Category Archives: Identity

It’s not ours

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Image result for it is not oursMany, if not all, of our problems, have to do in one way or the other with ownership. Think about it. Seriously.

We get mad when someone at work is given the corner office. Or if the position you applied for was given to someone else. “That should’ve been me. I’m more qualified.” We say to ourselves. What about the house we live in or the car we drive? Did you see what beautiful neighborhood it is? I can go endlessly on examples, from money, influence, friends, and on and on.

Granted, we all desire a good life. We all wish to have a better set of circumstances than the ones we currently have. That is why we work and decide where to eat or spend our vacations. It is the same when we go out to buy clothes or other “essentials” of life. The fact remains the same; we have a problem of ownership.

If we are honest with ourselves, we don’t own anything. Think of that for a second. Do you own your life? You might argue saying, “Well, of course, I do as I please,” but do you own your life? I had a friend that jokingly always said to me, “We all have an expiration date written behind our ear.” And he was right. Not the part of the ear, but the part that none of us know what that date is. What about your children? Are they yours? “Well, of course, I gave them life.” You’d say. Did you? And that bank account and investment account? They’re yours also, right?

While we walk on this earth, some papers say that x,y, or z, legally belong to you and me. But in reality, none of it is.

It is all a stewardship. It is temporary, and we are accountable. If we ingrain this thought deeply into our souls, life would be so much easier, for all of us.

The One that pointed it out more clearly was Jesus. There are a couple of parables he used that describe this in a better way. In Luke 12:16-23, Jesus told the story of a man that amassed a great deal of earthly wealth and observed it to the point that he wanted to build even bigger barns to store it. The problem for him was that he would not live to see the next day. Oops! He lived his life as if he had control of it all and determined who got what. Jesus himself posted a question as to who would inherit all he had amassed.

There was yet another example in Matthew 25:14-30 of a man who left his employees to tend to his fortune. At his return, he rewarded each once accordingly to how he had dealt with what was entrusted to each. It was all a stewardship.

If we sincerely stopped for a moment and looked at life this way, we would see everything differently. We would be free. We would understand that God gave even the talents we express for us to steward in a way that would honor him and benefit us and those we love. Because when we use our skills well, we are giving honor to the One who created us to His image and at the same time, we elevate our awareness of our worth.

Everything on this earth was created for our enjoyment, not for our enslavement. We are not slaves of stuff; we are stewards of it. We take care of what was entrusted to us: children, our earthly bodies, houses, employment, leadership, talents.

When we attach to stuff thinking it’s ours, we enslave ourselves. We are not the owners. Don’t fall for that lie. The secret to becoming free is to acknowledge it is not ours. And while we are constantly bombarded every day to acquire more and more, a sincere and genuine view of who owns it all will free us from being pressured.

After all, it is all HIS. All of it!

It’s not ours.

“BREATHE expectantly, LIVE confidently and MOVE Boldly”

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© Copyright Danny Maldonado, 2019

“Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.”

Substance is what matters

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For some say, “His letters are weighty and forceful, but in person he is unimpressive and his speaking amounts to nothing.” This came as a surprise for me. Apparently the apostle Paul was not a very good speaker and he was regarded as unimpressive, yet he wrote more than half of the new testament. What he lacked in presenter skills, presence and verbal abilities, he had more than enough in actions and in his writing ability. He clearly knew what his limits were and even acknowledged it, but that did not deter him in his purpose of life. We should be inspired by this bit of information.

There is a constant comparison race all around us. We all judge and are judged by our outward appearances. A nagging reminder that we should live up to someone else’s expectation and that nothing can be left to chance or someone else will take the lead. The reality is that we all have different levels of abilities and skills, and there will always be someone with better, faster, smarter ones than ours. On the flip side, some will lack in the areas in which we excel. It is not our duty to impress others but to fulfill our purpose. Just as Paul was belittled by those around him, we should expect that in any given point in our lives it will happen to us as well, but that should not deter us from being the man or woman God created us to be. It doesn’t matter what others think of you if you are walking your walk. There will always be people that believe it is their purpose in life to run yours. Don’t let them.

I know many incredible individuals that might lack verbal abilities, but no one can even come close to their focus and purpose. They stumble in a platform but excel in the field, and I admire them. Just as Paul did, words are not necessary when actions are needed. Do your thing. If your gift is writing, write. If it is comforting, comfort, if inspiring, inspire. If you are gifted with public speaking, speak, if it is administration, administer. If instruction, teach, whatever it is your gifted with, don’t argue with those that want to steer you away from your destiny or even take as nothing of significance that which you are doing. But it is imperative that you do. Don’t stay in the sidelines meditating on it or even rationalizing it; you have to do, take action, walk towards your dream. Actions always speak louder.

