Pastor Dustin Bates

Devotional

Day 1: Surrendering the Entire House, Not Just a Guest Room

God doesn’t want to rent a spare room or share space with other priorities. He demands full ownership of every closet, attic, and living area of our lives. Partial surrender creates spiritual clutter—a dangerous cohabitation with compromise. Just as a homeowner wouldn’t let strangers occupy their space, believers must evict every competing affection. Jesus isn’t satisfied with being a weekend guest; He claims the deed to our whole being. True hosting begins with emptying every corner for divine occupancy. [03:50]

“Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.”
(1 Corinthians 6:19-20, ESV)

Reflection: What “room” in your life have you labeled “off-limits” to God? How might holding back that space hinder your ability to host His fullness?

Day 2: Responding Quickly to Divine Knocks

Superhosts don’t leave guests waiting at the door. God’s presence requires immediate attention to His whispers, convictions, and invitations. Delayed obedience is spiritual clutter—a pile of unanswered texts from heaven. Every moment of hesitation creates distance, while swift response builds intimacy. Just as Martha’s distractions multiplied, our delays breed anxiety. Speed matters: the faster we answer, the deeper He settles into our daily rhythms. [01:45]

“I hasten and do not delay to keep your commandments.”
(Psalm 119:60, ESV)

Reflection: Where have you been hitting “snooze” on God’s promptings this week? What one step of immediate obedience can you take today?

Day 3: Sitting Before Serving

Martha opened her home but forgot to open her heart. Activity for God often drowns out awareness of God. True hosting begins at His feet, not the kitchen sink. Posture determines portion: those who sit first receive strength to serve without striving. Burnout isn’t about hours but source—drawing from empty wells versus overflowing springs. Mary’s “listening” was an ongoing verb, not a checked task. Presence fuels purpose. [15:36]

“But the Lord answered her, ‘Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.’”
(Luke 10:41-42, ESV)

Reflection: Is your service for God flowing from recent time with God? What practical adjustment would prioritize sitting before doing?

Day 4: Hunger as a Holy Magnet

Apathetic faith repels miracles. Expectation pulls heaven’s power into earthly situations like a spiritual gravity. The woman with the issue of blood didn’t schedule a meeting with Jesus—she interrupted His journey with raw hunger. God reroutes His manifest presence for those who refuse to settle for omnipresence. Craving isn’t desperation; it’s divine magnetism. The more we taste, the more we’re starved for Him. [09:32]

“As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.”
(Psalm 42:1-2, ESV)

Reflection: When did you last feel a physical hunger for God’s presence? What practical habit could reignite that craving this week?

Day 5: Building With Presence as the Foundation

Moses refused to move without God’s presence—a rebuke to self-sufficient ministry. Churches may polish programs or expand buildings, but only hosting His presence transforms cities. This isn’t about ambiance but authority: services become war rooms when we prioritize His manifest power over crowd preferences. A “Presence Church” risks looking foolish to host a King the world can’t see. [33:06]

“And he said to him, ‘If your presence will not go with me, do not bring us up from here.’”
(Exodus 33:15, ESV)

Reflection: Are you willing to appear “weird” to others to host God’s presence fully? What area of your life needs less polish and more raw dependence on His power?

Sermon Summary

God does not want to be somebody out there who gets encountered every now and then. John 14 says that the Father and the Son come and make their home in the person who loves Jesus and obeys his words. God does not just want a moment. He wants a home. Superhost is the call to open the whole house, the whole heart, mind, life, schedule, money, family, and future to him.

The Airbnb picture puts language around what it means to host God. A superhost hosts often, responds quickly, stays reliable, and creates a place where the guest is welcomed. God is not looking for a spare room, an attic, or a basement where he gets access when life gets hard. God wants the house. He will not cohabitate with another love sitting on the throne of a life.

God’s omnipresence means there is nowhere to run where he is not already there. God’s indwelling presence means that the Holy Spirit lives in believers, making their bodies his temple. God’s manifest presence is the moment when people become aware of the God who is already present and his power is demonstrated in a real way. Christianity is not just ethics, rules, or showing up on Sunday. Christianity is a person named Jesus, with real presence and real power.

Hunger, desire, need, faith, and expectation pull on the power of God. Apathy and passivity cannot carry the assignment God has placed on a life or a church. The one who knows how to host God does not merely call somebody else when anxiety, depression, sickness, demonic pressure, or impossible need comes knocking. Desire turns the attention of the heart toward God and says, “I need you” and “God, I want you.”

Martha and Mary show the difference between opening the door to Jesus and actually hosting him. Martha sincerely welcomed Jesus, yet distraction turned into anxiety, worry, agitation, and trouble. Mary sat at Jesus’ feet and kept listening. Many is always the enemy of one. Proximity does not guarantee awareness, and being around the things of God is not the same as being aware of God.

Presence must come before service. Ministry that comes from striving eventually burns people out because it carries what only God can carry. God is Jehovah Jireh, and his people are stewards, not owners. Moses gives the right posture: if God’s presence does not go, there is no reason to move. The power of God is not a nice extra for Sunday. It is the only way families, cities, bondage, and broken lives are truly changed.

