The Estherpreneur

What do you do when the people who hurt you are the same people God calls you to love

In this episode of The Estherpreneur Podcast, we step into one of the most uncomfortable tensions Christian leaders face in the marketplace. Every entrepreneur eventually encounters it—the betrayal, the opposition, the quiet wounds that form when trust is broken in places where you were trying to build something meaningful. Moments like these don’t just test your strategy or your leadership skills. They reveal something deeper about the heart behind how you lead.

This conversation opens a deeper question about justice, forgiveness, and the kind of maturity Kingdom leadership quietly requires. Because the real test of leadership isn’t just what you build when things are going well, it’s who you become when people don’t treat you fairly.

If you're a Christian founder, CEO, or entrepreneur navigating the complexity of leading people while guarding your heart, this episode invites you into a conversation many leaders avoid… but every Kingdom builder eventually has to face. 

The Estherpreneur Podcast is for CEOs, founders, and faith-driven entrepreneurs who are growing—but something feels misaligned. Whether it's your structure, your clarity, or your capacity, this show helps you identify what's off and what to focus on next.

Hosted by Edna Harding, author of "The Ugly Side of Sales 2.0" and founder of Favor & Wealth, a business growth strategy firm that helps leaders scale with clarity, structure, and biblical alignment.

📖 SPECIAL OFFER: GET THE BOOK + STRATEGY SESSION
When you purchase "The Ugly Side of Sales 2.0," you can book a private 90-minute strategy session with Edna for $1,111 (exclusive to book readers)!

During this focused session, we'll examine:
✅ Your current sales structure
Strategic adjustments to increase conversions
✅ How to align your systems with your God-given assignment

👉 https://www.favorandwealth.com/book-the-ugly-side-of-sales/

🎯 TAKE THE FREE GROWTH AUDIT:
Discover what's actually misaligned in your business in 3 minutes.
👉 https://www.favorandwealth.com/no-to-known-growth-audit/

🔗 JOIN IGNITE BIZ COMMUNITY:

Free business directory for entrepreneurs and service-based businesses.
👉 https://www.ignitebizcommunity.com/

Connect with Edna:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ednaharding/
Website: favorandwealth.com

📲 BONUS: Download the Favor & Wealth app for free trainings and live workshops!
👉 ednaharding.com

What is The Estherpreneur?

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 [00:00:03]:
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 Estrepreneur Podcast. My name is Edna Harding, and I just wanted to welcome you guys to this podcast because in this podcast we talk all things business, life, family, relationships, mindsets, finances, basically any type of principle that you would need in order for your success to be successful in building the vision God put in your heart, as well as building the life God put in your heart. And so welcome, welcome, welcome. This is not an accident, and I truly believe that this episode is going to speak directly to you. Today's episode is going to be focused on loving the unlovable. Yeah, now I know, don't tune me out, my friends, don't tune me out. I'm just gonna pray as I share this message because this has been on my heart today, and I believe that it's going to minister to your spirit just as it ministers to mine. Father God, I just thank you for this day.

Edna Harding [00:01:51]:
I thank you that you are worthy of our praise, Lord. I thank you, Lord God, that you would do great and mighty things that we cannot even fathom. Lord, we thank you, God, for what you're doing in our lives. We thank you, God, that you are glorious and that nothing is too difficult for you. So, Father, prepare the hearts of your people as I deliver your word. And I pray, oh God, that my mouth will speak your words and your truth And let my heart, oh God, be crucified, Lord, and my flesh be crucified, and let the Spirit of God reign in me and through me as I share what you want me to share today. In Jesus' name, amen. All right, so this episode is going to be a little bit of teaching.

