PASTOR JOHN COLLINS, DAILY THOUGHT: ARROGANCE, EGO, PRIDE

From John Collins Ministries:

Pastor John Collins: An age of arrogance, ego and pride

Pride gets us nowhere with God

The Giant Goliath held King Saul and his army in a siege.  In his arrogance, he taunted the army threatening anyone who would stand against him. Young David, years from becoming the next king of Israel, was there and stepped up to face Goliath.  Goliath's pride and arrogance would not allow him to see the threat that David really did present.  David's faith and humility in facing that giant pleased God, and God allowed David to defeat Goliath by hitting him with a stone thrown from a sling and then David cut off Goliath's head.  Pride gets us nowhere in the face of God.

Pride and humility.  We are a proud people here in the United States.  We have so much that we have accomplished, the rest of the world sometimes looks at us in disgust because we give the appearance of not being satisfied.  It’s never enough and we draw attention to ourselves where ever we go.  Celebrities are recognized and lifted up as examples for us to live by.  Through all of the media, it’s “look what I can do”.  God resists the proud. Pride will not get any soul into heaven.

“Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.” Proverbs 16:18 (NKJV).

Our faith as Christians today doesn’t measure up to the faith of Abraham, of Noah, of Moses, of David.  These men were humble to begin with and knew the value and spirit of humility before God.  Our pride gets in the way.  How would God choose from among us today?  We often don’t have the strength of faith to worship Him, let alone look beyond what our human hands and minds create and put before God.  Our offerings of ourselves lack humility.  We need to let go of pride and ego, let go of the pride that we have accomplished something and let God and Jesus Christ work in our lives.

Evangelist Pastor John Collins began a revival of awakening.

That awakening stirs the spirit of those who hear him.  From a pulpit or behind the microphone of a recording studio, his words are Biblically correct. Being Biblically correct in a very politically correct world is difficult for most of the strongest of Christians today.  

Pastor John Collins says it well and puts pride and humility into this perspective:

“Then a dispute arose among them as to which of them would be greatest. And Jesus, perceiving the thought of their heart, took a little child and set him by Him, and said to them, ‘Whoever receives this little child in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me receives Him who sent Me. For he who is least among you all will be great.’” Luke 9:46-48 (NKJV).

Who is worthy to be lifted up? How does God choose those that He would separate and use for His purposes? He chose Abraham and Abraham was considered a friend of God’s. He chose David and David was a man after God’s own heart. He sent His Son who died for us all.  Even those who walked with Jesus thought of themselves and the impact that they would have on this world. This is so wonderful to know that the human instinct to desire to rise above and be great was felt in those men who walked with Christ. This allows us to recognize this in ourselves and work to overcome that ego. They were corrected and they learned what true humility is. They witnessed their Lord humble Himself to the Cross. Yet there are so many that want to be great in the name of the Lord. They call attention to themselves and think highly of themselves. But, God resists the proud and gives grace to the humble. Believe me when I tell you that God knows what He is doing and He knows our hearts.

Pastor John Collins of Redeeming the Gospel Revival, John Collins Ministries continues on: God has no use for pride.

God does not want servants that think highly of themselves and their eligibility. God wants people to serve Him that are humble of heart. When we choose to walk with Jesus it should be with a pure heart and a true devotion to obedience to the Lord. We should never seek our own acclaim. We should not care what others think of us. We should be concerned only with whether we are an asset to the kingdom of God or a burden. If we have selfish ambition in our heart and a desire to stand out and be important, we are seeking status in this life and we are then unworthy to be a true servant of the Lord.

We must be careful when we desire to leave a name for ourselves, to want to be recognized for our importance or to be valued among men. A truly worthy person that will serve God well is a person that has no ambition in his heart. This person thinks of salvation when he looks upon the souls of this world. This person has sadness in his heart because of the condition of the human race. This person worries of the state of others’ faith in their lives. This person considers opportunities to share the gospel and help others come to Jesus. This person wants to see others go to heaven and lives his life as an example. This person will sacrifice and find ways to be a light in a world of dark. This person will please God.

“Listen, my beloved brethren: Has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?” James 2:5 (NKJV).

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.” Matthew 5:3-6 (NKJV).

