God of all Comfort

by Pastor Marie Esposito

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:

1. Are you listening only to confirm what you already believe?
2. Are you feeling confused by it? Startled? Frustrated? Offended?
3. Or are you curious? Interested and wondering what the heck I’m talking about?
4. 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:

1. No matter what the consequences to our comfort may be.
2. Having a willingness to follow it even when it’s not yet clear where you’ll end up.
3. 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 a readiness 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”.

—The  present  pandemic — a time

1. for reappraisal of who we think we are.

2 to reset who we want to become.

— Ephesians 5:13-21 (Passion)

God’s Imprint

by Pastor Marie Esposito

The Language of the Spirit – Part 2

by Pastor Roy Esposito

–– 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 

— To Do His will we must first be able to HEAR what His will is.

— When I hear Him, I’m strengthened by His Voice and nourished through my obedience to His 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 >> A Form 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 TRUTH in 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.

God of All Comfort

by Pastor Marie Esposito

Language of the Spirit

by Pastor Roy Esposito

— Proverbs 3:5 — Trust in God, not our understanding

— Our minds are fine with God if they are sanctified.

— Micah 6:6-8 — to do the “right thing” takes thinking

— Sanctified — to set apart for God’s use

— Imaginations — Sanctified Imaginations are how we become proficient in the languages of the Spirit.

— Sanctified minds and imaginations (yielded to Him) are a “clean canvas” on which God is free to paint HIS IMPRESSIONS.

— Unsanctified minds —  preoccupied with SELF  –  can’t utilize the benefits of being IN CHRIST.

— “In Christ” — not a religious state of being but a transformative and restorative state of being.

— “In Christ”  – positions us at the “Door” of unlimited access to the power behind the mysteries of God.

— God’s language is not primarily ENGLISH or any other earthly language.

— God is Spirit   — His language is Spiritual.

— Jesus is the WORD.  It would follow that He would have something to say!

— Matthew 7:7 –   “Seek–Ask– Knock”  = “Find– Receive–DOOR opened”

— Hebrews 11:6 – reward for passion and diligence in seeking God

— Proverbs 8:17 — promise that He will be found.

— John 12:28-29— the Father speaks audibly but it was not understood as such:

1. Thought it was an impersonal act of nature: Thunder
2. Spiritual but not personally meant for them.

— John 12:30 — Jesus addresses their UNBELIEF.

— Unbelief – causes hearts to not perceive His voice or make it chaotic and unintelligible.

— The Solution:   Press Into God 

     1. By FAITH — Expect God to interact with you.

     2. Anticipate God’s response through study of His Word and daily personal time in His presence.

    3. Experience a deeper encounter with His LOVE.

— 1 Corinthians 13:7 –      ”Love never fails!”

— Matthew 23:23 —The “weightier matters of the law.”

1. Carry God’s love with you wherever you go
2. Display Kindness in all you do
3. Walk humbly before God

Your Life Song
_{Encouragement from Pastor Marie}

The Blessing In Seeking,
The Joy In Discovery

by Pastor Roy Esposito

Proverbs 3:5 — Trust in the Lord  — lean NOT to your understanding

Matthew 6:33 – “SEEK first the kingdom–” – not just-  “ and all these things shall be added.”

Matthew 7:7  — “Seek and you shall find–”     KEEP on SEEKING –  KEEP on ASKING– KEEP on KNOCKING!!

Proverbs 25:2 – ”It is the glory of God to CONCEAL a matter, but the glory of kings is to SEARCH OUT a matter.”

Kings are illuminated and enlightened by what they discover  — PR

Revelation 1:6  — kings and priests  — not interlopers or trespassers

Matthew 13 — Jesus explains why He speaks in parables

Revelation carries with it RESPONSIBILITY!

Ephesians 1:3  — He has stored up EVERY SPIRITUAL BLESSING for us to uncover.

Matthew 13: 10 –– please read this in the Passion Version which makes Jesus’ purpose for speaking in parables very clear.

Some things to remember in times of pressure:

1. God is FOR us as well as WITH us — we are NEVER ALONE!
2. He really wants us to succeed.
3. Jesus paved the way already — He’s defeated EVERY FOE!
4. We have the Holy Spirit as a guarantee as well as a guide.
5. God cannot LIE!

2 Corinthians 1:20 – “It is Christ who speaks through us the AMEN of FAITH.” B. Simmons

“Don’t try to MAKE IT HAPPEN.  Just say “so be it” (Amen) to whatever Jesus says. 

Most times the answers won’t come quick or easy–but stay with it, BELIEVING”- PR

Proverbs 20:21 –” An inheritance gained hurriedly at the beginning will not be blessed in the end.”

1. Trust God and be led by the Holy Spirit
2. Submit to the PROCESS.
3. Embrace MYSTERY
4. Don’t give in to FEAR.

1 John 4:18 — ”There is no FEAR in LOVE.  Perfect Love casts out fear.”

5. Keep your eyes on Jesus — You CANNOT FAIL!
6. Keep moving AHEAD by Faith  and UP through DISCOVERY!

Encouragement

by Pastor Marie Esposito

True Faith and An Enlightened Heart

by Pastor Roy Esposito

Ephesians 1:18_(NIV) ”…that the eyes of your HEART would be enlightened in order to KNOW…”

— Our hearts will embrace what our heads can not.

— Our hearts will lead us to places in God that our heads could not even imagine.

