Tag: Christian

  • Day Six-Execute Consistently

    casual-smaller.jpgGrace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God and of Jesus Christ. Again, thank you for visiting our blog site. I would like to take this time to invite you to our church, In His Presence Family Worship Center. It is a friendly church where the praise and worship is sweet and the word of God is preached with power and without compromise. Join us at four (4) PM at 154 Lexington Ave @ 30th Street. Our midweek bible study services are at Seven (7) PM. We would be honored to have you as our special guest. Make plans now to come and prepare to receive from God. You will not be sorry.

    This is day number SIX of our fast. Congratulations, this is a great reason to celebrate. You have made it to day number Six (6). Honestly, some of you did not think you were going to make it this far. Listen, you are doing great. Just do one more day. Don’t worry about the rest of the fast. Just do today.

    Execute Consistently

    Our mantra, every single day, should be what can I do today to renew my mind? What can I do to achieve my goal(s)? What can I do to please God? These should be our concerns. How do I fulfill today the Romans 12 paradigm? Move forward consistently, one decision at a time.

    Let’s look at the Apostle Paul has said:

    HCSB

    2Cor. 8:11 But now finish the task as well, that just as there was eagerness to desire it, so there may also be a completion from what you have.

    Execution of a task in our context is to do it with the end in mind. We as believers should not ever try to do something to see if there is an end, but to accomplish a thing to the end. So in our context we execute what we plan. Remember, planning is preparing today for tomorrow. Meaning to think before we execute. So now that we have thought this through, it is time to execute. If the objective was good enough to plan, it is good enough to execute.

    Paul also tells us our attitude in the accomplishing should be one of “eagerness” to desire it. I want to reach my goals, how about you? I feel better when I accomplished my goals. So for me, every goal is an opportunity to win. Every seemingly small task is really a win. Every big task is a big win.

    And finally, we do this so that there is a completion from what you have. We want as believers “completion” not frustration. There is a completion to every task. There is a completion to every day. There is a success for every goal. Even the seemingly mundane thing is an opportunity to succeed. Execute consistently! What will you execute today?

    Remember the words of the Apostle Paul:

    KJV
Rom. 8:37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

    Remember, drink as much water as you can, and make a point of cleaning toxins out of you body during this process. You are doing well.

    Also, plan to bring someone to church with you this Sunday. Go public with your faith. Ask several people to come to church with you. I believe there is a miracle for you, in your obedience.

    Live Life on Purpose and not By Mistake,

    Yours Because I am His,

    Leo Colon

    pastor@ihpfwc.org

    www.ihpfwc.org

  • Day Five-Proverb 18

    casual-smaller.jpgGrace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God and of Jesus Christ. Again, thank you for visiting our blog site. I would like to take this time to invite you to our church, In His Presence Family Worship Center. It is a friendly church where the praise and worship is sweet and the word of God is preached with power and without compromise. Join us at four (4) PM at 154 Lexington Ave @ 30th Street. Our midweek bible study services are at Seven (7) PM. We would be honored to have you as our special guest. Make plans now to come and prepare to receive from God. You will not be sorry.

    This is day number Five of our fast. Congratulations, this is a great reason to celebrate. You have made it to day number Five (5). Honestly, some of you did not think you were going to make it this far. Listen, you are doing great. Just do one more day. Don’t worry about the rest of the fast. Just do today.

    I beg your indulgence for getting this blog out so late in the day. I have just returned from officiating a wedding for two of my congregants. I am such a blessed Pastor.

    Today, I thought to repost a blog I did in the past. Today I beg your indulgence. Today’s blog is an act of humility for me. Sometimes I read a passage and fall in love with God and his word all over again. Sometimes while preparing to write a blog, I come to the conclusion that there are passages that need not be elaborated upon, and that sometimes the wisest thing a Pastor can do is to not get in the way. Today is one of those days. Next week I will elaborate, but today I feel led to just offer the passage. I pray that we all would simply APPLY the word of God. The passage is rendered in the New Revised Standard Version.

    NRSV Proverbs Chapter 18:

    Prov. 18:1         The one who lives alone is self-indulgent,

                    showing contempt for all who have sound judgment.

    Prov. 18:2         A fool takes no pleasure in understanding,

                    but only in expressing personal opinion.

    Prov. 18:3         When wickedness comes, contempt comes also;

                    and with dishonor comes disgrace. `

    Prov. 18:4         The words of the mouth are deep waters;

                    the fountain of wisdom is a gushing stream.

    Prov. 18:5         It is not right to be partial to the guilty,

                    or to subvert the innocent in judgment.

