First Voice Wins

Friday, January 31, 2025

Show Notes

In today's The Estherpreneur episode, I'm pulling back the curtain on something that transformed my entire approach to business success—and I promise, it has nothing to do with strategy, marketing, or sales techniques.

I'm diving deep into a revelation about your morning routine that most business coaches won't tell you about. Through my own journey (including a surprising story about my master closet that changed everything), I'll show you why the first 30 minutes of your day are more powerful than all your business plans combined.

You'll discover why the enemy isn't afraid of your marketing plan, but there's something else that makes him tremble. If you're feeling scattered, overwhelmed, or disconnected in your business lately, this episode holds the divine keys you've been searching for. Join me as I share ancient biblical wisdom that's still revolutionizing businesses today.

Ready to step into your divine authority in your business, God's way? Let's dive in!

Want more kingdom business wisdom? Connect with me on LinkedIn @EdnaHarding for daily inspiration and strategies on doing business and life God's way. I share practical tips, biblical insights, and real-world victories that will help you thrive in both business and faith. 

Connect with Edna: 

📧 Email: hello@favorandwealth.com

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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 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 Essentrepreneur Podcast, and Naohea Harding here speaking from Madison, Alabama. Yes, my friends. I'm here in the south of the United States of America. And honestly, I'm loving the food because the food here is fantastic, and it's honestly giving me the, cravings fix that I've been craving for so food. I love, so food, like from Louisiana, even from Texas. And so excited about the food here, but I'm here to not talk about food food. I'm here to talk about the real food, which is the word of God. So if you guys are new here, welcome, this is a podcast, all things business and life his way.

Edna Harding [00:01:40]:
I'm so excited to be speaking to you about the things he showed me, during my walk. And so if you are interested in those type of topics, you're in the right place. And today we're gonna talk about morning routines of kingdom leaders, morning routines of kingdom leaders. So before we get into the nuts and the bells and whistles and, what's it called? The nuts and potatoes. I forgot which how I forgot the verbiage that you typically say. I wanna ask you guys something. When you wake up, what is the very first voice you hear? Is it your phone? Is it the news? Is it your anxieties about the day ahead? Or is it the voice of God? I want you to think about it wherever you are right now. What did you first think about when you woke up this morning? Because make no mistake, my friends, who you listen to first will shape your day.

Edna Harding [00:02:48]:
And here's the deal. If you give the enemy a head start, they'll be surprised when your day feels scattered or if your decisions feel heavy of some sort and your business lacks clarity. And I struggle with this myself. I struggle with this on the daily. It's, I have to make a conscious decision to be like, nope. Don't check your emails. Nope. Ignore the text messages.

Edna Harding [00:03:15]:
And do I always get it right? No. Absolutely not. There are times where I would catch myself. Oh my gosh. I fell for it again. And I think one of the best, like, practical tip, and I know I'm not gonna I'm not supposed to start with a practical tip, but I feel like I just need to get it out of my, chest is you want to, like like, you know, how Joseph, like, he ran from temptation. He flew from temptation, Potiphar's wife. Like, I feel like in order for you to really give God the best, effort as far as, like, not being distracted by work.

Edna Harding [00:03:53]:
So for example, you have to be in an environment where you're not distracted. So in the past, I used to do my devotions in my home office. Then now I do it in the kitchen, which is so funny. I used to complain that I didn't like working into my kitchen or do my devotions into my kitchen. I want it or my dining room, not my kitchen, but my dining room, my kitchen dining room, because we have a formal dining room, but my kitchen dining room. And I used to complain about that because like, Oh my gosh, I can't wait to have a home office because I could do my devotions there. And then now that I have a home office, I wanna do it in the kitchen. Because if I'm in my home office and an email pops up or I look at the time and I see, you know, all the pending task on my action list, like, I ended up getting distracted and not being able to concentrate on the word of God.

