Pastor Leo Colon's Blog

Category: Devotional

  • Day Twelve: Don’t Quit. Don’t Fear.

    no-tie-head-shot.jpgBeloved, Grace and Peace be multiplied to you, through the knowledge of God and of Jesus Christ. Day Twelve (12) you are really turning the corner. The end is in sight. You are truly a giant and God will honor your effort. Celebrate what you have achieved. This is a good thing. Let’s go a little bit further in the text and gain some insight in how to achieve what God would have us achieve. Let’s look at the text:

    KJV

    Num. 14:9 Only rebel not ye against the LORD, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us: their defence is departed from them, and the LORD is with us: fear them not.

     

    Israel had just received a report from the spies Moses sent into the land. Two spies, (Joshua and Caleb) said we are well able to go and possess the land. Ten other spies, who saw the same thing as Joshua and Caleb said we can’t do this. The land will swallow anyone who lives there. The people are stronger than we are. They are bigger than we are. These people are giants. The awesome thing about this report is that Joshua and Caleb never said, “we never saw any of that”. They saw the same thing yet, Joshua and Caleb, both from the Tribe of Judah, a tribe of people who are known for their praise of God, said even though that’s true we can still Possess this. Selah! Be careful who interprets your dreams. Be very careful who advises you. People who love you, good people can be negative. A person who believes God, can see things and believe things that are not obvious. Stay around people who believe God.

    Yet, here the people believed the majority report and began to murmur and turn on God’s leaders. They even had the nerve to elect their own leaders and decide we should go back to slavery. Beloved, don’t do this journey, see a little obstacle, then decide to go backwards. You have come too far to turn back.

    Joshua and Caleb addressed the people and said we can do this. The land is exceedingly good. If the LORD delights in us, we can have it. Just don’t rebel against God. Don’t go backwards. Don’t know what God wants for you and then quit. Beloved, winning means you have to make up your mind not to quit. Don’t quit now. That would be rebellion. To see the promise and go back to slavery is insane. Don’t rebel. Don’t quit. Don’t listen to people who want to convince you that God’s promise is unattainable. You are still well able. Also, Don’t Fear People! Usually fear begins with what you don’t know. Fear begins with ambiguity. Don’t fear anyone. The word of the LORD is they are bread for us. This is an easy thing. A basic thing. Bread is an easy food to make and break. It is basic to your meal. That’s what your opposition is this year. Don’t fear anything. Go for it. The people are bread to you. Don’t Quit. Don’t Fear.

     

    Remember; take one day at a time. Drink all the water you can. Pray, and make a prayer list. Pray with understanding and with a purpose. Just do today, do not think of the entire journey. You can do this. Also, start to plan now and make plans to bring someone to church with you. If you are not a member of a church currently or are seeking a place God wants you to call home, allow me to invite you to In His Presence Family Worship Center. It’s a good church and a good place to call home. Be my special guest. We would love to meet you. We are at 1673 Dean Street, Brooklyn, NY. Our Sunday services start at 8 AM and our midweek prayer and bible study is on Wednesday at 7 PM. Go to our website, http://www.ihpfwc.org. Invite someone to come with you, why? God wants his house filled. He told us that. (Luke 14:23)

     

     

     

    Live on Purpose and not By Mistake,

    Yours Because I am His,

    Leo Colon

    pastor@ihpfwc.org

    http://www.ihpfwc.org

     

  • Day Eleven: You Are Well Able to Overcome It!

    no-tie-head-shot.jpgBeloved, Grace and Peace be multiplied to you, through the knowledge of God and of Jesus Christ. Well, Today is day Eleven (11)! You are technically PAST the half way point. Which means, you now have less time in front of you on this journey than you have behind you. Isn’t that Amazing? Aren’t you glad you did not quit because day two and three look undoable? You are doing very well. Today I want to finish the thought we have been looking at for the last few days. Let’s look at the text:

     

    KJV

    Num. 13:30 And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it.

