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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 today I just want to say welcome. Welcome, welcome. It's such a beautiful day today here in Madison, Alabama, and for all of you guys tuning in from all parts of the world, I just want to say thank you. Thank you. Thank you. It truly brings me joy to know that the messages God is putting in my heart and my daily walk is truly encouraging you. It's igniting a fire inside of you to go after the things of God.
Edna Harding [00:01:21]:
So I just want to say thank you. Every, like, every comment, every share, every review, every time you guys just, I don't know, just listen to it because I, I, it tells me how many downloads I get. It really does. Bless me and encourages me. And y' all pray for me because this lingering cough, this ragweed situation in Alabama is not working. Not going well with my, with my throat. But I believe because of God and the power inside of me that he will help me teach the word of God in spite of my scratchy throat. All right, so today we are going to talk about something that might sting a little, but it's absolutely necessary.
Edna Harding [00:02:19]:
And we're not going to be talking about the latest funnel hack or growth strategy. We're actually going to be talking about the thing that makes or breaks everything else, which is wholeness. Wholeness. W H O L E N E S S Because here's the thing, my friends. What good is scaling to seven figures or eight figures or even six figures if you're falling apart spiritually, emotionally, relationally, or physically? And so today, I'm going to give you guys five keys to wholeness so you can stop being successful. Successful but empty, right? Stop being successful but empty, though. Can I get an amen out there? Is any of you guys have still feeling empty in spite of the success that you're feeling? And this is a hour. This is a time 5786 as the time I'm Recording this, it's Rosh Hashanah, which is the new year in the Hebraic calendar.
Edna Harding [00:03:25]:
And, and God truly, truly wants to get you into the new thing. But in order for him to do that, he needs to ensure that you are whole. Because if you're not whole, you're not going to be able to maintain and steward the blessings well. And so let's just open up in prayer. And for those of you guys who are tuning in, you've never heard me before. This podcast is all things business and life, God's way. So if you're an entrepreneur, you're interested in business, or you just, you're you're just want to, you're curious about business, you're in the right place. Okay, Father God, expose the places where we've been pretending.
Edna Harding [00:04:05]:
Oh Lord, help us, Lord. Tear down the compartments, tear down the mass, the fragments, and make us whole. In the mighty name of Jesus, let this words, oh God, that are coming out of my mouth penetrate deep down into the hearts of youf people. Let it pierce it, Lord God, like a double edged sword, but, but also heal those wounds. In the mighty name of Jesus, we ask this in your precious name. Amen. So first let's start off with what is wholeness? Okay, so let's just explain first what wholeness is. Not number one, perfect balance in all areas.
Edna Harding [00:04:48]:
People think you're going to be balanced in all areas and now you're whole. No, that's not what it means. Wholeness is not a problem free life. Wholeness is not to pretend to be the same everywhere. And wholeness is not some sort of enlightenment, okay, of being one with the earth or one with God and so forth. I think that's a lot of New Age terms. Okay, what wholeness is, according to the Bible, it's aligning every part of your life under one purpose. And that is what is the purpose of God.
Edna Harding [00:05:24]:
Right? It means consistency between private truth and public image. So who you are in public is the same way you are in private. You're not living a two different lives. So let me give you an example. So one area for those people who are, who knows my weaknesses is being a mother. I'm, I'm very business minded because I'm such a business minded person. I was a businesswoman longer than I've been a mother. I.
Edna Harding [00:05:56]:
My daughter is 6 and my other daughter is 4. And sometimes I expect I have high demands and high expectations for little children and my parents and my family and friends. My husband always reminds me, you need to like remember their kids, their children. And that's so it's a funny thing is I'm business minded or I'm the same business Anna even sometimes in my marriage, and which is not good. But I can say that the Lord is working on me, but I don't hide, I don't pretend to be something that I'm not. So whenever, whenever I'm talking to people and they, you know, they tell me how great I am and all these other things I was like, actually my challenging air part is the patience part when it comes to being a mother. So I don't pretend to be something that I'm not even like from being a wife part. Like there are some days when I put on my CEO hat and I have to remember I am not the CEO of my house.
