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12 Ways to Live in Freedom

Posted on by Rob Collins in Blog, Messages

Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage. Galatians 5:1

1. Learn to forgive and realize that you have already been forgiven.

“In prayer there is a connection between what God does and what you do. You can’t get forgiveness from God, for instance, without also forgiving others.” 

Matt. 6:14-15 MSG

Bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.

Col. 3:13 TEV

2. Learn to have constructive conversations.

You must put away every kind of bitterness, anger, wrath, quarreling, and evil, slanderous talk. Instead, a be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ also forgave you. Ephesians 4:31 NET 

Words kill, words give life;

they’re either poison or fruit– you choose.

Prov. 18:21 MSG

3. Learn to encourage others.

The sovereign Lord has given me the capacity to be his spokesman,

so that I know how to help the weary.

He wakes me up every morning;

he makes me alert so I can listen attentively as disciples do. Is. 50:4 NET

When we get together, I want to encourage you in your faith, but I also want to be encouraged by yours.

Rom. 1:12 NLT

“So continue encouraging each other and building each other up, just like you are doing already.” 1 Thessalonians‬ ‭5:11‬ ‭CEB‬‬

4. Learn the art of not complaining [especially about the things that you permit].

Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world. Phil. 2:14-15 ESV

5. Learn to keep your word and to be honest.

Don’t lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old sinful nature and all its wicked deeds. Col. 3:9 NLT

A good name is more desirable than great wealth. Respect is better than silver or gold. Prov. 22:1 GWT

6. Learn to be kind.

May God pour out His love so it fills your lives and splashes over on everyone around you, just as it does from us to you.

I Thess. 3:12

“Don’t let any foul words come out of your mouth. Only say what is helpful when it is needed for building up the community so that it benefits those who hear what you say. Put aside all bitterness, losing your temper, anger, shouting, and slander, along with every other evil. Be kind, compassionate, and forgiving to each other, in the same way God forgave you in Christ.” Ephesians‬ ‭4:29, 31-32‬ ‭CEB‬‬

7. Learn to live out “the golden rule”. [do unto others as you would have them do to you.]

Be good friends who love deeply; practice playing second fiddle. Rom. 12:10 MSG

“Therefore, you should treat people in the same way that you want people to treat you.” Matthew‬ ‭7:12‬ ‭CEB‬

Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Each of you should be concerned not only about your own interests, but about the interests of others as well. You should have the same attitude toward one another that Christ Jesus had toward you. Phil. 2:3-5 ESV

So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.

Gal. 6:10 ESV

8. Learn to NOT argue about things that don’t matter or to feed an argumentative spirit. 

We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ. II Cor. 10:5 ESV

If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.

Romans 12:18 NIV

9. Learn to resolve unresolved issues. 

Go ahead and be angry. You do well to be angry– but don’t use your anger as fuel for revenge. And don’t stay angry. Don’t go to bed angry. Don’t give the Devil that kind of foothold in your life.

Eph. 4:26-27 MSG

10. Learn all the facts before you come to an assumption or conclusion.

When the jailer woke and saw that the prison doors were open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. Acts 16:27 ESV

11. Learn to build bridges and not walls. 

Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it.

Prov. 3:27 ESV

“And neither will I walk off and leave you. That would be a sin against God! I’m staying right here at my post praying for you and teaching you the good and right way to live.” I Sam. 12:23 MSG

Be gentle with one another, sensitive. Forgive one another as quickly and thoroughly as God in Christ forgave you.

Eph. 4:23 MSG 

12. Learn to concentrate on what truly matters. 

For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. Col. 3:3 NLT

Throw yourselves into the work of the Master, confident that nothing you do for him is a waste of time or effort. 

I Corinthians 15:58

You do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin. James 4:14-17 ESV

Peace Principles

Posted on by Rob Collins in Blog, Messages

How Do You Strive to Make

Peace With Others and Live at Peace With Yourself? 

“Now may the God of perseverance and encouragement grant you to live in harmony with one another in accordance with Christ Jesus.” Romans‬ ‭15:5‬

How Do You Strive to Make

Peace? You find a way by figuring out what it takes to make it work!

