Restoration Christian Fellowship, 61 Overton Street, Sayville, NY (2026)

05/29/2026

Spiritual “Knowing” 5-24-26
Pastor Roy Esposito

– When I wake up in the morning, knowing that the Lord is right there with me and for me, it changes the expectations I have for the upcoming day. I feel confident that whatever may happen is in His plan for me.

– “Knowing” was an integral part of Paul’s prayer for the Ephesian church:
Eph 1:17-19 (NKJ) - “... that the God of our Lord, Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; so that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward who believe, according to the workings of His mighty power.”

– So developing that sense of spiritual knowing is important if we desire to be partakers of God’s inheritance.

– So, how can we develop a deeper sense of “knowing” by the Spirit?

– The first, and most practical thing to begin with, is to seek the Lord in a more intimate and personal way.

– Prov. 8:17 (ESV) - “I love those who love Me, and those who seek Me diligently will find Me”.

– John 14:21 (KJV) - Jesus says, “... he who loveth Me shall be loved by My Father, and I will love him, and manifest Myself to him”.

– But alas, instead, we usually tend to look to other people for affirmation, needing to gain their approval and praise.

– This is generally caused by a deep-rooted fear of inadequacy and rejection.

–John 5:44 (NKJ ) - Jesus once asked people, “How can you believe when you receive honor from one another, and do not seek the honor that comes from the one and only God?

– We know that when Jesus asks a question, it wasn’t to gather information. It was a challenge to one of the main things that destroys people’s faith, and causes them to fail to live in the glory of God’s blessings.

– The fear of man is one of the primary things that can bring us down from the lofty place we’re called to live in.

– The Lord is emphasizing the importance of putting a guard at our mouths, speaking blessings and encouragement over others.

– Negative words can undermine a person’s ability to “live above” and can blur their spiritual vision. They can cause people to miss opportunities to access heaven’s answers when there is chaos.

– I remember the encouragement I received when I heard the Lord call me to full-time ministry. I was in doubt.

– Wade Taylor spoke of an “anointing”, Bishop Morehead encouraged me to “stagger not!” at the promises of God for my life. Pastor Gary Zarlengo prophesied the power gifts of the Spirit over me, encouraging me not to be afraid of them and to ask God’s help in when using them.
– Without their words of encouragement, there would be no Pastor Roy.

– Living from a heavenly perspective can only be attained by living in the pure and holy place of the fear/reverence of God, and not man!

– I’ve found that there is nothing better I can do to increase my faith than developing a secret relationship with my Abba.

– Such relationships have to be held secretly because they are unexplainable and not understandable to others who may speak the doctrine of faith, but walk in it differently, if at all.

– These may be those who speak the doctrine of the “secret place” but fail to go on to live in it.

– Matt 6:5-6 (NLT) - Jesus said this: “... when you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites who love to pray publicly on street corners and in synagogues where everyone can see them. I assure you that is all the reward they will ever get. But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father secretly. Then your Father, who knows all secrets, will reward you.

– When we pray secretly before God, we put all our hopes, dreams, and treasures in Him.

– Matt 6:21 (NLT) – “Wherever your treasure is, there your heart and thoughts will be also.”

– When our hearts are fixed on Him – the “eyes of our understanding” – the spiritual eyes we need to see and follow Jesus, start to open.

– Now, what we see through “spirit vision” becomes more real than what we see with our natural eyes.

– It’s important to note that “spiritual knowing” does not mature through a one-time sustained experience, but is rather a series of successive efforts that, over time, create a new and elevated spiritual viewing platform.

– It is a series of repeated acts of will that will train our attention to focus on the “things that are from above.”

– It brings us back and back again to consider what we are beholding.

– In our secret times with God, we get to behold Him.

– “Whatever we behold, we eventually become beholden to”.
– Amy Frykholm

– We begin to see things from God’s eternal perspective, where the things of earth are viewed as only temporary.

– Not long ago, it was thought that our own Milky Way galaxy was the entire universe.

– But with the invention of new space telescopes, scientists have come to realize that the universe is far more expansive.

– Compared to the rest of creation, Earth is less than a drop of water in all the oceans – less than a grain of sand in all the world’s deserts.

– After the “Fall,” satan was cast down to the Earth.

– He is not omnipotent or omnipresent; he’s on Earth

– The rest of the universe has not fallen! The goodness of God rules everywhere else.