Edna Harding [00:06:59]:
Like my husband is, right? And so these are things, my weakness, my weak areas, these are areas that I struggle with. But the point is I'm not pretending to have it all together. I let people know that I'm flawed and I have. And that's what you want, is you don't want to, you don't want to pretend to be something that you're not. So your private life is. And your, your public image should be some sort of consistent. Right. You're not pretending to be something you're not.
Edna Harding [00:07:24]:
Does that make sense? All right. There should be congruence between what you believe and how you build. Right. Wholeness is that. And you should be living from your God given identity, not fractured roles, not roles that you put yourself on, but truly who God created you to be. You know, the Bible says that he has formed us while we were in mother's womb. And I truly believe that the way we look, the way we talk, our personality tabs, all these things were particularly picked by God to fulfill a specific world, a specific assignment in your life. And most of the times there's multiple assignments, right? You know, our purpose is what to give glory to God and everything that we do.
Edna Harding [00:08:09]:
But we also have different assignments for our walk. And I, I want to say this first and foremost the scripture we're in. Matthew 12, Matthew, Mark 12:30, it says, love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength. Which means all things. Heart, soul, mind, strength. All means everything integrated, nothing left out. Heart, soul, mind and strength. The Bible says out of the abundance of heart, the mouth speaks.
Edna Harding [00:08:42]:
So a lot of times our actions follows what our mind is thinking. So everything we do, everything that concerns us, also the, our resilience, our courage, our boldness all of that should show that we love God. Now, the problem is there's some fragmented selves, right? So what does that mean? Like, how many of us have a Sunday self praising Jesus self and a Monday self? Okay. I have the. The patient kind, coach self, and I have the mean mama wants to clean the house self, and that's an area that I'm weak at. And if your husband. If you're listening, I'm sorry, okay? Because I do get into moments. Like, I.
Edna Harding [00:09:30]:
One thing about me, guys, is I do not like chaos. I do not like mess. I'm. I want things to be in order. And I. And you have little. It's going to be very difficult because they tend to play everywhere, even though we have a designated playroom. And I.
Edna Harding [00:09:48]:
That's an area the Lord has been constantly, like, working me with. And so I'm not judging you if you're different at home, different at work, different at church. Like, I'm letting you know I'm in the same boat as you. Okay? There's another fragment between the values you post and the decisions you make. Okay. I think for me, that's an era that I can say with integrity that I have the decisions I make. I try to ensure that it lines up with my values. The person you pretend to be online and the person you cry about at night.
Edna Harding [00:10:24]:
Right? Who are you, really? And that's why success can feel empty, because you're trying to win with only half of your soul engage, right? And you need your whole self for you to feel success. So let's talk about the five keys to wholeness. And the first one is spiritual integration. So the first thing you want to do is you want to stop separating your business life from your spiritual life. Because if Jesus isn't Lord of all of it, he's not Lord at all. So a lot of times, people don't want to integrate their spiritual life with their business life. But in reality, if he called you to business, technically, that business should belong to him. So it's not your business, it's God's business.
Edna Harding [00:11:23]:
Meaning, like, what does he want to do through it with you stewarding it. So let's get practical, right? How. How can you do this? Well, number one, you could start your workday with prayer before thinking about profit and revenue, before tasks. Start your workday with prayer. A simple. If you guys haven't listened to that podcast episode, I do. I talk about. I think the title is called you'd're praying wrong.
Edna Harding [00:11:51]:
I want you to read that. I mean, read that. Listen to it, because I teach you how to pray the Lord's Prayer. As a business CEO. Okay. Like, as a business owner, the second thing you want to do is you want to ensure that you invite the Holy Spirit into the decisions you're making in your boardroom or decisions for your business. Invite the Holy Spirit asking for wisdom, because sometimes what looks like gold isn't gold. And I learned this the hard way many times.
Edna Harding [00:12:21]:
And number three, you want to build a kingdom. Culture, meaning culture that's based on principles for the. The governance of the kingdom of God. So you don't want to manipulate people or make decisions based on just revenue or profit, but you want to make decisions based on stewarding the people God gave you to steward. Well, because if your business model requires you to check your faith at the door, you're building Babylon, not the kingdom. So I want to ask you, are you building Babylon or you building the kingdom of God through your business? The second aspect to wholeness is your emotional health, because success will expose your unhealed wounds faster than failure. Let me say that again. Success will expose your unhealed wounds faster than failure.
