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Your business problem may not be a business problem.
The Estherpreneur Podcast examines what most business conversations miss: the condition of the builder behind the business.
Hosted by Edna Harding, Christ-Centered Business Architect and CEO of Favor & Wealth, this show helps founders identify what is actually limiting growth—strategy, structure, sales, leadership, capacity, identity, stewardship, or spiritual misalignment.
We question business advice that produces growth without wisdom, visibility without capacity, revenue without stewardship, and success at the expense of the person carrying it.
Expect biblical truth, practical business strategy, uncomfortable questions, and conversations about sales, money, leadership, spiritual warfare, emotional maturity, and building in obedience to God.
Because sometimes you don't need another strategy.
You need to identify what is actually out of order.
“By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established.” — Proverbs 24:3
Estherpreneur.com | FavorandWealth.com | EsthersOil.org
Edna Harding [00:00:03]:
Welcome to Estherpreneur, a podcast for entrepreneurs and leaders doing business and life God's way. Each week we discuss biblical and practical tips to improve your mind, business, spirit, relationships, and finances. Listen along as I speak with special guests on how to thrive in all aspects of life. Hi, I'm Edna. Like many of you, I wear many hats. I'm a military wife, mother, author, certified John Maxwell business and executive coach, trainer, and founder of Favor and Wealth, where we help the good guys win. So tune in as we bring on the light. Well, hello everyone.
Edna Harding [00:00:47]:
Thank you for tuning in for another episode of the Estapreneur Podcast. My name is Edna Harding, and I'm nothing but a messenger of hope, life, and truth in the marketplace I'm super excited that you guys are here today. Today is going to be, um, another topic that I think would be so beneficial to each and every one of you, um, and that has a lot to do with the Holy Spirit. Um, most of the time people don't understand who the Holy Spirit is. I feel like the Holy Spirit um, it's probably the most misunderstood, um, of the Trinity. Um, and the Holy Spirit is the most— not to say he's the most important, but he— well, I'm just gonna say Holy Spirit, I feel that you are very important to the believers, especially now, who are people on Earth, because Jesus already finished his work. And basically now his job is done. Everything else that's happening after the fact after he died is because of the Holy Spirit.
Edna Harding [00:02:03]:
And I think once we realize, like, how important the Holy Spirit, how he works, understanding his voice, knowing him for ourselves, being led by him according to the word of God— led by those who are led by the Spirit of God are mature sons and daughters— we're going to start seeing the change that you've been praying for. So let's just open up in prayer and let's begin. Father God, we just thank you for this time. Holy Spirit, we just welcome your presence. Speak, Lord. Speak to us. Be Lord over our lives, Holy Spirit. Let us acknowledge you by the way we live, by the way we talk, by the way we think.
Edna Harding [00:02:40]:
And we pray, oh God, that you would get the glory out of this, in Jesus' name. All right, so the question I want to ask you is, have you ever made a decision that felt urgent and then later realized it was definitely not wisdom?, and it was emotion. You know, we live in such an emotion— emotionally controlled society. What I mean by that is, you see anger, you see they feed on your emotions, they make you cry, they make you laugh. It's all feelings-based, and feelings-based unfortunately is not led by the Spirit of God because our feelings lie. Okay, and so today we're going to talk about what it really means to be led by the Spirit of God as a CEO or as a business owner or as a leader. Okay, now I'm not talking about— no, don't, don't, don't hang up or don't stop this. This is not mystical, this is not passive, this is not anti-strategy.
Edna Harding [00:03:49]:
This is actually, um, probably the best strategy and the best tip you'll ever get. For your life or business in general. Okay, there's one unpardonable sin. I think that's how you say it. It's grieving the Holy Spirit. When you sin against the Holy Spirit, it's just unforgivable. What I mean by that is Jesus emphasized this in the New Testament. And the reason I'm saying this is like, if we really just kind of like just stop for a minute and really be honest with ourselves, do we know who the Holy Spirit is? He's not just a dove.
