Pastor Leo Colon’s Blogs

You have ABILITY.: ”
Grace and Peace be unto you, from God our Father, and from the LORD Jesus Christ.
Beloved, I want to take this opportunity to encourage you. You are not a mistake. God not only planned for you, but he planned what kind of asset you would be capable of adding to the Kingdom of God. God does not only plan for you to be a believer, but he planned which church you would be a member of, what auxiliary you would function in. Your gifting is not a coincidence, it is a plan. Even your ability to hear from God is the plan of God. Let’s look at the text.

KJV
Ex. 31:1 ¶ And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
Ex. 31:2 See, I have called by name Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah:
Ex. 31:3 And I have filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship,
Ex. 31:4 To devise cunning works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass,
Ex. 31:5 And in cutting of stones, to set them, and in carving of timber, to work in all manner of workmanship.

God is telling Moses that he has the intention of calling Bezaleel into service for the Kingdom of Israel. He called him by name, which means he did not put an add in the paper to see who would apply, he determine who he wanted. His birth was a plan, his family was a plan, which tribe he would come from was all a part of the plan of God. Not only his birth, but God equipped him with his spirit. He gave Bezaleel wisdom, understanding and knowledge about the work he equipped Bezaleel for. The ability to plan and design everything needed for the situation.
Beloved, God is a great steward. He plans for the needs of his people. Part of his plan to make sure the Kingdom is safe, is to equip you with his Spirit. Give you the wisdom, the understanding and the knowledge to do the job necessary for the Kingdom. You did not just decide to be who you are, God gave you the gift that makes you unique and capable to provide a special need for the Kingdom of God. You are wise, you have understanding and you are knowledgeable about some things that God has anointed you specifically to provide. Since God is this awesome steward, and has placed you in your church to serve, the thing you need to do is not sell yourself short. Stop thinking of yourself as ordinary. You have the spirit of God. You have the wisdom God gave you. You are anointed for the task needed to serve your community of believers. You have ABILITY! Believe God, trust God and watch him use you to do awesome things. You have ABILITY.

Yours Because I am His,
Leo Colon
http://www.ihpfwc.org
leocolon.wordpress.com”

(Via .)

Conquer Yourself: ”

Grace and Peace be unto you, from God our Father and from the LORD Jesus Christ. Beloved we have come through on the victorious side of a great 21-day fast. Now, one of the things that are natural after such a victory is to ponder ‘Now What’. What now, where do I go, what do I conquer. I would like to offer a thought for you consideration. Jesus expects us to make a point of scrutinizing ourselves so that we do not fool ourselves into complacency.

NRSV
Matt. 23:27 ¶ ‘Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which on the outside look beautiful, but inside they are full of the bones of the dead and of all kinds of filth.

Jesus undoubtedly is engaged in polemic discourse with the spiritual leaders of that day, which is not new, but this text jumps out at me. His admonishment is not that they ought to lay down their authority, but in their accomplishments make a point of being committed to working on your character. Hypocrites are not Hypocrites by accident. A good word for hypocrites would in this sense be the word Actors. Actors play a role. If an actor actually believed that the role he is playing is real then that would be delusional behavior. Jesus said to the scribes and Pharisees, you play your roles well, and the part you play are so well executed that when we see you, we do not see the real you, we see the role you play. This is problematic. Jesus is saying instead of developing your role like an actor, God wants you to develop yourselves. You character, your inward self. What kind of person are you. Instead of polishing the faced call your outer self, the inside of who you are is filthy. Jesus wants us to be beautiful inside and out. Take this recent victory as inspiration. You conquered 21-days of fasting, your next conquest is yourself.

Psa. 139:14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; that I know very well.

I want to reflect the beauty of holiness not just on the outside, but on the inside.

Yours Because I am His,
Leo Colon
http://www.ihpfwc.org
leocolon.wordpress.com”

(Via .)

Now What?: ”

In His Presence Family Worship Center
Last week we spoke about our status, of being people who are expecting to see the miracles that are about to be perform by our God. We spoke about how to begin our season of expectancy. Write down your vision, your answer, as it is rendered in the New Living Translation. Remember those who fail to plan, plan to fail. Well what next? You have a vision, you have a promise, you have a word. You wrote it down. What next? Let’s look to the scriptures.