Edna Harding [00:13:21]:
So let me give you guys some signs of sabotage, okay? Fear disguised as strategy. Like, how many of you guys, God tells selling you to make a bold move, but you don't do it, and you're saying, no, that's not the right strategy. But in reality, it's because you're fearful. The second sign of sabotage could be anger. You're showing it as leadership, but in reality, you're just an angry person. You know, that is something that I struggle with at home, especially when dealing with the children. It's like, okay, am I. I'm thinking, like I'm being firm and I'm just standing firm, but really I'm angry because they're not listening.
Edna Harding [00:14:01]:
Right? And I know there is a right, there is a balance between anger and discipline. I'm still not there yet, and I'm still learning it day by day because quite frankly, they tend to listen to my husband more than me. But it's okay. I'm hoping that me being firm somehow, some way is going to help me with that. And for you guys, mothers out there who are past that young children's stage, send me some tips, because sometimes I get so frustrated because all my husband has to do is say, like, one or two. Like, I don't know, just say, say something once or twice, and they listen. So help me. Pray for me.
Edna Harding [00:14:43]:
Okay? The third sign of sabotage when it comes to emotional health, is shame. And you're hiding it as perfectionism. So you want everything to be perfect, but it's because you. You fear rejection. You. You care about too much, about what people think that you're not. You're. You don't launch because nothing is ever, like, 100% perfect, right? So all these things are.
Edna Harding [00:15:09]:
Are unhealed wounds, okay? Unhealed wounds showing that you're not whole. So let me say that again. Fear, anger, shame. Now, if you think about these three things, what does this sound like? Doesn't it sound like the character or the accusation of the. The devil? The devil always instill fears. He wants you to be angry at the world. He's just an angry person. And he wants to always shame you or condemn you for your past, for your future, even for your present.
Edna Harding [00:15:46]:
And so how do we. How do we. How do we. How do we, like, nip that in the bud? Okay, number one, you want to take inventory of what triggers you. These triggers are telltale signs on wounds that needs to be healed. The second thing is you want to get counseling if necessary. I had to go through therapy and counseling during the challenging times because there were some things that were beyond my capacity because I was in it. You know, when you're.
Edna Harding [00:16:16]:
When you're in the situation, when you're in the problem, you're not able to really discern or be able to really distinguish your emotions from, like, wisdom. So getting wise counsel, whether if it's through therapy, through count, like pastors, maybe your mom. Like my mom. I go to my mom a lot. I ask for advice from her or even your spouse or even your. Your business advisor, whatever it is. But to me, the best advisor I've had that surpasses all human wisdom is the Holy Spirit. And a lot of times, the Holy Spirit, like, I get disciplined a lot.
Edna Harding [00:17:01]:
I know you guys think that. Oh, I'm just like, I always have it. I have it all together, but I don't. The Holy Spirit corrects me a lot. Like, a lot a lot. And he disciplines me and he teaches me, like, you shouldn't talk that way. You shouldn't say that or that hurt them, or, you know, you need to be more patient. You need to be more gracious.
Edna Harding [00:17:25]:
You're stressing out too much. Like, I get corrected a lot. And I love it because he keeps me humble, number one. And number two, it kind of humanizes me. Meaning, like, okay, without God, I'm literally nothing. Does that make sense? So if you don't have anybody, because I know some of you guys don't have a person that you could go to. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you, because he will help you. Okay? And number third, the third thing I want to say is, from a practical tip, is to stop excusing emotions, stop making excuses, and just address it.
Edna Harding [00:18:07]:
Point it out, nip it in the butt, and get wisdom on how to address that specific thing, okay? Proverbs 4:23 says, Guard your heart, for everything flows from it. So if your heart is sick, your business will eventually get sick, too. Okay? The third aspect of wholeness is relational authenticity. What does that mean? If you can only be real and private, you're not real. I'm going to say that one more time. If you can only be real and private, you're not real. So from a practical standpoint, you want to speak truthfully with your team instead of just hiding behind leadership jargon. So one thing about me is I'm very transparent with what I'm going through, right? So a lot of times people think we always have to be strong, we always have to be firm, we always have to put up a front and everything.