– God did not excise humanity from all other parts of creation after the Fall.

– Instead, He chose to come to Earth as a man and set right the error made by mankind.

– As amazing as the physical universe is, the spiritual realm is even more so.

– It’s so great that the scripture calls the physical universe, “A prophetic shadow and the evidence of what will be fulfilled, for the substance (body) is now Christ.” – (Col 2:17 TPT)

– Consider: How much substance does your shadow have in comparison to you?

– The Monkey Trap – Had a jar with fruit in it that had a narrow opening. Couldn’t pull his hand out while clutching the fruit.

– Similar to how we get trapped by the trivial things in life that stop us from becoming free, as the “New Creation,” – becoming SPIRITMAN!

– It’s only Spiritman that’s at home in the spirit realm.

– Even though the obstacles in life seem large because of the Fall, we find our hope in the revelation that, though Earth fell through rebellion against God, He didn’t destroy us. He is FOR us!

– He laid His life down for us, to redeem us to Himself.

– That’s the Good News – The Gospel, and it’s the greatest demonstration of the character and nature of God!

– Mercy has and will always triumph over judgment (James 2:13 NKJ))

– That God would care so much for this tiny realm gives infinite value to even the smallest of things.

– We know that nothing is too big for God to handle. But where faith truly becomes practical is in knowing that nothing is too small for Him, either!

– CS Lewis - “If all the evil that has ever been done on the Earth were poured out all at once on even the smallest creature in heaven, it would not have enough substance to register as a single thought.”

– Heaven is BIG! The more we can see from heaven’s perspective, the less the world's evils will affect us.

– I believe that’s what Paul was praying for all believers in Eph 1:18-19: That the eyes of our understanding would become enlightened, that we would KNOW how big God is and how much He cares for even the smallest of things that might untrack His kids.

– Our Part: Continue to diligently seek Him, trusting in His Word that promises that if we do, we will undoubtedly find Him and find rest in Him!

05/23/2026

Jesus And The Dark Place 5-17-26
Pastor Roy Esposito

– Last week, I shared with you instructions that I felt were prophetically given:

STAY ALERT - 1Peter 5:8 (AMP) - “Be well-balanced, self-controlled. Be vigilant, watchful, and cautious at all times.”
BE INTENTIONAL - in taking your thoughts captive and in alignment with Christ’s.
GUARD YOUR WORDS - Speak blessings and not curses. Edify, exhort, encourage, and prophesy life and success over each other.
SEEK TO BECOME TRULY WISE - James 3:3 (Message)
“Live wisely because it's the way you live, not the way you talk, that counts.”

– I have spoken in the past about some times in our lives that are called “The Dark Night of the Soul.”

–These are times when you can feel like you’re stepping into the “unknown of nothingness”, and you can’t see anything clearly.

– I’ve brought this to God recently, and He gave me a word of promise to hold onto:

– Isa. 42:16 (NKJ) - “ I will bring the blind by a way they did not know; I will lead them in paths they have not known. I will make darkness light before them, and crooked places straight. These things I will do for them, and not forsake them.”

– So, although we may be afraid of the dark, God is not.

He is comfortable with the darkness because it’s where He actually came from: “Nothingness and Nowhere!”

– I want to paint a picture for you. I need you to close your eyes and see with the eyes of your imagination.

– I say, He came from nowhere because in the beginning, there was nowhere to come from.

– And coming from nowhere, He stood on nothing, because there wasn’t anything to stand on.

– Then He reached out to where there was nothing to reach for, and caught something where there was nothing to be caught.

– He then hung what He had caught on nothing and told it to stay.

– Then, standing on nothing, He took the anvil of His will and struck it with the hammer of His omnipotence, and sparks flew.

– He caught the sparks and flicked them out into the heavens, and Nobody said a word because there wasn’t anyone around.

– So, God said, “Now that’s good!!! What a picture, right?

– There He stood, in the middle of nothing and in total darkness, unintimidated by it.

– “Nothing” doesn’t bother God, nor does it bother Jesus!

– As a matter of fact, Jesus thrives in the middle of nothingness.

– Col 1:16-17 (NKJ) - “For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible…” – “All things were created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.”

– Jesus takes “nothing” and turns it into something.

