It’s developed over time, over many layers.   If we pursue temporary solutions rather than taking our stresses to God, we will develop work idols and

I started a Marketing agency with my 2 friends in 2005. By 2007 we had some major investors, an office in South Beach, and growing staff and client roster. Things were good. Really good. But the recession in 2008 knocked us off our feet. Since then, it’s been a rollercoaster of ups and downs. I was on a mission to get more clients, gain popularity, and make more money. I wanted to show others that we had a bunch of employees and we’re an award-winning agency. I was putting on a show, but it was all just that…a show. We can try to have the most clients and the highest revenues or the most awards. We can try to be the best at a particular specialty job. But having a bunch of clients or most employees doesn't define who we are. We have to realize that others cannot create our identity. The problem with having your identity tied to the things I’ve mentioned is that those things are always changing, so your identity will always be on a rollercoaster ride. Your identity will become whatever is popular at the time. God has already told us who we are. He says that no matter how skilled we are, how weak or strong we are, how influential we are, or how many people like us on social media, we are loved by Him and matter so much to Him. The Bible says: "If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness. The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, who is to be praised forever, knows that I am not lying." 2 Corinthians 11:30‭-‬31 NIV Through your weakness, you can see how great and strong God is. It doesn’t matter if clients, partners or employees say you aren’t good at something, God says He can use all of you to show His love to the world. We might feel bad about something temporarily, and maybe those are signs of God showing you to change something, but we can’t live a life defined by those instances. God needs us to move on to live the Godpreneur lives for which he created us. Who do you think God says you are? Comment below. Godpreneur Rule #18: Our identity as Godpreneurs is defined by God and not by money, fame, power or influence. These will be blessed upon you through your obedience in staying true to your Godpreneur identity. #ShareYourTestimony #EnhanceFocus

I’ve been helping entrepreneurs make logos and websites since 2002. When I started my relationship with God in 2008, I struggled to see how websites were a part of God’s bigger vision for the world. How were websites getting us any closer to heaven? Then I started learning about purpose and identity, and how God changes our identity (rebranding) and gives us new vision when we are born again. God is in the business of REBRANDING too!!! Then it was revealed to me: I’m supposed to help people find God’s vision for their life, what they were born to do, what God created them to fulfill in business, and I get the privilege to dress it up and let the world know. Wow. We all have a vision that is part of God’s vision. But what if we can’t see what that is? We’ve become masters at separating the work side from our spiritual side. We entrepreneurs are great at leading, taking charge, and (most of the times) not even bringing God into the decision making. The world wants to DIVIDE. The enemy wants us to think that our vision is separate from God’s bigger vision, but that’s a lie. The Bible says "Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies." 1 Corinthians 6:19‭-‬20 NIV You and your business are not separate from God and his plan. Just because you didn’t start a church or a non-profit doesn’t mean you aren’t a part of God’s vision. The key is to start praying and asking God how your smaller vision is a part of his bigger vision. For me, I want to help 10,000 entrepreneurs find their God-given identity, what they were born to do, and help them bring it to life!. We entrepreneurs have the ability to connect our vocation with God’s overall purpose and vision in the world. We must seek how our law firm is part of his plan. We must ask how our contractor business brings about God’s purposes here on earth. Godpreneur Rule #46: Godpreneurs seek out how their businesses fit into God’s bigger vision for the world. #ShareYourTestimony #FindingMyPurpose

the relationship by focusing on all of the problems, and eventually, I get fed up and want to let the person Now, instead of focusing on the problem, I ask myself “what is this person’s personality in life, and

