97. Is Faith Alone Enough? Decoding 'Faith Without Works is Dead' for the Christian Entrepreneur Seeking Success!

Embarking on an entrepreneurial journey can often feel like wandering in the wilderness, but what if a blend of unwavering faith and relentless work ethic could lead you to the promised land? That’s the question at the heart of our latest episode, where I, Lemon Price, share my personal transformation from a state of confusion to one of enlightenment, exploring the delicate balance between belief and action. Drawing inspiration from James 2:17, we delve into the power of faith in motion, discussing how our entrepreneurial pursuits should align with a higher purpose and the impact that this podcast has had on our listeners, confirming that our efforts are about much more than just ourselves.

Striving for success need not be a solitary climb; the embrace of a community can be the very lifeline we need. In this spirit, I extend an open invitation to join our prayer call initiative—a sanctuary for women to uplift one another and honor the Lord in every aspect of life, including business. For those seeking a more immersive experience, our membership program offers a mastermind-like environment designed to cultivate leadership, speaking skills, business acumen, and personal growth. Both initiatives are about more than just improving ourselves; they're about contributing to something greater and stepping into the abundance that awaits us. Join us on this episode for a heartening discussion on faith, fellowship, and the entrepreneurial calling.

Enjoy the episode, everyone!

How you can be part of the movement to equip women.
1. Share the podcast!
2. Leave a 5-star review!

Here are the best ways for you and me to connect and grow together!

Step 1: Subscribe to the Podcast
Step 2: Check out my membership here
Step 3: Let's Connect: https://www.lemonprice.co/coffeechat

"For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve." Mark 10:45

Thanks for listening!

If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to share this in your stories and tag me! And don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and review the podcast.

CONNECT WITH LEMON:

• Facebook
• Instagram
• Visit the Website
• Get on a call
• Start a Podcast with Buzzsprout
• 1:1 Podcast Support

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

Friend, I'm so excited to have this conversation because I, frankly, did not understand what faith without works meant in my baby Christian days, and so I'm excited to talk about this today and how it applies to you as a business owner. So stay tuned, friend. I've got three key principles to help you show up the way that God intended you to in your business. Hey friend, welcome to Milk and Honey with Lemon. The Bible says in Numbers 14-8, and if the Lord is pleased with us, he will bring us safely into that land and give it to us. It is a rich land flowing with milk and honey. On this podcast, we talk about stepping into that overflow that God has for us by becoming those ultimate Proverbs 31 women. Hey, I'm Lemon. I am just like you, sister Friend. I knew God had something more in store for me that I couldn't see away out of the laundry piles and, frankly, I resented that Proverbs 31 woman. How was I going to live up to the hype? That is until I found out how to really step into becoming this Proverbs 31 woman through leadership development. In this podcast, you're going to find financial freedom, leadership, growth and motivation so you'll be able to do all the things God has called you to do with ease and really step into that land of milk and honey.

Speaker 1: 1:12

Welcome back to the Milk and Honey podcast. I'm your host, lemon Price, and I'm really excited to have this conversation about faith without work and what does it mean as an entrepreneur? Because, I'll be honest, when I was a baby Christian, this made no sense to me because I heard that works don't get you into heaven, you shouldn't boast about your works. But then I hear faith without works is dead and I'm like what the heck does that even mean? And so I'm really excited because it actually. I don't know, maybe it was just me, but I was like I need to really rack my brain on this concept. And then, how does this apply to me as a business owner? And so I'm excited to talk about this. So if you have your Bible, get it out.

Speaker 1: 1:54

I have a couple of key verses. Of course, we have to go to where this concept comes from. So James 2.17,. I'm in the NIV. It says in the same way faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. This, to me, was everything I think that I needed. I like how the NIV spells this out, because I was like a King James version, girly, and I was like this is, I just didn't get it. So I love the way the NIV spells this out, because it really just talks about the importance of action alongside of our faith. And so, as a Christian entrepreneur, we have to be actively pursuing our goals and our dreams. We can't just rely on our faith without corresponding effort, and I love this because there are so many times.

