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The Estherpreneur is a weekly chat about doing business and life God’s way. Join your host, Edna Harding as she offers biblical strategies and practical applications to improve your mind, business, spirit, relationships, and finances. Listen along as she talks with guests on how to thrive in all areas of life. Edna is a Wife, Mother, Growth Strategist, Author, Minister, Certified Maxwell Business Consultant and Executive Coach, an accredited Master Mindset Coach, and Speaker whose message of hope, truth, and wisdom reaches people all around the world. FavorandWealth.com Estherpreneur.com
Edna Harding [00:00:00]:
Well, hello everyone. Thank you for tuning in for another episode of the Esther Printer podcast. My name is Edna Harding and I'm so excited that you're joining me here today. I am going to be talking to you about something that a lot of my clients deal with, which is the fear of success. The fear of success. What does it look like when you actually let your light shine? So this episode is called Call to the Light. Welcome, welcome, welcome. Come to the delight, my friends.
Edna Harding [00:00:33]:
You are needed in the marketplace, my friends, and I'm so excited that you're here. So if you're new here, my name is Edna Harding. Nothing but a messenger of life, hope and truth in the marketplace. And for those of you guys who've been following me and have, have been listening to the episodes, please make yourself at home, enjoy, go get a cup of coffee, go get your bible, get your notebook, whatever it is, and let's, let's hear what the spirit of the Lord has to say and let's just welcome him today. Holy Spirit, take over. We love you, we honor you, we bless your holy name in Jesus name, Amen. All right, so a lot of times what I found is you have two audiences. You have people who are struggling with success and you have people who are struggling with failure.
Edna Harding [00:01:17]:
Right? And the people who are not really talked about are people who are actually afraid to succeed, but people who are actually afraid to be seen. And that happens to be my audience right now in this particular season of my business is people who have been hiding themselves under a basket. And so today we are going to talk about this particular issue because this is something that the Lord wants to nip in the butt right away by the help of the Holy Spirit. Let us dive into this. Let's be clear. Entrepreneurs actually don't fear rejection, they don't fear failure, and they don't fear starting over. You're like, what? Like Edna does exactly what I fear. No, nope, nope, nope, nope.
Edna Harding [00:02:09]:
No, no, no, no. Absolutely not. That is not what you fear. What you fear is actually accountability. It's expectations. It's becoming the reference point and also being held to your words, that's what you really fear. It's the opposite. It's not what it looks like.
Edna Harding [00:02:29]:
And we are going to go deeper this season. We're gonna go nip the things that are surface level and go deeper by way of the spirit. And what we're going to talk about is why is it that we self sabotage. Why is it that we tend to be our worst enemy? And part of it is Whether we admit it or not is because success will actually put a spotlight on who you really are. You can't hide anymore behind, well, I'm struggling or nobody knows me. And everybody. People know you. They'll know you.
Edna Harding [00:03:08]:
You'll be in the spotlight. And everyone sees you and they're paying attention to you and they're hearing you and they're listening to you, they're observing you, they're judging you, they're criticizing you, they're telling you how horrible you look, how awesome you look. They're constantly in the public eye. Like, I'm thinking of celebrities. I mean, I can't imagine having a camera in your face. Honestly, that would be so annoying. But that is what happens when you're successful is all of a sudden all eyes are on you. And we're thinking, we're, we're afraid of rejection, failure.
Edna Harding [00:03:41]:
No, we're actually, if you really think about it, we're truly afraid to be seen. And I want to say this in the scripture, if you look at Matthew, chapter 5, verse 14 to 16, cities set on a hill cannot be hidden. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Jesus didn't say you might be seen. He said you are seen. Okay, let me say that one more time. Jesus didn't say you might be seen. He said you are seen.
Edna Harding [00:04:12]:
A city set on the hill cannot be hidden. So even though you feel like nobody sees you, they actually are seeing you. And I can tell you the devil is seeing you. His legions are seeing you. The enemy's camp is seeing you. Okay? They know who you are. The problem is you don't know who you are. Visibility is not a marketing problem.
Edna Harding [00:04:33]:
It's a spiritual aid. Because what happens with visibility is it demands consistency. You have to be consistent. You can't just disappear. You have to show up every single day. You have to have integrity. You have to be authentic when you mess up. And you know this, if you mess up in the public eyes, oh, they will scrutinize you.