  • Learn to celebrate instead of always being critical— *(a critical spirit is debilitating, but an encouraging word can be liberating). 
  • Learn to speak the right language at the appropriate time— *(Words matter and timing and tone matters).
  • Don’t complain about what you allow and don’t tolerate what you could confront— *(Deal with what needs dealt with in a timely and appropriate manner).
  • Don’t excuse what should be expressed— *(Say it, if it needs said, but say it in love!).
  • Destroy assumptions, perceptions and feelings by having those tough conversations— *(Crucial conversations are crucial in regard to conflict resolution).
  • Learn to concede and to compromise— *(What’s best may not be what I think, feel or want).
  • Learn to give and take, and to LET IT GO— *(If it’s always about you, you will never have peace).
  • It’s not about winning; it’s about working it out— *( If you have to win every argument and conquer every battle, you will never have true peace).
  • Don’t keep things stirred up that need to die down— *(Don’t make what is not a big deal a big deal and quit talking about it!).
  • Don’t walk away from what you you were meant to walk through— *(You won’t have peace if you are living in regret— face what needs faced).
  • Seek first to understand- before being understood— *(Chinese proverb, but good advice).
  • Deal with what needs to be dealt with and let go of what you can’t change— *(Again, let it go and remember, don’t let what you can’t control or change to affect you in a negative way).

***Peace is an atmosphere that is produced by proper patterns that embody a Spirit-Led and Christ-Centered life.

The Value of Time

Posted on by Rob Collins in Blog, Messages

“There is a right time for everything. Everything that we do on the earth has a proper time.”
‭‭Ecclesiastes‬ ‭3‬:‭1‬ ‭EASY‬‬

“Time doesn’t ask for your permission as it passes by— it asks for your attention— so that you can prioritize what matters the most!”

I want you to know today that what you prioritize matters and what you invest your time in is important. And, the good news is— you get to choose! Everyone of us get 24 hours in a day and 365 days in year.

However, what you don’t make a priority won’t be. I’ve learned that why you don’t intentionally prioritize probably won’t happen. You have to intentionally make room for what matters the most.

You see, most of us don’t need more time, we just need more selective priorities and more intentional boundaries. We need to prioritize our time and give our attention to what we value.

Priorities and boundaries are what guard and grow the time that you’ve been given. They help protect your time and make it last longer and mean more.

What’s a priority for you? Maybe it’s making money? Maybe it’s family? Maybe it’s a career? Maybe it’s a friendship or your faith? 

No matter what your priority is— what you make time for gets your attention and what you make a priority will become just that! 

However, time is different than money— you can’t earn it or make more of it. You can only invest it and yield its personal dividends, so spend it wisely. 

Invest in those people and those things that mean the most to you— those things that you value. That’s where the dividends will come from, so don’t waste your time on what you don’t value.

You only have the time that you have been allotted. How you invest your time will determine the dividends that you yield and it will create the experiences that you experience.

What you prioritize will reveal what you value the most. And what you invest your time in will determine what you experience. You will either receive in return a lasting memory or a lingering regret.

Therefore, don’t allow those things that don’t matter to rob your joy or to steal your peace. Don’t allow those little trivial distractions to detour you or to distract you from those things that truly matter. 

We have all said, “Man, that was a waste of time!” Or maybe you’ve said, “Wow, I’m sure glad that I made time for that!” Learn from that and be intentional moving forward.

Focus your time and energy on what you desire to experience and give your time and attention to those things and to those people that truly matter to you.

*Remember: “Time doesn’t ask for your permission as it passes by— it asks for your attention— so that you can prioritize what matters the most!”

Time is something that you can never get back and it is something that you can never make more of. 

You can only invest it in those people and in those things that you choose, so spend it wisely on those things and people that matter the most!

Dream Big and Do It!

Posted on by Rob Collins in Blog, Messages

HOW DO YOU DREAM BIG AND DO IT!

