PASTOR JOHN COLLINS: HEALING THE HEART

From Pastor John Collins:

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13 (NKJV).

Sometimes it may be difficult to get over wounds in your life. Sometimes you may not feel that you are valuable. Sometimes you grow up and have left over scars from the process that can lead to low self-worth, addictions, grudges, resentments and self-sabotaging behavior. It can be hard not to blame others and end up blaming yourself for all kinds of things that just lead to more pain. Sometimes it is just so hard to let go of past hurts and to find the optimism for the future and the joy for today. We all hurt and we all struggle. Faith in the Lord is what allows His love to come into our hearts and heal us. Knowing the value that Jesus places on us and the value that God places on us is where true love begins. It is important to know that you are loved without end and that God wants a relationship with you.

You are worth it. You are unique and you are strong. You are capable of overcoming and you are capable of forgiveness in your life. You are filled with the capacity to be kind and to share love greater than you have ever known. Jesus is there for you and He cares for you. Jesus walks with you and you do not need to feel unworthy, unloved or unwanted, ever. You may have been hurt in life, you probably experienced pain in childhood as well as doubt and fear and awkwardness but that is part of growing and maturing. Life is learning to accept human weakness and human failure, knowing that life is full of lessons. You will make mistakes and you will overcome and you can know that no matter what, Jesus is there for you. You matter. Your heart is capable of healing because you are loved.

“The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.” Philippians 4:23 (NKJV).

LOVE THAT CROSS PASTOR JOHN COLLINS

Read more about JOHN COLLINS MINISTRIES, or reach me, Pastor John, personally through John Collins Ministries at www.johncollinsministries.com.

PASTOR JOHN COLLINS: ABORTION

From John Collins, Evangelist:

“For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them.” Psalm 139:13-16 (NKJV).

Children are precious, each and every one of them. They are a gift from God as we were when we were created. You see, we are made in the image of God and that is not a fact to be taken lightly. Yet, not everyone values the life of a child. Many see it as a choice that is to be made. I want you to know that I am not one to judge but I am one to educate and that means speak the biblical truth so that understanding can come. This society has laws that permit abortion and between 1973 and 2011 there have been an estimated 53 million abortions performed in the US.

Now, there are many preachers and even religions that include guilt in their doctrine. What you need to understand about guilt is that it is useful to guide us toward repentance. If we do not understand what is acceptable to God and what is not acceptable to God we will have no idea of what we must seek forgiveness for in our lives. We would be living without any remorse for the choices that we make. God is willing to forgive us which is why He sent Jesus to die on the Cross for us. But we cannot take for granted the way in which we live our lives and the choices that we make.

It is not an antiquated idea that abortion is not in God’s plans for our lives. God does not change and even though society may deem this an acceptable choice for women and has encouraged us to believe that this is so, the truth is that it is taking a life, it is choosing to not allow that life to come into fruition. This subject is a volatile one for many. For God and Jesus, it is a simple one. We are created in their image and we are wrong when we choose to take that life and there is not any justification by claiming it is a fetus and not a child.

Abortion is a sin and it is a choice that should put a hole in your heart. It is necessary to repent and it is forgivable. God and Jesus want us to come to know those things that they approve of and they want us to begin to live lives that are in submission to the will of God. How can that happen if you cannot find within yourself the remorse needed to seek forgiveness because society has created in you an acceptance to sin? We must overcome society and what is deemed lawful. Remember the world is evil but Jesus has overcome the world. We must aim to do the same, without anger, without bitterness but with acceptance and a willingness to seek righteousness in our lives.

“How precious also are Your thoughts to me. O God! How great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand; When I awake, I am still with You.” Psalm 139:17-18 (NKJV).

Love That Cross, Pastor John, BELIEVE THAT!!

Read more about John Collins Ministries or reach me, Pastor John, personally through John Collins Ministries @www.johncollinsministries.com. 

PASTOR JOHN COLLINS: THE TONGUE

From John Collins, Evangelist: 

"But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.” James 3:8 (NKJV).

Your tone of voice is an indication of the true intent behind your words. Someone may say something that is true and yet the way in which it is said and the words that are chosen are either combative and malicious, calm and soothing, frank and impartial, or ingratiating and patronizing. Each of us should always be careful of intentions and try to avoid causing others to stumble in this life.

Our emotions determine our actions. When we are angry at someone and have no forgiveness in our hearts for a situation or person then our speech about anything concerning that situation or person will be hateful and bitter. When we are jealous of someone then our speech about them will be spiteful and cutting. When we are hurt we can lash out and try to hurt in return and say awful things that cannot be taken back but just becomes the next set of words and the next situation that must be repented of and forgiven. Life is exhausting if you do not manage to gain the perspective that permits you to desire to seek righteousness and obtain that goal.

