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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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The 3D Gospel

Published by S.M. Wibberley on June 30, 2016
Recently a little book Josh recommended to me brought together a number of truths I’d collected over the years. “The 3-D Gospel” by Jason Georges explains the three terrible results of the fall and the three wonderful ways God has provided restoration for each in the death and resurrection of Christ.
When Adam choose to trust Satan and himself, he ate of the forbidden fruit. Immediately he became guilty; he and his wife also became ashamed, and tried to cover their shame with leaves; they also became afraid, hiding from God when He came to talk with them.
While different cultures tend to emphasize just one of these results over the others (Western “guilt culture”, Eastern “shame culture” and animistic tribal “fear culture,”) we all suffer the twisting effects of each part of this trinity of pain.
In our Western culture, the gospel is presented mainly as dealing with our guilt (think of the Romans Road presentation—and this is certainly correct). However, little or nothing is taught about how how the gospel also provides a solution for our shame and our fear.
 
Many (if not all) of us have a sense of shame, maybe from past experiences where we were abused verbally, emotionally or physically; we also have failed to measure up to biblical and church culture standards; and we have done foolish and destructive things we know are wrong. Shame is there, but often not acknowledged. Undealt with, it is a weight and blight on our souls, keeping us from loving ourselves so we can love our neighbors.
Fear also is a big factor for us as the world seems to be falling apart, as Christianity is more and more marginalized, denigrated and portrayed as evil. We wonder where this all is going, and are filled with fear. Look at how many are consumed with worry, experience anxiety attacks and need medical help to cope.
God knows all about this and has provided a solution to each one. When the Holy Spirit does His work of conviction, He addresses each of our areas of need: guilt, shame and fear. As it says in John 16:9-11. “When he comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong…
–“about sin, because people do not believe in me” [there is guilt];
–“about righteousness, because I am going to the Father” [there is shame as we stand humiliated before the righteous One, who exposes the emptiness of our futile, selfish attempts to make ourselves look good];
–“and about judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.” [There is fear as we, too, stand judged and worthy of condemnation.]
However, for those who respond to the Spirit’s work, Ephesians 1:18-19 tells us what God has given to cover each one of these: Paul writes, “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know:
–“the hope to which he has called you” [forgiveness in place of guilt],
–“the riches of his glorious inheritance in his saints,” [honor in place of shame]
–“and his incomparably great power for us who believe” [power in place of fear].
All of this I vaguely comprehended, but now they have come into full 3D focus and it makes a difference. I have wholeheartedly looked at my hidden shame from my failures and sins, as well as from others’ opinions of me, and am embracing the honor Jesus has given me by taking my shame on Himself in His suffering before and on the cross.
 
I have also confronted my fears more directly, embracing the fact that “God has not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind” (2 Tim. 1:7 KJV). This is making a difference in my life, and in the lives of those I am sharing this with.
 
So I encourage you, too, to embrace the full trinity of the gospel, internalizing the fact that Jesus died to save us from our sin, our shame and our fear. As Corrie Ten Boom said, “If we look around us, we will be distressed; if we look within us, we will be depressed; if we look to Jesus we will find rest.”
 
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The Wanted Sheep

Published by S.M. Wibberley on June 29, 2016
 
Meditating on, “The Lord is my shepherd….” Ps. 23:1
 
Praise you, Lord Jesus, that you are the great Shepherd of the universe. You are wise, powerful, all knowing, all seeing, all present. You are the One who breathed the stars, who formed the Milky Way, who sets up and takes down rulers, who controls the flow of history, who will bring all existence to an end.
 
Your power is infinite: what we seen in hurricanes, tornadoes and tsunamis is a tiny bit of your strength. We cannot begin to imagine a power that could create a galaxy like the Milky Way: 100,000 light years in diameter, containing billions of stars, many much bigger than our sun. You simply spoke and they came into existence.
 
Your power and attention to detail is unbelievable. To make carbon-based life possible, you created the sun a million times larger than the earth, burning at just the right and incredible temperature. You placed the earth at exactly the right distance from the sun so it won’t be too hot or too cold. You put it in an orbit just the right shape so summer is long enough for crops and winter isn’t so long that people would starve. You spun the earth at the optimal speed so night isn’t so long that we’d freeze, and day isn’t so long that we’d get too tired. And you tilted the earth at exactly the right angle to make the different climates. You did everything perfectly.
 
