Pastor Leo Colon's Blog

Tag: Church

  • Day One 2021: Imitate God

    Day One 2021: Imitate God

    Grace and Peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God and of Jesus, our LORD. (2 Peter 1: 2) Welcome to 2021, and Happy New Year. For me, this is surreal to be able to say Happy New Year, being that I was deathly ill earlier this year due to COVID-19. The LORD, in His goodness and mercy, healed me, and I stand before you able to testify that God is gracious. Today, January 4th, 2021, we embark on our yearly fast. Our journey is to seek the face of God, and determine what pleases him regarding his will for our lives this year. At IHP, I have declared that this year is the year of Opportunity! We have taken this theme from Ephesians 5 verse 16, which is rendered this way in the NIV. 

    Eph. 5:16 making the most of every Opportunity because the days are evil. NIV  

    We will talk more about that this week. I want to begin our focus by looking at the beginning of this pericope. Verse 1 of Chapter 5 starts this way in the NLT version. 

    Eph. 5:1 ¶ Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. NLT

    Today, I want to encourage you to imitate God. From the Oxford dictionary, we get this meaning for imitate: take or follow as a model. So, for the year, in everything that we do, we should follow God as a model. It means, before we do anything, ask, how would God do this? How would God want me to do this?  

    This may make you think that this is impossible. When I read the scripture, there is a lot that I don’t see God doing. God has never gone to work, or we do not see where God, Jesus, or the Holy Ghost, ever took a wife. God does not play sports. He does not have a Facebook or Instagram page. In situations where you don’t find a direct correlation, the way to imitate God is to follow or use his word as a model. For example, God tells us, “live a life filled with love.” Eph 5:2 NLT We have never seen God love his friends or relatives because we understand that there is no one like God. He has no equal. The scriptures teach us this. 

    Deut. 3:24 “O Lord GOD, you have only begun to show your servant your greatness and your might; what god in heaven or on earth can perform deeds and mighty acts like yours!

    Ex. 15:11  ¶ “Who is like you, O LORD, among the gods?

    Who is like you, majestic in holiness,

    awesome in splendor, doing wonders?

    1Sam. 2:2  ¶ “There is no Holy One like the LORD,

    no one besides you;

    there is no Rock like our God.

    2Sam. 7:22 Therefore you are great, O LORD God; for there is no one like you, and there is no God besides you, according to all that we have heard with our ears.

    So, if there is no way to compare God in his interactions with equals, how do we “live life filled with love, as He would do?” The end of that verse teaches us how. “following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God.” NLT 

    We should look for opportunities to imitate God by “following the examples of Christ.” This means we should seek to be Godly and to be Godly in everything we do. Our speech should be Godly. Our work should be Godly. Our intentions should be Godly. What is required is that we think before we act. Think before we speak. Think before we love before we eat before we agree. In everything we do, think, “Would this please God.” 

    In everything you do, in everything you say, in everything you think, imitate God. 

    Please, take the time to subscribe to this blog. This way, you can receive notice of this blog when posted. It is my hope this year to post weekly. Consider subscribing; I believe it will bless you. 

    Remember beloved, drink all the water you can drink and take one bowl of Soup after 3 PM. I pray this blog was an encouragement to you. Please, plan now to bring someone to church with you this week, even virtually. This is part of what we are called to do. This, too, is wisdom. If you are not a member of a church, you need a place to run as if every step matters, be a part of In His Presence Family Worship Center at 1673 Dean Street, Brooklyn NY, every Sunday at 8 AM and every Wednesday at 7:30 PM. Some of the best people in the world are there, and we would love to have you as our guest. Join us for our weekly services at http://ihpfwc.org/livestreaming-and-video.html. 

