PASTOR JOHN COLLINS, JOHN COLLINS MINISTRIES: I CAN'T

I can't

From John Collins Ministries:

Following the resurrection of Jesus, Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord and He appeared unto them later that evening. Thomas was not with them at this appearing and when the other disciples told Thomas of seeing Jesus, he said, “Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.” John 20:25 (NKJV).

Thomas was given the opportunity to do so and when he had, he said to Him, “My Lord and my God!” John 20:28

Thomas walked with Jesus, saw the miracles and knew the power of God. He knew that Jesus would be resurrected and had been told many things prior to them happening. And yet, he doubted. He faltered in the strength of his belief. That did not stop Jesus from wanting him to be an apostle. Jesus always knew who would struggle with what. Jesus knew that Thomas would doubt and Jesus knows that each of us has within us weaknesses in our faith.

There are times when doubt will creep in and erode away at the confidence you feel. There are times when doubt may frustrate you and pull you away from your devotion to God. There are times when you may feel lost and empty, unable to hold on to your faith and hope, wanting the proof of the print of the nails. That doubt is where Satan attacks us the most, in our minds. We must be aware of the enemy and fight the good fight to stay in faith.

At those times of questions and avoidance you must ask yourself what matters to you. You must choose to seek what you hold on to and grab on with all you have got. All that is in this world is passing and what we have is only temporary. The truth of our souls is eternal and is encompassed in our Lord Jesus Christ. He is the source of daily confidence and our faith in Him is our true connection to each other.

Struggles and doubts are not unusual and Jesus knows our every fear. He will help you overcome and stand firm in your faith. Yet, you have to make the choice of what you think on, you have to make an effort to keep your mind on things above and not on things that will tear you away from believing in heaven and your day to day life that will lead you there.

Jesus said to him, “Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” John 20:29 (NKJV).

LOVE THAT CROSS, PASTOR JOHN COLLINS

PASTOR JOHN COLLINS, EVANGELIST: So you've sinned A LOT!!!

SO YOU THINK, "NO WAY"

From John Collins, Evangelist:

“This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.” 1 Timothy 1:15 (NKJV).

Okay, so you have sinned, A LOT!! At what point do you give up and believe that you are not savable? At what point do you believe that God would not forgive you, that only the devil will have you and that you are not worth saving anyway? This is more common than you may think. As many as justify their sin and take Jesus for granted, there are just as many who don’t bother to call on Jesus because deep down they don’t believe that they are worthy of walking the streets of heaven and living in eternal bliss.

Satan has done his work well. He has planted doubts and he has spread so many lies that many have come to believe that they are truth. God is not a cruel dictator in the sky and Jesus wants to forgive you and died for you before you even knew that you needed Him. God is merciful and compassionate and has forgiven the murderer in David, the whore in Solomon, the rebellion in Jonah, the persecutor of the church in Paul, the doubter in Thomas not to mention the sins in the twelve sons of Jacob and He is willing to forgive your sins too.

God is waiting for you to recognize your worth to Him and for you to honor that worth by believing in Him and His Son. The Christian must believe that they are worthy of forgiveness and work to submit to the will of God and to obey the commandments of Christ. It is important that your hope be true and your commitment to living the gospel be complete. You are not supposed to live in sin and just not care and you are not meant to give up on yourself because God does not want to give up on you.

You matter and the proof that you matter was given on the cross while Jesus gave His last breath for you. The Lord says that you matter so do not give up on you and do not give in to the devil.

“Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.”  Philippians 2:12-13 (NKJV).

LOVE THAT CROSS, PASTOR JOHN