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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 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'm nothing but a messenger of life, hope and truth here in the market marketplace. I'm so excited if you guys are joining me for the first time. I know this is not an accident, and I know that God has a word for you. For those who have been returning consistently week, every week, for years, thank you, thank you, thank you. It's such an encouragement to see and hear from each and every one of you guys who have reached out via LinkedIn. If you guys are active on LinkedIn, please connect with me there. That is probably the best way for us to.
Edna Harding [00:01:27]:
To talk to each other, get to know each other, even for just a little bit. But thank you, thank you, thank you. Today's episode is something that is. I think it's going to bless you in this particular season of life that you are in, because I know just by way of the spirit, if God is bringing you to this episode, it's because things are looking a little bumpy right now for you, whether if it's in your relationships, whether it's. Whether if it's in your finances, whether it's in your business, your career, your life, so forth. This episode is right on time. But before we begin, let's go ahead and pray. Holy Spirit, thank you for this time.
Edna Harding [00:02:07]:
Thank you for this hour. Thank you, Lord, for all that you're doing in my brother and sister's life. We thank you, God, that this is not an accident, but this is a divine interruption in their day, in their season, so. So that they can be encouraged, so that they could be enabled to be able to do what you've called them to do since the beginning of time. In Jesus mighty name, Amen. All right, well, I want to say this, and you probably already know this, but I'm going to go ahead and repeat it. Success is not a straight line. Okay.
Edna Harding [00:02:42]:
Success is not a straight line. It's. There's A lot of potholes. There's a lot of detours. There's a lot of unexpected stories, storms. Hello? Is anybody else in the building? Yes, we know this is a fact. This is not theory. This is a fact.
Edna Harding [00:02:59]:
And. And it can get very difficult, especially when you're in those tough seasons. So, you know, one thing I love about this particular platform and this particular vessel I'm talking about this podcast is we talk about faith, we talk about practicality, but we also talk about destiny and strateg and combine it with a bunch of action. Right? Knowledge is not enough. You have to be able to apply the knowledge or apply the revelation that you get for this particular season of your life. And you have to apply it and take actions based on the truth of the word of God. Hold on, guys. I am trying to move my microphone because it's in an awkward position.
Edna Harding [00:03:44]:
I hope you guys can hear me better. So we're going to continue asking ourselves, how do we keep going? How do we keep going? When I feel like quitting? I can't tell you how many times in my life since I was 16 years old. And mind you, right now I'm 42. Am I 41 or 42? Is one of those. Okay, keep up. I think I'm 41. Where I was like, God, how do you expect me to keep going? I can't do this anymore. I'm so tired.
Edna Harding [00:04:16]:
I'm exhausted. I know my husband has heard me say this many times. In fact, my children, who are only 4 and 6, have heard me say this over and over again. And this is normal. My friends, you are not being condemned because of this. Every person, every Christian, every believer, every entrepreneur, especially your kingdom minded entrepreneur, has God has called, faced moments of deep doubt. Deep doubt, okay, what about that? Talk about tongue twister. Deep doubt.
Edna Harding [00:04:51]:
And the difference isn't okay, you know, maybe I'm doing this wrong. Maybe it's. Maybe I'm not thinking right. Maybe I'm not saying things right. You know, how the religious spirit will come and make you condemn you, make you feel a certain way. It's actually just about learning to persevere when. When quitting seems like this is the smartest option. Like it's not even worth it.
Edna Harding [00:05:17]:
Have any of you guys felt like, this is not even. I don't even know if it's going to be worth it. Like this is not worth it? This is not worth sacrificing my family? This not worth. When I say sacrificing my family, like the convenience of your family and I think that was the hardest thing for me when I was single. Thank you, Holy Spirit. When I was single, it was easy for me to make sacrifices because they only affected me. But ever since I became a wife, ever since I became a mother, obedience costs more, right? It now is not just affecting me, but it's affecting my family. So when God is telling me to focus on a sector in the marketplace that's not as profitable, but I do it out of obedience.
