Consecration: When God Separates You for Something Greater

Season 2 of The Belief Effect begins with a powerful conversation about consecration the intentional decision to step away from distractions, noise, and outside influence in order to realign with purpose.

In this episode, I share what it means to be consecrated in this season of life, why separation is often necessary for growth, and how seasons of stillness can actually be preparation for what Jesus Christ is calling you into next.

Consecration is not about restriction  it is about refinement. It is about creating space for clarity, strengthening your belief, and allowing God to transform your mindset, direction, and identity.

If you have been feeling pulled to disconnect, refocus, or protect your peace, this episode will help you understand why these seasons are often where the deepest growth begins.

You are not being held back. You are being positioned.

In this episode, we talk about:
• What consecration really means
• Why separation is sometimes necessary for elevation
• How quiet seasons build stronger belief
• Learning to trust the process when things feel uncertain
• Aligning your life with what Jesus Christ is calling you into

This season is about deeper belief, stronger alignment, and stepping fully into who you were created to be.

Welcome to Season 2.

Transcript

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Welcome back to the Belief Effect podcast. I'm so excited to be back in this space, but now I'm bringing in a video. I am so prankful that just another level, another way to touch people through this podcast is happening right now. I did my first season, it was about eight episodes, and I was really just getting my feet wet, understanding what kind of message it is that I wanted to share, just being comfortable just through voice, doing voice recordings. And God spoke very clearly that, okay, you can end season one, which we never called them seasons. Our plan was never to have seasons, but I was in this space of getting ready to launch Lemon Seeds, my book. And so he's okay, go ahead and take a little break. But when we come back, we're gonna come back in your full authority. I'm so excited and so blessed to just be able to pour my heart out. I have been doing some really amazing work within myself over the last month and a half, and a lot has happened just in my own space of life. It doesn't make any sense, but of course, it's from God, so therefore it makes complete sense. So let's start this. Let's talk about today about what it means to be set apart. I have always seen myself as, and this came from a place of ego. I'll start by saying this, but I've always seen myself that I'm not like everyone else. And maybe I could say that to the things that I have gone through in life, or maybe it's because of my mindset in the way that I am very resilient. Or maybe it's my sense of wonder and excitement and I don't know, just loving the love of life that I felt like I wasn't really like other people. But all of those things were in my own ego, in my own way that I see myself. And it wasn't until my church back in like February, March, had said that we were gonna go into an easy season of consecration. And I had no idea what consecration meant. But I'm coachable. I always say I'm super coachable. I was like, okay, I'll do this. And how I understood it as is that as a scripture every single day, our goal is to understand the scripture and then live it out in our everyday lives. And we had to focus on one new scripture a day. While I was doing this, I said, I'm naturally a journaler at heart. So I'm also gonna journal about what I'm learning through these scriptures. And I included them in my prayer room and my intimate time with God. And what I started to realize is that consecration means to be set apart. And as I had mentioned, I've always seen myself different from everyone else, set apart from everyone else, but again, in my own egotistical ways. And when I was doing this, I said, no, I'm being set apart in the way that God has created me to be, how God has envisioned my life in the creation of it, and how beautiful is that. And I took this consecration so seriously and that it started to work inside of me in different ways. Throughout this time, I started to see certain things like revelations in my life and things that started happening that started to make a lot of sense. But again, in the earthly realm, make no sense. But I just stayed committed and understanding that whatever is to be was going to be, and I just had to be a good student of it, even when I didn't understand. So as I went on through this consecration, at about week four, I had decided that I was also going to do a social media consecration for the month of April. So we are what? Seven days into April as of today, and I am leaning in on this journey a little timid, but in full confidence. And I'll explain what that means. I wasn't sure if God was the one that was telling me to do the consecration from social media. I do feel like it was God, but I also think it's a lot of my own spirit as well, because I have been running a business on social media for nine years. I have over 9,000 posts that I've done in that time frame. So you do the math, that's a lot of posting, right? It's a lot of giving myself. And one of my biggest prayers every single day is allow me to