Edna Harding [00:02:35]:
I know last time it was very practical. Um, did you guys really enjoy that? I, I thought I enjoyed recording it. Um, but this episode we're going to talk about loving the unlovable. Um, And I, I just want to say that I know, and I'm not delusional to think that you on the other side have never been hurt before, never been deceived before, never been abused before, never experienced some sort of just like deep pain before. At some point or another, whether you're young or you're old, we all have experience difficult people. Now, they don't necessarily have to be family members. They could be bosses, they could be co-workers, friends, partners. I mean, we— it's funny because I was the other day, we were talking about the people business and how like if there wasn't any people or employees, business would be easy, right? But, um, this is a challenge, I think, especially when we are— thank you, Holy Spirit— you know, um, So my husband and I, we always do a, like a get to know you kind of like a date question every night before we go to bed.

Edna Harding [00:03:54]:
And one of the questions was, if you could remove this, what would make the world a better place? And it was talking about war or love, something about love, or I forgot what the question was, but his answer was if people could just learn to love one another. And if there we could just eliminate war. And that's really tough, right? Because we know as believers, we know that we live in a fallen world. We know that there is two opposing kingdoms in the earth, that is the kingdom of darkness and the kingdom of light. Now obviously we are not fighting against flesh and blood, but principalities, right? Spirits of darkness and things like that. So The point is, the people that we're dealing with who may be listening to the kingdom of darkness or kingdom of light, they're not the enemy. The enemy is the spirit behind that person. So I just want to start off with that, that when, when we really look at this from that standpoint, I know we know of this, especially if you're not a believer, we We need to learn how to love people like God loves people.

Edna Harding [00:05:11]:
Okay, so I'm just going to ask you, I'm going to ask you something. I'm missing out, actually, I'm going to tell you something and I'm going to ask if it's related to you. You know, some of you are praying for a promotion, but then you're secretly asking God to remove everyone who triggers your character, right? So remove this person, he's a pain in my neck. Remove this person from, like, I don't want to deal with this person, I don't want to deal with this person. And unfortunately, my friend, you can't have it both ways because the calling on your life isn't about what you build, but it's actually who you become while you build it. And I think that's a key component that a lot of people don't— including myself sometimes. Like, it's not just about building the vision that God put in my heart. It's who I'm becoming as I build the vision that God put in my heart.

Edna Harding [00:06:10]:
This is like one of the hardest kingdom assignments, I believe, in the marketplace, is to love those who oppose you in business or oppose you in life. And I know what it's like to have a competitor lie on you. I know what it's like to have a client try to manipulate you. I know what it's like to have a partner betray you. An employer, an employee turn on you, or someone in your industry work overtime to discredit you, like they just want to make your life a living hell. If this is something you've dealt with, this episode is for you. Even in the church, okay, let's talk about pastors who abuse you, spiritually abuse you, took advantage of your finances, talk about, um, just lie on you because you didn't do what they want, like There are so many reasons why people get hurt and why people give up on people. And the thing about this though is not only does this type of opposition drain your time, but it also drains your soul, your thinking capacity, your emotional capacity, your heart capacity, and all that stuff.

Edna Harding [00:07:24]:
So I just want, first of all, just if you all can just— whatever you guys are doing, if it's possible, because this is such an important topic, you have to silence the noise and you have to just give me like 20 minutes to just try to share this as best as I can, because this is so important to our walk with God, right? Um, if we don't heal what's wounded in our lives, if we don't confront what's being compromised, if we don't strengthen, you know, what we're called to do, we're gonna miss our— as the impact that we could possibly make if we fully surrendered, right? If we fully learned how to love like Jesus, we are going to see drastic change in our lives and in society and in nations around us. I was listening to— is it Donna Rigney? I think that's her name— when I was eating lunch earlier, and she was talking about just like just a political climate, especially here in the United States, where everyone is just divided, hating on everybody. And you know, all this exposure going on where evil— like when, you know, this bad stuff that's happening, like the pedophilia and just all this, this horrendous thing I don't even want to think about that I've heard of in the past. But now that it's all coming out, it's just like so surreal. And she said something, she said a question that I, I never really thought about, but it's so amazing to like really, I really reflected on this because it made me start thinking about my personal life. But she said something about, you know, the prodigal son, right? Where the prodigal son comes back home and the brother was jealous and upset because he's like, you're throwing a party for this guy, he just wasted money, and you know, this guy is a sinner and he just like ruined everything, and he comes back and you just throw him a party, you forgive him, open up your arms and you forgive him, and then you just let him come back in. And then the father goes something like, well, you're always with me, but we need to rejoice, you know, someone that's dead is now alive, or something like that. I don't quote me on this, but something to that extent.