Edna Harding [00:19:02]:
I'm okay with being vulnerable with the areas that I'm struggling, and it's okay. People actually respect that. People actually admire that. They might judge you maybe for a little bit, but I don't care because I want people to know that I'm not. Like, I don't have. Like, I'm not God number one, I'm not Jesus number two, and I'm not the Holy Spirit number three. And so when they put you on a pedestal, when people put you in a, like, a high expectation, like, I like to remind them that they're talking to a human being, that ultimately I'm a flawed individual. Yes, I try to say the right things, I try to do the right things, but do I miss the mark? Do I make mistakes? Absolutely.
Edna Harding [00:19:43]:
And so when you're. When you're transparent with your. The areas you're weak at, it actually builds authenticity with the people that you're working with. Okay. And also dealing with your peers. Right. Network with authenticity, not manipulation. And number three, and this is a challenging thing for me is don't sacrifice your family on the altar of your vision because of all the challenges.
Edna Harding [00:20:10]:
And I feel like I'm so behind sometimes because, you know, because of what happened. And I feel like, you know, I like behind in a sense where I'm. There's always. I'm always not on time. Like, I'm always playing catch up. One thing that the Lord revealed To me is like, okay, I can redeem the time for you. I can redeem the time for you. But the part that you can't redeem the time that you can't take back is the time raising your children.
Edna Harding [00:20:36]:
And so I always get, like, you know, like a checkup from the neck up when, like, when I have to, like, for example, help my kids with their homework or help. I don't teach them, like, spelling for something. Like, before, I used to get, like, frustrated. And mind you, this is just fairly new over the summer. And now it's like, okay, I'm trying to embrace that, okay? Right now my daughters need me. They need me, like, a lot. And that's okay, because I serve a God who can redeem time. And the.
Edna Harding [00:21:10]:
The hour, or let's say five hours I've lost trying to do certain things with them. God can help me redeem that in a short amount of time. Okay? And thank you, Holy Spirit. And that's why for those of you guys who have not invested in an assistant yet, even though it costs money and yes, it costs sacrifice, like, that really helped me also be a little bit more present for my children because now I can just outsource this stuff. And that's one of the things is you need to have systems in place. Like, all of this is important. And the reason why is because your. Your home life will affect your business life.
Edna Harding [00:21:53]:
Let me say that again. Your home, like, will affect your business life, your home life will affect your career life, your home life will. It all intertwines, right? And so it's. It's very important. And this is, I think, and what I've found just in the people that I've coached and just even in my life, it's. It's so easy to prioritize your business over your family life. And I remember I used to judge people who did it. Like, you know, like, oh, and then here I am doing the same thing.
Edna Harding [00:22:26]:
And it's not because I want to. It's because, like, I'm so behind. I'm literally behind. I. I remember, I think I told you guys, or maybe. I don't know if I did, but last couple weeks was rough for me because the week before, I had a friend come over. So I. I lost five days there.
Edna Harding [00:22:46]:
And then when I. When she left, I was not feeling good. I wasn't getting enough sleep. I was coughing. So I'm behind, like, playing catch up for a week and a half. And I say all this to say that I. It was like a lot. It's like, okay, well, I'm really behind, but my girls need help or they want to play or do you want to do this? Or even like, spending time with my, my husband sometimes, like, it's.
Edna Harding [00:23:11]:
I'm just so tired because I'm like, been working all day. Like, like right now I haven't even eaten lunch yet. Okay. And I don't plan on eating lunch today. I'm probably going to work through it and then going to be eating dinner later on. But I say all this to say, like, I understand, like, as entrepreneurs, we're so busy, we're playing catch up and we're building the vision God wants us to have. But there is also, like, a trust factor. Do we trust God to help us accomplish all that we need to accomplish for our business and still be able to take care of the family, right? Still take care of the needs of the family, like fold the laundry, you know, cook or do whatever.
