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

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Christian, Christian Thought, Christianity, Church, Church Pastor Leo Colon, Daily Word, Devotional, Encouragement, God, In His Presence, Jesus Christ, jesus christ our lord, live life on purpose, Pastor Leo Colon, Scripture, The Prophet, wisdom

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

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Day Nineteen: Which way are you going home?

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Christian, Christian Thought, Christianity, Daily Word, Devotional, Encouragement, Fasting, God, grace and peace, In His Presence, Jesus Christ, jesus christ our lord, live life on purpose, Pastor Leo Colon, Pastor Maurice Johnson, Scripture, wisdom

Beloved, Grace and Peace be multiplied to you, through the knowledge of God and of Jesus Christ. Today is day Nineteen (19). Thank You Jesus. With God’s help you have done what you thought was impossible. Every fast I learn not to decide what I can and cannot do. This is incredible and you are doing an amazing job. Allow me to apologize that I did not get a blog out yesterday, but I was flying to Tulsa. I have a show here today and I was not able to get blog out in a timely manner. Today, I would like to repost a blog done by my Friend, Pastor Maurice Johnson of Beth-Car Fellowship in Hampden Connecticut. Here ye him.

 

Remember drink all the water you can. Plan to invite someone to church tomorrow. For many of us the snow may make that a problem, but if you going to church, bring someone with you. It would be a good thing. Use your prayer list as you pray today. We are nearing our victory. Looking forward to hearing your testimonies.

 

 

Live Life on Purpose and Not By Mistake,

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

 

 

Grace and peace be unto you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.  Have you ever been asked which way are you going home?  The question is relative to the direction or route an individual may take as they return to their home, but I would like to ask you the same question conditionally.  Matthew chapter 4, verses 1 through 11 describes the account of the forty day fast and temptation of Christ,  4:1 Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.  It is interesting to note that the leading of the spirit does not always take us into pleasant joyful encounters, Jesus is led into a test, and for 19 days you have been tested.

Jesus was tested in three areas, first verse 2, “he was afterward an hungred,” he is touch in the area of his physical need.  How often are we tried by economic, relational or emotional need?  Our spiritual focus is often hampered by our basic human needs and interest.  Second, Christ’s identity and relationship with the father is questioned.  Verse ⁶ And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.  How many times have you asked yourself is this really of God or does this kind of thing really move the Lord?  Third, Jesus is tempted to switch sides, verse ⁹ And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.  In every area Christ quiets the adversary with the word; how you respond will determine how you return.  By this time next week you will be enjoying the same foods at the same restaurants or preparing your favorite recipes for yourself or your families.  So what has changed?  The scripture says that Christ rejects the adversary and receives the ministering of angels; if you get nothing else from this consecration make sure you receive the ministering of angels.   Why come all this way and go back the same spiritually, and the Bible says in Luke chapter 4 verse 14, And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit.  I pray that as you reach the finish line that you return in POWER, power to accomplish the purpose of God for which you have been created.

Pastor Maurice Johnson.

Day Seventeen: Psalm 91

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Christian, Christian Thought, Christianity, Church Pastor Leo Colon, Daily Word, Devotional, Encouragement, Fasting, God, IHP, In His Presence, Jesus Christ, jesus christ our lord, live life on purpose, Pastor Leo Colon, Scripture

Beloved, Grace and Peace be multiplied to you, through the knowledge of God and of Jesus Christ. Today is day number seventeen (17). You have three days and a wake up. You are doing great. Hang in there. Victory is ahead of you. Well done. Today I want to encourage with the scriptures. The scriptures are precious and I find that the scriptures move me. They encourage me and I want to encourage you. Some of my favorite scriptures are the Psalms. I want to share this with you today. Let’s look at the text:

 

KJV

Psa. 91:1 ¶ He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

Psa. 91:2 I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.

Psa. 91:3 Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.

Psa. 91:4 He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.

Psa. 91:5 Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day;

Psa. 91:6 Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday.

Psa. 91:7 A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee.

Psa. 91:8 Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked.

Psa. 91:9 ¶ Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation;

Psa. 91:10 There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.

Psa. 91:11 For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.

Psa. 91:12 They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.

Psa. 91:13 Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet.

Psa. 91:14 Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name.

Psa. 91:15 He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him.

Psa. 91:16 With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation.

 

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

 

Live Life on Purpose, and not by Mistake,

Yours Because I am His,

Leo Colon

pastor@ihpfwc.org

www.ihpfwc.org

 

 

 

Day Sixteen: Hang in There. You are a winner, now!

