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Psalm 9:9

Published by S.M. Wibberley on October 28, 2015

Psalm 9:9 “The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed,”

[Praise you, Yahweh, the great I AM, Creator and Sustainer of the universe, who is aware of each of the oppressed and calls every one of us to yourself for refuge.

People are oppressed first and foremost by the devil as he keeps them enslaved by fear of death, by desire and deception, by division and distraction.  And he oppresses through evil people, evil persuasions, evil purposes.  Then we are also oppressed by our own negative nature where selfishness, pride, lust and greed successfully seek to rule us.

But you, Lord Jesus, have opened a door out of this miserable mess of darkness and despair into the Kingdom of Light where you are our personal refuge and strength so we may give you ever increasing glory.]

The Lord is “a stronghold in times of trouble.”

[In you we are safe from the attacks of the enemy, in you we find comfort, rest, salvation and protection.  In you we find love, grace, goodness and help.  In you we find forgiveness, pardon, cleansing and transformation. In you there is loving chastening, firm correction and certainty of rebuke when needed.  In you there is deliverance from deception, lust, selfishness and independence. You are our protector from all troubles, sooner or later, as long as we dwell in your shelter.

As it says in Psalm 91:1-4 “Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.’ Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.” ]

Lord, help me to willfully take shelter in you today, my mighty rock and my refuge.

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Running Free

Published by S.M. Wibberley on October 27, 2015
“I run in the path of your commands, for you have set my heart free.” Psalm 119:32
 
Praise be to you, my Lord and my God, for you have set my heart free, free from the rule of Satan, free from the power of self, free from the chains of sin—as your child I can actually make choices now because you have brought me out of the kingdom of darkness into the Kingdom of Light.
 
“The way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know over what they stumble” (Pro. 4:19). You have set me free from a life of fumbling and stumbling in the dark, bringing me out into a life of light. You, Lord Jesus, are the light of life and have caused the light of salvation to shine deeply into my heart. You have invited me to walk on the path of the righteous, illuminated by your Word, bringing me ever more into the full light of your day. Now in your grace I can choose the shining way of Truth revealed by your Word and your Spirit.
 
You are setting my heart free from fear, from bondage to selfishness, from lust, from anger, frustration and negative thinking. You have set my feet free from the shackles of Satan that led me to shuffle down the path of sin, to choose what is destructive, to react with violent, knee jerk negatives.
 
Now I can run free in the path of goodness, my feet unbound, my legs strengthened by your Spirit, my eyes opened by the light of your Word, my soul ready to soar.
In providing this broad and beautiful freedom, you are moving me mightily towards living like Asaph who, after repenting of his selfishness and self-pity, could say, “Whom have I in heaven but you and earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever” (Ps. 73:25,26).
 
Eternal praise be to you, O Lord, for you have truly, powerfully, continually, eternally set my heart free! Help me, Lord, to run freely in the paths of your commandments, in the light of your Truth, in the joy of your presence, that I may give you glory today. Amen
 
–An excerpt from the devotional book EDIFIED!
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Running Free

Published by S.M. Wibberley on October 27, 2015
“I run in the path of your commands, for you have set my heart free.” Psalm 119:32
 
Praise be to you, my Lord and my God, for you have set my heart free, free from the rule of Satan, free from the power of self, free from the chains of sin—as your child I can actually make choices now because you have brought me out of the kingdom of darkness into the Kingdom of Light.
 
“The way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know over what they stumble” (Pro. 4:19). You have set me free from a life of fumbling and stumbling in the dark, bringing me out into a life of light. You, Lord Jesus, are the light of life and have caused the light of salvation to shine deeply into my heart. You have invited me to walk on the path of the righteous, illuminated by your Word, bringing me ever more into the full light of your day. Now in your grace I can choose the shining way of Truth revealed by your Word and your Spirit.
 
You are setting my heart free from fear, from bondage to selfishness, from lust, from anger, frustration and negative thinking. You have set my feet free from the shackles of Satan that led me to shuffle down the path of sin, to choose what is destructive, to react with violent, knee jerk negatives.
 
Now I can run free in the path of goodness, my feet unbound, my legs strengthened by your Spirit, my eyes opened by the light of your Word, my soul ready to soar.
In providing this broad and beautiful freedom, you are moving me mightily towards living like Asaph who, after repenting of his selfishness and self-pity, could say, “Whom have I in heaven but you and earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever” (Ps. 73:25,26).
 
Eternal praise be to you, O Lord, for you have truly, powerfully, continually, eternally set my heart free! Help me, Lord, to run freely in the paths of your commandments, in the light of your Truth, in the joy of your presence, that I may give you glory today. Amen
 
–An excerpt from the devotional book EDIFIED!
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Psalm 9:5-8

Published by S.M. Wibberley on October 26, 2015

Psalm 9:5 “You have rebuked the nations and destroyed the wicked; you have blotted out their name for ever and ever.”
Psalm 9:6 “Endless ruin has overtaken the enemy, you have uprooted their cities; even the memory of them has perished.”

