In honor of Veterans Day, this special episode of Estherpreneur is dedicated to all veterans and anyone navigating the challenging in-between seasons of life. Whether transitioning from military service to civilian life, moving from one career to another, or stepping away from a familiar role, transitions can be daunting and unclear. But there's purpose in this season, and God has a mission waiting for you.
This episode isn’t just another feel-good message—it’s for those ready to confront the unknown with faith and courage. Through personal stories, including a powerful testimony from a veteran client who overcame hardship and found her calling, we’ll explore what it means to trust God in uncertain times. With three transformative steps, discover how to let go of past victories and pains, reconnect with your God-given identity, and boldly embrace the next chapter.
If you're ready for clarity and purpose, tune in and learn how God’s favor can guide you through any season of transition.
Looking for further guidance to elevate your season of transition journey? Join the Business Unlimited Group Mentoring and Coaching Program by applying here. This exclusive program combines practical strategies with biblical wisdom, helping you identify your calling—especially in the marketplace—and develop a sustainable plan that can thrive through any challenge or season.
Join me, Edna Harding, on a journey through spiritual growth, personal development, and entrepreneurial insight, where Timeless Wisdom meets Timely Methods in every episode.
Show Transcript
Edna Harding [00:00:03]:
Welcome to Estrepreneur, a podcast for entrepreneurs and leaders doing business and life God's way. Each week, we discuss biblical and to improve your mind, business, spirit, relationships, and finances. Listen along as I speak with special guests on how to thrive in all aspects of life. Hi, I'm Edna. Like many of you, I wear many hats. I'm a military wife, mother, author, certified John Maxwell business and executive coach, trainer, and founder of Favor and Wealth who we help the good guys win. So tune as we bring on the light. Well, hello, everyone.
Edna Harding [00:00:47]:
Thank you for tuning in for another episode of the Essendon R Podcast. My name is Edna Harding. And in honor of Veterans Day coming up, I wanted to dedicate this episode to those of you who have served our country or in any other nations because I truly believe that God has a special message for you today. Now, while I may not have walked in your shoes, I want you to know this. You are seen, you matter, not just to those close to you or who love you, who are connected to you, but also to God. And I want you to know that God sees you, and he values your life. And so today, I'm going to talk about transitions, and we're gonna talk about navigating the seasons between each other. Right? The in between the seasons.
Edna Harding [00:01:44]:
Right? I hope I'm making sense. But before we dive deep, I want to hear from some of you. I wanna know your stories. I want to know your name, work you've been up to these days, and what drew you to the military in the first place. So if you are a veteran and you have been listening to this podcast, please send me a message at edna@favorandwealth.com. I truly wanna hear what God is doing in your life and to see how I can partner with you as far as praying for some of the initiatives you may be having. And so, without further ado, I'm gonna go ahead and jump into it. Some of you guys might know my might know my story and some of you might not.
Edna Harding [00:02:30]:
But, essentially, I wanted to say that I have seen the ugly side of business, and I've seen the ugly side of life. And as I have navigated through seasons of one chapter to the next, one thing I know is that God somehow, someway orchestrates everything for our good. And so I'm gonna talk about this particular, time of my life where I was in the process of well, let's just say this. I was in an excited exciting time of my life because I had finally get the green light to leave my corporate job and work on my business full time, not knowing what I was about to step into. You see, about 2 years before this now this was around October 2016. Around 2 years before this, I was approached by a group of pastors to invest in commercial real estate, and basically said that they were gonna build transition homes for abused women and that the rest of the cup the money they were going to build residual income for kingdom minded individuals like myself. So I was super excited. I was truly believing that this was going to be the best seasons of my life.
Edna Harding [00:03:54]:
I had a waiting list of clients. I had, you know, checks coming in, and I was just really living the life because I was on top of my game, gaining attractions all over Houston. I was starting to build a name for myself by the grace of God. And when I say and what I mean by that is it wasn't just like about Aetna. It was more like I was teaching people biblical strategies out there in the public sector. So I was not teaching this to church people. I wasn't at churches. In fact, a lot of churches rejected me and didn't want me to teach business strategies utilizing biblical principles.