  • Don’t Complain About What You Don’t Have – Thank God For What You Do Have.
  • Allow Motivation, Passion and Determination Drive You – Not Situations, Circumstances or Lack.
  • Don’t Allow Limitations, People’s Negative Opinions, or Small Thinking Hinder You In Any Way.

Don’t Quit Too Soon

Posted on by Rob Collins in Blog, Messages

What Can Help You Not Quit too Soon?

1. Magnify God and not your problems.

2. See yourself as God does.


3. Realize who your source truly is.


4. Develop a heart of gratitude.


5. Don’t quit when you get discouraged.


6. Don’t focus on the results only.


7. Realize that trying one more time, might be the time that brings the desired result!

What Can You Do?

Posted on by Rob Collins in Blog, Messages


When I am faced with situations that I wouldn’t choose— situations that are confusing, less than desirable or difficult, I ask myself these questions:

Lord, what do you want me to:

1. See- observe, acknowledge or be aware of.

2. Say- speak to, speak about, encourage, admonish or correct.

3. Learn- experience, know or obtain knowledge or wisdom about or from.

4. Do- act of obedience, kindness, compassion or benevolence.

What Can You Do?

You can see what needs to be seen.

You can say what needs to be said.

You can learn what needs to be learned

You can do what needs to be done.

Be Strong and Do the Work

Posted on by Rob Collins in Blog


“As for you, Solomon, my son, keep near to your father’s God. Be happy to serve him faithfully in every way. The Lord knows what you are thinking. He understands all your thoughts. If you turn to him, you will find him. But if you turn away from him, he will leave you alone for ever. You must realize that the Lord has chosen you to build a temple to be his special home. Now you must be strong! Do this work.’” – 1 Chronicles‬ ‭28‬:‭9‬-‭10‬ ‭EASY

‬‬

1. You have to be strong when you don’t feel strong. Your strength will come as you act upon what you’re supposed to do.

2. You have to do what only you can do and rely on God to do the rest.

3. You must realize that your strength doesn’t come from how you feel, it comes from who God is. It’s not about what’s surrounding you, it’s about Who’s surrounding you. It’s not a matter of feelings, it’s a matter of faith. It’s not a matter of quitting, it’s a matter of digging deep.

What Did Mary Learn?

Posted on by Rob Collins in Blog

Mary Did You Know is a popular Christmas song written by Mark Lowrey (music by Buddy Green). This song has been sung by numerous artists in a wide range of genres. It has been made popular by anyone and everyone who sings it. The song simply asks the question, “Mary did you know?” Maybe in her heart she did, but in the natural and in reality, and retrospect- she probably didn’t. Hindsight and foresight are wonderful attributes; however, they are not usually readily available in “real time”… at least not in most cases. Most of us, like Mary don’t actually know until after the fact. We may have a prophetic promise or a discerning sense, but sometimes even those things that we have a sense for don’t always come to pass. And the things that we go through and experience in the “process” of receiving what was promised, doesn’t always make sense either. The “process” is the most difficult part of any endeavor or experience, especially in regard to obtaining a promise! God said it, His word promised it and you are believing for it, but then the “process” begins. No manifestation, no signs, no proof- just a process of living out what seems to be the insignificant mundane routines of life. Even when it seems like nothing is happening, God is always at work- even behind the scenes.

Most theologians believe that there was a 400-year period of silence from God. This period of silence would represent the period of time between the Old and New Testaments. Nothing happening, but people believing what the prophets had declared and living by faith for the fruition of that promise. Isaiah records it this way: “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold a virgin shall conceive and bear a Son and shall call His name Immanuel. For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.” Fast forward 400 years and you have record of an Angel of The Lord showing up to a young virgin girl named Mary. Yeah, “Mary, did you know?”

Luke 1:26-38 gives an account of the encounter this way: “In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.” “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?” The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So, the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. 36 Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. For no word from God will ever fail.” “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.”