Edna Harding [00:05:55]:
I know that I'm setting my family back. Does that make sense? And that is really difficult. It's probably one of the hardest things I did. It was to obey, knowing that it's going to put our family into bind. Like it's. It's. When I say bind, like, our family is going to struggle a bit. And that right there, I think, was the biggest challenge for me, because it's easy to obey when it doesn't really affect a lot of things, the people you love.
Edna Harding [00:06:27]:
But are you able to obey when things are harder? Am I making sense? I hope I'm making sense. There was many seasons. Not just a time, but many seasons, okay? When I looked around and saw nothing but loss. I'm talking about all hell broke loose. Nothing. There's not even any bones left in the. In everything that I've built all these years. No money, Momentum.
Edna Harding [00:06:54]:
Seems like there was no momentum. My confidence and belief in myself was completely gone. Right? Even in the idea that God gave me. Literally even the idea that God gave me those ideas, I lost confidence in those things. I was very discouraged. A lot of people questioned my choices. People I love cared about, mentors, things like that. And so did I.
Edna Harding [00:07:21]:
I started questioning my own choices. I'm like, did I really hear from God? Is this really God? Because this is com. For someone who heard from God, this is, like, completely the opposite. And I think one thing that I've learned, well, I had to do. I had to learn this the hard way because it wasn't always easy. I clung to that Bible verse in Galatians 6, 9, where it says, let us not grow weary in doing good, for in the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. And. And I kept telling myself this.
Edna Harding [00:07:58]:
And, you know, it's easy to believe when it's only been a month. It's easy to believe when it's a year or two years or three years. But imagine like 12, 13 years, because we all go through different seasons. And that's what I realized when I look back. You know, I was looking at My journal. I have a digital journal, and I also have a written journal. I have both. And I was just, just reflecting on all the things I overcame and all of the prayers that God answered.
Edna Harding [00:08:25]:
And even, like, some of the prayers are still lingering, the things that, that I know God answered, but it's not here yet. It hasn't manifested on Earth. I was, like, meditating on this, and I was just like, really shocked to see, like, wow, like, this has been the longest journey ever in my mind. And then I started reading Genesis. I'm in this Bible study series. I don't have it in front of me, but it's like 52 weeks in a Bible. I got it from Amazon. Look it up.
Edna Harding [00:08:54]:
It's amazing. And I've read the B. I've read Genesis and Exodus, Leviticus. I read the first, the first, the first part of the Bible a lot. Up to numbers. When I get to numbers, I get so bored. No offense, Lord, but it was just, like, too much for me. But I read it again because I felt like the Lord wanted me to do it again.
Edna Harding [00:09:14]:
And so I was reading it. And this time, you know, this particular season, when I'm not, like, constantly stressed, I'm not being pressured, I actually read it to, like, really read it, if that makes sense. Sense. I wasn't just. Even though I wasn't going through the motions, it was really hard to really focus or see the revelation that God was putting in those scriptures because I had so much pressure. And this time, because I can honestly say we're on the other side of that wilderness and we're actually in our promised land now, where things are easy, things are, like, moving forward. And, you know, we're not stressed about finances. We're not stressed about where we are in our relationship.
Edna Harding [00:09:51]:
We're not stressed about, like, just, just the season we're in. So we're definitely milking this baby. We're enjoying this. And I'm praying that this lasts longer. But in the meantime, I'm going to enjoy this. I, I, I started reading the Bible just for pleasure, right? Not survival. Does that make sense? I know it sounds so horrible, but I, I, I was in survival mode for many, many years. And to finally read it just for pleasure, list to enjoy, like, no, like watching a soap opera.