     

    Today, I want to tell you, you are “well able to overcome it”. That is your word for today. The promise in front of Israel was daunting. Something is wrong with the promise. The problem is, someone else is living there. God promised the people of Israel that he would give them a promise land. When they get there, someone is living there and they believe they are the rightful owners. In the natural, they would be right. The problem is God promised Israel. When God promised you something, it does not matter who is living there, it is YOURS! The issue is, in order to get the promise, you will have to fight. In other words, you need to overcome a serious obstacle. This particular obstacle is a people, that don’t want you to have what God promised you. Do you know some people who don’t want you to have what God promised you? Well, that is an obstacle. You are going to have to overcome that. This means, you need to be prepared and willing to fight. Will you fight for what’s yours? Sure, but here is another problem. The people you need to fight, are giants. They are bigger than you are. Realistically, you have a good reason to walk away. Beloved, this is usually how God works. If what God is promising you is easy, you really should question if it is God. God forces us to dream big. Dream extraordinary huge dreams.
    Well now that you have a promise and a fight, the word of the LORD to you is, you are “well able” to overcome it. Not just able but well able. God has not just given you the ability to fight, He has given you more than enough ability to fight. Remember, no fight is ever won by staying out of the ring. You don’t deserve to win if you do not show up for the fight. Now that you are here and ready to fight, here what should remember: You are Well Able. Go get what God has promised you.

     

    Remember, drink all the water you can. Just do today. Do not try to fast all 21 days at once. Let tomorrow take care of tomorrow. Also, plan now to bring someone to church with you on Sunday. Whatever church you belong to you need to bring someone with you. Certainly, if you do not have a church home we would be honored to have you as our special guest. Join us at 8 AM every Sunday and every Wednesday at 7 PM at In His Presence Family Worship Center on 1673 Dean St. Brooklyn NY. Our website is www.ihpfwc.org. We would love to see you.

     

    Live Life on Purpose, and not by Mistake,

    Yours Because I am His,

    Leo Colon

    pastor@ihpfwc.org

    www.ihpfwc.org

     

     

     

  • Go and Possess It.

    no-tie-head-shot.jpgBeloved, Grace and Peace be multiplied to you from God our Father and from Jesus Christ. You did it! This is day number TEN (10)! WOW, you should really be amazed at how far you have come. You are truly making it happen. I want to encourage all of you go getters from the passage we were looking at yesterday. Let’s look at the text:

     

    Num. 13:30 And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it.

     

    Today, I want to encourage you by saying to you and to your spirit go and possess your promise. Like you, Israel was looking at their promise and have not actually possess it yet. There were some real challenges to getting the promise. They could even see it, but they were not actually owners of their promise. This year, 2016 is not actually ours yet, but I decree it belongs to us. You can do this. Start today, go and possess the promise. It belongs to you. I believe all you need is the right word in your ear and the promise from God that you will win the day, the month, yes and even the year. Don’t concentrate on what you don’t have. Today does not define you. You are what you prepare for. Do you want to possess your promise? I do and I will. Confess that to yourself. I will possess the promise. I want it and I will have it.

     

    You can have your promise, just remember the word of the LORD to you. Go and Possess your promise.

     

    Remember, drink all the water you can. Just do today. Do not try to fast all 21 days at once. Let tomorrow take care of tomorrow. Also, plan now to bring someone to church with you on Sunday. Whatever church you belong to you need to bring someone with you. Certainly, if you do not have a church home we would be honored to have you as our special guest. Join us at 8 AM every Sunday and every Wednesday at 7 PM at In His Presence Family Worship Center on 1673 Dean St. Brooklyn NY. Our website is www.ihpfwc.org. We would love to see you.

     

    Live Life on Purpose, and not by Mistake,

    Yours Because I am His,

    Leo Colon

    pastor@ihpfwc.org

    www.ihpfwc.org

     

     

  • Day Nine: Be Still.

    no-tie-head-shot.jpgBeloved, Grace and Peace be multiplied to you through the knowledge of God and of Jesus Christ. Today we are on Day Nine (9) of our journey! Congratulations!!! You Are going to make it. You are at a pivotal point now. You are about to go into double digit days. This is a daunting time in the fast. It is common to be fearful at this point. I want to encourage you through the word of God. Let’s look at the text:

    KJV
    Num. 13:30 And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it.

    Moses and the people of God were within sight of their promise. Just as you are beloved. Moses wanted to gather some intelligence about the people that Israel would have to fight in order to get what God promised them. Side point, sometimes you are going to have to be ok with moving people out of your way to get what belongs to you. The spies came back, ten of them thought it could not be done. Two of them had a minority report and said it was well within their ability. Important issue here. Israel lost FORTY YEARS because of listening to the wrong report. They listened to the wrong prophet. Who you listen to can effect whether you win now or FORTY YEARS from now. Be careful who interprets your vision! Be very careful WHO encourages you. Doubt from some sensible people can cost you. You need to listen to someone who is bold enough to hear from God and not be persuaded by what they see in the natural.