Edna Harding [00:04:51]:
Right? You have to be aligned. Aligned. Aligned, Aligned. Are you aligned with who God called you to be? Or are you aligned what people expect you to be? This whole people pleasing thing needs to stop once and for all. And I struggle with that from time to time. And thank God we have a Holy Spirit who loves us so much that he'll make sure that we don't stop, stay there. And the reason why we don't want to do that and why fear tells us no. To stay behind the scenes, no one needs to know who you are perfect at first come.
Edna Harding [00:05:26]:
Are there any. Are there any perfectionists here in the building, in the room? Is anybody here perfectionist? Or they'll say, wait on God's timing. We're waiting on God. But in reality, the door is already open. He's already made a way for you, and you're just, like, still staying there in your cave. Let's look at some examples of people in the Bible. Jonah 1, it says running. Thank you, Holy Spirit.
Edna Harding [00:05:51]:
Jonah won. It doesn't say this paraphrase. Jonah ran, but dad didn't remove their call, right? What is it? He got swallowed by a whale. He was in the whale for three days. I probably. Sorry, I'm laughing because I just had my group sessions before this, and my brain is a little fried. Lord, help me take over. Okay, back to what I was saying in Jonah so did.
Edna Harding [00:06:18]:
Well, he ran and ran and ran from his call, but God didn't let it go. So you could run and run and run away, but that call is your call, and he will not stop until you go finish your call. As long as you're alive, the Holy Spirit will pursue you. He will continue to pursue you. That's just the God we serve. You can't run away from the call. Esther 4:14. When you're silent, it doesn't equal safety.
Edna Harding [00:06:40]:
Mordecai said something like, for who knows you are prepared for such a time as this? And if he does, she doesn't speak up. She misses the mark. So sometimes God is using your voice, or is your voice being used in the marketplace right now? What are you doing in the marketplace? Are you hiding or are you speaking the truth? Are you speaking God's wisdom or are you not saying anything at all? These are all important in the name of Jesus. Now, comfort. Let's talk about comfort. Comfort is when you're doing things that are easy for you. Let me tell you guys this. Like, right now, this is a prime example.
Edna Harding [00:07:22]:
This is not comfortable to me. Even though, like, I'm used to talking in video, but I'm talking to somebody else. Like, I could actually see your reactions to your audience, see. See my audience and interact with you. This right here is very uncomfortable for me to looking at the camera and not seeing your face, not interacting, you not asking questions like, this is stretching me, okay? And. But this is when I know I'm doing God's work because it's. I need to lean on God to help me with this, whatever it is he's telling me to do right now, which is record via video My podcast, which again, requires a lot of work because I have to get ready all this other fun stuff. But the point is, this is stretching me.
Edna Harding [00:08:03]:
And with comfort, if you only do things that are comfortable, you're going to have, what, selective obedience? You're going to have compromise in there somewhere. You're going to have partial truth, and you're not going to be able to experience the fullness of God's glory, the fullness of God's fruits, the fullness of God's blessing. And so if you're. Thank you, Holy Spirit. If you are currently in this particular season, too comfortable, can you ask yourself, am I really doing God's work? Am I in line with God's pace? Am I in line with God's position for me? Or am I, like, in the path on the right or the left? Like, I'm not on the narrow road? Like, we have to be really be honest. If it's too comfortable, there is something wrong. How do we know we are in God's zone? I don't know how to explain God's own. It's because we're uncomfortable.
Edna Harding [00:08:52]:
We're stretched. It requires faith. It requires trust. It requires surrender. Okay, let's look at Luke, chapter 12, verse 2 to 3, where it says that what is hidden will be revealed. Again, this is paraphrased for simplicity's sake. What is hidden will be revealed. When God takes you higher, the less room there is to pretend.
Edna Harding [00:09:14]:
So what means is, when you are. When the Lord is exposing you and like saying, hey, this is my daughter, this is my child, you can't pretend to be something that you're not. Which is why it's very important while you're still not seeing that you're authentically you and not pretending to be something that you're not. Because as God elevates you, people could spot the fake. People could see if you're not authentic. If you are trying to be a robot and speak like someone else, for example, mimic someone else's anointing. Like, people will know if Edna is speaking or if it's like somebody else speaking. Like when, when, when you're.