Learning to be humble takes a commitment to become obedient to God.  In order to become obedient to God, we need to learn to draw near to Him in prayer and through the words in the Holy Bible.  God wants each of us to have the opportunity to come to know Him, so that we all can go home to Him one day.  That is the reason He sent His Son Jesus Christ, for our salvation through His sacrifice on the Cross.  Jesus humbly accepted the punishment of our sins, died publicly in humility and obedience.  God won’t ask us to do anything that He won’t equip us to handle.  We can become obedient and humble ourselves before God, just as His Son did.  God wants us to come to know Him and His love, to help us with our lives and be part of our lives here in this world.  Pride and ego turns us from God.  To be meek, to be poor in spirit means to be humble; we need to learn the humility of Christ. Bring back God in our lives, come humbly to the foot of the Cross.

“God is never secondary in my life, He is always Primary”- Pastor John Collins, Evangelist.

So you’ve disappointed God, now what?

Pastor John Collins says "It is not possible to go through this life without sinning and it is impossible to not have disappointed God at some point in your life, but what is most important is what you do about it. It is not easy for mere humans to recognize the ways of God and to know the miracles and hope that suffering produces. In Jesus' name, with faith, there is now the hope of forgiveness and of acceptance into heaven. With your own suffering comes humility and growth in your faith. Faith is something that you have to fight for and want. Faith is not a given and it is not just a belief. It is a trusting and a knowledge that Jesus did die for your sins and with this knowledge comes a willingness to live in hope and obedience to the word of God.  It is easy to allow your humanly interpretations of situations and your own personal desires to get in the way of the will of God. Every so often you need to do a self-check and examine your motives and desires in this life and to see if they line up with the word of God. Do your best to not interfere with the will of God and do your best to not confuse the will of God with your will. You can tell the difference between the two by examining which one will produce righteousness in your life. Which choices in your life will bring about godliness?  When you feel that you have disappointed God then it is time for you to repent. You can't live in perpetual guilt and you cannot allow your mistakes to drive you away from God.  You must become humble so that you choose to come before Him and seek His forgiveness and His guidance, so that you can move forward in your life with confidence and trust, knowing that you are seeking the kingdom of heaven above all."

This is a sample of Pastor John's new sermon series.  This powerful message does not promise false hope, does not promise wealth of money or property, and won't leave a false feeling of security. What he does do is focus attention on salvation and pleasing God.

Pastor John Collins feels that there is a great need in the United States to get away from the prosperity gospel, to get  priorities right, that there is no price to be put on a soul.  Each person is precious and deserves to hear the word of God in its entirety and without it being watered down.  Pastor John Collins is available to travel to speak to churches or groups for this sermon series.  He can be reached through John Collins Ministries, www.johncollinsministries.com.

PASTOR JOHN COLLINS, JOHN COLLINS MINISTRIES: CONNECT

PASTOR JOHN COLLINS, REDEEMING THE GOSPEL REVIVAL

CONNECT

If there is one thing that you can do for yourself in your daily lives, it is to take the time to connect with the Lord ~ Pastor John Collins, John Collins Ministries

“Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour. ‘Father, glorify Your name.’ Then a voice came from heaven, saying, ‘I have both glorified it and will glorify it again.’ Therefore the people who stood by and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said, ‘An angel has spoken to Him.’ Jesus answered and said, ‘This voice did not come because of Me, but for your sake.’” John 12:27-30 (NKJV).

Jesus grew up knowing the duty and responsibilities that He had been given. He knew what would come and He lived with an awareness of what was to be gained. He did not live with His own needs and wants but with those of His Father’s. Jesus was driven to give as He had always seen God give.

It is so clear that Jesus wanted those He encountered to understand the gifts that came from the Father. He wanted them to know that God was reaching out to them. He often pointed out that certain things were done for the benefit of others. Jesus did not need the reassurances that we need and did not lack the understanding that we do.

I believe that we often take too much of life for granted. We should slow down and look up. We should stop in our tracks and pray. Jesus was mindful of God always and was mindful of His impact on our souls. Jesus cares for us and wanted only the best for those that He ministered to. His life was full of determination for all of the right things. We have so much to learn from Him and we have so much be thankful for.

If there is one thing that you can do for yourself in your daily lives, it is to take the time to connect with the Lord. You should be seeking the opportunities to quiet your lives and to become more aware of God. You should think about what you have done in your life and what you want to do. But do this according to the gospel of Christ and see where that takes you.