    If you would like to sow into this word, please obey what God is saying and give. Go to this link, http://ihpfwc.org/online-giving.html. You can give by downloading our ‘Givelify’ app and going to In His Presence Worship Center. This gives you a one-step option. Also, you can give using Zelle @ pastor@ihpfwc.org Honor the LORD with your substance. Proverbs 3:9 

    Also, new this year, download the IHP app. Go to where you obtain your apps, Google Play for Androids or the App Store for iPhones, and look for In His Presence FWC. Download the app and stay connected. 

    Yours Because I am His, 

    Leo Colon

    www.ihpfwc.org

    pastor@ihpfwc.org

    888.640.5550

  • Day One. Insight and Understanding.

    Beloved,

    Grace and Peace be unto you, through the knowledge of God and of Jesus Christ. I wanted to take the time to write you guys during the fast period, to encourage you as you go forth in this Journey we engage on our 10 day fast. This is a repost of an earlier posting. I pray that it encourages you. Look for a note from me daily with the exception of Sunday during the fast.

    Today we begin our journey, hear the word of the LORD. From the beginning of this journey God has already sent an answer to you. The answer will bring to you insight and understanding. The bible records Daniel engaging in fasting and praying after discovering some things through the word of God.

    New Living Translation:
    Dan. 9:2 During the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, was studying the writings of the prophets. I learned from the word of the LORD, as recorded by Jeremiah the prophet, that Jerusalem must lie desolate for seventy years.
    Dan. 9:3 So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and fasting. I wore rough sackcloth and sprinkled myself with ashes.

    Point 1.
    This 21 day fast is a time of prayer, great visions and fasting.
    Remember to compile your prayer lists, and pray about the concerns on your lists daily.

    Point 2.
    Take the time to read your scriptures with diligence. There are answers and promises for you in the word of God, and many times this can direct your prayer. The sackcloth and ashes let’s us know that he subjected himself to discomfort during this time. Fasting means denying yourself comfort and luxury. You will get through it, remember do it one day at a time.

    Beloved, I want to encourage you with this text. While you are praying, things are happening.

    Dan. 9:21 As I was praying, Gabriel, whom I had seen in the earlier vision, came swiftly to me at the time of the evening sacrifice.
    Dan. 9:22 He explained to me, “Daniel, I have come here to give you insight and understanding.
    Dan. 9:23 The moment you began praying, a command was given. I am here to tell you what it was, for God loves you very much. Now listen, so you can understand the meaning of your vision.

    While Daniel was praying, things were happening.  The text tell us the angel of the LORD, Gabriel came swiftly. God will speak to you during this time of fasting and prayer, and he will speak swiftly. The angel of the LORD explained his purpose for coming. “I have come to give you insight and understanding”. Be encouraged as you guys pray today. God has every intention, and has purposed to bring you insight and understanding. I speak in the name of Jesus, that no one will end this fast without insight into what God has for you, and that your insight will be clear to you. May God bring you understanding.

    So beloved, look for insight.
    insight |ˈinˌsīt|
    noun
    the capacity to gain an accurate and deep intuitive understanding of a person or thing

    Thesaurus:
    insight
    noun
    1 your insight has been invaluable intuition, discernment, perception, awareness, understanding, comprehension, apprehension, appreciation, penetration, acumen, perspicacity, judgment, acuity; vision, wisdom, prescience; informal savvy.
    2 an insight into the government understanding of, appreciation of, revelation about; introduction to; informal eye-opener about.

    And may God give you understanding.
    understand |ˌəndərˈstand|
    verb ( past and past part. -stood )
    1 [ trans. ] perceive the intended meaning of (words, a language, or speaker)
    Thesaurus:
    understanding
    noun
    1 test your understanding of the language comprehension, apprehension, grasp, mastery, appreciation, assimilation, absorption; knowledge, awareness, insight, skill, expertise, proficiency; informal know-how; formal cognizance. antonym ignorance.
    2 it was my understanding that this was free belief, perception, view, conviction, feeling, opinion, intuition, impression, assumption, supposition, inference, interpretation.
    3 she treated me with understanding compassion, sympathy, pity, feeling, concern, consideration, kindness, sensitivity, decency, humanity, charity, goodwill, mercy, tolerance. antonym indifference.
    4 we had a tacit understanding agreement, arrangement, deal, bargain, settlement, pledge, pact, compact, contract, covenant, bond, meeting of minds.