Edna Harding [00:10:22]:
Like, if you read Genesis, my gosh, I think I'm on chapter 41 because I just started, like, a week ago. I was like, there's so much drama and so much twists and turns here. And there was a lot of faith tests from many of the, you know, the fathers of the faith. Like, when you think about, you know, the weight especially, I think, was it Sarah or Rachel or. Or even Rachel. And gosh, I'm missing someone. Oh, gosh, Lord, I can't remember Rachel before. Rachel was Sarah, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac's wife.
Edna Harding [00:11:03]:
Who's Isaac's wife, Rebecca. Thank you, Holy Spirit. A lot of them couldn't give birth, and it was years. And I'm not talking about, like, because in. In the Bible verse, it says like, something like, okay, and then they were pregnant. But you don't. When I use chat GPT to figure out, okay, how long did it take? It was like 25 years or whatever. How.
Edna Harding [00:11:24]:
How many years it took for the promise to come to pass. And then I realized, yeah, my stuff was 12 years, but, like, it wasn't 25 years. So I was praising God. I was like, thank you, Lord, that you answered my prayers quickly. You know, it's all about perspective, right? And so I guess I'm sharing this, you know, with you because I believe that some of you guys maybe have been waiting for two years, three years, four years. Guys, it's not that bad. I really think if you read the Bible and look at how long a lot of people waited for the answer, you're gonna stop complaining. You're gonna thank God, like, oh, my gosh, thank you, Lord, that I haven't waited that long.
Edna Harding [00:12:02]:
Cause it was a very long time for a lot of these men and women of God for the answers to. To come to fruition. Right. I hope that encouraged you. That was not in my notes. I feel like God wanted me to share that for some of you all. Okay, so let me kind of get back on track here. So I.
Edna Harding [00:12:21]:
I want to talk to you guys about the bumpy road first. Okay? The bumpy road. And because what you'll find throughout the Scriptures over and over again is God is more interested in our character development than our comfort. That is a given fact. Okay, if you have not heard this yet, he is working on our character. I'm going to give you some examples. So you have Joseph from Genesis 39 to 41. He was betrayed.
Edna Harding [00:12:52]:
He was falsely accused. He was imprisoned before he became second in command. Okay, then you have David from 1st Samuel 16 to 31. He was anointed as king, but he had to dodge spears and sleep in caves. Okay? Like, literally, people were trying to kill him. Literally. Then you have Paul and found in 2nd Corinthians 11, verse 23 to 28, it says that he was imprisoned. He was flogged, he was shipwrecked, he was persecuted, but then he advanced the gospel, right? And then you have Jesus, who's my favorite example, you know, in Philippians 2:8, it says he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross.
Edna Harding [00:13:35]:
Okay. I don't know if you guys ever experienced pain before, even like breaking a nail or. I don't know. I know that sounds like horrible example compared to Jesus. I'm just saying, like, if you guys ever been, like, I've had, I. Thank you, Holy Spirit. I fractured my metatarsal before. I was hit by a drunk driver before.
Edna Harding [00:13:51]:
So I've experienced a little bit of pain, but not death. This is the price Jesus paid, right? So that he could be used by God. Our own Savior experienced this. So one thing I want to get acro, like, across in the airwaves is that suffering precedes significance. It's always that way throughout the Scriptures. You suffer first, then you have significance. Now, there are three types of bumps, okay? There are external obstacles, there are internal battles, and there is spiritual warfare. Let's talk about external obstacle first.
Edna Harding [00:14:31]:
Okay? Let's talk about what's happening. What happened in the government shutdown, of course. Course it affected businesses, it affected families. You know, there could be market shifts, for example, with AI booming and doing all these things. Now a lot of these businesses have to pivot because now they can be replaced by technology. There are economic hits, for example, Right. Like, I remember there were seasons where the oil and gas industry was affected, when the automotive was affected. Right.
Edna Harding [00:15:01]:
Even, I don't know, like, the engineers can be affected. There's so many different things that could happen in the economy that will affect individuals, okay? And this. These external obstacles are not in our control. These are external things. And we have to remember that we're going to experience this one way or another. Whether if it's thinking, Holy Spirit, like a hurricane, it could be an earthquake. This just happened in the Philippines. Right.
