive) and chose to rest in the warm and rich goodness of His love for me. Try it yourself, praying this each day for a month and see what a difference it makes for you!
 
“Help me, Lord, to stand today having on the belt of truth. On one side is the truth that all I deserve as a sinner is failure, frustration, depression, despair, hopelessness, suffering and death.
 
“But now, in your gracious love, you have redeemed me, cleansed me, called me into your waiting arms, made me your child, brought me into your family and into your Kingdom of light, love and life. You have given me love, joy and peace. You have given me purpose, protection and provision. You have given me meaning, hope and a future. In you I am chosen, holy and dearly loved. I did not choose you, but you chose me because you wanted me! (John 15:16).
 
“You, Lord Jesus, love me as the Father loves you! (John 15:9). You are glad when I come into your presence in prayer, you laugh with pleasure when we are together and you rejoice in having me as your son (daughter). You saved me because you delight in me (Ps. 18:19).
 
“Help me to put on the breastplate of righteousness. In doing this, I agree to forgive myself as you have forgiven me, to accept myself and to love myself as you do. I choose to bask in your wholehearted approval of me; I agree to rejoice in your unceasing love for me; I choose to revel in your rich and eager acceptance of me as your beloved child.
 
“While eagerly confessing any sin and embracing your forgiveness, I repent of being critical, negative and unaccepting of myself. I exchange these for your garment of approval, your covering of love and your continuous warm, happy, gracious embrace of me as your dear and valued son (daughter), chosen before the foundation of the world to be holy and without blame before you in love! (Eph. 1:4).
 
“What a wonder! I praise you for your great and gracious love, your marvelous kindness and your unending, undying, eternal goodness to me. Help me to walk in the light of your presence throughout today, loving myself as you love me so I can better love my neighbor.”
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In the Crashes of Life

Published by S.M. Wibberley on July 5, 2016
Psalm 27:2 “When evil men advance against me to devour my flesh, when my enemies and my foes attack me,”
 
[Note that this is not “if” but “when.” Such attacks will come because we are followers of Jesus, and Satan hates us. So we should not be surprised when we are attacked. And we should remember that we also know the outcome: ]
 
“they will stumble and fall.”
 
[In the end they will fail: Nero, Hitler, Stalin, Putin and those here who oppose you, Lord, and your Word–they will all fall while you, the Almighty Lord and God, will triumph. There is no way that anyone can prevail against the Creator of the Universe.
 
I praise and thank you, Lord, that you will fight for us in the great goodness of your heart, in the mighty power of your arm, in the expansive breadth of your wisdom and knowledge. Nothing is hidden from you, no plan is secret, no power can prevail against you.]
 
Psalm 27:3 “Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then will I be confident.”
 
[Because my trust is in you, the Almighty and Most High, I can be confident of your help in the most trying of circumstances. I think of Elisha in 2 Kings 6, who awoke to find his city surrounded by a large army; but he also saw the chariots of God surrounding them! And God empowered Elisha to strike the army with blindness and render them harmless.
So I need to ask, “What can men do to me when you are on my side? What can I lose that you cannot replace? What can I suffer that is not worthwhile because you will use it to bring maturity, deepening and a display of your power I can share with all those around me?”
 
Thank you that you are the God of all wisdom who, even in the mistakes I make, will work out all for good. Help me to let go of my natural perceptions and to hold all you have granted me with an open hand, trusting you to give and take as you see best.
 
Help me to hold onto your great promises and rise above whatever challenges come. Help me to rest in you now, knowing that you are the good and great One whom I can totally trust. May you be honored in all I do today.]
 
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Stronghold

Published by S.M. Wibberley on July 4, 2016
Psalm 27:1b “The LORD is the stronghold of my life—“
 
[in the midst of uncertainty I can praise you, Lord God, for you are the safe Place, the generous Giver, the good Guide, the Stability of my existence.
 
You have revealed your beautiful character in your promises. You promise to provide what is needed. You promise to give what is best. You promise to protect me and sustain me with your right hand. You promise to be my shield and enabler. And you follow through on every promise.
 
As my stronghold, you are the One who protects in me the hurts and harm of life. To you I can retreat and find safety, comfort and joy when all else is bleak, sad and dangerous.
 
