Just Your Presence

Just Your Presence

6/9/13

There are many times that we have been in a place for a certain amount of time.  Then there are those times that God has shown us to be at a certain place.  And as our specific amount of time in this place ends with no apparent results we wonder to ourselves if we were really hearing what God was saying to us.  The question of “why” or “how did I miss what God was saying” then greets our conscious for what seems like an eternity.  There are many times that God needs our presence in a place for a special need and we might never fully understand why this is to be but we must remember that even though we are there, the job that we have may not be what meets the physical eye. 

The setting for this article is one that I have talked about previously because it deals with a place called Hobbs, New Mexico.  I have written about this place a couple of times now but God continues to bring my experiences in Hobbs to my heart and every time He does I am shown things that God desires for all of us to understand.  Hobbs was not an easy place for me to live in and to be honest all of the family faced dire threats each and every day that we lived there.  However, as God shows me these things I fully understand that our presence in Hobbs was ordained for a reason.  I thank God every day that all of us made it out of that area alive and I have forgiven Hobbs for the spiritual combat that we all faced, but at the same time our experience did open our hearts to actually what kind of battle is going on for our lives.

Another part of the story that I have mentioned before concerns the presence of a certain man named Kevin.  He was from out of town and had taken a job as a sign repairman with one of the small local companies, but never worked performing any repairs.  He lived in a small apartment and drove a very small vehicle, never dressed up but his general appearance was always clean.  He arrived in Hobbs basically the same time as my family did and when all was said and done, left Hobbs approximately the same time as my family did.

Mom and dad had resigned the church in Cleveland, Texas a few short weeks earlier.  Cleveland church was a fabulous church and it was wonderful to see the church thrive and being full of life.  Dad felt like it was time to leave the area and we decided to accept the church in Hobbs.  None of us really wanted to leave Cleveland but dad knew that God had plan for Hobbs, we just had no idea what kind of plans He had in mind.

From the moment that we arrived in Hobbs the atmosphere of the city pounded mom and dad’s spirits.  It was almost instantaneous as our U Haul truck pulled into the house that we were going to be renting.  After everything was unloaded from the truck dad assumed his position at the church and began his normal routines.  It was not long at all until dad realized that something was not right about the church situation and God quickly confirmed this by showing dad what kind of sermons to deliver to begin God’s ministry there.

A quick return to Cleveland for a moment to elaborate on a specific issue that has relevance to this article then I will move forward.  For as long as I can remember dad has been very vocal when he prays and he makes no bones about it in that he does not care who hears him while he is praying.  It is not a prideful time for him and he definitely is not putting on a “show” to make others think that he is some very spiritual person, which he is by the way.  Dad knows that he does not have to be loud when he prays and there have many times that all of us have heard him praying under his breath whether it be a ball games or sitting in the den watching television, it is just another piece of evidence that He is speaking to God about some issue that is pressing on his spirit and that God is returning the conversation.

I had numerous friends during my stay in Cleveland but only a few of them ever spent the night at my house.  One of my best friends regularly stayed with me and he was considered a part of the family.  Dad has always been an early riser and he always starts his day off by drinking coffee, reading the Bible and praying, this is just a normal routine that he does and all of us know this even my friend who spent nights with me at the house.  The only thing that one could not predict was exactly when dad was going to pray so if you got up early in the morning you would have to be careful, not to disturb dad, but not to get scared if all of a sudden you heard a loud “Oh God” protruding from the living room that you were passing by at that moment.

My friend did exactly just that and sure enough dad let out an “Oh God” phrase and it totally shocked my friend who was in the process of heading to the bathroom down the hall.  Now, when you are trying to be quiet as possible and doing your best to not make much noise to wake the rest of the family and all of a sudden the silence is broken by a loud noise one can become quite jumpy.  Needless to say my friend after being scared to death came back into the room and proceeded to tell me that dad just let out a loud “Oh God” while he was walking down the hall.  From that point on dad’s morning prayers was dubbed “Oh God Prayers” and it has stuck to this day.  They were even asked for during some of our soccer games. J

