PASTOR JOHN COLLINS: PRAYER WORTHY

From Pastor John Collins:

“My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.” James 1:2-4 (NKJV).

Many times, when we are going through tough times or are experiencing tragedy or extreme hardships, we will pray to God and ask for His help, for a miracle or for strength to get through. Many times, when we are not suffering, we pray to God and ask for this or that or something that we want. In order to have our prayers answered we must first seek to become worthy of answered prayers. What does that mean, ‘worthy of answered prayers’?

God does not answer prayers from non-believers although many non-believers seek His help in times of trouble. God does not answer the prayers of the unrighteous which means that He is not creating financial stability in the lives of those who do not follow His Son. Many people attribute their ‘success’ to God when He had nothing to do with it. God wants the believer to recognize their need for a Savior and to come in submission to the foot of the cross. In order to have your prayers answered, genuinely answered by God, you must follow the steps of the believer which is repentance, submission, seeking to obtain righteousness and a pure heart through obedience to the gospel of Jesus Christ.

You cannot expect God to listen to any of your prayers if you are not bothering to listen to the words of Jesus and obey them. You must seek heaven above all else and you will find yourself praying for the fruit of the Spirit to become yours and you will find yourself praying for all of the right things and those prayers will be answered. When you pray for righteousness first and mean it, then God will be for you and not against you. Look at Solomon who wanted wisdom so that he could rule as God would have him rule and God gave him wisdom and then so much more. It is not about the stuff in this life, it is about the richness of the spiritual life that you can have and in having that rich spiritual life you can be such a blessing to others and that is the heart of the gospel that will ultimately have you receiving the prize of entry into heaven.

“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.” James 1:5 (NKJV).

LOVE THAT CROSS, PASTOR JOHN BELIEVE THAT

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

PASTOR JOHN COLLINS: POWER OF PRAYER

From Pastor John Collins:

“And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 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 3:19-21 (NKJV).

There is true evil in this world. We can look around and see it. Many people would like to ignore it, not be bothered by it, not have it touch their lives and just go about their business. Sometimes evil intrudes and we are shocked, hurt and want to question if there is a God at all. If God is so powerful, why does He allow bad things to happen? That is always a question for those who would deny that there is a God and would claim that if there was a God at all then He must not care about us and must not be all good as those who believe in His say. God gave men free will to live and choose to behave as they would have it and for that reason there will always be evil in this world. Evil is just selfish desires and power grabs manifested in this world. Evil is those choosing to lash out at others because of their own hurt. Evil is defiance and rebellion acted out in order to lift oneself up. Evil is petty and there will come a time when God chooses to step in and bring about further revelation to this world.

Some wait for God to act and some want to ignore the signs but while there is still yet time we should be praying for more light to shine in the darkness. Prayer is a powerful thing and God wants to hear from us, not just about our lives, our desires, our sicknesses and needs, our family and friends but about our hopes and thoughts regarding this world. Do you consider praying about those who suffer, the abused men, women and children? Do you pray for the weak? Do you pray that those who protect us are themselves protected? Do you pray that righteousness would make its way into the government? Do you pray that foreign nations would be strengthened in food and health to limit the depletion of your own country? Do you pray that revelation would come from God that would minimize the desire to blow each other up? There are people whose only desire is for more power, more money, more weapons and the opportunity to display it all for the world to see. There is evil in this world because some only care about themselves and they don’t value life or the gifts that come with it.

What so many have forgotten, failed to realize or choose to ignore is that the only true power in this world comes from God alone and all of the rest is an illusion. God is the one who has all of the strength and He really does want us to make the best choices available to us and sometimes people just don’t know what that is. Changing things in this world can start with hope and prayer. Change does need to come, more light needs to permeate the dark and more people need to wake up to the reality that things are changing and we need to change as well. We need more righteousness in this world, not more rebellion. Pray for that.

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:16 (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: WORTHY OF ANSWERED PRAYERS

From Pastor John Collins:

“My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.” James 1:2-4 (NKJV).

