April 2021 – Page 2 – PERSISTING IN THE PRESENCE OF GOD

Time for a Change – 02-17-2021

It’s time for a change. I don’t know about you guys, but I’m not always good with change. I consider myself flexible, go with the flow, a whatever kind of person, but when push comes to shove, I’ve found myself slightly rigid, a little like Fleetwood Mac — Well, I’ve been afraid of changin’.

bethlemaster.com first came to mind in about July 2017. Have you ever felt that nudge, that push, that inclination, the Spirit’s call? You know how it starts, as just a fleeting thought, and then it grows, and everything in your life points to it, until you can’t stand the nudging any longer and you just have to take action and do what you’ve been called to do. When the action step starts, the excuses fall away and the relief overflows.

Anyway, since May 2018 this blog was just tooling along, no problems or hiccups (that is when I remembered to hit the word publish) until about November 2020. Since you received the emails, you know when my site woes started. So, I’ve been messing with it (wasting my time with it) since November. I’ve been blocked, locked and prohibited from using my website. Until this weekend, there have been no definitive reasons why. Each person I spoke with had a different answer to fix my problem that didn’t fix my problem. I had my own ideas why and just really needed to get to the bottom of it. With the help of Michael in Arizona, who couldn’t actually fix my site but referred me to “Escalated Support,” we have some answers. Escalated Support dug much deeper into my website woes and found that my website had been hacked – with 23 different instances of malware. I’ve been infected. I’m not sure how in the world this happened, WordPress (my host) is not either since I’m securitied up and supposedly they are too? The security didn’t stop it from getting in, though the shutdown of the site did stop it from getting out.

So, to round out this very long story (I’m sorry, can you see I’m processing as I go?), I’ve since received several emails from WordPress (now it’s a big emergency, when it’s been an emergency to me since November.) Sorry for the sarcasm, can you sense my frustration? But, the email told me I’ve been deactivated, my account nor my website will be accessible to me, you, or anyone else until I comply with the terms of service, which I have violated. I kept my end of the security bargain, WordPress did not, I’m not sure how I was the one who violated the terms of service, but there’s no need for me to be defensive, right? (More frustration, ok, I promise I’m done with that.) They can help me come into compliance, for a small fee. 😊

So get to the change already, right? The Persisting in the Presence of God nonblog ministry is going to go forward – drumroll please – just as it has the past few months when the site wouldn’t work, via email. That may seem like an anticlimactic announcement to you, but it’s exciting to me because a decision has finally been made, I’m ready to set the plan in motion.

Daily life has many obstacles, or opportunities, it’s all about perspective, isn’t it? Here’s some of my perspectives on this life obstacle:

1-First off, if I’m going to be “deactivated” for something, it might as well be while I’m working for the Lord, right? The ultimate honor. Does it get any better than that?

2-Second, I’m not in control – I can’t control the actions of those out there wreaking havoc with the malware. I know I should pray for folks that feel like their only way to succeed is to get other people canceled. Hurting people hurt other people.

3-Third, I didn’t know it at the time, but I had the opportunity to bring Jesus in to the spotlight for people I didn’t even know. Omir, Kashima, Michael, Teena, Jyothis, Customer Service, the Escalated Support Team, The Compliance Team, and maybe a few more folks I’ve forgotten. Each of these people could see the title of my website Persisting in the Presence of God. When asked what it was about, I gave them the only right answer – Jesus! Whether I or they knew it or not, they were watching and listening to me. I pray the frustrations I shared with you didn’t come across to them, that would be a witness killer. Ugh!

4-Fourth, time is precious – don’t let Satan sidetrack you. I’ve spent countless hours working on how to work my website. I honestly think I’ve spent more time trying to figure out how to publish than on what to publish. Satan is the master deceiver. He’s very good at leading us into the unimportant so we don’t get to the important. Be on guard!

5-Fifth, the website was canceled because of some malicious hackers. What a lesson! No matter what others do to us, the Lord will never cancel or forsake us. Isn’t that awesome to think about? No matter what happens in this world today, He is still the King and we are still His children. Hallelujah!