Confession time. I am not really good at waiting on God for things in my business. I’m just not. I’m horrible at waiting. How about you? I am not really sure why– maybe because entrepreneurs are go-getters and we want to do everything fast. Maybe I want to be successful, faster. It seems us entrepreneurs are always wanting to go, go, go! Get things done. Go faster. Do more. Get to the finish line already. But when we’re at our most frantic pace ever, God says, “Wait a second. Slow down a little bit.” We hate waiting. We hate going slow. When something is going slow, it is easy to attribute the waiting to laziness or inactivity, or passive-aggressiveness. But did you know that waiting can also mean hoping? We’re waiting with expectations in our businesses. We’re hoping and expecting and waiting to see what God is going to do. While you are waiting for something in your business, here are 10 encouraging Bible verses about patience that will really help you wait on God. Top 10 Verses Hosea 12:6 Therefore, return to your God, observe kindness and justice, and wait for your God continually. Psalms 27:14 Wait for the Lord; be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the Lord. Psalms 37:7 Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who carries out wicked schemes. Psalms 123:2 Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress, So our eyes look to the Lord our God, Until He is gracious to us. Isaiah 30:18 Therefore the Lord longs to be gracious to you, And therefore He waits on high to have compassion on you. For the Lord is a God of justice; How blessed are all those who long for Him. Jeremiah 14:22 Are there any among the idols of the nations who give rain? Or can the heavens grant showers? Is it not You, O Lord our God? Therefore we hope in You, For You are the one who has done all these things. Psalms 25:5 Lead me in Your truth and teach me, For You are the God of my salvation; For You I wait all day. Psalms 145:15-16 The eyes of all look to You, and You give them their food in due time. You open Your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing. James 5:7-8 Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient about it, until it gets the early and late rains. You too be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near. Luke 12:35-40 Be dressed in readiness, and keep your lamps lit. Be like men who are waiting for their master when he returns from the wedding feast, so that they may immediately open the door to him when he comes and knocks. Blessed are those slaves whom the master will find on the alert when he comes; truly I say to you, that he will gird himself to serve, and have them recline at the table, and will come up and wait on them. Share this blog post with someone you think is in need of some encouragement for waiting on God! More Resources on Waiting Blog Posts: How WAITING Helped My Business Grow Born to Do – Part 3: The Waiting Period Overcoming Obstacles to Launching Your Idea – Step 1: The Miracle Waiting to Happen Staying the Course in Business: Part 7 – Humility While Waiting Course: Waiting on God in Your Business How Godpreneur Wait #GainConfidence

Godpreneurs never lose sight of the Divine nature and significance of their work. Learn more about Alex Miranda and Daily Godpreneur: ►►MEMBERSHIP: www.godpreneur.com/ – Lead a God First Business ►►DAILY DEVOTIONAL: www.dailygodpreneur.com – Blog of Daily Devotionals for Christian Entrepreneurs ►►INSTAGRAM: www.instagram.com/dailygodpreneur – Instagram Quotes for Christian Entrepreneurs ►►FREE RESOURCES: www.dailygodpreneur.com/resources – Ebooks, checklists and other resources for Christian Entrepreneurs #GodpreneurAcademy #AgencyOwners #NewEntrepreneurs

I personally believe that He’s making a way for bigger and better things in our businesses.

I’ve suffered in my entrepreneurial career from the frustration of unrealized dreams. There’s so much more I want to do and be, and at times I let my mind get stuck in a pattern of anger, disappointment and failure because of where I’m at now and where I want to be. I am naturally an ambitious visionary, and there’s nothing wrong with that. That’s actually my gifting. What’s wrong is when I allow my mind to live and exist in that space in the future. It’s fine to go there in your mind in terms of vision planning; it’s not fine to stay stuck there. Why? Because it’s fake. It’s not reality. It’s not today. It’s tomorrow, and today has its beauty. God never guaranteed us tomorrow, only what we have now. When we live in ambition, we rob ourselves of what’s most important: serving the people that He’s put around us today, TODAY. The Bible says: "A faithful man will abound with blessings, but whoever hastens to be rich will not go unpunished." (proverbs 28:20) Again, there is nothing wrong with healthy discontent of where we’re at financially or in rankings, but we cannot always live in the world of our aspirations; sometimes we must live in the world of our present circumstances. Has your ambition gotten you down? Are you angry with God for the realities you face from day to day? Do you need a way out of your failure and disappointment? What is your greatest ambition? Are you willing to let it go to serve God fully and wholly today in and through your business? You are masterful and wonderful today. You are doing better than you think you are. The only reason you don’t feel good today is because you’re trying to live in a non existent future version of your business, and that’s not God’s design. Today, there are clients and employees that believe in you most. Gaining their approval and satisfaction is more important than your aspirations. Godpreneurs always do their best TODAY, knowing that God will lift us up and never let us fail. #NewEntrepreneurs #EnhanceFocus

I personally start to thank God for my office, the clients I have, the money in the bank account (even Godpreneurs use the power of confession to move to new personal development heights.

