Friday, October 11, 2024

Show Notes

In a world obsessed with visibility and influence, what if being unknown by man is actually the secret to being known by God?

In this transformative episode of The Estherpreneur, we’ll unpack a revelation that could change how you pursue success in your life and business. Discover why shifting your focus from the fleeting approval of people to the eternal recognition of God is the key to unlocking doors that no man can close. What if the very thing you’re striving for—fame, recognition, success—starts with being hidden in Him first?

This episode will challenge your thinking: Is it possible that being overlooked by the world is a sign that God is preparing you for something far greater?

If you’re ready to stop chasing after the world’s applause and start aligning with your true, God-given calling, this episode is for you. Hit play now and get ready for a divine perspective shift that will transform how you see success.

Whether you’re looking for one-on-one coaching, spiritual leadership development, or actionable insights to grow your business God’s way, I’m here to walk alongside you. Visit www.favorandwealth.com or reach out directly by calling 1-855-732-8673.

Say hi on social:

LI:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://www.linkedin.com/in/ednaharding⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

X: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://x.com/EdnaSHarding

IG: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://instagram.com/theestherpreneur⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

YT:⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/c/EdnaHarding⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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 in as we bring on the light. Well, hello, everyone.

Edna Harding [00:00:48]:
Thank you for tuning in for another episode of the Essentrepreneur Podcast. My name is Edna Harding, and I'm so glad you are joining us today. Because today, I am gonna be sharing well, you might not be excited, but I'm excited because I'm gonna be talking to you guys about what I normally share in my spiels whenever I tell people what I do. It is I help you go from know to known, n o to known, n k n o w n. Now, before I go into that, I wanted to say that welcome new people, old people not old people, but, you know, family, those who have been here before and have listened to my podcast, welcome back. To those of you guys who are new, I just wanted to say you're in the right place because I've been praying for you. I know that if you're listening to this, it is not a coincidence because it's something about the holy spirit that if you involve him, meaning I've since the get go, since I started this podcast about 4 years ago around COVID time in 2020. And I have seen god do great and mighty things to this podcast, and I know that he is working on the behalf of his children in the marketplace.

Edna Harding [00:02:12]:
And so if you're watching this, consider this as a sign. Okay? Because I know that you're here because that means your heart is in the right place. Because one of the things that I ask the holy spirit is to kinda help me, attract the people with the father's heart, and it means that you are seeking the father's heart. And so if you are here today, I know it's not a coincidence. Okay? So in this in this podcast, I teach you how to build your business and life god's way. And so, yeah, we're gonna explore how to first prioritize, being known by God and how once that happens, you'll be known by man. Okay? So it's a it's a first step and second step. Now I understand in a world's way, people care about, you know, the masses, like, being known by men first before being known by god.

Edna Harding [00:03:10]:
Because in their mind, that's what matters. Right? It's how big of a following you have, how many, subscribers do you have, how many clients have you had, how many lives have you changed. Right? And and, you know, I used to think that way. I used to think more in the carnal mind, and I'm not trying to be judgmental. I really I'm saying this with a humble heart, as a as a vessel of god that has been crushed by, just the word of god. And and then you're probably like, oh my gosh. That sounds so painful. I actually am glad.

Edna Harding [00:03:50]:
Sorry. I guess I'm getting distracted because my monitor keeps going on and off. I I I got to experience god truly forming me in his hand. You know, in the potter and I'm I'm I'm seeing a a picture of, you know, the lord's hand, and he's, like, molding me and questioning me and removing pride, removing ego, removing, you know, anxiety, removing fear, like, a fear of what meaning, what men think. Right? And it was such a long process. I mean, it started a long time ago in 2012, and it's been an ongoing thing. And I don't think it's ever gonna change, but I'm at a point now where I truly am living for an audience of 1. And not to say that that desire of being known by man doesn't ever come up, because it always does, especially when I'm seeing my peers or seeing people that I started with.