Edna Harding [00:04:45]:
And so I say all this to say environment matters. So you wanna create an environment so that you can truly listen to the voice of God. Now, today, I want to shake you awake. What does that mean? I mean that this is not another productivity hack session. Okay? This is not about, okay, let me go ahead and teach you how to be effective in your time management. This is about kingdom authority. Do you hear me about how to step into your morning, like a warrior, like w a r r I o r, not a worrier w o r r I e r. Alright? So today, we're gonna explore why your morning discipline determines your destiny.

Edna Harding [00:05:39]:
Number 2, how prayer isn't just communication, It's actually strategy for dominion. A lot of people don't realize that. And number 3, how time isn't just something you manage. It's a seed you sow into eternity. So I guarantee that whatever I'm about to share is not something that you hear in a time management productivity hack session. This is not what this is. This is truly truth from the Bible to help improve your business and your life. So if you've been waking up feeling defeated, distracted, or even disconnected, today's episode is going to be a wake up call straight from heaven.

Edna Harding [00:06:19]:
Alright? So if you guys are ready, let's go ahead and dive in. K? Now I want you guys to really hear me when I say this, and I need you to understand something. Your morning is not neutral. It's a battleground. Did you hear me? Your morning is not neutral. It's a battleground. The moment you open your eyes, you are stepping into a war, hear me, between kingdom authority and worldly distraction. Oh, come on, Jesus.

Edna Harding [00:06:53]:
Preach to us. And if you don't intentionally take control of your own mourning, the enemy will. How many of you guys have seen this time and time again? I have. I've seen it yesterday, today, the 5 days ago. It's every day the enemy comes to distract your intimacy with God. I want you to think about Daniel. Daniel, you know, from Daniel and the lion's den, did didn't just survive Babylon. He influenced it because why he had a non negotiable prayer life.

Edna Harding [00:07:26]:
Okay. Number 2, look at Jesus, right? Jesus didn't just perform miracles, right? What did he do? He retreated to prayer before every major breakthrough. Oh, come on, Jesus. I hope you guys hear me. Moses. Let's talk about Moses. Moses didn't just lead Israel. What did he do? He met with God face to face before stepping into his assignments.

Edna Harding [00:07:55]:
K? Now he what does that tell you? Let me tell you what it tells me. Your effectiveness in the marketplace is directly tied to your intimacy with God. Drop the mic. Let me say that again. Your effectiveness in the marketplace is directly tied to your intimacy with God. You know, I remember many years ago when God told me to when I first, like left my corporate job, I was dealing with so many challenging situations that he told me, I don't want you to focus on your business. I don't want you to deal with this trauma and defending yourself. I want you to focus on intimacy with me.

Edna Harding [00:08:35]:
I want you to ignore everything unless, of course, the, you know, the lawyers and people tell me to do something. But I I I remember turning my master closet into a prayer room, getting rid of all my clothes, and I dedicated that room to God. Sorry. And it was that time where I really saw the presence of God, like, tangible presence of God. I was so close to him. I've it's like I could feel him breathing, if that makes sense. I I I really felt one with him. For 1, I was, forced fasting, meaning I didn't have enough money for the food, so I was fasting the word of God, I was eating the word of God and drinking water, and it was the best time of my life because I've never felt so close to him than that because I was in the middle of the worst crisis ever.

Edna Harding [00:09:36]:
I mean, I can't tell you all the things I've gone through during that time, but I was so close to him, and I knew what he was thinking. I knew what he was what his heartfelt. I knew what he was angry at like it was such a closeness that I'll always cherish for the rest of my life because you know you know being a mom and being a wife and you know, now that you have lots of clients. At that time, I I didn't really have much clients. I mean, I had a few, but I was really truly focusing on Jesus. Like, there was and I wasn't there to get blessings. I was there to know his heart, to know what's on his mind, to just talk with him and fellowship with him. It was such a beautiful time for me, something that I will always cherish.