Speaker 1: 2:40

I don't know if you've actually ever heard this story. There's like a joke about how this man is in a flood and he's praying God help me, and he sends a boat and he sends a raft, he sends all these things, and then the man drowns and he gets to heaven and he's God, why didn't you help me? And he's I sent you all of these things. You just didn't take action on them. And so when I think about this as an entrepreneur and I've talked about this a lot lately with a lot of my friends is that our gifts and talents, the things that God has called us to do, is actually not about us in any way, shape or form. It has nothing to do with you, it has nothing to do with me, it has everything to do with the people we are called to serve, and so I think about even this podcast. I just got, like, my first piece of mail from somebody who listens here.

Speaker 1: 3:26

I've had really incredible conversations with women who listen to this podcast, and I'm not sure if I've ever told anybody on the podcast this, but I actually thought God on this. I was like God, I am not doing this podcast. And God was like yes, you are woman, you're gonna do the podcast. And I didn't want to. I had done a podcast back in 2018, and it was the worst podcast in the history of podcasts and I feel like I can say that because it was truly awful and I didn't know what I was doing. It was just a bad experience, like overall, it was just bad and there was nothing cohesive about it and it just didn't make any sense. And so then I'm wrestling with God about this podcast and he reminds me I have all of the tools, I've been equipped to do this and that this isn't about me at all.

Speaker 1: 4:14

And so, now that I'm having conversations with women who listen to this podcast daily, I get messages from women daily who listen to this podcast and talk about what a transformation has had on them and how they needed to hear the things that were shared, and what it's doing in their business, what it's doing in their marriage, what it's doing for them as mothers. My podcast has nothing to do with me Sure, I am the host but this podcast is for you. There's a reason you're listening to it, there's a reason you stumbled upon it, and it's God knew that you needed to hear this, and I love this. I love this verse Faith without works is dead. If it's not accompanied by action, it's dead, and the Bible says that you will know. People buy their fruits. You're gonna know if they're my followers. Buy their fruit. What sort of fruit are you bearing as a Christian entrepreneur? What does what do your works look like? What are you pouring back out into?

Speaker 1: 5:12

And I think this is also really important, too, when we think about the ministries we care about and everything like that, because here's the thing there are things that I am deeply passionate about personally. I know I've talked about this so many times, but there's a ministry that is just near and dear to me, and it's not something that I personally ever struggled with. Food insecurity was not a struggle for me as a child, but thinking about children who are food insecure is something I'm deeply passionate about and it makes me super sad to think about. And so my church funds a ministry every single year in full that provides meals to children on the weekends to make sure that they're not wondering where their next meal is coming from, because way too often children in food insecure situations the only meals that they are getting are the ones at school, and so this ministry is deeply important to me, and so the work that I'm doing. God told me very clearly Girl Power Alliance was going to be the reason that I could match this ministry in full, like my church's donation. I would be able to match it, and God said that this program was gonna have to expand. There's gonna be more food insecure children, unfortunately, because it's just the nature of the economy and the way things are right now. And so that's what I mean.

Speaker 1: 6:31

Like, faith without works is dead, especially in your business. What else are you pouring back into? Yes, you may be serving people and introducing them to Jesus, but, like, what is your business doing? What are you funding? What are you taking care of? That, I think, is what this means. I think we're given provision so we can go out and take care of the kingdom. And as business owners especially, you've been given a gift. You've been given something so special and unique that a lot of people don't have, and God gave you that for a reason, and so what are you doing with that thing he has given you? That brings me to the next verse.

Speaker 1: 7:13

I wanna flip over to Proverbs 10, four, and again I'm still in the NIV. It says lazy hands make for poverty, but diligent hands bring wealth. And I love this verse Because when I read this verse, it really talks about the importance of being diligent and hard work in achieving success. And I think, as Christian entrepreneurs especially, we have to understand our role as stewards of the talents and resources that God has given us. Diligence and hard work are essential components of fulfilling the stewardship that God has called us to do, and so this goes right back to the faith that that works is dead. God has given you something. God has given you some sort of a talent, he's given you an idea, he's given you a resource, and he's asking you to steward it well, to work hard and expand it, like one of the very first commandments God gives is to be fruitful and multiply, and I don't think that just applies to children and they get, applies to the gifts and talents we've been given. The Bible talks about.