– John 11:1-35 - It was a day of darkness for Martha and Mary, their brother Lazarus had died

– People were there trying to comfort them because Lazarus had stepped into the “nothingness of death” and now was lying in the darkness of the tomb, which was a cave.

– John 11:30-32 - “Now Jesus had not yet come into the town, but was in a place, but was in a place where Martha met Him. Then the Jews who were with her in the house, and comforting her, when they saw that Mary rose quickly and went out, followed her, saying, ‘She is going to the tomb to weep there.’
“Then, when Mary came to where Jesus was, and saw Him, she fell at His feet, saying to Him, ‘Lord, if you had been there, my brother would not have died.”

– What she was really saying was, “Lord, couldn’t You have done a little bit better with Your timing?”

– Down deep, she might have been thinking, “You have all the authority. Couldn’t You have been a little more perfect and changed the situation? You missed it!” She was probably disappointed in Him. Ever feel that way?

– Vrs 37 - “And some of them said, ‘ Could not this Man, who opened the eyes of the blind, also have kept this man from dying?”

– They were all swept up in the circumstances they were experiencing.

– And Lazarus was indeed in a dark place within the cave, but Jesus knew all along what He was about to do. But first, He said to them, “Take the stone away.”

– The Lord was going to do His thing, but their job was to first “take the stone away.”

– The STONE – Represents an obstacle that’s between the Lord and the “Dark Place.”

– Hebrew culture - Believed that after three days, the spirit leaves the body. Jesus waited until the fourth day to remove any doubt that what would happen was a sovereign move of God. He was in no means LATE!

– He then walked into the “Dark Place” and confronted it.

– I don’t know what darkness you may be facing today. You may feel like “three days” have passed, and the Spirit of God has left you for dead in your circumstances — but I’m here to testify that” DAY 4” is coming.

– But first you have to “take away the stone!” It’s your job.

– Jesus didn’t tell them, “ IF you take away the stone, then I will do this or that.” He just said, “Take away the stone.”

– They might have been thinking that He wanted them to let the smell out, and that they would still have to deal with their circumstances as they were presently seeing them – and it was gonna STINK! (VRS 39)

VRS. 40
– “Then Jesus said to her, ‘Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would SEE the glory of God?”

- The illumination of – the reflection of – the PURPOSE of heaven in your Dark Place!

– VRS 41 - “Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying. And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said …”

– Folks, there is a “New Seeing” coming to those who believe.

– Paul referred to it in Eph 1:18, calling it “The eyes of our heart.”

– It will give us the ability to step into a Dark Place and see beyond it.

– Jesus lifted His eyes and beheld the power of God– an illumination that released a peace that passes all human understanding.

– He saw it– and then said it, “Lazarus, come forth! (Vrs 43)

– Vrs 44 - “And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them, ‘Loose him, and let him go.”

– Notice how specific Jesus was, “LAZARUS, come forth,” otherwise the whole graveyard would have risen.

– I believe there is a new iteration of Christianity being born today.

– God is calling forth a people who will bring a demonstration of power that will break the curses of the darkness of our culture.

– They will be people carrying an aroma of extreme worship, and whose heart attitudes reflect a true witness of Christ.

– When our worship of God is true and deep, it brings with it a revelatory Light that breaks forth into the darkness and overwhelms it. (Gen 1:5 NKJ)

– We have been given a grace that is more than just unmerited favor, but a divine infusion of power that ensures our destiny in God, which all the demons in hell cannot erase.

– Lazarus – from Eleazar - “God is help.”

– “Lazarus, come forth.” – a prophetic calling forth for God’s help.

– Lazarus – A type of the Adamic nature that’s put into the grave and then resurrected anew to live as “Spirit Man.”

– Find your “stone” and put your intention toward removing it.
(anger, fear, resentment, or disappointment, etc.)
(Hint: Usually rooted in unbelief)

– Then take off your graveclothes and begin living your destiny.

– So I declare today, “Spirit Man- Spirit Woman COME FORTH!”

05/15/2026

A Believing Heart 5-10-26
Pastor Roy Esposito

– I have what I believe are some prophetic instructions to share.

– But first, let me read 1 Corinthians 13:1-13 (NKJ). [READ]

– These verses remind us to let all we think, say, and do be centered in love.

– The maturity of our relationship with the Holy Spirit, and following His lead, is the key to victory in the spiritual battle of LOVE over EGO!