Edna Harding [00:04:31]:
They wanted to keep business and church separate. And so I was really shocked when I found out that the pastors that I that I served in and the pastors that approached me were a bunch of scammers. And I'm I'm literally, like, shortening the whole journey because it was definitely a 3 to 5 year process, but I found this out in early 2017. And no. Yeah. Early 2017. And by December of 2017, I realized that it was all a sham, and I had to start over from scratch. I had to because I wired them over $300,000 worth of, funds.
Edna Harding [00:05:18]:
And for the past 2 years, I was covering payments of $7,000 a month towards these commercial loan payments that never existed. I was broke, And I didn't know, like, where to go from there because I was traumatized by the fact that these godly men were scamming me using I mean, they they found me in the church. They pitched their services in the church. It's like they had no fear of God. And I remember I started questioning God. I was like, what was the purpose of all of this? Because I dealt with the ugly side of business in the world, and now I was seeing it operate in the church. And that's when God revealed to me my calling, which was to expose the spirit of deception and greed that is not just operating in the world, but it's also operating in the church. And for those of you guys who didn't listen to the episode last week, I encourage you to listen to it because I I I kinda surface level covered, you know, the systems of bail, which is basically the systems that I've been assigned by God to address in the marketplace.
Edna Harding [00:06:24]:
But let me tell you this, that when you get assigned to target the systems of Baal, you become a target by Baal himself, which is Satan. And so let's just say that I truly have to put on my warrior, you know, my warrior outfit because it's it isn't for the weak. And by the grace of God, he is I believe that he has equipped me, not just me personally, but have surrounded me by men and women of God who are, with me in this battle. And so I I'm I'm sharing all of this to say that I learned I had to learn to transition from 1 season of my life, which was, like, the best season of my life to all all of it overnight, a pit season or a valley season, a season where, oh my gosh. Like, everything I worked hard for gone because not only did I had to file bankruptcy, but I also had to learn how to build a business without money. And I need to start over. And literally, like, I felt like my identity was stripped away from me. And I say all of this to say that what I found in relation to veterans is, at least some of the veterans that I've worked with, I'm not gonna pretend to understand what you're going through, is that once that uniform is off and you trans and your note you're back you thrown into the civilian world, like, what now? Like, what do you do? You feel clueless because that's all you know, and now you have choices.
Edna Harding [00:08:04]:
You have decisions that you have to make because the mission that you were working on, all all of a sudden is no longer your mission. And so now you're in that season of transition between you're no longer where you were, but you're you're still not where you want to be or where you are because you don't have any clarity in where you're going. So you're kinda in this, you know, unpredictable situation where you're kinda hovering between the past and the future. Right? And so you're in the present moment, but still foggy. Like, you don't have any clarity on where you're going. And what I found is this transition, although it's related to you veterans, is also related to those anybody who's transitioning from one season to another. It could be going the opposite from having, you know, young children to no children at all. Now they're all grown up and you guys are empty nesters.
Edna Harding [00:09:00]:
Some of you guys may transition from one career to another career. Right? Switching, industries. It could be switching, social status, whether if it's going from negative to positive to positive to negative. It could be switching relationships. For example, you were once married and now you're divorced, or, you know, you're going from really healthy to not being healthy or could be the opposite. Transitions are tough because you are literally, like, in between a rock and a hard place because you're like, what do I do? I feel stuck. And I believe that God has a message specifically for you who are in that transition. Right? Because let's talk about, the uniform.
Edna Harding [00:09:46]:
Right? For those of you guys who serve, your uniform was more than just a fabric. Right? It was the badge of an honor. Right? Wearing it, you were seen. How many of you guys have gone to places and, like, thank you for your service. Thank you for your service. Thank you for your service. And now out of uniform, things might feel a little different. You know? Like, a part of your identity isn't as clear.