In this you show what a wise, strong, good and trustable Shepherd you are. I praise you for the wonder of your Character, seen in your being the Creator, the Redeemer, our Savior, Provider, Protector and Great Guide.
 
You are Love, you are Light, you are Life. And you have declared yourself to be my Shepherd: you wanted me to be your sheep; you chose me before the foundation of the world; you arranged all the influences I needed in life so I could come to you.
 
What I actually deserve as a rebellious sinner is continual punishment, rejection, suffering, failure, hopelessness, despair, death and eternity in Hell apart from you.
 
However, you had mercy on me, you wanted me as your child. So you suffered, died and rose again to make it possible that I would be your sheep. You called me, you cleansed and transformed me, you claimed me as your own, you commissioned me to special service and you cherish me.
 
I stand before you now dearly loved, deeply cared for, doted on and delighted in. In you, Lord Jesus, I am fully forgiven, fully loved, fully accepted, fully yours. I revel in your love, I bask in your desire for an ever expanding relationship with me. I rejoice in your unconditional, deep, rich acceptance of me as your child, your sheep, your beloved.
 
I bow before you in awe and reverence; I rise up today to return your love in obedience to your Word, to walk in the joy of being yours, to reflect the light of your love to those around me, living in the perspective of Psalm 73:25: “Whom have I in heaven but you and earth has nothing I desire besides you.”
 
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Level Ground

Published by S.M. Wibberley on June 28, 2016
Psalm 26:8 “I love the house where you live, O LORD, the place where your glory dwells.”
 
[Praise you, Lord, that you now dwell in each believer, in each of us, and together as living stones we make up your church, your bride. Help me to live the reality of that, to love the church universal and the church local. Help all of us to be in awe of you and live in such a way as to bring you honor, both personally and as local congregations.]
 
Psalm 26:9,10 “Do not take away my soul along with sinners, my life with bloodthirsty men, in whose hands are wicked schemes, whose right hands are full of bribes.”
 
[Praise you that, although I am naturally one of these, in you I am made an innocent, being cleansed and forgiven, transformed and adopted. Therefore I will not go with the wicked into punishment, but with you into an eternity of joy and peace, of goodness and grace. Help me to recognize my tendency to do the natural, negative sinful things, to reject them, and to live instead in wisdom, submission and obedience to your Word and Spirit.]
 
Psalm 26:11 “But I lead a blameless life; redeem me and be merciful to me.”
 
[I do want to live a pure life, but cannot do so on my own; help me to walk with you in your way of purity, positiveness and power. Thank you that you have redeemed me and that I stand in safety because of your blameless life, Lord Jesus. Praise you that you are merciful to me far beyond what I deserve.]
 
Psalm 26:12 My feet stand on level ground;
 
[Praise you that I have all I need in you for stability, effectiveness and safety. You have set a race out before me; you smooth things out, you help me forward, you guide and direct.]
 
in the great assembly I will praise the LORD.”
 
[Before all I want to give you honor and glory, praise and goodness, exaltation and strength. You are the good One, you are the powerful One, you are the trustable One. So I bow before you in awe and thankfulness, I rise up in grace and joy, I move ahead in this day with thanksgiving and faith, fully clothed in the armor of God, able to stand no matter what comes.
 
 
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Secure for the Future

Published by S.M. Wibberley on June 27, 2016
As we move through life, it is wonderful, Lord, to know that you guiding us. I am so small, so ignorant (couldn’t even buy the right corner piece for the rain gutters!), so weak, so bound up in my own viewpoint, so influenced by selfishness and sin.
 
But you, Lord Jesus, are my Shepherd who cares for your sheep. You know the future, you know the next things to come, you know the needs I’ll have today, next week, next year. I praise you now for how you will provide and protect in the future.
 
You are good and pure, you are wise and loving, you are kind and firm, you are powerful and gracious, you are God. I can trust you.
 
You are also my rock: unshakable, unassailable, unchanging. You are my salvation: the One who protects, rescues and redeems. You are my high tower: giving safety, vision and insight.
 
I praise you that I can rest in you. Help me to know how to deal with things today. Only with you can I press forward properly, obeying your Word and Spirit.
Psalm 26:4 “I do not sit with deceitful men,”
 
[Help me to recognize them and not join in their talk.]
 
“nor do I consort with hypocrites;”
 
[That’s pretty hard to do, as we are all hypocrites to a degree. But help me to avoid those who are blatantly, knowingly so. Point out my tendency to hypocrisy and help me not to be one.]
 