Edna Harding [00:04:48]:
For example, the YouTube channel who's been consistent and now has a huge following, whereas me, the Lord told me to take a break. I haven't posted a video, gosh, for, like, 3 years, and my my subscriber count went down. And I'm saying all this, I'm talking about for my YouTube channel, because I've had to learn to not go after the chase. I know the last episode we talked about, you know, chasing. You know, always being on the chase for the next big thing, but to really value his perspective, value his opinion, value his presence, value the time with him more than anything else that the world can offer. And so I wanted to start with this by, starting with Galatians, guys. If I'm looking down, it's because I'm looking at the scriptures. Galatians 1 10, it says, am I not trying to win the approval of human beings or god, or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.

Edna Harding [00:05:54]:
And so you've if you've ever felt unseen or unrecognized, whether in your business or personal life, today's episode is just for you. So grab your coffee, and let's get started. And by the way, I just wanted to plug in there. I use use mushroom coffee. I think it's a good alternative for you coffee drinkers. This is kind of on a side note, but I do use mushroom coffee and mush and mud water is another thing that I think you should use. Anyway, that was so random, but I just felt like I need to share that because thank you, Holy Spirit. Now I know why you're sharing.

Edna Harding [00:06:27]:
Because this is a time when we really need to start taking care of our bodies, right, our human bodies. In fact, I am working with nutrition, a nutritionist, Leila Sparks. Oh gosh. Is that her last name? Leila Sparks. Leila. And she's doing a phenomenal job. She's helping me, create a better plan, you know, for my nutrition, working on my sleep, making sure that I'm balanced, and I'm operating into the full efficiency that god wants me to be. And so I say all this because I think we are coming into a time where we really need to be conscious about how we treat our temple, take care of our bodies, because we're gonna need our bodies to be operating at a 100% because of the challenges up ahead.

Edna Harding [00:07:17]:
Alright. So, again, I keep scrolling, but I believe this is all relevant. So before we talk about being known by the world, let's talk about what it means to be known by God. Matthew chapter 6 verse 33 says, seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Sorry, guys. I felt like I'm about to choke. Notice that it says all these things, right, will follow once we seek God first. And I know to you religious people, you're like, oh my gosh.

Edna Harding [00:07:51]:
Like, we know this. Duh. Do your devotions. Pray. Check the box. That's not what I'm talking about. You know, I I wanna say this, and I hope you hear my heart here. I'm gonna slow it down a little bit because I feel like the Holy Spirit wants me to to really emphasize this.

Edna Harding [00:08:13]:
You have to have the right motives. So if your motive is to, you know, have the followers, have the likes, have the rewards, the accolades, the blessings, the deals, and wonder why, you know and so what we do is we seek God first so that we could have all that. That's the wrong motives. That's like a gift to get. I'll give you time if I get this. That is not a childlike who loves the father approach. That is like a spoiled child syndrome thinking like, hey. I deserve this because I did this.

Edna Harding [00:08:50]:
I did my homework, so I received I need to get $500. You know, that is when maturity comes in. Right? That's how little kids thank you, Holy Spirit. I'm I'm getting this revelation right now. You know, when we're little, we do stuff for rewards. Right? We go visit we do what our parents say or be a obey our parents or help our parents because we want some sort of prize, whether if it's Disney or, I don't know, a toy. But as we mature, as we get older, we spend time with our parents because we want to, because we love them, because we wanna serve them, because we wanna please them. We obey them because we wanna honor them, not for anything in return, but because you love them.

Edna Harding [00:09:40]:
Does that make sense? And that, I think, is what's missing in the church is the maturing process. Like, we still have that childlike mentality, like, a baby mentality being like, okay, god. I did this. Now you do this. Versus, okay, god. I'm doing this because I love you. I'm doing this because I honor you. I'm doing this because I want to serve you.

Edna Harding [00:10:01]:
Do you see that difference in thinking, difference in in perspective from approaching god the way a child does, like a little kid? I mean, that's how you start out. You start out as a child, But, eventually, I truly believe that god wants us to mature in our walk and not just be a give me give me give me person, but here, god. Take it. Take it all. Take it. Take whatever I got. Like, I'm here to serve you. Right? And so let me just say this that it's only when we are in alignment with god, when we prioritize being known by him, that everything else starts falling into place.