Edna Harding [00:04:26]:
He's not just a presence. He's a person. He has his own way of speaking. He has his own personality. He has a way of doing things. To me, he's very more nurturing, but he's also disciplinarian. He's just brilliant, you know. I kid you not, this morning when I was heading to the gym this morning as I was, you know, just normally when I go to the gym, I, I, uh, praise God on the way.
Edna Harding [00:04:57]:
And I was just like, I love you, Holy Spirit, the best thing ever. I'm so grateful for you. Like, when I saw like how the Holy Spirit worked in my life, looking from where I was to where I am now and how he has led me to where I am today and helped me build all these things that I have right now that I haven't even launched yet. Like, I literally have a bunch of stuff that's in my computer that I haven't even introduced yet that's already been built and done. I'm just like in awe of God's, like, his faithfulness, his just magnificence, his brilliance, right? And so today we're going to talk about like just how to be led by him, okay? If you guys are not enticed, I don't know what's wrong with y'all. Y'all are crazy, okay? I'm telling you, like, the Holy Spirit is our secret weapon, okay? The Holy Spirit— if you can get anything out of anything I've taught over the past Oh gosh, 2014. So 12 years. Oh my gosh, 12 years.
Edna Harding [00:06:14]:
Jeez, it's 12 years. Yeah, 12 years. My goodness, Lord Jesus, thank you. Um, the Holy Spirit is the main thing. He is the main key. He is the main squeeze. He is the, the, the strategy of the strategies. Okay, my goodness.
Edna Harding [00:06:34]:
Um, is if you speak to any of my clients who have embraced this knowledge, has embraced this revelation to involve the Holy Spirit in their business, he's a game changer. Okay? And if you need testimonials, if you need to speak to someone, let me know. Message me on my website, favoritemult.com, or you could go to my website, estherpreneur.com, which is for the podcast itself, or message me on LinkedIn, and I will introduce you to people. Who've encountered the Holy Spirit, who has a relationship with the Holy Spirit, and the kind of difference it, it gave to them as far as their soul, their peace, their joy, and just strategy alone. All right, okay, let me get back on track. Okay, so Romans 8:14 says, for as many as led by the Holy Spirit, they are the sons of God. This word being led implies movement, okay? It implies direction, it implies guidance. So my question to you, my friend, is what is leading you right now? Is it pressure? Is it opportunity? Oh, this is the hard one.
Edna Harding [00:07:38]:
Is it ambition or is it fear? I can tell you that just based on my life and just the decisions I make throughout my career and throughout my business, I have made decisions out of pressure. I have made decisions out of opportunity versus the Spirit of God. I have made decisions out of ambition and definitely fear. And let me tell you, it, it was not fun. I dealt with the consequences, okay? Um, the peace that passes all understanding is something that I don't think people really understand, because you could like make the hard decision and still have peace. So for example, when the Lord told me to divorce my ex-husband a while back— when it wasn't the Lord, it was the Holy Spirit actually, I know for a fact, because I, I thought it's like, no, this can't be God, this can't be God. And I— 4 confirmations later through random things, like I was through my masseuse, it was through the bank teller, it was through my aunt's dream, and also Prophet Victor, who's her spiritual father. Um, and then after I told my family, it was just confirmation after confirmation after confirmation.
Edna Harding [00:08:51]:
The Holy Spirit will use multiple witnesses. I don't know who needs to hear this, but apparently somebody does because this was not in my notes. You need— when it's a big decision, you need multiple confirmations. You don't just need one, you need multiple confirmations. Okay, um, so let's just get practical here, right? Um, how, how do we be led in the Spirit by the Spirit of God? Okay, so I remember early last year I had an op— well, first of all, I attended this, um, the speaking workshop with Eileen Wilder. Um, her program, um, learned a lot from that. And as— and you know how like typically when, when you click on an ad, the other ads that are to like the competitors start targeting you? That's how it works. I forgot what you call it.
Edna Harding [00:09:41]:
I know there's a term for it, but I just don't remember it. And so I got targeted by Russell Brunson's ads because of my, you know, my buying Ali Wilder's because they came from the same vein, if that makes sense. And long story short, I invested in Russell Brunson's Mastermind. Okay, this is a long-term investment, a huge investment that at that time I didn't really have the money for. I just did it because I'm like, okay, I'll figure it out, right? The sales representative was excellent. She was great. She was warm. She asked about my goals.