Many times, when we are going through tough times or are experiencing tragedy or extreme hardships, we will pray to God and ask for His help, for a miracle or for strength to get through. Many times, when we are not suffering, we pray to God and ask for this or that or something that we want. In order to have our prayers answered we must first seek to become worthy of answered prayers. What does that mean, ‘worthy of answered prayers’?

God does not answer prayers from non-believers although many non-believers seek His help in times of trouble. God does not answer the prayers of the unrighteous which means that He is not creating financial stability in the lives of those who do not follow His Son. Many people attribute their ‘success’ to God when He had nothing to do with it. God wants the believer to recognize their need for a Savior and to come in submission to the foot of the cross. In order to have your prayers answered, genuinely answered by God, you must follow the steps of the believer which is repentance, submission, seeking to obtain righteousness and a pure heart through obedience to the gospel of Jesus Christ.

You cannot expect God to listen to any of your prayers if you are not bothering to listen to the words of Jesus and obey them. You must seek heaven above all else and you will find yourself praying for the fruit of the Spirit to become yours and you will find yourself praying for all of the right things and those prayers will be answered. When you pray for righteousness first and mean it, then God will be for you and not against you. Look at Solomon who wanted wisdom so that he could rule as God would have him rule and God gave him wisdom and then so much more. It is not about the stuff in this life, it is about the richness of the spiritual life that you can have and in having that rich spiritual life you can be such a blessing to others and that is the heart of the gospel that will ultimately have you receiving the prize of entry into heaven.

“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.” James 1:5 (NKJV).

LOVE THAT CROSS, PASTOR JOHN, BELIEVE THAT!

Read more about John Collins Ministries or reach me, Pastor John, at John Collins Ministries, www.johncollinsministries.com.

PASTOR JOHN COLLINS: PRAY

From Pastor John Collins:

Evil is real and it infects our lives. There has been persecution for the righteous since Cain slew Abel.

There have been times when the persecution has ebbed and times when it has peaked. There is persecution in the world today for the Christian and it is a time when faith needs to grow stronger and not weaken. It is a time for people to KNOW that they belong to Christ and to not bow down to evil.

We may not see the persecution of Christians up close and personal in a way that they may come face to face with it in the middle east but that does not mean that we cannot pray for those who are persecuted, that does not mean that we cannot choose to draw closer to God and our Lord Jesus Christ and that does not mean that our faith should be found wanting.

Choose to take some time and pray today for those who are in jeopardy because of their faith and praise the Lord for providing Jesus. Take some time today and pray with thanksgiving in your heart for the safety that you and your family are experiencing and pray for comfort to find those who need it. Take some time today and pray for those who need strength in the Lord that their faith will keep them. Take some time today to let the Lord know that you are grateful for your life and loved ones and praying for His people.

God bless each and every one of you!

LOVE THAT CROSS, PASTOR JOHN COLLINS

PASTOR JOHN COLLINS: A JOURNEY TO BELONG

From Pastor John Collins:

“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.” John 15:5-7 (NKJV).

There has been many a preacher to make a pretty penny with these words and to guide many a soul in the wrong direction. Jesus is not on stand-by to do our bidding and God is not waiting to fulfill our wish lists.

Jesus could easily say to His disciples and apostles these words because they all understood that once you truly belong to Jesus and believe in the gospel and the power of the Cross, you would not ask amiss. Jesus knows that those that have obtained righteousness will ask those things that the bible instructs and that God approves of.

When you seek the kingdom of heaven with all of your heart and you come to love God with everything that you are then you begin to desire things that are pure and good and will only benefit your faith and the faith of those you know and also don’t know. You will look at this world differently and upon meeting people or interacting with others you will pay attention to the small details that will let you know if their faith is strong or not and you will listen to what they say and it will guide you in your prayers for them. You should desire that others get to heaven and that you obtain righteousness so that you are a shining light in this world working for Jesus.

Never assume that you have done enough and never assume that you are pure enough. If you are always working to please God and to purify yourself then you will always be gaining more faith and more wisdom. Your life is a journey and as you come to know more you can share more. Be willing to desire good for others and not only yourself.

“By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples. As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love.” John 15:8-9 (NKJV).