In the kingdom, God gave this nation called Israel a promise, he delivered, and positioned Israel to see the promise. In that moment when they were about to embark on the promised he gave Moses interesting instructions. Let’s look at the text.

Num. 13:1 ¶ And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
Num. 13:2 Send thou men, that they may search the land of Canaan, which I give unto the children of Israel: of every tribe of their fathers shall ye send a man, every one a ruler among them.

Let’s examine this. Canaan was the promise. God promised I will deliver you out of Egypt into the land which I have promised your forefathers. So Canaan is the promise. Before they take possession of the land, before you go to war, before you go naming and claiming it, I want you to investigate. This is God speaking. Search the promise. Yes that’s right, search the promise God gave you. Most of us are accustomed to the idea that if God promises you something, it would be wrong to investigate it. It would suggest some things about God, and about ourselves that are, on it’s face improper. Let’s go through them shall we? One of the characteristics of God is that he is the very fabric of perfection. If he is perfect then anything he creates, promises, does, as a matter of fact, an argument can be made that anything that emanates from him is perfect. If anything that emanates from him is in fact perfect, the very act of investigating the promise, investigating anything given by God, may suggest that you are in a position to scrutinize perfection. That is of course utter madness. Let’s take a look from another perspective. The text tells us that God instructs Moses to have some men do this. Certainly we are not ready to concede that God needs us to check his promise for imperfections. That we are capable of correcting God, that would on its face be blasphemous. God wants us to go into the promise with intelligence. He wants us informed about our promise, so that we know how to plan. If he promised you a house, he wants you to know what that entails. A house in Brooklyn brings different challenges than a house in Westbury Long Island. There is a difference in the tax structure, town laws with regard to recycling, a difference in the commute. He wants you informed. There is nothing worse than losing out on, or not be able to hold on to what God says is yours because of what you did not know going in. To lose a home because of taxes, to not be able to drive a car, because it costs more to maintain a foreign car, when you are used to American cars you will quickly find that foreign cars cost more to maintain. God wants you to investigate. Look at how Moses communicates the word of God to the people of God.

Num. 13:16 These are the names of the men which Moses sent to spy out the land. And Moses called Oshea the son of Nun Jehoshua.
Num. 13:17 And Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan, and said unto them, Get you up this way southward, and go up into the mountain:

Moses sent them ‘to spy out the land.’ Gather information, and do not broadcast what you are doing. Do it with out anyone who is not of the Kingdom, knowing what you are doing. Using clandestine methods, get information without informing your potential enemy what you are doing. Why? Your enemies objective is to prevent what God has decreed over your life. You are directed by God, not only to not allow that to happen, but irrespective of their agenda, prepare for what God has decreed over your life. Spy out your promise. Find out what it takes to succeed in the promise God has given you. How? Talk to people who have achieve what you want. What kind of degree helps you to succeed in your chosen field. Find what people God has placed in your sphere of influence, to help get where God wants you. Spy out the land. Beloved, ask questions, get answers, and position yourself to get what you need. Plan, Plan, Plan.

Yours Because I am His,

Leo Colon

http://www.ihpfwc.org

leocolon.wordpress.com

”

(Via .)

The Final Word: Strike the Ground and Prepare for Victory! Day Twenty (20)!: “Beloved, Congratulations! We have one day left, Today. You are at the finish line and tomorrow is Victory Day. I am thrilled for you. Praise the LORD. Hold on, your promise is coming. I love you all, and I will be consistently praying for you. It is not over, now comes the spoils. Expect it, look for it, go and get it. Today is the last daily word until next time. Starting next week I will be bringing a weekly word. Please make a point of looking for be want to hank all my guest bloggers who have been absolutely incredible. My wife Pastor Dorothy Colon, to my friend Pastor Maurice Johnson, and to my son in the gospel Isaac Caldero, you have encouraged me and I thank you.

Yours Because I am His,
Leo Colon
http://www.ihpfwc.org
leocolon.wordpress.com

The Final Word: Strike the Ground and Prepare for Victory!

2 Kings: 13 15-19
Elisha said, ‘Get a bow and some arrows,’ and he did so. 16‘Take the bow in your hands,’ he said to the king of Israel. When he had taken it, Elisha put his hands on the king’s hands.
17‘Open the east window,’ he said, and he opened it. ‘Shoot!’ Elisha said, and he shot. ‘The Lord’s arrow of victory, the arrow of victory over Aram!’ Elisha declared. ‘You will completely destroy the Arameans at Aphek.’
18Then he said, ‘Take the arrows,’ and the king took them. Elisha told him, ‘Strike the ground.’ He struck it three times and stopped. 19The man of God was angry with him and said, ‘You should have struck the ground five or six times; then you would have defeated Aram and completely destroyed it. But now you will defeat it only three times.’