    In this text, the wrong opinion cause an uproar and Caleb “stilled” the people. Told them to calm down. Doubt can cause an unnecessary uproar in your spirit. I want you today to calm down. All that negative talk going on in your spirit cannot get you to the finish line. You have a promise from God and it does not matter who is in your promise, God said it’s yours. Be still beloved. Does this make sense? Well the word of the LORD to you today is:

    KJV
    Psa. 46:10 Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.

    The reason you will succeed is because he is God. There is nothing and no one greater than God. You can succeed in whatever you put your hands to. Anything at all. The word of God says:

    KJV
    Phil. 4:13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

    Notice something in this text. Paul said all things, not just anything. I take that to understand I have a multiplicity of miracles available to me. But I cannot achieve them through worry. I cannot achieve them through fear. Be still beloved. Your promise is before you. Know that with God all things are possible. You can do this. Why is it absolutely necessary that I be still? Because there is another word coming that I need to hear. Tomorrow, I want to tell you more. Hang in there. You can do this. Be still beloved. Know who your God is.

    Remember; take one day at a time. Drink all the water you can. Pray, and make a prayer list. Pray with understanding and with a purpose. Just do today, do not think of the entire journey. You can do this. Also, start to plan now and make plans to bring someone to church with you. If you are not a member of a church currently or are seeking a place God wants you to call home, allow me to invite you to In His Presence Family Worship Center. It’s a good church and a good place to call home. Be my special guest. We would love to meet you. We are at 1673 Dean Street, Brooklyn, NY. Our Sunday services start at 8 AM and our midweek prayer and bible study is on Wednesday at 7 PM. Go to our website, http://www.ihpfwc.org. Invite someone to come with you, why? God wants his house filled. He told us that. (Luke 14:23)

    Live on Purpose and not By Mistake,
    Yours Because I am His,
    Leo Colon
    pastor@ihpfwc.org
    http://www.ihpfwc.org

  • Day Eight: Believe God.

    20110106-120344.jpgBeloved, Grace and Peace be multiplied to you, through the knowledge of God and of Jesus Christ. I trust your worship on yesterday, (Sunday) was awesome. Today is Day Number Eight (8)! Wow, and some of you thought you would not last a week. Well, you did it. Congratulations! Well Done! Today I reached back and decided to repost a blog from a few years ago. I pray that you are encouraged to Go Forward. Enjoy.

    Today I just wanted to encourage you to hang in there and believe God. The Apostle Paul teaches us how to obtain the promises God. I know that God in his word has promised us some things and I want to obtain what God promised me. Let’s look at the text:

    NLT
    Gal. 3:20 Now a mediator is needed if two people enter into an agreement, but God acted on his own when he made his promise to Abraham.
    Gal. 3:21 ¶ Well then, is there a conflict between God’s law and God’s promises? Absolutely not! If the law could have given us new life, we could have been made right with God by obeying it.
    Gal. 3:22 But the Scriptures have declared that we are all prisoners of sin, so the only way to receive God’s promise is to believe in Jesus Christ.

    Paul teaches us that we do not get the promises of God because we deserve them; we get what God promises because we believe in Christ. Our faith ratifies our expectation. This is great news because all our lives we have been in relationships where promises are dependent on works. I will love you, if you give me this or that. I will keep my promise if you pay a certain amount. Paul tells us that the faith that God gives us needs to be in operation in our lives in order to receive the promises of God. The only way to receive God’s promise is to believe in Jesus. Do you have a promise? Has God-given you a promise? You have a bible full of promises. The word of God is your book of promises; the question is do you believe in Christ enough to expect to receive his promises? As you are praying, believe God for an answer. As you are going through your prayer list believe God for those things. God will honor his word if you believe.