LOVE THAT CROSS, PASTOR JOHN COLLINS

PASTOR JOHN COLLINS: CHANGE IS POSSIBLE

From Pastor John Collins:

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NKJV).

“Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, And uphold me by Your generous Spirit. Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, And sinners shall be converted to You.” Psalm 51:12-13 (NKJV).

The gang-banger, the drug dealer, the thief, the liar, the cheater, the adulterer and every other sinner out there is a soul in need of Christ. We live in a world of despair and fear of our fellow man. We have so many horrible truths that fill our streets that we are cautious and wary. There are bad people in this world and many of them do not want to change. I believe that there are also so very many people that have not been given the chance to change. Their environments have created a need to survive and there seems to be so few ways to get out.

There are many outreach programs that are trying to help. I believe that more can be done. It is not only in the inner cities and slums that these lost souls reside. The address of a soul in need is not of importance. Remember the 1 lost sheep and know that our responsibility to each other is greater than we have owned up to. We are all God’s children and we should all be willing to enable change in another. Sometimes it is just believing that change is possible. Sometimes it is faith in helping another create the desire to change within themselves. Change is possible.

The true hope of the gospel is this change. This is what getting to heaven involves. We cannot claim to believe and then not change our lives and ourselves. It is the hope of Christ that allows us forgiveness and with that forgiveness comes change. We are new creatures and we are no longer the same person that we were. Sometimes we must bear with the doubt and judgment of others. 

Sometimes we must overcome the doubt within ourselves. I don’t care what your past was because whatever that past was it is now your testimony once you have come to Jesus and become His disciple.

This is what we should look for and hope for in others. We should be encouraging the drug addict, the alcoholic, the cheater, the gang-banger and the abuser. All these would be terrible sinners are the souls of the lost until they find the truth in Christ. Each one of us will find in our lives opportunities to encourage faith in others and we should be willing to take the chance to do so. Remember Jesus did not come to heal the healthy but the sick. Do not look down on someone that is a prisoner of Satan’s, look up to God and pray that the lost be touched by the Lord and drawn to Him. Do not doubt the transformation that comes with the Cross. That is the beauty and hope of our faith.

“For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.” Romans 8:13 (NKJV).

LOVE THAT CROSS, PASTOR JOHN COLLINS

PASTOR JOHN COLLINS: MY PRAYER OF THANKS

Heavenly Father, my gracious and loving God, I pray to You and Your precious Son, Jesus, today for those who take the time to read these posts and their loved ones. There are some who are battling health issues, some financial issues, some relationship issues, some faith issues and You know each and every one.

You know the struggles of the human condition and the fight that we have with the devil and his minions. I ask that you strengthen the faith of those reading this and of their families as well. I pray that they simplify their lives and seek Your kingdom above all.

I pray that their hearts are encouraged and comforted in their times of need and I pray that they do not let the obstacles overwhelm them but realize that with Your love and the love of Christ they will overcome them and will be that much further along in their journey and walk with Jesus.

I pray that those that read this know that they are cherished and are loved and that they respond to that love that comes from above by sharing it with others.

Thank You God for all of Your sacrifices and mercy and thank You Jesus for each thought for us, each prayer for us, each tear shed for us, each drop of blood lost for us and for the precious peace and perfect love that comes from You.

I thank you God for hearing this prayer and for answering this prayer.

It is in the name of Jesus that I pray, Amen! 

LOVE THAT CROSS, PASTOR JOHN

PASTOR JOHN COLLINS: PRAYER TO DEAD RELATIVES

Pastor John Collins posts:

“And when they say to you, ‘Seek those who are mediums and wizards, who whisper and mutter,’ should not a people seek their God? Should they seek the dead on behalf of the living?” Isaiah 8:19 (NKJV).

“Jesus said to them, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” John 14:6 (NKJV).

Have you ever heard someone say that they are praying to their dead grandmother for strength? It is not only a Catholic thing but it is a complete disconnect in a person’s faith and disobedience to God that leads people to reach out in prayer to their dead relatives, to the ‘saints’ of the church and especially to Mary the mother of Jesus Christ. Let me be very clear, Mary, the mother of Jesus is NOT the mediator of your faith and to pray to her is the same as praying to any other dead person. Jesus Christ is the way to get to the Father and it is through Him that you must pray.

