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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]:
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.
Edna Harding [00:00:40]:
Well, hello everyone. Thank you for tuning in for another episode of the estherpreneur podcast. My name is Edna Harding, and I'm nothing but a messenger of life. In today's episode, we're going to talk about four lessons my four year old daughter taught me about childlike faith and wonder. So if this is your first time here, I just want to say welcome. In this podcast, we talk business and life, God's ways. That includes your mind, business, spirit, relationships and finances. And from time to time, we have guests that come along.
Edna Harding [00:01:09]:
But this particular episode, at least for this particular season of my life, I am going to be doing a lot of these teachings from my journals, which I have plenty of. And I'm hoping that you guys are encouraged by the things that I'm learning. And if there's anything specific you guys want to learn about, feel free to message me. Okay? I want to say that I've been in this, this season of childlike faith and childlike wonder. It's like the Lord has been igniting that, that childlike wonder back in me. But before. Thank you, Holy Spirit. Before I do that, I'm just going to open up in prayer.
Edna Harding [00:01:46]:
Father God, I just pray that you take over my tongue. You take over this episode, oh God, that you reign, Holy Spirit, that you speak what needs to be spoken and that you teach me, Lord, what to say in Jesus name. Amen. Okay, the verse that I'm referring to, which a lot of you guys know about, I have referred to many, many times. Again is Matthew 18:3, where it says, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children and will never, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven, this is not just something cute. This is truly a warning. But many adults don't lose faith because they stop believing God. They lose faith because they stop believing God is good.
Edna Harding [00:02:28]:
Okay? Because many of us believe in God. But the thing that we struggle with is God is good because of what we're seeing in the media, what we're hearing in the news. Because of things that are going on in our lives times, it's hard for us to believe that God is good. Am I preaching yet or am I preaching because I'm preaching to myself? Because sometimes that is, that is a struggle for me. Okay? Especially when you've gone through so much, it's hard for us to believe that God is good. So a lot of times what I found is people believe God is near. They believe that God still speaks. They believe that wonder is allowed.
Edna Harding [00:03:00]:
But then somewhere along the way, as we continue to become older and more mature, not just in age, but in our lives, right in our spiritual maturity, we trade childlike faith for adult level fear. And we call this we wisdom. And it is not wisdom, it is fear. Okay, so I'm going to share with you guys four lessons I've learned from Anaya and then we're going to go ahead and get started with the first one. One thing that Anaya does that humbles me is she trusts Anaya. Trusts without demanding, control. Okay? So it's not because she understands everything, because she doesn't get everything. Trust me, she doesn't even know what it means.
Edna Harding [00:03:43]:
But because she knows who I am, she trusts me. So for example, if I tell Anaya, it's like, let's go. She's like, she's like, where are we going? And I say, we're going somewhere. Like, okay. She doesn't ask, where exactly are we going? How long will it take? What are the risks? Do I have any snacks? What's the backup plan if it rains? He just, she just goes. She's like, okay, Mommy, let me go grab my shoes. Let me go get my jacket. Can I bring my purse? Can I, can I bring this? And this is something that I realized time and time again as I watch my girls.
Edna Harding [00:04:14]:
And I think, I love the fact, even though in my 40s, not gonna say how old I am in my 40s, and I have a 4 year old and a 6 year old. So I started late later. And like, I'm so glad I am raising up my girls at this season of my life because they're helping me have childlike faith again and childlike wonder. So. So the reason why so many believers can't obey God is because they don't trust his heart enough to follow his instructions. They don't trust his heart. Which is why I remember a long time ago, someone prophesied over me that I just don't teach people how to create wealth, but I teach them the father's heart. Because there is a Misconception of who the Father is, the Heavenly Father is and his heart.
Edna Harding [00:05:03]:
I think a lot of times when people think of God, I think of someone judgmental, very legalistic. Even though he does not love sin, he hates certain things. He is a such a merciful God. He got. He's a God that gives many, many, many chances. At some point, he has to discipline us if we're so rebellious and we don't listen. But he is so faithful, okay? And that's what he wants. He wants, when he tell.
Edna Harding [00:05:26]:
When he tells us something, that we trust the person that's telling us to do it, so we do it. That's childlike faith. It's not reckless. It's not ignorant. It's just surrendered. Anaya taught me that faith isn't God. I trust you because I have all the details. Faith is God.