Edna Harding [00:10:40]:
I've seen this time and time again. You know, a lot of times, you know, if you have known me at some point in my life, whether if it was in my career days or my college days or my young adult days or even as a young a mom and just or even my highs, like, you'll you'll you a lot of times, a lot of you guys have asked me, like, how do you achieve so much? How do you get so much favor? Like, that's favor. Oh my gosh. It never happens to me. Like, how did you get that you know? And, you know, I really didn't have an answer because I didn't reach out for it. Like, I didn't ask for it. Does that make sense? I just spent time with the Lord, and I prioritize my relationship with God. I prioritize hearing his heart.

Edna Harding [00:11:29]:
And sometimes it sucks because, like, I've got to a point where everything that grieves him grieves me, and I cry all the time. And, like, for those of you guys who've been in any of my sessions, in my night group, or have me on our podcast or even, like, speak, like, I am so emotionally attached to the heart of God. Meaning, I feel what he feels because that's how much time you know, it's like when you know someone and you spend so much time with them, and, like, you kinda know what they're already thinking because you know them so much. Right? And I'm not to say that I'm god. Okay? What I'm saying is, you know, like father, like daughter. Right? Like, I started seeing things without, like, like, seeing this from my perspective easily versus when I wasn't spending time with him. Like, I because I read the word so much and because I pray so much, because I seek God so much that I'm starting to, like, flow, if that makes sense. It's easier for me to hear his voice, and and and not not listen to the noise.

Edna Harding [00:12:41]:
And, however, I do have to say that I do have my bad days. You know? It's not always perfect. In fact, my husband can tell you that I don't always have that peace or that joy because that that's been distracting. Like, for example, this happened yesterday, like, literally yesterday. So I'm recording this. It's October 9th. So, so I I typically record every week. But, anyway, yesterday, on 8th, I was trying to get my recordings, do some stuff for for work, prepare stuff for my clients.

Edna Harding [00:13:12]:
And then early this early that morning, I was getting ready to cook and prep the meals for dinner, and our refrigerator broke. So I spent so that morning, I was so stressed out because all the food was warm. We just stocked up because of the pork strike with all the food, and now I have to find a way to salvage whatever we got left. And long story short, I was not in a good mood. I was in a grumpy mood. I took it out of my husband. I took it out of my kids. I was definitely feeling the tension.

Edna Harding [00:13:44]:
And mind you, I spent time with the Lord early that morning. But yet, I got easily distracted by the noise, easily distracted by the storm, instead of holding that peace. And instead of being like a thermostat, becoming a thermometer, I'd be like, let me calm this stuff down. Everything's gonna be okay. When I finally kinda calm myself down by the grace of god, because I was praying in the spirit a lot, I reached out to my neighbor. And long story short, they have an extra refrigerator, and so I'm using a refrigerator. But the point is, like, it's so easy for us, even if we spend time with god, to get distracted by the distractor. Right? And it could be anything.

Edna Harding [00:14:29]:
It could not just be bad things. It could also be good things. Because one thing I found in my walk, in my life, that the distractions aren't always bad. Sometimes the distractions are good. And, you get so busy, and you just get so caught up with the accolades and the rewards and the favor and the galas and the dinners and the fancy, you know, fancy restaurants and the fancy events. Like, you just get caught up in that, and you forget the important things, the things that really matter. And so, anyway, I don't know who that was for, but that was for someone because that was not in my my outline here. But I wanted to say that when you we focus on the relationship with god first, he begins to direct our paths in ways that we couldn't even plan for.

Edna Harding [00:15:22]:
So he kinda orchestrates everything so that everything will work out somehow. And I saw this time and time again. When I prioritize him, I you know, not to say that I never have storms because trust me, guys, I have storms. But the storms are not long winded. Like, I I noticed that when when whenever I prioritize god, the storms are easily fixable because God has gone before me. He's already provided solutions, and he once I calm down, he shows me what I need to do. He gives me wisdom, and then I'm able to apply it. Now when I don't prioritize God and I just check off the boxes and say, okay, God.

Edna Harding [00:16:03]:
I spent time with you and now fix everything, those are times when I realized that the struggles were a lot more difficult. And I didn't feel the peace of God. I didn't feel the calm of God. I was operating out of my flesh, and I was constantly being pulled to the left or right because I was not, focusing on what I needed to focus on because I was being sidetracked by every man made solution instead of asking the wisdom of asking the wisdom of god and be like, god, what is it that you want me to do to fix this? Right? So those kind of things. And sometimes it's not even us fixing it. Sometimes it's just like, don't do anything. I'll take care of it. And then you then have to crucify your flesh and, like, stop trying to take control and be like, okay, god.