    Remember, do one more day. Just do today. God will take of tomorrow. He promised he would. Drink all the water you can and be encouraged.Pray, and make a prayer list. Pray with understanding and with a purpose. Just do today, do not think of the entire journey. You can do this. Also, start to plan now and make plans to bring someone to church with you. If you are not a member of a church currently or are seeking a place God wants you to call home, allow me to invite you to In His Presence Family Worship Center. It’s a good church and a good place to call home. Be my special guest. We would love to meet you. We are at 1673 Dean Street, Brooklyn, NY. Our Sunday services start at 8 AM and our midweek prayer and bible study is on Wednesday at 7 PM. Go to our website, http://www.ihpfwc.org. Invite someone to come with you, why? God wants his house filled. He told us that. (Luke 14:23)

    Live on Purpose and not By Mistake,
    Yours Because I am His,
    Leo Colon
    pastor@ihpfwc.org
    www.ihpfwc.org

  • Day Six: Why Are You Hungry?

    Beloved, Grace and Peace be multiplied to you, through the knowledge of God and of Jesus Christ. Day SIX and we are one our way. You are doing great. Hang in there. God is going to do exactly what he said. Beloved, today’s Guest blogger is no stranger to us. She is my wife, my best friend and Co-Pastor at In His Presences Family worship Center. Thank Pastor Dorothy for your submission to our journey.

    Pastor Leo Colon

    20110106-120407.jpgGrace and Peace be unto you from God our Father and from The Lord Jesus Christ. Thank you Pastor Leo for the opportunity to share on your blog site today! I am truly honored.
    Well, Saints it is day 6 and you are still here!!!! Yes you made it! So, why are you hungry? Now that is a dumb question considering you are on a 21 day journey of one bowl of soup, (large) 😉 any time after 12 noon, (for some of us that means 12:01), and all the water and hot tea we can drink, please pass the honey!!!. But it is more than that. Love has brought us to the table, or shall I say, pushed us away.
    Love, a 4 letter word with more than 40,000 causes and effects. Love and the lack there of has made so many good and bad things happen to us. Jesus said to his disciples, in John 68:6 “Will you leave too?” And of course Peter answered, “Where are we going to go? It is you who have the Words of eternal life.” Peter and the disciples had fallen in Love. They had packed up their careers, and became disciples of Jesus Christ. Even at the risk of losing everything, going on a path never walked before, no guaranteed salary and benefits to start other than the assurance of His presence, each day they Loved Jesus more and more. There is nothing more rewarding than loving someone and finding out through being with them, that they have exceeded all of your expectations. The true nexus of this love is Jesus and His Love for them. His Love caused Him, to leave His thrown, strong enough to be separated from his father and be humiliated by his creation, for what? Love. John 3:16 says “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son…” Jesus said “prepare me a body” and God did just that. Jesus the God of the Universe is in love with you. You have taken this Journey and made it thus far for one reason, Love. You love Jesus and you know he loves you. You want more of Him, to be close to Him, to please Him, to be like Him, to understand Him and his desires for you, to fellowship with Him, to hear from Him and He hear you. You have made a decision to be hungry to sacrifice your time to lay aside your tasks, burdens and favorites for a chance to gain more ground with your Lord your Love, Jesus, who Loved us, you!
    So, embrace your hunger, your sacrifices, your early morning rises and cold journey to the church, denying your habitual shows for the quest of a glimpse of His Presence in your situation, the feel of His love on your heart, the continual insatiable thirst for more of Him. Love, which is why you are Hungry.
    Jeremiah 29:13 (BBE) And you will be searching for me and I will be there, when you have gone after me with all your heart.

    Pastor Dorothy Colon

    Remember; take one day at a time. Drink all the water you can. Pray, and make a prayer list. Pray with understanding and with a purpose. Just do today, do not think of the entire journey. You can do this. Also, start to plan now and make plans to bring someone to church with you. If you are not a member of a church currently or are seeking a place God wants you to call home, allow me to invite you to In His Presence Family Worship Center. It’s a good church and a good place to call home. Be my special guest. We would love to meet you. We are at 1673 Dean Street, Brooklyn, NY. Our Sunday services start at 8 AM and our midweek prayer and bible study is on Wednesday at 7 PM. Go to our website, http://www.ihpfwc.org. Invite someone to come with you, why? God wants his house filled. He told us that. (Luke 14:23)

    Live on Purpose and not By Mistake,
    Yours Because I am His,
    Leo Colon
    pastor@ihpfwc.org
    http://www.ihpfwc.org

  • Day Five: It’s Coming Sooner than You Think.

    20110106-120344.jpgBeloved, Grace and Peace be multiplied to you through the knowledge of God and of Jesus Christ. You are on Day number FIVE (5). This is amazing! You’re going into territory you have never seen before. Celebrate this moment, you have, with the help of God, reached a milestone. I want to encourage you today from the Word of God. Let’s finish taking a look at the verse we have been examining.