Edna Harding [00:15:30]:
I remember. I've been through a hurricane. And you go. You go through life's challenges just flooding, right? You go through these things and you can't control it. It's just part of life. You know, Psalms 34:19 says, Many the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all. So no matter what's going on around you externally, that is not in your control. Remember that he will deliver you from all of it.
Edna Harding [00:15:54]:
And I've seen this time and time again in my life. And yeah, I. I have, like Right now I'm thinking of all these different examples, but the Lord does not want me to go there right now. But I just. If you just pay attention, he delivers his people. And it might not be the way we want, but he always delivers his people. The second bump is internal battles. This could be like doubt, imposter syn.
Edna Harding [00:16:20]:
Imposter syndrome, right? Depression, I don't know, hopelessness, right? These are all what I would call thoughts, right? Thoughts, lies of the enemy that are not yours, right? These thoughts are your fleshly thoughts or your. The enemy's thoughts. And in 2nd Corinthians 10:5, it says, Take every thought captive to evade Christ. This is why our. I always tell my clients, I was like, think, right? So you can profit, right? Right. You cannot profit until you think right? And so I. I do a lot of renewing our mind type of exercise, because I know that is the only way to change your external things is it's an internal battle, okay? The third type of setbacks that you have or bumps is spiritual warfare, and that's attacks on identity. Your purpose, your calling, your clarity.
Edna Harding [00:17:10]:
And it's so funny because my husband and I talk about this all the time. Every time when I'm launching something, something just happens, right? And it's out of my control, and it's like delay and just opposition. And, like, for example, my computer would break down or. I can't tell you how many times, like, I remember, I. And I think I shared the story before where I was at a radio station and a radio station, like a professional radio station, and right when I was about to speak, the whole entire building went out of electricity. They didn't have electricity, and they said it's never happened before. And so we had to shoot my episode via Facebook Live using our cell phone, okay? So I say all this to say I don't. I don't know why the enemy does that, but he does.
Edna Harding [00:17:58]:
He likes to make it hard on God's people, especially when he sees God's anointing on them, right? And so this reminds us that the spiritual warfare is real. Ephesians, chapter 6, verse 12 says, Our struggle is not against flesh and blood. And. But I do have to say that you don't have to fight that spiritual battle. That is the angel's job, right? That is our angelic hosts, our guardian angels are, you know, the army of God. That's what they do, which is the. The heaven, right? Heaven's army. That's not our job.
Edna Harding [00:18:31]:
Our job is to stand firm on the promises of God. Okay, so the bumpy road that you're facing, whether it's internal battles, spiritual warfare, external obstacles, these are all proof that you're exactly where you need to be. You're like, what, Edna? Yes. Okay, now, if you're not experiencing any of these things, I really want you to ask yourself, am I really walking in my calling? Because if you're not experiencing this, that is a problem. And you're like, what? Yes. There are times, like I mentioned, like, we're in a good season right now, but before we got even to this point, like, we went through hell. My husband and I, my kids and I, like our family, like, we went through the ringer, but every single day, his mercies were new every morning. And he gave us the strength to persevere and endure and overcome.
Edna Harding [00:19:23]:
All right, so let's talk about five strategies for perseverance. And I'm going to go quickly here because of time. First strategy is to Remember your why Habakkuk2.2 says, Write the vision and make it plain. So when things get hard, you need to revisit your assignment. Like, what is it that God called you to do? What did he specifically said and he confirmed to you many, many times through prophets, through, you know, people, or even spiritual covers like dreams, visions. Like, I can't tell you how many times I've got confirmation over my call, over my assignment, not just from people who know me, but people who had no ide. Like strangers. Okay? I remember I was in a parking lot and a prophet came to me and just prophesied over me.