    Remember beloved, drink all the water you can drink and take one bowl of Soup after 3PM. I pray this blog was an encouragement to you. Please, plan now to bring someone to church with you this week. This is part of what we are called to do. If you are not a member of a church, you need a place to run as if every step matters, come to In His Presence Family Worship Center at 1673 Dean Street, Brooklyn NY, every Sunday at 8 AM and every Wednesday at 7:30 PM. Some of the best people in the world are there and we would love to have you as our guest.
    Also, if you would like to sow into this word, please obey what God is saying and give. Go to this link, http://ihpfwc.org/online-giving.html you can give by downloading our ‘Givelify’ app and going to In His Presence Worship Center. This give you a one step option, our you can use PayPal or give directly from the website. Honor the LORD with your substance. Proverbs 3:9

    Yours Because I am His,
    Leo Colon
    www.ihpfwc.org
    pastor@ihpfwc.org
    888.640.5550

  • Every Step Matters!! Live a disciplined and successful life.

    Beloved, Grace and Peace be unto you, through the knowledge of God and of Jesus Christ. We have really been learning so much from the book of Proverbs and it is a privilege to share what we have been feasting on. Come and feast with us. Visit us at 1673 Dean Street, in Brooklyn NY. Also, visit our website, www.ihpfwc.org and keep up with what is happening at IHP and see what we’re about. Let’s continue looking at the book of Proverbs. The text:

    Prov. 1:3 Their purpose is to teach people to live disciplined and successful lives, to help them do what is right, just, and fair. NLT

    Their purpose, the purpose of the proverbs is to teach us. Teach us to live disciplined and successful lives. A working definition of disciplined is: showing a controlled form of behavior or way of working. So let’s look at it this way, proverbs will show us a controlled form of behavior for our life. This controlled life means it is not a reactionary life. A controlled life means no one can make you do anything. Discipline takes planning. This means your actions are defined by you. You plan your behavior and function accordingly. An undisciplined life means circumstances can rule you. When that happens, we tend to blame others for our actions. Wisdom from the proverbs teaches us to win. Not to win the approval of others but to achieve what we set out to achieve. Purpose is the goal. Discipline is essential even for the believer. This is not highlighted in today’s construct. We are taught that our feelings are more important than having a goal. Here is what the bible says about discipline:

    1Cor. 9:24 ¶ Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win!
    1Cor. 9:25 All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize.
    1Cor. 9:26 So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing.
    1Cor. 9:27 I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified. NLT

    Run to Win. This is what proverbs, (the word of God actually) teaches us. The Apostle makes the point. Athletes run, not to be in the race, but to win the race. No athlete, in their right mind thinks there is no need to prepare for a race. Only we do that. I include myself in this example. I have learned that preparation is how purposed is achieved and without it, I really am playing games. So, athletes TRAIN. They train and they do it with discipline. Meaning, if they are running, they learn what is the best technique for what they are running for. Sprinters train differently than long distance runners. What is your technique for winning this race called life? Or do you just start running when you hear the word GO! That is a good way to lose. You have to train yourself. So the Apostle says, he “runs with purpose in every step”. Every Step Matters!!!! We have to run as if every step matters! This is not shadow boxing. Every step you take as a Wife, sister, Daughter, Church Member, Brother, Father, Mother, Husband, Accountant, Police Officer, what ever you are called to be, Matters!

    So live a disciplined life. The proverbs teaches us how. Every step matters. If they matter to you then hear what the scriptures say to you. Read the scriptures and obey it. Do what God says, this is the way to purpose. Pray, fast, tithes, evangelize, be ready to share your faith. Be disciplined. You cannot be a great athlete without a coach. Every great athlete has a coach. You cannot be a great believer without a Pastor. Make sure your discipline includes being a strong member of your church, whatever church God has called you to, support your church, pray for your pastor, discipline yourself to contribute to your believing community.