    KJV
    Rom. 13:11 ¶ And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.

    We have learned a few thing from the Apostle Paul:

    1. You understand seasons, “Knowing the Time”
    2. We are to “awake out of sleep” in other words Wake UP

    Today, the word of the LORD to you is, “your deliverance IS coming”! And its coming sooner than you think. Paul in his continuation of the pragmatic portion of this epistle, wants us to be aware of something. Our Salvation is nearer then when we first believed. A few points are inherent to this text. First of all, you did not begin believing God for nothing. You believed that he is God and that every good thing will come from him. Secondly, Salvation is not ambiguous. It is coming. This word is exciting when you understand that the word Salvation in the greek is also the word for Deliverance. Beloved, Your deliverance is a fact. It is a forgone conclusion. God promised it and there is no ambiguity in the matter. Question, do you have a promise from God? I believe that he will do just what he said. What is it you need deliverance from? Well, whatever it is, no this, it will come. Why?

    KJV
    Num. 23:19 God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?

    Here is what excites me. My deliverance, my salvation is going to happen, sooner than I think. As you go through this day, I need you to remind yourself of something, “your deliverance, is going to happen sooner than you think”. I need you to think about it. You believed that God was going to deliver you but when will he do it? You have reasoned in your mind that you would wait on God. You determined to hang in there. Well I have good news for you. The date you thought of for your deliverance……… Think Sooner! This fast is not for naught. God said every moment of this fast means your deliverance is getting closer. Do you believe it? Then stop getting used to your situation! When your change comes, promise me, you will embrace it. Yes that different thing, that different person, that different look. Do not be the reason your blessing has no one to change. Don’t avoid it because you weren’t expecting it. Embrace it. It is coming sooner that you think. Another thing, let your blessing change you. Stop fighting what God is doing in you. God wants to deliver you from the old you. Are you so comfortable with the old you that you reason your blessing away. Do you know, that miracles are missed every day because we try to reason God out of his amazing work. Hang in there. It, Your Blessing, Your Deliverance, Your Salvation is coming sooner than you think.

    Remember; take one day at a time. Drink all the water you can. Pray, and make a prayer list. Pray with understanding and with a purpose. Just do today, do not think of the entire journey. You can do this. Also, start to plan now and make plans to bring someone to church with you. If you are not a member of a church currently or are seeking a place God wants you to call home, allow me to invite you to In His Presence Family Worship Center. It’s a good church and a good place to call home. Be my special guest. We would love to meet you. We are at 1673 Dean Street, Brooklyn, NY. Our Sunday services start at 8 AM and our midweek prayer and bible study is on Wednesday at 7 PM. Go to our website, http://www.ihpfwc.org. Invite someone to come with you, why? God wants his house filled. He told us that. (Luke 14:23)

    Live on Purpose and not By Mistake,
    Yours Because I am His,
    Leo Colon
    pastor@ihpfwc.org
    http://www.ihpfwc.org

  • Day Four: Growth

    Beloved, Grace and Peace be multiplied to you, through the knowledge of God and of Jesus Christ. Today is day four. You are doing a great job. You are being consistent and are seeking the LORD in your fasting and praying. Well done. Today, my brother, friend and colleague Pastor Maurice Johnson of Bethcar Fellowship in Hampden Connecticut is our guest blogger. He has contributed to our effort before and is a great man of God. Please, help me welcome him and make a point of commenting, let him know this blog has been a blessing to you. Remember; take one day at a time. Drink all the water you can. Pray, and make a prayer list. Pray with understanding and with a purpose. Just do today, do not think of the entire journey. You can do this. Also, start to plan now and make plans to bring someone to church with you. Invite someone to come with you, why? God wants his house filled. He told us that. (Luke 14:23)

    Live on Purpose and not By Mistake,
    Yours Because I am His,
    Leo Colon
    pastor@ihpfwc.org
    http://www.ihpfwc.org

    Maurice Johnson.jpgGrace and peace be unto you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. What an awesome opportunity to commune with you as we place ourselves on the altar. Thank you to Pastor Leo Colon and the IHP family for allowing me to share this moment with you. What you are doing in this fast is eternal, it may be a struggle but remember the Lord sees you and He responds to those who respond to Him. Keep Going, Hang In There, Heaven Is Our Goal – Pastor Maurice Johnson
    Christian Growth – Fasting