– The Holy Spirit is our source of truth ( Aletheia -propriety, veracity, integrity, accuracy, and authenticity) and discernment that causes us to choose rightly.

– Being able to hear His directions is a priority.

– Howard Thurman - “Following the voice of the genuine.”

– 1. Stay Alert:
1Peter 5:8 (AMP) “Be well balanced, self-controlled. Be vigilant, watchful, and cautious at all times, for that enemy of yours, the devil, roams around like a lion roaring (in fierce hunger) seeking someone to seize upon and devour.”

– Stay alert to what’s going on around you, and inside you as well.

– We can ask the indwelling Holy Spirit to reveal our innermost thoughts, feelings, and emotional state, knowing that by following the “voice of the genuine”, true discernment will be the result.

2. Be Intentional - in taking your thoughts captive so that they can easily sync up with Jesus’ words and actions.

This will help us align our thoughts with His and avoid any conflicts that may try to contend for our attention.

2 Corinthians 10:5 (AMP) - “Inasmuch as we refute arguments, theories, and reasonings and every proud thing - every lofty thing that sets itself up against the true knowledge of God; and we lead every thought and purpose away captive into the obedience of Christ, the Messiah, the Anointed One.”

3. Guard Your Words - so that you speak no curse toward each other. But instead, let your words edify, exhort, and encourage one another!

– James 3:11(NKJ) - “ Does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening?

When you speak, Prophesy Life! – Prophesy Success! – Prophesy Blessings!

4. Seek Wisdom -
James 3:13 (Message) - “Do you want to be counted as wise, to build a reputation for wisdom? Here’s what you do: Live well, live wisely. (Stay alert, take your thoughts captive, guard your words, live humbly – PR) It’s the way you live, not the way you talk, that counts.”

– We’ll be judged not so much on what we’ve accomplished but by the character we reveal by our actions.

– Judged on who we’ve become rather than on what we’ve done.

– It’s possible to have great accomplishments and pious behavior, but still manifest a loveless and ungodly spirit because of faulty and unaddressed character issues.

– “Get your heart right first, and godly behavior will surely follow.”

– I felt the Lord is saying to the church,” Don’t become a sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. Don’t just talk about Light, but be the Light. Don’t allow your love to grow cold.”

– God is calling us to be present by “doing the moment in the moment”.

– “Doing the moment”- is a heart thing, not a mind thing.

– All that’s required to begin is a naked intent to do it: a willingness to choose love over ego.

– Our minds allow us to gain knowledge, gathering information about multiple things: Getting the facts straight.

– Wisdom is something entirely different.

– Gathering all the information in the world won't, by itself, produce wisdom.

– For many, wisdom is elusive.

– It’s been said: “Wisdom is confusing to the proud and often evident to the humble and lowly of heart.”

– Wisdom is a different way of seeing and understanding the facts acquired, and applying them appropriately so they’ll align with God’s purposes.

– Wisdom is knowing how to “do the moment.” – How to be present to God and to know God by “Heart Vision.”

– Rom 10:10 (NKJ) “For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”

– Wisdom is being attuned to God’s presence in the moment.
– People who are present to the moment and “believe in their hearts” know how to SEE fully and truthfully.

– So, when a love-soaked person reads a powerful scripture text, it will draw them into a greater interaction with God’s love.

– If a person who is not present – ego-centric and fearful – reads the same text, it has the potential to be distorted and misused.

– Jesus told Martha that the one necessary thing was to be present to God.

– With your “Presence” ON, everything you encounter in life will help your spiritual maturity to grow.

– Rom 8:28 – “All things work together for the good to them who love God …”

– Presence OFF – Won’t recognize His presence when He shows Himself in things that may seem mundane.

– Proof: Jesus’ life. He walked among them, yet they missed its significance.

– They were religiously observant people, who looked for God through laws, observances, and codes. It was the viewing platform through which they saw everything.

– But God can’t be seen that way, so in essence they were BLIND!

– Looking for God through the law would make Jesus seem like just a man, just another human being.

– They stored up treasures for the next world, but He was living right in front of them, talking about natural things: birds, lilies, farming, suffering, etc. – but they couldn’t see Him.

– They were planning for an eternity that would come LATER.

– He was teaching them to dip into the stream of eternity NOW!

– Jesus’ teaching was telling them– “If you get it now, you’ll have it later – and forever”.