Righteousness is doing the right thing all of the time and not just when it suits you. Jesus was righteous and His life taught that you can become righteous and you can do the right thing. You do this by choosing to learn how God sees things and by trusting that God will take care of the justice of this world. Humans are prideful and stubborn and always want to think that they are the wronged party, the misunderstood and the victimized. Humans just have that wrong.

Jesus came and showed us that life isn’t fair, life is tough, and people are judgmental and can be hateful. Jesus came and showed us that forgiveness is right, kindness is good and that God does value His children. Jesus showed us that our words have the power to hurt, heal, encourage, deflate, inspire and so many other wonderful and terrible things. You need to be willing to give your soul a chance at salvation and to that you need to be willing to obey the Lord, hear the Lord and submit to the Lord. You cannot do that if you are always right, always defensive or offensive, prideful, stubborn, unforgiving, hateful, bitter or unwilling to bend.

“Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things. See how great a forest a little fire kindles! And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell.” James 3:5-6 (NKJV).

 LOVE THAT CROSS, PASTOR JOHN

Read more about JOHN COLLINS MINISTRIES or reach me, Pastor John, personally through John Collins Ministries at www.johncollinsministries.com

PASTOR JOHN COLLINS: THE BLIND CHRISTIAN

From John Collins, Evangelist:

“Make the heart of this people dull, And their ears heavy, And shut their eyes; Lest they see with their eyes, And hear with their heart, And return and be healed.” Isaiah 6:10 (NKJV).

“There is none righteous, no, not one; There is none who understands; There is none who seek after God. They have all turned aside; They have together become unprofitable; There is none who does good, no, not one.” Romans 3:10-12 (NKJV).

When we think of those who have been blinded and made deaf, those who have been given over to their lusts, we think of the obvious sinners, the ones living life in defiance to the commandments of God and Jesus Christ. Yet, the most pitiful and dreadful blinding that exists is the blind Christian.

Blind Christians believe they have it right. These believers gossip, hate, are self-righteous, are greedy, selfish, proud and just don’t even realize it. They believe because they know scripture, may even be able to quote it, they go to church and claim Jesus as their Lord that they are the real deal. These are the most dangerous and desperately lost of all. When one is so confident in their salvation that they cease to look within, that person is not working out their salvation with fear and trembling.

We must walk a fine line in our faith. We must believe in our salvation and forgiveness yet we must always maintain our awareness of our souls and the need for repentance, the need for purity of our mind and heart as well as the need of our devotion to gaining knowledge in the word of God.

Our faith must be active and alive. We must nurture it so that it grows. It will be tested and it will be tried by fire. We must learn to participate in our lives with Christ. We must be willing to seek the truth in our souls. This I can tell you plainly: whatever ugly is inside you, God already knows it is there. We must acknowledge it, face it, and release it through repentance and forgiveness that is genuine and not lip service only or we will take it with us to hell. Fear nothing, be honest when you look within and make sure that your personal inquiry is based on the truth of the gospel and not your perception of some weakened version of it. Come to the foot of the cross in truth, naked and trusting, bare your souls and receive genuine salvation. It is only with transparency that we will find forgiveness and we are unable to be honest as long as we are holding on to our self-image as seen through the eyes of this world.

“I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind; and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you.” Philippians 3:14-15 (NKJV).

LOVE THAT CROSS, PASTOR JOHN COLLINS

PASTOR JOHN COLLINS: JESUS' ENEMIES

From Pastor John Collins:

“The Lord said to my Lord, ‘Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.’” Psalm 110:1 (NKJV).

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.” Matthew 7:21 (NKJV).

Most people like to think of the truly evil as the enemies of Jesus. Most people would see themselves and their loved ones as loved by Jesus and part of the kingdom of God. Most people see themselves as good people and deserving of going to heaven. Most people are in denial about the perfect and righteous judgement of God.

What would you do if Jesus told you personally that you are His enemy? How would you feel if Jesus let you know that you had offended Him and you were not in His good graces? Can you imagine such a thing? What would you do to change that if it were true? What would be the circumstances that would make that true? Would it be true if you were a liar, a whore, a manipulator, a gossip, a greedy person, a person who had an abortion without guilt, a person who uses drugs and alcohol to excess, a person who holds hate in their heart, a person who won’t forgive, a person who is vain, a person who does not believe in Jesus, a person who does not believe in God?

Jesus did die for our sins on that cross so long ago but He did not die so that His sacrifice could be taken in vain and that He could become the justification for those who choose to continue to live in sin and think that it is covered by His blood. If you want to have salvation then you have to obey the Son of God.

“Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on the earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Philippians 2:9-11 (NKJV).

