PASTOR JOHN COLLINS DAILY THOUGHTS: THE VALUE OF A STORM

Stuff is just stuff.  People that have lost everything in a storm, fire
or other tragedy know that the true value in life is life itself.  We are to
be thankful for the breath that we have in our bodies.
Pastor John Collins, John Collins Ministries

From John Collins Ministries: 

“Then Jesus said to His disciples, ‘Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.’” Matthew 19:23-24 (NKJV).

We have all heard this saying and we all know that the rich often struggle with greed and materialism. But what about those that are not filthy rich and those that have even less?

What happens in the heart of a person that places great emotional value on possessions? What about that quilt that grandma made, those pieces of jewelry from mom, that set of china from great-aunt Susan, or those baseball cards from grandpa, not to mention the furniture that has been passed down and the T.V. that you worked so hard to buy and add to the living room that brings you such pride and joy because you have better than when you were a kid?

When we place extreme emotional value on possessions we are setting ourselves up for failure spiritually. We may have had an impoverished upbringing that drives us to have better and more and when we attain that we place such value on the things that prove how far we have come. We begin to connect with the stuff in our lives and that begins to breed greed and materialism in our hearts.

We must be able to recognize that stuff is just stuff. People that have lost everything in a storm, fire or other tragedy know that the true value in life is life itself and we are to be thankful for the breath that we have in our bodies. Having faith is meant to keep us grounded in what matters. We must know that we came into this world with nothing and we are sure to carry nothing out of this world. You may care about who gets what while you are here on earth, but once you are gone, I can assure you that it does not matter who has your diamond necklace or china set or even your house.

We can be strange creatures at times by attaching emotional value to things. Things do not have value emotionally unless we give them that value. When you connect with someone, when you give and receive love, mercy, compassion, nurturing and empathy, these things matter. When we have moments in time that express these feelings and share them with others, these things matter. It is not the item that connects you or sustains you, it is the human connection that carries you through.

Jesus wants us to love one another, not our stuff. He wants us to walk together toward the kingdom, not a lawyer’s office to decide who gets what. Jesus wants us to care about the lives and destination of our loved ones, not the things that show what we have inherited or attained in our lives. We should care about going to heaven and not proving how far we got on earth.

“When His disciples heard it, they were greatly astonished, saying, ‘Who then can be saved?’ But Jesus looked at them and said to them, ‘With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.’” Matthew 19:25-26 (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, DAILY THOUGHTS: A PRAYER

Prayer for the day, Pastor John Collins:

Lord, help me to embrace the moments of my life that are hard to get my arms around. Enable my eyes to see YOU in them. Help me to always acknowledge the abundance of your goodness to me. I lift to YOU the deepest struggles in my life, I trust YOU to open my eyes to see all YOU have for me in them. Reveal to me the fullness of it all, Thank you for opening my eyes to your truths and allowing me to spread your word.

PSALM 138:3 In the day when I cried out, YOU answered me, and made me bold with strength in my soul.

“Cast your burden on the Lord, And He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved.” Psalm 55:22 (NKJV).

The Bible says that there is a time for everything and that is good common sense that we need to remember. We should never be carried away into singular emotions or activities for too long of periods. There is a need to allow our emotions to ebb and flow and our actions to do the same. We should never work continuously or play continuously and we should not expect to be happy continuously or allow ourselves to be sad continuously.

If sadness overwhelms you, allow yourself to weep but learn to realize that life itself is a reason to celebrate because it allows you to continue to pursue righteousness and to serve the Lord. The blackness of depression can suck you in if you let it. Call on the Lord to relieve your woes because He cares for you. All of us here on earth will be weighed down at different points in our lives and we may feel so alone but the truth is that we are loved by Jesus and God is our rock. If you find yourself in need of a friend, just pray and wait on the Lord because He will open a door for you that you did not expect.

If you are in a good place emotionally pray to God that He allow you to serve more fully His kingdom and opportunity will come your way for you to lift up another. This world can be harsh and mean and feel like a cold slap in the face. Let us take the time to welcome new friendships into our lives and let each of us allow God to prevail where we may just lose the momentum to move forward in our personal journeys.

Let us love ourselves enough to wait on the Lord and not give up on us. You faith is worth the fight and the kingdom of heaven awaits. If a tear is shed today just know that laughter is on the horizon. God is always good.

“My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and give praise.” Psalm 57:7 (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.

JOHN COLLINS MINISTRIES DAILY THOUGHTS: ENTITLEMENT, THE EGO

From John Collins Ministries:

“What if God, wanting to show His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, and that He might make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy, which He had prepared beforehand for glory, even us whom He called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?” Romans 9:22-24 (NKJV)

What does the world owe you? What do your parents owe you? Does your wife or husband deserve you? Does your boss know how lucky they are to have you? Do your children realize how blessed they are to have you as a parent? Have you gotten your due? Does the world recognize your greatness, your beauty, your special something that makes it better? Doesn’t everyone around you acknowledge that even God has chosen you to bless so they should bow down to you as well??