God has always done things to reach us and has always provided a way home. God has given us His Son and we should take note of the character of Jesus so that we can learn from Him. Jesus pleased God in every way and we should seek to do the same. It is possible for us to have the commitment to God that Jesus displayed by choosing to follow our Lord.

Let us be aware of the efforts of God and Jesus and let us respond to their love. Let us be honest with ourselves in our lives and be willing to sacrifice for our eternal souls. Let us become more faithful people who choose to pay attention to the things that are above over the things of this earth. Let us praise God for His consideration and selfless love.

“Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out.  And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.” John 12:31-32 (NKJV).

LOVE THAT CROSS! PASTOR JOHN COLLINS

You are not alone!  Reach Pastor John Collins through JOHN COLLINS MINISTRIES website www.johncollinsministries.com or email jcollinsministries@gmail.com

God bless you!

photos courtesy Google images

PASTOR JOHN COLLINS, JOHN COLLINS MINISTRIES: FEAR! THE WORLD IS CLOSED!

From John Collins Ministries:

In the face of COVID-19, fear abounds across the world.  Remember, God is with us, Immanuel:

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and love and of a sound mind.” 2 Timothy 1:17 (NKJV).

Fear is where bad thoughts and bad decisions lie. Fear can make you be suspicious of your loved ones, fear can make you act crazy and overbearing towards your children, fear can make you act territorial on your job and fear can costs you relationships that you cherish. Fear can make you hit the bottle, buy a bag or slam the needle. Fear can keep you from living your life peacefully. Fear can keep you inside your home, fear can keep your from opening up to others and fear can ruin your life. God does not want us to live in fear whether we are aware of it or not. God does not want us to be weak because of fear nor give in to what we do not believe in because of fear, whether it is fear of not getting along and being accepted, fear of getting hurt or fear of losing something or someone. God wants us to be strong and confident in the face of fear because we know that His promises are true.

“Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10 (NKJV).

“There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment.But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.” 1 John 4:18 (NKJV).

Some people are driven by fear. They are afraid of failure, of success, of others’ opinions, of death, of life, of pain, of happiness and on and on. It is natural to experience fear in this life. There are times when it is appropriate and there are times when it is paralyzing.

The faith that we have and the trust that we have in God and in Jesus is meant to help us overcome our insecurities and ourselves. We need to know that we do not belong to this world but we belong to God. That truth, when it is planted in your heart, will banish your fears and fill you with hope.
The apostles and prophets were killed in terrible ways and yet they held on to their hope and the love of God and the power of Christ to get through the suffering. Whatever may bring fear to your door is never going to be bigger or stronger than God and the promises that He has made. When you find yourself struggling with fear or anxiety just stop and say a little prayer and move forward. Trust that He will see you through the day and that is just what you need to know, that day by day He has got you and you have nothing to fear.

“Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You.” Psalm 56:3 (NKJV).

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” 2 Timothy 1:7 (NKJV).

There have been many self-help books and seminars on fear and on the power of positive thinking. Many people have grasped the concept of positive thinking and have chosen to devote themselves to changing the way that they think in order to have better outcomes on their situations in life. There are 2 options when it comes to positive thinking: you can stand in your personal power to think yourself into a positive outcome of whatever place you find yourself or you can stand in godliness and trust in the Lord to help you find solutions to your problems and grace to accept your failures along with wisdom to grow in your faith which allows your soul the maturing that God is hopeful that you will claim while you live here on earth. God is aware of all of your joys, problems, fears and complications in your life. God wants you to stand strong in your faith with loyalty to Him and with a heart for Him. God wants you to learn to trust Him and to know that without Him you are nothing, without Jesus you are nothing. That is the truth of this world. Positive thinking comes from knowing you are loved and in return you are obedient to the will of God. Positive thinking that leads to heaven comes from knowing that you are meant to live your life with the knowledge that it gets messy and how you deal with all of it is the test and it is your greatest opportunity to show your love and faith in God.

Positive thinking is good when it is based on faith in God. But positive thinking that is based on what you can create and claim for yourself is arrogant and selfish and without true knowledge. We must move forward in this life with confidence and faith and not fear, but we must also move forward with humility and not pride and a true desire to please God because it matters and where your soul ends up depends upon it.

“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.  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.” Hebrews 12:2-3 (NKJV).

LOVE THAT CROSS PASTOR JOHN COLLINS