PASTOR JOHN COLLINS THOUGHT OF THE DAY: TOUGH LOVE

 Pastor John Collins writes:

“Cursed be the day in which I was born! Let the day not be blessed in which my mother bore me!” Jeremiah 20:14 (NKJV).

Who has not felt despair pulling on their world that seems to outweigh any hope that may exist? This life is full of ugly truths and disappointing days that will rip your heart out if you let it. There are valleys and shadows of a darkness that is uncompromising. People who find themselves at low points may turn to substances, whether prescription or illegal or over the counter in order to dull their pain and put off the agony of reality. It is at these low times when you feel as though you have nothing to hang on to, nothing to live for and nothing to pull you out of the darkness that faith is most important. For some, it is these dark spaces that create faith and for others it is the place that creates the doubt that challenges one’s faith. Sometimes it is hard to hold on to what you cannot see.

The human spirit is amazingly resilient. We are tougher than we realize. The truth is that there will come a time or many times in a person’s life that will leave you low and wanting to curse not only the world but your place in it. We are created with a great capacity to feel great emotions both high and low and we are capable of great compassion for each other and need to find the ability to have compassion for ourselves, not in any superficial or selfish way but in a way that allows us to let God into our hearts in order to be healed by Him. We need to choose to not allow pain to overwhelm us when we will be confronted with pain every day, whether or not that pain is our own personally or collectively. You see, when there is hurt in this world we need to make an even greater effort to love more. The more that we can genuinely love, beginning with loving God, who in turn allows us to love ourselves, not selfishly but with compassion and the ability to forgive ourselves so that we don’t go on punishing ourselves for past mistakes, bad choices or tragedies that we internalize and take on guilt for and that allows us to be able to love others with sincerity and truth. We have to be able to see the big picture as well as the little picture at the same time. Not only do we need to realize that God does have a plan and that He has not forgotten us nor forsaken us but know your life matters, what you do and who you love matters and that love needs to allow for forgiveness, acceptance and hope to shine through the darkness.

If you have not experienced pain of the soul that sucks the breath right out of you then you have not lived. If you have not stood back and felt awe for the world we live in then you have not awakened to the truth of God. The entire human experience will bring both despair and joy beyond imagination and knowing both allows you to be a better person and a person of compassion and truth. God is good and will not leave you alone. Do not grow bitter for having known the darkness because without it you could not appreciate the light.

“Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassion's fail not. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. ‘The Lord is my portion,’ says my soul, therefore I hope in Him!’” Lamentations 3:22-24 (NKJV).

LOVE THAT CROSS PASTOR JOHN COLLINS

PASTOR JOHN COLLINS, DAILY THOUGHTS: GOD IS CALLING.....

.....DO YOU HEAR HIM ~ PASTOR JOHN COLLINS

“Look to Me, and be saved, All you ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other.”  Isaiah 45:22 (NKJV).

“Come now, and let us reason together,” says the Lord, though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” Isaiah 1:18 (NKJV).

God is calling you.  Will you answer?  God wants His people to wake up and pay attention.  There is nothing that any person has done that cannot be forgiven.  There is not a person that is unable to be saved for the price has been paid, but there are many who are unwilling to believe and claim the prize.  Unfortunately, there are many who think that they have already claimed it and have never truly understood the value.  How is it possible that a person who genuinely knows the gift that has been given can go into a church on Sunday morning and greet and meet with fellow believers, drop a twenty on the offering plate and by the time that they pull into the driveway of their house be back to living and sinning with abandon?  It happens, too often.  We all know it and that is why there is so many who just see Christians as hypocrites and judgmental fools.

Repent!  For the kingdom of God is at hand.  How is it possible to repent if you don’t have any conviction in your soul for the sins that you have committed?  How is it possible to come back to God if you think that you are already there, that you have never left or that your efforts are good enough?  Whose standards do you live by?  Don’t you know that the human heart is desperately wicked and deceitful above all things?  How does that work, exactly?  Well, we fool ourselves and most of all we justify ourselves.  We have determined what is right and wrong in our own eyes and we have stopped living according to God’s standards as a people.  We look left and we look right and then we look in the mirror knowing that the best way to feel good about doing something that is wrong is to get another to join you and if that doesn’t work then find a reason for your desires whether that is a hurt, a reward or someone else’s fault.  Honesty comes at a price and belonging to God comes a price as well.  Salvation is free and offered to one and all but you have to choose to accept and that acceptance has a price.  You have to agree with God to want to obey God and you have to obey God in order to claim salvation.  You cannot just live your life according to your own moral code and your own rules and redeem your ticket to heaven.