Edna Harding [00:20:10]:
That confirmed everything that God told me. Okay? So I'm telling you, my friends, this is not a joke. When you have revelation of who you are, God will confirm it to you. And that's what kept me going, to be honest, is because I knew that. I knew that. I knew that. I knew that I had a specific assignment in the marketplace, and I couldn't give up, and I couldn't quit because God gave me a word. Okay, strategy number two.
Edna Harding [00:20:38]:
Shorten your timeline. How do you do this? Okay, Matthew 6:34 says, do not worry about tomorrow. Exodus 16:4 says, Manna was given daily, not monthly. So stop hoarding, okay? Focus on only what you can do today. And stop thinking that all hell is going to break loose. You know, sometimes the gods can tell you to spend something. You're like, oh, my gosh, the fear base. I remember.
Edna Harding [00:21:06]:
I mean, this is a true example. He told me to join some. A mastermind group. And I was like, I don't have that money, where am I going to get that? I don't have anything in the pipeline. I don't know. I have no idea how I'm going to pay. That's a lot of money, especially for, for someone that just got out of debt. And then so he told me to put some, to join this mastermind for this elite group.
Edna Harding [00:21:28]:
And I put it on my credit card and the next month it was paid off. And let me tell you that when you obey God, a lot of times he doesn't tell you like he just tells you one instruction and your mind and your spirit, your flesh is like, what are you doing? You're crazy. It's not so it's not always logical. Thank you, Holy Spirit. It's, that's the difference between logic and being led. In the spirit, in the natural. If I talk to my financial advisors or even if I talk to my husband, they'll probably be like, no, that is not what I want you to do. Okay? And even my flesh, but I just chose obedience.
Edna Harding [00:22:10]:
Now mind you, if it's, if this was my business expense, this wasn't a personal expense, okay? The fact is I had money anyway. I'm not going to explain, but the whole point is God told I had a little bit of money, but it wasn't enough to pay the whole thing. Does that make sense? Do you guys see what I'm saying? Like, I was tapping into my emergency funds for my business. All right, if you guys want to know the real story, reach out to me on LinkedIn. I'll be happy to share that with you. All right, Strategy number three, you gotta find your errands and hers. Okay? Ephesian, Ephesians, Exodus 17:12 says, When Moses arms grew tired, Aaron and her held them up. Who's holding your arms when you're too tired to lift them? This is why you need to be part of some sort of life giving community, whether it's to your church, whether, if it's through networking group, whether it's, you know, you could join my online community, I have a mentoring community.
Edna Harding [00:23:03]:
You could. I have a prayer call that I have in marketplace apostles. I have mentors and I have advisors, both in the spiritual and in the business sense. Of course. I have my family, I have my friends, I have my husband, who is my number one go to guy. Of course you have the Holy Spirit. But you need to find surround yourself with those who see what God sees. And who's going to hold your arms when you're too tired to lift them up? Okay, number four, Celebrate small wins.
Edna Harding [00:23:29]:
Do not despise small beginnings. Zechariah. Four, ten. You gotta celebrate those little victories. I mean, I celebrated when I was like, oh, my gosh, thank you, God, that can go grocery shopping. Thank you, Lord, I can get gas. Like, I know, guys, it sounds so crazy, but that's really how bad it was. Thank you, God, that I can get a haircut.
Edna Harding [00:23:49]:
Oh, my gosh, thank you, God, I can get a haircut. Thank you, God. I got, you know, I was able to get my girls some snacks. Like, it was, you know, I look back, I was like, wow. I was so grateful for the little things. And that really helped me get through those challenging times. Like, I realized that it was such. It was so rough that if I didn't thank God for, like, oh my gosh, thank you, Lord, that I have a bed.
Edna Harding [00:24:13]:
Thank you, God, that I can see. Thank you, God, that, you know, I have shoes or. I had to thank God for the very little things so that I didn't focus on how bad it really was. How. How much of a hellhole we were in. Okay. I thank God for my little clients, you know, the clients that I had, you know, when I said little clients, not that they're little, but the fact is I was like, it wasn't even enough to pay my expenses, but I was thanking God for them. Does that make sense? Progress is still progress, even if it's slow.