Edna Harding [00:05:46]:
I trust you because I know you're good. There's a scripture in Psalms 84, 11. It says, no good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly. So this is something that I want to challenge you with today. Stop trying to make a safe decision. Start making a faith decision because you know who told you to do that thing. Not because you see facts and data and proof and all these things, but because God, the person you trust the most, the person who gave you that instruction, you know him and you trust his heart, okay? And that. I feel like the Lord wants us to sit here for a little bit.
Edna Harding [00:06:24]:
That is probably one of the hardest things. Because especially if you've been. You've experienced a lot of hardships in life. It's hard to trust that the Father has good intentions. Especially when in the natural, it feels like completely the opposite. Like he's out to harm us, he's out to get us. But in reality, it's the enemy that comes to kill, steal and destroy. But God gives his life and life more abundantly.
Edna Harding [00:06:46]:
But if he's allowing it for a reason in our life, there is a better outcome. There's a greater glory that comes out of this, right? The second lesson I learned from Anaya is Anaya asks boldly and doesn't feel ashamed. So let me tell you something Anaya does every single day. In fact, my husband can account to this. My parents can account to this. They're her, Lola and Papa. She asks for what she wants and she doesn't get embarrassed. She doesn't apologize for her desire.
Edna Harding [00:07:16]:
She doesn't whisper it like she's unworthy. Okay? She asks with fully full confidence and says, mommy, can I Have it. And you know what's wild, which is very interesting. Most adults feel more comfortable asking humans for help than asking God. How many of you guys? It's crazy. It's so crazy. You know, I've gotten to the point, and mind you, it took me a very long time to get me here because I. I was never always like this, but before, I would always ask help from people.
Edna Harding [00:07:45]:
And then I realized that you can't depend on people. So I got to the point where. Where I always ask God first for everything. I don't even ask my husband or my father, the people around me. I ask God for everything to the point where the Lord will tell me, I need you to ask your husband. I need you to ask so and so, okay? And stop always. Like, basically, it's amazing. Like, it's reversed now, but before in the beginning, it was like, okay, let me go ask this person, this person.
Edna Harding [00:08:10]:
And now, like, I've gotten so. Because of my experiences in life, and I see how faithful God is. And this is like, again, when it comes to childlike faith, is like, I know that these people don't have the answers. I know God does. I know he'll always say yes and amen. So I go to him first. Okay? That's the kind of confidence we need to have when we come to the Father. Especially if we're.
Edna Harding [00:08:31]:
No. We know what God's will is. It doesn't go against God's word. We know that God gave us that assignment, that vision. You go upon that throne. You go up to the throne of heaven with Jesus, the Father, the Holy Spirit, and say, lord, this is what I need for what you are telling me to build. Let us then. Oh, he was 4, 16.
Edna Harding [00:08:52]:
Let us then with confidence, draw near to the throne of grace. Confidence. That insecurity, Matthew 7:7 says, ask and it will be given to you. Seek and you will find. Aya. She doesn't negotiate. She doesn't convince herself it's too much. She doesn't just say, well, I don't want to bother you.
Edna Harding [00:09:07]:
She ask. In fact, she'll ask me in the middle of my meeting. She interrupts my day. I hate to say it. She interrupts. I could be in the middle of doing something. She just interrupts me. That's the kind of boldness a child has.
Edna Harding [00:09:20]:
She doesn't even question, is this the right time? She just goes up to me, mommy, can I have this? Mommy can have a snack? Mommy can have this. Like, she just asked, mommy, can I. I forgot. Like, she asked me Something extravagant. Like, every time she sees, like, I think, okay, you know, in Instagram, they have all these, like, these fake beds that are not real beds. For example, a bed made out of, like, popsicles, a bed made of watermelon. Like, she'll ask for that stuff. Like, she just comes to me like, mommy, can you get this for me for my birthday? Like, that's the kind of boldness we.
Edna Harding [00:09:50]:
She has. Okay? And this convicted me of many, many times. Like when I. When I was asking God, lord, help me to have childlike faith. What does that look like? That. That's what childlike faith is. Ask for bold, big, extravagant things. Some of us have prayer lives.
Edna Harding [00:10:07]:
That sounds like poor people trying not to offend a rich person. Remember that we are not spiritual beggars. We are his children. We are his sons and daughters. And in fact, in Romans 8:15, it says, you have received the spirit of adoption as sons. So here's the question. What have you stopped asking God for? Because you think it's too big or too much or it's too impossible or just, what have you stopped asking God for? Because if God can speak words into existence, worlds into existence, we're using his words. He's not intimidated by your prayer requests.