Speaker 1: 8:16

We have two parables, the minas, and parables the talents. And while they were both monetary things, you were supposed to go out and multiply and Jesus says that is the way you could sum up the entirety of the kingdom. Those parables sum up the entirety of the kingdom. And the ones, the servants in both of those stories, who have a whole digging spirit, who take what has been given to them and do not steward it will, do not expand upon it and do not work hard with it, is taken from them and they're called wicked and lazy servants. And so I love that's a parable and Jesus teaches. But then we have here lazy hands make for poverty, but diligent hands bring wealth. And I don't think it just means honestly, I don't think it just means financial prosperity. I think it means a lot of things. I think it means we're wealthy in love, we're wealthy in art, like we're wealthy in other things. We're wealthy in gifts and talents. Lazy hands make for poverty. New Testament teaches us that when we are lazy with the things we've been given, when we don't steward what we've been given. They will be taken and given to the ones who actually are out stewarding and working to diligently multiply it.

Speaker 1: 9:34

I love this verse. I love this verse so much. All right, lastly, before I end up on a four hour sermon here on just that topic Matthew 6.33. But see first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. What I love about this verse is that it says that we have to keep our focus on Jesus. We have to focus on God's kingdom and his righteousness above worldly success. His timing is perfect. His success like. We're focused on his plan, not ours. And so, while faith and works are important, the success is going to come from aligning our pursuit with God's will and the trusting in his provision.

Speaker 1: 10:19

Something Michelle Schaefer says, and I love this about her God, I'll do the work, you handle the results. I'm constantly seeking God first in all that I do and then trusting him with a result. I can't control the outcome. I can't control what the economy is going to do. I can't control if people are going to join my membership or not. I can't control any of that. But what I can do is take the thing that God has given me and be obedient with it. I can take what he has given me and seek him in all that I'm doing, and so I love this verse as a gentle reminder to just seek him first in everything that you're doing. Ask him in all that you are doing. I love these verses. I love them. They are so good.

Speaker 1: 11:09

I want to encourage you to just think and pray on this and like how are you showing up in life, in business? Are you stewarding the things God has given you? Are you showing up in faith and doing the work required of you and your calling? I pray this episode has blessed you and I will see you next time, friend. Okay, before you boot scoop, I want to encourage you to come and check out my community.

Speaker 1: 11:41

We do a prayer call every Monday, 11.30 am Eastern Standard Time. If you need that, just send me the link, just send me a little DM on Instagram and I will send it to you. So my Instagram is right there in the show notes for you. You can just click and come and find me, shoot me an email, carry your pigeon. Whatever you want to do, be surrounded by faithful women who just love the Lord and are trying to put Him, first in life and business, and then, if you're like I actually don't have anybody like that in my community then come and join my membership. Come and join the membership. It is like a mastermind. Every single week we have leadership calls, there's leadership development, speaker development, business development, but we're also looking at you as a whole person and making sure, like your marriage is good, your health is good, all these things are good, so you can go out and fulfill the thing that God has called you to do. So you can actually snag a sneak peek of that, also from the show notes, or go to girlpoweralliancecom. Slash lemon and I will be there to welcome you into our community. I will see you next time.

Speaker 1: 12:44

Hey friend, what a joy it has been to share today's journey with you. If you found a spark of inspiration or a nugget of wisdom that resonated, would you bless someone else by sharing this episode with them? It could be the encouragement they need to step into their purpose and calling. Also, if you could spare a moment to leave a review, it would mean the world to me. I really appreciate your feedback and it really helps our community grow. Remember, the road to discovering God's call for you isn't one, you have to walk alone. So join me again next Monday for another episode where we'll continue to explore the depths of leadership and the heights of our heavenly calling. Until then, keep seeking, keep growing and keep trusting in his plan. God bless you and I'll catch you on the flip side. Bye friend.