Edna Harding [00:16:49]:
You have this. Go ahead and take care of it. I'm just gonna sit here and wait. That, my friend, is the hardest thing to do because especially with me being a planner, being a problem solver, being a, you know, go getter, like, it's hard for me to sit still and just watch God fix everything. Okay? That is probably one of my biggest weaknesses. And so the key is, out of all the things I just said, I just want you to remember that the the distractors are always gonna come. It regardless of how successful we are or how troubled you are, distractions will come. It's either gonna be good or bad.

Edna Harding [00:17:25]:
The key is you need to focus on him first, no matter what, whether if it's good or bad. You know, it's funny. I was I was you know, I usually comment on LinkedIn posts, in certain times during the day, depending on how busy I am. And I saw this thing as, like, on bad days, pray. On good days, pray. Every day, pray. That is so true. Right? Like, your current circumstances shouldn't determine or sway your time with god.

Edna Harding [00:17:54]:
It should be a consistent thing. It should be a daily thing. Like, just because you're having a good day doesn't mean you have spend more time with god. And when you're having a bad day, you don't wanna spend time with god. Or some people, it's the opposite. Right? So you really need to stop, you know, allowing your external circumstances affect how you treat god. This is a vulnerable story. I remember I was pissed about something.

Edna Harding [00:18:17]:
I don't remember what it was. Or angry. I know my husband hates the word piss. But I was so angry. I got not angry. I got angry about something. And we were at worship. I think it was a few weeks ago.

Edna Harding [00:18:30]:
I was just not in a good mood, and I was frustrated. Yeah. I was frustrated with, like, all the all the hurdles I had to jump, just to get a license here in Alabama. That's what it was. And, you know, my husband pointed out, you know, we were singing in during worship, and he is like, don't something don't take out on God what the something about, like, they say, don't take the bat don't take it out of Jesus. Like, Jesus didn't do anything to your circumstances. Those are obviously not, not Jesus. Jesus comes to give life and give life more abundantly.

Edna Harding [00:19:08]:
He brings joy. He brings peace. Anything outside of that, more than likely, it's not God who's doing it. It's either me who did it or people who did it or the enemy. Right? And so he convicted me through my husband. And normally, my husband is not the one that, like, you know, raises his arms and everything when you worship, but it was amazing. That was like a click in my spirit. I'm like, wait a minute.

Edna Harding [00:19:31]:
What the why am I gonna treat god a certain way because things didn't go according to how I wanted it? And now I'm letting that affect my worship to the savior who gave me everything that I have, who died for me, who truly what paved the way for me. Like, I I I say all this because we really need to get to a point where we're not gonna be those spoiled little brats like I mentioned, where we howled or we throw a tantrum because we don't get our way or things didn't go according to plan, and then we blame our parents when they had nothing to do with it. Like, when when we blame god when he had nothing to do with it. Okay? Alright. So I'm gonna give you guys some examples here to bring this to life. Let's look at David. Okay? 1st Samuel 16. So we read about David and how he was an anointed king and while he was still a shepherd boy.

Edna Harding [00:20:26]:
Right? He was out in the fields tending to sheep, not in the public eye. He wasn't known by the world, but he was known by God. In fact, a lot of the times, what did he do? He he worshiped God. He wrote poems to God. He I truly believe he spent time with God, and God saw his heart, his faithfulness. And in time, David became known by man as the greatest king of Israel. K? Now but here's the key, guys. I want you guys to listen to this.

Edna Harding [00:20:53]:
David wasn't chasing human recognition. I want you guys to hear that. He was simply faithful where god has placed him, and in due season, god elevated him. Alright? A lot of times, we think that we have to do our part, right, basically, make ourselves famous, right, by post I I used to be like that. I used to be in that rat race or we're getting where I'm just constantly posting. I'm just

Edna Harding [00:21:19]:
like, okay. I'm gonna build my followers. I'm gonna build my likes. I need to

Edna Harding [00:21:22]:
build this, this, and that. And and it's exhausting. Like, you can't keep up with the trends. You can't keep up with the algorithms. It constantly changes. Like, one moment is Instagram. The next moment is oh, then it's YouTube. Then it's Facebook.

