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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 [00:00:03]:
Welcome to Estrepreneur, a podcast for entrepreneurs and leaders doing business and life God's way. Each week, we discuss biblical and 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 Ed Harding. Ed, not Ed Harding, Edna Harding. In today's episode, I'm going to talk about a revelation that I received from the word recently regarding the storms of life. And so I'm definitely excited about this. It's probably the fourth time I'm sharing it this week. And every single time when I share this insight that I got from the Lord, it really encourage people, and I truly believe that it's going to encourage you as yourself. And so just bear with me, guys.
Edna Harding [00:01:31]:
I'm recording this late at night. It has really been a busy week. And, I'm also preparing for a marathon, which is this weekend, and so please bear with me. I am just asking the God of the universe, you know, my my provider, my source for everything to just give me the strength and give me the grace to eloquently speak this word, to you. And that as I speak, you won't hear my raspy voice, and you won't hear me, but you will hear the holy spirit. So, if you guys are new here, I want to say welcome. In this podcast, we talk about all things business and life God's way. I've been teaching God's ways in business for a while, for over eleven, twelve years, I think, like, about twelve years, but have been practically applying biblical strategies in growing businesses for a while since who knows? Okay? So the foundation of my business have always been a biblical strategies, and I share all this to say that this isn't just theory.
Edna Harding [00:02:47]:
This is actual, like, experience. And so as I share this with you, I pray that the Lord will give you some examples in your own life and your own businesses that you could apply these strategies for. I'm not here to share information. I'm here to actually give you nuggets that you could implement right now in your business and in your life. So today I'm gonna talk to you about the two types of storms that every believer faces in their life. Okay. There's two types of storms And let's face it. Whether you're a new Christian or a mature Christian, you will experience storms.
Edna Harding [00:03:27]:
Okay? This is something that's inevitable. This is something that all of us face whether you're a Christian or not. But I want you to know that there are two types of storms, and the two types of storms I believe that comes into your life is based on our maturity level in the spirit. And so I wanna say that, you know, a lot of times when these storms hit, whether if it's your systems, your sales, your staff, your health, your relationships, your marriage, finances, your strategy, just understand this, that it's how you respond that determines everything. So in today's episode, I'm actually gonna walk you through five principles that helped me when my own business journey nearly fell apart as well as my life started falling apart. Okay? So I know some of you guys already know my story. Some of you don't. I'm only only gonna talk about a little portion of my story.
Edna Harding [00:04:27]:
And, specifically, I used to work for a fall arrest and systems engineering construction company. Basically, it's a company that created safety systems for people who work at heights. At that time, I was a national sales rep selling a new device. It's called a personal rescue device specifically for UK, a UK company that was introducing it to The United States. When I started outselling my peers, basically, the past two years before then, I outsold the whole team sales. And so for the past two years. And so they're really in interested to see what I can do, and so they decided to promote me to director of new business development, which, as you know, a lot of the senior folks, senior sales rep did not like that because I was a newbie. Well, that's not the point of the story.
Edna Harding [00:05:28]:
What ended up happening happening was the promotion came fast. I was promised a significant cut of the net profit margin if I could grow the business over two years. Well, fast forward two years, I delivered. In fact, the night before this incident happened, they were announcing to the whole team what great of a job I've been doing and how, you know, they were very pleased. We just bought a new building. We bought new equipment. Things were going well. We've got broken doors that they've never been able to break indoors before.
Edna Harding [00:06:02]:
Well, right before I was supposed to get paid, they let me go, to sum it up. I'm not gonna go into all the details. I go into my story many times, in my YouTube videos, maybe my, my, origin story from my book, everything is all in there. But I'm I'm letting you know I'm because I'm sharing with you guys what happened. Okay. So they told me that they couldn't afford me. And just like that, I I was being walked out of the office like a prisoner, which I know I did not deserve, but it is what it is. I felt really betrayed.