    Prov. 18:6         A fool’s lips bring strife,

                    and a fool’s mouth invites a flogging.

    Prov. 18:7         The mouths of fools are their ruin,

                    and their lips a snare to themselves.

    Prov. 18:8         The words of a whisperer are like delicious morsels;

                    they go down into the inner parts of the body.

    Prov. 18:9         One who is slack in work

                    is close kin to a vandal.

    Prov. 18:10         The name of the LORD is a strong tower;

                    the righteous run into it and are safe.

    Prov. 18:11         The wealth of the rich is their strong city;

                    in their imagination it is like a high wall.

    Prov. 18:12         Before destruction one’s heart is haughty,

                    but humility goes before honor.

    Prov. 18:13         If one gives answer before hearing,

                    it is folly and shame.

    Prov. 18:14         The human spirit will endure sickness;

                    but a broken spirit—who can bear?

    Prov. 18:15         An intelligent mind acquires knowledge,

                    and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge.

    Prov. 18:16         A gift opens doors;

                    it gives access to the great.

    Prov. 18:17         The one who first states a case seems right,

                    until the other comes and cross-examines.

    Prov. 18:18         Casting the lot puts an end to disputes

                    and decides between powerful contenders.

    Prov. 18:19         An ally offended is stronger than a city;

                    such quarreling is like the bars of a castle.

    Prov. 18:20         From the fruit of the mouth one’s stomach is satisfied;

                    the yield of the lips brings satisfaction.

    Prov. 18:21         Death and life are in the power of the tongue,

                    and those who love it will eat its fruits.

    Prov. 18:22         He who finds a wife finds a good thing,

                    and obtains favor from the LORD.

    Prov. 18:23         The poor use entreaties,

                    but the rich answer roughly.

    Prov. 18:24         Some friends play at friendship

                    but a true friend sticks closer than one’s nearest kin.

    Yours Because I am His,

    Leo Colon

    www.ihpfwc.org

    pastor@ihpfwc.org

    leocolon.wordpress.com

  • Day Four-Plan Intentionally

    casual-smaller.jpgGrace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God and of Jesus Christ. Again, thank you for visiting our blog site. I would like to take this time to invite you to our church, In His Presence Family Worship Center. It is a friendly church where the praise and worship is sweet and the word of God is preached with power and without compromise. Join us at four (4) PM at 154 Lexington Ave @ 30th Street. Our midweek bible study services are at Seven (7) PM. We would be honored to have you as our special guest. Make plans now to come and prepare to receive from God. You will not be sorry.

    This is day number Four of our fast. Congratulations, this is a great reason to celebrate. You have made it to day number Four (4). Honestly, some of you did not think you were going to make it this far. Listen, you are doing great. Just do one more day. Don’t worry about the rest of the fast. Just do today.

    Our next topic in the four points I shared with yesterday is “Plan Intentionally”. Let get into it.

    Planning is preparing today for tomorrow. Jeff Henderson said it this way, “Great days typically begin the night before”. Great days typically do not happen by mistake. Also days that seem to be worthless usually did not have goals affixed to it. If you plan for nothing, you get what you planned for. Our late Archbishop Bill McKenley used to say, “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail”. So if we manage for no excuses, then planning will become a new or revised habit in our process of “Renewing our mind”.

    Even the Apostle Paul planed and set in order how services should be conducted. Let’s look at the text.

    HCSB

    1Cor. 14:26 ¶ What then is the conclusion, brothers? Whenever you come together, each one has a psalm, a teaching, a revelation, another language, or an interpretation. All things must be done for edification.

    1Cor. 14:27 If any person speaks in another language, there should be only two, or at the most three, each in turn, and someone must interpret.

    1Cor. 14:28 But if there is no interpreter, that person should keep silent in the church and speak to himself and to God.

    1Cor. 14:29 Two or three prophets should speak, and the others should evaluate.

    1Cor. 14:30 But if something has been revealed to another person sitting there, the first prophet should be silent.

    1Cor. 14:31 For you can all prophesy one by one, so that everyone may learn and everyone may be encouraged.

    Planning not only leads to order but to success. A successful life happens because of a successful vision. A successful vision starts with a successful plan.

    In the leadership course I am taking now, one of our lecturers, a man named Mark Riesenberg, who is an expert at Goal Setting and Time management, kept saying to us, “Don’t think it, Ink It”. Meaning that we should not be satisfied thinking of something, we should ALWAYS write it down. Always!!!!

    I read a study down by some university, They asked a group of people, How many of you have goals? One hundred percent (100%) of the participants in the study agreed they had goals. Of the 100% that had goals, 3% said they have accomplished their goals. Of the 3% who have accomplished their goals, 97% of them wrote their goals down. So there was a real correlation between people who write down their goals and those who achieve their goals.