Paul answered this way; “Such people should realize that what we are in our letters when we are absent, we will be in our actions when we are present.” Words became substance, and substance is what matters.

“BREATHE expectantly, LIVE confidently and MOVE Boldly”

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© Copyright Danny Maldonado, 2013
Scripture quotations are taken from The Holy Bible: Today’s New International Version. 2005. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Who are You?

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“Who are you?” he asked. “I am your servant Ruth,” she replied. “Spread the corner of your covering over me, for you are my family redeemer.”

Ruth and Naomi, both widowed, alone, with no stability, security or sense of purpose, went to Judah looking for bread. Naomi was so depressed that she even made herself called Mara, which meant bitterness. Ruth, who went with her, was also troubled by all of the situations she had been through. Yes, they had every human reason to feel bitter, discouraged, alone, unfulfilled, empty and unworthy. But then came Boaz. As the story unfolds, Boaz provided and restored them completely. He made Ruth, previously a foreigner, his wife.

Who are you?, he asked. She did not say, I am a widow; I am a beggar, eating scraps from your fields. She did not allow her circumstances give identity to her. She did not allow her situation take control of her mindset and take root in her heart. She did not allow outside influences determine who she was, she plainly answered, “I am your servant”.

You need to know who you are. Your circumstances do not dictate your identity. Your moods, your emotions, your finances, don’t determine who you are. As Naomi, you may be going through extremely difficult times, that may even change the way you regard yourself. Regrets and discouragement can overtake you, but when you realize that you are a servant of the most High God, not a foreigner, He will restore you, He will bless you, He will keep you and bring you under His wing. He will make you stand tall and shine upon your face, and will give you favor and grace and strength.

The realization that you and I are His, determine our identity, and no matter what pans out around us, He will be our El Shaddai, the God that is more than enough. When we seek Him, when we worship Him in the middle of our trials, He will lift us and he will guide us, and he will bless us until it overflows. The circumstances only affirm that we are His. Who are you? Jesus answered that question when he came and gave himself for our sins and restored everything.

So the question remains, Who are you? Jesus already answered that, You are His. Stand up and receive what is yours!

“BREATHE expectantly, LIVE confidently and MOVE Boldly”

Want this inspiration of coffee by email every morning? Enter your e-mail to subscribe at the top right of this page under the box for “Subscribe”. Like this writing and want share it? Just add your comment below on “Leave a Reply” or share it on Facebook, Twitter, or by email using any of the buttons next to “Share this:”

© Copyright Danny Maldonado, 2006
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Danger Zone

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by DP

Yet you made them only a little lower than God, and crowned them, with glory and honor. Psalms 8:5 NLT

Have you ever walk in a place where you feel uneasy, threatened and maybe a little scared? There are situations, places and even people that had made us feel this way. Situations that we cannot control, places we don’t know and people that are against us. Our senses just translate all of that as a place, a person or a situation that could harm us. And yes there are many of them that are real threats to our well being, and if left unchecked they can bring havoc.

Now, we can sit down and dwell about these issues and get depressed or just sit down and stop our pursuit of the dreams in our hearts. “No more,” you could say, “it is to dangerous to continue”, and maybe you are right, it is a dangerous endeavor. But what would you do? Just stop and let the burning desire in your heart die? Or to talk your way out and rationalize your decision to be defeated by a ghost? Talk is cheap when action is needed.

Many times we let our circumstances define who we are. We look at what our resources say we can and cannot achieve. Our mirror is obscure and dull and doesn’t reflect the way God sees you.

Let me tell you who you are. The bible says that God created us a little lower than himself, and has crowned us with glory and honor. You might say, should that mean anything to me? It does. In the original, the term for God in this verse was Elohim, which means the uncalculated power of God. So you were created for greatness, you were created to reign. In every place and in every situation and before every person that comes your way, it shouldn’t be a matter of how dangerous it is for you, but how dangerous it is for them, they have stepped into the presence of a son and daughter of Elohim, they are in the presence of royalty and that means that they are in God’s danger zone and their lives will never be the same.

You will walk with a stride of confidence. You will be entering the scene not alone, but empowered. He has given you the authority to shift everything in your path for the glory of the One that created you and crowned you with honor and glory. Don’t let anything tell you otherwise and be prepared for greater things. Look at yourself as He sees you. You have become God’s danger zone.

“BREATHE expectantly, LIVE confidently and MOVE Boldly”

Want this inspiration of coffee by email every morning? Enter your e-mail to subscribe at the top right of this page under the box for “Subscribe”. Like this writing and want share it? Just add your comment below on “Leave a Reply” or share it on Facebook, Twitter, or by email using any of the buttons next to “Share this:”

© Copyright DP, 2011

Who are You?