Edna Harding [00:21:33]:
Then it's TikTok. And then now LinkedIn. And it just gets honestly exhausting. And I'm like, I'm just gonna do what God says, and don't worry about building man's approval or or taking caring about what men think, but just focus on him. And and and, again, it's a hard thing to do because a lot of times, you you have this comparison trap where you're comparing your journey with other people's journey, especially now because everyone's journey is all up in your face, via, you know, your iPad or your your iPhone. But that's one thing about God is he just wants you to be faithful with where you're at. If it's just being a mom, which I went through that season, be faithful in that. If it's, you know, being a volunteer, business coach, which I did for a season, do that.

Edna Harding [00:22:29]:
Be faithful of that. If it's thriving in the marketplace, you know, with a wait list of clients, just do that. Whatever season you're in, just be faithful in doing that, and don't jump ahead of god's timing. But trust that in due season, he will promote you at the right time. Then another example I wanted to talk about is Jesus. Think about his baptism in Matthew chapter 3 verse 16 to 17. You know, before Jesus ever performed a miracle, before he had any public recognition, god the father said, this is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased. Check this out.

Edna Harding [00:23:10]:
Just just hear me, guys. Before Jesus even performed a miracle, before he was recognized and popular and attracted the masses, god the father said, this is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased. That's the kind of heart we need to have. We need to have a heart like you know, before men sees us, we need to have that desire to be like, my father is proud of me. My father is proud of me. And, sorry, there are so many times when, prophets or spiritual mothers or spiritual father would say, the lord is pleased with you. And it brings me so much joy because that's all I've ever wanted. I've always and and although, yeah, I'm a dreamer and I'm a go getter and I and I want to experience, you know, the fine things of life, Since I was a little girl, all I wanted to do was just please my daddy.

Edna Harding [00:24:28]:
I just wanna make him proud of me. And I don't know if it was and people were like, well, it's just because you have father issues. No. I I don't know. I just had that inside of me to be like, I wanna make god proud. I want god to look down from heaven and say, well done, my child, you know, my beautiful daughter, you know. And it's just something that, you know, has been a desire, and I don't always do it. When I think it back, I've I've wavered so many times and follow, do my own fleshly carnality things.

Edna Harding [00:25:03]:
But at the end of the day, my heart belongs to him. And and I think that's what it takes first. When I when I tell people I I help you go from known to known, I'm talking about being I want instead of Jesus saying, no. I don't know her. No. There's I'm reminded of this, story in the bible where these people were trying to cast out demons. And the demon said to these people these disciples that, Paul, I know Jesus, I know. I forgot if it was Jesus or the disciples.

Edna Harding [00:25:38]:
But you, I don't know. And then it the the enemy devoured those people because they weren't they didn't know god and god didn't know them. Does that make sense? So it's, like, one of those things where if you truly wanna be powerful in the marketplace, if you truly wanna make impact in your in your sphere, the power the the the the eyes that you really need to have on you, meaning, like, where they know you, is god. Because there's even so many scriptures I'm sorry, guys. I have I know I'm going all over the place, but flow with me here. I feel the holy spirit is is if man did this, people can stop it. But if god did this, nothing can stop the hand of god. Do you remember that? I think they were trying to persecute the disciples.

Edna Harding [00:26:27]:
And I truly believe that we're coming to a point in life and and and and the season that we are here on the earth, especially when there is so much darkness, so much evil lurking around, I truly believe that we're gonna see the mighty hand of god move, utilizing his sons and daughters who have captured his heart. Right? And I'm just one of them. I'm not the only one. I believe there's millions of us out there, and I truly believe that they're not known by man yet. And I truly believe like, I'm not known by man. I have I have a little following. You know? I I've I've speaking to thousands of people and but I feel like like, imagine guys and this is I will I and this is, like, what I'm I'm getting at. It's like, god could just flip a switch.

Edna Harding [00:27:26]:
He could just turn things around for you because you passed the test, and in an instant, everyone will know you. Why? Because god knew you first. And he can trust you with a little so he knows he can trust you with much. One thing I found is if it's built on a firm foundation, it's going to last, the storms. And here's the thing, guys. We are coming into a season of storms. Everything that was not built by god and was built in vain by man's hand will crumble. It will crumble.