Edna Harding [00:10:13]:
She, you know, she made me feel seen. She shared, hey, I'm gonna share my story. She spoke into where I wanted to go. And her— I remember her pitch was, why learn from Eileen Wilder when you can learn from Eileen Wilder's coach or the teacher, right? And so that was her pitch. And then she stayed on the phone while I applied for credit to pay the fee because I didn't have the money at that time. And so I would have to, um, use a credit card. And I'm like, well, I don't want to put my credit card because I just you know, I got out of debt. So I'm like, okay, let me just take out this, you know, this loan.
Edna Harding [00:10:50]:
Anyway, long story short, I got approved for this loan and I paid the fee. Um, she didn't hang up, she waited until the transaction went through. Um, and everything went well. Um, I didn't have really have time to think. Um, I, I couldn't even step back. I— but I, I, I wasn't even sure. I was like, is this peaceful or just my emotions? Nothing. And it was a large amount of money, and that money could have gone to my family, that could have gone to my business, right? Meaning, because honestly, guys, this is so sad.
Edna Harding [00:11:22]:
I invested in that thing, although it's a lifetime access to that thing, I haven't even listened to one lesson. I haven't even finished one lesson. So I invested that money that I haven't even touched. Everything I've built The instructions came from the Holy Spirit, not from Russell Brunson and his team. And mind you, he has a great team, but everything I built came from the Holy Spirit. Why am I saying this? Okay, it's, um, it was a significant financial decision, but it was made under what I call emotional pressure. Now I want you guys to hear me clearly. This is nothing against Russell Brunson.
Edna Harding [00:12:05]:
This is not anything about against the masterminds. It's not about salespeople. The issue wasn't them, okay? The issue was me. I moved from urgency instead of discernment. You know, Proverbs 19:2 says, desire without knowledge is not good, and whoever makes haste with his feet misses his way. And The problem with this is I confused momentum with confirmation because I'm like, okay, well, you know how you ever get— I was like, well, if I don't get approved, then I'm going to, you know, that means it's a sign, you know, like, God, give me a sign, when in reality we're making it happen. And like, he can't— so for example, if a kid wants to eat cake, he's gonna eat cake. Like, I'm not— I can't do anything.
Edna Harding [00:12:59]:
I could tell him, well, I wouldn't do that if I were you. No, he gives us choice, and, and the choice was I wanted to join the program. And so he wasn't going to stop me because I was a grown woman. I knew how to seek God, but I did not do it. Do you understand what I'm saying? And as leaders, we're very vulnerable to that, okay? Because when you're ambitious, when you want to grow, when you want to accelerate, You know, um, a very persuasive opportunity can feel like, oh, this is it. This is the answer I've been looking for. But let alone, I should have learned from the past. I've invested in so much mentorships and coaching and certifications and all of that.
Edna Harding [00:13:37]:
And you know what, my friend? None of that really helped me. You know what helped me? The Bible. I'm not even joking. I don't even use— I have content galore. I'm certified in many things, and a lot of people don't even know how certified I am and how much experience I have, and maybe I've used things here and there, but the bulk of my strategies for my clients came from the Bible, came from the Holy Spirit, okay? And, um, I learned a valuable lesson, okay? Spirit-led leadership does not respond to persuasion, okay? I cannot be led by persuasion. I have to be led by the peace of God. But mind you, I didn't even really ask God. I mean, I kind of did.
Edna Harding [00:14:23]:
I was like, okay, God, if it's not for you, then a little bit. And while I'm applying for the thing, it's like, um, I don't know, I'm gonna use this analogy and forgive me. It's like, okay, you're in bed with someone. Let's say you're not married. You're in bed with someone, you're naked, and you're like, God, if this isn't— and you're already like doing stuff. That are not the other thing, and you're like, God, if this is not your will, then, you know, then make someone— let someone open the door. Like, that is dumb, right? You're in the temptation, you're already in the room, you're already doing the thing, you expect God to intervene. God doesn't work that way.