Edna Harding [00:23:52]:
Like, do we trust God enough? And mine is a hit or miss. Sometimes I do and sometimes I don't, to be honest. But I can say that I always ask the Holy Spirit to help me with that because I know that's my weakness. That's a weak area of mine, is like, sometimes I trust. And normally. Thank you, Holy Spirit. Normally I could easily trust when I'm feeling 100%, but because I haven't been 100% myself and I've kind of been lethargic and like, kind of fatigued just because I haven't been getting enough rest, because I haven't been sleeping, like, I can't really think clearly. So, yes, it is affecting my emotions a little bit.
Edna Harding [00:24:30]:
And so I say all this to say that this, all the relationship stuff that I just talked about over the past five, ten minutes, this stuff will affect your wholeness. And if, if I truly believe that until we can steward our family life, well, we're not going to experience the success that God wants us to have in our business because he cares about our home life as well as our business life. But I truly believe it starts at the home because the, the he doesn't want your children to suffer or your marriage to suffer at because of the success of your business. So, and, and that's one thing that I've realized and I've looked at the patterns because, number one, I asked God, I said, God, do not give me the. The, like, the clientele, the success I need. And if it's going to cost my family, if it's going to cost relationships that I care About. And I think he's answering my prayer because there, those are still areas that I'm working at working in. But that is a hard ask for us to pray those prayers.
Edna Harding [00:25:43]:
But if we truly want to experience the kind of prosperity that God wants for his children, where it's nothing missing, nothing broken, we need to ensure. And then we talked about what was the. Let's just kind of just as a review, we need to take care of our spiritual health, our emotional health, which is our heart, mind, decisions, emotions. Right. And in our relationships. The fourth thing that, that he wants us to steward. Well, and this is not just based on theory, but based on scriptures, is physical. Our bodies.
Edna Harding [00:26:16]:
We need to stop treating our bodies like it's expendable because our calling has a container. And you know what that container is? That container is our bodies, which is. The Bible says to treat our body as a temple of the Holy Spirit. And so which means we need to be working, exercising, we need to feeding our bodies the right foods, the right nutrients. We're supposed to be getting some rest again. That's something that I haven't taken care of, just not by choice, but just because I haven't been able to because of my coughing. Taking care of your skin, like, you know, just stewarding our, Our, our body. Well, because it's showing to God how serious you are about your call in the marketplace because you're taking care of the vessel that's going to be running that call.
Edna Harding [00:27:01]:
Does that make sense? So a couple, a few things to make this practical. You want to manage your energy, not just a calendar. You want to learn to rest as worship. Okay. And so one of the things that I try to do is I rest on either Saturday or Sundays where I don't touch my computer. I just focus on like house stuff or like family stuff. I. At least one day where I don't focus on work.
Edna Harding [00:27:27]:
And it, it, it does help you want to also build physical disciplines that sharpen your spiritual sensitivity. So what does that mean? Like, for me, I, I do a lot of walking, I do a lot of strength. Like actually when I'm listening to, when I'm doing like my strength workouts, I'm listening to like either inspirational talk, which is like, like filled with God's promises, or I listen to like a prophetic word, or I listen to songs that just ignites my spirit, just kind of motivates me to keep going in spite of challenges. I also, sometimes I, I listen to prophetic words that was spoken over me in the past to kind of encourage me to remind me of what God's promises are while, while I'm working out. What it does is it helps sharpen your spiritual sensitivity while you're still working out. Does that make sense? So you're taking care of your physical body, but you're also taking care of your spirit. And then I just wanted to say that all this stuff, when you neglect your body, that's bad stewardship. So no excuses.
Edna Harding [00:28:38]:
And mind you, I have my cheat days and all those things, but in reality we should be stewarding our body. Well, I don't, I'm not overkill. Like I don't go crazy, but I do, I can say if you look at my daily discipline, I do take care of my body as much as like I focus on like at least one hour of taking care of my physical body to kind of help me steward God's call. And the last part that I want to talk about, the fifth key that the Lord wanted me to focus on is your purpose. Your purpose. Everything you build in life is either feeding your calling or, or feeding your ego. I can say that a lot of the things I put my hands to has nothing to do with my ego because if I really wanted to focus on my ego, then I wouldn't be sacrificing as much as I am, right? I would be focusing on the high, profitable things instead of the, the dirty work. When I say dirty work, the work that is not sexy in a sense where it's really just, it's not fun.