Edna Harding [00:09:43]:
Go to the New Testament, it's in there. And she was talking about what if the very people that we see exposed turns to Jesus and repents? How are we going to treat them? Are we going to forgive them? Are we going to love them? And I was just like, wow, that's, that's really hard to do when the very people that stole from you, the very people that abuse you, the very people that took advantage of you, maybe the very people that caused death to your family member because of greed and money and all that stuff. Like, that is very hard. That's probably one of the most difficult. And to celebrate that, that they could join us after all those years of persecution. And I'm reminded of Peter and Paul, where Peter was like, Saul, the guy who murdered, you know, Christians and things like that, persecuted. But then Jesus welcomes them. And You know, the reason why I say this, in business and in personal life, we have people that truly hurt us.

Edna Harding [00:10:45]:
And at some point— and mind you, in close call, a full disclaimer, I don't know if I shared this already, maybe this is too personal, but it's a podcast, I don't even really know who's listening here— but I remember, so a couple days ago, my ex, the guy that, you know, abused me and used me and just gosh, it was a horrible time in my early 20s, and reached out, and I saw the message, and something inside of me was like fearful, like, oh my gosh, she's looking for me, you know, because I had a restraining order and everything. It was a bad situation. I'm not going to reiterate that, but I was like, oh my gosh, and I was— I couldn't— like, I was freaking out, and I obviously, I told my husband, and I told my mom, Then I told some friends, and one of my good friends from Germany— hi Inga, if you're listening— she said, um, how do you know he's not apologizing? And even, um, my husband said the same thing. It's like, how do you know he's not trying to apologize from the years past? And I was like, wow, I've been praying for that for a long time. And if it's actually here, am I really ready to receive it, right? Because this guy you know, like did all these horrible things to me, horrible things. And if he did come to God, and let's just say that that's what happened, he's calling to apologize and he's there to make amends for the past. Like, am I— like, how do I feel about that? You know, I had to really have an honest take of like, how do I feel about that? You know, I've been praying for his salvation. I've been praying for him to be restored and everything.

Edna Harding [00:12:29]:
And I guess I didn't really know, like, it's kind of like numb, right? It's weird. Like, it's kind of like, how do I explain it? Like, I didn't want to go there, right? And like, let's say I was thinking of like all the, like, the past bosses and the past abusers and the users and, and, you know, the people, the past pastors who took it, who took advantage of me. Like, if they were to call me, come to my front door, and all stood in line and just started apologizing and asking for— what would I say? And honestly, like, it's weird because you hear about it, but then when you're actually faced with it, I was like, if this is really the case, like, what do you say, right? And I'm reminded of Joseph when he had a situation where his brothers came And he said his response was, what God— what you— what the evil meant for bad, God used it for good. And when I think about all the things that happened to me, and I experienced a lot of pain, a lot of abuse, a lot of just mistreatment, taken advantage of, um, and those who done it to me, you know exactly like what I mean by that. There's no need to, because I've really moved on and I put it at the heart of Jesus. But if, if the Lord puts it in their heart to call me and apologize, like, what would I say? And that really challenged me. That really stretched me today, right? That really helped me really think about, am I really ready for that? And I started thinking about the lost souls, right? You know, church people, even though we preach love and all this stuff, we're the hardest one I don't know if it's like— we do— it's not judgment. I don't know if it's judgmental or we, we don't forget.

