MIND OF CHRIST MINISTRIES, INC.
PASTOR THOMAS E. OGLESBY
P.O. BOX 85
NUTLEY, NEW JERSEY 07110
website: mindofchristministries.net
Phone: 973-818-2750
e-mail: mindofchrist@verizon.net
January 2023
“Total Victory”
Dear Believer(s):
This is a New Day, a New Year, and a New Time. What will this New Year bring? We do not know the troubles, the trials, and tribulations that we may face. The Bible says in Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
Many believe that because we are a Christians, we should not face adversity. But the Bible says, “Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord delivereth him out of them all. (Psalm 34:19) We must remember that there is a devil, and the scriptures tell us, “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10)
Let me remind you, as Christians we live in the world, but we don’t belong to it, nor are we controlled by it. We live, work, and move in and out of WORLD SYSTEMS that are controlled to a great degree by men and women who are children of the devil. (John 8:44) The devil is the god of the WORLD SYSTEMS of the habitable earth. These WORLD SYSTEMS embrace business, society, politics, religion, and family relationships. We are in the WORLD, but we are not compelled to be of the WORLD. The Bible says, “The earth is the Lord’s, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.” (Psalm 24:1)
You can have Total Victory even in the midst of an inflationary economy, employment uncertainties, financial challenges, physical challenges, family struggles, world problems, and anything and everything you may be facing. Regardless of all the uncertainties of life, we can have access to all the good things God has for us. It’s worth repeating and keeping in mind what Jesus said in John 10:10, “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”
God has a victorious plan for us. He can turn around every situation we face, in the most difficult circumstances we can become victorious. He can lead us from what looks and feels like defeat into a true and real lasting victory.
You might be saying Pastor Oglesby; I want to have God’s victory in every area of my life. But how is this possible? You need the right foundation in your life.
In Matthew 7:24-29, Jesus told the story of two men. One who built his house upon sand, and the other who built his house upon the rock. A devastating storm came. It hit both houses. But only one survived the one with the right foundation.
If we want to walk in the fullness of God, then we must BUILD and MAINTAIN the right foundation for our lives, our families, our finances, and everything else we do, since the price for building on the wrong foundation is destruction. Let’s look at Matthew 7:26-27. It says, “So everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, will be like a wise man [a far-sighted, practical, and sensible man] who built his house on the rock. 25 And the rain fell, and the floods and torrents came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. 26 And everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not do them, will be like a foolish (stupid) man who built his house on the sand. 27 And the rain fell, and the floods and torrents came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell—and great and complete was its fall.”
What do these two stories mean? We should build our lives on the Word of God not on the news that we get from Facebook, YouTube, TikTok, Cable News, Gossip Ville, The Natural Mind, Twitter, from Church Doctrine and Tradition, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Snapchat are not the ways to build on Solid Rock. We must build our lives on Jesus’s Word. We must build our lives on the Word of God.
There is Abundant Power in the name of Jesus. “But God has highly exalted Jesus and given Him a name which is above every name.” (Philippians 2:9) That’s why the Bible tells you to pray in the Name of Lord! The name of Jesus is more than a match for every evil thing! His name has the power to defeat the enemy, every single time! In John 16:24, Jesus gave His disciples the right to use His name, He said, “ASK IN MY NAME.” We are His children and His disciples, so this verse is for us. WE CAN ASK THE LORD FOR WHAT WE NEED! When we pray in Jesus’ name and use His authority to come against the works of the devil, we are releasing the power of God into our circumstances. We have Almighty Power in the name of Jesus.
The Holy Spirit is one of the most powerful and effective spiritual weapons a Christian has. He is with us to help us walk in God’s victory every day of our lives! Romans 8:26 says, that we don’t always know what to pray for, and we don’t always know how to pray. But the Holy Spirit knows the mind of God. He knows what is best for you and me. This is why we need the Holy Spirit’s help.
When I pray in the Spirit and then I stop and begin to pray in my own language (English) Suddenly I know what to do when I didn’t know what to do before.
The knowledge and wisdom that comes from God is a very valuable secret weapon against the devil. Let the Holy Spirit lead you and help you every day. We must live in the Power of the Holy Spirit.
We need to know who the enemy is. 1Peter 5:8 tells us, “Your adversary is the devil, who walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” John 10:10 “The thief (satan) cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy:” The devil has a plan against our lives. He will do everything he can to steal from us, tempt us to do wrong, and try to deceive us, because he wants to ruin everything that God wants to do.
I hear from so many people about the struggles they are facing, Christians also, are fighting sickness, diseases, financial struggles, family dysfunctions, and other problems. BUT GOD HAS A WAY OF ESCAPE. We can’t win the fight if we focus on the wrong target. We need to aim at the source of the trouble if we want to overcome it. That’s why we need to know who our real enemy is. Other people are Not our real enemy. We should Not blame God for our circumstances. He’s Not our enemy either. Our real enemy is the devil. The Bible tells us we have more power than the devil. 1John 4:4 says, “Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.”