— Courage and Valor can never be attributed to our intellect.
— Courage rises from our inner self and supersedes our reasoning.

— True faith has the same affect and influence over our minds.

— Faith doesn’t come because we understand; it comes from the Heart.

— We don’t believe because we understand —  We will understand because we believe.

— This current time — An opportunity to lift our lifestyle UP to the standard of God’s Word.

Psalm 119:105  — Love God’s Word and NOTHING will offend you.

— “Rest and peace will follow an unoffended heart.”  –PR

— We must embrace all of God’s instruction, AS IT IS WRITTEN, even before we understand why God has said it. And don’t think we can actually DO IT. — We must also learn to embrace NOT KNOWING  (mystery) as a BLESSING.

— It must be this way until we stand before Him at The Judgement  b/.c:
“God must violate our logic in order to pry us away from the deception that results from relying on our own reasoning.” — PR

— Proverbs 3:5  — Trust in God — NOT your reasoning!
— 1 Peter 5:7 — “Cast you cares on Him for He cares for you.”

— Having your hearts enlightened may not prevent you from becoming offended. it will give you the wisdom and ability to REPENT and move on and up with grace and peace!

Encouragement

by Pastor Marie Esposito

Moving Ahead In Faith

by Pastor Roy Esposito

 When fear and doubt roll in – remember:
You didn’t choose Him, He chose you to become like Him.

He chose you because He felt you could actually do it!

Remember also:  You are never alone in this undertaking  — HE is with you! He will help you.

John 14:26 – God’s gift: The Spirit of Holiness

Holiness – doing stuff God’s way.

Further instructions from this verse: DON”T YIELD TO FEAR, or be TROUBLED in your MIND.  Instead BE COURAGEOUS!

Courageous — to move ahead in faith because you TRUST HIS VOICE, even when you can’t see what lies ahead.

Luke 18:8 –  ”When I return will I find faith on the Earth?”

Faith – 1. Can’t be learned in the traditional way.
              2. Is gradually imparted to us through the Holy Spirit as we follow His prompts.
             3. Trains us through Divine encounters, supernatural experiences, and in revelation found in and because of the Holy Scripture.

Scripture that doesn’t lead to Divine encounter will only make us RELIGIOUS.

It teaches us to rely on external, Earthly standards created by man to try define God’s nature and ways.

H.S. revelation of scripture — teaches INTERNAL spiritual realities only knowable through the Spirit.

Revelation – given to transform the inner man to make possible a deeper relationship with Jesus.

Romans 8:7 (Passion)– “The unrenewed mind, focused on the flesh, fights God’s plan and refuses to submit to His direction — because it cannot!

1 Corinthians 2:5 – Faith established by God’s almighty power NOT man’s wisdom.

2 Timothy 3:5 – “…having a form of godliness but denying the power thereof.”
        FORM BUT NO POWER!

2 Timothy 3:7 – “…always learning but never discovering the revelation of the knowledge of truth.”

“The better you get at hearing God’s voice the less fearful and more courageous you’ll become.” – PR

Ephesians 1:18 (NIV) – Our hearts enlightened so we can KNOW – have knowledge and understanding of – the HOPE and POWER of our salvation through Jesus Christ

Hebrews 11:1 – Faith gives us the ability to see what is yet unseen.

Trust God – Stay Strong – Keep moving ahead in faith – “See” the plan of God for you unfold through the continuous revelation the Spirit of Holiness will give.

Greeting from Pastor Marie Esposito

The Mystery of Faith

by Pastor Roy Esposito

Two realities that form our life:

1. To be present in the moment  —  ”Be where your feet are” — Sister  Josephine
2. Allow distractions to keep us asleep and create the illusion of truth.

Unknowns  — “Mystery”
Mystery  — Things not fully understood
Spiritual Mystery — a reality that’s not apparent through human reasoning and only knowable through divine revelation.

Hebrews 11:1 (NKJV)  – “Now faith is the substance ( REALIZATION) of things hoped for, the evidence (CONFIDENCE) in things not seen.”

Passion Bible — “ Faith brings our hope into reality. It is all the evidence required to prove what is still unseen.”

Belief transformed into Faith is an empowerment to life.

Habakkuk 2:4  — “ –the righteous shall live by faith.”  – NOT a command but a declaration of TRUTH.

Romans 1:17 (Passion)  “– moves us from receiving life through faith to the power of living by faith.”

Habakkuk 2:4 (Hebrew) — “ The righteous man by his faithfulness, consistency, firmness, belief, and steadfastness — SHALL LIVE”

“If I choose to live only by what I already understand I run the risk of creating a god who looks alot like me.” — PR

Luke 5:1-11 (NKJV)
Vs 1 — Taught the multitudes close to shore
Vs 2  – Two boats —   1. Our way      2.God’s way
Vs 4 — “launch out into the deep”

The blessings won’t be found in the shallow waters of faith. — PR

“Close to the shore”  — staying with what is comfortable and familiar, never really leaving the old ways.

“Launch out” into the deep waters of Faith — of His Presence— of His Word — of Worship — of the Spirit — of Joy  — launch out into the Deep of His Heart.

This is where the blessings and miracles are found!

Vs 6 — the miracle of the fish  – so many that the boat began to sink ( the old ways/life)
Vs 8 — The miracle actually revealed Peter’s true nature to himself
Vs 10 —  “Don’t be afraid.”

Luke 18:8   “Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find Faith on the Earth?”