be a servant of your word, of your will, allow me to serve the people. And I've been able to do that through social media. One of my fears with doing a consecration from social media was, Lord, how am I going to serve people? Thinking that my God is just so small to only social media. But that was one of my worries. Will my businesses still run? Will I still get sales? Will I still get leads if I'm not on social media posting every day? And I did feel and I did hear, I'm not gonna say I feel, I heard the Lord say, trust me. I decided to do away with social media, and it has been quite interesting. So the other thing that I had to face was in my church, I go to a Pentecostal charismatic church. We believe of the gifts of the spirit, um, we believe of gift of the spirit, um, we believe anointing, and I don't even know how to explain it all. What we believe in you really feel it really invites the presence of the Holy Spirit into the room, and that changes, I think our saying is God's presence changes everything. We did an anointing night, and my pastors in my church, I am just now, I've been a member of this church for probably five years, but I'm just now in the part where I'm allowing myself to join different groups. And I've always served with the church, but I just do my job, I don't mingle a lot, I don't get to know a lot of people within the walls of the church. I just go there, get my fuel, my fill of Jesus, and then I find ways to serve privately and then I make my exit. And the Lord has been helping me with that. I'm now part of a Bible study group. We're actually hosting the Bible study group here in my and God's working with me in this area. But they don't know really what's going on in my life, what I do. I don't really follow people from my church, whatnot. So I'm not like as vocal as I am on a podcast or on my social media as I am in church. So we had an anointing night, and my pastor anointed me and said, as you were standing in line and walking towards me, I felt the anointing of Esther on you. I didn't know what that meant. Okay, mind you, I know what the story of Esther was, or I knew that she was mentioned in the Bible, but I didn't know in its full detail what that meant. And when he said to me, this was before I went on my consecration from social media as well. And he said, You need to know that you were created for such a time as and that whatever was done in the darkness of your past, it doesn't matter because of the light of God that has for you in your new life. And like I wrote it down, everything he said. As soon as I went back to my chair, I just got down on my knees and started writing. Once again, journaling is just key to me. So I went home that night and I read the entire book of Esther and I started to do a Bible study on Esther as well to really understand what exactly that meant. And as I'm reading scripture and I'm also comparing my own life to it, I'm like, this makes a lot of sense. And I have to believe, and there's been so many other revelations and things that have been happening that allow me to know that I'm in the space of life of where I'm meant to be. And I promise you that this podcast is not just about right, there's a point to all of this. Because I want you to be able to see you inside of this story. And I know that there has to be a purpose for everything. So in my consecration, I knew that I wanted to silence the noise of social media. I don't think that I'm really in the space of who I am to where I'm looking at people's content and saying, oh, I think I have outgrown that part. But there are times where I can tell myself, oh, you should be doing things like this or like that. You should be doing X. There's so much information and so much noise. And even though a lot of my algorithm is either business-based or Christian-based, it's still noise. It's still a separation of me and God and what God is truly calling me to be and who to become. So that was one of the other reasons. When I knew that there was also another part of me that I was using social media as a way to filter who got access to me. As we need to be very careful about who we are giving access to us, what I realized is that it stopped me from going out and doing, being a person that goes out and does. I was more, I'll stay right here, I'll do right here, and I'll allow social media to be the filter of the people that I get to help. And that was keeping me very small. Another thing I had realized in this time prior to my consecration is that it was very hard for me to be around people and have conversations with people. And I thought that there was something wrong with me. I'm like, God, am I sick? Like I get around people and I'm just so drained afterwards and I have to take a nap. It literally feels like a fog overneath my eyes. What's wrong with me? I've never been like that. I'm such a social butterfly. And I was like, is it because I'm just like so like into social media, like I'm so used to the quick connection that when it actually is a long conversation, it exhausts me. So then I journaled and I had to decipher if that was a true fact. Did interacting with people exhaust me, or was it with a certain group of people or certain type of conversations or certain type of outings that exhausted me? And when I came to find out that people don't exhaust me, it's the wrong conversation. It's when I get