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Christian, Christian Thought, Christianity, Daily Word, Devotional, Encouragement, Fasting, grace and peace, In His Presence, Jesus Christ, jesus christ our lord, live life on purpose, Pastor Leo Colon, Scripture, wisdom

Beloved, Grace and Peace be multiplied unto you, through the knowledge of God and of Jesus Christ. Today is Day number SIXTEEN, (16) of our journey. You are to be commended. You are doing well. You are counting down. Our late Archbishop McKinley use to say, “You have FOUR DAYS and a WAKE UP”! Today, I decided to repost one of our post from 2010. I pray you are encouraged by the Word of God. 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 the fact that our enemies in Christendom always makes 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 your 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; take one day at a time. Drink all the water you can. Pray, and make a prayer list. Pray with understanding and with a purpose. Just do today, do not think of the entire journey. You can do this. Also, start to plan now and make plans to bring someone to church with you. If you are not a member of a church currently or are seeking a place God wants you to call home, allow me to invite you to In His Presence Family Worship Center. It’s a good church and a good place to call home. Be my special guest. We would love to meet you. We are at 1673 Dean Street, Brooklyn, NY. Our Sunday services start at 8 AM and our midweek prayer and bible study is on Wednesday at 7 PM. Go to our website, http://www.ihpfwc.org. Invite someone to come with you, why? God wants his house filled. He told us that. (Luke 14:23)

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

Day Twelve: Don’t Quit. Don’t Fear.

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Christian, Christian Thought, Christianity, Church, Daily Word, Devotional, Encouragement, Fasting, In His Presence, Jesus Christ, jesus christ our lord, live life on purpose, Pastor Leo Colon, Scripture

Beloved, Grace and Peace be multiplied to you, through the knowledge of God and of Jesus Christ. Day Twelve (12) you are really turning the corner. The end is in sight. You are truly a giant and God will honor your effort. Celebrate what you have achieved. This is a good thing. Let’s go a little bit further in the text and gain some insight in how to achieve what God would have us achieve. Let’s look at the text:

KJV

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

 

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

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

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

 

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

 

 

 

Live on Purpose and not By Mistake,

Yours Because I am His,

Leo Colon

pastor@ihpfwc.org

http://www.ihpfwc.org

 

Day Six: Why Are You Hungry?

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Christian, Christian Thought, Christianity, Church, Daily Word, Devotional, Encouragement, Fasting, grace and peace, IHP, In His Presence, Jesus, Jesus Christ, jesus christ our lord, live life on purpose, Pastor Leo Colon, Scripture

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

Pastor Leo Colon

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

Pastor Dorothy Colon

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

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

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

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Christian, Christian Thought, Christianity, Church, Daily Word, Devotional, Encouragement, Fasting, IHP, In His Presence, Jesus, Jesus Christ, jesus christ our lord, Leo Colon, live life on purpose, Pastor Leo Colon, Scripture

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

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

We have learned a few thing from the Apostle Paul:

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

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

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

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

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

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

Day Eleven of our Twenty-One Journey:The Naked Tree

Tags

church god, grace and peace, Jesus Christ, jesus christ our lord, Leo Colon, live life on purpose, paul dean

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

Beloved to is day number eleven and you are well on your way to conquering your second week. You are doing a great job, congratulations. Some of you didn’t think you would make it this far. Remember just do today. Tomorrow will handle itself. Drink as much water as you can, at least 10 to 12 glasses of water and make sure you doing what you need to do to get the toxins out of your body. Either take a strong laxative or schedule some colon therapy at least once a week if possible. You are doing great and I for one am proud of the job you are doing.

Today, once again, my colleague, friend and brother, Pastor Paul Dean is our guest blogger. 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 that God has bless you through this effort.

Again beloved, I want to encourage you at the mid-week point, 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.org

The Naked Tree

Proverbs 3:5-6 (NKJV)
5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding;
6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.

The Naked Tree
This morning after coming home from the gym, I took my dog out and as he was walking around I sat down and looked up and seen two trees. One tree had leaves on it (although some leaves were falling) the other one was naked (no leaves at all), yet they was both very much alive.
As I gazed at the tree with leaves, I began to also notice that many birds landed on this tree, while none of them went to the naked tree. The naked tree had no leaves.  It did not provide shade; neither did it look very pretty, yet it was strong and still standing. It was stripped of its beauty; all leaves fell, no bird to land.  Yet it was still rooted and grounded, waiting for its new season.
It reminded me of times when God has to strip us naked, where we don’t look so beautiful, where our leaves have fallen off and no one wants to land upon us, so to speak or be around us only because of what we look like. Not knowing that we are still connected to Him! Still rooted, still grounded in Christ. When we go through this, it’s called the “Stripping Season”, where God removes the outer layers to humble the inner man, to prepare you for your next season. It will seem like everything is gone, and everyone around you is leaving (falling off). Money starts to deplete, and somewhere in all of this, it feels like God is nowhere to be found, yet you stand there naked and not ashamed because you know this is not your end.
The enemy is laughing and your friends and family are wondering what you did to deserve such turmoil. Your mind begins to doubt God, but He whispers in a small voice and says “I’m still with you”. He says “I’m just prepping you for your next season”. I know it doesn’t feel like it, and it’s a little chilly in the financial dept, but remember God is the thermometer! He controls the temperature of your life. And although the house is cold and He won’t turn up the heat, He will give you a blanket to keep you warm. Don’t fret in these times, don’t worry in the blizzards. It’s not how you look above ground, but it’s knowing that you are still connected to the root of your God! Soon your leaves will spring forth, nests will be made, and the whistling of a bird will be heard from the tree of your spirit.
So if your life tree is naked, hold on, He will soon give you a blanket blessing to keep you warm until your new season…
Until then keep Smiling…
God bless you, heaven smile upon you, go in peace and may your peace be multiplied.
Endure to the End!

Pastor P