Edna Harding [00:09:49]:
And I love. What I love about God is, like, when you spend so much time with him and he speaks to you and you're like, well, that doesn't sound like you. You normally wouldn't say that. Like, I actually question. I was like, God doesn't sound you, but it really is him. But it just catches me because I know his voice and because I know how he talks to me. How he authentically speaks to me. And so when he's doing a new thing, sometimes from my.
Edna Harding [00:10:13]:
From my mind, it's harder for me to grasp because I'm like, well, this is not how you normally operate. This is different. This is. This is not. I'm not used to this same thing. When you're. When you're. When you're like, being inauthentic to see the office, if you're not being yourself.
Edna Harding [00:10:28]:
And all of a sudden, you know, people will see that. They'll feel that, like, well, this is not you. Like, who are you? Or what happened to the person that. And that bottom line is you cannot hide what you really are. And the best way to really, like, go all in with that so that you don't have to worry about hiding who you are is just be who you are. Even in the valley places, even if you're not on the mountaintop, show up as if you're already in the mountaintop. Every morning, regardless if I have meetings or not, I get up, I get ready, you know, like, nothing has changed. Like when.
Edna Harding [00:11:03]:
When things were great, I still did the same thing, right? When things were bad, I still did the same thing. Like, I acted as if, like, the external things around me didn't affect me. Not because I'm pretending. It's because of a knowing. Because I know that God is with me and he's in me in every season. What if it's a valley season, whether. If it's a mountaintop season, whether it's a baka season, he's with me every season. And so the point of the matter is, when you really embrace your you the way God sees you, you won't be you.
Edna Harding [00:11:37]:
You have. How do I explain this word? You have no other choice but to be you. And when you're being you, that's when God's going to elevate you because you're his masterpiece. Right? Thank you, Lord. This is what I'm like. It's like what I'm seeing is like, imagine like God made you, you know, he's creating you. He's forming you in your mother's womb. And he knows exactly the personality type and exactly the, you know, the who.
Edna Harding [00:12:02]:
Who he wants you to be. And then you're over here pretending to be something you're not. Do you really think that the master who created you as a masterpiece will showcase you out when you're being something that's not you? Right? He wants to showcase the one that he actually made and created. The purpose of that masterpiece. Let's say I created you to be a phone, okay? I'm a master. And you're showing up as this. And I know that the purpose of this is for you to be a phone, but you're not a phone. Will I show you off to all the people that might? No, I would not show you off, because this is not the purpose.
Edna Harding [00:12:41]:
But if you show up as a phone, as I originally intended, this is who you are. And you're exactly. Exactly how I made you to be. Because you embrace the pruning, you embrace the crushing, you embrace the process. I will show you off to though everybody. I will show you off to everyone, because this is. This is my masterpiece. This is who I intended you to be.
Edna Harding [00:13:02]:
Does that make sense? All right, so if you want God to take you higher, stop pretending to be something that you're not. That's the bottom line. Okay? So let's talk about fear. Because fear is something that will keep you stuck, keep you small. Fear will say, this is for your protection. I'm trying to protect you. I'm trying to guard you. So a lot of times we're like, well, I'm trying to guard your heart.
Edna Harding [00:13:23]:
Thank you, Holy Spirit. You know what? The enemy, he tends to use God's word against God's people. Like, he'll twist the meaning of its word. So, for example, if there's a scripture that says, guard your heart for out of the. For out of it comes to issues of life. So in your mind, you're hiding because you're guarding your heart. Because I don't want to get hurt. Because I don't want.
Edna Harding [00:13:41]:
No, no, no. There's a life in the pit of hell, okay? You're not. You're not guarding your heart. You're scared. Okay? You're scared of shining. You're scared of being out there how God intended you to be. Because in your mind, you're twisting the words of God. Like, there's a balance to it.
Edna Harding [00:13:57]:
There's a right vowel. Gosh, I feel the Lord here, like, there is a difference between humbling yourself and not being prideful to, like, where you're just scared and you're just fearful of shining. Like, there is a balance to it. And it's gonna take the Holy Spirit to show you when you're like, hey, yeah, humble yourself. But you could still shine. Like, you don't have to be hidden in order for you to humble yourself. So the. The thing that.