    Plan Intentionally. Write things down. Plan a successful day, the night before. Renew your mind and form new habits. Renewal is a process. Are you up for it?

    Remember, drink as much water as you can, and make a point of cleaning toxins out of you body during this process. You are doing well.

    Also, plan to bring someone to church with you this Sunday. Go public with your faith. Ask several people to come to church with you. I believe there is a miracle for you, in your obedience.

    Live Life on Purpose and not By Mistake,

    Yours Because I am His,

    Leo Colon

    pastor@ihpfwc.org

    www.ihpfwc.org

  • Day Three-Think Abundently.

    casual-smaller.jpgGrace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God and of Jesus Christ. Again, thank you for visiting our blog site. I would like to take this time to invite you to our church, In His Presence Family Worship Center. It is a friendly church where the praise and worship is sweet and the word of God is preached with power and without compromise. Join us at four (4) PM at 154 Lexington Ave @ 30th Street. Our midweek bible study services are at Seven (7) PM. We would be honored to have you as our special guest. Make plans now to come and prepare to receive from God. You will not be sorry.

    This is day number three of our fast. Congratulations, this is a cause to celebrate. You have made it to day number Three (3).

    As I promised yesterday, I wanted to share some thoughts on practical things we can do today, and from now on, to renew our mind. I was listening to a man named Jeff Henderson and he had some ideas that I would like to share with you. He suggested four ways to invest our time, that would bring different results from what we normatively expect. Here are the four things that we will bring into a Christian construct for our purposes.

    • Think Abundantly
    • Plan Intentionally
    • Execute Consistently
    • Celebrate Frequently

    Think abundantly: How we think is the point in renewing our mind. One of the resources I will be using this year is Joyce Meyers “Battlefield of the Mind”. She postulates that the mind is the battlefield that devil is trying to control in order to keep you from a victorious life. So then our mind, our way of thinking is the front line in the battle to a better way, better life, better results. Proverbs 23:7 is a passage that draws attention to the power of thinking.

    Prov. 23:7 For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee.

    Now we want to be careful to read this in context, the idea of this text is that when there is agreement between the mind and the heart, actuality is effectuated. How many times have we heard the word of God. Believed it intellectually, but our heart convinced us that it would be impossible for me. I believe Jesus can heal Deacon Smith, but I have cancer, and somehow I have a hard time believing for a miracle for me.

    Paul also tells what to think on:

    Phil. 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

    Now if we are honest, we don’t really tend to guard what we think. That needs to be something we talk about, even research.

    Now if we should determine that this year I will think abundantly, then we need to recognize that abundantly means- in large quantities. I need to think bigger than I have been thinking. It suggests that I need to attempt to think harder and better. I should not bring things to my level, but think bigger than what I have done. This year I resolve to plan bigger than what I have already achieved. I will “Think Abundantly”. How about you?

    Remember, drink as much water as you can, and make a point of cleaning toxins out of you body during this process. You are doing well.

    Also, plan to bring someone to church with you this Sunday. Go public with your faith. Ask several people to come to church with you. I believe there is a miracle for you, in your obedience.

    Live Life on Purpose and not By Mistake,

    Yours Because I am His,

    Leo Colon

    pastor@ihpfwc.org

    www.ihpfwc.org

  • Day Two- Renewing my Mind

    casual-smaller.jpgGrace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God and of Jesus Christ. Again, thank you for visiting our blog site. I would like to take this time to invite you to our church, In His Presence Family Worship Center. It is a friendly church where the praise and worship is sweet and the word of God is preached with power and without compromise. Join us at four (4) PM at 154 Lexington Ave @ 30th Street. Our midweek bible study services are at Seven (7) PM. We would be honored to have you as our special guest. Make plans now to come and prepare to receive from God. You will not be sorry.

    This is day number two of our fast. Congratulations, this is a cause to celebrate. You have made it to day number two (2).

    The Apostle Pau; said, “Be transform by the renewing of your mind”. So we need to renew your mind in such a way that it does not return to what it was.

    “We are what we repeatedly do,” Aristotle proclaimed. If this is true, we cannot renew our mind by doing the same thing or feeding it the same thing. So you say, Pastor I read scripture all the time, but do we apply it? Do we repeatedly read then apply? We need to change our habits. It is possible even for us.

    Going forward, this year, what can we do to renew our mind. What changes can we put into place that can help us every day? I know for me, it will mean feeding my brain by reading more. When I feed myself, it is not as easy to control me and/or my situation. If I am busy feeding my mind, renewing my mind, then situations, people and circumstances cannot control me. Allowing yourself to be lazy in this area can lead to control by another.