    Every Step Matters!

    I pray this blog was an encouragement to you. Please, plan now to bring someone to church with you this week. This is part of what we are called to do. If you are not a member of a church, you need a place to run as if every step matters, come to In His Presence Family Worship Center at 1673 Dean Street, Brooklyn NY, every Sunday at 8 AM and every Wednesday at 7:30 PM. Some of the best people in the world are there and we would love to have you as our guest.
    Also, if you would like to sow into this word, please obey what God is saying and give. Go to this link, http://ihpfwc.org/online-giving.html you can give by downloading our ‘Givelify’ app and going to In His Presence Worship Center. This give you a one step option, our you can use PayPal or give directly from the website. Honor the LORD with your substance. Proverbs 3:9

    Yours Because I am His,
    Leo Colon
    www.ihpfwc.org
    pastor@ihpfwc.org
    888.640.5550

    #IHP #church #God #Jesus #fun #family #friends #follow #happy #love #pastor #teacher #inhispresenceny #church #apastorslove #apastorslife

  • Wisdom Makes My Life Better

    Grace and Peace. We at IHP have started looking at the book of Proverbs at our Wednesday Night Bible Study. I want to invite you to our Bible Study. I really believe the Bible helps us to make our lives better. My life has improved because of the word of God. I know the Bible can and will improve your life as well.

    Let’s look at the text:
    Prov. 1:2 ¶          Their purpose is to teach people wisdom and discipline,
    to help them understand the insights of the wise. NLT

    The Bible helps us because it teaches us Wisdom, Discipline, Understanding, and Insight. This word, the Bible, will teach us to live disciplined and successful lives. I want my life to be exemplary. I want the best for my self. I have learned wisdom helps me make better decisions. Better decisions leads to less mistakes and that means I reach my goals sooner and often exceed them. I have also learned that I often learn things that I would only learn on the journey. Meaning, if I talked myself out of moving forward, not only would I not reach my goal but there would so much I would have never learned.
    Now according to verse 2, Wisdom is learned. I am not born with wisdom. None of us are. Then this means becoming wise is a process. Having knowledge and becoming wise is NOT the same thing. Knowledge is the attainment of information. Wisdom is the application of knowledge. I have to learn first, then put what I have learned into action. I am not wise having One Million dollars, I am wise because I have used information to turn One Million dollars into Five Million. I am wise when my job becomes my company, when my efforts bring me a return.

    Be wise, and invest in the process of obtaining knowledge and applying it. Read God’s word and apply it. Wisdom makes my life better. It can for you as well.
    Here is another proverb:

    Prov. 11:30 ¶ The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise. Be wise, bring someone to church with you. Do not come to church alone. God has called you to win souls.

    Yours Because I am His,
    Leo Colon
    www.ihpfwc.org
    pastor@ihpfwc.org
    888.640.5550

    #IHP #church #God #Jesus #fun #family #friends #follow #happy #love #pastor #teacher #inhispresenceny #church #apastorslove #apastorslife

  • Dy Four (4) NOTHING Shall be IMPOSSIBLE!!!

    album shot smallerGrace and Peace be unto you, through the knowledge of God and of Jesus Christ. Today is Day Number Four (4). Congratulations you doing an amazing job. You are to be commended. Well Done! Today I want to continue encouraging you about faith. We have been looking at the text from Matthew 17 all week and I would like to continue from the same passage. Let’s look at the text.

    Matt. 17:20 And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.