Edna Harding [00:10:31]:
And then life happened, and I had to be pulled away into the challenges of the world because I had to defend my name. And it was so hard being in that intimacy with the Lord because there were so many distractions pulling me away from my time with him. And especially now that, you know, I'm a busy mom and I have a lot of clients and I have a lot of responsibilities for different organizations too. I really and this is why I get up at 2:30 every morning because I miss it, because I miss that time with the Lord. Just interacting with him, laughing with him, then to him, talking to him about random stuff. Like, I really missed it, and, I was desperate. I was so desperate. Sorry.

Edna Harding [00:11:33]:
I guess this is not how I wanted the episode to go, but I feel like this is what he wants me to share. I was so desperate to hear him, to spend time with him with no hidden agenda, not because I wanted him to deliver me or set me free or make me rich or make me the head. Like, I just wanted to be with him. And I I remember, like, towards the latter part of last year, I was telling God I missed that. I miss just coming to him just to hang out with him and not have to worry about bills or have to worry about, you know, trauma or some sort of challenge or huge battle that I'm facing. Like, I just wanted to spend time with the Lord. And thank God I feel like I'm getting back to that place where I'm I'm in a place of shalom or pure serenity that I'm not in his feet because I'm trying to get him to save me or help me with a problem, but I'm at his feet because I'm just spending time with him with no hidden agenda, but just ministering to him and, letting him minister to me and just that oneness, that fellowship that only he can provide me, not even my husband can provide me, or not even my best friend or my mom or my children. Like, there is something missing in my life that if I do not make him the number one priority, if I don't take the time to seek his face and spend time with him, I feel incomplete.

Edna Harding [00:13:12]:
I don't feel like myself. And I'm sharing this to say that a lot of times when people look at the fruits of my life, it what they don't realize is a lot of it that people see isn't from my own efforts. It came from my intimacy with God. It came from my fellowship with the Holy Spirit, and it came from me trusting his voice. No matter what I saw, it came from me obeying his instruction, no matter what I felt and to constantly come to him when I feel overwhelmed, because there will be times my brothers and sisters where you will feel overwhelmed. And so I'm saying all of this to say that if you are truly a leader that wants to be focused on kingdom minded things, you have to start off with the kingdom minded routine. And this is how you do it. Number 1, you have to give your first fruits to God.

Edna Harding [00:14:22]:
Proverbs 3 verse 9 to 10. K. So before emails, before meetings or social media, the first conversation of your day should be with the holy spirit. K. Number 2, remember that when you tied your first thoughts to God, the rest of your day comes from under his order, which is why there are times when I feel like I'm running behind and I kid you not. And you're probably gonna think like this is a coincidence, Edna. Something will happen where that meeting will be postponed or the deadline will be, moved to accommodate me because I'm late or I'm running behind, or someone reschedules a meeting because I needed to take a nap. Biden rescheduled the meeting, but they ended up rescheduling the meeting because I'm to take a nap.

Edna Harding [00:15:17]:
What I'm saying is when you put God first in your life, God is the one who's gonna orchestrate your day so that you're you're smooth sailing, that you're not toiling, that you're not stressing out, that you truly have a day filled with his peace and joy because you made him first. Like he'll orchestrate things that works out for your benefit. Right? And I know it sounds so bad. I remember one time I wasn't really I was stressing out because I had a deadline for a client and I didn't have enough. I was so exhausted. Alright. I was already getting up early and I felt like I was rushing through it And I remember that week, that Friday we were supposed to meet, we had a snow day. And so the kids were off of school, so I had to tell them I had to postpone, but then I had the weekend to work on the project, which made me ready for that following, meeting on Monday Tuesday.

Edna Harding [00:16:08]:
But if if God didn't intervene with the weather or use the weather for my benefit, I probably would be so stressed out and I probably would have missed something. I was able to produce some really great work. I think it was like 79 pages and my customer loved it. And 1 told me up front that, k, he wants to continue working with me for the rest of the year at that same meeting where I presented the solution. But my point is God truly made a way for me, without me asking, he just did it on his own because he, I truly believe is because I put him first in my life. All right. Number 2, you have to meditate on scripture and you have to activate it as well. Just like Joshua 1:8, it is not enough to read the Bible.

