“What was lost in the Garden can be RESTORED in the wilderness.”
Wilderness – the place where distractions, idols, toys, falsehoods are limited or totally eliminated.
Ephesians 1:17-20(TPT) – “Immeasurable greatness” – Power that is greater than great!
The “Strength of His Might.”
Every Christian has this power accompanying their lives!
Romans 8:10-11(TPT)
The “wilderness” affords us the OPPORTUNITY to EXPERIENCE it and have it become usable.
Ephesians 1:21-23(TPT)
The “Spiritual Battle” is not in the circumstances but rather between surrendering ourdistractions and “WAKE UP” in order to “SEE” from an elevated spiritual viewpoint.
— As Christians we are not called to worry or wonder about our future —
We are called to CREATE it!
— Eph 1:17-19 (Passion) A greater impartation of the Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation resulting in deepening intimacy with God
— Matt 6:10 – Create Heaven’s atmosphere in this realm
— “Discerning the Times” – Requires stepping back and LISTENING for the Spirit’s instruction
— The Lord’s Prayer – A prayer for God’s discerning light to illuminate the darkness and make us free to create a change to the reality we live in.
— Our enemy will contort and contaminate the current moment but can not force us to do evil — It’s always our choice!
— “Sophisticated Spiritual Awareness” – the ability to “see” what the enemy is doing and so reject his efforts
— Contemplative Prayer — allows the INFLOW of God which can only be received PASSIVELY, in HUMILITY
–– Eph 6:12-13 (NKJV) — We’re dealing with an INVISIBLE world — fighting an INVISIBLE foe.
— Phil 1:9-11 (NKJV) Abounding LOVE >> Knowledge >> ALL Discernment
Phil 1:9-11 (Passion) “ I continue to pray for your Love to Grow and Increase beyond measure, bringing you into the rich revelation of SPIRITUAL INSIGHT in all things.
This will enable you to CHOOSE the most excellent way of all – becoming pure and without offense until the unveiling of Christ.”
— Insight (Grk) aisthesis— a practical understanding of things linked to life; walking out the truth that insight reveals — to experience the reality of something and apply itto life.
Proverbs 13:12 – “Hope deferred makes the heart sick.”
Heartsickness can cripple your walk with God because it undermines FAITH
Hebrews 11:1 – “Faith is the substance of things HOPED for…”
2 Samuel 21:15-21 – David became “faint-”
Goliath’s family made the attack look like the same battle David had already won.
Ephesians 6 – Take up your spiritual armor and STAND! Stand to Withstand the NEW challenge to your faith.
1 John 5:4 (Passion) – “…for our FAITHis the victorious power that triumphs over the world.”
Sukkot – “The Feast of Tabernacles” – celebrated by remembering what God has done on the journey through the wilderness. Symbolizes the Restoration Process.
“Feast of Booths” – the ingathering of God’s people and the beginning of the Harvestseason.
Leviticus 23:40 – “Lulav” – slender palm branch held together with 2 willow branches and 3 branches from the Myrtle tree — waved with Citron as a Mitzvah (blessing)
Myrtle – God with them in the mountains of the desert. (Hard situations with few resources)
Palm – His Presence in the plains
Willow – the brooks that refreshed them with water
“Promised Land” – symbolic of Heaven for Christians
If we embrace our lives as symbolic of the journey it takes to get to the Promised Land we will hold the wilderness assacred b/c it leads to the Promised Land.
The hard trek becomes a Heavenly Road because it’s ending is Heaven.
We offer thanksgiving because our journey will lead us to God.
PRAY TOGETHER:
“Blessed are You, Lord, our God, King of the universe who has sanctified us with Your commandments and has commanded us concerning the waving of the Lulav.”
“Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe who has granted us life, sustenance, and have permitted us to reach this season of life.”
“Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His lovingkindness endures forever.”
“We implore You, O Lord, save us. Save our country. Heal our president – in his body – in his mind – and have mercy on his soul.
“Spare all those who have been afflicted by this plague.”
A word of encouragement from Pastor Marie and a timely message for the body from Pastor Roy.
God’s Kingdom Within
–– Luke 17:20 “The Kingdom of God is within.”
— Romans 8:14-16 (Passion)– God’s Spirit will bear witness with our spirit
— “Know Yourself”— Get in touch with you’re personal elan; unique strengths, style, motivations, and deep desires
— The inner sense that, “This is right for me.” — and let God “bear witness” to it: Yea or Nay through the Holy Spirit living within you.