Edna Harding [00:10:06]:
It's like, who am I now? I know especially with my husband because now he's facing a choice. It's like, what is he gonna do after he retire? It's like this conversation in his forties. It's like you wouldn't think he would have that in your forties, but that's what's happening because it's been in, you know, in the military for over, I guess, 25 years. And so he's just, you know, asking those questions. And and you could be asking those questions also, like, maybe you just retired. Maybe you're thinking about retiring. Right? Or maybe you've been retired for quite some time, but you still feel incomplete. You still feel like something is empty.
Edna Harding [00:10:41]:
You feel like you still feel like you're not clear of your identity. And when I saw identity, like what your mission is for this present moment, you see, what I found is your identity is not your background. You know, when we hear the word identity, what usually comes to your mind, right, is your name, your race, your age, your family background, your profession, the size of your company, or what community you're part of. But it's interesting because all those things other people can relate to or say the same thing. Even how you look. Right? You could go to plastic surgery, and all of a sudden, they look exactly like you. So today, we're going to explore something powerful, and that is discovering your mission for this current season of your life. This mission given by God can guide you as strongly as any mission you had while in service.
Edna Harding [00:11:35]:
Because one thing's for sure is when you're in the military, at least I'm not in military. This is what I heard is that you know exactly what you need to be doing that day. You know the goals, you know the mission, and a lot of times your mission is tied to a bigger mission. Right? A bigger, you know, agenda, a bigger goal. So you're one piece of the pie. And I know some of you might not be familiar with God or particularly interested in what he thinks, and that's completely okay. Because regardless of belief, I truly believe that he has a plan for everyone. Because when you were being formed in your mother's room, you were craft with intention.
Edna Harding [00:12:13]:
And the scripture says that your gifts and calling are irrevocable. And for those of you guys who don't know the difference between your gifts and your call, your gifts reflect your natural talents. These are things that you're born with, things that are easy for you that you don't even have to try for. And typically, your calling is something greater than yourself, which requires support from others, and I truly believe God to help fulfill. Like, you can't fulfill your calling on your own. Right? And that's how you know. Are you operating in your gifts where it's easy, it's comfortable, and nothing is being you're not being stretched versus a calling, a a huge mission that's bigger than yourself. So I want you to ask yourself this.
Edna Harding [00:12:58]:
Are you currently using your natural talents, or are you pursuing something greater, something that truly challenges you? And I want you to look at all the activities that you have. Do they seem bigger than you, or are you just floating? Now I wanna share a story about a client of mine. Her name is Derecina. When I first met her, she didn't really know, you know I mean, she was getting some assistance from the government because she had dealt with a traumatic experience in the military. And and she basically, ended up, you know, numbing her pain with, you know, painkillers. And I'm not gonna go over her whole journey, but she went through a hopeless state. And she really didn't see, you know, you know, what her next step was. And that trauma basically, you know, led her to being discharged, and she found herself without any direction.
Edna Harding [00:13:53]:
And, and the pain killer was numbing her pain, but it wasn't doing much for her. And although she went to church, she was serving God, there was still that sadness. There was still, like, that that that something there's something more, and I don't know what that is. And so she went from, you know, the military providing her structure, and now, you know, she's kinda, like, wondering, like, okay. What do I do now? And she would, you know, just go through the day without any agenda, just, you know, just live life vicariously, do whatever she pleases. But a few years ago, I met her at the cafeteria or the break room. And I was gonna say cafeteria, but there wasn't it's a break room. And she shared with me how, you know, just her desire.
Edna Harding [00:14:43]:
And I told her about, you know, starting a business. And any long story short, she went to my group, coaching, class, and then eventually, she hired me 1 on 1. And, basically, over the course of our time together, I saw her call for, addressing unforgiveness, and and she had a gift in that. And, I'm not gonna share all her story, but she really has a gift of forgiveness. And so we found out through the help of the holy spirit that she was called to speak and teach on unforgiveness. And so fast forward a few years, she is now, she wrote a book. She's published. I said, not even she's actually published her book.
Edna Harding [00:15:34]:
She wrote a book. She's speaking to, conferences and speaking to people about her journey, teaching people how to forgive. She is in the process of launching her online coaching program. She, started her business, a thriving, horse and pet sitting business. She's even traveling, you know, like, just all over the place. That point is God is blessing the work of our hands because now she's pursuing her calling. And when you pursue your call, that's something that's bigger than you, something that's more than just, okay, I wanna pay my bills, but something that's impacting the kingdom of God. This is when the favor of God is going to overtake you.