Psalm 26:5 “I abhor the assembly of evildoers and refuse to sit with the wicked.”
 
[Help me not to join them in any way, help me to recognize the evil in my own heart and reject it in favor of obeying you.]
 
Psalm 26:6,7 “I wash my hands in innocence, and go about your altar, O LORD, proclaiming aloud your praise and telling of all your wonderful deeds.”
 
[May I consistently and quickly confess any sin and may my focus be on you, Lord Jesus, listening to you, being obedient to you, thinking truth, doing what you proclaim to be right. Help me to be consistent in praising you at all times, proclaiming to all those around me your glory revealed in your awesome acts and gracious goodness.]20160531_135639607_iOS
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Vindicated!

Published by S.M. Wibberley on June 25, 2016

Psalm 26:1 “Vindicate me, O LORD,”

[You, Lord Jesus, are the One who clears the accusations against me; I am in myself a sinner worthy of condemnation. But you are the One who, in your death and resurrection, bought forgiveness, honor, power and transformation by giving me your righteousness.

Therefore you can and do vindicate me before Satan and his accusations, before myself and before others. It is your righteousness that declares my innocence: “Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us” (Rom. 8”:33,34).]

Psalm 26:1b “for I have led a blameless life; I have trusted in the LORD without wavering.”

[This I cannot say about myself, Lord. I sin every day; I waver every hour. I need your help in order to be able to trust. And when I do you vindicate me: “Trust in the LORD, and do good… Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him, and he will act. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday sun” (Ps. 37:3,5,6).

In you, Lord Christ, under your blood, I am blameless and you are leading me on towards trusting you more and more, on to less and less wavering, to consistently praising you in and for all things.

I thank you for your grace and goodness, for your continual working in me, for your good and powerful protection, for your total and effective forgiveness. As you are the One who has the right to declare me forgiven and cleansed, I can and must accept your estimation: as you forgive and accept me, I can forgive and accept myself.

Praise you for the new start every day–actually every minute. I thank you for your grace-filled kindness to me, to your creatures, to your creation.

As we wait for the great and total restoration of perfection, we can heed your call in Psalm 37:4, “Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” As we focus on and delight in you, you will put into our hearts the right desires and then fulfill them at the perfect time.

Praise you for your great patience, Lord God, waiting until all who are willing to believe are swept into your kingdom, and then you will bring the day of judgment, righting all wrongs and eliminating all evil, ushering in an eternity of Light and Love and unending Life.

I give you glory and honor, Lord, for you are absolutely worthy of it.

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Our Splendid God

Published by S.M. Wibberley on June 24, 2016
From the devotional book, EDIFIED!
 
“Praise the LORD, O my soul. O LORD my God, you are very great; you are clothed with splendor and majesty.”
Psalm 104:1
 
You, O Yahweh, I will praise with my mind, my will, my emotions, with my whole being; without reservation I will exalt you.
 
You are worthy of worship for you are great: you are mighty, immense, immeasurably great, filling the universe with your presence, knowing all, seeing all, performing all that is good.
 
You are glorious, clothed in garments of splendor and grace—rich, beautiful, gorgeous, lovely and majestic. You are lofty, high and lifted up, powerful, overwhelming and wonderful. As the Word says, “He wraps himself in light as with a garment” (Ps. 104:2a). Dressed in light, you are radiant, shining, sparkling, illuminating, revealing, glowing and glorious.
 
You are light itself, light to the core of your being, hiding no evil, covering no sin, harboring no darkness, for there is none of these to be hidden. You are what you are: good, holy, pure, positive, righteous, just, merciful, wise, patient, firm, unchanging, and inexorably loving. No one can rightfully accuse you of any wrong, any injustice, any sin, any evil—your light would reveal such things if there were any, but there are not.
 
You are the God of goodness, the Lord of Love, the King of Kindness, the Judge of Justness, the Sovereign of the Supernatural, the Highest of Heaven, the Ruler of Righteousness, the Protagonist of Purity, the Adopter of antagonists, the Transformer of truants, the Spring of Spirituality, the Spirit of Sanctification, the Paragon of Patience, the Terminator of time, the Ender of the earth, the Extender of eternity, the Eliminator of evil and the God of Glory—you only are worthy of worship!
 
Words fail to express the greatness of your goodness, the perfection of your personality, the beauty of your being. In response to your love, I can only fall before you in wonder and weakness; then I can rise up filled with the Spirit, and move into the day in obedience. To you be glory and exaltation, joy and pleasure in my worship of you all this day.
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