Edna Harding [00:06:36]:
I had followed every best practice, kept my word, hit every metric, exceeded it in fact, and still I lost everything. But that particular storm birthed something. It led me to write my first book called the ugly side of sales, which basically, teaching people how to win sales without losing their soul. Right? And with win sales utilizing strategies of the Bible. It was a practical book filled with a lot of biblical strategies. And essentially, I got published by a large Christian publisher in the world. Then I started promoting my book, speaking engagements, and then what ended up happening was people started hiring me from the speaking engagement and the rest is history. Now this launched my business favor and wealth, or I teach people how to win and grow business the right way.
Edna Harding [00:07:27]:
And again, that book open doors, no man, and no employer could shut. And, but then right after that, I joined another company, while I was working for them and look, working, looking, doing my business part time, I was approached by a group of pastors to invest in commercial real estate. You guys know the story. I get scammed, lose everything. And when I say lose everything, again, I'm shortening the story, but it was such a traumatic experience because I never expected it from the church, and I had to start over again. And when that happened, let's just say that my faith got tested to the max. Okay. Because the first storm that I dealt when I lost my job, I saw God in my situation.
Edna Harding [00:08:16]:
I felt his peace. I felt his comfort. I was not worried. I was worshiping. I didn't really worry about a thing because I didn't I felt like I knew that he had me. But when the second time happened and I was betrayed by Christian people, I started questioning God, like, how could you do this? You know, how could you allow this? Even though I questioned him, I still trusted him somehow. But in this particular storm, it lasted longer than I thought the first storm when I lost my job, I found a job. Someone found me.
Edna Harding [00:08:54]:
I didn't look for a job. Someone hired me right away, maybe a month after through a divine connection. I don't, that's an whole another story right there. But this second time around, I didn't feel him at all. I didn't see him. I mean, I, I was forcing myself to see him if that makes sense, because I was really focused on his word. I'm gonna tell you guys what I did during that time. I basically took five months off and just spent time reading his word and really just studying his character and really, because I knew that it was a do or die situation.
Edna Harding [00:09:31]:
And I knew that in order for me to survive this traumatic thing, I had to fill myself with the truth because there were so many lies that were just going into my mind. Like, every minute, every second, every day. It was I was being reminded of the the how horrible it was. Okay? And I document all of this on my YouTube channel. I don't have to share I'm not I don't have time to share all of everything that went through. But this is the introduction to my episode today. Today, we're gonna talk about the two storms you will face in your life. K? The first storm is when you know that Jesus is there, But the second storm you'll face in your life is when Jesus is nowhere to be found.
Edna Harding [00:10:16]:
Okay. So I'm going to go ahead and talk about the two storms and mind you, you could actually find all of this in the gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, where it documents the two storms. So first John, I'm not gonna be able to go into read out the whole thing for time's sake, but the first storm was when Jesus was in the boat with the disciples. Okay? But before we talk about that, remember that before this first storm, Jesus had already performed a series of miracles. For example, in Luke chapter seven, he healed the centurion's servant. Right? He raised the widow's son from the dead in Nain. He casted out demons, healed the sick, and taught in parables, including the parable out of the sower. So at this point, the disciples already are starting to see answered prayers and starting to see His power demonstrated in front of people, right, and in front of their eyes.
Edna Harding [00:11:19]:
So momentum was building. Imagine this miracles were flowing and crowds were growing. In fact, the crowds were growing so much that Jesus said, because it was overflowing. He said, let's go over to the other side. What did the disciples do? They obey and they get in the boat and midway across the Sea Of Galilee, a furious storm hits. Okay? But while this was happening, Jesus is asleep and the disciples, which were by the way, I remind I remind you, professional fishermen are freaking out. K? So I'm sure they've been in storms before, but this storm for them to be freaking out must be a different type of storm. And so they base to sum it up, they wake up Jesus and be like, master, don't you see why, you know, don't you see that we're perishing? And then Jesus wakes up.
Edna Harding [00:12:15]:
He rebukes the wind and waves and tells the disciples, why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith? Now when the first time I heard I read this, I was like, well, no wonder why they were afraid because, I mean, no wonder why Jesus was pissed is because there's all these miracles and yet they didn't believe. And one of the lessons that I saw just from these scriptures, and again, this is not the point of this story. I'm gonna tell you what the real point is, which is in the second storm. But just because miracles happen doesn't mean storms won't come. Okay. A lot of us have experienced answered prayers in our lives. We've seen answered prayers in other people's lives, but storms will come even after we see God answers prayers. Okay.
