Good day, and Happy New Year. Warning, this is a longer blog than usual. Congratulations, you’ve made it to 2026. Today, before we get into it, I want to say, “Happy Founders’ Day” to all my brothers of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. Today marks one hundred and fifteen (115) years of “Achievement in Every Field of Human Endeavor.” To all my brothers, I greet you in Phi Nu Pi.

“The Year of the Shift.”

Grace and peace, and Happy New Year. Today, January 5, 2026, marks Day One of our corporate fast at In His Presence Family Worship Center, and it marks something even deeper: the beginning of “The Shift” God has proclaimed over this house for this year—“The Year of the Shift.”

You Have Been Here Long Enough

Deuteronomy 2:3 declares, “Ye have compassed this mountain long enough: turn you northward.” KJV Israel had been circling the same region, Mount Seir, for decades as part of the 40 years of wilderness wandering that followed their refusal to enter the promised land at Kadesh-barnea. By the time we arrive at this verse, roughly 38 of those years have passed, and God interrupts their cycle of wandering with a clear command to change direction.

Israel had been delivered from Egypt, set free from slavery, and promised a land—but when it was time to enter, 10 of the 12 spies returned with a fearful, faithless report. Only Joshua and Caleb declared, “We are well able,” yet the people chose to listen to the wrong voices and missed their appointed moment to walk into promise. As a result, that generation was sentenced to walk in circles in the wilderness until the unbelieving adults died off, turning what should have been a journey into a cycle.

When Obedience Still Feels Like Circles

“Be not afraid of growing slowly; be afraid only of standing still.” – Chinese Proverb

Here is the challenging part: Israel was circling that mountain because that is where God told them to go. Sometimes the season that frustrates you is still a season of obedience—you are where God told you to be, doing what you understood God asked you to do, and yet it feels like going around and around with no end in sight. There are times when our frustration is the fruit of our own disobedience, but there are also times when God keeps us in a holding pattern to deal with unbelief, refine character, and prepare us for what comes next.

Over time, it becomes easy to get comfortable with the mountain. Instead of treating the mountain as a temporary training ground, we start decorating it as if it were home. We find our favorite turn along the path, hang spiritual “drapes,” set up our favorite chair, and rest in a familiar spot simply because it is predictable and safe. The problem is this: the mountain is not your destination; it is the place of discipline, delay, and development—not the place of destiny.

The Shift Is Direction—and Mindset

“If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude.” – Maya Angelou

In Deuteronomy 2:3, God’s word is both directional and mental: “turn you northward.”Northward is more than “stop going in circles and walk in a straight line”; it is “stop being comfortable with what has numbed you for the last 38 years and embrace a new way of thinking.” The same God who ordered their circling now declares that the circling has lasted “long enough,” meaning the season of discipline has done its work and the time has come to move toward promise again.

In 2026, God is calling us to that same kind of shift. This is a year where God is not only changing directions but changing mindsets. For many, that will mean becoming comfortable with things you have never done before—steps of faith you have never taken, disciplines you have never practiced, levels of responsibility you have never carried. This year, choose to be comfortable not in what is familiar, but in knowing that God is giving you a renewed mind, a fresh direction, and another chance to walk toward what was promised long ago.

Personally, this is a year of shifting:

“To rise out of poverty you must change your way of thinking. You can’t live in abundance with impoverished thoughts.”
― Germany Kent

– From settling for “southward” cycles to pressing “northward” into God’s next.

– From “just getting along” to believing God for true wealth and abundance, so that Kingdom work can be resourced.

– From being a manager to becoming an owner—shifting into stewardship at another level, where responsibility, authority, and impact increase.

This is a year to shift from repeating what you have seen to stepping into what you have not seen yet—trusting that God is still faithful to old promises even as God leads you into new territory.

Fasting into the Shift

Today is Day One of our 2026 fast. As we enter this time, think of fasting as an embodied “turn northward”—a physical choice that agrees with God’s spiritual command to stop circling and start moving. Many churches and ministries encourage intentional water intake and simple meals during a fast to care for the body while seeking God with greater focus. For this fast, we are committing to:

– Drinking plenty of water each day—aiming for at least 8 to 12 glasses—to cleanse and support the body as we pray.

– Eating one bowl of soup after 3:00 p.m. each day, treating that simple meal as a reminder that we do not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.

Let this week be more than a change in diet; let it be a change in direction. As you feel hunger, name the “mountains” you have been circling—fear, procrastination, small thinking, financial bondage, unhealthy relationships, or spiritual complacency—and then ask God to show you what “northward” looks like in that area.

Join the Journey in 2026

You are invited to walk out this shift in community. Join us every Sunday at 10:00 a.m. at In His Presence Family Worship Center. We meet at 11 Woods Place (formerly Johnson Place) in Brooklyn, New York, gathering as a people who believe that wandering is not permanent and that God still opens the path to promise when God says, “You have compassed this mountain long enough.”

Enter 2026 with expectation. This is the year you will see God pull you out of frustrating circles and move you toward fulfilled purpose, visible promise, and realized destiny. By God’s grace, this will be the year of your shift northward.

Yours Because I am His,

Leo Colon

http://www.ihpfwc.org