God wants people in heaven who want to be in heaven.  God wants people to live in love and peace in the kingdom that He created that hold dear the things that He holds dear.

God cherishes goodness, love, charity, kindness, meekness and sacrifice.  God really loves sacrifice but you must know that sacrifice is not a sacrifice unless you willingly give up something that you hold dear or once held dear.  Where your heart is, there also is your treasure.  Do you value your desires and pleasures more than you value God?  Most people want what they want in life.  In order to claim the prize you must decide if you truly want it and if you do, then you need to learn what God values and what God views as righteous behavior and seek to value those things and do what is right in His eyes and then you can receive all of the promises.  It is easier than many think and there is nothing that would prevent anyone from claiming salvation.

God is willing, are you?

“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, and whose hope is the Lord.”  Jeremiah 17:7 (NKJV).

PASTOR JOHN COLLINS, BELIEVE THAT

Pastor John Collins is redeeming the Gospel through John Collins Ministries and Love That Cross.  He can be heard Sundays at 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. with Marty Smith on Heaven's Country Radio at www.heavenscountry.com.  He is available for guest speaking, revival, prayer, ministry or to simply talk and can be reached through his personal email at jc65777@yahoo.com.

Pastor John Collins, Daily Thoughts: Strong Faith

Pastor John Collins: 

Faith is believing without seeing, acting on belief without being able to put your eyes or hands on something viable.  Faith in God and belief in the words of the Bible and the stories within it are difficult because the world that we live in screams at us that it can’t possibly be truth, that there is no evidence.  There is evidence available to us every day, in the survival of trauma victims, in the healing of wounds, in the birth of a child, in receiving something that was needed but not know how it could possibly happen.  We don’t recognize the evidence now, any more than those people who have lived before us thousands of years ago.

Pastor John Collins, evangelist and head pastor of Love That Cross Ministries, has brought revival through his sermons and preaching around the country for many years.  His style of preaching makes the Word of God and the life of Jesus and His offer of hope and salvation simple to understand for us all.

Pastor John Collins brings us encouragement that God is not done with us, that He is very real, Jesus is very much alive and among us, and that there is Hope waiting for this world on His time.  Pastor John Collins says God wants the opportunity for all of his children, all of humanity, to know our God, to know our salvation, to know our Savior, Jesus Christ.  He wants us to know that we all have value.  That Hope will come, and the world will have the opportunity to understand true faith, not what man has created over the millennia to fill in the questions and blanks that each generation has struggled with from the beginning.

“God has created, given, blessed and warned us so many times and yet we get in our own way. Our pride keeps us from truly answering the call of God. There are divisions of belief and there are so many groupings of people who have decided that their way is the only way, their way is the best way and they live in that rigidity to their downfall” ~ Pastor John Collins.

Pastor John Collins writes:

“Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.  But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.  But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.” Matthew 24:35-37 (NKJV).

God is not done with us and our story as the people who were chosen to live on this planet is not over. What have we done, as a people, with the blessings and truth that has been provided for us? God has created, given, blessed and warned us so many times and yet we get in our own way. Our pride keeps us from truly answering the call of God. There are divisions of belief and there are so many groupings of people who have decided that their way is the only way, their way is the best way and they live in that rigidity to their downfall.

It is difficult when you cannot convince someone of the truth and simplicity of Jesus Christ. It is difficult when you look around and see so much misguided faith that came from so long ago and it is so ingrained in cultures that there seems to be no getting through. Faith in the work that was done on the cross is fading and faith in God Himself is fading in this world. That is why God is not done and that is why God will bring further revelations. God will step in and it will be up to this world whether they want to believe or not, whether they want to respond or not. It is time to wake up and to get right with God. It is time to acknowledge that this world is broken, Christianity is broken and we must have compassion for those who do not believe and may have different beliefs but our compassion for the souls of others must not include compromising our own faith. You must stand in your faith and know your truth. These are frustrating times because the shouts of the world are getting louder and many people who do not hold to what a Christian believes are demanding compromise and inclusivism which is denying the commandments of God. We must be willing to stand firm in our faith and to not waiver in our commitment to our obedience to God.