Edna Harding [00:13:08]:
It's part of this cycle of life. There will be storms. If it's not this storm, it's gonna be another storm. And I noticed that as you mature in the Lord, the storms get bigger, which is why he builds our faith, so that we can handle the storm coming up. Okay? Because here's what happened. Victory doesn't exempt you from resistance. Right? It actually invites it. So what I got from this particular story and I wanna share with you guys is the disciples obeyed.
Edna Harding [00:13:35]:
Right? You can do everything right and still feel like you're drowning. Just because you're in a storm, guys, doesn't mean you're off course. K? A lot of times, we think opposition means we must have done something wrong. Maybe we did not hear God right. But in reality, it's actually means that you're right in the center of God's plan. Okay? And and I and then so that's the first part. Then the second storm, which is what I really wanna get into, is when the storm happened, this particular thing, it's found in John chapter six verse 16 to 21 and Matthew chapter 14 verse 22 to 33. Here's when what's what's so powerful about this whole this storm.
Edna Harding [00:14:25]:
This storm happens after one of Jesus's most well known miracles. Can you guys guess what that is? Is when he fed the 5,000 with five loaves and two fishes. K. Now imagine God took five, Jesus took five loaves and two fishes and fed over 5,000 men. That's not including women and children. And they saw this amazing miracle happen to the point that there was 12 baskets left, I believe, k, of food. And everyone according to the scriptures in John Jonathan, John chapter five, it says that everybody was full. So everybody was satisfied.
Edna Harding [00:15:05]:
K? Now imagine this, guys, adrenaline, a success. The disciples must be like, woah. Did that really happen? The crowd was amazed. And so Jesus shows up, shows out, and then he tell immediately after that, he tells his disciples, go ahead, go by boat, go to I'll meet you there. You know? And he goes to the mountain to pray. K? So this time they get on the boat. Jesus is not on the boat. Jesus goes to the mountain and pray.
Edna Harding [00:15:38]:
Now, if you guys have never been to Jerusalem or in Israel, the mountain where he he would have been praying because that's every time where the place where he would, feed the 5,000 men and the the people, the crowd, you could see the Sea Of Galilee from the mountain top. So imagine this, the second storm hits, Jesus knows the second storm is hitting them. And here's what what's really, really interesting about this. I never saw it before, but in John chapter six, I think it was verse 35 or some 39. 30 five or 39. Hold on one second. I don't remember. I think it was John chapter six.
Edna Harding [00:16:33]:
Okay. I think it's I don't have my Bible in front of me because I'm just reading my notes here. But I think it was verse 18 like, around there, around around there, between 16 to 17. Essentially, when you translate, it it was saying that they were traveling, they were rowing all night because it said in the, that in the evening time, Jesus sent them to go across the Sea Of Galilee. And in the fourth watch, which is between three to 6AM, Jesus comes walking on the water. Now imagine this, guys. It had it actually gives the distance. I don't remember which what verse it is, but just look right there.
Edna Harding [00:17:24]:
I believe it is verse 18 around there. Oh, no. No. 17, 17 or 16 around there. Anyway, I don't wanna be all religious about this thing. When you when when I asked chat GPT to calculate how many miles that was, that they were in the boat against the wind, it was actually, they were actually rowing three and a half miles. Now, I don't know if you guys ever ran three and a half miles or tried to row even a mile on a rower. That's a long time to be rowing.
Edna Harding [00:18:00]:
And according to ChattGPT, if you take into calculation, the storm that was raging, you know, them rowing, these fishermen, they were probably in the storm for at least six to eight hours all night dealing with the storm in the dark where it was constant. And I don't know what they were thinking if if it was me, if I wasn't there to sort of, like, where in the world is Jesus? Where is he? Right? And so in my mind, I'm like, the disciples are like, where is he? Why is he stopping you? Or maybe if they forgot about Jesus because the storms were raging. And what I sense from the holy spirit is during this time right now, this very hour, as you guys are listening to this, there are many in the body of Christ wondering where is Jesus? Why hasn't he rescued us yet? This storm is taking too long. K. The first storm, it was evident Jesus was there. You could see him. He's lying down asleep. Okay.