    Carter G Woodson wrote in the miseducation of the Negro’

    “If you can control a man’s thinking you do not have to worry about his action. When you determine what a man shall think you do not have to concern yourself about what he will do. If you make a man feel that he is inferior, you do not have to compel him to accept an inferior status, for he will seek it himself. If you make a man think that he is justly an outcast, you do not have to order him to the back door. He will go without being told; and if there is no back door, his very nature will demand one.”

    Carter G. Woodson, The Mis-Education of the Negro

    Take control of what you think by renewing your mind. You feed it the things God says will be helpful to you. Determine to read (feed your mind) books. Entire books in the scripture that will change your thinking. This does not happen over night. You have to take steps that will cause new habits. You will get there. I heard a Pastor say, “change is emotional, Transformation is a process”.

    In tomorrow’s blogs we will look for things we can do to start new habits that can be life changing. Also, I will be developing a reading list that I will offer my church and will share with you all.

    Remember, drink as much water as you can, and make a point of cleaning toxins out of you body during this process. You are doing well.

    Live Life on Purpose and not By Mistake,

    Yours Because I am His,

    Leo Colon

    pastor@ihpfwc.org

    www.ihpfwc.org

  • Day One- We want to Please God

    casual-smaller.jpgGrace and Peace be unto you, from God our Father, and from the LORD Jesus Christ. Happy New Year to you all. I am so glad to be writing again. This is a year that I am expecting to see changes and miracles. Our Bishop (Bishop H. Curtis Douglas) has declared this the year of “Jubilee for Me”. This was the declaration of our Bishop for Dabar Bethlehem Cathedral and for the churches under his care. So I personally receive that word and I would encourage you to receive it in Jesus’ name.

    Rom. 12:1 ¶ I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

    Rom. 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

     

    Beloved, This year as a church we will be engaged in a journey to Transform ourselves by renewing our minds. Now lets get rid of some wrong notions from the out set. Does the fact that we are renewing our minds mean that our christian walk so far has been wrong, not right and a waste of my time? Absolutely not. That would be like saying, the fact that I want to become a better person means, all this time I have not been a good person. That’s not a fair assessment of what we want to do. It is a journey to grow in the LORD and a hope to be and obtain better results from our walk with God. As a matter of fact, we can look to the scriptures to see that point. The book of Romans, (as well as the other New Testament books) was written to believers, not non-believer. So none of this is saying that you are not a believer, but there is always room to learn more from God.

     

    On this fast we want to seek God, how? By trying to live out the later clause of this first verse. In the King James Version it says that we should:

     

    present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

     

    In the Holman Christian Study Bible, it is rendered this way:

     

    I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your spiritual worship.

     

    Today, let our focus be this, We want to Please God. Let that be, today, the focus in everything we do. As we embark on our fast this year we want to Please God. Even at work, in our family, with our wives or husbands, we do not want to do what comes naturally. Check every reaction. Check every thought. Will God be pleased at how I am doing what I am doing. That is what we want. The First step to Transformation, is knowing who we are and whose opinion matters.

     

    Pray for each other and believe that God will do just what he said. There is a plan for today. Here is the plan, just do today. The best way to do a fast is to do it one day at a time. Don’t worry about the rest of the days and how you are going to make it. Just do today. Drink all the water you can drink. At the very least you should be drinking ten (10) glasses of water. Also do one bowl of Soup. Pray from your prayer lists and pray for one another.

     

     

     

    Live Life on Purpose and not By Mistake,

    Yours Because I am His,

    Leo Colon

    pastor@ihpfwc.org

    www.ihpfwc.org

  • And so it begins.

    Beloved, Grace and Peace be multiplied to you, through the knowledge of God and of20110106-120344.jpg Jesus Christ. Happy New Year and welcome to 2014. I trust you have enjoyed bringing in the New Year and are ready to tackle the challenges of this year. This year at In His Presence Family Worship Center (IHP), 2014 is the year of Transformation (Romans 12:2). We as a people and as a church will transform into what God has called us to be. Let me invite you to come to IHP on Sunday, January 5th at 4PM and start the New Year with the goal of becoming what God called us to be. Does this mean that we have been wasting time as Christians until now? No, what it does mean is that as Christians we are constantly striving to become. We strive to become new creatures, (2 Cor 5:17), become “a living sacrifice”, (Rom 12:2) to become “pleasing to God”, (Rom 12:1, HCSB) as we are called to do.