Ah, entitlement, egos and arrogance is the fatal flaw is the human being because it leads to death although while it envelops you on earth it feels like life. Ah, that glorious sense that you are better than another, that you deserve to be recognized, that even God has lifted you up and made others aware of your importance is just a test to see if you will be gullible enough to think more of yourself than you ought to. God may seem to bless and choose and give so much to a person and really it is to see what that person will do with it. Will they believe that they deserve it, will they think that they earned it, will they believe that God wanted to reward them openly, will they think that they are more special than others?? Be careful of how highly you think of yourself because when an ego thinks that it is above, better than and deserving more than another is when that ego will find itself crushed whether in this life or in death because there will never be a place in heaven for a person filled with arrogance, entitlement and self-grandeur.

The very breath in your body is a gift and there are billions who take that gift for granted every day. This world has become a mess with children thinking that the world owes them, with parents never happy and feeling that they deserve more and more, with greedy companies and corrupt governments and with the things of God under attack and God Himself under attack day by day, is it any wonder that the people on this planet are such a corrupt version of the beautiful beings that God created in the first place?

Kill your egos, people, humble yourselves before the cross of Christ and get right with God. Your own behavior both outwardly and inwardly will determine your outcome and whether or not you are a vessel of wrath or of mercy and you yourself choose that outcome within your own heart. God does give each person enough time to choose which path he or she will take so that in the end the fault lies within and not with Him.

“And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28 (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.

JOHN COLLINS MINISTRIES DAILY THOUGHTS: BITTERNESS

From John Collins Ministries:

We are not promised a blissful life on earth,
we are promised
a blissful life in heaven , but we have to get there first.
Pastor John Collins, John Collins Ministries

“Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord: looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled.” Hebrews 12:14-15 (NKJV).

Bitterness is something that we must be on guard against and we must have complete honesty with ourselves if we are to monitor our hearts so that we can repent if we find ourselves gone astray. Bitterness will creep up on you and it is easy to allow it to happen. We like to think of ourselves as deserving the best and we become very offended when others hurt us, reject us and when we perceive that we have not received our ‘due’.

We must be careful to find the balance of self-worth and humility. Sometimes people just don’t think things through with faith. Do you deserve health, happiness, wealth, love, respect, honor, recognition or to walk through this life without hurt? Does the Bible promise that? What about Lazarus? What about our dear Lord Jesus Christ who not only died on the Cross for us but was rejected, told he had a demon, was cursed and taunted, beaten and tormented and forced to carry his own instrument of death?

God does not want us to hurt but there must be a desire for God inside of us and we must come to recognize His lessons and His love. There will be seeds planted in our hearts; seeds of love, anger, hate, joy, bitterness, forgiveness and the list just goes on and is replenished regularly. We must make the choice about which seeds we choose to water and which seeds we choose to pluck out.

We are the children of God and we have Jesus. This world is evil and has no hold upon us. Our home is in heaven and if this is what we know then we should act like it. Remember that we are not promised a blissful life on earth but we are promised that blissful life in heaven, but you have to get there first.

“Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’ So we may boldly say: ‘The Lord is my helper;I will not fear. What can man do to me?’” Hebrews 13:5-6 (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, JOHN COLLINS MINISTRIES, THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: SOME GIVE ALL

From John Collins Ministries:

“Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.” John 15:13 (NKJV).

Jesus spoke these words to prepare His apostles for His crucifixion. Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice for us. Many may not expect to encounter a situation where this is a possibility here in America. Yet, there are soldiers that encounter this situation and face the possibility of death side by side there fellow soldiers every day while fighting battles for their country. There has been many wars that America has fought in and many men who have died. There is not a choice for a soldier to go to fight for their country; they just do. Most of those men will tell you that they fight for the men at their side. They face death with courage and heroism for love and loyalty of their fellow man.

I know that there is more faith taken into battle than into most churches. I know that there are more genuine prayers said and more true love felt for family and friends by those who face death than those who take life for granted. I also know that this world began with war and death when Cain slew Abel and I know that this world ends with war and death with Armageddon. I also know that this world experiences periods of peace in places of faith. The stronger the faith of the people and the more that righteousness abounds, the more we please God in heaven above and are given His intervention on our behalf. So there is something that America can do as a country to halt the wars and death of our loved ones, we can become firm in our faith and our reaching out in the name of the Lord.

I know that we see many soldiers as heroes and so they are. When you think of a soldier of courage and strength know that every soldier who ever fought has the greatest example to have ever lived in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He is hero of heroes and king of kings. He is able to be our strength and guide our efforts. Let us reach out to those without faith without discouragement and without ceasing. Trust that God and Jesus love when we say, “God bless you” to strangers in public. If you don’t yet speak up automatically, start there. Say that to those you encounter and allow your love of God to flow to others. Make an effort and be rewarded.