Edna Harding [00:14:19]:
I don't know what it is exactly. Maybe it's— I honestly don't know. Like, if all these people who were the very same people who started yelling, screaming, and saying all these things come to the church and come for Harvest, come to love Jesus, like, how are we gonna treat them, right? So I know there was a big division between Democrats and Republicans, and mind you, I'm— I, I— it's not about politics. To me, it's like whatever God's principles say. But I have people on both sides, and you hear so much division and so much anger between the two parties, and I'm just— I don't understand. But the point is, like, are we going to accept those other folks? Like, once they come to realize, okay, I'm on the wrong side and I'm going to join you guys, like, are you going to say welcome, or are you going to be like, you made my life a living hell for the past 10 years, or whatever, right? So I hope this is challenging your thinking a little bit. I hope you're thinking about this because I want you to think of the people that just from hearing my— what I'm sharing right now, like, those people that in the past, and you have— you, you moved on, you forgave them, they never— you never really got closure because they never once apologized, but you moved on. Like, I want you— let's just put it— let's get practical.

Edna Harding [00:15:51]:
Let's get practical, okay? Um, when the Bible says enemies, we tend to picture war, right? But in business, it could be someone smiling in your face while sabotaging your behind the scenes. It could be someone copying your work and claiming it's inspired, or taking your long hard work, downloading it and saving it and giving it to people. And even though, like, trust me, I've seen this over and over again. Okay. Someone misrepresenting you to protect their ego. It could be like a client who becomes hostile because you enforce boundaries, right? Or maybe a team member who resents your authority. What about a competitor who wants your audience but doesn't want your integrity, right? People who use you just for people you know. All these things.

Edna Harding [00:16:49]:
And let's just talk about personal stuff, like friends who pretend to be friends, but they really just want to get free consulting. Or people who want to be friends with you because of what they can get out of you, right? Because they know you're generous and so forth. Like family members who are nice in front of you, and then behind you they talk smack, apparently. Like, that's so hard. That's hard, right? You can't just avoid them. You can't just dismiss them. These are people in your neighborhood or in your schools or in your churches or even in your family, right? Or even like your competitors. Um, you see them all the time in every single networking event, right? For example, you have contracts, you have community overlap, you have social media, you have referrals, you have all these things there.

Edna Harding [00:17:35]:
You have to interact with these people, right? So the question becomes, how do you love someone who is actively opposing you? Right? Actively, like every single day, they make it a choice. Like I'm going to ruin Edna's day. Have you ever gone through that? That's why I'm so glad I'm out of corporate. I'm not even gonna lie, because that was so difficult dealing with jealous older women who were just making my life miserable, right? And all I did, all I was trying to do was work hard and bring revenue to the company because of jealousy, right? Because I know it's jealousy, or because they can't control you, or whatever. So most of us don't struggle with loving people. We struggle with loving people who don't feel safe, because a lot of times we associate love with access, we associate love with trust, we associate love with closeness or continued opportunity. But biblically, love is not same as closeness, right? It's not the same as enabling. It's not the same as pretending.

Edna Harding [00:18:50]:
It's not the same as a posture of the heart. And sometimes love looks like not retaliating, and sometimes not slandering back, or staying pure, or keeping your hands clean, or refusing to sink down to their level, right? That's the real test. The opposition always has a goal, and the goal is always to pull you out of character so that you lose your spiritual authority. Because this happens all the time. That's why Romans 12:21 says, do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. The enemies Like, I don't know who told me this. I don't remember who said, but they said every time you get angry or you yell, you promote a demon or something like that. Like, a demon gets like an award or something.