6- Sixth, bad behavior has consequences — Many times we experience consequences for someone else’s bad behavior, and they for ours. This lesson hurt the most. You see when I whine — I didn’t do anything, I don’t deserve this — the first image that comes to my mind is Jesus on the cross. I hang my head in shame. Jesus didn’t do anything, He didn’t deserve that. Amazing grace…my chains are gone, I’ve been set free, my God my Savior has ransomed me!

I could go on with the lessons I’ve learned from my blog debacle, but I bet you can think of a few as well. We must look at our daily lives, the daily happenings, through the lens of the Lord. He is omnipresent, which means He is ever present, always present. He is with us, actually living within us, which should not just impact our days, but guide our days, direct our days, fulfill our days and complete them as well.

So, what’s the plan? Until the Lord says different, the plan is to continue through email. I’m not going to create another website, I’m getting the strong indication that that’s not what I’m supposed to do right now. God’s Word cannot be stopped!

Future nonblogs will only be sent via email. If you know someone else who would like to receive them, send me an email address. Likewise, if you want a break from the blog-nonblog, shoot me an email and I can take you off the list – no worries. You may also feel free to forward the emails to folks you think would be encouraged by them. There’s nothing proprietary, no copyright, no protected writings. I’m actually getting very excited about the email format. It was difficult for us to communicate without bouncing back and forth between email and the website. Now, we can communicate directly. We can more easily reason and work out our faith, together. I’m really looking forward to hearing your thoughts, to hearing what the Lord is saying to you in His Word. Peace.

PERSIST

Psalm 145

Hebrews 13

The Nest 02-10-2021

While picking up trash last week, Tony came across this sweet little nest. I’ve never seen so tiny a nest. In fact, I wouldn’t have seen it at all if Tony hadn’t pointed it out to me and yet it was in plain sight. The picture doesn’t do it justice, but it is perfectly knit together with straw and grass. Add in a few small leaves and it’s a perfectly decorated house. This nest is only about a foot off the ground and it is located in what looks to me like some kind of sticker bush, not even a real tree. The thing I marveled at was the size. It was only about 2-3 inches in diameter. No kidding. I couldn’t figure out how a mother bird could fit in it let alone a mother bird, a few eggs, and some chicks. But, somehow they must have. This bird family would not have been accused of having a McNest.

As I looked at the nest, the thought came to mind that God can use even the teeniest tiniest things to bring forth, to produce life. It reminds me of the mustard seed lesson. You know, faith as big as a mustard seed? Isn’t that what’s expected of Jesus’s followers, of us? Faith, even faith as small as a mustard seed?

And when they had come to the multitude, a man came to Him, kneeling down to Him and saying, “Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic and suffers severely; for he often falls into the fire and often into the water. So I brought him to Your disciples, but they could not cure him.”

Then Jesus answered and said, “O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him here to Me.” And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him; and the child was cured from that very hour.

Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?”

So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.” Matthew 17:14-21 – KJV

Faith as small as a mustard seed can result in the miraculous moving of mountains. We’re familiar with these verses, aren’t we? It’s good to be reminded though? Faith as small as that bird’s nest produces life, everlasting life. You see, a mustard seed is small but it is living, active, growing. Look at what happens to the very smallest of seeds – when tended, it can grow up to 20 feet big. That’s pretty incredible. Do we have 20 foot faith?

The disciples had come across a particularly difficult problem. They wanted to know why they couldn’t cast out the demon. Jesus tells them in verse 21 — “…this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.” He was telling them the kind of faith that they needed was faith that could only come from God, by communicating with God, by spending time with Him. A tiny seed of faith, with prayer and fasting, grows into 20 foot faith, the kind of faith that moves mountains. Not the self reliant faith we sometimes have. You know, the faith in ourselves versus the faith in God. I can…I can…I can…The disciples had the belief, they knew who Jesus was, they knew of his work, they followed Jesus, they went to church, they sang the hymns, they served, they taught others, yet Jesus called them faithless. We’ve been in that spot before too, haven’t we?