Edna Harding [00:10:42]:
Is this her? Is this prickling your. Like, even me, I had. I'm like, even. I'm just thinking, what have I stopped asking for? What have I stopped asking for? Right? And I have to, like, be real myself. What have I stopped asking before? And sometimes the Holy Spirit will remind me, okay, remember, read that journal from 2012. Or I'm like, that's a lot of 2009. I'm like, that was such a long time ago. And he'll remind me of those past desires.
Edna Harding [00:11:05]:
Because again, life happened before. Before life happened to maybe, you know, I had a pretty good life. You know, I had a loving family. I've always received FAI favor and everything that I did. Yeah, I dealt with the ugly side of corporate America. But overall, I had childlike faith. And then life happened. And that childlike faith just, like, went somewhere.
Edna Harding [00:11:24]:
And I had to have adult fear, adult faith. And then now the Lord is coming back to childlike faith. But I feel like this is so important right now for the body of Christ, because if where God is taking you, you have to have a childlike faith. Because the whole, like, trauma, fear, limiting beliefs about God and what he can do will not allow you to enter into the new. Like, we have to get rid of those things that no longer. That the capacity, the. The. The the mental, like, the capacity.
Edna Harding [00:11:55]:
Like, when you think of capacity, like, we have to, like, break the roof off of our brains and help us and ask the Lord to think higher, to ask bigger, right? To believe for more. So stop asking for the sale. Stop asking for the partnership. Stop. Stop asking for the testimony. Stop asking for the opportunity. Stop asking for increase. Okay, but the Bible.
Edna Harding [00:12:19]:
So when, when, when you're doing all of that. So I think Holy Spirit is like, what am I saying here? This is what happens. You stop asking for the sale, you stop asking for the partnerships. You just like, okay, whatever. You will let it be done. The scripture says you do not have because you do not ask. So start asking for the sale, start asking for the partnerships, start asking for the testimony, Start asking for the sponsorships. Me specifically, I'm just gonna be bold and pray.
Edna Harding [00:12:45]:
I'm praying that I'm gonna have sponsorships for my podcast, right? I wanna have sponsorships for my podcast so that I could continue to do this on a higher level, a higher tier, where I'm able to not just publish on a weekly basis, but maybe two days a week or three times a week. Because I, I, you know, although I do have assistance. I'm doing pretty much, you know, the recording, the editing, the post production and so forth. But that would be really cool if I could have sponsorships for this. So that's what. That's one thing that, That I asked that, because that was one of the, the pro. The. The words that God spoke over me was that I was going to have uncommon favor for my podcast.
Edna Harding [00:13:24]:
So I'm just going to keep asking that so you guys could see that for yourselves on what that looks like. Okay? So you do not have. Because you do not ask. So when Anaya asks boldly because she believes she's safe, that is what we need to do. We need to boldly ask because we, our God, our Father can handle the big ask. All right? The third lesson I've learned is Anaya finds wonder in what adults ignore. Okay? So, for example, Anaya is amazed by the smallest things. For example, a bug, a leaf, a rock, a cloud, a shadow.
Edna Harding [00:14:01]:
Not really a shadow. Yeah, yeah, a shadow on the. I was like, what is that? Or some random cloth. I mean, she is truly, like, excited about the little things. Okay? A pen, a piece of candy that you probably haven't seen in, like, 10 years. Okay. Adults walk past these little things like, nothing. Okay.
Edna Harding [00:14:22]:
And one of the things the Holy Spirit showed to me is wonder is not childish. Wonder is actually a spiritual sensitivity. And Some people don't feel God anymore because they train themselves to only see him in big things instead of the little things. But the Bible says, in Psalms 19:1, it says the heavens declare the glory of God. So creation preaches, but you have to be paying attention. Like the flowers, like it's so funny because my daughters are so, like they are so attentive. Like, mommy, look, it's your face. Favorite flower.
Edna Harding [00:14:56]:
Look at the red flowers, the gold flowers. You know, they know my favorite colors are red and yellow, gold and white. They, they, they like little things. They, they, they see it, they pay attention to it. Okay, in Matthew 6, Jesus literally tells grown adults, look at the birds, look at the lilies, because look at how God takes care of those things. Yet we ourselves worry about things. Okay, if we can see, I want you guys to hear me, my friends. If we can see God sustaining creation, you can trust him to sustain you.