Edna Harding [00:15:01]:
The Holy Spirit doesn't work that way, okay? He doesn't. I'm sorry, it doesn't, okay? Um, peace of Christ rules in your heart, Colossians 3:15, as it says. The word rule means umpire, right? Um, so peace is supposed to kind of like referee your decisions. So it's not adrenaline, it's not charisma, it's not access, it's not the fear of missing out. It's peace makes you control your decisions, okay? If you don't have peace, it's like, okay, well, I don't know, um, I don't feel anything, so that must be peace. No, if you don't feel anything, it could just be that you didn't ask, okay? Um, the reason I'm so like passionate about this particular section— and mind you, I'm like, I feel like I'm staying here a little bit longer— is because this has caused me so many headaches, so much pain, so much money down wasted, so much wasted time. Like, guys, guys, please do not make the same mistakes I did. Like, just save yourself the money, the headache, the relationships, the stress, the sleep.
Edna Harding [00:16:18]:
Just save it all. Okay, the most dangerous sales pitch that you'll have isn't manipulation. It's actually your ambition, okay? Because a lot of times we tend— especially if you know how God has a big call for your life— we tend to want to help God and say, okay, well, my intellect says do this, do this, and that, right? But in reality, he doesn't need all that. He could have— he could just say a word and, you know, all of a sudden there's a long waiting list in your, in your, in your in your pipeline, okay? Don't follow ambition, follow the Holy Spirit, okay? Now let me tell you the other side of this, okay? I remember the other day I was— the other day, this was back in July, was during the summertime. I was booking airline tickets for a trip to visit my brother and my sister-in-law and my nephew, my nephews. With my daughter Anaya. And you know how it goes— prices move, warnings pop up, only 2 seats left at this price, so forth. Um, there's that pressure to lock it in, and I always— they always say like, you gotta book it now before it goes up and higher.
Edna Harding [00:17:34]:
And, and this time, um, actually followed the prompting of the Holy Spirit, right? I didn't have peace. I didn't feel like the Holy Spirit buy it, so I waited. Just one day, just one day. The next day I checked again and the price had dropped. I saved 30%. Same flight, same seat, same destination, just a different timing. Ecclesiastes 3:1 says there is a time, there's a season for everything, a time for a purpose under heaven. So timing matters in scriptures, and let me tell you, my friends, timing matters in business.
Edna Harding [00:18:13]:
So the enemy in business often shows up as what I call artificial urgency. Act now! Offer expires tonight! This is your only shot! This is a low stock! Or, you know, stuff like that. Urgency is not alignment. Urgency is not of God. He never pressures us. He doesn't. I mean, sometimes he will, like if it's like a life or death situation. I need you to get up, I need you to pray.
Edna Harding [00:18:39]:
There were times in my life where he did that. But for the most part, it's not rigid. It's like, come follow me, come walk with me, come trust me. You know, it's more like laid back. Um, Proverbs 21:5 says, the plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes to poverty. What does this say about haste? Haste costs. Haste costs, and it costs a lot. And trust me, I have paid too big of a price for haste, okay? And patience compounds, okay? So in one story, I moved from pressure.
Edna Harding [00:19:19]:
In the other story, what did I do? I moved from the leading of the Holy Spirit, or the peace of God. Same person but different posture. And that is the difference between emotion-led leadership and Spirit-led leadership, right? Or you could call it governance, right? Emotion-led governance or Spirit-led governance. Being led by the Spirit doesn't mean you stop being strategic. What it means is you stop being reactive. It means before you hire, before you invest, before you partner, before you scale, you always ask, do I have peace? Do I have pressure? Do I feel joy? Do I feel excitement? Am I fearful? Like, look for the fruits of the Spirit. Right? Gentleness, self-control— like, look for those. That will be a big sign if you're on the right track or not.