Living in the power of your promises, I praise you now for what you will do today, this week, next month, next year. I praise you that each day is a new adventure with you, as you have laid out the race for me to run and are constantly helping me to see and lay aside the weights and sins that so easily entangle. I am so glad to be able to follow you.]
 
“of whom shall I be afraid?”
 
[Since you are the Almighty, the Most High, the Great King above all, who can contravene what you deem right? Who can overrule your desires? Who can condemn when you forgive? Who can harm us spiritually when you are there?
 
There is no one else I should fear but you. Help me, Lord, to make the transfer every day, away from fearing those around me to fearing you, away from fearing what others think of me to caring deeply what you think about me, about what I do and think, wear and say.
 
You are worthy of respect, honor and fear for you are Awesome, Almighty and Eternal, all others are not. Therefore I choose to believe you, to fear you, to live in the light of your grace. I praise you for the acceptance, love, approval and protection you offer in Christ. Help me this day to consistently take refuge in you, thereby honoring You, your Name and your Word before all those around me.]
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Magnificent Light

Published by S.M. Wibberley on July 3, 2016
Psalm 27:1 Of David. “The LORD is my light and my salvation—“
 
[You, Lord Jesus, are the light Giver, the Sonshine of life the Illuminator of our path. You show us the way, you reveal dangerous sins and snares, you give insight and understanding, you help us to make the right choices.
 
Because of you, “The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining on ever more brightly til the full light of day” (Prov. 4:18). We no longer have to live in “the way of the wicked which is like deep darkness; they do not know what makes them stumble” (Prov. 4:19).
 
You have rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the Kingdom of Light where you protect us from the devil, from death, in danger and difficulties.
 
You are actively working every moment to counter the attacks of the enemy, to shield us from his deceptions and help us stand against temptation. You also protect us from ourselves, from our old and evil nature.
 
Praise be to you that no attack, no opposition is too fast, too great or too strong for you: you can counter all that comes, protecting and providing, keeping out what will harm and allowing in the things that make us effective. In your light we are safe.]
 
“whom shall I fear?”
 
[Who is greater than you? Who can defeat you? Who can fool you? Who is stronger than you? No one! You are the Almighty, the Most High, the Eternal One, dwelling outside of time, knowing and seeing all.
 
You are aware of every thought, every intent, every plan. “There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the LORD” (Prov. 21:30). You have the power to counteract the devil’s every desire and duplicity.
 
Yes, whom should I fear, of whom should I stand in awe? Why should I fear the words and thoughts of others? You are the One who gives us significance, you declare us righteous in Christ, chosen and beloved. You have replaced our shame with honor, while those around us often seek their own honor by shaming us.
 
Forgive me for elevating the opinions of others over your truth, Lord. Help me to fear you, to respect you, to care what you think, not what others think, value or say. You are the measure, your Word rules, your estimation is supreme. Help me to live in the light of this Truth, Lord.]
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The Beauty of the Trinity

Published by S.M. Wibberley on July 1, 2016
Praise be to you, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. You are the Triune King. Your being one Being with three Persons proves that you are truly God; no human or angel, devil or demon has ever thought up an idea like the Trinity. You are totally other than anything in your creation, having a character so complex that we cannot comprehend it.
 
Your being a Trinity means that you need nothing and no one else to complete you. Within your Being there is perfect love, full relationships and rich completeness. I praise you for the marvel of your majestic unity, full cooperation, joyful submission and perfect, lovely leadership amongst your persons.
 
I praise you that you are the One(s) who created all, rule all, and are bringing all to a conclusion. In you there is hope of help, the goodness of your guidance, the power of your protection, the purity of your purpose and the stability of your shepherding.
 
I praise you that when turmoil comes that I can cling to the certainty of your presence, the comfort of your protection, the constancy of your goodness and the completeness of your power.
 
Thank you for your kindness to us, for the grace you give to look our sin in the face, to name the evil within, to confess it and forsake it. This is possible only in your causing mercy to triumph over justice: only through your wonderfully outrageous and incomprehensibly great sacrifice could such freedom come.
 
You have given us forgiveness and cleansing for guilt, honor and glory for our shame, along with power for our weakness and fear.
 
I praise you, Lord God, for what you are doing in and amongst us. To you be glory forever. May I live wholeheartedly for you, trusting you by rejecting complaining and grumbling through offering the sacrifice of thanksgiving. Fill me so full with your Holy Spirit that He will overflow onto all those I will meet today.
 
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