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Growth in Humility

Published by S.M. Wibberley on December 14, 2023

An example of “lifting my soul to God,” written in my worship journal several years ago.

Lord, I praise you this morning for your gracious and good presence: while I slept, you watched over me; when I awoke, you were there. Praise you that we can trust you to carry us forward and upward in life, to lead us through and out the other side of every happening that will come to us with your permission and good intent.

It is wonderful that your faithfulness does not depend on mine; you are there no matter what I do, working on me with grace, patience and wisdom. Thank you, Lord, for exposing my sinful old nature last night when I got upset over my friend’s accusatory statements.

I was, as he pointed out, touchy. He is wrong in the way he makes blame-shifting statements, but that is no reason whatsoever for me to be touchy. That means I reacted in a “fear of man” mode, giving his statements more credence and importance than I should. This is looking to my friend for support and truth, when I should be looking to you for that, Lord.

Forgive me, Lord, transform me in this area, help me to respond in a godly, wise and gracious manner rather than in a selfish, whining, self-pitying way.

Lord, help me to embrace the humiliation of my failure and the fire of shame, allowing it to refine me, to move through it and on into humility, accepting the fact of my depravity on one side and affirming the holiness you have bequeathed me with on the other.

Thank you for this further step in my ongoing revival, the exposure of my depravity and the further revelation of your gracious and powerful sufficiency in love, forgiveness and cleansing. Praise you for the warnings of your Word and the perspective your Spirit gives us; we need them so much to keep us balanced and effective for you.

May this revival continue. May you be glorified in the process. Guide me today in checking in with you often and following the direction of your Spirit, that I may honor you in all.

May be an image of fire and hearth

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The Purpose of Deliverance

Published by S.M. Wibberley on December 13, 2023

First, thank you for your prayers, the procedure went well and my heart is back in rhythm.

 

Psalm 30:11 “You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,”

[You answered David, you brought him through the dark, cold valley like in the picture below. You delivered him from his fears, his enemies, his dangers. And for what purpose?]

Psalm 30:12 “that my heart may sing to you and not be silent.”

[You saved him so David might have the privilege of exalting you further, you who are worthy of worship, of love and obedience.]

“O LORD my God, I will give you thanks forever.”

[And you, Lord, ARE worthy of thanks forever and ever. May we daily live in the power of thanksgiving, of praise, of worship. Why?  So that, for the joy set before us, we can endure whatever cross you deem necessary, knowing that we will be set down in heaven with you at the wedding feast of the Lamb!

What a hope, what a future, what a privilege to live with, for and in you Lord Jesus! May we do it well.]

May be an image of twilight, nature, grass and tree

 

 

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Test of Trust

Published by S.M. Wibberley on December 11, 2023

Yesterday I wrote this:

Psalm 30:8 “To you, O LORD, I called; to the Lord I cried for mercy:”

[This is the proper response in difficulty,

to seek you and your mercy,

to recognize my weakness and your strength,

to trust you, not myself.]

And tonight we are in the Emergency Room again trying to find out what is wrong with Barbara. She has been feeling bad, weak, lethargic, only able to lie around on the couch all day. So after 5 days of that I was able to convince her to come to the ER. So far she’s been poked, x-rayed, MRIed, and  poked again for more blood. Thus far they have nothing to tell us.

So we are waiting, an opportunity to recognize our weakness and His strength. Choosing to offer the sacrifice of thanksgiving is the right thing to do, as this will honor Him and open the way for Him to show us the salvation of the Lord.

So we wait in expectation, in trust, in faith, thanking God for whatever He’s going to do.

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Abundant Mercy

Published by S.M. Wibberley on December 10, 2023

Psalm 30:8 “To you, O LORD, I called; to the Lord I cried for mercy:”

[This is the proper response in difficulty,

to seek you and your mercy,

to recognize my weakness and your strength,

to trust you, not myself.

I praise you, Lord God, for your goodness and graciousness and for how you answer us in such situations, first delivering us from all our fears, then strengthening us with strength in our souls, then saving us out of all our troubles, whether through deliverance or through giving endurance, or through death (Ps. 34:4-7).

You are the God who is there, you are the God who hears, you are the God who answers. “…the angel of the Lord encamps round about those who fear him and delivers them” (Ps. 34:8).]

Help me to utilize the times of security to deepen my walk with you, Lord Jesus, so that

I may rejoice in the times of difficulty,

offering the sacrifice of thanksgiving,

finding my rest and hope in you,

exalting you by living in Truth.