    We are called to maturity as Christians; your growth is a biblical imperative, meaning heaven has determined that your growth is absolutely necessary. Your growth as a Christian is not an easy thing to achieve, it is and can be tedious, yes, the way of the transgressor is hard, but constant persistent godly behavior requires earnest effort. We are not posed to live as Christians and the world still endeavors to call us back to the things that separate us from God. We tend to believe that our maturing in Christ should be and is a natural occurrence or second nature, but nothing could be further from the truth. Just as we are responsible to maintain a life free from sin we are also responsible for fighting to maintain our identity and grow in the Lord. Dr. John MacArthur published an article entitled “What does it mean to “Work Out Your Salvation.”” In the article Dr. MacArthur writes the following:

    “The principle of working out salvation has two aspects. The first pertains to personal conduct, to faithful, obedient daily living. Such obedience obviously involves active commitment and personal effort, for which Scripture is replete with injunctions, both negative and positive. The second aspect of working out one’s salvation is perseverance, of faithful obedience to the end.”

    As Christians we face real obstacles that seek to block or stunt our growth; Martin Luther said that there are three primary obstacles that stand in your life to deter your growth, they are: 1) The World, 2) The Flesh and 3) The Devil. In spite of these obstacles we are required by the Word of God to struggle and to fight the good fight and to take hold of the eternal life to which you were called. The Apostle Paul describes his apprehension of faith in terms of a contest that must be conquered, “I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” Fasting is an intricate facet of our growth, not only should we partake in the corporate fast, but we should involve ourselves personally in fasting and in a real commitment to regularly warring against the desires of our flesh. Fasting can be a struggle and your body may be suffering, but Paul said in Romans 8:18 Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later – NLT. For your studies while on the fast concerning the Christian struggle, I suggest the following questions and scripture reading from the lesson “Developing Christian Character” by Dr. R C Sproul.

     

    Pastor Maurice Johnson

     

    BIBLE STUDY
    1. What do the following Scripture passages teach us about growth?
    a. Hebrews 6:1–3
    b. Ephesians 4:11–16
    c. Philippians 2:12–13
    d. Philippians 3:12–16

    2. Read the following texts of Scripture. What does each contribute to understanding of “the world”?
    a. Romans 8:18–23
    b. 1 John 2:15–17
    c. James 4:1–6

    3. What do the following texts of Scripture teach us about “the flesh”?
    a. Romans 7:7–8:2
    b. Galatians 5:13–26
    c. James 4:1–6

    4. What do the following texts of Scripture tell us about “the devil”?
    a. Ephesians 6:10–13
    b. James 4:7–10
    c. 1 Peter 5:8–9

    Grace To You.org. December 9, 2014 BQ052112. What Does It Mean to “Work Out Your Salvation”?. Retrieved January 4, 2016, from Grace To You: http://www.gty.org/resources/bible-qna/BQ052112/what-does-it-mean-to-work-out-your-salvation?Term=Work Out Your Salvation
    R C Sproul. (2001) Developing Christian Character, Lake Mary, FL Ligonier Ministries.

    Iam vos teneo (Now you know)
    verum (Truth)

  • Day Three: Wake Up!

    Beloved, Grace and Peace be multiplied to you, through the knowledge of God and of Jesus Christ. You have made it to Day Three. Congratulations! You are doing it. WOW!!! Celebrate this. I know you have had plenty of opportunities to eat. Nobody would know, but you stayed true. Well done. Today, I would like to go further in the text we looked at yesterday. Let’s look at the text.

    KJV
    Rom. 13:11 ¶ And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.

    Yesterday we looked at the fact that the Apostle Paul told us that we are people that “know the time”. Today, let’s go a bit further. Today the word of the LORD to us that it is high time to “awake out of sleep”. In other words beloved, “WAKE UP”! The Apostle is speaking here to the church at Rome, which tells me it is possible for me to be saved and asleep. I can be saved, filled with the Holy Ghost, fully functional in my church and asleep. Scholars postulate that Paul’s meaning is the same as Jesus’s meaning in Matthew 24:43

    KJV
    Matt. 24:43 But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.

    In the ESV that text is rendered as:
    Matt. 24:43 But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into.