The day will come when your faith will be rewarded. Jesus said it would be tough because if the world hated Him for no reason then it was sure to hate His followers. We are not to repay evil with evil but to overcome evil with good. It is enough that you trust in the truth of the Holy Bible, the truth of God, and the truth of Jesus Christ. Do not be fooled into believing that all paths lead to heaven and take the time to know the scriptures and be comforted in the fact that God will not leave this world in the condition that it is currently in because He cares for His people and He knows His own. Be still and know that He is God and take the time to pray to Him, thank Him for all that you have, and make known to Him how much you love Him.

“The Lord is exalted, for He dwells on high; He has filled Zion with justice and righteousness. Wisdom and knowledge will be the stability of your times, and the strength of salvation; the fear of the Lord is His treasure.” Isaiah 33:5-6 (NKJV).

LOVE THAT CROSS, PASTOR JOHN COLLINS

Pastor John Collins has preached salvation and hope through his revivals for many years.  Links to excerpts and recordings of radio clips, interviews, sermons, printed material, and other media can be found throughout this post.

PASTOR JOHN COLLINS DAILY THOUGHTS: NEED VS WANT

Pastor John Collins writes:

“Then Jesus said to His disciples, ‘Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.  And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.’”  Matthew 19:23-24 (NKJV).

How much money does it take for a person to be considered rich?  How big does their home need to be?  How much does their car need to cost?  And how much clothes and how many pairs of shoes does a person need to own in order to be considered rich?  What about computers, cell phones and other pricey conveniences of today, are these considered when thinking about wealth? 

We live in a world that has created generations of entitled, demanding and unsatisfied people.  Does anyone even know the difference between what we want and what we need today?  You may want a new car, a big house, plenty of changes of clothes and shoes as well as a phone and all the toys that are available today.  You may want to eat filet mignon and drink fancy coffee in the morning but do you need it?

 Do you need closets full of clothes?  Do you ever think about the huge difference between your wants and your needs?  Take a minute to look around you and ask yourself if you even need what you already have and then ask yourself if you are wanting more.

God will provide what you need.  God will test you to see if you can be content with those needs being met.  In a world of excess it is necessary to stop for a moment and find some Godly perspective.  We have been raised to believe that more is more and that more will make us happier people.  It is also a misunderstanding to believe that our existence is a pursuit of happiness.  That is just not true.

 Genuine happiness comes from living a life that is of service to our Lord which will result in entry to heaven which is where the true prize awaits your soul.  The goal is to make it home to heaven and the only way to meet that goal is to become Christ-like and serve God with submission and joy.  Life is full of bonuses and huge rewards but having a lot of stuff is not one of them.  Some people do have great wealth in this life and believe me that is a test of its own.  Learn to be content with your needs being met and learn to be a great servant.  This will produce a life that is truly rich and will leave you satisfied and at peace.

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth, nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”  Matthew 6:19-21  (NKJV).

PASTOR JOHN COLLINS, LOVE THAT CROSS

PASTOR JOHN COLLINS, DAILY THOUGHTS: GOD IS......

....MERCIFUL, KIND, FAITHFUL, JUST~PASTOR JOHN COLLINS

“Now a certain ruler asked Him, saying, ‘Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?’ So, Jesus said to him, ‘Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God’” Luke 18:18-19 (NKJV).

God is not only good, but great! God is just fabulous. God is faithful and true, merciful and kind, righteous and just and He loves you. God does want the best for you but He also wants you to learn to want what is best for you and that is not by your standards or the standards of the world but by His standards.

God does know what you need and I am not talking about material things. God knows what you need to assure that your soul is saved. It takes more than just a casual ‘belief’ that Jesus died on the Cross for you in order for you to obtain salvation and entry into heaven. It takes a true faith in Jesus and that faith will produce a belief in His sacrifice that is so strong that it will lead you into obedience to His will.