Edna Harding [00:14:24]:
That fear tends to do is it stops you from being responsible for other people. So, for example, when The Lord told me to hire a team. I was like, or like, sign a contract for a year or something for vendors. Like, one thing I know about God is he doesn't like us to promise something and then we can't keep it. And so I have to make sure that no matter what happens, I have to trust that God will provide for my team. Even though at that time, when I hired a team, I'm like, I can't afford the team. You know, I was like, what? In, like, this is not the right time. Like, I just got out of debt.
Edna Harding [00:14:56]:
I just paid off everything I need to build my capital. Now you're telling me, like, I need to go and basically spend some more. But it's because I'm fearful of success. Because if I'm successful, that means I have to be responsible for other people, other people's well being. Does that make sense? I'm hoping I'm making sense. And if not, Holy Spirit, please explain to them, because I feel like my brain is all over the place. Are you fearful from stewarding influence if all eyes are on you and everyone's listening to you and everyone? Are you afraid of being responsible for people's decisions, for people's outcome? Are you afraid of that? Is that something that you're running away from? You're not running away from rejection. You're running away from actually people accepting you and embracing you and loving you.
Edna Harding [00:15:48]:
I hope, I hope this is making sense, y'. All. If it is, please comment, make a comment, or respond via YouTube or whatever. Let me know if this is making sense. I want to hear from you. I don't want to just keep talking. This is so hard. But I want you to talk to me, engage me.
Edna Harding [00:16:06]:
By the way, guys, I don't know if you knew this and now I could show you guys, there is a what WhatsApp group that I created and it's ask. It's the Estrepreneur podcast community. I want you guys so you could go to communities and look for the Estrepreneur. Actually go download my app. Edna Harding. Go to edna harding.com, you'll be able to download my app. And when you download the app, there's a community. There's a page here.
Edna Harding [00:16:33]:
Let me just show you right here. Well, since I'm here, if you go. So if. When you go. When you go right here, you will see there is a section that says join our community and there is a join the Estrepreneur community here. This is a way for you guys to interact with me. It's absolutely free. So you click on this and you can ask me questions and interact with me regarding the episode that you're watching there, because I would love to know what your thoughts are.
Edna Harding [00:16:59]:
Okay. All right. That was a shameless plug. All right, so we need to remember that it's okay for us to be like. It's okay for us to have influence over other people. Right? Don't be afraid of shining. Timothy 1:7. Let's look it up.
Edna Harding [00:17:14]:
Where is my Bible? Oh, my goodness. I don't have it in front of me. So let me just Google this so you guys could see. Second Timothy 1:7. Heaven. It says, for God. Oh, I should know this. For God has not given you a spirit of fear, but of power, of love, and a sound mind.
Edna Harding [00:17:29]:
Fear of success does not protect your destiny. It does not protect your future. It does not protect your family, your heritage. It protects comfort. And again, I said it earlier. If you are too comfortable, there is a problem, my friend. If you are que sera, sera, sera, Whatever will be, will be in your life. And you're too comfortable, meaning you're not being challenged.
Edna Harding [00:17:53]:
Your faith is not being challenged. Your trust isn't being challenged. Your surrender is being challenged, there is a problem. You could be operating outside of the will of God. And I say this boldly because I used to complain to the Lord. It's so funny. I used to be like, father, like, I'm seeking you. I'm doing this.
Edna Harding [00:18:12]:
I'm doing this. I'm doing that. I'm trusting you. I'm surrounding everything. But it seems like this pressure is on me. Like, there's so much pressure. I feel like there's, like, there's peace, but there's, like, faith. But there's, like, you know, there's excitement, but then there's fear.
Edna Harding [00:18:26]:
It's like. It's like you're being torn. And he's like, because you're exactly what? You're doing what I told you to do. God is not after your comfort zone. He wants to stretch you. He wants you to enlarge your tents and make room for more. There's always more. And even at this point, he still has more for me.