Edna Harding [00:19:46]:
So every time when my kids, you know, and I try my best, like, I'm a very patient person, but sometimes I'm just so tired and I'm like, Alayah, Anaya, calm down right now. It's time for dinner, you know, stuff like that. And I'm yelling and I'm like, why am I yelling? And it's because I hear them running upstairs and they're not listening, you know. But I'm like, oh my gosh, I promoted a demon again, right? Because of our anger or screaming or frustration. And I want you to— I want you to realize this, especially when you're thinking about business, okay? The enemy doesn't just want to stop your business. He actually wants to stain your spirit. So people think a lot of times he's after your profit. Like profit, like P-R-O-F-I-T.

Edna Harding [00:20:36]:
But if profit is good, if money is going good, he also wants— he can also— thank you, Holy Spirit— he can also drain your spirit, which is worse than money, because the spirit is an internal problem. It's not an external problem. And the thing about internal problem is if you do not deal with the internal problem, it can cause like major diseases in your own body. Yeah, physical physically. I'm not a health nut here, but I know some friends who did some studies, who wrote books on this. Um, what's the— guess what's her name? I forgot her name. Healed His Way, I think that was one of the books. Um, don't quote me on this.

Edna Harding [00:21:18]:
Um, I can't think of her name now. So long time ago. Gosh, my brain, mommy brain. Um, uh, a long time ago, we went to ordination school together, and a lot of the cause of Physical diseases is because of soul wounds, unhealed emotions. So remember, in business, don't just think about the— your, your profit and loss statement. Think about the, the condition of your soul, number one, okay? Because that affects everything. Your soul always affects everything. Now I also want to correct a big misconception, which is people think that being like Jesus means being nice to everyone, and that is not true.

Edna Harding [00:22:08]:
Okay, because Jesus was loving, but he was not naive. He was compassionate, but he wasn't controlled, right? He was kind, but he wasn't manipulated. And that's something for me that I had to learn was I was thinking being kind means allow people to take advantage of you, but that's not the case. And lately, because I've been standing up for truth, because I've been standing up for what I'm worth, I'm standing up for, you know, the right thing. I've been like, like, what do you call it? Um, not Edna mode. What is it called? I'm getting my, um, mojo back, if that makes sense, right? Because I'm really like, wait, I'm not gonna do that. Like, I gotta eat too, you know, that kind of stuff, right? Um, Jesus loved Judas. Okay, remember Judas, the guy who betrayed him? But he didn't promote Judas, right? He served Judas, but he didn't trust him.

Edna Harding [00:23:05]:
And that matters because some of you are confusing love with lack of discernment. And that's another thing you gotta worry— one, worry about— not worry about, is that what you got to be cautious about? Not worry about, be cautious. Do not worry. Cautious about You can't lead in the marketplace without discernment. You know, Matthew 10:16 says, be wise as a serpent and harmless as doves. That means you're not called to be suspicious, but you're called to be sober-minded. Sober-minded means you're alert. Okay, you shouldn't— so like, if you're out there drinking with whatever, this is how you get in trouble, right? This is how a lot of people get in trouble in business and in ministry and in life is they get— put their guard down, and then that's when the enemy comes to kill, steal, and destroy.

Edna Harding [00:23:55]:
In fact, I was meditating, I think it's Proverbs 6 or Proverbs 7, where it talks about men get so tempted by women, and there's so much warnings. I'm like, why is this whole two chapters based on men and lust and women? And it's just because that's their weaknesses, deep weakness, right? And so, and for you men out there, and mind you, I'm not a man, I have brothers and father and, you know, husband, obviously. But don't be go drinking with a bunch of group of people, men, women, because that could get— you don't know. You just, you have to be sober, okay? Okay, you have to be sober, okay? You don't have to be cold. You don't have to be cold to people, but you have to be clear with your expectations, right? Have your boundaries. Set. Okay, so the second thing I wanted to mention is you can forgive someone fully but still limit their access completely, right? So let's say someone did forgive you, right? Like, someone did forgive— so let's say you did forgive someone who took advantage of you, who stole from you, and you forgive them, and then they ask you for money again. Are you gonna give them money? Absolutely not.