Edna Harding [00:20:12]:
Isaiah 28:16 says, whoever believes will not act hastily. And that is right there an executive verse. Whoever believes will not act hastily. The higher you go, obviously the more pressure you will feel. For example, you have more doors, more invitations, more, you know, persuasive voices But mature sons and daughters of God, they develop the ability to withstand urgency because not every open door is yours, right? Not every room is ordained by God. Not everything that looks like gold is God, right? It's not. And not every opportunity is aligned with a particular season in your life. You know, have you ever heard of like right opportunity but wrong timing or something like that? Or maybe it's the opposite, I don't know.
Edna Harding [00:21:00]:
Butchering, but there is a time and place for everything. So for example, right now, let me give you an example. So right now my husband, um, he's getting ready to leave to go out of town, and, um, I have, you know, like, he's really busy for work, and I have two children. We have no babysitters around, no family around. If someone offered me like a, uh, what do you call it, um, a speaking tour to speak in all the different cities all over the world, and it's like the best gig ever. Is this the right time to do it? No, absolutely not. No, my children need me. Imagine my children not having both mom and dad around.
Edna Harding [00:21:43]:
That's not good. Okay, so wisdom. Okay, do you hear what I'm saying, guys? What I'm— how I'm saying this? Sometimes the most Spirit-led decision you can make is to wait. Wait on God, wait on his perfect timing, um, and trust him. Trust him. He hasn't forgotten your desires. Thank you, Holy Spirit. He hasn't forgotten.
Edna Harding [00:22:07]:
He put the— in fact, he put those desires for you. I remember I was at a conference with Dr. Nasir Siddiqui, and he said— I remember he prophesied over me. He said, don't forget the desires in your heart because it is I who put the desires in there for you. Meaning God was the one who put those desires in me. So he cannot lie. God is not a man that should lie. And, and maybe right now you can't do X and X, X, Y, and Z, but it's okay.
Edna Harding [00:22:37]:
You will do it eventually at his perfect timing. All right, so this week, as my instruction for you, is before you— your next significant business decision or life decision, I want you to pause do not move immediately. I want you to sit still, pray, ask God, do I have peace? Am I being rushed? Um, would I make this decision if no one was watching, if there was no crowds, if there was no applause, right? If— I don't know, like, ask those hard questions, right? James 1:5 says, if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God. So invite God into your decision-making process before every transaction, before any— especially those big decisions, but even in the mundane decisions. Like, mine is like, oh, what should I eat? Or what vitamins should I get? I know it sounds like little, but I ask God about that. I ask the Holy Spirit about that. When you're being led by the Spirit, it's actually not weakness. It's the best thing you could do in your life, okay? Because where the Spirit is Lord, there is freedom, there is healing, there is wholeness, there's deliverance, there's joy, there's peace, there's everything that you could think, ever desire, and want.
Edna Harding [00:23:57]:
Okay, he's worth it. I can tell you from experience, being led by the Holy Spirit, even though sometimes it sucks and it hurts because it's not the way you would do it, it's so worth it. I absolutely love my life. I love the life my husband and I built. It was rough, it wasn't always easy, but it was so worth it. It was so worth it to know that we are in the palm of God's mighty hands and we're exactly where we need to be. And we're not comparing our story, we're not comparing ourselves, our journey with other people's journey who is not living a military life, right? Who's not constantly moving, who doesn't have littles right now, who are the same age as us. Like a lot of our friends have kids who are in high school and graduates you know.
Edna Harding [00:24:42]:
And for us, we're like, we have little kids. Like, we have people— we have other parents who are like in their 30s and 20s, and we're in our late 40s, and we have littles. Big difference. But we wouldn't trade it for the world because God knows exactly what he is doing. So, my friends, I hope this blessed you. I hope this encouraged you to trust God's timing, to trust God's Spirit, to trust his peace. Knowing that he will complete the work he started in you and through you. All right, my friends, hope this bless you, and I'll talk to you all soon.
Edna Harding [00:25:17]:
Take care. Thanks for joining us this week on Estrepreneur. Make sure to visit our website, favorandwealth.com, for more information on our services. While you're at it, if you found value in this show, we'd appreciate a rating on iTunes, or if you simply tell a friend about the show, that would help me out too. Also check out my book, The Ugly Side of Sales, available on Amazon, where I share 7 of my secrets on how to win and grow business the right way. Until next time, keep shining!