You have been given a mediator in Jesus who was beaten, rejected and hung on a tree for the sins of the world. You have been instructed on how to approach God in prayer in the name of Christ. There is no way around this rule and there are no exceptions, even for His mother or the so-called saints or for any of your dead relatives. None of those people will help you, none of those people are able to provide you with anything and none of those people have the approval of God to stand as a mediator for you.

Do you think that God takes it lightly that so many ‘Christians’ ignore the words of His Son every day and are praying in the name of so many others? It is not something to think of casually. Your prayers are your communication with God and your faith is strengthened by your prayers. God does listen to the prayers of the faithful and the prayers of those whose hearts genuinely seek to worship Him in spirit and truth. Be serious in your prayers as that is the way that you approach God. Think of the holiness of the tabernacle and how so very few could actually come close. Think of the instructions to Israel about the holiness of God and how He must be worshiped. Jesus is now the mediator of your faith and it is necessary to approach both Jesus and God with reverence and awe. Do not be casual in your faith, in your prayers or in your attitude about God and Jesus Christ. Take your faith seriously so that you are able to enter through the narrow gate. Pray as the Lord has instructed you and do not turn to the right or to the left.

“My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world. Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says, ‘I know Him,’ and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.” 1 John 2:1-4 (NKJV).

LOVE THAT CROSS PASTOR JOHN

PASTOR JOHN COLLINS: MEDIATOR

Pastor John Collins: Disconnected Faith

“And when they say to you, ‘Seek those who are mediums and wizards, who whisper and mutter,’ should not a people seek their God? Should they seek the dead on behalf of the living?” Isaiah 8:19 (NKJV).

“Jesus said to them, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” John 14:6 (NKJV). 

Have you ever heard someone say that they are praying to their dead grandmother for strength? It is not only a Catholic thing but it is a complete disconnect in a person’s faith and disobedience to God that leads people to reach out in prayer to their dead relatives, to the ‘saints’ of the church and especially to Mary the mother of Jesus Christ. Let me be very clear, Mary, the mother of Jesus is NOT the mediator of your faith and to pray to her is the same as praying to any other dead person. Jesus Christ is the way to get to the Father and it is through Him that you must pray.

You have been given a mediator in Jesus who was beaten, rejected and hung on a tree for the sins of the world. You have been instructed on how to approach God in prayer in the name of Christ. There is no way around this rule and there are no exceptions, even for His mother or the so-called saints or for any of your dead relatives. None of those people will help you, none of those people are able to provide you with anything and none of those people have the approval of God to stand as a mediator for you.

Do you think that God takes it lightly that so many ‘Christians’ ignore the words of His Son every day and are praying in the name of so many others? It is not something to think of casually. Your prayers are your communication with God and your faith is strengthened by your prayers. God does listen to the prayers of the faithful and the prayers of those whose hearts genuinely seek to worship Him in spirit and truth. Be serious in your prayers as that is the way that you approach God. Think of the holiness of the tabernacle and how so very few could actually come close. Think of the instructions to Israel about the holiness of God and how He must be worshipped. Jesus is now the mediator of your faith and it is necessary to approach both Jesus and God with reverence and awe. Do not be casual in your faith, in your prayers or in your attitude about God and Jesus Christ. Take your faith seriously so that you are able to enter through the narrow gate. Pray as the Lord has instructed you and do not turn to the right or to the left.

“My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world. Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says, ‘I know Him,’ and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.” 1 John 2:1-4 (NKJV).

LOVE THAT CROSS PASTOR JOHN

PASTOR JOHN COLLINS: SECULARISM

PASTOR JOHN COLLINS: GUNS AND GOD

“Let your waist be girded and your lamps burning; and you yourselves be like men who wait for their master, when he will return from the wedding, that when he comes and knocks they may open to him immediately.” Luke 12:35-36 (NKJV).