This lesson always made me question the amount of my faith. You know, do I have enough? Should I have more? Do I have mustard seed, speck of dust, or pinhead sized faith? But, I’ve come to the conclusion that maybe I should be less worried about the amount of my faith as the sincerity, the genuineness, and authenticity of my faith. If I focus more on the sincerity of my faith, God will produce just the right amount. He will provide exactly what I need, exactly what you need.

Jesus called his twelve disciples together and gave them authority to cast out evil spirits and to heal every kind of disease and illness. Matthew 10:1

Go and announce to them that the Kingdom of Heaven is near. Heal the sick, raise the dead, cure those with leprosy, and cast out demons. Give as freely as you have received!

Matthew 10:7-8

Jesus had previously given the disciples the authority they needed in this situation. But, they had a bit of the same problem I have sometimes, when they were faced with a particularly difficult situation, their weak faith waivered. It’s easy to have faith in the little stuff, isn’t it, but how about the big stuff? Sometimes those mountains seem simply insurmountable, don’t they? But, how is our weak faith made strong? Only through the power of Jesus.

Did you notice that these passages start and end with prayer? The father came and knelt before Jesus – Jesus tells the disciples, stay on your knees. A very good reminder.

PERSIST

Psalm 104

1 Peter 1

PURSUE

Did you notice that these passages start and end with prayer? The father came and knelt before Jesus – Jesus tells the disciples, stay on your knees. A very good reminder.

Trash – 02-03-2021

On Saturday before the big snow, Tony, the Worst-Best, and I, went to pick up trash along Poor House. It had been bothering me for a while. When I walk the Worst-Best along the perimeter of the front field, I’m a little bewildered at the amount of trash that’s laying in the ravine and that’s blown out into the field. Every time I head out I say I’m going to take a bag and clean up that trash and every time we’re down the road before I remember.

It’s interesting to me what collects along the side of the road. How does it get here? Carpet and upholstery samples (someone out our way is remodeling), insulation, shingles, tons of ba da ba ba ba lids and straws (I’m leaning slightly toward California on the ban), plastic bags, cardboard boxes, pieces of tire, metal strips, foam mailers, umpteen glass bottles and cans (beer to bai – people are really staying hydrated), a piece of a shoe, and countless other sundry trash. It took about 45 minutes to fill the wagon to overflowing. We stopped because we were full not because we ran out of trash.

Some trash was clearly visible, it was laying right on top of the ground in plain view. Other pieces of trash you could barely see but when you started to pull on it you hit the mother lode, thus the wagon. And still other pieces of trash you didn’t know were there at all until you stepped on them because they were not out in the open to see, they were hidden beneath the grass, or leaves, or beneath field debris. As I’m looking for trash and picking it up, it dawned on me that that’s something I should be doing on a daily basis in my heart. Searching for the trash. You know, clean out the debris. Ouch — I know.

I can stand in the middle of Poor House and look out into the fields and on the surface, it can look stunningly beautiful. But, if the wind’s a blowing, I might see something fly by. If I look just beyond the surface, if I walk the land, if I move the grass and leaves, there’s a ton of trash. Trash needs to be tossed whether it’s on our land or in our hearts.

Wash yourselves and be clean!

Let me no longer see your evil deeds.

Give up your wicked ways.

Learn to do good.

Seek justice.

Help the oppressed.

Defend the orphan.

Fight for the rights of widows.

Isaiah 1:16-17

The Lord plainly tells us to wash ourselves and be clean. What does that mean? It means to get rid of the trash in our lives. Walk through the field and piece-by-piece pick it up. Repent and practice righteousness. How do we do that? Well, we can’t practice righteousness without first practicing repentance. We have to take care of the obvious first, the things we can see. You know, those plastic bags that fly around in plain sight that we sometimes have trouble grabbing. Is there something you have trouble grabbing? For me, it’s my words. Once they come out, I have a super hard time chasing them down. It’s one of my wicked ways and I don’t say that flippantly. It’s true. My words hurt.

Second, we start to handle the trash caught up in the underbrush. You know, the stuff you can see but others may not. Then we take care of the stuff that thee nor we can see, the trash that lays beneath the surface, that which we cover up so we don’t have to pick it up. Got any of that? Me too.