I said all of that to say this, after dad had made his good morning talk with the church secretary in Hobbs, he immediately went into his office and the first thing he did was to pray.  And being true to dad’s form his prayer was both quiet and loud.  He did not wish to be arrogant or to present himself to others in any potent way, but he did wish for them to know what kind of man that he truly was in his relationship with God.  Just as quickly as dad began to pray it was made known to him that the office staff did not like his method of prayer and would walk out of the office when he began to pray.  Now, keep in mind that there were no cell phones nor was the internet invented, so the office was completely empty, an act of treason is you ask my opinion.  This act by the staff set the stage for why God chose dad to preach nothing but salvation and repentance for the entire six month tenure in Hobbs.  And as sure as dad has thought about this also, it was a sign of what battles were about to be fought if the staff of the church had problems with Kingdom.

Salvation and repentance is not an uncommon topic for a preacher’s sermons but it is unusual where every sermon that God shows you to preach deals with those two concepts.  Every sermon? Yes!  Dad understood those kind of sermons had to be delivered to the people but it was difficult for him at first to know exactly why God was hammering these two subject continually.  It was not long at all until signs began to outwardly show of the reasons why God said for dad to constantly present these topics.  I am not going into details of the issues but let me say that the church in Hobbs was filled with sin and that it was present everywhere that one turned.  Now not everyone within the congregation might not have been involved in the on goings within in the people but I can safely venture to say that the majority of the congregation was involved in some type of circumstance of this nature and was quite open about their conduct in these matters with the remaining portions of the congregation knowing of the activities and not doing anything about them.  Without any details being given, let me just say that the spirits that operated in that church back then is exactly identical to what this country is now pushing for accepting as the norm.

It was apparent from that time onward that dad was there for a reason and God had made it clear to him just what His message was to the people not just the church family but for the community as well.  See, one can know that if the church is operating in a certain manner and is accepted by the area, then the community, town or city in which the church is located is performing the exact same practices as well.  This is a “normal” human quality that is displayed on a daily basis and if any type of threat to that behavior arrives, feathers are ruffled and those involved do not want to be around the light that is being shown.  In other words the church has blended in with the world, but this time it is on a different and more personal level.  See the pattern now?

It was now clear to my parents that God had sent us to Hobbs for a specific purpose.  Even though I was in a normal teenage mode I knew something was amiss but really did not care about it since as far as I knew I was not involved in what was happening within the church.  Boy was I wrong about that conclusion of mine.  It was not clear to me at the time but it was well known that a contract had been made on my life and that it would be paid in full upon my death, no matter how it presented itself.  This was a prime example of just how much the enemy did not want us there because God was disrupting his authority that was allowed to basically go uninhibited for a long time.  And since the world is his home field anyway, he had no intentions of letting loose of his control easily.

It was made clear to my parents that our presence in Hobbs was not going to be an easy time nor would we ever be accepted into the community because of the message that God had for the people.  However, at the same time we were expected to be at all of the community events including high school activities but every time we attended my parents were uneasy about the situation that they were in and always took precautions while being exposed to the public.  Sounds kind of paranoid huh, it might have been but probably not since the severity of the exposure that was occurring.  When it comes to the enemy being exposed for what he is doing, those who God is using to expose the truth of things are always at risk and what better way than to attack the up and coming youth of the territory.  Our enemy should never be taken lightly.

The natural response to all of the things that were going on within the church and the evidence that the people did not care of the message that God was giving them, is how long must we stay in this place and subject our lives to danger?  I have no doubt that this thought process and that line of questioning went through my parents minds each hour of every day but they also knew that God was in control and would provide the needed protection to see all of us through this time and to advance His Kingdom.  None of us knew what the outcome of the ordeal would be or if all of us would even survive it, but my parents did know to trust God in every move.

The message that God was giving to the people was totally ignored and it was clear that they had no intentions of accepting this message.  The frustration levels of the people were growing and according to mom and dad it was becoming increasingly more difficult to preach.  This type of atmosphere is to be expected when a tough sermon steps on some toes, but to have their toes continually danced upon by God the enemy did not intend to allow this to pass lightly.  So in other words, he was going to use the same style of methods as God was using to push His Kingdom forward.