Edna Harding [00:19:04]:
You know, he's there and you're, you're upset because he's just asleep. Whereas this time the storm is so loud and it's constantly in your face. Imagine you've been toiling for six to eight hours at night in the dark. Like, can you imagine if you guys have a road, like, it's exhausting on your arms. I can't imagine trying to control a little sailboat, okay, going in the middle of the Sea Of Galilee where it's pitch dark. The storms are raging. The waves are raging. The winds are blowing like how exhausted these people would be.
Edna Harding [00:19:40]:
And I believe that's many of the body of Christ right now. That's where they are. They're so exhausted about the storm fighting. Okay. And then what did Jesus do between three to 6AM? Six am, Jesus comes walking on the water. And then they're like, what is that? They got scared even more than Peter noticed it was Jesus. And then Peter, starts walking towards Jesus. Remember, this is a time when he's walking on the water.
Edna Harding [00:20:07]:
K? This is something a miracle that's happening. So Peter takes that leap of faith and trust us in Jesus. And what does he do? He instead of looking at Jesus, he looks around, he starts thinking, then Jesus lifts him up. And and he said he says, don't be afraid. I am. And then he takes you Peter out of the water. And according to the scripture, it says that he actually, I'm gonna read it. Verse 20 to 21.
Edna Harding [00:20:34]:
It says, I am. You must stop being afraid. Therefore, they wanted to take them take him into the boat. So they took him into the boat. The moment Jesus steps into the boat, it says, and immediately, the boat was on the shore to which they were going. So supernaturally, the boat ended up where they were supposed to be the moment Jesus stepped on the boat. Okay. There's a lot of lessons in this.
Edna Harding [00:21:03]:
Okay. There's a lot of lessons in what I just shared. Okay. Number one. Okay. I want to share this. That storms don't mean failure. Okay.
Edna Harding [00:21:12]:
And we know this Storms actually reveals your focus. When storms are raging, are you focused on the external things or are you focused on Jesus? Right? Jesus was watching from the mountain the whole time. Remember that sometimes we don't see Jesus in our situation. Sometimes we're wondering where is he? But in reality, he's actually been there all along. He's he sees what's going on. Okay. He's not surprised. And he hasn't stepped in yet.
Edna Harding [00:21:49]:
I don't know the reason, but I can tell you he's always right on time. Even though in our mind, in our hearts, in our lives, we feel like he's late that where are you? What is like, you're freaking out because like the storm had just been going on and on and on and on. And you don't have a single sign that Jesus is there. I don't know where you guys are at in your life, wherever you guys are tuning on from whatever country, whatever situation you're facing, but you might be in this particular predicament where you're like, how much longer God will we be in the same cycle? How much more longer God will be walking on the same mountain? Because I can tell you this in both situations, the disciples obeyed the first time Jesus was there. The second time Jesus left them. He went to go to the mountain and pray, but I truly believe that the reason why he left them is because he was building their trust in him. Because remember that obedience doesn't always feel like progress. Even we could do all the right things.
Edna Harding [00:22:57]:
Okay. But sometimes God allows resistance to build our resilience, to build our faith, and most importantly, to build our trust in him and in us, because we start doubting who we are in Christ when storms are all up in our face. And so what he's doing is he's strengthening us. He's building that muscle. It hurts when you build muscle. Right? It's painful when someone adds weight to you, when you add weights. But what ends up happening, once it does, it's building that resilience. It's building that trust muscles.
Edna Harding [00:23:28]:
It's helping us see who he is in when when those challenges are way bigger than we thought. Okay? So again, number one, the store number one, Jesus was in the boat. So the first lesson is you have proximity to the promise, but you have to activate your faith. Right? So at times we know that he's there and we have to speak to the waves, just Jesus did, and use the authority God gave us to speak to that, to speak to that storm. Then the second time Jesus wasn't in the boat and Jesus, the only way for that storm to stop wasn't speaking to the storm. It was actually having Jesus speak to the storm. I hope you hear me by way of the spirit. The first storm, Jesus taught us our authority, like what we could do through him.