Congratulations, you have obeyed the call of the Lord to this fast. You are in your final days. It is important to realize that your final efforts are in your hands.
King Joash, was not a perfect King by far, nor did his ways and direction for the children of Israel please God, but he came to the prophet Elisha for help and God through His prophet had mercy upon him and the children of Israel for His word sake. Often times the enemy would want you to believe that because of your failures or disobedience you can not receive anything from God, but remember you have a covenant with him that is not contingent upon you but Jesus Christ who made the ultimate sacrifice his blood.
Now, my hungry children, you have been given instructions, by Pastor Johnson to set your worship and praise on fire! Make it HOT! I further admonish you to Take your list which is now your desire over the enemy, take that list and strike the ground for everything that is on it and waive it before the Lord and as often and you do this prepare for VICTORY!
Remember, the prophet Elisha was vexed with King because he was given the command and he only struck the ground three times. Elisha said, you should have struck the ground 5 or 6 time and you would have completely destroyed your enemies. So I urge you, get caught up, go for it, worship, dance, strike the ground and claim your VICTORY!

In His Presence

Dorothy Colon
”

(Via .)

A Living Sacrifice (Set it on Fire!) – Day Nineteen (19): ”
Beloved, I am in awe of God, as he has brought us all to this historic point. Today is day number Nineteen, (19). We have never seen this before, and I am blown away by God. You guys are doing great, stick to it, we are almost there. Ladies and Gentlemen, I would like to take this time to personally thank my Friend and Brother, Pastor Maurice Johnson. I can not tell you what a blessing he has been to me during this fast, and I know he has been a blessing to you. His blogs have been on time, relevant and the instrument God has used to keep us on course. Please join me by thanking God for Pastor Johnson for being used of the LORD. Please post a comment to encourage him, and let him know he has been a blessing.
And thank you to Bethcar Worship Center, for being a part of the walk with us.

Yours Because I am His,
Leo Colon
http://www.ihpfwc.org
leocolon.wordpress.com

A Living Sacrifice (Set it on Fire!) – Day Nineteen (19)
Grace and peace be unto you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Today is Thursday day number Nineteen (19); what a blessed privilege it has been to wait before the Lord. I wish I could get everyone that has been blessed by these daily devotionals to stand and applaud Pastor Leo Colon, Pastor Dorothy Colon and Brother Isaac Caldero for their service to us the body of Christ. Today is my last post to this forum and I thank Pastor Leo and everyone for their comments and I pray that I’ve said something to help you endure your todays (I know, this is improper English). My final word is inspired by the Apostle Paul and Moses, Paul writes in Romans 12:1 (ASV) I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service. For 19 days now, you have given a very reasonable and intelligent service; you have in someway sacrificed yourselves unto the Lord.

Sacrifice is common place in the scriptures, especially in the Old Testament; Moses list two types of sacrifice in Leviticus, one an unbloody sacrifice and two a bloody sacrifice. The unbloody sacrifice consists of offerings like (1) first-fruits and tithes; (2) meat and drink-offerings; and (3) incense. The bloody sacrifice consists of offerings like 1) burnt-offerings; (2) peace-offerings; and (3) sin and trespass offerings.

Leviticus 9:2-4 2 And he said unto Aaron, Take thee a young calf for a sin offering, and a ram for a burnt offering, without blemish, and offer them before the LORD. 3 And unto the children of Israel thou shalt speak, saying, Take ye a kid of the goats for a sin offering; and a calf and a lamb, both of the first year, without blemish, for a burnt offering; 4 Also a bullock and a ram for peace offerings, to sacrifice before the LORD; and a meat offering mingled with oil: for to day the LORD will appear unto you.
Leviticus 22:29 29 And when ye will offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving unto the LORD, offer it at your own will.