Edna Harding [00:25:08]:
I just— because I forgive you doesn't mean I'm gonna let you— like, and people are like, what, that's unforgiveness? No, it's not. I'm wiser now, right? I'm not— especially— does that make sense? So you could limit their access still, but you could still love them and forgive them. All right, now I wanted to say something else because when Jesus said— Jesus told us in Luke chapter 6, verse 27-28, says, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who abuse you. Now, Jesus didn't say love the people who misunderstood you. He said love— I mean, he said enemies. He said enemies. He didn't say bless the people who apologize. He said bless those who curse you.

Edna Harding [00:25:54]:
Okay, so I mean, those are pretty strong words. He didn't say pray for the people who are trying. He said pray for those who abuse you. Okay, and why is that? I believe it's because loving your enemies is one of the highest proofs that you are led by God and not your emotions. And if you're a CEO or a leader of some sort, you cannot afford emotional leadership, okay? Because emotion leading you destroys teams, it destroys decision-making, it destroys legacy. I've learned so much when I'm feeling pressured, I better not make a decision. Okay. Because that usually is not the right decision.

Edna Harding [00:26:41]:
Just based on my track record, it's not a right decision when I have to, you know, make things difficult, right? Make— when I— sorry, it's not make things difficult. When I make decisions based on emotions., and it makes things difficult for me. It's like, I'm getting tired right now. It's like, why am I so sleepy? I'm awake. I'm awake. Wake up, Edna. Wake up. Okay, your emotional maturity is your leadership ceiling.

Edna Harding [00:27:13]:
So learn to manage your emotions. That's the third nugget. Okay, and so let's talk about why it's so hard. Why is it so hard to love people who oppose you? Because a lot of us— that's— I'm going to say a lot of us, I'm saying all of us— wants justice now. We want justice right now, right there. Clear your name. You want to be believed. You want to be vindicated.

Edna Harding [00:27:47]:
You want to defend your reputation. You want to expose them publicly. You want to prove yourself right. And I get it, and I've been there so many times. But this is one thing that I've learned, is that God doesn't need you to defend your name. God doesn't need you to defend his name. What he wants us to do is to protect our spirit, because the fight is never external. It's actually more internal than external, because what the enemy does is he's not after your external things.

Edna Harding [00:28:18]:
A lot of times people think He's after the fruits, but he's actually after the roots, right? He's actually after the soul, right? He wants you to have internal wounds where you're bitter, where you're resentful, where you're petty, right? Whether you're, you're, you're vengeful, right? You're reactionary, you're obsessed with proving yourself. And I've dealt with that many times. I'm always trying to make a name for myself, prove myself, because everyone always look down upon me like that. And because that's really how he can slow your calling down, it's because of your heart issue. Remember that even the scripture says that the enemy— I mean, the man looks at the outward appearance, but God looks at the heart. So if you're not experiencing promotion right now and an elevation, could it be that there is something in your heart that needs to be dealt with. Proverbs 4:23 says, above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. Some battles are not about winning.

Edna Harding [00:29:26]:
Like, you don't have to win every battle. Contrary, right? Some, some things are just not worth it. It's about staying pure before God and saying, okay, Lord, you deal with it. I, I don't want to deal with that. All right. So those are 4 nuggets. Now let's talk about what love looks like in business. All right.

Edna Harding [00:29:46]:
Let me give you 5 practical ways that we could love the unlovable in the marketplace without becoming a doormat. Because that's, that's the thing, right? Uh, um, when you are meek, it doesn't mean you're, uh, you're a doormat, right? It doesn't mean people are going to step all over you. You have to still stand up for truth, right? So number 1, stop refusing revenge language. I mean, stop— sorry, my phone is ringing. I'm like, who is this calling me? Stop. Sorry. Love is refusing revenge language, okay? So you stop rehearsing it, stop fantasizing about getting them back. That spirit is seductive.