Edna Harding [00:16:14]:
Right? And so why am I saying this? Because unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the guard watch sands watch in vain. You see, if man builds it, man can destroy it. But if God is building it through you, no devil in hell can stop you. And this is the foundation of success. Right? If you truly want to go from that in between season to having a season of purpose, having your next step definitive for you, having that just, you know, like, knowing exactly what to do and when to do, having that clarity on what is it that God has in store for you in this particular area, it really comes down to ensuring that we go to God for that specific time. Right? Because how many of you guys are tired of wondering? How many of you guys going around this time tired going around the same circle around the same mountain. And no matter what you do, no matter how hard you try, you're still not fulfilled.
Edna Harding [00:17:23]:
I mean, you're getting favor. You're still getting successes. You're getting awards, but it's still not fulfilling for you. It's still too easy for you. Does that make sense? You don't feel like it's something bigger than you. And I wanna challenge you, my friends, that if this is you, that is not your mission. That is not your calling. Okay? And and I wanna give you guys some practical steps on how to navigate through this journey and, and identify what your calling is because that's truly gonna make a huge difference, difference, especially if you're in that in that transition.
Edna Harding [00:18:01]:
Right? And so I have 2 groups of people that are listening to me. I have those who feel uncertain about their mission. So you're in that transition. You don't know what your next steps are. You don't know where to begin, and you resonate with, you know, Dara Cena's story. The the lady that I talked about earlier is that she she's just living life and, you know, just no direction, just kinda aimlessly just going living day by day. And you might feel stuck, you might feel lost, or unsure about what your next mission is. I wanna encourage you that like Dee, you know, god knows exactly where you are.
Edna Harding [00:18:42]:
He hasn't forgotten you, and he has a plan that is waiting to unfold. Okay? So he sees you. He knows exactly where you are, and it's not too late. You know, the Bible says that he's a redeemer of time. And you might feel like and trust me, God, I've worked with people who are older, right, in their seventies, in their sixties, in their eighties, and they're still able to accomplish the work that God has for them even at that leader age. Because in God, there is no limitations to him. You know, if you think of, like, KFC, the guy colonel I forgot his name. Sanders.
Edna Harding [00:19:19]:
Yeah. He actually, you know, created KFC, I think, in his eighties or seventies. I don't remember. But it's never too late to get in the game. And so I wanna challenge you. If you're in that season where you don't know your next, just know that he does have a plan. And for those of you guys who feel like you already know your mission, I know you're like, okay. I already did it.
Edna Harding [00:19:41]:
I've done well. I served well. I'm done. You know, I'm done. I'm ready to just relax and rest. You think you found your calling. You think you, you know, you started a successful business. You're a minister now.
Edna Harding [00:19:53]:
Maybe you've done community service. I don't know. Maybe you've done community service. I don't know. Whatever it is you feel like that is it. I'm done. I've done my part. Let me move on.
Edna Harding [00:20:02]:
Let me leave the rest to the rest of the people. And that's a wonderful place to be. But I wanna ask you this, and please hear me when I say, are you fully aligned with what God is calling you to do in this season? Because sometimes we think that we have it all figured out, but God is always calling us to deeper, stretching us to new dimensions of our purpose. So there's higher levels of intimacy with with him and higher levels of output with him. Because just because you know your mission doesn't mean you've fully unlocked God's favor for it yet. And let me tell you why. Number 1, mission without surrender can lead to self reliance. What does that mean? Even when we know our mission, it's easy to start relying on our own strength.
Edna Harding [00:20:51]:
Right? Our own skills, our own experiences. But God's favor shows us that when we surrender fully to him, not when we're running things solo, but when you surrender to him, but, like, god, I need your help. Like, I feel like this is not it. I feel I'm still unsatisfied. I still feel like there's more, but I just don't know what else to do. And and you feel like you could out you produce more. Right? So what do you do? You need to ask yourself, are you relying on God or you're relying on you for every step of your image? Are you rely especially, I gotta talk to those people who are, like, my fay my favor, my fellow go getters, my fellow driven individuals with a heart for god and a heart for people and you've done great and amazing things, it's not over. You still have higher levels.