Edna Harding [00:29:49]:
It's groundwork, right? It's like being the steward of creating systems to help people who are struggling. That is not fun. And it doesn't help with my ego. It actually just takes away from my ego. Because I would rather say I only work with highly successful people. I don't. I work with entrepreneurs who are still like struggling with their past, struggling with their mindset, struggling with heart issues, struggling with crisis, like struggling with their worth, struggling with, you know, their confidence. Like I work with that and, and to me it's harder.
Edna Harding [00:30:33]:
You don't get paid as much and then it's hard work. So I can tell you that everything that I'm doing is lining up with what God called me to do, which is to help those people in transition, those who are in the pit that is being transitioned into their God given position. So they're building while they're still battling. And that's what my program is. I battle to booming business, right? So I help you build while you're still battling. And that is My calling. That is the purpose God put in my heart. And I can tell you that every decision I make for my business, I always think about is this helping the people God called me to.
Edna Harding [00:31:12]:
Okay? Now I can say that the Lord has given me 2. 2. 2. What do you call it? Two assignments to help those who are building while battling. And the second assignment is to help those who are building while battling from a higher standpoint. So let me give you an example. So I have people who are successful in business, but they're b. Emotional wounds internally.
Edna Harding [00:31:43]:
So they have the money, they have the accolades, they have the revenue per se, but inside, they're struggling with fear, anxiety, stress, relational problems, you know, lack of identity, I guess, succumbing to the pressures of the world. So I do have clients like that who I'm working with to teach them the heart of God. So. But the point is, like, everything that I'm doing in my business lines up with those two areas, right? Those who are successful and want to learn the Father's heart and those who are struggling and wants to thrive in the midst of crisis. Now, anything else? I don't touch, I don't. I don't entertain. I don't. I'm so focused and got what in the work that God has given me.
Edna Harding [00:32:31]:
So I want to ask you specifically, do you know your calling? Do you know the purpose of your business? Do you know the people God has called you to? And are you building systems or. You're building a business that honors that purpose, right? Because if you don't do it like that, you're not gonna experience the. The peace, the joy, the comfort. Like, because. Because I think what people don't understand is when you're building something that God told you to do, it's not an overnight thing. It's a journey. And if you ask any peop. Any person who's built something that's worth bragging about, it took time and it took sacrifice.
Edna Harding [00:33:17]:
Some people are willing to pay, like, the hefty price. Meaning, like, losing their fam. Losing things that, to me, I would never, like. I would never, for example, I would never, like, lose my spirituality or my. My priority. Me prioritizing God to build God's business. Right? Does that make sense? Like, there are certain things like that. What I call.
Edna Harding [00:33:39]:
What's that word? Not standards. My brain is just going blank. The one I forgot. I forgot exactly what it's called, but is that these are the things I'm not willing to lose. I'm not willing to lose my marriage. I'M not willing to lose my children. I'm not willing to lose my reputation. I'm not willing to lose my.
Edna Harding [00:34:03]:
My spirit. My. Obviously, my spirit. My spirit, right? And the fifth thing is I'm not willing to lose my. My. My. Like, my. My loved ones.
Edna Harding [00:34:16]:
Meaning, like, relationships with my loved ones, like the people that are dear to me. So I'm talking about, like, friendships. I'm talking about, like, my parents, talking about my siblings. Like, I don't want to lose those things that are near to me, right? To build God's vision there. Those are things that I. That I hold dear. And, and that's why. And let me give you an example.
Edna Harding [00:34:36]:
So even though, in spite of my busy schedule, in spite of all those things, I don't do it every day, but at least once a week, I call one of my past friends and I actually am intentional, and I talk to them about what's going on in their life. I minister to them, what's going on, their heart. I send them texts. You know, I know what's going on in my friend's life, even though, like, I don't speak them on a regular basis. Right? So those are examples of like, like the. The areas that I would not be willing to sacrifice, you know, for. For the business. So I guess I say all this to say is you need to create a list of.