Here’s the thing, if we collect and confess our trash, if we repent, if we come before Jesus and seek His forgiveness, we don’t have to lug around the wagon. What does He say?

Come now, let us argue this out,

No matter how deep the stain of your sins, I can remove it.

I can make you as clean as freshly fallen snow.

Even if you are stained as red as crimson, I can make you as white as wool.

If you will only obey me and let me help you…

Isaiah 6:18-19

The Gospel of Isaiah — the salvation of Jehovah! The Good News in the Old Testament! Yes! Isn’t that beautiful? God says come. God says let’s talk about this, let’s reason this out together. He says I will cleanse you from your sin. He says bring me your trash, – above and below the surface – and He will cleanse it. No matter how deep the stains of our sins, He can remove them. The deepest, darkest, most permanent stains can be removed by Jesus. He not only removes the stains, blots them out as if they didn’t ever occur, erases them from His memory, He changes the stain to a brilliant, sparkling, pure white. We can pick up the trash (confess our sins), we can scrub the stains left behind by that trash, but a stain is a stain. Only God can make our hearts completely clean. Fresh. New. Only God can cleanse us.

The Lord says come, no matter what trash is gathered in your wagon, or if your wagon is filled to overflowing. He says if you will only obey me and let me help you, He will provide what we need. I don’t think He could make it any more clear to us, could He? That’s the Good News! God said, if you obey me, I can help you with your wagon.

PERSIST

Psalm 51

Isaiah 1

PURSUE

We pray, Lord Jesus, that you create in us today clean hearts. Renew a right spirit within us. Restore our joy. Amen.

Resolve Check – 01-27-2021

It’s the end of January, 2021, doesn’t seem possible, does it? Anyway, I thought it might be a good time to touch back on my 2021 Resolve, you know, keep tabs on myself lest I stray too far. It takes but a second to stray, but forever to be found. Right? In Resolve (via email December 30), I talked a little about how I was not really going to make resolutions for the new year that I would not end up keeping. I shared my new approach:

But, in 2021, I’m going to try to go about it a little differently. I’m thinking more in the line of holiness moves – you know, things that will connect me to the Lord, and open me up to all the holiness He has in store for me. It’s more about who can I become in Him in 2021 versus what’s the list of resolutions I make in 2021 that I simply won’t keep. With His help, how can I grow in holiness? How can I go from milk to meat? By seeking Him.

As I was doing a little gut check to see if I was able to maintain some of my resolve for less than 30 days, I found myself back in Habakkuk. Seems only fitting since I can finally spell the man’s name without looking in my Bible. As I’m taking Spirit inventory, I am reminded of the necessity of watchfulness. You know, keeping guard, being alert. If we are not constantly spiritually alert, which truth be told, can be mentally and physically exhausting, the Enemy saddles up and moves in. First at a walk, then a trot, then a canter, then a full out gallop. Before you know it, the race is on and we all know how hard it can be to get the horse back in the barn once the gate’s been left open.

Spending time with Jesus helps us grow and change from one degree of glory to another, from one degree of holiness to another. When we are changed, we radiate, we glow, we reflect His holiness. The Spirit opens our eyes to the glory of Jesus. How fantastic is that? But, we must watch, we must look, we must spend time, we must do… The Spirit is not going to change us if we are not spending time with Him, in His Word, meditating on Him, praying to Him, listening to Him. So, where am I? Where are you? It’s time to take stock.

I will climb up into my watchtower now and wait to see what the Lord will say to me and how he will answer my complaint. Habakkuk 2:1

Habakkuk was looking for answers. He anticipated the response of God. He didn’t just think God would answer, He knew God would answer him. So, he ran up to the watchtower to get alone with God. Habakkuk knew that in order to gain God’s perspective, He had to get alone with God. Alone time, sweet communion with our Savior. In order to be any good to anyone else or ourselves, we must get alone with God. The only way to grow is to get alone with God.