LOVE THAT CROSS, PASTOR JOHN COLLINS

PASTOR JOHN COLLINS: LOST

From John Collins Ministries: 

“The Lord tests the righteous, But the wicked and the one who loves violence His soul hates. Upon the wicked He will rain coals; Fire and brimstone and a burning wind Shall be the portion of their cup.” Psalm 11:5-6 (NKJV).

Does anyone take notice of the violence in our children’s video games, the violence in movies and the violence in our streets? Violence is entertainment and violence is a way of life. People want to say that guns are at fault, others want to blame the parents, or the schools, or the gangs, or the mob, or the terrorists, or the government and of course they want to blame God.

People don’t value life. People take life for granted, become embittered, nurture hatred and ponder violence and then act on it. People don’t care about consequences. People don’t want to hear about the judgment of God. People have lost their way.

Life is precious and can be good. Life matters and God wants each of you to value life and to seek the kingdom of heaven. God is loving and compassionate and God is wrath. There is a limit to His longsuffering and judgment does come and in the end God always wins. God is the one who always wins. When people show utter contempt for His creation it is an offense to Him and He notices.

Before it is too late, turn and learn to do righteousness, learn to love forgiveness and learn to seek God every minute of every day and teach that to your children. It is time to turn this thing around and time to stand up for all that is righteous and good and learn to walk in the ways of Christ.

“For the Lord is righteous, He loves righteousness; His countenance beholds the upright.” Psalm 11:7 (NKJV).

LOVE THAT CROSS, PASTOR JOHN COLLINS

PASTOR JOHN COLLINS: HONEST, NO EXCUSES

From Pastor John Collins:

“For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.” John 3:20-21 (NKJV).

Honesty is a necessity if you wish to see the kingdom of God. It is not always needed for you to discuss your past with all those who cross your path, but it is needed for you to be willing to acknowledge your past with forthrightness.

When you are no longer the person that you once were and you are that new creature and a man or woman of God then you can easily speak of who you were as I have done and as Paul so easily spoke of the man that he was. There is not any shame in admitting where you were when you know where you are. It does not need to be the main focus of your life but it should not ever be something that you hide from either.

Each person that is born on earth will have a testimony that will be able to help another with the light of God shining on them. Each person needs to look at who they are, who they were and who they want to be. God is willing to forgive His children and that will only happen when you can admit your sins and stop sinning. I know that many will say that it is not possible to not sin but it is possible to attain righteousness in life and that does not include sinning.

Righteousness is possible when you make every effort to please God, to not sin and to monitor your heart and mind continuously to keep from backsliding. A liar should no longer lie, a thief should no longer steal and a cheater should no longer cheat. Those words should sound familiar and each person who believes in Christ should never make excuses for their sin but should make the effort to go and sin no more.

Be willing to be open and honest about who you have been, trust in who you are and look forward to who you will become, in Christ.

“John answered and said, ‘A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven.’” John 3:27 (NKJV).

LOVE THAT CROSS, PASTOR JOHN COLLINS 

PASTOR JOHN COLLINS, EVANGELIST: GOD, NOT FOR MEN ONLY

GOD wants salvation for all.

From John Collins, Evangelist:

"Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our image; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’” Genesis 1:26 (NKJV).

Is God a male chauvinist? Is the Bible geared toward male chauvinism? There are plenty of men who adhere to this belief and use it to justify their domination of women and there are plenty of women who adhere to this belief and use it to justify their hatred of men and their defensiveness of ‘girl power’. Let me set the record straight for all of those who like to blame God and the Bible for everything that is wrong in their lives and in this world; God is NOT a male chauvinist!!

God is pro salvation, be it for a man or a woman. God created both male and female and each have their responsibilities to God, to their families, to each other and to themselves. God does not want women to be dominated and treated with contempt just like he doesn’t want any race to be dominated and treated with contempt. God did not create one to be superior to the other but instead created both to complement each other. Man and woman were created to be teammates and to help each other through life. God wants salvation to come to all which is why He sent Jesus. Jesus is not only for the men or the Jews.

People will blame God for every little thing and that is just ridiculous. What people should be most concerned with is their own salvation and that only comes to the righteous and humble of heart. If you are a man with the attitude of superiority, you are not right with God. If you are a woman with the attitude of defensive self-righteousness, you are not right with God. God wants you to become humble, as Jesus was humble. This life thing is not about who is better, who has more, who comes first, who is above and who is below in status. This life thing is about godliness, kindness, love, forgiveness and grace. God is willing to show mercy to men and women and God is just in His judgment of men and women. Humans are the flawed beings that like to blame and need to feel more important than others. Believe me, God knows His worth, He is just waiting for you to realize yours, as a Christian who obeys His Son.

“Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.” Genesis 2:24 (NKJV).

 LOVE THAT CROSS, PASTOR JOHN