    Remember, when we left off Jesus reacted to the inability of his disciples to cast out the demon by calling this generation a faithless and perverse generation. Today let’s go a little further. The disciples themselves were concerned about their inability to cast out the demon. So, they did the best thing, they asked the LORD. They asked Jesus, “why could not we cast him out”? Jesus said because of your unbelief. OK wait! These are the disciples, who, left their careers, their families and gave up a lot to ‘follow’ Jesus. Yet it was their unbelief. It is possible to hang out with Jesus and still operate in unbelief. It is possible to be in the church, on staff, in the choir, on the usher board and still have unbelief. It is possible to believe that he is God, but not believe God enough for your current miracle. Let’s not get it twisted, I am sure you belong to a fine church, but we all need to be diligent about increasing our faith.

    Then Jesus said something rather incredible.

    “If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.”

    Mustards seeds are very small. Often, if I am holding one in my hand, one must strain to see it. So, imagine the juxtaposition here. If your faith is so small that it can hardly be seen, even by you, you can move something everyone can see! Including you. Further, consider that at this time mountains were understood to be ‘unmovable’. So, something you can hardly see, can move unmovable objects. Do you have an unmovable object in your life? Something you have tried to move naturally? Maybe it’s your temper, your depression, your habits. You can move it but not by human means. Everything that hinders you can be dealt with by faith in God. And here is the Word of the LORD to you for this year.

    NOTHING SHALL BE IMPOSSIBLE!!!!!

     

    Consider this, an all wise God, who knows all and sees all, says, Nothing shall be impossible if we have faith. Beloved, if you are determined to operate in faith, nothing that God says you can do is impossible. Nothing. Feast on that word as you go through your day, your week, your Year. In the year 2017, Nothing shall be impossible.

     

    Remember, take one day at a time. This year we are following our Bishop H. Curtis Douglas and doing 7 days. Remember, drink all the water you can drink. Make sure it is at least 8 glasses of water. Also, you may have one bowl of soup, preferably after three (3) PM. Just do today. Do not try to fast all 7 days at once. Let tomorrow take care of tomorrow. Make sure you are using your prayer list. Pray for the things you are looking for in 2017. 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 Three (3) You are a Chosen Generation

    Leo ColonGrace and Peace be unto you, through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus Christ. Today is Day Number Three (3). This is a big deal. I congratulate you on this milestone. I am rejoicing with you and I look forward to hearing your testimonies of what God has done. Today I want to continue with our discussion on Faith.  We are sharing a bit of what I shared at church on Sunday morning. Now, I want to personally invite you to be our guest this Sunday Morning at In His Presence Family Worship Center. Our Sunday morning service begins at 8:00 AM and we are done by 9:45. Come and join us this Sunday, 1673 Dean St., Brooklyn NY. You will be glad you did. Now let’s take a look at the text.

     

    KJV

    Matt. 17:20 And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.

     

    We left off hearing Jesus’s disappointment when he heard that his disciples could not heal the boy possessed with a demon. The text says that the boy’s father said ‘I brought him to your disciples and they could not heal him’. Jesus reacted by saying:

    KJV

    Matt. 17:17 Then Jesus answered and said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him hither to me.

    Yesterday we spoke about what is meant to be a part of that faithless generation. Today, let’s look a little further. Faithless and Perverse generation. The key hear is not much different than what we looked at yesterday. Our generation affects all of us, whether we realize it or not. These guys were his disciples and could not do what they were expected to do because they are part of a generation that is faithless and perverse. They believe Jesus is God and were still affected.

    Well, what does perverse mean? It stems from the word pervert. In the original Greek, it is:

    GK G1406 | S G1294   διαστρέφω   diastrephō   7x

    to distort, turn away; met. to pervert, corrupt, Mt. 17:17; Lk. 9:41; to turn out of the way, cause to make defection, Lk. 23:2; Acts 13:8; διεστραμμένος, perverse, corrupt, erroneous

    ☞  MOUNCE | NIV | ESV | HCSB | NRSV | NKJV | KJV

     

    So, when one perverts something, one distorts, one turns away, one corrupts. Now, you can distort was is established already. Meaning, a thing would have to be established, somehow what is right is already determined. You cannot corrupt, distort or pervert what does not exist. For example, it may be established that when conducting an election, the person with the most votes, wins said election. That would have to be set as a paradigm. To pervert it, there can be no ambiguity as to whether this is right. Perverting the process then means, knowing what is right, and doing what you know to be wrong, and developing an ethos to justify it.