God knew that the time was right for the people to make the decision concerning their lives with God.  That is why He sent us to Hobbs so that the one person who might have the opportunity to reach them could speak to them in such a manner that it would wake them up enough to see what type of conditions that they were truly living in.  The people wanted no part of this message and continued their activities without concern.  Yet God continued our stay within this place even though our lives became endangered more and more as each day passed.  It is difficult for our mind to understand why God would allow such activity to be presented in our lives when all we had to do was to pack up and leave, but mom and dad knew, even thought it was torturing them, that we were there for a purpose and that it was not time for us to leave yet.  This is a perfect example that a church can survive while they accept the ideologies of the world and it is also provides another excellent example that there are two kingdoms at war and when one advances the other is pushed back and then will try to reclaim the territory lost; one by force the other by choice, and if you have to ask which one…..your choice has been made.

As time rolled on and the tensions mounted and the repentance messages continued it was clear to God that it was time for us to move on to another place.  So God graciously granted us the opportunity to move to southeast Texas to a place called Nederland, to battle another type of atmosphere that our enemy controlled, in other words going from one pan in the fire to another.  It did not matter dad knew that after approximately six months of preaching to the city of Hobbs, God had released him from the message that God had for those people.  This was a bitter sweet event. And up until the day we left that city, God allowed for the hearts of those people in Hobbs to repent.

One would think that since we had the clearance to leave the area that our lives would be out of danger; never under estimate an enemy for they are your enemy for a reason.  Mom and dad did not at any time let loose of the concept of why they were there and continued the message that God had showed them to convey to the people of Hobbs.  Even though God had released us to leave the city He continued to expose the things that the people thought were hidden through the messages that dad was delivering to them, which made the people furious.  However, as I look back at things I think about one minor detail that stands out to me now and that is the people in all of their fury towards dad and God continued to come to church and sit in the pews every week.  They did not leave or stop coming and I find that interesting, don’t you?

It was obvious to mom and dad that God was telling the people that the choices that they had made were not right and that they needed to reconsider their circumstances and choose God once again.  At the same time as the people continued to sit in the pews and deliberately ignore the message that God had for them they were telling God, not my dad, that they were happy and content in the choice that they had made and that they had no intentions of changing their ways. 

As my knowledge concerning people and the separation between us and God has increased over the years, I find it fascinating that we continue this pattern of self satisfaction over what is righteous.  It was this attitude towards God that finally allowed God to say enough and to continue the plan that the people had set before them.

I am changing gears for a moment for an interjection of a caveat.  All during this time Kevin was coming and going from the church, he attended every service, talked with mom and dad and with others but really never seemed to be liked by the other people within the church.  No one ever invited him over for dinner or to the activities of the church yet he was so familiar with everything that was going on at that time.  One day before mom and dad made it public that we were leaving Kevin approached mom and stated that he was leaving Hobbs and going elsewhere.  This shocked mom because she did not know how to respond but by telling him that we were leaving as well.  This too in my opinion is very interesting, appropriate and a confirmation that God was ending His hedge around the church and the people of Hobbs and it was time that His servants leave the area.

This time in Hobbs brings to my heart just how much God wishes that His people understand that the decisions that they make for their own pleasure totally divides their hearts not only amongst each other but from the ways of God.  It also reinforces the concept that our enemy does have control of the world and that his grip over it is tight and that he has no intentions of giving up his territory without a nasty and vicious fight, because there is no real reason that God would send an angel to the church in order to oversee what was going on behind the scenes and to battle the forces that were being sent to reinforce the concepts that the people of the church had accepted as part of their ways.

The people of the church in Hobbs had been given an opportunity to repent and to change their ways that they had accepted as normal.  God had watched their ways develop or progress if you wish to use this term, He was patient with them hoping that they would turn from their ways.  Yet, they sat in their pews and allowed the enemy control their every activity and floundering the Word of God from the pulpit.  This is so much like what happened in Israel.  So God gave these people an opportunity with another pastor to help them see the errors of their ways.  From the reactions of the people to God’s messages they had no intentions of changing, so with God’s blessing and at the appointed time mom and dad announced their resignation from Hobbs.  At some point close to this time Kevin stood up and told the congregation that God had every authority to blister our behinds and coming from a person who really was not accepted into the “church community” either I find this act high up on the interesting scales as well.