[It is your intent to eliminate sin, to cleanse the universe of rebellion, so you justly punish wickedness and those who refuse the forgiveness and cleansing you offer. You first rebuke and give opportunity for repentance, just as you did with all the nations in the promised land—Rahab being the example of what could have happened with each one of them if they had responded with faith—and when they refused to come to you, they remained under judgment and were destroyed. You are just, you are consistent, you are righteous.]

Psalm 9:7 “The LORD reigns forever;” [Praise be to you, the eternal One who has no beginning and no end. You are able to follow through on your promises, your plans, your purposes because you never tire, never flag, never fade. You are the eternal I AM, ever pure, ever holy, ever triune.]

“he has established his throne for judgment. Psalm 9:8 He will judge the world in righteousness; he will govern the peoples with justice.”

[Praise you that in you alone there is true justice and righteousness. They are found nowhere else in this world. We long for them, but fear them at the same time, for we know innately that we are subject to judgment and are found wanting in ourselves.

Praise you for your great mercy towards us, that in Christ we stand cleansed, forgiven, transformed, adopted and dearly loved. We bow before you now, O Lord, exalting your name, your Word, your grace, your goodness. You certainly are worthy of love, of obedience, of thanksgiving, of praise, of worship. We rise up to enter this day as your children, desirous of living a life worthy of you and of pleasing you in every way. May your Spirit fill us and overflow from us into the lives of those around us, bringing you more and more honor.]

Edifying Services's photo.
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From the devotional book EDIFIED!

Published by S.M. Wibberley on October 25, 2015
From the devotional book EDIFIED!
 
As your Word says, “My God is my rock in whom I take refuge. He is my shield, the horn of my salvation, my stronghold” (Ps. 18:2b). So, whether I am firmly in a protecting schedule, or my life is chaotic, you are there, Lord God: solid, sure, always loving, kind and firm. You are my Light, my Love, my Life.
 
So I turn my eyes to you and praise you, Lord God: my Triune, Eternal, Personal and Holy God—utterly other, entirely independent, simply sinless and incomprehensibly complex. You created me, chose me, cleansed me, claimed me as your child, commissioned me to special service, and I stand before you dearly loved, delighted in, deeply cared for, doted on and dependent on you.
 
What a wonder! For what I actually deserve as a sinner is
condemnation, punishment, eternal separation, failure, suffering, death and hell.
 
To live in the light of your presence, to walk in the shining paths of your righteousness, to bask in the radiance of your love, to be able to see by the brilliant illumination of your Word—these are the privileges of the children of God and we praise and thank you for them.
 
I praise you now for what your power and grace will do in and through me today, in spite of how I may feel and fail. May all be for your glory. Help me to focus on you, draw my stability, wisdom, strength and understanding from you. May I honor you in all I do today.
 
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From my worship journal

Published by S.M. Wibberley on October 24, 2015

From my worship journal.

Praise be to you, Lord God, that yours is a full-orbed character. On one side you are love while at the same time you hate what is evil. I praise you for your hatred for sin, your anger at injustice and your wrath against sinners who refuse to repent because,   your justice makes restoration possible; your wrath against sin makes salvation possible; hell makes a sinless heaven possible.

I Praise you, Lord Jesus, that you took the wrath of the Father fully upon yourself so that all who choose to believe might be  saved in your goodness, sheltered in your love, protected in your grace and transformed in your power.

Thank you that you have given us life from your suffering, love from your heart and light from your Truth. Praise you for qualifying us to enter your Kingdom, for adopting us into your family and giving us purpose, meaning, hope, a sure future along with joy, peace and power to live a godly life.

But thank you most of all for giving us a rich, real and righteous relationship with you. Thank you for loving us unconditionally, wholeheartedly, eternally. That is to be the focus of our lives: You!
And in this wonderful relationship with you, you give us all we need: forgiveness, cleansing, acceptance, affirmation, attention, love and grace. I am thankful for these, but they are not the focus: you are.

I worship you as the Lord of love, the Giver of good and the God of grace. To you be glory and honor in all my life today. Amen.

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Psalm 9:2

Published by S.M. Wibberley on October 23, 2015

Psalm 9:2 “I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.”

[Yes, I will rejoice in you, Lord, for you are wonderfully worthy, graciously good, powerfully persistent, righteously just, lovingly strong and readily forgiving. Praise is your due, praise is our privilege. How can I not praise you in and for all things—pleasant or painful, nice or negative—when you are so magnificent in your pristine, perfect triune character? Glory be to you now, today and forever, for you are worthy!]

Psalm 9:3-4 “My enemies turn back; they stumble and perish before you. For you have upheld my right and my cause;”

[Praise be to you, O warrior God, who fights for your children. You fight against Satan, sin, selfishness and sinners who attack your children. Such help is not our right but a powerful privilege. I am not right, but your Word is right. I praise you that out of your grace you fight for me, for us, for your Word, for all that is right.

This is echoed in Psalm. 37:5-6, “commit my way to the Lord, I will trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass, He shall bring forth my righteousness as the light and my judgment as the noon day sun.” He who delights in and meditates on your word “will prosper in whatever he does.” (Ps. 1:3).