Edna Harding [00:24:50]:
And when you honor those little wins, those victories, God is. It's not. Thank you, Holy Spirit. It doesn't move God, but it moves you. Because God is not moved that you cannot move God in a sense where it's more to help change your perspective. Because God perspectives never gets lowered. His standards never gets lowered. We cannot lower his standards or his vision.
Edna Harding [00:25:12]:
He's using those circumstances like us to focus on his goodness and his mercy and grace for every single day so that we could go higher and see things from his perspective where he is right. All right. And number five, anchor to something bigger than yourself. Colossians 3, 23, 24. Work hardly. For as for the Lord, remember that your business is not just a paycheck. It's truly a kingdom assignment. And if you don't feel that you're.
Edna Harding [00:25:42]:
This is a kingdom assignment, then you might not. You might not be called to business. It might just be a hobby. Maybe God never called you to business. Because if God called you to business, you will know that your business is. Is. Was created to make an impact to the kingdom. And I'm not just talking about tithing and offering.
Edna Harding [00:26:03]:
I'm talking about like transforming the area that you're called to serve, right? I'm talking about industries, I'm talking about people, communities, those things. Like this is. This is not a hobby for me. I want God to use my business for his glory. And that's the kind of perspective. If you don't have that type of perspective, I want you to really get a heart check and be like, God did call me to this, or if was this my own doing? All right, now, now I understand that there will be times of crisises, right? There will be times when you're like, I just want to quit, like right now. So how do you, how do you stop quitting? I'm going to give you some exam, some five tips to help you. Number one, stop and breathe.
Edna Harding [00:26:50]:
Breathe. Count to 10. I always tell my youngest, Anaya, breathe. Count to 10. Do it. Count to 10. Okay. Breathe.
Edna Harding [00:26:58]:
God has you. Psalms 46, 10 says, Be still and know that I am God. Number two, get alone with God. Psalm 62:8 says, Pour out your heart before him. Tell him your worries, your anxiety, your fears, and leave it there. I remember I would write it out on my journal, and then I would tear it out on my journal and I will crumble it and I would throw it in the trash as a prophetic sign that I'm giving this to you. Okay? Number three, call your people, okay? If you are struggling, call other men and women of God that are going to speak life into you. That's going to encourage you, especially those who've overcome things, overcame things, or overcomers.
Edna Harding [00:27:35]:
Call them because they're going to tell you not to quit. You know, Ecclesiastes 14, 4, 10 says, if either of them follows one of them, it will help the other up. Do the next small thing is the next step. Number four. Isaiah 30:21 says, this is the way. Walk in it. Don't look at everything you gotta do. Just focus on one thing.
Edna Harding [00:27:55]:
What can you do to move the needle forward? I always tell this to my clients and my group mentoring program. Know this. Like, what can you do to move the needle forward? And the last part is give it 24 hours for Lamentations 3. 23 says, his mercies are new every morning, which means if you cannot solve it today, wait till the next day. Get Ask the Holy Spirit. Give mercies for the new in the new morning, okay? It doesn't last. Their day will come. Okay? Things change.
Edna Harding [00:28:22]:
It can change at any moment right now. Just give yourself. You know, I remember, you know, when When. When I went to an abusive marriage and I filed divorce, it was so hard because the days were so long and I couldn't make it even a day. I had to make it minute by minute. And that's what I did. I was like, okay, God, just help me make it to this next minute. I was so heartbroken and so devastated for what happened, you know, that I had to focus on just one minute at a time.
Edna Harding [00:28:52]:
So maybe you can't focus on 24 hours. Maybe you could just focus on the next minute or next hour. That's what you need to do. Little by little. Whatever you can do, do it and let God make up the difference. Okay? In First Kings 19, it says Elijah's greatest victory was, you know, in front of Jezebel and all the other prophets. And then he just. When Jezebel wanted to kill him, he became suicidal.