Edna Harding [00:21:46]:
You're not dead yet. If you could get up out of the house and you could go about and do your thing and you're not, you know, strapped in bed or you don't have any like, you're so healthy, you know, you have you know, you're not worried about you. This is the perfect time to do what God is calling you to do. Right? Especially when nothing is stopping you. And even if there are things stopping you, guess what? You still can do what God called you to do. So are you relying on your past experience to get you through, or you're truly relying on the wisdom and the revelation and the revelation and the strength that comes from God alone? Because you see, God may have for you. Right? And in fact, I know God has more for you. One thing about God is he never runs out.
Edna Harding [00:22:33]:
There's always more and more we can learn. There's more things we can grow into. There's more things that we could receive from him. And the way you do that is you stop limiting God and what he wants to do through you. A lot of times, we create our own lives. We think, okay. On my capacity, I've done my part. I've served in the military for 30 years.
Edna Harding [00:22:56]:
I've reached certain accolades. I'm already retired from my profession. I just wanna play golf all day. Not to say there's anything wrong with that, but I truly believe right now we need every believer in the game because we are living in dark times. And, unfortunately, I hate to say this, but the next generation of Christians isn't looking very promising because they have this lukewarm approach to Christianity. They're not die hard go getters lover of Jesus who's truly out there to win the game. They're just there to participate and check it off the list instead of truly win this battle for the lord Jesus Christ. So I wanna ask you, maybe you're comfortable in your current mission.
Edna Harding [00:23:45]:
Maybe you're satisfied with all of your accomplishments already that you have done in your career, in your life, even in right in your business. But what if God is calling you to expand your vision? What if God is calling you to do greater things and step into a new area that you might not have even explored yet? That you don't even have any experience. I can tell you there's so many stories of individuals I know who have done great and mighty things for God, and then God is calling them to something new that they have never done before, and all of a sudden they're like babies. Like, they have no idea what they're doing. They don't even know the lingo. They don't have any connection. They have to start from scratch, but that is where God called them to do. So don't limit yourself based on your current experience or your past experience, but be open to the new things God has in store for you if you just trust and believe.
Edna Harding [00:24:38]:
And number 2, remember that mission can evolve with seasons because your mission today may look different than the mission God will call you to do tomorrow, and you have to stay open to the possibility that our assignments evolve as we grow. Right? Are you open to that? Are you holding on tightly to a mission that God is asking you to evolve or expand or even get rid of? Because sometimes we think that we're still not done with our assignment. In reality, we've done our race well. And even though we don't see the fruits of that assignment yet, and we feel like it hasn't been mission accomplished. But according to him, you've done your part and the rest of the the rest of the party that because remember it takes 2. One thing about God is he doesn't force his will upon people. So let's say you've came to bat. You've done your part and you, you know, educated, you've tried to enlighten them, you tried to fix things, but the other party didn't receive the gift.
Edna Harding [00:25:36]:
He didn't they didn't receive the pearls. These swines didn't receive the pearls that you're bringing to the table, the solutions, the specific area. And God is telling you, okay. Dust your feet off and go on to the next house. Right? But here you are still trying to stay in that house because you think that's exactly where you need to be. But in reality, God is sending, it's over my son. It's over my daughter. Move on.
Edna Harding [00:26:00]:
Move on. I have better things in store for you. Right? So how do we how do we address that? You know, if if you're either the 1st category of people or the 2nd category of people, how do you move forward? How do you identify what your current mission is for this season? I'm gonna give you 3 steps. The first is forget the past, both good and bad. Because often we hold on to what both past victories and defeat, thinking that they define us. But if you truly want to walk in the favor of God, you need to forget the past, both the wins and the losses. Because in Philippians 313, it says, forgetting what is behind and strained toward what is ahead. Let go of what's holding you back, whether if it's past pain or past success, and focus on what God is doing now.