    Jesus is saying we are not only a faithless generation, but we know what is right and distort it to suit our fancy. We know what we are doing is wrong and we reason it away by saying I don’t feel fulfilled doing right. So, we twist the meaning of right to suit our needs. Beloved, Jesus is saying to us, we will not be able to adequately deal with demons in our life if we consistently distort what we know is right just to be able to feel good about the wrong we do. Our lives matter. If we distort God’s word to suit our sensibility, how can we be expected to deal with demonic attack? Our generation is perverse. We have accepted abortion, adultery, pre-marital sex, homosexuality. We even like it when candidates for President lie, denigrate and belittle others just to get into office. Just look around and see how perverse we are. God is saying even the believers are affected by this. You cannot live right and be comfortable with perversion. Live for God. Live like God says you should live and watch the power of God show up in your life. Demons must flee but we have to have faith and throw off the effects of our generation. You can do it. Radically live for Christ and watch the change. You are a chosen generation.

     

    1Pet. 2:9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:

     

    Beloved, through faith this is who you are. No longer defined by this perverse generation. I declare you a chosen generation.

     

    Remember, take one day at a time. This year we are following our Bishop H. Curtis Douglas and doing 7 days. Remember, drink all the water you can drink. Make sure it is at least 8 glasses of water. Also, you may have one bowl of soup, preferably after three (3) PM. Just do today. Do not try to fast all 7 days at once. Let tomorrow take care of tomorrow. Make sure you are using your prayer list. Pray for the things you are looking for in 2017. 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 One (1) Your Pilgrimage

    no-tie-head-shot.jpgGrace and Peace be unto you, through the knowledge of God and of Jesus Christ. Today is day number one (1) of our pilgrimage. I just wanted to say a short word to encourage you today as you begin this journey in 2017. I want to encourage you to have faith. Faith the size of a mustard seed can move mountains. Here is the promise for 2017, “nothing shall be impossible”.

     

    I want to encourage you this morning. Do not see this as vain repetition. In the kingdom of God there are many things that we are required to do every year because it is important for our development as citizens of the Kingdom of God. Every Jew was expected to engage in a pilgrimage to Jerusalem to worship God. The fact that it happened yearly does not mean that it is repetition without power. Actually, let’s define pilgrimage.

     

    PILGRIMAGE

    A journey made to a holy or revered place as an act of devotion or duty. As well as Jerusalem, there were several such holy places in Israel.

     

    Here is a biblical attestation to this practice:

    Luke 2:41-42New International Version (NIV)

    41 Every year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the Festival of the Passover. 42 When he was twelve years old, they went up to the festival, according to the custom.

     

    Jesus and his family did this every year because God commands it. As you journey on this fast in 2017, don’t listen to nay sayers who would tell you this is just a custom that has no meaning. You are doing this as an act of devotion to your God and to get his attention about your hope and supplications for the coming year.

     

    Take one day at a time. This year we are following our Bishop H. Curtis Douglas and doing 7 days. Remember, drink all the water you can drink. Make sure it is at least 8 glasses of water. Also you may have one bowl of soup, preferably after three (3) PM. Just do today. Do not try to fast all 7 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

     

     

     

  • We can Change our Future by Learning from Our Past.

    ThinkingGrace and Peace be multiplied to you, through the knowledge of God and of Jesus Christ. I pray this blog finds you well. It is my hope to encourage you and to speak into your spirit from the word of God. First let me invite you to our church. It is vital that you have a place of worship and a Pastor you can connect to and learn from. If you are searching for a church home or don’t know the value of one, allow me to invite you to In His Presence Family Worship Center. It is a good church with awesome people and the word of God is taught without compromise. Visit us online at IHPFWC.ORG. Come to church, we are located at 1673 Dean St. in Brooklyn. Service begins at 8 AM on Sunday and at 7 PM on Wednesday nights for bible study. Be my special guest. I am looking for you.