Luke 10:19 says, “Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.” We can defeat the devil. The battle is not our battle. The battle we are fighting is the Lord’s battle. It is impossible for us but not for God.
Read the story of King Jehoshaphat in 2Chronicles Chapter 20. The enemy had him greatly outnumbered but he called upon the Lord his God. We can do the same and receive Total Victory. Do you remember the story of David and Goliath in 1Samuel 17? There was no way David could win that fight in his own strength. It wasn’t possible in the natural.
But things that are impossible become possible when God gets involved! That’s what happened for David. He stood in faith and told Goliath, “You come against me with a spear and a sword, but I come against you in the name of the Lord. This battle is God’s, and he will deliver you into my hands.” David swung his slingshot in faith. The stone struck Goliath in just the right place on the forehead to knock the man to the ground. David cut off the giant’s head with the giant’s own sword! This story is an example of what is possible for you and I when we put our faith in God and let Him fight the battle for us.
Using the right weapons; we need to choose the right weapons for the battle we face. Many people want to use natural weapons to handle their problems. But if we want to fight the devil, who is our spiritual enemy, then we need to use spiritual weapons! God has given us, His children, the spiritual weapons we need to WIN the battle. Weapons that are mighty through God to the pulling down of {spiritual} strongholds. 2Corinthians 10:3-5, “For though we walk in the flesh [as mortal men], we are not carrying on our [spiritual] warfare according to the flesh and using the weapons of man. 4 The weapons of our warfare are not physical [weapons of flesh and blood]. Our weapons are divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. 5 We are destroying sophisticated arguments and every exalted and proud thing that sets itself up against the [true] knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought and purpose captive to the obedience of Christ.”
Ephesians Chapter 6 describes the sevenfold armor that God has given us to stand in faith against the devil until we have the victory. The helmet of salvation, the breastplate of righteousness, the belt of truth, the Gospel shoes of peace, the sword of the Spirit (which is the Word of God), the shield of faith to quench the fiery darts of the devil and praying in the Spirit.
Why do we need these weapons? All you need to do is look at what is happening to our economy, in governments around the world. We face tremendous employment uncertainties, terrorism, wars, and natural disasters. We are facing difficult times! God’s armor equips you to move forward in total victory during these difficult times.
Sowing into the Kingdom of God, with our seeds of love, time, prayers, monies, skills, smiles, words of encouragement, or whatever we have to give. Our seed sowing can bring us a harvest in areas where we can’t grow a harvest without God’s help. When we give to the work of God, we will be blessed. His Word tells us this. Luke 6:38 says, “Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.” Malachi 3:10 says, “Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.” Planting into God’s Kingdom and being obedient to Him guarantees that we will receive a harvest.
What is your plan for success for the year 2023? Are you building on the WORDS OF GOD? Have you made plans with God’s help? Will you have a godlier attitude this year? How do you plan to grow spiritually? If we do not have a godly plan, we can be troubled and destroyed by the devil.
Now, this is absolute, in order to receive the blessings of the Lord, it requires OBEDIENCE. Whatever God’s Word says for you to do in order to get blessed, do it. God’s blessings are conditional upon your Faith and Obedience.
Another foundation principle to build upon, The Do Not give up attitude. I will wait upon God.
We get so impatient. God does not operate on man’s time schedule. God is time. God created time. God has said it and I will stand upon His Word.
We may feel worried, depressed, stressed and fearful right now because of the economy, our jobs, our businesses, our health, or something else in our lives. But God can and will deliver us if we put our total trust in Him.
I pray that all of us (God’s People) will build a foundation in the Lord, and sow seeds into His Work. I want you to receive God’s best.
Write to me, call me, or e-mail me, with your prayer needs. As we agree together in faith, Miracles will happen. We will shout and thank God together for your blessing.
I need your help in order to carry on the work that God has commissioned me to do. Pray and ask God whether you should support this ministry. Pray and ask God how much to give. Be obedient to whatever God tells you to do.
Let us pray. “Father God, we thank you for the New Year. We pray that your blessings will overtake all of us. Let us remember to seek first your Kingdom and your righteousness, so that the things we need will be given unto us in great measure. Lord give us monies, health, peace, joy and love. Father God, remind us to walk by faith daily and to use your power over the devil. Help us to abide by a spiritual commitment to love you and serve you with all of our heart, soul, and strength. We give you thanks and praise! We pray in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen!”
Praying For God’s Abundance In Your Life,
Pastor Thomas Oglesby
Pastor Thomas Oglesby