God will test you and you will go through tough times that will challenge your faith and belief. You will be put in situations that will give you different opportunities and the choices that you make are what adds up to a lifetime of testimony and what will ultimately be the fight of your life. Free will demands that you choose the paths of your life and each day will present itself with different choices. Are you loyal to God? Are you considering God when you make your choices and are you taking your salvation into consideration as you live your life?

Some people may think that God is absent from their lives, or that God has let them down. God is there and God is watching, waiting, and giving you the freedom to choose Him or not. God knows that the hardest lessons in life are the ones that we learn the best. Do your best to limit your frustrations in life by taking a moment to remember that life is short and what we do here matters. Remember that most of what seems overwhelming today may be forgotten a year from now. Trust that in the good times and in the bad times, God is there and has your best interests at heart. God wants you to learn to do what is right but more importantly, God wants you to want to do what is right.

God is amazing and is so beautiful and strong and capable. You can trust God and you can rely on God and know that He won’t let you down even if you may be struggling to deal with tough times in your life there is hope because God loves you. God knows what is right and good and will not let you down. Trust in Him, obey Him and believe in His Son and salvation is yours.

“The Lord bless you and keep you;

The Lord make His face shine upon you,

And be gracious to you;

The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,

And give you peace.” Numbers 6:24-26” (NKJV).

LOVE THAT CROSS!! PASTOR JOHN COLLINS

PASTOR JOHN COLLINS, DAILY THOUGHTS: LOOK INSIDE

Pastor John Collins: Your own light

“And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.  Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.’ Amen.” Matthew 28:18-20 (NKJV).

There are many Christians who feel compelled to go out into the world and bring the salvation of Jesus to the ‘lost’. There are many ‘Christians’ who sit in silent judgement with condemnation in their hearts for those who are not Christian. There are many churches who preach that their church is the only way to heaven. There are many who need to stop and look in the mirror before they condemn those that have yet to come to the foot of the cross of Jesus Christ.

There are a bunch of self-righteous people in this world and many of them call themselves Christians. The first thing that a true Christian needs to be able to do is to look within themselves and see all of the ugly that they are carrying around and to look to the King of Kings so that they can clean it up and become followers of Jesus.

Just because someone is not a Christian today does not mean that they will not seek salvation prior to their death. Don’t go rushing off to another country in order to save those of another religion because you think that you are meant to do so. Make sure that your own salvation is sure and make sure that your own life is lit up as a beacon to those you encounter before you go thinking that you hold the key to another’s salvation. God is more than capable of bringing the truth into a person’s life so that they can make the choice of whether to believe in His Son or not. God is more than willing to offer salvation and healing to this world and will provide revelation to His people in His own time.

There have been too many churches and too many people that have abused the calling of Jesus in order to condemn others, in order to control others and in order to gain power and prestige. Keep things simple in your life and be committed to getting right with God yourself and living a life that shines for Jesus and don’t allow your heart to be filled with condemnation for others nor filled with your own superiority and imagined righteousness.

“Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” Matthew 24:44 (NKJV).

LOVE THAT CROSS, PASTOR JOHN, BELIEVE THAT

PASTOR JOHN COLLINS DAILY THOUGHTS: MARRIAGE AND DIVORCE

PASTOR JOHN COLLINS: TEAMWORK

What does it take to make a marriage last? “About 40% to 50% of married couples in the United States divorce, according to the American Psychological Association. The divorce rate among those who remarry is even higher” (Harrington and Buckingham, 24/7 Wall Street, Feb. 2, 2018). 

Commitment to a partner is meant to be something special that God created for us, but our society and our lack of faith and the change in values of the course of decades has made marriage in the United States a statistic of 50-50% chance of lasting a lifetime.  Sins of the heart that the apostle Paul speaks of destroy marriages.  On top of that, long term relationships are developed without the commitment of marriage-living together is just as common as marriage when four generations ago, this would not even have been considered.  Our lack of faith in God and our denial of His word have turned us into a society of broken relationships, broken hearts, and broken families.  What makes a marriage last?  It takes faith and God understanding, commitment and teamwork according to Pastor John Collins, evangelist.

Pastor John Collins has given several sermons on the relationships between men and women as it is supposed to be, referring to living our lives as it says in the Holy Bible.  The Bible is a blue print for everything in life, and Pastor John Collins encourages us to get back into the Bible, to read it not just for a verse, but to read it and ask for guidance to understand what it says.  God reveals the truth of the scriptures as we need it, all we have to do is ask, says Pastor Collins.