Edna Harding [00:30:31]:
How do I turn off this phone? It keeps ringing on my I watch. Okay, that spirit is seductive and it's poison. Okay, Ephesians 4:31-32 says put away bitterness, put away forgiveness. So don't try to get them back, don't try to get revenge. Move on with your life because that's poison to your soul. Number 2, love is blessing without reconnection. Oh my gosh, this guy is so annoying. Okay, blessing is not re-entry, it's spiritual maturity.

Edna Harding [00:31:10]:
You can say, I want them to be healed, I want them to be free, I want God to protect them and correct them, but you don't have to reopen the door, right? You don't have to be the one to free them. You don't have to be the one to heal them. You could allow God to do that or allow another wife to do that, right? You don't have to be the wife. Does that make sense? I hope this makes sense. Number 3, love is boundaries with a clean heart. You can restrict access with peace. You can cut ties with clarity, and you can enforce your policies without hate. Right? So love is okay to have boundaries, right? Like, for example, I could tell my client, hey client, I like you and I want to work with you, but this is a limit and you're going, you're doing scope creep right now, right? Hey, I love you and I like you.

Edna Harding [00:32:11]:
You're my best, you're like, you're, you're, you're my family member or whatever, but I can't be around you because I share something with you and then you go out there and gossip about me. Right? You have to have those boundaries, and it's okay. You could still love them that way. Number 4, love is staying honest even when they're dishonest. So you don't pay eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth, right? Don't match their tactics, right? Stay anchored to what he's— what God says. You know, cities don't hide, cities don't stoop. You're a city on the hill. Keep shining.

Edna Harding [00:32:48]:
Be above the reproach, right? Don't be part of their mess. Right? Allow the Lord to deal with them directly. And number 5, love is letting God handle the scoreboard. This is the hard one because some of you are angry when people get away with it, right? Oh, he just got away with it, nothing happened. I mean, think of all these things that's being exposed right now. Could you imagine all those people that are victimized and might have died because of this corruption that's going on in the world, and only now they're sort of getting exposed, but they're still not getting in trouble for it. And this is for those of you guys who are doing harmful things. Galatians 6:7 says, God is not mocked.

Edna Harding [00:33:34]:
A man reaps what he sows. He handles harvest. All you do is you handle holiness. So just believe God when he says vengeance is mine, and let him deal with that. Because when you obsess over the downfall, you step out of all that God has for you. Okay, all right. Wow, this episode is going a little bit longer than I thought, so I'm gonna go ahead and wrap this up. I'm so sorry, y'all.

Edna Harding [00:34:09]:
Okay. So remember, here's the part that nobody likes, okay? God calls you to love them because he's protecting you from becoming them. Opposition is a mirror, okay? It shows you what you're still— what's still alive in your flesh, and it reveals what you're still healing, okay? So we need to find out, are you really rooted in Christ? Because if you're rooted in Christ, you don't need to win every argument. You don't need to be proven right. You don't need to clap back. You don't need to expose. You trust God with the justice, and you— all you do is just keep building. And God will let them oppose you to reveal you— to reveal to you whether you're being led by your calling or by your ego.

Edna Harding [00:34:59]:
So let me end with this: if you're dealing with someone opposing you in business, don't ask God to remove them first. Ask God to refine you first, because the goal isn't just business success, right? It's about a business that God can trust because he can trust the steward of the business. Now, this episode hits you— I want— hit you, hit you. I want you to listen again because there— these were layers, right? And I know that this is a lot longer, but this is really, really important. To God's heart. Um, and I'm going to ask you one question before we end: can God trust your heart when people don't treat you fairly? Because if not, we need to get back on the drawing board and be like, Lord, help me, help me get there, help me to love like you do. All right, well, friends, thank you for tuning in, and until next time, keep shining. Talk to you guys later.

Edna Harding [00:36:04]:
Bye-bye. 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.