The particular offering I would like to draw your attention to is the burnt offering; a burnt offering is one that is consumed by fire, and regarded as ascending to God while being consumed. Abraham and Isaac provide for us a list of essentials needed to give this type of offering in Genesis chapter 22.
Genesis chapter 22:6 And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife; and they went both of them together. 7 And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said , My father: and he said , Here am I, my son. And he said , Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?
During this consecration you have been the sacrifice, abstinence has been the knife used to cut away food, pleasure and self gratification, but where is the fire. As you reach the conclusion of these 21-days set your offering on fire! Give the Lord your loudest most heartfelt praise and worship, worship Him for who He is and intermingle your worship with praise for His provisions and promises. The Lord has kept you these many days, He has inclined His ear to you, praise Him for what is to come (your prayer list), praise Him because He cannot lie, it shall come to past. I can go on and on; as you close the final moments of these 21-days, crown them with the best worship and praise you can give, in short SET IT ON FIRE.
See you on Victory’s Side!

Pastor Maurice Johnson

”

(Via .)

Do Not Forget God. Day Eighteen (18): ”
Beloved, I am thrilled to inform you, you on day number eighteen (18). Really, congratulations! You are doing very well and should be commended. This was not easy, but it was worth it. Just do today, do not think about tomorrow. Drink all the water you can. Now, Isaac Caldero has an encouraging word for us.

Yours Because I am His,
Leo Colon
http://www.ihpfwc.org
leocolon.wordpress.com

Grace (Mercy to the leaders) and Peace be unto you, from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

All I have to say is wow! God has been doing some amazing things during this fast not only in my own personal life, but in the lives of others. My brothers and sisters in IHP are telling their testimonies as well and I’m just blown away.

And this is not the end. I feel that God is going to give us new things this year. But in the midst of God bringing his promises to past in our life, he commands certain things from us.

Deuteronomy 6:10-12 NIV ‘ When the Lord your God brings you into the land he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to give you a land with large, flourishing cities you did not build, houses filled with all kinds of good things you did not provide, wells you did not dig, and vineyards and alive groves you did not plant-then when you eat and are satisfied, be careful that you do not forget the Lord,who brought you out of Egypt, out of the Land of slavery.’

Brothers and sisters, as God guides us this year to the promise land, let us not forget the source of these good things. At times we can get side tracked off of God because we get caught up and we lose focus. But I’m here to share the Lord’s command on not to forget about him. Let us continue to put God first in everything we do. He wants us to have a relationship and calls us to be intimate with him.  Be blessed and encouraged! I pray that God will continue to speak to you.

I live because he lives.

Isaac Caldero

”

(Via .)

You can win. You will win. Day Seventeen (17): ”
Beloved, Grace and Peace be unto you, from God our Father and from the LORD Jesus Christ. Today is Wednesday, day number seventeen (17). You are seeing the finish line. Our late Archbishop used to tell us that in the military they would not say to us that we have four days left. They would tell us we have three days and a wake up. This is when the enemy tries to suggest that you have proven your point, and try to convince you there is no viable reason to continue. Allow me to encourage you, people want you to fail. You can win if you stay committed to God’s commandments. Let’s look at the text:

NLT
Psa. 119:85 These arrogant people who hate your law have dug deep pits for me to fall into.
Psa. 119:86 All your commands are trustworthy. Protect me from those who hunt me down without cause.
Psa. 119:87 They almost finished me off, but I refused to abandon your commandments.

Beloved, our success will not happen because our adversary decides to back off. We should not expect our enemies to give us a pass. They will not do it. As a matter of fact, what we can count on is that fact that our enemies in Christendom always make our lives harder when success is in our sights. Thank God, because God’s word tells us that we can win, even when it looks like we are through. Sometimes when we look at our own situation, winning does not look possible, even to us. Our way to win according to the word of God is to make up our own mind not to abandon God’s commandment. The word of God is encouraging us to know that seeing the way we are going to win is not necessary. Our victory is tied to our resolve. Actually it is tied to faith. Evidence says that losing is inevitable, but what you believe can negate the certainty of the evidence of our life. Do not give up on the word of God. You can win if you refuse to abandon God’s commandments. What do you believe? What does your faith say about your ability to finish what God has started? Hang in there. You are a winner now. Do not give up. Not only the 21-day journey, but this also goes for your dreams. If you refuse to believe that God can fail, you can win. If you refuse to believe that God can lie, you can win. I am in agreement with you. With God everything is possible.

NLT
Matt. 19:26 ¶ Jesus looked at them intently and said, ‘Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God everything is possible.’