“Love and marriage are meant to be a commitment. You are supposed to be a team and you are meant to work together through the bad and the good. Too often long term goals and world viewpoints are not discussed before any commitment takes place, with or without any marriage license. When a couple chooses to take on life together, they need to make the effort to stay resolute in their fidelity to each other and to find the character within themselves to see it through. Marriage is more than lust and passion is not a reason for marriage, for without the faith to see it through, to be on your spouse’s team against all odds, you will find your marriage failing and you will find yourself divorced.” (Pastor John Collins, March 2018).

Pastor John Collins is an evangelist and the head pastor of Love That Cross Ministries and John Collins Ministries.  For the past decade, Pastor John Collins has been traveling across the United States spreading revival of faith and hope and redeeming the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Pastor John Collins is an enthusiastic speaker.  Pastor Collins’ presentation of the Holy Bible and what it represents tells it and teaches it as it was done over 2000 years ago.  Pastor John Collins openly admits that he loves God and he style is like old time tent revival style preaching.  What Pastor Collins preaches on any Sunday reaches every emotion, and keeps you thinking about it Monday through Sunday. 

Pastor John Collins writes:

“But from the beginning of the creation, God ‘made them male and female. For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh, so then they are no longer two, but one flesh.’” Mark 10: 6-8 (NKJV).

Divorces are now the norm and multiple marriages with blended families are finding their way through the complications of upheaval. Commitment from the very beginning and the willingness to see it through to the end in relationships is definitely on the decline. What makes people want to end marriages and begin again? Many times, lust is mistaken for love and allows people to justify changing spouses and too often these changes come without the benefits of marriage to begin with. Too many marriages are based on lust and not on love. People want to be romanced and to have their lives filled with heightened passion that is full of excitement and delight. Too many times adultery is the result of seeking this excitement and too often a spouse is discarded because someone fell out of love.

Love and marriage are meant to be a commitment. You are supposed to be a team and you are meant to work together through the bad and the good. Too often long term goals and world viewpoints are not discussed before any commitment takes place, with or without any marriage license. When a couple chooses to take on life together, they need to make the effort to stay resolute in their fidelity to each other and to find the character within themselves to see it through. Marriage is more than lust and passion is not a reason for marriage, for without the faith to see it through, to be on your spouse’s team against all odds, you will find your marriage failing and you will find yourself divorced. Any passion that is stolen with another or any relationship that is created to avoid the obligations of home are going to leave a thirst inside of you and is indeed sin that will taint your soul. Faith and honor matter and marriage matters to God, for He gave it as a gift to you. It takes courage to stay committed and to stay faithful in this fallen and wanton world that we live in, but in the end it is worth it.

Do not let your flesh determine your steadfastness because the heart is desperately wicked and will deceive you into thinking that love is guiding you, when it is not. Choose a partner that is faithful, willing to go the extra mile and is committed to living as your teammate. If you find that your marriage is struggling then do a heart-check and find a way, through prayer and the word of God, to see what is motivating any distance between you and your spouse. A marriage takes work and a marriage is more than passion, romance and excitement. Your spouse is meant to be your biggest helpmate and together you are meant to stand strong against an evil world.

“Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.” Mark 10:9 (NKJV).

LOVE THAT CROSS PASTOR JOHN COLLINS

Self-examination of your relationship is necessary to make it last.  In all things, turn to God to guide you.

Pastor John Collins can be heard Sunday mornings at 1000 a.m. on Heaven’s Country radio with Marty Smith, through live streaming at www.heavenscountry.com. Pastor John Collins is very charismatic and does not expect you to open a Bible to a specific verse and read along with him.  He preaches with enthusiasm and vigor, and looks to make listens think and feel the word of God.  Other recordings, interviews, media, YouTube, radio broadcasts and blogs related to Pastor John Collins can be accessed by clicking on the links within the post.  If you wish to speak to Pastor John Collins for prayer, ministering, or to arrange for guest speaking or preaching, you can reach Pastor Collins at jc65777@yahoo.com. 

Absolutely hands down, Pastor John Collins is in it to win it for God.  Believe that.