– Heb 13:8 (NKJ)- “Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever.”

– If you get that God unconditionally loves you today, why would He change His mind later, right?

– Eternity is ongoing, and so is our apprehension.

– Our conversion experience has taken us from finite beings to eternal ones.

– The infinity of God’s being is also ongoing and in process, even though He is perfect in every moment!

– I realize that I am continually being converted, and not because I’ve accumulated more facts, but because my “heart vision” is continuously developing greater spiritual acuity.

– 2Corinthians 3:18 (AMP) - “We are constantly being transfigured into His very own image in ever-increasing splendor and from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord [who is] the Spirit.”

– In essence, I’m “born again – again and again and again!”

– The things that have been right in front of me all this time, I can now see differently.

– Now, I can say the same thing the blind man Jesus healed (John 9:25) said: “Once I was blind, but now I see”.

– Eph 1:18 (TPT) “I pray that the light of God will illuminate the eyes of your imagination (innermost heart), flooding you with light, until you experience the full revelation of the hope of His calling, that is, the wealth of God’s glorious inheritances that He finds in us, His holy ones! – Amen

05/08/2026

Transfiguration - message
Metamorphosis -transfiguration

****THERE ARE KEYS TO "LIVING FAITH” IN THE SCRIPTURES.
LIVING FAITH IS THE KEY TO FAITHFULLY LIVING. *****

We can ask the Holy Spirit …what is the key to this portion of Scripture?
How can I apply the revelation knowledge to my life now?

Listen. Wait for an answer. A directing.

When we hear God’s Voice it affirms our Identity and helps us navigate our lives with His guidance as we walk in the ups and downs of our faith.
We are Changed. Transformed.

Our journey of faith, our Christian walk, contain moments of glory, moments of truth, moments of trials, moments of trust.

FAITH IS A SUBSTANCE. HE IS THE SUBSTANCE OF LOVE…JESUS PR

****THERE ARE KEYS TO "LIVING FAITH” IN THE SCRIPTURES.
LIVING FAITH IS THE KEY TO FAITHFULLY LIVING. *****

“Faith is the substance of things hoped for the evidence of things not seen.” Hebrews 11:1
Substance is assurance, confidence, reality, a firm foundation, the actual existence, the title deed…
“Things not seen” …we wait for our body’s redemption, future things, we rely on the Author and Finisher of our faith. Heb 12:2

The power of faith is in the One who began the faith and will complete it. He is trustworthy, therefore that FAITH is an assurance of those things we do not see.
“Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.” Romans 10:17
“Hearing” the Word of God is essential for cultivating faith. Faith is developed through listening to the message of Christ.

Scripture holds the Keys to the kingdom. Keys to faithfilled living.
The Holy Spirit is the Voice of God in the earth today. The Helper.

We are called to experience God in real life and to have divine encounters with Him as well as being transformed by the renewing of our mind as we study His Living Word with the help of the Holy Spirit. Our Identity as children of God which we walk in, requires it, and is enhanced by it.I t helps us believe.

These supernatural experiences change our character, change our patterns of thinking and behaving. The Living Word and the Spirit are one.
The Scripture I am going to talk about is the transfiguration of Jesus.

Previously…
Jesus asked His disciples, “WHO DO THEY SAY I AM? WHO DO YOU SAY I AM?”
So Who is Jesus?
Peter said …”You are the Christ, the Messiah. the Son of the living GOD.”
Jesus said “You received this truth from God.”

AFTER THIS Jesus began to share what was coming with the disciples. His crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension.

A week or so later, Jesus went up a mountain to pray. He took Peter, James, and John. .. And AS HE PRAYED… this is what happened:

He shone like the sun, his clothes like lightening- the glorified heaven became a reality to those with Him; they saw the glory of God on Jesus with their own eyes as He was transfigured before them. He was radiating His divine nature. Natural man and heavenly man were one displayed. Human and divine.

Then Moses and Elijah showed up! They had a normal conversatio with Jesus as the disciples gaped and watched. They discussed what was coming.Jesus’ coming exodus.

Moses represented the law and Elijah represented the prophets. They both had eschatological roles of significance. [eschatology-offers hope and assurance…focusing on final events of history, the destiny of humanity, God’s plan for creation]
Both of these men had a history of performing astounding miracles. Both had unusual circumstances surrounding their passing from this life to the next.
This visitation displayed the continuity of GOD’s promises, His prophecies, and His Word intertwining the Old and New Testaments beautifully…connecting the testimony of Jesus’s life and His coming - confirming Him as the Messiah. It showed the perfection of heaven.