— Isaiah 30:21-22a —“This is the right path; follow it!”
— Jeremiah 20:9 — “His word was in my heart like a burning fire shut up in bones; I was weary of holding it back, and I could not.”
— The “seeds” of His will have been placed deep within you at the time of your creation. They are found in the same place that your personal elan exists. They will interact with the environment you live in and develop God’s purposeIN you.
— As they are allowed to grow they will bring you into the fullness of your potential; Spiritual Maturity.
— Carl Jung — “The purpose of our lives is to become fully the person we are.”
— Discover the “seeds” — Task
Nurture the “seeds” — Responsibility
— Listen to all parts of yourself: Conscious and Unconscious (dreams and visions), physical senses, spiritual senses (inner voice of God)
— Hebrews 4:9-11 (Passion) — Don’t force it — REST in His peace
— Proverbs 3:5 — TRUST in God
–– Psalm 46:10 (Passion) — Surrender you anxiety– stop striving!
— Psalm 131:1-2 — David’s approach and positioning
— Psalm 131:3 — Word for RCF –: “O, people of God, your time has come to quietly TRUST.”
— 2 Timothy 1:7 – FEAR: not merely a human disposition
— FEAR is a SPIRIT — and is NOT from God.
— FEAR [Def] — is an emotion of alarm caused by the expectation of danger.
— FEAR permeates the air today courtesy of the “prince of the air” -Ephesians 2:2
— Negative emotions have their place in God’s plan and can be a benefit those with Godly perspectives 1. Warns us of danger and can help us to take proper precautions 2. Help us “wake up” to spiritual realities we don’t see It is said that “God will lead us to the edge of our resources to a point where true conversion can be realized”
3. Fear can challenge us to seek God more intimately and to believe His promises.
— FAITH is the exact opposite of FEAR.
— It takes courage to act in FAITH.
–-Courage [Def]– the state of mind or SPIRIT that enables one to face danger confidently and with resolution: It is both bravery and valentry while under fire.
— Example: David and Goliath. David rose to that level of courage; trained through the daily tasks, adversities and challenges he experienced.
— Through them he kept his eyes on God, singing praises in the midst of all of it.
— David’s extreme and dramatic courage to face Goliath, wasbuilt up through his years of his fixed focus on God and the trusting relationship he established with Him.
— Great courage doesn’t have to be defined by moments of dramatic decision alone.
— I believe that a life lived with smaller, daily acts of courage can also have a great impact on the world and can change lives.
— True Everyday Heroes:
Moms that choose to stay home and raise Godly children rather than pursuing lucrative careers
Police officers
Military defenders
Firemen and Women
EMTs and any type of first responder
— Daily, long-term courage can be as impactful as those who respond in emergencies
— Christians can be among the most courageous people alive B/C we serve the ONE who is above all rulers, authority, dominions, and powers.
— Satan is not the “Ying” to God’s “Yang” – he is a created being that God uses for a specific purpose — just as we are created for a specific purpose also.
— Don’t let him bluff you through FEAR!
— James 4:7 — “Resist the devil and he will flee.”
— This doesn’t mean –Shouting at or rebuking or renouncing him
— When you fight something you give it power; you give it as much power as you used to fight it.
— Your”fight” becomes a distraction that actually separates you from your power source. Your focus shifts away from God and onto the enemy.
— Distracted (Grk – perispao) “pulled all over the place “ DIVIDED
–(Grk — peri — root for the word, peripheral— caught up in side issues; “pulled” by your emotions, problems, fears etc.
— Instead of fighting — accept your demons– see through them(Not agree with them). Understand what they are and their purpose— RESIST by NOT giving them any power over you — and they will FLEE!
— It takes Courage to do this — Trust and Faith in God’s love to do this — Belief in your purpose and trust in the accompanying GRACE you’ll need to fulfill it. — Courage — is not an option for Christians
— Rev 21;6-8 (Passion)Cowards lumped in with murderers, idolaters, sorcerers and the like — all headed for the “Lake of Fire”
— Coward — [Def] – one who displays ignoble(dishonorable) FEAR in the face of danger
— The devil uses fear to keep people in line to do his bidding
— If FEAR rules you– Then FEAR is your Lord
Today, I resolve that FEAR will not rule me! I will trust in the Lord, my God, I will be strong and very courageous through every trial this week; leaning on God In Jesus name — AMEN!
The Language of the Spirit(pt 3): The Faith Factor
by Pastor Roy Esposito
— Jesus IS the Word of God. it is reasonable to assume He Has something to say!