Edna Harding [00:15:29]:
Look at. And even though, again, I don't really know how birds work and ants and all these things, all the animals are taken care of and they're animals. We're his children, okay? I mean, this is really deep, guys. This is really so important, okay? Adults lose wonder because they stop noticing God moving. In our day to day life, we're looking for the big extravagant things that we miss. The little things, the laughter in a kid's smile. Like I remember I've been noticing the little things and I'm just in awe of the things God is doing on a daily basis. Instead of looking at the big things, I'm noticing the little things, okay? Because a lot of us, we get numb.
Edna Harding [00:16:13]:
We get rushed. We, we get responsible. Like we're responsible for so many things. We get cynical and that's why the enemy loves mature believers because they don't expect God to surprise them anymore. It's funny, one of my, my, my word for myself is expect surprises every day. So every day I'm supposed to be capturing new surprises. Like for example, yesterday I bought silver. Like, who would have thought I would buy silver, right? And, and, and mind you, I didn't do it the right way.
Edna Harding [00:16:43]:
I got, I probably paid more than I need to. But the fact is I never thought I would buy silver, okay? And I probably shouldn't have said that on the podcast, but okay, I did it anyway. But regardless, that was a surprise for me. I never thought I would buy, you know, silver or would buy, invest in digital currency. Like that is just something that was not on my list. But he tends to surprise me every single day, right? Because One of the things. Thank you, Holy Spirit. One of the things that I do is I ask the Lord, help me to create wealth, help me to prosper, teach me how to.
Edna Harding [00:17:14]:
To multiply the seeds that I have in my hand. Obviously, you know, there, there is, you know, obviously you give to ministries and things like that. But he also wants us to grow our investments because the investment is God's, is not ours. Right. He tells me to invite, invest in certain. I am not a financial advisor. I'm not telling you what to do. I'm just saying what.
Edna Harding [00:17:34]:
What I did. Okay, so my point is, the enemy loves to keep us, like, boring, but God loves to surprise us and try new things. Because when we expect God to do new things, that's a form of faith. So, for example, wonder in business looks like noticing when God is blessing instead of chasing what he isn't. Right? So what is God blessing right now? Well, for me, God is blessing my rest. God is blessing my health, my marriage, my children. Right. God is blessing my body.
Edna Harding [00:18:05]:
Like, I. I feel rested. Like, I keep saying rested. I feel like that's one area. If I look back at the years, that's one thing I neglected because I was, like, just running myself dry because I kept building, building, building, building. I think a part of me, like, his grace is sufficient for me. But at the same time, this is a temple of the Holy Spirit. And I felt like I didn't really care for my body as much as I should.
Edna Harding [00:18:27]:
As far as, like, for example, getting enough sleep. Sleep. All right. The second thing for CEOs is you could pay attention to the clients that feel easy and aligned. Like, instead of focusing on the clients that you wish you have, how about the clients that you already have that are just amazing to work with? Okay. Another example is, you know, wonder in business could be like, well, I have these divine connections. I have access to these resources and these people. Thank you, God.
Edna Harding [00:18:54]:
You know, for. For so and so. Thank you, God, for this person. Thank you, God, for. For this path that you. You've. You've. And we have to be present enough to recognize doors God opened quietly.
Edna Harding [00:19:05]:
Because sometimes we miss the doors because we're looking for the big doors, but we miss the little doors that are actually the ones that are going to lead to the big doors. The scripture says in Psalms 1:18 23, it says, this is the Lord's doing. It is marvelous in our eyes. I challenge you, my friends. Look for marvelous things each and every day. Something that's going to wow you, something that is different and completely, like, crazy, like, wow, this is awesome. This is God, right? All right, and lesson number four, the last one is Anaya. She recovers fast.
Edna Harding [00:19:41]:
She doesn't camp in disappointment. Let me tell you something that she does that is so much better than adults is she doesn't stay offended long. She'll cry a little bit. She might even get frustrated. But five minutes later, she's laughing, she's playing, she's moving on. You know, I'm tickling her. I'm. You know, sometimes I do bribe her.
Edna Harding [00:20:00]:
I'm like, I'm gonna buy you something. And she's okay. This is what I love about childlike faith. Childlike faith is not never feeling pain, but it's refusing to build a home in it because adults camp in disappointment. Adults rehearse it over and over again, and then we get stuck in this cycle. I remember one time I would. I just. I kept talking about bankruptcy.
Edna Harding [00:20:25]:
I kept talking about the things that I went through because of the church pastor to scam me, that hurt me and all these things. And. And I remember one person, I think it was. I don't remember who it was, and I remember she said, well, when did this happen? I was like, in 2000 and, like, five years ago. I thought you just happened last year. And I was like, oh, my goodness. I'm still talking about the thing that happened five years ago. Right? We can't do that.
