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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 [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 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 [00:00:49]:
Thank you for tuning in for another episode of the Estepreneur podcast. My name is Edna Harding and I'm nothing but a messenger of life. The Today we're going to talk about how to transition into kingdom authority instead of leading from survival. Okay. Because whether you like it or not, this happens more often than you think. And I just wanted to say, for those of you guys who are new here, I just want to say that the Astrapreneur podcast is a space where leaders and business owners and students and young professionals. I don't care what you are. They come to not just grow their business, but to grow their identity, their discernment, and their kingdom authority.
Edna [00:01:38]:
In today's episode, I specifically designed this to be a spiritual intervention. I'm going to say that one more time. It's this is. If you're listening to this, this is a spiritual intervention. This was divinely orchestrated by the Holy Spirit himself because many leaders, even the successful ones, are unknowingly leading from survival energy instead of kingdom assignment. And survival will make you productive, but survival will never make you powerful. Okay? And today we're going to talk about how to recognize that and most importantly, how to break it. So I want to go over some signs that you're leading from survival and not assignment.
Edna [00:02:30]:
Okay? Survival leadership isn't really like in your face. It's very subtle. Okay? It can hide behind excellence, it can hide behind responsibility, it can hide behind achievement, and it can hide behind busyness that looks noble but is actually spread spiritually bankrupt. Do any of you guys relate to that? I know I related to this at one point or another. Okay, and so what are these signs? That's go into them. There are seven signs. Okay? The first sign is you're making decisions to avoid loss, not steward vision. Fear based choices is often disguise as wisdom.
Edna [00:03:21]:
Okay? So for example, I can't think of a lot of ones like where I choose to pay for the cheap thing instead of the expensive thing because I'm afraid That I'm, you know, I'm going to run out of resources, whereas God told me to get ready for the harvest. And yet I'm disguising these fear based choices as wisdom, when in reality it's forgiveness fear. Does that make sense? I hope this makes sense. Number two, you over explain yourself because you fear being misunderstood. Guilty as charged. Okay, that's that communication, that's insecurity. I've done this so many times where I try to over explain myself rather than keep it short and sweet and, and speak from authority and not insecurity. Number three, you overwork because rest feels unsafe.
Edna [00:04:20]:
Survival trains your nervous system to confuse stillness with danger, when in reality it is not true. It's the opposite. Okay, number four, you stop dreaming because dreaming feels irresponsible. Okay? Survival doesn't dream. It manages. Okay, it manages the dream that you currently have versus increasing your mind to expect more. Okay, all right. Number five, you do everything yourself because support feels risky.
Edna [00:04:52]:
Okay, I know my assistants give me a hard time because I tend, I get impatient. I tend to do it myself versus let them do it. And, and I've learned to trust them, that they will do a great job. And they do. And, and they do a phenomenal job. And I'll focus on the things that I'm supposed to do versus focusing on the things that I, I paid them to do. Does that make sense? All right, number six, she confused urgency with importance. Survival leaders stay busy, but don't move the kingdom forward.
Edna [00:05:25]:
At the end of the day, it's about the kingdom of God, not your kingdom. God's kingdom. And number seven, you feel guilty for wanting more. That is called the orphan spirit. That's not humility. So, so if any of these hit you, you're not broken, you're misaligned. Remember my friends, that survival is a spirit, it's not a season. Let me say that one more time.
Edna [00:05:48]:
Survival is a spirit, not a season. Okay? Because survival will make you distort your decisions. Okay? So survival makes you reactive instead of prophetic. So for example, a survival leader will ask, what's the safest option? Or what will keep everyone happy? Or what will protect me from loss? Or what will keep me from being disappointed? A kingdom leader asks, what is God breathing on? What advances the assignment? Okay, what aligns with God's architecture for my business? And what's the bold, obedient choice? Do you. You see the difference? Okay, so what is God breathing on? I want you to. I'm going to say this one more time because I want you to get this in your head. What is God breathing on? What advances the assignment? What aligns with heaven's architecture or God's blueprint? Right? And what's the bold, obedient choice? Because survival will distort decisions when failure. Fear is the strategist.
Edna [00:07:02]:
Let me. Let me ask you, who is the strategist behind your decisions? Is it God or is it fear? Fear will keep you small. Fear will keep you overthinking. Fear will keep you waiting. Fear will keep you under price. And fear will keep you performing for love instead of leading from identity. And this right here is a struggle for me because I do care and I do want people to like me. And that's probably one of the biggest weaknesses that I have because I'm not used to people not liking me.