And I thank you now for how you will answer this prayer.

May be an image of fog and cloud

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Are we sheltering?

Published by S.M. Wibberley on December 9, 2023

Psalm 30:6,7 “When I felt secure, I said, ‘I will never be shaken.’ O LORD, when you favored me, you made my mountain stand firm;”

[When we are in a positive situation, when we feel safe and see your blessings, it is easy to feel firm and stable. Such times are important for solidification and building up in truth–if we take advantage of them, diving into your Word, exalting in personal worship and basking in your love.

But in a secure situation here is little opportunity to go by faith, to trust you as we can only when all sense of security is gone, when all is in tumult and uncertainty.]

“but when you hid your face, I was dismayed.”

[When my feelings turn negative, when my situation goes downhill, when I am attacked, my health fails, my friends desert me, my financial situation goes bad, or my work does not prosper–then it is easy to be dismayed, to be discouraged, to flag in my strength.

But this is also the time to flee to you, Lord, to affirm my trust in you in spite of my feelings, to find shelter in your Word and in your presence. “In times of trouble you will keep me safe in your dwelling, you will hide me in the shelter of your tabernacle and set me high on a rock” (Psalm 27:5).]

Psalm 62 comes to mind: “my soul finds rest in God alone…He only is my rock, my salvation, my high tower, I will never be shaken” [if I stay up in the tower.] How, by trust, by faith, by living out in the dark what I learned in the Light.

God is there, always, working for good, giving us enough grace to move on through.

No photo description available.

 

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Serene Security

Published by S.M. Wibberley on December 8, 2023

You, Lord Jesus, are my serene Security, my superb Stability, my unshakable Surety, my supreme Savior. With all that swirls around us in life, we could not make it without you as our firm Foundation, our strong Anchor, our great Shepherd, our powerful King.

Praise you that you are our impenetrable Shield, our impregnable Fortress, our intrepid Defender, our immense Stronghold.

In you and your protection there is no gap, no chink, no forgotten loophole for the enemy to come through. You are the great wall protecting us from evil, and you are the great and gracious gateway through which comes all that is profitable, helpful and positive.

Praise you that you protect and provide through your wide wisdom, your complete knowledge, your rich love and your perfect patience.

You are the One to be trusted, Lord God, Triune and Holy God. I praise you for what you will bring today in your wisdom and love, your purpose and plan. Help us to follow you well, joining you in what you desire to accomplish today–in, through and around us. May you be honored in all we do.

May be an image of 2 people and jewelry

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(Untitled)

Published by S.M. Wibberley on December 7, 2023
Sorry I didn’t post yesterday. Got caught up in finishing the setup of my next book, Canterbury CT Characters of the 21st Century, Volume 2.
When I brought the first of the new supply to our local grocery store for selling, the manager was happy to see them. “The old ones have been selling well; hopefully these will, too.” He said they’ve already had people asking for multiple copies.
The book has 51 short biographies with about 12 of them being believers who share their testimonies.
I would appreciate prayer for the book to sell well, and for readers to be inspired and encouraged by the lives of those included.
There are extraordinary people, like two international champions and three who are national champions. There are two artists, business people, community leaders, decorated war veteran’s and inventors. Each is an example of hard work and perseverance.
The book is up on Amazon; you can find it by searching for s.m. Wibberley (you must use the periods!)
I am thankful to have finished this project and look forward to feedback. But whatever happens I will keep an attitude of gratitude, giving thanks for all the Lord has done and will do.
May be an image of 1 person and text that says 'Volume 2 Canterbury Connecticut CHARACTERS of the 21stC 21stCtur Stephen Wibberley'
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From discontent to joy

Published by S.M. Wibberley on December 5, 2023

 

 

 

The Lord had a message for me today, “Do you really believe what you’ve written about recently. You know, having an attitude of gratitude?”

Today was one challenging day.

Yesterday, after uploading my new book, Canterbury CT Characters of the 21st Century, Volume 2, Amazon messaged me that the pagination needed to be fixed. So I spent several hours trying to so that, to no avail. Looked at google info, YouTube tutorials, asked a professional and still came up empty. I’m trying to get these books here in the local store for Christmas shoppers, but one delay after .

So, this morning I plunged in again; still nothing. Then we were trying to set up our new Medicare supplement with multiple forms on line, which didn’t work, do again on phone, still no good.

Recently I changed our internet provider, lured by big promises—none of which turned out to be true; have tried several times to get this straightened out, but no good conclusion. Must work on it more, a time consuming task.