Edna Harding [00:28:09]:
And the only thing that will last is the ones that god built. Okay? And I know you're like, gosh. I know that sounds so, like, derogatory and judgmental and mean. Like, I know it does. But I didn't say it. God said it. You know, it unless the unless the lord builds the house, your labor is in vain. That's scriptural.

Edna Harding [00:28:36]:
Don't kill the messenger. Right? And so I wanted to share that that Jesus was affirmed by god before he was known by man, and god's recognition came first. And only after that did his public ministry begin. So Jesus Christ is supposed to be our example, and we're supposed to follow Jesus's footsteps. This is really he, is he was known by the father first, and then he was known by man. And he would please the father first. Thank you, Holy Spirit. Then, God released him to the masses.

Edna Harding [00:29:15]:
This shows to us that public recognition should never come before God's affirmation. Because it's here's the thing, if you did this and or man helped you do this, that means man can tear it apart. Right? If man built it, man can tear it apart because they're the ones who built it. So meaning thank you, holy spirit. I'm I feel like this is so I wanna be specific. I remember a long time ago, I remember I was like, god, that you told me to start this business. And I can build this and market myself because this is exactly what I did for a living, and that's what I did for businesses and corporations I work for. And I was like, so why don't you let me do it? And he said, because you're gonna take credit for it.

Edna Harding [00:30:05]:
Because you're gonna bring glory to your name. I want to get all the glory, and I don't want to share any credit with you. So it's kinda like not like that. It wasn't mean like that, but it was that that's that's the Aetna version. Right? That I will promote you. I will market you. You don't have to look for customers. Customers will come to you.

Edna Harding [00:30:26]:
And that was really hard for me to believe because I'm like, okay. So I'm just gonna sit here in my house, spend time with you, and customers will come. Right? This is the time when I started my business, like, went full force and quit my job, left my corporate job, and worked for myself in the midst of crisis. Right? And customers came. Customers came. Ran not not I probably had 2 huge customers that kinda helped sustain me for, like, 6 months, but then the rest were small, little fishes. And even though it wasn't a lot and it could have been bigger, I saw god's providential hand sustain me through all these years and given me exactly what I need to pay my bills, to take care of what I need to take care of, to get out of debt. And he sustained me.

Edna Harding [00:31:21]:
And imagine, like, what he would what he could do now that in that time, I struggled with my faith because I'm like, hey. This is really hard, god. But because I've seen the faithfulness of god, because I look back in all these years and see his divine provision, his mighty hand intervene, I can honestly say that I've gone to a point where if he says he'll take care of it, I know he'll take care of it. Right? And so I wanted to say that. Like, I I feel like this is a challenge for many of you guys as you're trying to figure out how. You're trying to figure out, okay, what I need to do, what I'm gonna do. I'm gonna hire up this, do this, do this. I'm gonna do this, do this.

Edna Harding [00:32:00]:
Just stop. Just stop it. Okay? I'm I'm preaching from the other side. Okay? I know that I know that I know that I know that if you prioritize the right thing, which is god, the right things will come. Alright? Now now I wanted to talk about the pitfalls, I feel like I'm going over time, but that's okay, of seeking human recognition first. Now let's flip the script and talk about the dangers of seeking human approval first before god's. John 12:43 says, for they love the praise of men more than the praise of god. This is a warning for us, especially in this world of social media where validation can seem like an ultimate goal.

Edna Harding [00:32:46]:
Remember, I told you guys I've been there. I've had moments where I was constantly checking my film, but like, oh my gosh. How many likes did

Edna Harding [00:32:52]:
I get? Oh my gosh.

Edna Harding [00:32:53]:
How many followers did I get? Oh my gosh. Like like, it was affect it was like a a a like a vampire sucking the life out of me, you know, social media. Like, I started caring so much of what people think, and then I would respond to every single comment and try to, you know, prime the algorithm and just do all these things that these gurus tell you to do that it became such a burden. Right? It became such a burden. And I started thinking about, like, what do people think about me? What is my reputation? How many clients could I get? How many people could I reach? How many impressions can I make? I mean, if it's not this thing, it's something else. Right? If it's not this app, if it's not this mechanism, if it's not this tool, it's something else. It's never satisfied. And when we live for the audience of many and applaud the man, right, we'll always be hungry for more because that kind of recognition is fleeting.

