24 October 2016
Break the Chains
of leaving what is known or certain and passing or shifting into the uncertain. Change requires leaving the comfort, convenience and the seemingly certainty of the present. It is no wonder that fear commonly grips those confronted by change. When one considers the creative genius of God, change can be seen as inevitable. The seasons change from fall to winter to spring to summer. In agriculture, there is seed time and harvest time. In a twenty-four-hour period, there is morning, afternoon and evening. According to Erikson, the human developmental stages are: Infant, Toddler, Preschooler, School-age, Adolescent, Young Adult and Old Adult.
By Pastor Ogletree Contributing Writer
I recently saw this post on Facebook.
Change is a normal part of life. The change that must be embraced for many is not change that is inevitable. The change that must overcome fear is the change that is indispensable in reaching one's destiny. The God who "changes not" often confronts us with a change essential to obtain His divinely desired destination for us. He did so with Abram in Genesis 12. God commanded him to leave his country, family and the house of his father and take a journey "to a land that I will show you." Mark Batterson said, "You are one decision away from a totally different life." The indispensable change toward des-
5 Things to Quit: 1.) Trying to please everyone; 2.) Fearing change; 3.) Living in the past; 4.) Putting yourself down; and 5.) Overthinking. All of these are worthy of consideration for moving into one's future successfully, but the focus this month is change. Moving from one state of existence to a different one can cause much consternation. It encompasses the thought
John D. Ogletree, Jr. is the Senior Pastor and Founder of First Metropolitan Church located at 8870 West Sam Houston Parkway N., Houston, TX 77040.
Victory in the Holy Spirit
R
tiny will always require one to make a decision. What decision is staring you in your face? Is it about your education, career, associations, relationships, attitude, thinking, habits or hang ups? Does the fear of change have you chained to the comfortable, convenient or certain? You are one decision away. One can only imagine the fear that gripped Abram when he faced the change. A decision had to be made to accept the change needed to reach his destiny. Fear could not be allowed to chain him to the present and you cannot either. Destiny is waiting. Abram broke the chain of fear and took the journey. Because he made the decision to change, he became the father to many nations. You can do likewise to reach your destiny. The time for change is now!
describing our intimacy in Christ. This intimacy is very enduring. It is so rich and indwelling, that he refers to our relationship with God as “Abba, Father.” Paul also refers to this in Galatians 4:6-7. “And because you are sons… your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!” Therefore you are … a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.” We are family! But not only a family, but a royal family with the rights and power entitled to all who are members. The Spirit gives us this testimony and reaffirms this fact within us!
By Art McElroy
Contributing Writer
Where is this victory? The end of Romans 8:17 tells us, “… that we may be glorified together!” This is the victory. Understand something. This victory did not start with the Holy Spirit. It was started in Jesus Christ.
1Corinthians 15:57 reads, “ B u t thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Question! What is this victory from? Sin and Death! Romans 8:2, “For the…Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from… sin and death.” Romans 6:22, “… having been set free from sin… you have your fruit to holiness, and…everlasting life.” This is our victory! This is our legacy! Because this is our legacy, we possess it 100% of the time as victory was given to us at the point of our salvation. Now let’s tie the foundation our sonship and relationship together to our victory! Look at 1 John 5:4-5, “For…this is the victory that has overcome the world—
omans 8:14-17 reads “For you did not receive the spirit of bondage…, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, ‘Abba, Father.’ The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ… that we may also be glorified together.” Paul is confirming the fact that the Holy Spirit resides within in each of us, making us sons or children of God. But to drive his point further, he didn’t stop at just children, but went on to call us heirs and joint heirs with Christ. Paul is
Experience Our World of Advertising, Marketing, Media and Communication
our faith. Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?” John is tying the victory that is ours to our faith. Even though we have received this victory through Christ, we still have to do our part, and our part is to believe. As a result, we realize that victory is not something that we move towards after a long hard fight as a possible prize. It is something that we already posses. Victory and faith are one and the same. But the problem lies in the fact that not all believers realize what our judicial or legal standings are in Christ. We are not exercising our rights! Victory through the Holy Spirit is a sure thing. It is something that when faced with certain obstacles, struggles or challenges, we must realize that the Holy Spirit has us in His victory through Christ, making us victorious right from the start. I am not saying that we will not be burdened with sorrow or pain as a result of challenges or situations, but we need to believe that as we go through them, Jesus Christ will see us through. This allows us to give him praises and thanksgiving all throughout whatever it is that God has us going through. You are kings! You are priests! You are heirs! You are victorious! Amen! Art McElroy is the founder of The Penuel Group, Inc. Please visit The Penuel Group on the web at www.thepenuelgroup.com You can also contact Art at art@ thepenuelgroup.com