PASTOR JOHN COLLINS: CO-DEPENDENT

From Pastor John Collins:

"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus"  Philippians 4: 6-7 (NKJV).

Have you ever been co-dependent?  Have you ever been depressed, miserable and feeling so lonely that you allow negative relationships to build with negative people in your life?  Have you ever been afraid to be alone? Are you keeping unhealthy relationships alive in order to avoid emptiness?

In order to be healthy in our lives in our souls and not only our bodies, we must be able to be honest with ourselves. If you truly want spiritual health, heart health and mental health then get to know Jesus Christ.  When you give you all to coming to the Cross and submitting to God's will for your life, you will find yourself supported, whole, happy and fulfilled.  There is function and independence in being a servant of God and a follower of the Lord Jesus.

The life of Jesus has a purity of thought and intent that we all should learn from.  Jesus was sure of the right and wrong in the world and Jesus was sure of His place in the world and every Christian has that surety and confidence offered to them.  There is not a person that is not given the opportunity to be freed of the 'need' of others and freed of the insecurity of life.  The need in life is to find the hope in Christ and with the effort to come to know Him comes the clarity of strength and the assurance of independence. 

People don't need to feel lonely or miserable but just need to call on Jesus and stay committed to Him.  Jesus will heal you, free you and guide you into a lifetime of doing His will that will cure your loneliness and fulfill your needs.

Sometimes it is necessary to just stop in your life.  Stop what you are doing and take an honest inventory of where you are at emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. Life is precious and should not be experienced in a state of agony and insecurity.  Seek Jesus and He will hold your hand and lead you to the promised land, if you let Him.

"Finally brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy-meditate on these things."  Philippians 4:8 (NKJV).

LOVE THAT CROSS, PASTOR JOHN

Read more or contact me, Pastor John Collins, Evangelist, at John Collins Ministries, www.johncollinsministries.com.

PASTOR JOHN COLLINS, JOHN COLLINS MINISTRIES: NEGATIVITY

From Pastor John Collins:

The most basic negative emotions, if left unchecked, will
be the downfall of our souls.
Pastor John Collins

"You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” Matthew 5:27-28 (NKJV).

Jesus gave us an interpretation of the law that is imperative that we understand. Prior to Him speaking about these things, it was the focus of the law to look at the actions of a person. Do not kill, steal, lie, or commit adultery and so on. Yet, with the words of our Lord, we learned that it is in our hearts that the sin begins. Before we will commit adultery we will lust, before we murder we usually hate. That is why Jesus said that what comes out of a man is what defiles a man.

Although we may feel that we understand this and we may even have given some thought to this, how often are we monitoring our emotions that will lead us to sin? We are filled with the propensity to be selfish and evil beings. That is a fact. We have to make the effort to allow Jesus to help us overcome ourselves. The most basic negative emotions, if left unchecked, will be the downfall of our souls.

We get depressed, angry, sad, resentful, bitter, and are full of fears and frustrations that may seem overwhelming to us. We must be diligent in our relationship with Jesus so that we allow Him to manage the purifying of our hearts for us. With His love leading us we are able to let go of the negative seeds in our hearts and to plant the positive and water them well. That is what being the branch to His vine is. That is where we will bear much fruit.

Do not let negativity rob you of the joy of Jesus. Do not allow bad emotions to build inside of you until they consume you. Pay attention to not only your actions, but to your feelings. That is where it begins.

“If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.” Matthew 5:29 (NKJV). 

LOVE THAT CROSS, PASTOR JOHN COLLINS