Edna Harding [00:29:19]:
Okay? He. He was so exhausted and he was so tired. But God didn't scold him. God is so faithful. In fact, when. When Elijah was hiding, he sent angels with food, rest, and renewed vision. Rest is holy. Okay? Quitting isn't always the answer.
Edna Harding [00:29:34]:
Sometimes all you just need to do is to be restored and just rest. Okay? So maybe just need to take a little break, like go for a walk. You. I don't know, stay at your parents house or go to a friend's house. If you can't, you know, you don't have parents. Like, I just do something to get away from the situation and allow the Lord to minister to you. Okay, Remember that in Romans 8:28 says, all things will work together for good. All things will work together for our good because we love God and because we're called according to its purpose.
Edna Harding [00:30:10]:
That means that everything, the good, bad, the ugly, the worst, and everything in between will be used for our good. And I can honestly say that everything that I went through, even the times when I thought I wasted money, he used all of that for good. Because I learned a lot. And some of the things that I bought that I thought was wasted, I'm actually using it now. Like, I have access to softwares that I bought a long time ago that I haven't used yet. And it's really helping me this particular season of my life. All right, so let's get practical. I want you to create a plan, okay? Number.
Edna Harding [00:30:43]:
Number one, I want you to identify what is your written why? Okay? Proverbs 29:18 says, where there is no vision, the people perish. So write down what your why is and make it very clear. Number two, create a support team. Okay. Galatians 6:2 says, Carry each other's burdens. Who are your go to? These are your board of advisors. Okay. Who are your board of advisors? You need some.
Edna Harding [00:31:09]:
Even if they're not paid, you need a board of advisors. Number three, how do you reset yourself? Right? What is your reset routine? Mark 6:31 says, Come to me by yourself. So, quiet place and get some rest. Mine is, I do it every morning, and I do it on either Saturday or Sunday nights. And I do, if I get a chance, I like to go on a little trip, just myself and the Holy Spirit for a few days. And. And like a weekend. Um, it's kind of challenging right now because I'm a mom of littles, but if my husband allows me, I.
Edna Harding [00:31:40]:
I take advantage of it, right? Or if he's able to watch the kids, I take advantage of it. All right, your Progress markers. Philippians 1:6. He who began a good work, and you will carry it on. You have to keep track of your progress. Like, what are you doing? Like, what are the milestones you want to reach and how have you reached those milestones? Like having a to do list, Having, like, some sort of project plan, having some sort of action tracker. Like, any of these things will help you remember all the things that you have accomplished and all who you're becoming. And then when in doubt, pray, right? When in doubt, pray, pray, pray.
Edna Harding [00:32:19]:
I was like, lord, I'm tired. I. I don't know what I'm doing. I can't tell you how many times I said, I don't know what I'm doing. But I know you do, and I trust you. It was very simple. One liner. That's it.
Edna Harding [00:32:30]:
And it. He always makes a way for me because I am not as smart as I look. I'm joking, actually. I'm not joking. I look pretty smart. I seem very confident. But a lot of times I'm like, God, I need your help. I can't tell you how many times I pray in the spirit.
Edna Harding [00:32:47]:
And, like, I think my husband hears me say, jesus helps me, like, I don't know, five, six times a day. Oh, my gosh. Ain't that the truth? All right, now I want to address a hard question, because there's. Sometimes God will tell you to quit. You know, Sometimes he'll tell you, give that up. And that's when discernment comes in, right? And if you don't really know, maybe this is God. Say, okay, that season is done, that assignment is done. Move on.