    On Monday January 6th, we will embark on our Twenty-One (21) Day Fast. This fast will not be a diet. This will not only mean we will deny ourselves food, but also we will actively seek God, and seek a better way to transform 2014 into a year of Godly success. Join us this year. I will be blogging every day with the exception of Sunday, to be an encouragement to you as you embark on this journey with us. As usual, my wife, Pastor Dorothy, and my friends Pastors Paul Dean, and Maurice Johnson will be guest bloggers this year.

    Remember, the book of Romans was written to believers, just like you, so transforming your life is not advise for beginners, but a mandate for every believer. Make this year different, come and join us, not only for our Twenty-One Day Fast, but also for the year as we Transform our lives. You will be glad you did.

    Live Life on Purpose and not By Mistake,

    Yours Because I am His,

    Leo Colon

    pastor@ihpfwc.org

    www.ihpfwc.org

  • Day Twelve of our Twenty-One Day Journey:Are You Still Hungry?

    Grace and peace be multiplied unto you, through the knowledge of God and of Jesus Christ our LORD.

    Today we are on day number Twelve (12) of our twenty-one day fast. Beloved, you are now over the half-way point and are well on your way to achieving what God has called you to. You are to be commended. You are doing very well. I want to encourage you, drink as much water as possible, and least 10 to 12 glasses of water today. Have your bowl of soup and remember to pray from your prayer list. You want to be specific about what you would like God to do for you.

    Today, Pastor Maurice Johnson has submitted his entry for our blog for today. Please welcome, my colleague, friend and brother, Pastor Maurice Johnson, our guest blogger for today. He has submitted a word from the LORD to encourage us today. Join me in thanking him and don’t forget to leave a comment on the blog to let him know that God has bless you through this effort.

    Tomorrow, we are looking forward to an entry from our own Pastor Dorothy Colon.

    Again beloved, I want to encourage you early in the week to make plans to bring someone to church with you. Think about someone you would like to share the Gospel of Christ with and bring them with you to church. I said this on Saturday, no matter what church you belong to, evangelism is a vital part of every believer’s faith. Don’t come to church by your self. Bring a guest and share the Gospel. Why? Because Christ commands us.

    Luke 14:23 And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.

    God wants his house filled. Do your part. Be a part of God’s plan to fill his church. Think of 10 people you want to come to church with you this week. Write their names in your prayer list and make the sacrifice to get them to church. God commands it. Stay encouraged.

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

    Grace and peace be unto you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

    It is an interesting thought that something as simple as fasting can call into question your walk and relationship with the Lord. For example, did the Lord really call this fast or is this something that the pastor is trying to impose upon us, or, am I going to make it through these 21 days. Hunger has a way of testing more than your faith, it will test both your physical fortitude and your mental ambiguity, that is to say, you may question yourself as to how clear your commitment is to spiritual things. All of this stems not only from the fact that you have not eaten but that you are hungry as well, my question to you is, what are you hungry for or what would you like to eat.

    The Greek word “Peinao” means to hunger, be hungry, to suffer want, to be needy, metaphorically speaking it is to crave passionately, to seek with eager desire. I am pretty sure that by this time we have all thought or spoken about our physical hunger, but have you addressed your spiritual hunger. Let’s put this into some sort of perspective, if your yearly fast only consist of the first fruits of this 21 days consecration, you would have given a sacrifice of 5.75% of your year in the pursuit of spiritual things through abstinence of you daily cuisine. However, you are not one dimensional; you have a soul, which also needs to be given a balanced diet, I mean let’s think about it, how often do you stuff the soul with the food it craves.

    Psalms 42: 1 As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. NIV

    The example given here by David seems to suggest that the true believer has within their soul an appetite for sustenance just as our temporal frame has an appetite. In one of the most profound, if not the most profound messages found in the scriptures, Jesus declares in the sermon on the mount this phrase.

    Matthew 5:6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.

    Again the scriptures indicate a hungry of the soul, so I wish to congratulate and encourage you for feeding the other side of you. You have seated your soul at the table of consecration, you are praying (eat), you are studying the scriptures (eat) and you are detoxifying your mind, body and soul from worldly things (EAT). Note the promise of Jesus given to the righteous in the passage, “you shall be filled,” and I pray all the goodly things of God be upon you as you persevere. As Pastor Leo has admonished us time and time again, “drink lots of water,” but do not forget to feed your soul, it too is hungry. You can make it, you must make it, you will make it, let the words posted by Pastors Leo, Dorothy, Paul and yours truly be food for your soul.

    According to the wisest man in Biblical history, Solomon, the commandments of the Lord “It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones.” – Proverbs 3:8

    Bon Appetite!

    Pastor Johnson