Nevertheless we made our prayer unto our God, and set a watch against them day and night to protect ourselves. Nehemiah 4:9

“Son of man, I have made you a watch for the house of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me.” Ezekiel 3:17

O Jerusalem, I have posted watchmen on your walls; they will pray to the Lord day and night for the fulfillment of his promises. Take no rest, all of you who pray. Give the Lord no rest until he makes Jerusalem the object of praise throughout the earth. Isaiah 62:6-7

Sit ye here, while I shall pray…My soul is exceeding sorrowful unto death; tarry ye here, and watch…Simon, sleepest though? Couldest not though watch one hour? Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak. Mark 14:32-34

Watching, waiting, praying. It’s the only way. Be on guard. Don’t go to sleep. Be vigilant. What are we watching for, you say? Watch for danger. Watch for temptation. Watch for the world- snares, traps. Watch for anything that gets in the way of your resolve to be more like Jesus and grow in holiness.

PERSIST

Isaiah 62

Habakkuk 2

PURSUE

Are we growing in holiness by keeping watch, praying, spending time in the Word?

A Touch of Habakkuk – 01-20-2021

I came across Habakkuk last week and I can’t get out of it. It is so pertinent to our times. The more I read, the more pertinent it seems. Of course, every generation since 600 BC has thought Habakkuk was pertinent to their times, and they were right. The setting of Habakkuk was a turbulent period in history, when the balance of power was shifting. Judah was experiencing an ever changing world and in Habakkuk’s day, things were quite tumultuous. We can relate a little, right? Judah didn’t have a corner on the instability market, did it?

It’s a really cool Book of the Bible, once you figure out how to spell it. It’s tucked toward the back of the Old Testament between Nahum and Zephaniah, also two spelling challenges. The Book of Habakkuk is only three chapters long, a page and a half in the King James, a five minute read but a lifetime of lessons. You must check it out. It’s very unique in that it’s not written to anyone specifically. Although the people of Judah and the surrounding Kings of the time would end up being the audience of the writings, this book is a recordation of the dialog between the prophet Habakkuk and God. The Book of Habakkuk is recitation of the prophet taking his grave concerns to God and God’s response. Isn’t that really how our relationship with God is supposed to work? We take all our concerns to Him and wait and trust and hope in His answer? There are so many things to learn from Habakkuk. One could spend weeks studying this Book. In it’s little page and half, there’s a month of Sunday lessons. I’ll touch on one or two and then leave you to do the hard work.

O LORD, how long must I call for help before you listen, before you save us from violence? Why do you make me see such trouble? How can you stand to look on such wrongdoing? Destruction and violence are all around me, and there is fighting and quarreling everywhere. The law is weak and useless, and justice is never done. Evil people get the better of the righteous, and so justice is perverted. Habakkuk 1:1-4

Is this not a page from our own thoughts? Is this not what we think when we hear the news of any day? Does it not define the social and spiritual corruption of our day too? And aren’t we, like Habakkuk, heartbroken and confused by it? But look at the pattern Habakkuk establishes right from the get go…He takes his concerns to God! He poured out His broken heart to the Only One. And the Only One answered:

Then the LORD said to his people, “Keep watching the nations around you, and you will be astonished at what you see. I am going to do something that you will not believe when you hear about it.” Habakkuk 1:5

The Lord doesn’t rebuke Habakkuk when he brings him his concerns and questions, the Only One answers Habakkuk. He told Habakkuk to look around, to watch. God will always answer the expectant believer. If you continue reading you will see that God explains in detail his plan to address the happenings of the days. It seems harsh, but not surprising. We must remember that God is always just. God is always right. His ways are not our ways. We must trust His perfect plan and wait. Our strength will rise as we wait on the Only One to answer us.

I’m sorry, I’ve run out of time today. Maybe we’ll pick up where we left off another time. In the meantime, get in The Book. Do the hard work. Know Your God. Just as Habakkuk did, take your complaints, your questions, your concerns to God. He always answers with an astonishing plan that He has had before the beginning of time. He’s in control! That’s our Hope!

PERSIST

The Book of Habakkuk

Acts Chapter 13

PURSUE Let’s work on developing that relationship with the Only One. Take it all to Him and wait!