For those of you that are not familiar with the city of Hobbs, it is a fairly nice sized community that sits in the southeast side of the state of New Mexico.  The city is in the middle of a desert and has adopted the old style New Mexico architecture which is really a pretty sight to behold, and with being in a desert one would expect there to be dust and so there was.  Keep this small detail in mind for future reference. 

With the resignation of mom and dad it was obvious that the people still did not understand what was going on and that the game plan had just changed.  In my mind and knowing about human ways of thinking I can guess that the people within the church believed that their problems were over and that they could relax now that the battle of their ways was seemingly over.  This is a natural human approach to things especially when one believes that they have won.  This is where I find things very interesting because God is still giving people time to change their minds about things.  Yet as all other humans do, they continue on with their ideas as if nothing ever occurred.  They were demonstrating that their lies had won over the laws of God and that they would soon return to their “normal” practices.  If only I had realized of what was actually occurring during that time, but I was soon about to face another battle, one just as serious.

This is one area of timing that our minds struggle to comprehend.  From everything that had transpired in Hobbs God still allowed more time for the people to change their hearts.  And at some instant moment in time God begins to allow His judgment to the area.  We cannot understand exactly what this reasoning of time is, we know why God is doing it and we understand the physical effects of that course that God chooses, but we have no clue as to what triggers that instant moment in human history that God says ok here you go.

My family was in the beginning stages of packing and getting ready to pull out of the area, with the exception of myself because I had already left the area because of an unknown medical condition that was ongoing in my body.  This is how God works and how pinpoint timing is a must all wrapped up in one.  God spoke to a couple in Cleveland, Texas and told them to come get me for I was in danger.  This was in the middle of the night and they wanted to wait till the morning to leave, God said leave now and not in the morning.  They arrived in Hobbs and took me back to Texas and when I got to the doctor back in Texas it was found out that my spleen was enlarged at least triple the normal size and if I had lifted anything heavy or had been bumped in a certain way I could have ruptured that organ and could have bled to death within minutes.  Another example that even though a decision has been made to end or leave a battle those people involved will always be at risk where our enemy is concerned.

As mom and dad were pulling out of Hobbs, God told dad to stop on the side of the road and to get out of the truck and for him and mom, the two covering people of the family to shake the dust off of their feet; another symbolic release that our time was through.  Why?  This seems like an extreme measure for a situation that no longer meant anything to our family but it had huge implications in God’s eyes and this symbolic gesture completed our stay in that city.  Plus, God at this point was saying to us, job well done and completed in His eyes.  The entire stay in Hobbs could be looked upon as a total failure by all parties involved but when God is in control of things, there is a purpose and tat purpose must be fulfilled before any future moves can be completed.

Well done?  Yes in the fact that dad did exactly what God showed him to do.  Yes we faced ridicule and threats but it was God that these people were attacking not just us.  God sent us to that area for a purpose and the people rejected it.  It was the choice of the people that ruled the day which is exactly what God has ordained but even so the choices that we make have their consequences and it was not too much longer till it was evident that a true man of God and probably an angel’s words had not been heeded and judgment occurred.  Approximately two weeks after we left Hobbs, a huge flood basically wiped out the city limits of Hobbs.  The water was high enough that it was at the tops of the doors on the businesses downtown.  The city was declared a disaster area.

Coincidence?  Many would not even consider any other explanation but there were some who actually woke up and saw the writing on the wall and realized that their actions had caused catastrophe to occur.  God loves His people so much that He gives us plenty of time to realize our sinful ways and to change them.  The only way to change them is for us to choose His ways and to rid our lives of self.  God will even allow time after His messenger is gone for us to change our hearts, but at some point our “time” will run out and God has to allow other things to occur.

Our country and modern ways of believing are now at this stage as well.  It is God who is calling for us to remember His ways and to accept them back into our lives again.  I do not know how much time we have before our country’s course in history is changed but I know that with everything that is occurring in the world things are lining up for major happenings.  These happenings can be avoided all we have to do is to repent and to turn from our selfish ways.  We have time but not much, our ample opportunity to turn is running short.  It is time for us to restore ourselves back to God by the only way possible and that is through His Son.  Restoration is a good thing and as people in the Bible have given us thousands of examples to follow, let us not make the same choices as they did and receive reminders of who is actually in control. 

DLB