So, I can rest in what you will do in the pressing debates before me concerning how to biblically proceed with our work, for you are faithful. Things may not work out the way I desire, but I know that you will do what is right.

“you have sat on your throne, judging righteously.”

[We may be unsure, have only part of the information, be prejudiced by our preferences and hang ups, but you have none of these restrictions. You, Heavenly Father, see all perfectly, you have every detail of information, you even understand our motives and intents. You know Truth totally and you will judge in full righteousness. Thank you that security is not in my faulty understanding and standards determining outcomes, but it is in the fact that your perfect understanding and righteous standards will prevail in the end.

Praise be to you, Lord God, for your goodness and graciousness, your greatness and glory. I praise you today, bowing before you, accepting whole-heartedly whatever results you bring out of the conflicts around me.]

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Psalm 9:1

Published by S.M. Wibberley on October 21, 2015

Psalm 9 A Psalm of David.

Psalm 9:1 “I will praise you, O LORD, with all my heart;”

[You, O Lord God–Triune, Triumphant and Tremendous–are worthy of praise. As you have loved me, cleansed me, transformed me, adopted me, delighted in me, how can I but respond with love, with praise, with admiration, thankfulness and whole-hearted rejoicing in you.

You are my Lord, my King, my Shepherd, my Rock, and I rejoice in the great privilege of knowing you.  You are worthy of praise no matter what comes into my life.  I will praise you now and forever in eternity!]

“I will tell of all your wonders.”

[Great and many are your wonders, beginning with your character: you are Love, Light and Life; in you there is Purity, Perfection, and Power, Greatness, Grace and Goodness, Righteousness, Justice and Mercy, Riches, Rightness and Reigning. You are Immortal, Invisible and Invincible. You are Mighty, Magnificent and Marvelous. You are God, Lord and Sovereign. You are without beginning, without end and without time.

You are a wonder, and we have not even come to your works: speaking all into existence, holding all together, holding back the tide of evil, providing salvation for all your enemies.

In addition you willing suffer disappointment, pain and grief every day as you shepherd your professed children who willfully disobey, disbelieve and disrupt. You wait patiently for the right time to correct, you act from pure motives and always do the right thing in the right way.

You weave all together into your plan to bring history to a conclusion, eliminate evil and usher your children into an eternity of light, love and life.  Your wonders are great and you are worthy of praise!

Help me to be a glory-giver today, taking every opportunity, positive or negative, to honor you by offering the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and thereby fulfill the life purpose you have given me. Alert me when I am about to be a glory-stealer by complaining, whining or feeling sorry for myself. In the light of your marvelous and majestic presence, what’s there to feel sorry about!!!? Honor yourself in my life today.

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Jesus, the Freedom Bringer

Published by S.M. Wibberley on October 20, 2015
An excerpt from the book EDIFIED
 
Praise you for all you, Lord God, did in having your Revelation written down for us, in exactly the words you desired, then preserving it, getting it translated and giving us your Spirit to teach us what it says.
I love these words: “I run in the path of your commands, for you have set my heart free” (Ps. 119:32).
This is echoed in the NT: “You will know the truth and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32).
 
You, Lord Jesus, are the Path Maker, the Freedom Bringer, the Guidance Giver. Your Spirit and Word are the means to bring your freedom to us as we embrace your Way.
 
Praise you that in your Word you provide us with Truth, giving spiritual sight and being the Way to freedom from self, sin and Satan. Praise you for our weakness that drives us to be dependent and strong in you; for the path of your Word to run on; and for the working of your Spirit to keep us on track.
 
My desire is to live like the Psalmist who wrote, “My soul is consumed with longing for your laws at all times…. Your statutes are my delight; they are my counselors…. I have chosen the way of truth; I have set my heart on your laws…. I hold fast to your statutes, O LORD; do not let me be put to shame” (Ps. 119:20,24,30,31). Help me in that.
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Psalm 8:5-9

Published by S.M. Wibberley on October 19, 2015

Psalm 8:5 “You made him [man] a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor.”

[you made us for a specific position in your creation, you gave us glory and honor because you loved us, you gave us significant roles:]

Psalm 8:6 “You made him ruler over the works of your hands;”

[You gave us position and power, meaning and might, dominion and demarcation. You called us to partnership with you in administrating what you created. And this is still true even after the fall, even though we are twisted and imperfect, for you are gracious and good, wanting us to have meaningful work and productive purpose.]

Psalm 8:7-8 “you put everything under his feet:  all flocks and herds, and the beasts of the field,  the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas.”

[You are so gracious to give such a broad range of responsibility to creatures you knew would fail and fall—and I praise you that you will restore us to pristine purity again so we may rule further with you in the new heaven and earth!]

“O LORD, our Lord,”

[Again you make yourself “our Lord:” the personal, present, passionate, powerful and perfect God, Ruler of all, Lover of all, Redeemer of all, even though you know that many will not accept the forgiveness you have purchased at great cost.]

[Truly] “how majestic is your name in all the earth!”

Your name is majestic in perfection, creation, redemption and salvation. You are worthy of worship from every being throughout all the earth, throughout all the universe, throughout all eternity. May that begin today by us giving honor and praise to your majestic name throughout this day. Amen.

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