Edna Harding [00:18:41]:
And I'm willing to accept that. I'm willing to believe that, because that is what he said in his word. Okay, so let's ask you a few questions before we end this episode, and I hope this was helpful. What excuse would disappear if you succeed? Number two. Who would you have to become if you were fully seen? This is so good. How would that look like if you were exactly who God called you to be? What would you look like? How would you dress? How would you speak? How would you interact with people? Right. What would your thinking be? What would you be eating? Like, what would we be if we actually were exactly who God designed us to be in our mother's womb? Number three, what behavior would no longer be tolerated by you or by others? Because let's get this straight. You know, when you come from a survival mentality, survivor mentality, we can interact and behave as a survivor versus a what? A person who is an overcomer.
Edna Harding [00:19:41]:
There's a difference between a survivor. Thank you, Holy Spirit. This is definitely not in my notes. I love you, Lord. Thank you, my brain. Thank you, Holy Spirit. Survivor versus overcomer. Survivor versus overcomer.
Edna Harding [00:19:52]:
Are you a survivor or are you an overcomer? To me, I choose to be an overcomer. At least today and every day I hope to choose to be an overcomer. But with God's help, if I am surviving and not overcoming or overtaking, I'm going to ask the Holy Spirit to help work that in my heart. He does not want us to just survive. He wants us to overcome. But most importantly, overtake. Hebrews 12:1 is. Is a great example.
Edna Harding [00:20:20]:
And let's just. Again, I don't have my notes in front. I don't have my Bible, and I guess because I was reading it earlier, so it's not here in my desk, but let me go ahead and read it for you. One of the advantages of digital stuff is, okay, surrounded by. Let us run the endurance, the race that is set before us. Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and the finisher of our faith. Verse 12 says, Their forces were surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses. Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entails.
Edna Harding [00:20:50]:
Angles. Just read Hebrews chapter 12 period. Read it and just remind ourselves that we are. People are watching, we are seen. Okay? We are seen. We have a cloud of witnesses watching us run our race. Oh, come on, Jesus. Like, what would you do? And I'm looking at my cloud of witnesses right now, watching me as I record this podcast because the Lord told me to do it.
Edna Harding [00:21:14]:
Like, people are watching you. You are seen. The world might not see you, but you are being watched by the cloud witnesses in Jesus name. You don't need more confidence, my friends. What we need is more courage to be seen. Not just in the heavenly realm, not just by the Father, in the cloud of witnesses, not just by the devil and his legions, but by the world. Because the world is looking for the answer. And that answer is you, my friend.
Edna Harding [00:21:43]:
You are the solution to the problems that they're facing. You are the light in the darkness, the city in the hill, the salt of the earth. Don't forget that. So I'll ask you again this question. What part of you is terrified to being undeniable? What part of you is terrified to be undeniable? Well, don't know. Wow. I see you, Edna. I see you doing your thing.
Edna Harding [00:22:08]:
I see you, Roger. I see you doing your thing. I see you, Lisa. I see you doing your thing. It's time to stop hiding, my friends. Get out of the cave. Get out from under the basket and shine bright for the glory of God. Let the glory of God be released in you and through you, my brother and sisters.
Edna Harding [00:22:29]:
And until next time, my friends, keep shining blessings and I'll talk to you all soon.
Speaker B [00:22:37]:
Thanks for joining us this week on Estrepreneur. Make sure to Visit our website favorandwealth.com for more information on our services.
Edna Harding [00:22:46]:
While you're at it, if you found.
Speaker B [00:22:47]:
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.
Edna Harding [00:22:54]:
Also, check out my book, the Ugly.
Speaker B [00:22:56]:
Side of Sales, available on Amazon, where I share seven of my secrets on how to win and grow business the right way. Until next time, keep shining.
Edna Harding [00:23:08]:
Foreign.
Speaker B [00:23:13]:
Thanks for joining us this week on Estrepreneur. Make sure to Visit our website favorandwealth.com for more information on our services.
Edna Harding [00:23:22]:
While you're at it, if you found.
Speaker B [00:23:23]:
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.
Edna Harding [00:23:30]:
Also check out my book, the Ugly.
Speaker B [00:23:32]:
Side of Sales, available on Amazon, where I share share seven of my secrets on how to win and grow business the right way. Until next time, keep shining.