MIND OF CHRIST MINISTRIES, INC.
PASTOR THOMAS E. OGLESBY
P.O. BOX 85
NUTLEY, NEW JERSEY 071110
Website Address: mindofchristministries.net
E-mail:mindofchrist@verizon.net
Phone Number 973-818-2750
August 2020
“Remembering Who You Are”
Dear Believer(s):
Let us pray; “Dear God who created everything and who allowed man to be born. We thank You God that Your love still remains the same. Heavenly Father, we thank You for sharing and pouring Your love into us. Without Your love we are nothing. But with Your love we can be all, and do all that You would have us to do. Your love allows us to be like You. Your love manifesting in us enables us to love You, love ourselves, and love others. Your love removes fear and gives us the power to overcome all unrighteousness, and to defeat the works of the devil. It is Your love that enables us to receive the bountiful blessings that You have for us. Your love will give us the victory in the dark hours and many uncertainties in the days that we are now facing. Thank You God for Your unceasing and never changing love. We pray this prayer in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen!”
In remembering who we are, we must not forget that we were created in the image of God. “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.” (Genesis 1:26) Genesis 1:27 says, “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.” Genesis 2:7 says “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.”
When Adam and Eve fell into sin in the Garden of Eden, man elevated his soul over his spirit, and the spirit of man became subdued by his soulish realm (mind, will, emotions, and intellect). As a result, mankind lost the spiritual connection with God.
God had a plan to bring His people back to Him. God had Jesus to come as the Savior of the world. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)
“Since Adam sinned, all men have been born in sin and “shapen in iniquity” (Psalm 51:5). But because of Jesus Christ’s birth, crucifixion, and resurrection we are able to have a renewed spiritual relationship with God. We can have this relationship with God by receiving Jesus as our Savior. When we receive Jesus as our Savior, we are born-again by the Holy Spirit, our spirits become fully alive to God as He originally intended for them to be.
In the (Third Chapter of John), Jesus is explaining to Nicodemus about being born again. “Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born? Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.”(John 3:3-6)
When we accept Jesus as our Savior, the Spirit of God comes and resides in us. The Bible tells us in Romans 8:16 says, “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God.”
On the day we receive Jesus the Holy Spirit comes into our lives. You may or may not have allowed Him to speak through you. You may or may not have spoken in tongues, which is our right and privilege as a born-again Christian. But there is no way you can get saved unless the Holy Spirit bears witness with our spirits that we are children of God.”
Remembering who we are! We are Christ filled individuals. The power of God lives in us. We have power over the works of the devil. God does not want His children to be helpless against the attacks of the devil. God does not want His children to be defeated by trials, trouble or problems. God’s love for His children is immeasurable. Nothing or no one can defeat or destroy a child of God filled with the Holy Spirit.
Jesus did not start His earthly ministry without the Holy Spirit. The Disciples did not start their great work for God without the Holy Spirit. Acts 1:8 says, “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” In Luke 24:49 Jesus said, “And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.”
We as God’s disciples need the Holy Spirit operating in our lives to be able to witness for God and perform the work that He has for us to accomplish. In John 14:16-18 Jesus said, “I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper [or another Comforter],” who is He talking about here? He’s talking about the Holy Spirit. Then He continues, “that he may abide with you forever-the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans [or, I will not leave you comfortless]; I will come [again] to you.” It may seem what Jesus was saying is contradicting Himself. He said, “I am leaving, but I will come again.” However, you see, when He left this earth, it was in His limited human form; but when He returned it was in His unlimited form as the Holy Spirit.
As Christians, we have the Holy Spirit in us. Let me be very clear every Christian, every person who has received Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior has the Holy Spirit. Once again, we receive the Holy Spirit when we get saved. He’s the One who came in and bore witness with our spirits we were children of God. Romans 8:16 says, “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God.”
There is no way you can get saved unless the Holy Spirit bears witness with your spirit that you are a child of God! Thank God that we have the Spirit of Jesus living in us.
As born again Christians we have power over all the forces of darkness. We have power over the works of the devil. (1John 3:8)
Because of the coronavirus pandemic, and the many other uncertainties that our nation faces, there is a spirit of tormenting fear that has covered our country. But if we remember who we are we should not fear the past, present or the future. Why? 2Timothy 1:7 says, “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” The devil wants to rob us of our faith by paralyzing us with fear.
Remembering who we are as Christians and using the power that God has given us leads to total victory in Him. Let’s look at who we are by seeing what the Bible says. 1John 4:4, “Greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.” Greater is the power of God in us than the power of the devil that’s in the world. “No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper.” (Isaiah 54:17) Luke 10:19 states “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.”
I pray that we will remember who we are in Christ and the power that we have to live a successful spirit filled life.
Finally, let me share one other scripture. Isaiah 41:10-13 tells us, “Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. Behold, all they that were incensed against thee shall be ashamed and confounded: they shall be as nothing; and they that strive with thee shall perish. Thou shalt seek them, and shalt not find them, even them that contended with thee: they that war against thee shall be as nothing, and as a thing of nought. For I the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee.”
Thank you for your financial support. Please pray and ask God if you should support this ministry. Be obedient to what the Lord tells you to do. Thank you.
With God’s Love,
Thomas Oglesby
Pastor Thomas Oglesby