    I preached from this text on Sunday and I just want to share a short excerpt with you. Let’s look at the text:

     

    Is. 42:23 ¶         Who will hear these lessons from the past and see the ruin that awaits you in the future? (NLT)

    The Prophet Isaiah is prophesying to the people of God and in chapter 43 speaks of what God is going to do and it is awesome. For that you should have been at church on Sunday, but before he gives them this awesome news, he makes plain Israel’s current situation. Often we miss the value of what God has done in our life because we have not taken stock of where we are in the midst of our deliverance. Some of us have even deluded ourselves into thinking we are fine where we are. When we don’t know what freedom is and how awesome it is, we think slavery is just fine. Some of us have been in slavery so long that we eulogize imprisonment. We speak well of it. We will mummer because we are being pushed into freedom because freedom takes hard work. Anything worth having does. A good marriage, a great position, a healthy body, all takes hard work.

    That being said, anything you have achieved is viewed with a greater appreciation when you understand exactly where you are. Losing 50 pounds may not seem like a big deal if you did not know what you weighed, or what kind of effort it would take to do it. If you understand that you were 400 pounds and how hard it was to stay motivated, you will celebrate every pound.

    Israel, according to the text was at a low point. The war with the Assyrians had left them robbed and plundered, enslaved, imprisoned and trapped. (Isaiah 42:22) NLT According to verse 24, they were fair game for anyone, ripe for the pickings and no one to protect them, because they did not “Obey God’s Law”. Beloved, it is entirely possible that we are not where we want to be because of our disobedience.

    Is. 42:20             You see and recognize what is right but refuse to act on it.

    You hear with your ears, but you don’t really listen.” (NLT)

    Knowing this, the question is posed by the prophet. Will you “hear the lesson from the past and see the ruin that awaits”? We can and must learn from our mistakes. We can do whatever we set our minds to, if we are willing to learn. You can prosper if we do not repeat the same mistakes that made us unprosperous before. We can have a healthy marriage if we stop doing the unhealthy things we keep doing. Also, implied in this text is that our change is on us. Stop praying that God would change your circumstance, your husband or wife, your job. God wants to change you. When he changes you, you then change everything around you. When you learn from your past, you can see the ruin that awaits, you ought to do things God’s way and avert ruin. We can change everything. Stop settling for what you have been and become what God says you are. You are the head, not the tail. You are above and not beneath. This does not happen by God changing our surroundings, it happens when God changes us. When your mindset changes and you are determined to obey God, you cannot settle for what is, and nothing but God’s best is acceptable. None of this will happen if you continue to refuse to walk in God’s law. Beloved, God can change you. Walk in his ways and obey his word. We can change our future by learning from our past.

    Yours Because I am His,

    Leo Colon

    www.ihpfwc.org

    pastor@ihpfwc.org

     

  • You Are God’s Masterpiece

    20110106-120344.jpgGrace and Peace be multiplied to you, through the knowledge of God and of Jesus Christ. I pray this day finds you well. It has been a while since I have posted and I wanted to encourage you during our advent season. We are drawing close to our high Holy Season of Resurrection Sunday and I thought that while this is usually a time to define Christ and his purpose, it might be a good idea to share what God says about you and your purpose. Let’s look at the text:

    Eph. 2:10 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

     

    In this passage, the Apostle Paul is describing what God was doing when he saved us. God gave us life, even though we were dead in our sins. He raised us from the dead along with Christ. He seated us with him in heavenly places. He saved us by his grace. This is why we cannot lawfully brag about our salvation.

    In verse 10, Pastor Paul teaches us that God did something incredible. The Pastor teaches that we are God’s Masterpiece. This is such a loaded phrase. I think we should look at this concept as we get a better understanding as to how we should comport ourselves.