Edna Harding [00:24:30]:
The second storm only Jesus could do. Some of you are waiting for a miracle that only God can do. No human solutions, no system, no bailout, nothing. It's really gonna take the hand of God. But why, why does God do that? Why does God allow us to be in a pickle that we cannot solve for ourselves that it would completely be impossible for us to do? Hence, you look at all the miracles Jesus did. It was a lot of things that are impossible for man, but it was possible for God. Why does he do that? It comes down to one thing. And we read this through our scriptures is that it's because so that the glory of the Lord will be revealed.
Edna Harding [00:25:12]:
Right? And so that he will get the glory out of this. So my friends, my encouragement to you is that if you're in a storm right now and you don't GC Jesus present, I want you to take off that lie in your brain, in your mind, and know that he is present. He sees it all. He's watching it all. And at the moment that he needs to, his perfect timing, he will step in and will immediately command peace and breakthrough, and you will be exactly where you needed to be before the storm happened. Okay? Because remember, they were halfway in the middle of the Sea Of Galilee. They were not even towards the end yet because of the storm. But what did Jesus do? He stepped into the boat and he redeemed the time.
Edna Harding [00:26:07]:
What should have taken years could take days, but Jesus's word would a snap of his finger. In one, he spoke it in the other, he walked into it. Okay. Do you hear me? Jesus walked into their situation. Jesus will also walk into your situation, but you have to be patient and you have to be resilient. And instead of focusing on the storm, you have to focus on Jesus. Don't confuse temporary chaos with a permanent failure. Okay? Because remember that Jesus specializes in these types of things.
Edna Harding [00:26:49]:
He can handle the storms in your business. He can handle the storms in your health, your team, your soul, your finances, your marriage, your children. He can handle it all. But the problem is we're so focused on our storms instead of focusing on Jesus who, again, he is above the storm. He's like, there's no comparison between the storm and him. But because we're focused so much on a storm, we're not able to see that our answer, whether if it's whether if it's now or later, will surely come to pass, and he can fix things. He can redeem the time and turn it around immediately. Okay.
Edna Harding [00:27:33]:
So maybe you're in a storm right now. Maybe your systems are failing. Maybe your team is stretched. Maybe you're exhausted, rowing with no results. I want to encourage you. My friends that God sees you. And when Jesus shows up, what took hours in a storm can shift instantly. John six twenty one says, then they were willing to take him into the boat and immediately the boat reached the shore where they were heading.
Edna Harding [00:27:58]:
Immediately. Immediately. What does that mean? Storm over, journey complete, breakthrough delivered. Okay. How many of you guys would love that right now? I'm sure all of you guys are raising your hands. All of us would love that. But if we're still in the storm, maybe it's because God's glory is still there's still more that needs to happen in order for his glory to be revealed. And I know we don't get that, but our ways are not his ways.
Edna Harding [00:28:29]:
Our thoughts are not his thoughts. So how do we apply this into our lives? Remember, guys, that your greatest victory often precedes your greatest storms, just like the miracles before each boat side. Okay? Like, how many of you guys get a lot of false starts? I know I have. And then all of a sudden, when you think you're gonna win, then all of a sudden the greatest storm hits. Story of my life. Been there, done that, got the t shirt. Okay? Number two, silence is an absence. Distance doesn't mean disconnection.
Edna Harding [00:29:01]:
Remember that whether Jesus is asleep in your boat or watching from the mountain, he's never out of reach. Just remember this. The Bible says that he will never leave you nor forsake you. Whether you see him in your boat or whether you don't see him at all, and all you see the storms is storms raging against you. Remember that Jesus is there. Okay. Remember this, that storms reveal where our faith stands, not where Jesus went. I'm going to say that one more time for those in the back.