Edna Harding [00:33:52]:
It comes and goes. One moment you could be I I'm trying to find those one hit wonders. Like a yo yo who's really, really popular, and now no one plays yo yos. Right? I can't think of a celebrity because I don't really watch movies, but someone who was famous before and is no longer famous now. It happens. Right? Because at any point, people could cut you off. People could label you as a racist or people could label you as a sexist. People could label you as a loser.

Edna Harding [00:34:23]:
Like, it doesn't matter. Because if if if if men's opinion brings you to where you're at, that means that means men's opinion could bring you down as well. So I want you to ask yourself, whose approval are you seeking? Am I focused more on being seen by the world or being known by god? Right? And I wanted to say this, that here's a powerful truth. You know, when you're known by god, he makes sure that in due time, you'll be known by the right people. Right? Focus on the right things, then you'll attract the right things. Right? Proverbs 18 16, guys, this is a promise. A man's gift makes room for him and brings him before great men. Your job is to cultivate that gift in the secret place.

Edna Harding [00:35:11]:
A man's gift makes room for him. So you need to identify what those gifts are, be faithful where you are, and trust that God will elevate you in due season, right, when the time is right in his perfect timing. It could be now. It could be 20 years from now. Who cares? Right? I remember before, this is a funny story, true story. I had a video documented on my YouTube channel. I was like, okay. By the end of this year, I'm gonna be well known.

Edna Harding [00:35:41]:
I started, like, decreeing stuff, like, thinking I can manipulate the hand of god or manipulate the will of god because of the decrees. Right? Because of the prayer declarations, I'm like, by this time, at this day, at this point, this much money is what it, like guys, like, name it and claim it stuff, I have a different take on that. I I I followed some teachings out there, and I believe those are false doctrine. Right? Ask and you shall receive. Seeking you shall find for sure. But I think there's a lot of things in that that that is involved as well, but this is not the episode we're gonna talk about. K? I wanted to say that it's really important that we don't try to tell god what to do, who it's just kinda funny. It's like, how like, I'm I I'm just reminded of my children.

Edna Harding [00:36:34]:
Because sometimes my children will tell me what to do, and sometimes my children will tell my husband what to do. And my husband and I would get

Edna Harding [00:36:41]:
like, are you serious?

Edna Harding [00:36:43]:
Like, are you serious right now? No. No. You're not gonna tell me whose hair I do first. You're not gonna tell me you know, it's just it's just little things like that, but I'm kinda reminded of how God feels. It's like, here we are, his creation, telling the creator what to do. Right? I do believe that, you know, there are times and place for that because, especially and and if you think about it, I I feel like I'm going somewhere here. Like, the times when when people asked him to do something was usually to intervene on, behalf of something bad. Right? So, like, for example, if God was about to punish someone, Abraham, like, destroy a a city, Abraham talked to God and con calmed him down to not deliver his wrath upon the people because of his he's a just god.

Edna Harding [00:37:38]:
Like, all the other times that I could think of where people ask god to do something, it wasn't telling him what to do. It was most of the time, god told the people what to do. But the only time people intervene and ask god, you know, to consider something or to do something was because he was about to, like, lash not lash, but basically punish people for the consequences of their sin. Right? So I think it's kind of funny how we have the nerve to tell God, like, this is how you're gonna bless me. This is what I want. This is how exactly what I want. I think that is ridiculous. Right? So I wanted to say this, that my gifts did make room for me.

Edna Harding [00:38:26]:
And that there were seasons where no one knew who I was, and then and I wasn't on the radar. But because I stayed faithful in seeking god first, he opened doors I can never open on my own. Like, I have walked into so many doors that I, for the life of me, don't understand. Like, I don't even know why how I mean, I can't tell you. Like, I'll be sitting down. I remember during there's lots of examples, but this one example where I was invited to this gala where someone sponsored me, and I'm sitting to people with a lot of money, rich, rich folks. And I'm just like, how am I here? Why am I sitting here? I'm broke as a joke. I have no money.