    A Masterpiece represent a finished work of a Master. In most cases, a Master artist. When we look at a Picasso and appreciate that the piece we are looking at represents a Masterpiece, it means we are looking at a work that usually is a finished work. The piece is exactly what the artist wants to depict. Once the Master has finished his work, we never have occasion to see the masterpiece add to what the Master has done. We have never had any news footage telling us that the Mona Lisa has had plastic surgery and added more color to its eyes and less to its hair. We do not have any stories saying to us that the Mona Lisa wants to change its canvas. The painting does not even determine where it is hung. We do not have any news of legal proceedings telling us that the Mona Lisa is suing for its privacy and no longer wants people looking at it. Nor does the Mona Lisa have a gender issue and want you to address the painting as he or she. The masterpiece is at its best being exactly what its creator wants it to be. Do you know what God wants you to be?

    Beloved, why are you trying to improve on God’s masterpiece? What do you mean Pastor? I am glad you asked. Why do you think your Christian walk would be improved by infusing a little humanism? Or by adding a dab of Buddhism and a touch of Post-Modernism. Maybe you think the label Christian does not suit you as a Masterpiece of God. God saved you, molded you, and beautified you and he did so perfectly. Why do you think someone else should affirm you? God wants to show you to the world. Are you still the masterpiece he made you or have you made some modifications?

    We should strive to be exactly what God made us. A reflection of his glory. Masterpieces show how much of a genius the Master is. How do we do this. Here is what the Apostle instructs us to do:

    1Cor. 10:31  ¶ So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

     

    Whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. Can God be recognized in everything you do? Can God be recognized in every aspect of your life whether you are at church or not? Be a masterpiece. Be what God says you should be. You are God’s masterpiece, don’t let anyone change his work.

     

    Yours Because I am His,

    Leo Colon

    www.ihpfwc.org

    pastor@ihpfwc.org

     

     

     

  • Day Thirteen: Trust in the LORD

    Beloved, Grace and Peace be multiplied to you, through the knowledge of God and of Jesus Christ. Day number Thirteen (13). You are really close. Close to what? Close to your victory. I am so thrilled to be on this journey with you. You are doing Awesome. Really, you are doing an amazing job. Today I want to encourage you from the word of God. The scriptures really have a way of helping me keep my feet on the Ground. Today, let’s look at the book of wisdom. Let’s look at the text:

     

    KJV

    Prov. 3:5 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

    Prov. 3:6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

    Prov. 3:7 ¶ Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil.

    Prov. 3:8 It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones.

    Prov. 3:9 Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase:

    Prov. 3:10 So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.

     

    This is really a scripture that does not really need a lot of pontification. Really, one would think if you are fasting then you trust God. That is true, but I have learned that sometimes while seemingly going through the motions, no one knows the trepidation we go through as believers. You cannot go through life a not experience good reason to question your life.

    Here is the word of God for You. Trust in the LORD. Now before we start trying to defend yourself, stop. Think for a minute. Here the word of the LORD. Again I say, Trust in the LORD. Just trust him. Now, to throw a monkey wrench in this, I want to share this maxim I heard one of the Bishops of the Church of God in Christ say. He would do this as a call and response. I need to share this with you. The idea is this. We understand that Jesus is the Word in Flesh. That we cannot separate God from his word. So he would ask the church what I will ask you now and give the response.

     

    Question:

    How much do I love God?

    Response:

    As much as I Love His Word.

    Question:

    How much do I Trust God?

    Answer:

    As Much as I Trust his word.

    Question:

    How much do I obey God?

    Answer:

    As Much as I obey His Word.

    Question:

    How much do I believe God?

    Answer:

    As much as I believe His Word.

    Question:

    How much do I honor God?

    Answer:

    As much as I honor his Word.

    Question:

    How much do I reflect God?

    Answer:

    As much as I reflect His Word.

    Beloved, Trust in the LORD.

     

    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