I also think it’s because I’ve developed a level of HOPE that allows me to keep on moving forward regardless How do we develop this positive mindset WHILE our bank accounts are empty and credit card debt is piling

The Bible says: "A hard worker has plenty of food, but a person who chases fantasies ends up in poverty

Although I’m not as depressed anymore (happens less other), I’ve already developed the habit so I’m not

Every Christian entrepreneur’s struggle is the battle between the lust for material possessions and God’s calling for our business. The reality is you can’t chase both. Both thoughts can’t rule the mind. You’re either chasing God’s purpose for your brand or chasing things. We’ve all experienced a God-given strength to do something pretty cool in the marketplace – a holy spirit inspired product or service that lets us know we’re on the right track. But that’s not good enough for us. We start seeing what the new money did for us, and we start chasing after it more! Even when we believe God has blessed us with that money, we can still turn on him in an instant. The Bible says: "What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures." (James 4:1‭-‬3 NIV) Think about what this looks like in your business life. What causes you to choose our own way, over what you say you believe is God’s calling for your Entrepreneurial journey? In my experience, nine times out of 10, it’s because I see something I want, and then, right in that moment, that becomes all I can think about. Lust in entrepreneurship makes us think: I want it. Entitlement as a business owner is that little voice that takes “I want it” and adds “…and I deserve it”: I work hard. I’ve earned this $300 cologne. I’ve invested my heart and soul into this business, I deserve this Porsche. When we start listening to that whisper of business-owner entitlement—I need this. I deserve this. I earned this—we’re simply justifying our lust, instead of turning our hearts toward what we know God wants for us to focus on in our businesses. #EnhanceFocus

After a pitch, my business partner and I left the meeting feeling hopeful that we would win the bid. We spoke excitedly on our way back to the office about how the pitched project would be a breakthrough and would give us consistent cash flow. Cash flow is the backbone of any business. A week passed by and I followed up with the company’s representative to forward the bid. He mentioned that the procurement department was yet to select a company for the project. I hung up the phone, and l told myself to remain hopeful. The following week came, and there was no update. As I dialed the number of the representative, I was overwhelmed with anxiety and dread. Anxious thoughts started popping into my mind: Is the company lying to us? Has the contract been awarded to another company? Did we miss the mark during the pitch? By the end of the conversation, I sensed that the company had chosen another business to carry out the project. I updated my business partner, and I ended the call feeling like I crashed. My spirit felt overwhelmed and crashed. I needed a breakthrough for the business. Cash flow was nonexistent, and bills were piling up. Have you found yourself in a situation where your spirit is crashed? You wonder if you will ever see a turnaround in your circumstances. Later that night, as I prayed, the following scripture came to mind: The Lord is my Shepherd [to feed, to guide and to shield me], I shall not want. He lets me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still and quiet waters. He refreshes and restores my soul (life); He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. Even though I walk through the [sunless] [a]valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod [to protect] and Your staff [to guide], they comfort and console me. (Psalm 23:1-4, AMP) The verses reassured me that God is with me and He is guiding me through every situation. It further affirmed that everything I need comes from Him, and with every step I make, He is protecting me. You may be facing some dire circumstances, and your spirit is crushed. Reflect upon Psalm 23 and know that God is guiding you just as a shepherd guides his sheep to green pastures and streams to quench their thirst. God is with us through it all, and He will protect, guide, and comfort us along our entrepreneurial journey. #TrustOnGod

The choice of starting a business and resolving to continue building a business is very personal, and So, the next time you see a person leave your life, remember Gideon and his 300.