Pastor John Collins: Secularism is a failure if faith is weak
inside of a home

This world is at war. It is not only terrorism, school shootings, murder and violence at every corner. It is a war on humanity at every level. Faith is fading and with that is a loss of the value of a humanlife. People are meant to be precious, not only to God but to each other. We are meant to find compassion and a willingness to be kind to our fellow man within ourselves. How is that possible if we, as a human race, do not hold the word of God as truth? How can children learn to get on their knees and thank God for their very lives if they don’t believe?

Communities want to talk about gun control and laws. I want to talk about what makes it possible for so many to be willing to pick up a gun and kill others. That is only possible if a person does not fear the retribution of God Himself, if a person does not value what God values and if a person does not have the faith that is required to not only bring about hope for themselves but to bring about submission to the will of God. Without faith and hope in God and the work of Jesus Christ, the worth of a human life is lost. Faith in this country is frail and failing and parents are looking to schools and laws to educate their children. Unfortunately, secularism is a failure if faith is weak inside of a home. Children must be taught the priority of rights and wrongs and that will not come from anywhere but the Bible.

The Bible is not some archaic book filled with stories but is a guideline to our lives. Prayer is not something that you casually engage in when you encounter illness or misfortune in your life but it is an open line of communication with your Creator and with Jesus as your intercessor. We should not have to continuously pray for those who suffer such tragedy but should come to recognize that more needs to be done to prevent these tragedies and that will only happen when this world chooses to recognize the need for God every moment of everyday of every life. It needs to start within each home and people should not wait for the miracles to show up at their door but should begin to educate themselves and their families in preparation for the miracles to come. This world has lost the fear of God and it is the fear of God that will save souls.

“Blessed are those servants whom the master, when he comes, will find watching. Assuredly, I say to you that he will gird himself and have them sit down to eat, and will come and serve them.” Luke 12:37 (NKJV).

LOVE THAT CROSS PASTOR JOHN COLLINS

PASTOR JOHN COLLINS: SIGNS

PASTOR JOHN COLLINS: CHANGE IS COMING

“And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 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 3:19-21 (NKJV).

There is true evil in this world. We can look around and see it. Many people would like to ignore it, not be bothered by it, not have it touch their lives and just go about their business. Sometimes evil intrudes and we are shocked, hurt and want to question if there is a God at all. If God is so powerful, why does He allow bad things to happen? That is always a question for those who would deny that there is a God and would claim that if there wasa God at all then He must not care about us and must not be all good as those who believe in His say. God gave men free will to live and choose to behave as they would have it and for that reason there will always be evil in this world. Evil is just selfish desires and power grabs manifested in this world. Evil is those choosing to lash out at others because of their own hurt. Evil is defiance and rebellion acted out in order to lift oneself up. Evil is petty and there will come a time when God chooses to step in and bring about further revelation to this world.

Pastor John Collins: Prayer is powerful

Some wait for God to act and some want to ignore the signs but while there is still yet time we should be praying for more light to shine in the darkness. Prayer is a powerful thing and God wants to hear from us, not just about our lives, our desires, our sicknesses and needs, our family and friends but about our hopes and thoughts regarding this world. Do you consider praying about those who suffer, the abused men, women and children? Do you pray for the weak? Do you pray that those who protect us are themselves protected? Do you pray that righteousness would make its way into the government? Do you pray that foreign nations would be strengthened in food and health to limit the depletion of your own country? Do you pray that revelation would come from God that would minimize the desire to blow each other up? There are people whose only desire is for more power, more money, more weapons and the opportunity to display it all for the world to see. There is evil in this world because some only care about themselves and they don’t value life or the gifts that come with it.

Pastor John Collins: Prayer changes things

What so many have forgotten, failed to realize or choose to ignore is that the only true power in this world comes from God alone and all of the rest is an illusion. God is the one who has all of the strength and He really does want us to make the best choices available to us and sometimes people just don’t know what that is. Changing things in this world can start with hope and prayer. Change does need to come, more light needs to permeate the dark and more people need to wake up to the reality that things are changing and we need to change as well. We need more righteousness in this world, not more rebellion. Pray for that.

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:16 (NKJV).

Love That Cross, Pastor John Collins