Edna Harding [00:16:57]:
You have to speak it into your atmosphere. You know, there's something about reading the word of God out loud. I do this all the time. You know, you could read it silently, but there's something there's power that comes out of our mouth whenever we speak forth his word. Okay? So I wanna ask you a question. What would happen if you declared God's word over your business before the enemy had a chance to plant doubt? Do you hear me? What would happen if you declared God's word over your business before the enemy had a chance to plant out? Okay. The next thing I want to talk about is journaling. Okay.

Edna Harding [00:17:37]:
Kingdom strategy journaling, Habakkuk 22, write down the divine downloads. Remember, God is not silent. He's always speaking, but we are just too busy to listen. So I want you to ask yourself, what instructions has God already given me that I have ignored? What is it? So that's how I like going back to old journals and realize, oh my gosh, I was supposed to do that. Oh my gosh. Yes. I was supposed to do that. But in reality, like he will give us everything we need for that day, just the right amount of things so that we could have a productive day.

Edna Harding [00:18:13]:
Okay. Number 4, spiritual authority confessions. Before the world tells you who you are, I want you to remind yourself who God says you are. So I want you to say out loud with me right now, I am a kingdom leader, anointed for the marketplace, equipped with divine wisdom, and covered by favor. No weapon formed against me will prosper. Amen? Amen. So here's my challenge for you guys. I want you to look at your day to day, and I want you to audit your first 30 minutes of your day.

Edna Harding [00:18:57]:
Can I ask you, and I want you to ask truth answer truthfully, are you feeding your spirit or are you feeding your stress? I know. I know. Alright. So let's talk about the next portion. It's talk about prayer. You know, prayer is a strategy. Prayer is not just quiet time. It is a weapon.

Edna Harding [00:19:20]:
Remember that the enemy isn't afraid of your marketing plan. Okay. Let me say that again. The enemy or Satan is not afraid of your marketing plan, But let me tell you this, he is terrified of an entrepreneur who prays with authority. He is terrified of an entrepreneur who prays with authority. And the Bible says in Job, Job 3812, have you commanded the morning since your days began and cause the dawn to know its place? When was the last time you commanded your morning instead of reacting to it? Let me answer that for myself. Today, I commanded my morning today. Okay? So how do you do that? Number 1, you have to stop passively accepting the day.

Edna Harding [00:20:17]:
You have to declare the will of God over it. Job 3812. Say every opportunity aligned with God's purpose finds me today. Every distraction and demonic delay is removed today in Jesus' name. The second thing you want to do is you want to activate wisdom and favor James 1, 5 and Proverbs 3, 4. You don't want to rely on your business degree more than you rely on the holy spirit. Okay? Don't rely on your business degree or your past experience more than you rely on the holy spirit. I want you to pray father.

Edna Harding [00:20:50]:
I don't just want knowledge. I need wisdom open doors that only you can open. Okay? Number 3, take dominion over your finances. This is very difficult for a lot of people. Deuteronomy 818 says, Deuteronomy 818, I believe it says, I have given you power to create wealth. Money, my friend, is a tool, not a master. So I want you to stop worrying about it and start declaring over it. I want you to pray this right now.

Edna Harding [00:21:24]:
Ready? Okay. I reject a poverty mindset. I steward well for kingdom impact. I receive divine strategies for financial increase. Alright. The next thing you wanna do is you wanna pray against distraction and discouragement. 2nd Corinthians chapter 104 to 5. Remember this guys, that if the enemy can't destroy you, he will distract you.

Edna Harding [00:22:00]:
If he can't block you, he will discourage you. K? Again, I'm gonna say that one more time. If the enemy can't destroy you, he will distract you. If he can't block you, he will discourage you. K? So I want you to pray. Ready? I take every thought captive. I am focused, anointed, and full of faith. No weapon of discouragement will prosper.