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Key Takeaways

1. God wants the whole house [03:50] God is not interested in being given one safe room while other loves rule the rest of life. Surrender means more than making space for religious activity. It means recognizing that every part of life belongs to the One who came to make his home there. A divided house cannot host God with wholehearted attention. [03:50]
2. Hunger pulls on God’s power [09:17] Hunger is not emotional hype or trying to force God’s hand. Hunger is the honest ache that says God’s presence is necessary, not optional. Faith, need, and expectation turn a heart from passive observation into active pursuit. Desire makes room for an awareness of what God is ready to do. [09:17]
3. Many is the enemy of one [17:26] Martha’s problem was not that she did something evil, but that many necessary things displaced the necessary One. Distraction slowly becomes anxiety when the heart tries to carry what belongs to God. Jesus does not shame service, but he refuses to let service replace fellowship. The better thing is still chosen at his feet. [17:26]
4. Presence comes before service [20:21] Service that begins without sitting with Jesus eventually becomes striving. Burnout grows when people carry God’s job as though everything depends on their own strength. God’s yoke remains easy because he carries what human effort cannot. Ministry flows rightly when presence is first and service comes out of relationship. [20:21]
5. God’s power belongs in Monday [25:30] Sunday is not life support for barely surviving another week. God’s presence is meant to walk into homes, workplaces, battles, fears, and ordinary pressure. A church becomes dangerous to darkness when people know how to praise, pray, and pull on heaven outside the gathering. The power that saves souls also sustains lives.

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Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:18] - God Wants to Make His Home
[01:45] - What Makes a Superhost
[03:34] - Surrendering the Whole House
[04:36] - Three Types of God’s Presence
[06:27] - The Manifest Presence of God
[08:25] - Learning to Pull on God’s Power
[12:15] - Martha, Mary, and Hosting Jesus
[16:01] - Many Is the Enemy of One
[20:21] - Presence Before Service
[23:03] - Becoming a Presence Church
[29:32] - Desire Turns the Heart to God
[32:34] - If Your Presence Does Not Go

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

John 14:23
“Jesus answered him, 'If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.” [00:00]

Luke 10:38-42
“Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, 'Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.' But the Lord answered her, 'Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.” [12:15]

Exodus 33:15
“And he said to him, 'If your presence will not go with me, do not bring us up from here.” [32:45]

Observation questions

In John 14:23, what two responses are connected with God making His home in a person? [00:27]
In Luke 10:38–42, what are the contrasting postures and actions of Martha and Mary while Jesus is in their home? [15:00]
What progression does Jesus identify in Martha’s experience, from distraction to her emotional response? [30:11]
In Exodus 33:15, what does Moses refuse to do apart from God’s presence? [32:45]

Interpretation questions

What does it mean for the Father and Son to “make their home” with a believer, rather than merely being included in occasional religious moments? [00:39]
Martha welcomed Jesus and served Him, yet Jesus affirmed Mary’s choice. What does this show about the difference between working for Jesus and being attentive to Jesus? [20:21]
Why can many good and necessary responsibilities become enemies of the “one thing” Jesus commends? How might a person recognize when this is happening? [17:11]
Moses understood that God’s presence was necessary for the journey ahead. What does this reveal about the limits of human ability, planning, and giftedness in carrying out God’s purposes? [33:46]

Application questions

If your life were a house, which areas are easiest to surrender to Jesus, and which areas are most tempting to keep behind a closed door—your schedule, money, relationships, thought life, future, or something else? [03:40]
What “many things” are currently pulling your attention away from sitting with Jesus? What is one practical way you could protect time this week to listen, pray, and be present with Him? [17:21]
When anxiety, discouragement, sickness, or pressure shows up, what is usually your first response? How could you practice turning your heart toward God with an honest prayer such as, “I need You” or “I want You”? [29:40]
Is there any area of service, work, parenting, ministry, or responsibility where you have been carrying what belongs to God? What would it look like to trust Him as Provider and see yourself as a steward instead of the owner? [22:13]
How can God’s presence move from being connected mainly with a Sunday gathering to shaping your Monday morning, your workplace, your home, and your difficult conversations this week? [25:20]
Where do you need to take Moses’ posture and say, “If Your presence does not go with me, I do not want to move ahead”? What specific situation can the group pray over with you? [32:49]

Sermon Clips

61s

#WholeheartedSurrender

“You know you know what I realized? That for some of us, we have never surrendered our entire home to the Lord. We cohabitate, coexist, make some room, make some space, but we've never completely surrendered our whole self to the things of God. God's not interested in part of you. He's not interested in just a room in the house. He's not interested in the attic or the basement. He's not interested in just having a spare room. He's not interested in co habitating with any other love of your life. God wants the house. He wants the whole thing. He wants every part of your life. The Bible says to love him with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength as if to emphasize everything.”

57s

#AtJesusFeet

“Martha is worried, and Mary is sitting. Martha is busy about the house, and and Mary is sitting at the feet of Jesus listening. The the Greek verb translated listening is an... It's in the imperfect tense, and the picture is it's an ongoing process. So it's not listened like it was over one time, it's listening. So Mary had a posture that would consistently sit at Jesus' feet, that she was listening or you could even say this, that she was pulling on what was in Jesus, that her posture was pulling from him what he had. You can have Jesus in the house and still miss Jesus in the room.”

62s

#PresenceBeforeService

“Being around him. You can be in in the hustle and bustle. Can be serving. This is what Martha was doing. She was serving. Pastor, I think I'm pretty close to Jesus. I I serve on GE. That'll get you pretty close to Jesus. But if you serve in the kids ministry, you're like, that's another level. Serving's great. It doesn't mean you're a superhost. Martha was so busy serving Jesus. It's not like she was doing something wrong, evil. She was working for him. But if you work for him, hear me on this, if you work for him before you've sat with him, it will always be out of order. I have to access his presence first, and out of my relationship with him flows service.”

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Pastor Dustin Bates | Superhost