Edna Harding [00:29:30]:
Storms reveal where our faith stands, not where Jesus went. They actually expose our foundation, not his love. So my recommendation invite him into the boat, just like the disciples did, invite him into the boat, invite him into your situation, truly invite him, surrender it all to him. Tell him, Jesus, take the wheel. I can't fix this. You fix it and stop trying to help him. And I promise you breakthrough can happen just like that. The moment you stop focusing on the storm and the moment you truly surrender and trust that he knows what's best for you.
Edna Harding [00:30:16]:
K. To help us remember what we just discussed just now. I came up with the acronyms, stand. Okay. But before I go into that, I wanna say that God is not just the God of calm seas. He is the God in the chaos. K. He is the God in the chaos.
Edna Harding [00:30:39]:
People think that when chaos is happening, when storms are raging, when opposition is fierce, that God is not God. He's still God. He's the same God when everything is great, and he's still the same God when things are chaotic. Let him in the boat. K? Let him in a boat. That's the bottom line. Let him into the boat. So the acronym that I wanna help you guys with is stand.
Edna Harding [00:31:06]:
Letter s is stay anchored in God's word. Jesus told the disciples, let go, let's go to the other side. That was the promise. It was in a motivational quote. And guess what? When the, when the waves hit, they forgot about what he said. Remember guys that as a business owner, you'll get flooded with data or even a mom or dad or, a community leader or minister, you get flooded with data pressure, client issues, staff, drama, relationship problems, financial situations, market shifts, but don't forget the word that launch your assignment. If God called you to business, if God called you to motherhood, if God called you to be a wife, if God called you to be a minister, if God called you to be a speaker, if God called you to be an author, don't forget the word that launch your assignment. And don't be distracted by all the external things that says otherwise.
Edna Harding [00:32:03]:
Because when your business is built on trends, instead of truth, it sinks. So again, you have to stay anchored in God's word. God gave you this vision. God gave you this assignment. So when the cashflow dips or the clients walk away, don't anchor in what you see anchor in what he said. Okay. I want you to ask yourself a real question and that is, am I running my business based on the word or reaching? No, sorry, not reaching, reacting based on the waves. Letter T trust through the silence.
Edna Harding [00:32:40]:
In the first storm, Jesus was in the boat, but asleep. In the second, he was on the mountain watching. Either way, both situation, it felt like he wasn't responding. So if ever led a company or a team and felt like God was quiet, you're not alone. K? Silence does not mean absence. It means it's time to lean into trust, not tactics. K. Lean into trust, not manipulation, not to say, okay, God, I'm gonna pray.
Edna Harding [00:33:13]:
I'm gonna fast. I'm gonna read my Bible. I'm gonna do this, do this and do that thinking that we could manipulate our manipulate our way for him to act faster for him to answer our prayers quicker. That's not how God works. Trust me. I've tried those things. I'm not saying this to say I'm holy than thou. I'm saying this because I've tried it.
Edna Harding [00:33:31]:
It doesn't work. It really comes to our heart posture. Do we really trust what he says about us? Do you believe him no matter what our situation looks like? And are we willing to wait for him to step in? Because sometimes God's pauses because he's testing your capacity. Can you keep showing up when there's no applause, when there's no outcome, when there's no confirmation, when there's no fruits? Can you still keep showing up and believing and activating your faith on a daily basis? Do you you only lead well when you feel that God is moving, or do you trust that he's actually watching even when we can't see him? K? A, stand. Right? The letter a, activate your faith, not your fear. Remember, Peter walked on the water. That was faith. He sank because he focused on the waves.
Edna Harding [00:34:30]:
K? So remember this, and I have to say this because I think this is such a red flag that a lot of people don't realize. In business, fear often disguises itself as logic. For example, what if I lose everything? What will people think? Maybe I should scale back. Maybe I shouldn't spend that. Maybe I should not invest in that. Maybe I should I this is not the right time. Remember guys that faith activates movement. It sees risk as opportunities.