Edna [00:07:39]:
And so what we do is we try to perform for love instead of leading from identity. So we do this even with our. With how we treat the Father. We perform for love from God instead of leading. Like, hey, I'm the daughter of the most high God. Does that make sense? So I want to warn you that fear is a terrible consultant, okay? Fear is the worst advisor you could ever listen to, okay? And I'm speaking to myself, okay? Because I struggle with this. It comes and goes, right? Survival leaders still let it into the bathroom. Why do we do that? Why do we let fear come back in after we've been delivered and healed? Because it's one of those things.
Edna [00:08:18]:
You know, I don't know if I told you this before, but during, like, when I was really studying the word of God, I realized that. That the. The three spirits that. That really operates in believers is the spirit of fear, the spirit of rejection, and the spirit of rebellion. On this one more spirit of pride. Fear, rejection, rebellion, and pride. Those are the four things that came out of the spirit. So I guess the Lord wanted me to emphasize that to someone here today.
Edna [00:08:51]:
Okay? God wants to deliver you from holding onto decisions that feel safe but are spiritually suffocating. Okay? So why does God dismantle old coping mechanisms? Because what happens is when God is preparing to promote you, he dismantles these structures that help you survive because you cannot. I want you to hear, my friends, bring survival strategies into a kingdom assignment. Coping mechanisms could feel like control. It could feel like perfection. It could feel like isolation, overthinking people, pleasing, emotional detachment, Hyper interdependence and hyper interdependence. Hyper independence, I guess. My nose is so itchy.
Edna [00:09:40]:
Hyper independence and avoidance. These were survival Tools when you were dealing with traumatic things and they kept you alive, but now it's keeping you small. Okay? So what he does is he dismantled them by making avoidance uncomfortable. They make people pleasing, impossible. Hello. Been there. They make what I say. They of the Father, Son, the Holy Spirit.
Edna [00:10:06]:
Makes perfection unbearable, okay? Removes the desire to rescue everyone. Come on, Jesus. Oh Lord, you're speaking to me now. And he strips the illusion that you can do everything alone. Okay? Like, this has been my walk all year, okay? I don't know when this is going to be published, but this has been my walk all year. So if you feel like you're malfunctioning, you're not. You're actually maturing. And God is forcing you to retire those coping mechanisms from the survival mentality because they cannot coexist with Kingdom authority.
Edna [00:10:44]:
I hope this is blessing you guys and I hope you're hearing me now. What is the mindset and the rhythms or the ways of life for kingdom led CEOs, okay? The kind that the Bible talks about. Number one, kingdom CEOs don't operate like survivors, okay? They don't lead from desperation. They don't build from fear. They don't steward from striving and hustle and activity. They don't lead from scarcity. Instead, they do this. They do authority over anxiety.
Edna [00:11:17]:
They don't want to feel confident, though. They don't want. They don't wait to feel confident. Sorry, guys, I can't understand my notes. They don't wait to feel confident, but they lead from the authority God gave them so you don't have to feel confident. You lead from the authority God gave. Number two, identity over image. They no longer perform for relevance.
Edna [00:11:40]:
Their posture becomes from being a child of God or a son and daughter of God, not approval. Number three, they don't stay busy, they stay aligned. So they choose assignment over activity. What did God call you to do? I remember what he told me before is feed my sheep. And that's what I'm doing. And everything that I'm doing, whether, if it's my coaching, consulting, my podcast, my content is feeding God's sheep. Does that make sense? I focus on his business. He'll take care of my business.
Edna [00:12:14]:
That's what he told me. Number four, discernment. Over data alone, they hear God before they scale anything. They hear what is his voice, what is his instructions, what is his ways. Rest over rush. Rush. Rest over over rush. That's a tongue twister.
Edna [00:12:33]:
Rest is not a luxury. It's obedience. And sometimes when people think of Rest. They're thinking more of like, let's go get a massage, like get your nails done. You know, let's do nothing. Actually, rest is more of a spiritual posture and I'm not going to take that as a. A lesson that I came up with. This is from one of my mentors and good friends, Pastor Lyra Heiney at jccos.
Edna [00:12:56]:
Please check him out, Check out his social media, check out his. The. The ministry. He's a great man of God and he taught me that very well is that rest has nothing to do with what you're doing on the outside. It's a spiritual posture. Okay? Number six. Obedience over overthinking. They don't ask for 12 confirmations.