The disciples were in awe.
THEN… a cloud descended on them and they fell down from the power of God. God spoke: “This is My Beloved Son…Whom I love, in Whom I am well- pleased, and Whom I have chosen. LISTEN TO HIM!”
The cloud ascended and the 3 disciples looked up and only saw Jesus.
LISTEN TO HIM! GOD SAID.

The five milestones of Jesus’ life-Baptism, transfiguration, crucifixion, resurrection, ascension all pertain to the sequence of events concerning Jesus and His Life. and….the Holy Spirit at Pentecost birthed the church.

Transfiguration --- the supernatural and glorified change in the appearance of Jesus on the mountain…a pivotal moment, and the setting on the mountain is presented as the point where human nature meets God: the meeting place of the temporal and the eternal, with Jesus, as both true man and true God, serving the connecting point, acting as the bridge between heaven.

Our Journey of faith...our Christian life..contains moments of glory...moments of trial.. Moments of truth...moments of Trust.
*******THERE ARE KEYS TO LIVING FAITH. SCRIPTURE CONTAINS THE KEYS TO THE KINGDOM. LIVING TRUTHS.
LIVING FAITH IS THE KEY TO FAITHFULLY LIVING *******

On that mountain the three disciples saw the glory of God’s Kingdom shining out of Jesus. On the mountain they were overshadowed by God’s holy cloud. On the mountain—listening in the conversation of the transfigured Jesus with the Law and the Prophets—they realize that the true Feast of Tabernacles has come.
On the mountain they learn that Jesus himself is the living Torah, the complete Word of God. On the mountain they see the ‘power’ (dynamis) of the Kingdom that is coming in Christ (Jesus of Nazareth)

****We have the Keys to living faith. Living faith is the key to faithfully living.****

Keys give us access - authority -insight

The truths displayed here in the Word can increase our faith and draw us closer to the KIng of Kings.

Keys to the kingdom: The "keys to the kingdom" are principally described in Matthew 16:19, where Jesus tells Peter he will receive the authority to "bind and loose" on earth, reflecting heavenly decisions. These keys symbolize divine authority and stewardship to unlock the gospel to others primarily through preaching, teaching, and church.

2 Peter 1:16 we were eyewitnesses of His Majesty. [ talking about the transfiguration]
****We have the Keys to living faith. Living faith is the key to faithfully living.****

2 Corinthians 3:18
We, with unveiled faces contemplate His glory, are being transformed into His image with ever increasing glory, which comes from the Lord WHO IS THE SPIRIT. STRENGTH OF PURPOSE AND DESTINY EMPOWERED BY HIS LIVING PRESENCE.

LISTEN TO HIM !
Pastor Marie

05/01/2026

Living the Moment 4-26-26
Pastor Roy Esposito

– Rom 10:10 (TPT) - “The heart that believes in Him receives the gift of the righteousness of God – and then the mouth confesses, resulting in salvation.”

– It’s believing with the heart that is the door to salvation, and not believing intellectually, or emotionally!

– Intellect and emotion are part of the soul. The soul is fixated on itself. It isn’t interested in God or truth, only CONTROL!

– The soul wants to preserve itself, only feeling safe when it's in control.

– To believe with the heart requires developing “heart vision.”

– This will require a radical perceptual shift in the way we see the world and God, as we are currently only “seeing” through the soul’s perspective.

– Doing this is not easy, but we can begin by forgoing what we already think we know about the world and God.

– HOW? – By just saying, “YES LORD! I accept and agree with the promises of Your Word. I believe by faith, but please help me in my unbelief!” (Mark 9:23-25)

– “Amen! Let it be so in the here and now, alive and active in this present moment.”

– God’s promises are not apart from His being. Because He is omnipresent, His promises are also.

– Luke 24:49 - Jesus refers to the Holy Spirit as THE Promise of the Father. He is the “Promise” through which all of God's promises have their being.

– He dwells IN us and can be called upon and accessed by “ tuned in hearts.”

– The problem we have with accessing His provisions is that He exists in the moment, and we have trouble living in the moment.

– We live mostly with regrets of the past and fear of the future.