Edna Harding [00:34:58]:
Fear paralyzes. Faith produces. Alright? So what does faith look like if you want me to make it plain? Faith looks like making the hire. Faith looks like launching a product. Faith looks like pitching the idea. Faith looks like moving forward, even when the conditions aren't perfect. I know this is going against your a type brain, right? This is going against your analytical brain. Maybe this is going against everything you taught, learned, and taught about business.
Edna Harding [00:35:33]:
I know. That's the thing about God's ways. It's different from man's ways. Okay. I want you to ask this question to yourself. Is the decision you're making based on revelation or is it a fear of loss, a fear of rejection, a fear of poverty? Are you operating because you're scared or are you operating because you know that this is what God told you to do? Okay. And letter N two more guys. Thank you for bearing with me and is navigate with obedience, not emotion in both storm stories.
Edna Harding [00:36:12]:
The disciples were exactly where Jesus told them to be Storms didn't come because they disobeyed. Actually, they came because they obeyed. Remember that obedience will take you into uncomfortable places, but will also lead to uncommon favor. K? So what does that look like? Okay. Obedience looks like keeping your word, honoring God in your contracts, walking away from shady deals, or choosing integrity over popularity. Obedience looks like I'm gonna take off these next few days to spend time with God even though I know I probably need to be working to make my ends meet. Obedience looks like I don't care what people think. I don't care if this makes me look bad.
Edna Harding [00:36:57]:
I'm gonna obey what God tells me to do. That is obedience. Okay? Never operate your business or your company by emotion. Operate it by obedience to God's instructions. And the last letter D discern the deliverance and then delay. This is my favorite part. In John six twenty one, when Jesus stepped into the boat immediately, they reached the shore. Let that sink in.
Edna Harding [00:37:27]:
Okay. Remember they had been rowing for hours making no progress, but once Jesus stepped in, what took hours suddenly accelerated. What do you call that? Divine acceleration. Or I would say divine deliverance. You may feel like you've been rowing for years, grinding, building, pushing, not seeing results, but when you make room for Jesus, hear me, my friends, when you make room for Jesus, breakthrough can happen in any moment. One moment. Are you open to divine timing or are you frustrated because your progress doesn't match his your pace, right? The pace that you think you should be going. Right? All right.
Edna Harding [00:38:19]:
Remember my friend, the storm isn't meant to break you. It's there to build you your job. Isn't to control the storm. Your job is to stand again. S stay anchored in God's word. T trust through the silence. A activate your faith, not your fear. N navigate with obedience.
Edna Harding [00:38:39]:
And D to discern the deliverance in a delay. Ephesians six thirteen says after you've done everything stand, and that's exactly what you're going to do. Remember guys, you are built for this journey. Not because you're perfect. Okay. No, one's perfect. I'm not perfect. Okay.
Edna Harding [00:39:01]:
But it's because your foundation is secure. We are building our lives and our business on the solid rock on the word of God. Your foundation is secure, even though you don't feel like it, your foundation is secure. So stand stand. Okay. So if today's message stirs something in you, I'd love to hear about it. Screenshot this episode, tag me at the estrepreneur on Instagram. I believe it's the estrepreneur estrepreneur podcast.
Edna Harding [00:39:37]:
I don't remember. Sorry, guys, estrepreneur or share it with a fellow entrepreneur or leader who needs a reminder that their storm is survivable. You can also tag me on LinkedIn. I'm very active there. I'm more active there than any other social media profile because my audience is there. If you wanna gain more, business applications, through Bible, through biblical wisdom, please subscribe to my newsletter. You can subscribe on my website, or you could subscribe on LinkedIn. Remember guys that this is such a pivotal time in history, whether you know it or not.
Edna Harding [00:40:16]:
And right now the Lord is looking all over the earth for men and women, sons and daughters of God, who are willing to go all in and trust him in the storm to do only what he can do, not by our might and not by power, but by the spirit of God. So again, until next time, keep standing strong, stay favored, and lead with the fire of God that can consume everything in your way. This is the Estrepeneur, and I'll see you guys on the next episode. Hope this bless you my friends and hope you have a great rest of the week. Take care. Thanks for joining us this week on Estapreneur. 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.
Edna Harding [00:41:18]:
Also, check out my book, The Old New 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.