Edna Harding [00:33:20]:
I want you to meditate on James 1, 5. It says, if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God. Proverbs 3, 5 and 6 says, in all your ways, acknowledge him. I'm sorry, Verse six. In all your ways, acknowledge him, and he would direct your path. I want you to ask yourself, is this exhaustion or is just misaligned? Okay? Is this resistance or is this redirection? Okay? Don't ever confuse waiting with wasting, okay? Because there is a difference, right? There is a difference. Waiting doesn't mean you're wasting time. It just means you're waiting on God.
Edna Harding [00:33:56]:
I know it sounds so simple, but it's very profound. You, you're not wasting time. You're just waiting on God. Because the wilderness season itself also has a purpose. Nothing ever is ever coincidental for a believer, okay? Nothing. But there are times. Thank you, Holy Spirit. There are times when you're choosing to be in the wilderness, when he's telling you, get out of the wilderness, enter your promised land.
Edna Harding [00:34:21]:
I. I had this rude awakening a year ago. Is that a year ago? Two years ago? I don't remember. I can't keep track. When God's like, you're choosing to be in a wilderness waiting for these people that don't want to enter to the promised land. Stop delaying your promise and step into your promise, and I'll deal with these hard, hard headed, stubborn people. I know it sounds so bad, and it sounds like I'm being judgmental, but I was like, come on, guys, come with me. Come into the promised land.
Edna Harding [00:34:50]:
And no one wanted to come. They wanted to just complain and dwell. And I was like, I'm tired of this. I want to step forward. He already gave us a green light, but no one wants to move forward. And I'm telling you, you have a choice. There are times when God's like, okay, that season is over. Move forward.
Edna Harding [00:35:07]:
And you're still waiting in the wilderness when the like, they like. But you're in prison. You're choosing to be in prison when the gate is already open, the jail cell is already open, the angels already opened the door for you, and you're choosing to stay in the cell when God's like, you're fine, free. And he who the sense sets free is truly free indeed. All right, so I want to end with this, guys. And Hebrews 10:36 says, you need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. Okay? The road may be bumpy, but it's not barren. Okay? It's not barren.
Edna Harding [00:35:42]:
Okay. It's still fruitful. You have to just see things from his lens, right? Remember, you're not alone. You're never alone. God is always with you, okay? And if you're fearful, focus on his love. I remember. I remember. I remember this very, very vividly.
Edna Harding [00:36:01]:
I remember I was running, jogging around the neighborhood in Florida. I had just given birth. I was trying to lose baby weight. And in fact, I did a video. I did a video of this. I was so fat. Oh, gosh, sorry. I remember that video was like, why am I filming this? But I'm glad I did because I was like, get out of the cave.
Edna Harding [00:36:20]:
Like, get out of the cave. And. And I was like. And I didn't want to get out of the cave. Like, God was like, it's time for you to go. Go March 4th. And I didn't want to march forth. And I was like, why am I so afraid? I don't want to get out of the cave.
Edna Harding [00:36:31]:
And he's like, it's because you don't know how much I love you. Oh, God. He said, you don't know how much I love you. And that broke the camel's back for me, guys, when I realized, oh, my gosh, my father loves me so much. What am I afraid of? The Bible says, perfect love casts out all fear. And if you are fearful right now, it's because you do not know how loved you are, my friends. And God loves you so much. And if you just get that revelation that the father who created the universe loves you so much, you will not be fearful of anything.
Edna Harding [00:37:20]:
And no devil in hell will be able to stop you to finish the race God has for you, my friends. I hope this episode blessed you. Remember in Romans 5, 3, 4, it says, suffering produces perseverance, perseverance, character, and character, hope. Keep going, my friends. You're not walking this road alone. You are not the first person that had to endure and had to persevere. There are many that have gone before you, and there are going to many that's going to come after you. It's all going to have some sort of journey of overcoming.
Edna Harding [00:37:56]:
Okay. Of persevering. Embrace that part of your walk as the son and daughter of God. And I promise you, on the other side, it will be worth it. God bless you guys. And until then, keep shining. Take care. Bye bye.
Edna Harding [00:38:13]:
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 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.