Edna Harding [00:22:35]:
Alright. So here's my challenge to you guys. I want you to write out your own 3 minute warfare prayer and use the word of God. Find scriptures that you know you deal with on a regular basis and declare it daily over your business. So for me, I always do read, Psalms 91 for sure, Psalms 23 for sure, and Psalms 112 for sure. And then I add other scriptures in what I'm feeling that day. So today, I added Ephesians chapter 6 about the weapons of warfare for God's armor, so I did that. So you want to write out whatever prayer that is, and I want you to say it out loud.

Edna Harding [00:23:16]:
Okay? Sorry, guys. My nose is, getting stuffed up. Alright. So the third thing I wanna talk about is time management with an internal perspective. You know, the world tells you to manage time. Right? How many times have you heard manage time, manage time, manage time, manage time. But in the kingdom, hear me by way of the spirit. Time is a seed, not a clock.

Edna Harding [00:23:43]:
Time is a seed, not a clock. Psalms 9012 says, teach us to number our days that we may gain a heart of wisdom. Wisdom. K? So if time is one of those few things you can never get back, why do we weigh so much of it? Anybody? Alright. So how do we steward our time? Well, number 1, you have to start with rest, not hustle Exodus chapter 20, verse 8 to 10. You have to stop glorifying busyness. Remember that your highest productivity comes from what alignment and not exhaustion. Number 2, you got to block out sacred time.

Edna Harding [00:24:23]:
If Jesus could find time to pray, Jesus himself, the son of God, who is God can tell, and I'm fine to pray. So can you. So the question I wanna ask is, do you control your schedule or does your schedule control you? Bum, bum, bum. That was a tough one because mine is a hit or miss. I have to remind myself with the holy spirit to remind myself to not allow allow my schedule to control me. And number 3, I want you to invest time in what matters most. Are you being productive in the wrong things? K. Remember Martha was busy, but Mary was wise.

Edna Harding [00:25:02]:
Don't confuse motion with progress. I can't emphasize this enough. Don't confuse motion with progress. K. What I want you guys to do is I want you to review your calendar and ask yourself, does it reflect kingdom priorities or worldly distractions? Alright? Okay. Now remember this isn't just about a morning routine, right? We've we talked about this is about a kingdom discipline. It's about spiritual authority and time stewardship. So for your next step, I want you to remember to start your day with prayer, scripture, and prophetic declarations.

Edna Harding [00:25:42]:
K? Prayer, scripture, and prophetic declarations. Also, if you guys need additional help, I invite you to take my free training intent at the Prosperity Blueprint is on my website, faveandwealth.com, and you go to resources tab, and you'll be able to see Prosperity Blueprint. There's a free 3 hour training, and I promise you, it's gonna help you, prepare for success for the rest of 2025. And then I also want you guys to consider joining my business unlimited group growth mentorship program for deeper kingdom business, strategies, as well as 1 on 1. Oh, no, sorry. There's somewhat 1 on 1, somewhat weekly support, some in monthly support depends on the level you have, but I highly suggest you join that because it's truly, I believe the best Christian business program out there. I can say that I haven't seen anything like it yet. So maybe there was something out there, but I have not seen anything like it.

Edna Harding [00:26:45]:
So please go ahead and take over that. Also have a book called the ugly side of sales. 2 point zero is currently out now on amazon.com. Feel free to purchase that and learn how to win in sales without losing your soul. So before we end, I wanna go ahead and pray for you. Father, awaken every listener to a higher level of discipline, strategy, and kingdom authority. May they walk in divine wisdom and supernatural favor in Jesus' mighty name. Amen.

Edna Harding [00:27:18]:
Now this challenge you, I want you guys to share with another kingdom entrepreneur and remember that you are the apple of God's eye. Until next time, walk in dominion, shine bright. Blessings. 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, or if you simply tell a friend about the show, that would help me out too.

Edna Harding [00:27:53]:
Also, check out my book, The Ugly Side of Sales, available on Amazon, where I share 7 of my secrets on how to win and grow business the right way. Until next time, keep shining.