Edna Harding [00:20:47]:
We can't constantly repeat the trauma and the pain and experience we lived if we want to move forward to all the new things, okay? Because what happens is, if you keep meditating on that, you start believing beliefs out of it. You start thinking a certain way because of it, okay? What children does is they process it. They process it, they release it, and they return to joy quicker. Ephesians 4, 26 says, do not let the sun go down on your angels. Anger. And Proverbs 17:22 says, A joyful heart is good medicine. Naya doesn't insist on holding on to heaviness. In fact, one thing I love about her is it's like.
Edna Harding [00:21:31]:
It's like. That's how to explain. She's so. She's so easy. She's so easy. It's just, like, rolls off of her like she doesn't care. Like, her and her and my other daughter could be getting this huge fight, like, screaming match. And then five minutes later, atha, do you want to go play with the Barbie dolls? Like, it's like nothing.
Edna Harding [00:21:47]:
Like nothing. But then as adults, as believers, we tend to spiritualize emotional Bondage. And sometimes it's not even that deep. Okay? Sometimes it's like we get offended because so and so didn't invite us to this thing, or so and so didn't acknowledge or help about this thing, so forth. You know, what we need to do is just forgive, release, move forward, forgive, release, move forward, and move on, forgetting what's behind and pressing on. According to Philippians 3, 13, 14. That is childlike faith. The faith that returns, the faith that bounces back, and the faith that doesn't require life to be perfect to still trust God.
Edna Harding [00:22:24]:
And this one right here, I know this is going to speak to you because it spoke to me. Some of you entrepreneurs may have lost a lot of money. You have lost time. You have felt betrayed, you got disappointed. And now you lead guarded. You sell guarded, you create guarded. But God is not calling you to build armored. He's calling you to build a line with the character of God, with the truth of God, which is God does not give us a spirit of fear, but of power.
Edna Harding [00:22:55]:
And if you're building from fear, I keep hearing that if you're building from fear, the blueprint is off. And that that spirit of fear is like a lingering spirit, right? It comes and goes. Like it'll leave you alone for a little bit, let you do a little thing. And then all of a sudden, because of your trauma, you. Something triggers it. Ptsd. It's like one little thing will spark that fear again. And all of a sudden, you're booting with fear again.
Edna Harding [00:23:20]:
And you have to get back on your intimacy with this Lord. Like, okay, something is off. Something is off. And the Holy Spirit's like, it's rejection and fear. It's this, it's that. What are the things that I have to get back in check. I get to have to get my heart right if I wanted to build right? Okay. Anaya recovers because she trusts love is still there.
Edna Harding [00:23:37]:
She knows that we love her and that my sister love her. Her sister loves her. Her daddy loves her. Even though we could be the person that hurt her because we're the closest to her, she recovers easily because she knows we truly love her. Lamentations 3, 22, 23 says, his mercies never come to an end. They are new every morning. New every morning. That is a posture of a child.
Edna Harding [00:24:01]:
So here are four lessons again. Anaya has taught me. It's going to wrap it up real quickly. Number one, trust without needing control. Number two, ask boldly because you belong. Number three, stay in wonder, because God is always Speaking. And number four, recover quickly and don't camp in disappointment. And I want to leave you with this.
Edna Harding [00:24:21]:
Childlike faith is not about being naive, okay? A lot of times we think we got to just be like, immature. No, it's about being free, being free from the world that tends to keep God's people captive. Because when you're childlike in faith, you're not trying to become your own provider. You're letting God remain who he already is. Your father, Matthew 18:3 wasn't a suggestion. It was a standard. And if we remember that standard and if we live by that standard, I promise you, your business life is going to change. Father, I thank you for restoring wonder to your people.
Edna Harding [00:25:00]:
I thank you that you're renewing our mind and helping us to have childl like faith, just like you suggested in your word, according to your instructions to your disciples and your followers. God, I pray, oh God, that that will. That will be our reality from this day forward. We love you, Honor. We thank you for all these things. In Jesus mighty name, Amen. All right, guys, God bless you. I hope this encourage you.
Edna Harding [00:25:23]:
And I hope you learned a lot from my daughter Anaya, because I'm sure I did. I know I did. All right. Blessings, my friends. Take care. Thanks for joining us this week on Estrepreneur. Make sure to visit our website favorandwealth.com for more information on our services. While you're at it, if you found value in this show, we'd appreciate a rating on itunes.
Edna Harding [00:25:48]:
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.