Edna Harding [00:35:18]:
And that the reason why is if you don't define it, if you don't define it up front before you start building soon enough, you're going to lose the things that were supposed to be valuable. But because you didn't define it, you lose all of it. Because you prioritize your business over the things that God wants you to prioritize. So ask yourself, are the decisions you're making serving your calling? Is it protecting the people that you value most? And number three, I want to say is, would God recognize himself in your business model? When people look at your business, is it going to be obvious that this business was built on the foundational things of the word of God? Is it built on the laws and principles of God? Okay. Wholeness means every decision gets filtered through your ultimate assignment, your ultimate purpose. That's what that is. Okay, all right. So now let's get practical real quick.
Edna Harding [00:36:29]:
Let's do a quick audit again, let's talk about the five things to wholeness, okay? Spiritual, emotional, relational, physical, and purpose. So to start with spiritual, did you consult God before you consulted Google or ChatGPT or anything else like that? Which is why I make it an Effort. That's the first thing I do, is spend time with the Lord. Second thing, emotional. Did I process my pain or did I just package it? Did I hide it or did I deal with those wounds that keeps coming back? Relational. Was I real or was I just performing right? And do I value those relationships? Number four, physical. Did I steward my energy or did I exploit it? Right? Are you taking care of the body that God gave you? And number five, purpose. Did your choices feed your calling or your comfort? Okay, so I guess I want to say this as, as we close and I, I know I, I kind of talked a lot about a lot, but you need to stop building your businesses when you have a fractured soul.
Edna Harding [00:37:36]:
He cares about your soul more than anything and he wants you to be whole. The world doesn't need another high achieving, broken leader because that's when ego and pride and you could tell that it's all power driven, it's all like control driven, but there's no love in it, right? And what the world is looking for, what the world, what society needs and what the next generation needs is it needs whole leaders. People whose private lives are stronger than their public platforms. And that's really what the Lord has been speaking to me about like this past few years is I'm building slow, but I'm building strong because I'm, I'm equipping my children. Like I kid you not, guys, my, my daughter, my, this is true story. My four year old, we were at a Vietnamese restaurant and there were flies flying over, going over. I think this is funny, but to you guys it might not be funny. And she said, I rebuke you, Satan.
Edna Harding [00:38:51]:
So I'm laughing because she is like, you know, the Bible says that train up a child in the way you should go. So I'm teaching them how to rebuke the enemy. And even though the flies isn't the Satan, the fact of the matter is she's aware that there is a spiritual war going on. And she's only four. She's only four. How many adults don't rebuke Satan? Okay? They think like everything that bad that happens is just, it just happened to happen. No, the enemy is always attacking God's people. Okay? So anyway, I hope this blessed you.
Edna Harding [00:39:24]:
I hope this encouraged you guys. People are watching, you know, watching. It's most importantly God is watching. And the scripture says if you're faithful with a little, you'll be faithful with much. And it starts in the home. It starts in the home. What you do in secret. God is going to honor in public.
Edna Harding [00:39:43]:
Okay? He cares about our private lives as much as he cares about our public lives. But the key is our private lives needs to be the kind of life that honors God. Okay? The kind of life that Jesus is pleased with when he looks down. So here's my challenge for you guys today. I want you to identify one area where you're most fragmented, and I want you to confront it this week. Confront it this week. Now, I always want to end my podcast with a special invitation because you can't be whole without Jesus, because wholeness starts at the cross. So if you've never surrendered your life to Christ or you've drifted, it's time to come home.
Edna Harding [00:40:30]:
And I want you to say this prayer with me. Lord Jesus, I surrender. Be lord of every area of my life, my spirit, my emotions, my relationships, my body, my purpose. Forgive me from all my sins. Thank you for dying on the cross and rising again on the third day. Make me whole and use me for your kingdom in Jesus mighty name. Amen. All right, guys, if you prayed that welcome to the family of God, please message me on my website and let me know.
Edna Harding [00:41:16]:
And you could just message me new life and I'll be sending you some resources to help you with your newfound walk with God. Now, for those of you guys who are tuning back in, thank you guys for joining me this week for another episode of the Essence of Preneur podcast. I look forward to talking to you guys next time. Keep shouting, my friends, and take care. Bye Bye. Thanks for joining us this week on Estrepreneur. Make sure to Visit our website, favorandwealth.com for more information on our services. While you're at it, if you found value in this show, we'd appreciate a rating on itunes.
Edna Harding [00:41:53]:
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 the seven of my secrets on how to win and grow business the right way. Until next time, keep shining.