Long call from my cardiologist with instructions of prep for a procedure next week.

And I was unable to get into my business bank account online and credit card account, so went to the bank for help. As I arrived, I noticed that my battery light in my car was on and my power steering was gone. I knew  instantly what that meant: my serpentine belt was off. Into the bank for 20 minutes of tutorial, still no access to my credit card.

Limped home without full power in the car. Talked with my mechanic friend, he can’t help me until tomorrow. In the meantime we have no transportation.

Tried more on pagination. No results. Went to cook lunch and found the meat had gone bad; plan B frozen dinner.   After dinner called my pastor who had just finished his thesis to see if he could help me. He offered to come over and in 20 minutes solved my problem.

Uploaded the manuscript to Amazon, had to make some corrections and upload it 3 more times. Now we will see if they accept it.

A renter called with several things to be fixed. I had nothing to drive over with my tools, so gathered up a few and walked over in the freezing cold. Was able to fix them all.

Home to look at the solar panels agreements we’ve been working on. Page after page of legalese. Finally finished it, still have doubts about this being the right thing to do.

Back to working on the book, making some adjustments, uploading to my other publisher—5 times before getting it right.

And, all this time I’ve not been feeling well, having an infection being treated with antibiotics, but results are slow in coming.

But, in each happening the Spirit said to me,” Think of all the things you have to be thankful for; remember to live in gratitude, not complaining and dissatisfation.” So I chose to give thanks for each obstacle, hinderance, failure and discomfort.

It made an amazing difference, like walking  out of a dark room into the light, allowing me to shed the discontent, complaining and unhappiness that are so natural to me. And instead choose to live the truth that “Knowing Jesus is enough for joy!” Truly, when we know and live in the truth, it sets us free!

No photo description available.

 

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Gratitude = happiness and goodness

Published by S.M. Wibberley on December 3, 2023

Some spontaneous thoughts this evening.

Tonight we listened  to a talk on happiness. The speaker made a strong statement: without gratitude you cannot have happiness. He went  on to add that gratitude is the source of both happiness and goodness.

I believe this is biblically true. “Give thanks in all things, for this is the will of God us….” ( I Thes. 5:18). If we are not grateful, we become complainers, we are always looking for more, always dissatisfied with what we have, just as the Israelites were in the wilderness.

Out of this ingratitude flows greed, strife, anger, broken relationships and more. This greed and discontent may be low level and in the background, but it will color everything. This is what see at work in our country today.

To be grateful leads to praise in all things. Why? Because we are grateful for our good God who is in control, who has a plan, who is leading us on, whether it be through difficulty, sickness, disappointment or loss.

As we are grateful for Him, we are led to be grateful for the wonderful blessings he has given us: we are redeemed, forgiven, children of the King, members of His Kingdom, brothers and sisters to Christ.

We are destined for eternity and in the meantime have a meaningful, purposeful life where God has given us significant work to do.

He has provided for us all we need for life and godliness, given us His Holy Spirit, provided what we need for our everyday spiritual warfare, and enables us to be more than conquerors.

What is there not to be grateful for? Everything else pales in importance. To practice gratefulness will bring us what we really want: happiness, joy and goodness flowing out of us.

May be an image of mountain-laurel and tree

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The goodness of God

Published by S.M. Wibberley on December 2, 2023

Psalm 30:4 “Sing to the LORD, you saints of his; praise his holy name.”

[YES! This must be our response to you, Lord, singing and praising you for your marvelous character, which is displayed in your holy name, Yahweh. You are sinless, separate, and strong; you are glorious, gracious, and great; you are worthy of worship, worthy of praise, worthy of our surrender, love and obedience. To you be honor in song, glory in praise, exaltation in thanksgiving.]

Psalm 30:5 “For his anger lasts only a moment,”

[Praise you that you are angry with sin, that you move to justly judge and properly punish, that you don’t draw back from chastening us. And that your anger ends when your desire is accomplished.]

“but his favor lasts a lifetime;”

[You are the God of forgiveness, of grace and of goodness, pouring out your undeserved favor on us forever. As it says in Psalm 18:19, “He brought me out into a spacious place. He rescued me because he delighted in me.”

Praise be to you that you can delight in your redeemed but still crooked children. We rejoice in your favor, we exalt in your goodness, we revel in your love, we bask in your grace. You are wonderful, you are marvelous, you are incredibly, unbelievably, beyond-conception-good!]

The Goodness of God

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