Remember drink all the water you can. Hang in there. Do not worry about tomorrow just do today. You have made it this far with the help of God, and you WILL win.

Yours Because I am His,
Leo Colon
http://www.ihpfwc.org
leocolon.wordpress.com
”

(Via .)

Believe God. Day Sixteen (16): ”
Beloved, Grace and Peace be unto you from God our Father and from the LORD Jesus Christ. Today is January 19th and it is day number sixteen (16). You are really in count down mode now. You can see the end in sight and I just wanted to congratulate you on doing this awesome thing. God is already showing himself strong during this fast and I am thrill to be on this journey with you.

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.

Yours Because I am His,
Leo Colon
http://www.ihpfwc.org
leocolon.wordpress.com

”

(Via .)

Don’t Eat From That Tree. day Thirteen (13): “Beloved,today is day 13 of our 21-day fast. We are growing in God, and God is honoring our fast. keep it up, look to God and pray. Drink all the water you can. You are almost there. Please help welcome Isaac Caldero.

Yours Because I am His,
Leo Colon
http://www.ihpfwc.org
leocolon.wordpress.com

Don’t eat from that tree!

Grace, (Mercy to the pastor’s) and Peace be unto you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

I want to say thank you to Pastor Leo and Dorothy Colon who has been encouraging me to keep seeking God and to stand strong and not give up! And thanks to all the members of IHP!

I been reading this book called ‘Overcoming the dark side of leadership’ by Gary L Mcintosh and while reading it, the author brought up this passage that spoke to me and want to share with everyone else.

Genesis 3:2-3 KJV ‘And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden. But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.’

At this time, this was before Adam and Eve ate of the fruit and fell into sin. They were in their perfect form, without sin, in relationship with God, doing ministry taking care of the garden, and just worshiping God. After they fell, they lost relationship with God. We see this throughout the old testament. Only certain people that were born into a particular family had access to God. For example, for someone to be a priest and enter the presence of God they had to be born in the line of Aaron.

But after Jesus came, Hallelujah! He came and restored that relationship that Adam and Eve once had with God. Today we can have it, if Christ is in us. But now that we have that, the question I leave for you today is, what tree is God telling you to stay away from? Certain things can cause us to fall from God and hinder our relationship with him, at this time we should ask God what to stay away from that weakens us so that we can be more prosperous in him.

I pray that this ministers to you and that it encourages all to keep seeking God. Signing out in Jesus name, Amen.

Grace and peace to all and may God continue to guide you through this journey.

Isaac Caldero
”

(Via .)

What’s In This for Me? Day Twelve (12): “Beloved, Day Twelve (12). Encourage yourself, you are in view of your goal. Remember, just do one more day. Drink plenty of water. Do not forget the basics, they still work. Today Pastor Dorothy encourages us to keep our perspective focused on the things of God. Read and be blessed.

Yours Because I am His,
Leo Colon
http://www.ihpfwc.org
leocolon.wordpress.com

What’s In This for Me?

Hebrews 11:6 ‘For without faith it is impossible to please Him. For he that cometh to Him must first believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.’

Probably during the fast many times you may have asked why am I doing this?’ What will I gain? How will this change my circumstances? First let me say, you are normal. Sometimes you feel like Lord, let this cup pass, or maybe Lord let me have a cup in this case! But let me encourage you. There is more to be gained if you believe That God is! First that He is God. The God you serve who made and knows all things and that he is a God that keeps His promises!

If you know God at all, having observed how he operates through his Word, then you will be like Abel in Genesis 4:4 who gained RESPECT from God and his sacrifice was honored. God looked on Abel and found him to be gracious and his gift proceeding from Grace. Abel was honored for his faith and obedience. He obtained by faith some great advantages. But note it was not enough just to believe he performed in accordance with his beliefs. Abel operated in faith with grace and received favor from God. We all know that favor is not fair. It is when we get what we don’t deserve or when we are preferred over someone else.

So what’s in it for you? If you believe in Jesus Christ of whom you serve and offer this sacrifice, you will have the favor of Abel and God will honor you, He will testify of you publicly even as Abel’s offering was consumed in public to attest that God approved it. People will see the manifestation of God’s Love and approval in your life and grant all thy petitions according to his divine will for you.

Peace to You
Pastor Dorothy
http://www.ihpfwc.org
”

(Via .)