Edna Harding [00:39:10]:
And I was networking with people, and they would invite me to their yachts, invite me to their houses. And I'm like, I'm here dining and and lounging with these rich elite people who make decisions for the city, and I have no idea how that happened. Like, I didn't ask for it. I was just there. You know? And they asked me for my opinions, and they considered me their friend. They actually like me. And it was really weird for me because I'm like, yeah. This is not me.

Edna Harding [00:39:38]:
This is definitely god. Right? I wanted to say that it wasn't overnight, but in his timing, it happened. And I believe that was just scratching the surface. I believe that that's just a tiny portion of what I've experienced as a precursor to what I'm about to experience in the near future. Remember that when god opens the door, no one can close it. I repeat, no one can close it. He'll put you in the rooms with people who need what you carry. What do you carry? That's the thing.

Edna Harding [00:40:11]:
Are you carrying anything? The thing is you can't carry anything that god doesn't give you. And god won't give you new gifts or new mantles or new assignments unless you go to him. He's not gonna give you something if you don't come to him first. He's not gonna chase after you, but like, here, I wanna give you this. Imagine God giving you running away and then like, for example, if I'm giving you a gift and you're running away from me, I'm not gonna give it to you. So, like, I'm not gonna work hard to give you a gift that I really wanna bless you and you're running away from me. That's too much work. I'd rather give it to people who are coming to me, and I'll be adding my gifts to those people that constantly come to me versus those people who are running away from me.

Edna Harding [00:40:56]:
Right? I wanna say this, that your influence will grow because you prioritize his will over man's approval. I want you to take this away. K? This is gonna sum it up, wrap it up. I know I felt like I went off on a tangent, but I hope it blessed you. Be known by god first. That's your primary goal. So when you do that, when you focus on intimacy with him, being known by man will happen at the right time and in the right way. Again, the right time and in the right way.

Edna Harding [00:41:26]:
So when you guys work with me, I'm not just teaching you how to be known by man. That's just one aspect of it. Anybody can teach that. I'm gonna teach you first how to be known by god, then you be known by man. You know, Colossians 3 23 to 24 says, whatever you do, work at it with all your heart as working for the Lord, not for human masters since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. That is your reward, god's approval and eternal inheritance. Everything else is just a cherry on top. Did you hear me? Your reward isn't the accolades.

Edna Harding [00:42:07]:
Is it the favor, is it the number of sponsorships, number of money a month I mean, how much money happened to back a number of houses, number of lands, number of followers. Those are not your rewards. Okay? It's not. It's not. It's just a cherry on top. So if that's all you got, you don't have peace, you don't have joy, You don't feel fulfilled even after having all those things. Your relationships are failing. Your health is deteriorating.

Edna Harding [00:42:44]:
You don't have time just for yourself to spend time with the lord. You're in the hamster wheel, my friend. It's really time for us to really take a good look at our life and ask God, reveal to me who I am. Am I the spoiled rotten child, or am I the mature son and daughter that is doing things to please my father? Right? I wanted to say a quick prayer for you guys. Okay? Father god, I thank you for our brothers and sisters who are listening to this. I thank you, lord god, that you are showing them the areas that they need to fix. We know, god, that your word is a double edged sword, that it takes your holy spirit to reveal those things, those areas that is blocking us from receiving everything you have for us. Help us, lord, to surrender our will, surrender our desires, surrender our frustrations, surrender our dreams, surrender everything, oh god, so that we could put you first.

Edna Harding [00:44:10]:
Change our hearts, change our minds, make us like Jesus who pleased you, who made you proud, Lord, I just pray for your divine intervention in the lives of my brothers and sisters. And I pray, oh god, that as they seek you first, as they prioritize your heart over their heart's desires, that all things would be made beautiful in your perfect time. We love you. We honor you, and we thank you, Lord, for this day. In Jesus' name. Amen. Alright, guys. Well, I hope that this episode blessed you.

Edna Harding [00:45:00]:
Thank you guys for joining me today. And I just wanna encourage you guys. You know, seek God in everything you do. Put him first. Don't make him last resort. And if you enjoy this, I have to say this because I always forget. Please subscribe and leave a review. I love to hear how God is working in your life.

Edna Harding [00:45:18]:
Stay tuned for next week's episode where we dive into another powerful topic to help you build your business and life God's way. Blessings, my friend. 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.

Edna Harding [00:45:51]:
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. Until next time, keep shining.