– Even in the times we may manage to escape those, we are distracted by 10,000 things that keep us from being present to the moment.

– This can leave us “present to the distractions” of life, but “absent from the presence of the Spirit.”

– Luke 10:38-42 - Martha and Mary.

– When Jesus visits their village, Martha is seen doing the reasonable and hospitable things done when entertaining a house guest.

– She’s doing what’s expected of her to do according to custom.

– Text says, “She was distracted by her many tasks.” (Vrs 40)

– She was distracted by “good things.” After all, she was serving the Lord, right?

– Martha was good and right, but one thing she was not: she was not present to Jesus.

– She wasn’t, most likely, even present to herself – to her own feelings, her resentments, maybe even to a need to be needed.

– Luke 10:41 - “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things… “

– I have found that when we are not present to ourselves, we really can’t be present to our “guests” in any healing way.

– Even the “good” we do may just be an exercise of form and function of what’s expected of us, and not an extension of the grace of God to do good works. (2Corinthians 9:8 NKJ)

– When we are “present” to God, we are focused, in tune, and sensitive to the many subtleties of the object of our attention.

– I’ve said many times that the way we do anything is the way we’ll do everything.

– Jesus challenged Martha at the ordinary, human level because He knew that how she acted on the human level would reflect the pattern of her interaction with others at the Divine level.

– In comparison, her sister, Mary, chose to sit at His feet and listen to His words.

– Jesus commended her, saying she had chosen “the best thing – the 'one thing' that was necessary, and it wouldn’t be taken away from her.” (Vrs 42)

– When we are present to the Lord, what He says to us can never be taken away.

– It becomes eternally settled in heaven, on earth, and in our hearts.

– Religion in general has had its focus on teaching people this and that, accumulating facts, and gathering the imperatives of doctrine that are somehow supposed to add up to salvation.

– But the great teachers know what people need most: Learning how to “do the moment.”

– Then all the “thises and thats” will fall into place and will make total sense.

– I remember coming to the Lord through an “out-of-the-box experience” where Jesus showed Himself to me as the “One who could save me.”

– So, I began to attend church with the hope that the church’s teachings could explain my encounter.

– But although I found the Biblical accounts fascinating, they didn’t come close to bringing any clarity to my personal experience with Jesus.

– I didn’t even see how they were related to one another, although I suspected they did.

-Shortly afterward, I went through a time of “stripping.”

– At first, physically, then mentally, then emotionally.

– It was both painful and scary, but it left me with no other choice but to be present to God every moment, and to tune in to the reverberations of His Spirit.

– Worship was the discipline that allowed me to lose myself and focus on Him.

– In retrospect, I can say that it was the point at which “heart vision” began to replace soul vision and established a new way of discernment.

– I’m not declaring that I’ve arrived, but I stand in agreement with the Apostle Paul in his statement to the Philippian church:

–Phil 3:12(NKJ) - “ Not that I have already attained, or am perfected, but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.”

– Passion – “I run with passion into His abundance so that I may reach the purpose that Jesus Christ has called me to fulfill and wants me to discover.”

– I’m pressing on with intention– tuning in to God for clarity and precise spiritual acuity.

– Acuity – Keenness, vivid, ardent, intense, and piercing.

– “Presence” begins with intention.

– A Present Word: “If your intention is to become present to Me, you will enter into a process that will make your “heart vision” sharp, vivid, intense, piercing, and accurate.”

– We must not stop at mere “intention” because intending to do something is not the same thing as actually doing it.

– Old joke: “How do you get to Carnegy Hall?
PRACTICE -PRACTICE - PRACTICE!

– Begin with intention and then follow it with practice.

– Getting back to Martha and Mary:

– Jesus thought being present when He spoke was so important that He was willing to challenge and maybe upset His hostess to make use of a teachable moment.

– He commends and affirms Mary in how she is “doing the moment.”

– She knows how to be present to Him and presumably herself.

– She understands the “one thing” that makes all the other things happen on a much deeper level of awareness.

– The account of Martha and Mary's encounter with the Lord holds the same relevance for His disciples today.

– Only “one thing is needed”, and that is to hear the words of Jesus.

– God is always present, isn’t He? He is the “I Am” and the “Right Now!”

–Let’s pray for the grace to be attuned to the sound of His voice and the leading of His Spirit.

Restoration Christian Fellowship

05/29/2026

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