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by DP

And he said, “Who are you?” So she answered, “I am Ruth, your maidservant. Take your maidservant under your wing, for you are a close relative.” Ruth 3: 9

Ruth and Naomi, both widowed, alone, with no stability, security or sense of purpose, went to Judah looking for bread. Naomi was so depressed that she even made herself called Mara, which meant bitterness. Ruth, who went with her, was also troubled by all of the situations she had been through. Yes, they had every human reason to feel bitter, discouraged, alone, unfulfilled, empty and unworthy. But then came Boaz. As the story unfolds, Boaz provided and restored them completely. He made Ruth, previously a foreigner, his wife.

Who are you?, he asked. She did not say, I am a widow; I am a beggar, eating scraps from your fields. She did not allow her circumstances give identity to her. She did not allow her situation take control of her mindset and take root in her heart. She did not allow outside influences determine who she was, she plainly answered, “I am your maidservant”.

You need to know who you are. Your circumstances do not dictate your identity. Your moods, your emotions, your finances, don’t determine who you are. As Naomi, you may be going through extremely difficult times, that may even change the way you regard yourself. Regrets and discouragement can overtake you, but when you realize that you are a servant of the most High God, not a foreigner, He will restore you, He will bless you, He will keep you and bring you under His wing. He will make you stand tall and shine upon your face, and will give you favor and grace and strength.

The realization that you and I are His, determine our identity, and no matter what pans out around us, He will be our El Shaddai, the God that is more than enough. When we seek Him, when we worship Him in the middle of our trials, He will lift us and he will guide us, and he will bless us until it overflows. The circumstances only affirm that we are His. Who are you? Jesus answered that question when he came and gave himself for our sins and restored everything.

So the question remains, Who are you? Jesus already answered, You are His. Stand up and receive what is yours!

“BREATHE expectantly, LIVE confidently and MOVE Boldly”

Want this inspiration of coffee by email every morning? Enter your e-mail to subscribe at the top right of this page under the box for “Subscribe”. Like this writing and want share it? Just add your comment below on “Leave a Reply” or share it on Facebook, Twitter, or by email using any of the buttons next to “Share this:”

© Copyright DP, 2006

Color the world

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by DP

“Here’s another way to put it: You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We’re going public with this, as public as a city on a hill.” Mattew 5:14 The Message

My daughter was asked by her sunday school teacher, what would you say you were put here in this earth to do? She answered, “I think that I was put here in the world to color it. I see the world like black and dull and I am supposed to give it color”. She was referring to her passion to paint. A God given gift that makes her out of nothing, to start creating scenes and pictures and many other themes in paper and to give them color. Sometimes she will leave us notes and say “I love you, or don’t give up”. An encouraging spirit and a color-filled heart.

Jesus was saying the same thing. This world is filled with his artistry. It was created by a color-filled God, to color-fill our lives.

Ever wonder why you are here? This simple question in the eyes of a girl has a simple but profound answer. We all have a canvas to color. Our canvas could be our job, our children, our community, our own life. God has given you your life for a purpose.

The question remains, how will you color it? You might not feel this very moment that you are capable or even that you are worthy to do it, but you are. Not because of your own effort but because of what Jesus himself already did. When we understand the message of the cross, we open our lives to him. He cleans and creates a new canvas where He can start to paint and color a new scenery. When he said at the cross, “it is finished”, He was saying, I have made you new, I have given you forgiveness, life, purpose and color. And it doesn’t matter where you’ve been, or what you’ve done, not even your circumstances, when you surrender your life to Him, He will color your world, and the picture will be beautiful.

When we surrender our colorless life to Him, we become light, and the light exposes everything. It will expose the wonderful coloring God has given you, previously hidden by sin, and It will more importantly give you purpose. Just as the expression that my daughter said, we are, you and me, in this world to give it color, God’s color. You become a person with a mission: to show others the God-colors in their lives.

Many feel that their lives are black and dull and think that there is no God-color or artistry in them. So go now and take your brushes, pick the canvas and color the world.

“BREATHE expectantly, LIVE confidently and MOVE Boldly”

Want this inspiration of coffee by email every morning? Enter your e-mail to subscribe at the top right of this page under the box for “Subscribe”. Like this writing and want share it? Just add your comment below on “Leave a Reply” or share it on Facebook, Twitter, or by email using any of the buttons next to “Share this:”

© Copyright DP, 2010

A small task but a big story

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by DP

“Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?” John 6:9

What were you called to do? Does it has to be a big thing? Sometimes we ignore we are called to do a small things. Like the boy that was called to carry five small barley loaves and two small fish into a crowd of 5,000. How did his day start? What prompted him to carry the bread and the fish? Was this the result of a normal day of fishing. did he traded that day a couple of fish to have some bread. We don’t know, all we can do is speculate. But that day, unequivocally started as a normal day, and surely many saw this child during the day and since in those days, women and children were not regarded as equals to men, he could have been shouted at and even pushed around. Who knows, probably he started the day with many more fish and many more loaves of bread and could have been depraved of some. Or he was even angry because he had to so this chore instead of playing with his friends. The fact is that he was in charge of this cargo.

