PASTOR JOHN COLLINS DAILY THOUGHTS: I'M FINE

"It's okay.  Really."

We tend to brush off people who truly are concerned with how we "are".  We don't talk as family, preferring to stare at screens in front of our faces.  Too many times avoiding issues leads to hurt and anger.  It's time to learn honesty and transparency, beginning with the ones we love most~Pastor John Collins, John Collins Ministries.

From John Collins Ministries:

“I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” Galatians 2:20 (NKJV).

‘What’s wrong?’, ‘Nothing.’, ‘How are you?’, ‘I’m fine.’ 

How many times have these questions and answers been given in your life? How many unsaid issues get brushed aside, pushed down and built up? How many avoidances have you given or received? Why is it so hard to express what is going on inside? Our children don’t talk, we don’t talk, everyone avoids the real issues and ignores what is really going on. Is it any wonder why there are so many therapists out there? When did it become necessary to talk to strangers in order to express the truth? Why can’t we be honest with our loved ones? When did they become the enemy, the judge, the jury and the executioner? Is that how we feel about them, as if they couldn’t handle the truth of our souls?

Honesty has been buried in a wave of ‘I’m fines.’ Small issues and hurt feelings become grudges and hate. This world is turning on itself one person at a time, one family at a time, one neighborhood at a time, one city at a time, and one country at a time. Everyone is at war. No one wants to be honest and no one wants to find a solution and our reality has become a shell game of existence of hiding one part of our lives from the other. Where is the transparency of life, the simplicity of truth and the willingness to share all of who you are with the ones you supposedly love?

Avoidance breeds distrust and distrust breeds suspicion and suspicion breeds assumptions and the process undermines love and relationships are lost in the desire to avoid confrontation which leads to an explosion of emotion and words said that cannot be taken back and actions that follow that cannot be taken back when honesty and a willingness to listen and really hear what is being said can resolve so many issues in the first place.

Jesus taught us to listen with our hearts as He does and as God does. You would be surprised how many times your heart would have you forgive someone and your mind stirs up hate over and over again, how your heart would have you take time to help someone in need but your mind spreads fear and you give that instead, how many times your heart would have you humbled and apologize but your mind demands that you are right and deserve that apology instead, that your heart would have you reaching out for help but your mind isolates you into a world of despair.

Become more Christ-like today and begin to listen to your heart instead of your mind.

“Finally, brethren, farewell. Become complete. Be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.” 2 Corinthians 13:11 (NKJV).

LOVE THAT CROSS, PASTOR JOHN COLLINS

Pastor John Collins and John Collins Ministries are determined to change the face of Christianity and redeem the truth of the Gospel and the word of God. 

You can hear Pastor John Collins broadcast on AM and FM stations across the USA.  John Collins Ministries has a Youtube channel that posts regular podcasts of Pastor Collins.  John Collins Ministries has a channel on Blogtalk radio.  This country needs to hear the truth of God and Jesus. This world needs to hear and understand what the rules are in order to get to heaven.  They aren’t preached and they aren’t taught, and it’s time for people to hear to hear that truth.  Pastor John Collins and John Collins Ministries is bringing that message with passion and fervor.  Take the time to listen.  If you want to reach Pastor John Collins, contact him for preaching, prayer, revival, guest speaking at jcollinsministries@gmail.com. We need to get it right.

PASTOR JOHN COLLINS THOUGHT OF THE DAY: SEASONS

The helper and the helped.....

We are not meant to walk through this life alone.  “No man is an island” is truth.  Learning to accept and receive help and kindness is a life-long long process.

Pastor John Collins of John Collins Ministries says “Do not let your pride deny others of their opportunity to serve God by helping you. Do not lean too heavily in either direction so that you do not become a burden nor defensive…. This is true for all aspects of our lives. We will go through situations in our lives that will bring us low and sting our pride. We will go through times of being lifted up that will challenge our egos and tempt our pride. Both sides of this coin is needed to test our faith and teach us the ways of God. We must be able to become humble. It is not worth it to hang on to your ego or to cling to your stubborn pride. Be done with it and let it go because it will never serve you well. In order to enter the kingdom of heaven we must allow God to stomp our pride in the dirt. Be willing to welcome that huge piece of humble pie” (April, 2018).

By Pastor John Collins:

“Thus says the Lord: ‘Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, Let not the mighty man glory in his might, Nor let the rich man glory in his riches; But let him who glories glory in this, That he understands and knows Me, That I am the Lord, excercising lovingkindness, judgment and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight,’ says the Lord.” Jeremiah 9:23-24 (NKJV).

“Let not mercy and truth forsake you; Bind them around your neck, Write them on the tablet of your heart, And so find favor and high esteem in the sight of God and man.” Proverbs 3:3-4 (NKJV).

A kind person with a kind heart will do kind things for others. Mercy and compassion will drive a person to be considerate of others and to take the time to help others out. Thoughtfulness comes in so many different ways. It can be helping out a friend to move, getting groceries for an elderly neighbor, helping someone change a tire, giving a few dollars to the homeless or it could be taking the time to hear out your son or daughter which will give them the confidence in your relationship to learn to act with maturity and transparency.

Jesus has said that we should love one another. He gave us perfect examples for doing so. What happens when we deny another the opportunity to help us when it is our time? Our pride can stand in the way of our path to heaven. To everything there is a season and time. As we go through life, we will not always be in a position of helping others. We will come to a time or times in our lives when we should be accepting the help of others. You see, this is important in our faith. God will bring people into our lives that will further the faith of both parties. Sometimes you are the helper and sometimes you are the helped.

Each of us cannot stand alone. We were never meant to. It is a give and take in this life. We need to learn to be compassionate and kind as well as learn to be accepting of that same compassion and kindness when we need to. Our bodies are deteriorating all of the time. You cannot expect a 70 year old woman to move her household furniture by herself. She has passed the age of being able to do so. The Levites that took care of the tabernacle did so from the ages of 30-50 years. Their strength was greatest during these years and their service was limited to that time. There are seasons in all of our lives of physical strength and those seasons do pass. Do not let your pride deny others of their opportunity to serve God by helping you. Do not lean too heavily in either direction so that you do not become a burden nor defensive.

This is true for all aspects of our lives. We will go through situations in our lives that will bring us low and sting our pride. We will go through times of being lifted up that will challenge our egos and tempt our pride. Both sides of this coin is needed to test our faith and teach us the ways of God. We must be able to become humble. It is not worth it to hang on to your ego or to cling to your stubborn pride. Be done with it and let it go because it will never serve you well. In order to enter the kingdom of heaven we must allow God to stomp our pride in the dirt. Be willing to welcome that huge piece of humble pie. Gobble it up and ask for more!

“For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.” Romans 12:3 (NKJV).

Love That Cross, Pastor John Collins

Pastor John Collins is an American evangelist.  Over the course of more than a decade, he has spread the word of God and the Gospel of Jesus Christ through revival.  He can be heard Sundays at 10 am and 6 pm on Heaven’s Country Radio at www.heavenscountry.com and across the United States on AM and FM stations. Pastor John Collins is determined to change the face of Christianity one church at a time, one person at a time.

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.