into a room and people are talking about the world and gossip and problems with no resolution, with no idea or no thought process towards a solution. They just want to play this woe is me, pity old me, poor little old me. And that exhausts me. I can't sit around and have meaningless conversations anymore. I can't sit at a table and just hear about all the problems that you're going through. And then when offered a solution or a thought process or a guidance, no, my life just sucks. Like I even saying that out of my mouth really exhausts me. I just, I can't do it. But when I'm in a table, when I'm surrounded around people who are speaking life, who are speaking solutions, who are speaking ideas, creativity, who are speaking life again into a situation, I am on fire and I leave there on fire. So I knew that I had just had to be, okay, I need to be out serving people. And I need to assure that I'm willing to sit at the tables of people who need help, as long as they are willing to receive the help, be there to be that servant for them, but also make sure that I'm at the tables that ignite something in me that keep this fire going. So in my consecration from social media, I've decided that that was something I was gonna do. I wasn't gonna depend on social media only to make my connections or anything actually at all as of right now. And that I was gonna go out into the world and I was going to do and I was gonna act as a servant and also be very obedient in this task that I feel that the Lord has put me on. And there have just been so many different things that I have seen that well, to time as this. I don't think I've ever really heard that before prior to my pastor saying it. And I don't know if it's just like the reactive way that our brains work or what, but now in conversation, I'm hearing it. And I just signed up to this woman's group for professionals in Tampa Bay. And at the bottom of their signature, after I submitted my application and paid the fee, at the end of their signature, it quoted for such a time as this, right? So I'm just like seeing all of these connections that are bringing me to this space of life that feels new. To me, it's okay, God, we're starting on, and I don't want to say a new path, we're just a faster direction. And it's no longer me in control of the driver's wheel, right? God is in full control and it scares me. It's weird. I say I'm scared, but I'm not scared, right? I'm not really scared. And you know why I'm not scared? Because I have a praise report. Like I have all the things in my life that God has never left me. It might have felt delayed in my timing, but at his timing, it was right on time. So I just know that God's always going to be there, right? And it may not be in the way that I think it should look, but God will always be there. So I just have to trust in this journey and be aware of what it is that he's doing in this season and what he's calling me to. Publishing lemon seeds was an act of obedience. Writing the book was an act of obedience. So now that it's out there, and I remember after I did the book launch here in Tampa back in the end of March, I felt empty afterwards. And I was like, and not empty in a bad way, but I felt like everything I had in me, I had to pull put out. It was there, everything was there. And then I'm like, okay, God, it's done. Now what do I do with this? What's the next step? So that weekend is when my pastor had given me the anointing of Esther, or said that the anointing of Esther was on me. And then all of these other things started to happen. And I don't want to go into all of the details because some of them are very close to my heart and I think are meant to be kept personal. But I do want to share one thing. And I thought that this was so unique. I went to an event, part of this consecration of not being on social media. I had just replied to it saying yes, only because it was 20 minutes down the street from my house. And I was like, you know what? I have no idea what this is. I've never heard of this group. It's filled with women. They're talking about networking as well as Christ. I'll go. And so as I was getting up to the morning of, right? I was putting together this backdrop for my podcast, Another Obedience. And I was like, in my head, don't go. This is not for you. Don't go. And I caught it immediately. I'm like, this is the enemy trying to sway me. And I said, nope, we're gonna put down what we're doing right now. We're gonna get dressed and we're gonna go. Long and behold, I get there. And the lady that's sitting at the registered desk, oh my God, it's you. And in my head, I'm like, oh, she's just being kind. That's how she's greeting people that are coming in to this event to make them feel special. And I said, I'm sorry. I'm like, hi. And then she goes, No, it's you. It's life as Nadine. And I'm like, okay, hi. And she goes, You spoke to me when I was going through a hard time and you spoke life into me and you're here. And I was like, oh my goodness. And I remembered, and I won't go into any more detail just out of her privacy. And I was like, wow. And I went and sat at my table and I remember saying, Thank you, Lord. Thank you for getting me here. Thank you for putting this in front of me. I would have never seen that woman face to face, been able to hug her and embrace her ever if I would have just still hiding behind my