— To hear His prompts, encouragement, and direction takes a new level of Faith: “Upgraded” Faith
— Upgraded faith — is a gift from God to those who diligently and passionately seek Him.
— Upgraded faith is the FRUIT of action taken in obedience to Him.
— Hebrews 11:6 –-”– He rewards the faith of those who passionately and diligently seek Him.”
— Passionate/Diligent seeking is the result that comes from LISTENING with OPEN Hearts — by- passing the mind.
— Listening exclusively with our minds subjects what we hear to agreement or disagreement.
— Agreement/Disagreement have to do with words, concepts, perceptions and theories which have little to do with the TRUTH.
— TRUTH is always a matter of the HEART and is never expressed in words.
— TRUTH can be sighted when the attitude of my heart is one of readiness,openness, and a willingness to discover something NEW — something BEYOND what my mind already understands.
— It is only discovered by those who are seeking God with all their heart.
— TRUTH is illuminated only by revelation given as a gift through the Holy Spirit: The Spirit Of Truth.
— John 16:12-16 (Passion)
— Prophetic Illumination causes us to “Wake Up” to the Truth.
— Prophetic Illumination — Points out obstacles to finding the TRUTH.
— When received, the falsehoods we live become illuminated so we are free to choose to DROP THEM.
— “Dropping” our present Belief Systems” or UNLEARNING all that we’ve been taught.
— A willingness to”unlearn” is a willingness to LISTEN.
— Observe your present reaction to what I’ve just said:
Are you listening only to confirm what you already believe?
Are you feeling confused by it? Startled? Frustrated? Offended?
Or are you curious? Interested and wondering what the heck I’m talking about?
Are you willing to chance discovery of something NEW?
— Jesus was rejected when speaking the “Good News” not because it was Good but because it was something NEW.
— Generally, people HATE NEW!
— New means something might change.
— I believe God has released a “New Sound” from heaven that will be mis-interpeted if we refuse to “Wake Up”
— Faith — is an openness to hear the voice of Truth:
No matter what the consequences to our comfort may be.
Having a willingness to follow it even when it’s not yet clear where you’ll end up.
Faith is about hearing and following the Holy Spirit promptings
.
— Belief — you get Security
— Faith– can embrace the insecurity of the mind because it’s secure in its TRUST in God.
— Faith is about openness to God — a willingness to follow Him, and areadiness to“WAKE UP”
— Don’t be gullible though! Challenge everything from an attitude of openness but never an attitude of stubbornness or contention.
— ‘Listen’ to learn afresh– “Listen” to discover the “new”.
–– Ps 118:24-”This is the day that the Lord has made. I WILL rejoice and be glad in it.”
–-Jn 12:38-29 — The Father speaks — not perceived as such
— Unbelief >> Religion >> FORM over SUBSTANCE
— 1Cor 13:7 -”Love believes all things.” – God’s love will help us with our unbelief.
—The “Table” of Public Opinion— At first sweet to the taste but soon sours in the stomach.
— The “Table” of Personal Achievement — a “power meal” – very exhilarating but with an equally hard and swift crash. (Champ to Chump!!)
— Jn 4;34- God’s “Table” — “My food is to do the WILL of Him who sent me.” – Supernatural benefits
— ToDo His will we must first be able to HEAR what His will is.
— When I hear Him, I’mstrengthenedby His Voice and nourishedthrough my obediencetoHis directions.
–Matt 5:6 – “ Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness for they shall be filled.”
—Matt 4:4 -”For man does not live by bread alone but by every WORD that precedes from the mouth of God.”
—We LIVE b/c of His WORD –– His VOICE is our LIFE!
— Our Choice: Student or Disciple?
— He hides things b/c it causes disciples to SEEK Him.
— Scripture should inspire REVELATION of that which God has hidden.
— Scripture without revelation leads only to RELIGION.
— Religion >> AForm of Godliness but without the functioning POWER of the Holy Spirit.
— Letico Devina – ”Divine Reading”– guided by the HS — allows anticipation and expectation of God’s intervention in our perceptions of life.
— God will never violate His Word but He will violate our perception of it.
— Scripture’s purpose — to REVEAL God to us.
—Logos -The written Word that teaches the principles of God and gives practical instruction for life: Helps us to recognize His voice by establishing TRUTHin our inner being (hearts). (Ps 119:11)
—Rhema – a freshly spoken Word for RIGHT NOW.
— By a Rhema Word God speaks what He’s ALREADY written on our hearts through His Logos and calls it forth to be established in our lives.