Edna Harding [00:26:51]:
This helps us from being in bondage to pride and to fear. Right? Because we're afraid that the same stuff that happened in the past, the bad stuff will happen again, and pride thinking that, oh, okay. I got this. I'm good. Look at all the things I've done. Okay? You don't want any of that. Fear and pride are, like, the worst things to go in to have, to bring into the new land. Okay.
Edna Harding [00:27:16]:
Number 2, know yourself the way God originally created you. What does that mean? Because before your military service, before the trauma, before the accolades, who did God create you to be? Let me tell you guys. If you're still alive, more than likely, your calling hasn't been fulfilled yet. Because I truly believe that if your calling has been fulfilled, he would have already taken you. So take advantage of the time you have here on the earth. You know, sometimes with that life's experience cloud our understanding of our true identity. And to align with the favor of God, we really need to rediscover ourself as God intended, where the mission he designed for your life in the very beginning is plain. Right? Because remember, he's written the books of our life.
Edna Harding [00:28:06]:
Right? He's written the chapters, and although he has his will for us, we have to say yes to his plan and choose his plan over ours and over the enemy's plans. Right? And so one thing for sure is that his calling and his gifts are irrevocable. So whatever his calling is when he designed you in your mother's womb, it still exists. And if you're still alive, that means it still hasn't been completed. Okay? So, like, my challenge to you is that your mission didn't start with your military career, and it start does sorry. Let me say this one more time. Your mission didn't start with your military career, and it certainly doesn't end there. Okay? And so number 3, I want you to listen to God.
Edna Harding [00:28:58]:
Take the time. Spend a week, 2 weeks, 30 days. I don't care. It could be of 3 hours. Be led by the Holy Spirit and listen to what God is saying through his word and through his still voice. And then trust what God says about you. Believe what God says about you and obey God. And how do you obey God? You take bold, faithful steps.
Edna Harding [00:29:20]:
Don't wait for everything to line up and be perfect before you step out. Remember, Dee didn't wait until she had it all together. She took small bold steps of faith, and god guided her along the way. I remember when she first got her book, she's like, oh my gosh, Anna. I can't believe I wrote a book, got published a book, and, like, became a bestseller. Her book became a bestseller for her first book. Isn't it amazing? And she's impacting lives. She's transforming lives.
Edna Harding [00:29:53]:
She's changing people's walk, you know, so that they will no longer be in bondage, but truly live according to the, you know, the fullness of who God is. And so I just wanna encourage you, my friends, that remember the faith without works is dead. You just gotta take the next step, and then he'll show you the next step. You can't have it all laid out. I'm a planner. I love having things laid out for me. That's not how God works. Unfortunately, he'll give you one step, then he'll tell you the next step.
Edna Harding [00:30:25]:
And even if it's small, when you trusted God's favor will be in your obedience, guess what? Boldness invites God's hand to move in ways you can't predict. You'll be surprised what happens when you take that leap of faith and obey him when he tells you the specific instruction to move you into your next. Okay? So I wanna challenge each of you whether you feel lost in your transition or you're confident in your mission to take these steps seriously. Because remember that God's favor is available to each and every one of you, but it starts with seeking him first. Remember that you may feel unseen by the world, but you are fully known by God. And when you are known by him, you are positioned for favor, not just in heaven, but here in her. So I pray that this encourage you. I pray that this bless you.
Edna Harding [00:31:18]:
I pray this ignite a desire to learn more about yourself through the lens of the spirit of God. And I pray that it encourage you to be all that God has called you to be in this season and the next. Well, thank you guys for tuning in for another episode of the Esther Knorr podcast. Until next time, keep shining. Thanks for joining us this week on Estrepreneur. Make sure to visit our website, favorandwealth.com, for more information on our services. While you're at it, if you found value in this show, we'd appreciate a rating on iTunes, or if you simply tell a friend about the show, that would help me out too. Also, check out my book, The Old New Side of Sales, available on Amazon, where I share 7 of my secrets on how to win and grow business the right way.
Edna Harding [00:32:07]:
Until next time, keep shining.