Did you catch the words from those last two verses? I underlined them and put the last statement in bold font. The first phrase is: “No word from God will ever fail.” That was spoken by the Angel of the Lord who had come to earth from heaven (Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven). The second statement was spoken by Mary: “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Mary confessed in faith and declared, “May Your Kingdom come and may Your will be done- in the earth through this earthen vessel.” Then the Angel of the Lord left her. There she was- all alone with the promise of God and now she would begin to walk through the “process” that would eventually lead to the promise that had boldly been proclaimed by the Angel of the Lord. Now, before I go on, I want you to know that I know that the Lord will never leave us nor forsake us. However, when you are believing for something without seeing a tangible result, it sometimes feels as if God is a million miles away. Right? Nonetheless, this verse says that the Angel of the Lord spoke the promised Word and left her. Mary was now alone with this overwhelming sense of how? And now what?

So, my question is not, “Mary did you know?” My question is, “Mary what did you learn through the process?” The “process” is difficult and demanding. The “process” is confined and confusing. The “process” is also sometimes painful and peculiar. Nonetheless, what keeps us going through the “process” is the possibilities of the prophesied promise. “I heard Bishop TD Jakes say recently in an interview that we talk more about the promise than we do the process, but nonetheless, he believes that God is in the process even more so than the promise.” The “process” is what we despise, but it is also what develops us. And, without the process we would never obtain knowledge, wisdom or experience. We must go through the process to grow, learn and to obtain all that God has for us. Mary went through the process: (1) She received the word of the Lord from the Angel of the Lord. (2) She told Joseph and had to deal with being misunderstood. (3) She undoubtedly went through the process of people not believing her and drawing conclusions and forming assumptions. (4) She experienced the encounter of visiting with Elizabeth. (5) She experienced the journey on a donkey to Bethlehem. (6) She experienced no room in the inn and having to spend the night in an animal stall where she would ultimately give birth. (7) She experienced the birth pains and travail of having a child.

The Bible says that Mary pondered all things in her heart. The word “pondered” means to think deeply about. Now let’s look at this verse in context in Luke 2:1-20: 1 In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that the entire inhabited earth should be taxed. 2 This taxation was first made when Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3 And everyone went to his own city to be taxed. 4 So Joseph also departed from the city of Nazareth in Galilee to the City of David which is called Bethlehem, in Judea, because he was of the house and lineage of David, 5 to be taxed with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child. 6 So while they were there, the day came for her to give birth. 7 And she gave birth to her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in strips of cloth, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. 8 And in the same area there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And then an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were very afraid. 10 But the angel said to them, “Listen! Do not fear. For I bring you good news of great joy, which will be to all people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the City of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be a sign to you: You will find the Baby wrapped in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.” 13 Suddenly there was with the angel a company of the heavenly host praising God and saying,14 “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, and good will toward men.” 15 When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let us now go to Bethlehem and see what has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 So they came hurrying and found Mary and Joseph, and the Baby lying in a manger. 17 When they had seen Him, they made widely known the word which was told them concerning this Child. 18 And all those who heard it marveled at what the shepherds told them. 19 But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

Many theologians have various opinions on verse nineteen of Luke chapter 2. However, in the sequence of context, Luke tells the entire story of the birth of Christ and in verse nineteen simply says that Mary thought about all of these deeply and kept them to herself. Mary did you know? And most importantly, Mary what did you learn? What did Mary learn in the “process” of birthing and obtaining the promise of God and how does it relate to us as we journey through our own “process” that we find ourselves in while believing for the promised promises:

  1. Mary learned that you have to begin by believing.
  2. Mary learned that the longest journey begins with the first step.
  3. Mary learned that surrender and obedience is what produces the extraordinary.
  4. Mary learned that it’s not about what others may think or say that matters.
  5. Mary learned that when you take the Lord at His word it may not turn out like you thought it would.
  6. Mary learned that the Word of God is always confirmed, and it is always true.
  7. Mary learned that God uses people, problems and pain to produce His plan.
  8. Mary learned that God’s plan is perfect.
  9. Mary learned that you can trust the “process” and that the timing of God is always perfect.