phone. And then she actually, in the middle of the event, she actually went up and she was talking about her testimony. And she says, I know that there has to be a God because there's no way that you would have walked into this room. And she points at me. And I'm like, exactly. Because God is so divinely putting the pieces of our lives together. When we are aware of that, when we allow him, right? And when we say, Okay, I know I love control. I am a type A woman, but I don't want control of this. God, you take it. And we sit in our rightful place and we put him in his rightful seat, amazing things happen. I can't make this stuff up. And I just want to continue on this obedience and I want to continue to just keep working on this part of me. And I would highly recommend you guys that if you've never done a consecration or something that just like gives you this moment with God every single day, and it's something that you're interested in doing, let me know. Comment on this video. I can send you a consecration plan. I'll send you the exact one that I did with my church. You did this from the comfort of your own home at your pace in your space. It's been something completely different. And I'm so happy that I was disciplined with it. And that I didn't come up with excuses. And that if I did fall behind a day, that I made sure I caught up and I didn't say, Oh, tomorrow. And I found time to do it because it is setting me apart. It's number one, setting me apart from my flesh. That I think is the biggest thing. It is setting me apart from the world. The world right now is a mess and in worried and in shambles, but it's setting me apart from that because I serve a faithful God and I know that God is working something amazing, even in what this seems like a mess. Even during this time off of social media, I have been binge watching The Chosen. And it's been so beautiful to see how Jesus was. And mind you, of course, there's screenplay in this, right? But I have been watching the show and then also looking up where these parts of the show are inside the Bible and following along and then journaling. And it's been such a beautiful experience. And again, these are things that I would have not been doing because I would have been scrolling on my phone, thinking about what is this person posting and what should I post tomorrow? What's happening in real estate and what this pastor says, right? I'm just stopping and I'm making rooms for me and Jesus. And it is just amazing. And honestly, I don't know what the trajectory or what the plan is for this season of the belief effect is, but I just know that God's going to do something amazing and I'm just going to be obedient and full disclosure. I may not come onto these videos looking the best, right? Sometimes I might come in my pajamas or I may come a business meeting or I may come from inside of my car. But when I feel it, I want to deliver it. But first, it's really important that I embrace it first to understand it and understand what it is that God is calling me to. And I want it to just flow. I don't want to use ChatGPT for ideas or for topics. I don't want to do any of that. I want God to lead what is coming off of my mouth. And I look forward to growing here on this podcast, touching people's lives and bringing people together. I have some ideas of things that I want to do for fellowship and ministry here through online and in person in Tampa, or who knows, maybe around the world. And I'm just super excited. I when I did my book launch, and I think I've done a couple of videos on social media about this, that when you buy lemon seeds, you want to make sure you get the signed copy because you don't know who I'm gonna be in five years. I don't say that out of a place of ego, but I just know that God is doing great things. And I hope that in five years I can say, remember when I said that, remember when I said that because I knew he was doing something, something beyond our wildest dreams. And it's not just for me, it's for you too. Like God right now is raising up the people who feel like they have nothing left, like they're just left with the crumbs of their life. If you are allowing him, he will raise you up. I have seen healing and God bring people to his altar, to his feet that were so far from and they're not my stories to share. And hey, it'd be beautiful to maybe get some of these people onto this podcast at some point. But what God is doing is just beautiful, and I want to see him move in your life. And if my words or I don't know what it is about me that makes you listen, then please tune in, subscribe. I'm excited where this is gonna lead us. And if you don't know me and you're new here, my name is Nadine Maldonado. I'm a mother. I am a believer. I am just a woman who is learning to be obedient. I'm an entrepreneur. I do real estate here in the Tampa Bay area. I mentor agents as well as I have a social media course that I offer to real estate agents to grow their business. I'm an author. I just published my first book, Lemon Seeds. I'm a speaker. I want to be able to touch the people's hearts. And I feel like those titles, they all sound like a lot, but I feel like God's not done there. And I think there's so much more that's coming. And I would just say, buckle up and get ready to go on your ride. Ready to step into the belief of what so we're here. Until next time.