And at his short age, he would perform the purpose he was called to do in this world. His act of carrying those fish and loaves of bread, not only fed a multitude of 5,000 men, which indeed was bigger if we count the children and women, but was the catalyst for the good news of this man named Jesus that would change the history of mankind, to spread to neighboring cities. His cargo had been multiplied and feed a crowd he never thought possible. His life would never be the same.

Stories like Esther, an orphan who became a queen. Or Saul, who went looking for donkeys and came back a King. David went to feed his brothers and killed a giant. Rahab a harlot who saved two spies and became part of Jesus genealogy. The maid that told Naman to look for the prophet that could heal his leprosy, or the stable master who took care of the donkey making sure nobody rode on it and didn’t know why. The same donkey Jesus used to make his triumphal entrance to Jerusalem. Or the four men that carried a friend through a roof so that he could be healed. Like four men transforming junk into bracelets that will bring hope and create jobs in Haiti. These represent small tasks that but are part of a big story.

Similar to them is our life. We long to do what we consider are big assignments. We want to lead, to teach, preach, coach, conquer and overcome. We don’t like to clean, carry, counsel, paint or even listen. We think that these are not assignments that will fulfill our purpose. And maybe they won’t. But what if that small task is the precise one God will use to transform, not only your life, but that of millions? What if making someone laugh with your comedy will heal their wounds and change their destiny or helping someone retire with dignity will impact more than you know? What if creating comfortable spaces you call home will be the correct surroundings needed to heal families and mend cities? What if by teaching the underprivileged, your are changing a nation, mentoring the next Martin Luther King, Billy Graham or Mother Theresa?

The list could go on and on. But the point is, no matter if you carry only two small fishes and five small barley loaves of bread; never despise the small beginnings, it might seem like a small task, but it will be part of a big story.

“BREATHE expectantly, LIVE confidently and MOVE Boldly”

From the desert to the summit

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by DP

…while he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness. He came to a broom bush, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, Lord,” he said. “Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.” 1 Kings 19:4

The prophet Elijah had just witnessed one of the most recognized miracles and victories in biblical history. He demonstrated to all the people of Israel that Baal was a false god and at the Lord’s command defeated the 450 false prophets with the sword. Ahab king of Israel, had a wife named Jezebel, which he told of this event. Enraged, Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah to tell him that she would kill him the next day as he had done to the prophets, and if she didn’t that her gods would punished her without mercy. Elijah heard this, was afraid and fled. The story goes on to say that he sat under a bush and protested.

It is interesting that after a big victory, this prophet who had proven that God of Israel was the only true god, and even had defeated 450 men, fled with a simple message. I am not minimizing the seriousness of the message, but the very context of the message and Elijah’s reaction to it. Elias came out of an unprecedented victory and showed that the gods which Jezebel referred to had no power or existed. In fact the very act of Jezebel showed that she feared the prophet, because she didn’t sent troops, but merely a messenger to bring a empty message and without substance. Notwithstanding this fact, Elijah was afraid and fled toward the desert complaining and wanting to die.

How often does this happen to us. Coming from a great victory, we are frightened by mere words that have no foundation. We began to flee to desert places, aimlessly, hoping that our life is other, sometimes wanting to die because we can’t understand why we are in the place or situation where are in. It seems to have no explanation. Instead of celebrating, we get depressed. And all because of a word without substance.

My intention is not to simplify the condition of depression, much less ignore that there are professionals who can help you, but make you understand that God is attentive to your life and wants to restore you. Don’t hear empty voices, don’t move by fear, those are words that have no foundation. Trust, the Almighty God is ready to help you. God never responded to the negative assertions of Elijah, never responded to those words that Elijah used to degrade himself, to make him be less than what he was. God does not validate our words of defeat, but he understands and loves us. Elijah received support through an angel who served in the difficult time and God’s instruction for him was, “Arise and eat, because the journey is great.” He was supported with the provision that God himself had sent and it gave him strength to walk 40 days to reach the top of mountain.

Close your ears to hollow, empty words of defeat. You have a long way to go ahead of you, this is not the end, much less your destination. Your circumstances do not define you. What others say about you, do not give you identity. The words of fear do not direct you. There are angels who serve you in the midst of your circumstances. You were created for greatness, for heights, and for a wonderful purpose. So sustain yourself with his Word, go on, walk and conquer.

Your life will give have new twist and you will go from the desert to the summit. See you at the top!

“BREATHE expectantly, LIVE confidently and MOVE Boldly”