    So if we are to understand this text, Paul is saying wake up, and don’t allow the enemy to take anything from you. You know the enemy wants to rob you of what God has given you. The last thing you should do is sleep. Wake up and prevent 2016 from being stolen from you. Do not allow your promise, your purpose to be stolen. You are able to accomplish what God has promised you. You have the authority, the ability and right to prevent your year from being stolen from you. Wake up! Don’t sleep now! Your promise is at hand! Purpose is at hand! Your anointing is at hand! You cannot afford to give up now. I decree, no enemy will stop you, prevent you, cause your direction to shift. You will get ALL that God promised you. I decree that in 2016, You will get everything you have lost. Everything that was stolen from you. It is high time for us to “Awake out of Sleep”!

    This means everything is different now. I am no one’s push over. I will take what belongs to me. How about you? Start your day on purpose. Know what you want and get it. Today, it belongs to you. WAKE UP!

    Remember; take one day at a time. Drink all the water you can. Pray, and make a prayer list. Pray with understanding and with a purpose. Just do today, do not think of the entire journey. You can do this. Also, start to plan now and make plans to bring someone to church with you. If you are not a member of a church currently or are seeking a place God wants you to call home, allow me to invite you to In His Presence Family Worship Center. It’s a good church and a good place to call home. Be my special guest. We would love to meet you. We are at 1673 Dean Street, Brooklyn, NY. Our Sunday services start at 8 AM and our midweek prayer and bible study is on Wednesday at 7 PM. Go to our website, http://www.ihpfwc.org. Invite someone to come with you, why? God wants his house filled. He told us that. (Luke 14:23)

    Live on Purpose and not By Mistake,
    Yours Because I am His,
    Leo Colon
    pastor@ihpfwc.org
    http://www.ihpfwc.org

  • Day Two: Knowing the Time.

    20110106-120344.jpgBeloved, Grace and Peace be multiplied to you, through the knowledge of God and of Jesus Christ. You have made it to Day Two. Congratulations! I mean that. It is important that you thank God for the seemingly little things and celebrate your achievements. This is not an easy thing and you are doing it. You are fasting and you are to be commended. BRAVO!!!
    Today, I want to encourage you from the scriptures as we move even deeper forward in our journey. I have been preaching this at our church and I felt so encouraged by it and I pray you will as well. Let’s look at the text.

    KJV
    Rom. 13:11 ¶ And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.

    If you don’t mind, I would like to look at parts of this text for the next few days. The Apostle Paul, in this part of the epistle is engaged in the pragmatic portion of his writing. I won’t do an exhaustive contextual criticism, but beginning in chapter twelve he begins to encourage us to apply the theological, to our every day life. In this verse, the first clause is informative. He says to us that we are a people that “know the time”. The word he used for time actually means, a fitness, or proportion of time. A limited portion of time, a season. Beloved, I want to encourage you. God has made you a person who understands seasons. You sense in your spirit that there is something different about now. There is an urgency in now. If you are a person that “knows the time” it means you will not operate in this season as if it was a past season. You will not operate in today’s season with yesterday’s anointing.

    Today, God wants you to be sensitive. Operate in your daily bread. As I am writing this, I believe there are many of you who were meant to read this, and God is speaking to you. You knew there was something about this season. You really can’t explain it. You can’t actually prove it, but you know, it’s time. Do you sense it? Even this fast feels different. Can you tell? Beloved, I decree this is a different year for you. This day is different. Take the initiative, today. Start this day “Knowing the Time”.

    Time for what? We will talk about that tomorrow.

    Remember; take one day at a time. Drink all the water you can. Pray, and make a list. Pray with understanding and with a purpose. Just do today, do not think of the entire journey. You can do this. Also, I know your first Sunday of the year was awesome and that your worship was rewarding. With that being said, start to plan now and make plans to bring someone to church with you. If you are not a member of a church currently or are seeking a place God wants you to call home, allow me to invite you to In His Presence Family Worship Center. It’s a good church and a good place to call home. Be my special guest. We would love to meet you. We are at 1673 Dean Street, Brooklyn, NY. Our Sunday services start at 8 AM and our midweek prayer and bible study is on Wednesday at 7 PM. Go to our website, http://www.ihpfwc.org. Invite someone to come with you, why? God wants his house filled. He told us that. (Luke 14:23)

    Live on Purpose and not By Mistake,
    Yours Because I am His,
    Leo Colon
    pastor@ihpfwc.org
    http://www.ihpfwc.org