“I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness’ but have the light of life.” John 8:12 (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, JOHN COLLINS MINISTRIES, DAILY THOUGHTS: BAD DAY

Your two year old child plays with the key fob to your car and triggers the alarm system so that you can’t get the doors open.  When you do find someone to fiddle with the locks and get it open, you find that the engine won’t start because the alarm system is still enabled.  You are now late for work.  You go to use your cell phone call a tow truck and your employer to find that the cell towers are not working today where you live.  The next day, you discover that the water company has shut off the water main for an emergency pipe break and it is uncertain how long it will take.  Someone totals your husband’s car.  It seems like the bad just keeps going on and on.    You can choose to wallow in self-pity and tell your story to all your friends, post it on Facebook, or you can choose to give to Jesus in prayer, draw a line in the sand right then, and start fresh  in your heart. 

From John Collins Ministries:

“Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. ‘The Lord is my portion,’ says my soul, ‘Therefore I hope in Him!’” Lamentations 3:22-24 (NKJV).

Have you ever had a bad day that just went on and on into the next and then the next? Have you ever enabled your own sin by saying to yourself that you have already sinned so what does it matter? You do not have to allow one bad day to just stretch into an undetermined amount of time while you wallow in your own filth and excuses. 

    

God is amazing and His mercy and compassion is fresh and new each day so if you messed up yesterday and regret it there is no reason to continue today. You have to stop your own self-sabotage at some time and just get on with it. There is no excuse for any of us and we are prone to justify our mistakes. God does not want justifications, He wants us to accept responsibility and to make the effort to change our ways.

God does not expect perfection but He does expect you to care enough to make the effort. He knows when you are slacking in your faith, making excuses and just refusing to change your ways. If today was a bad day for you, find your remorse and then with a prayer seeking forgiveness you can move on and hope again in a new day, a new opportunity to get it right and a new chance to bear good fruit.

You have to decide that you are worth it and that you matter enough to desire heaven because God has already done that for you by sending Jesus and He died on that cross for you which proves His love and His belief that you are worth it. With our Lord validating your self-worth you need to do the same and choose to obey the gospel of Christ. Let each day be a day that you praise God and thank Jesus.

“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:16 (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, JOHN COLLINS MINISTRIES: TEMPTATION

From John Collins Ministries:

Take seriously your faith, get your priorities straight,
don't assume anything.  Get on your knees and pray.
Pastor John Collins, John Collins Ministries Evangelist

"And the devil said to Him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread. But Jesus answered him, saying, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.’” 

Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said to Him, “All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours.” 

And Jesus answered and said to him, “Get behind Me Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’” Then he brought Him to Jerusalem, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here. For it is written: ‘He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you,’ and, ‘In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’” And Jesus answered and said to him, “It has been said, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’” Luke 4:3-12 (NKJV).

These are the temptations that Jesus was tempted with. It is interesting to take note of the temptations and the responses that Jesus gave. Satan tempted with scripture. The devil did to Jesus what he had done to Eve which is to twist things to his benefit and lure. Jesus responded with scripture as well and that is what I would like for you to take note of. There were three temptations and three responses.

Since Jesus had not eaten in 40 days, he was very hungry. Satan said to turn the stones to bread, which brought the response that man shall not live by bread alone but by every word of God. This was a temptation for the body’s natural desires. Hunger, shelter, passion, love, and all of our base desires should never be given into when it compromises our relationship with God. We need to trust that when we put God first, He will provide what we need, maybe not what we want but what we need.

Satan then offered Jesus authority and power over the kingdoms of the world if Jesus would worship Satan. Jesus responded by rebuking Satan and reminding him that only God is to he worshiped and served. We should never desire power and status. We need to be careful of what is offered to us and at what cost. That big promotion, the company car, the stock tip, the client who is not so honest but will bring big bucks and you can fill in the blanks on the possible exchange of status and your soul. We must make sure that any advancement that we are given in life comes along side our worship of God.

We must put our faith first because when we choose to give in to the desires of moving up in this world without God, we are choosing to place our material wants along with our craving authority in our own right above our desire for God and Jesus.

Satan then tells Jesus from the top of the temple to throw Himself down and trust that the angels will catch Him. Jesus responds with the truth that you shall not tempt God. Oh, this is a doozy. So many of us are guilty of this. I believe that the apathy that society has for God has led to more and more tempting of Him. People just don’t fear God anymore. People say things out loud that are tempting God and they do things that are tempting Him as well. We need to be aware of our words and our actions, that they do not tempt God, especially His wrath because of unbelief or doubt. Every idle word will be accounted for.

Take note of how you think of God and Jesus. Take seriously your faith. Don’t take for granted your time here on earth and most importantly, get your priorities straight. Get on your knees and pray with sincerity. Take the time to become a disciple of Christ. Don’t assume anything because you never want to get lazy in your faith.

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.”  Luke 4:18-19 (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.