Edna [00:13:18]:
They move when God speaks. If God says to buy that laptop, you buy that laptop. God says for you to join that program, you join that program. Okay? Just do what God told you to do. Especially for seeking him with all your heart. Number seven. They don't hoard. They don't fear growth.
Edna [00:13:37]:
They don't underprice or second guess. It's called stewardship over survival. They govern from God's blueprint, not earth's pressure. So they will steward what they got and not survive. You know, like they're generous, they're. They don't hoard on to things. They. They give when God tells them to give.
Edna [00:13:58]:
Okay? They don't operate from trauma. They operate from truth. Let me say that one more time. A kingdomled CEO does not operate from trauma. They operate from truth. Okay? So if you're listening to this episode and you're feeling expose, this is good, okay? This is not a condemnation. This is liberation. So how do you transition from survival to authority? Number one, Tell the truth.
Edna [00:14:33]:
You cannot heal what you continue to justify. Number two. Identify the fear behind the decision. Where fear ends, authority be begins. Number three. Ask God what version of you is he trying to retire? He will show you clearly if you ask honestly. Okay? Number four. You want to build rhythms that support authority, not adrenaline.
Edna [00:15:04]:
So silence, like stillness. Sabbath, right. Align. Planning. Practicing joy. Enjoying the fruits of your labor. Strategic rest. Like these are all important.
Edna [00:15:16]:
Number five. Practice obedience and small decisions. Authority is strengthened by consistent yeses. Again. Authority is strengthened by consistent yeses. Number six. Break agreement with old identities. Let me say that again.
Edna [00:15:35]:
Break agreement with old identities. In fact, what I want you to do right now is I want you to say it out loud. Loud and proud, wherever you are. I am no longer leading from survival. I lead from assignment. How does that feel? Guys, I'm going to Say it again. I am no longer leading from survival. I am leading from assignment.
Edna [00:16:07]:
All right. And number seven. Surround yourself with voices that speak to your kingdom identity, not your wounds. Come on, let me say that again. Surround yourself. I know I'm screaming, but I'm not really. Surround yourself with voices that speak to your kingdom identity, not your wounds. Growth requires governance, not enabling.
Edna [00:16:32]:
Not enabling. I mean, that right itself is a. Is a mic drop type of, like, that's so good. Like, if I say so for myself, that is so good. And I hope this helps you as much as it's helping me as I'm teaching this stuff. So good. Okay. Remember, my friends, you were never meant to build a business from survival.
Edna [00:16:51]:
You were meant to govern. Okay? You were never meant to lead from fear. You were meant to lead from. From inheritance. The inheritance God gave you because Jesus paid the price. My friends, you are Jesus's inheritance. It's like God will be an unjust God if Jesus gave his life and his inheritance is your soul and your people, like the Father wouldn't be a good father. If Jesus paid the price and he doesn't reward Jesus for the price he already paid.
Edna [00:17:27]:
And it is finished, my friends. You just have to step into it. You just need to walk into it. Lead from inheritance, not from fear. Okay? You were never meant to grind your way to impact. You were meant to carry authority because of who your father is, right? This is the moment I want you. Whatever this day is, whenever this is published, whenever you listen to this, this is a moment where you, son of God, where you, daughter of God, will break agreement with a version of yourself that was shaped by trauma and step into the version shaped by the truth, which is the word of God. Come on, my friends, your business will transform the moment your identity shifts realms.
Edna [00:18:19]:
Remember, survival got you here. Authority will take you further. Your calling. Calling is too expensive for survival energy. I'm going to say that one more time. Your calling is too expensive for survival energy. Now the question is, are you willing to lead from assignment instead of anxiety? Are you willing to lead from identity instead of insecurity? Are you willing to lead from governance instead of your grind? Remember, my friends, it's pretty simple. I'm going to make it very clear on what you need to do.
Edna [00:19:03]:
Your next level, your next level, the one that you've been praying for, hoping for, seeing, for, believing, for dreaming for, is just waiting on your. Yes, yes, sir, here I am. Send me. So, my friends, I hope this encouraged you. I hope this blessed you. I hope this gave you revelation to keep going all in for what God has in store for you. You have nothing to lose but everything to gain and I pray that this bless you and encourage you today, my friends. Until next time, keep Shining.
Edna [00:19:50]:
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 seven of my secrets on how to win and grow business the right way. Until next time, keep Shining.