140 | Faith at Your Laptop: Turning Your Business into Ministry

Find the full episode here: LivingOnPurposeInChrist.com/blog

Wondering if the quiet work at your kitchen table really matters to God? In this episode, we explore "God and business" through a fresh way to see Lent as an invitation to presence, not pressure, and we talk about how surrender can transform your work from the inside out. Through the lens of koinonia, shared life and purpose with God, we move beyond asking for a blessing on our plans and step into planning with Him, where integrity beats image and income is provision, not identity.

We get practical about what crowds out awareness of God at work: the hurry, the fear of not having enough, and the reflex to prove ourselves. We also talk honestly about emotions, naming the real feeling and feelings that can drive our decisions beneath the surface. Then we introduce the Aroma Freedom Technique, a gentle, prayer-centered process that pairs focused questions and truth statements with essential oils and aromatherapy to engage the limbic system. You’ll hear how memory, emotion, and neuroplasticity interact, and how God can renew fear-shaped thought paths so peace and clarity take the lead. This isn’t hype or hustle; it’s a grounded approach filled with biblical encouragement that helps Christian entrepreneurs release internal blocks and build habits that echo Scripture.

From marketing as ministry to customer service as compassion, we map simple shifts that make your Zoom room a mission field and your inbox a place of encouragement. You’ll pick up reflection prompts for Lent, practical ways to invite God into strategy and service, and simple devotions you can weave into a busy day, so your business rhythms stay rooted in His presence.

Ready to trade striving for surrender and partner with God in your business? Save your free seat for "Partnering With God In Your Business" at PaulaBehrens.com/workshop, share this episode with a friend who needs hope today, and leave a review to help more entrepreneurs find their way.

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Transcript

When Small Work Feels Invisible

Paula Behrens 0:00

Hey friend, if you've ever sat at your kitchen table with your laptop open and wondered, Lord, does this really matter? Can my small business, my coaching calls, my emails, my products, my quiet work from home days really make a difference for your kingdom? Well, if that's you, then today's episode is a perfect fit. We're going to talk about Lent, surrender, business, neuroscience, and how God can use even the hidden spaces of your life to draw others to Himself. And make sure you listen all the way to the end because I will be inviting you into a free workshop called Partnering with God in Your Business, where we'll go deeper into what we are stirring up today. In my personal faith walk, I've wrestled with the challenge of carving out consistent time for God. Some days the line blurred between hearing his voice and my own thoughts echoing back at me. But through life's ups and downs, I've discovered an amazing truth. Spiritual disciplines paired with the God-given gift of natural aromas or what we call essential oils today and create a profound space for clarity and connection. They help us slow down and tune in to God's quiet whispers. Let's talk about what this podcast has to offer. Each week, we delve into meaningful scripture, highlighting memory versus enriched with Greek word studies. If your spirit needs refreshing, you can start with daily devotionals that accompany your morning prayer, and you'll find that many of our episodes are infused with essential oil tips to enhance your focus so you can hear God's voice more clearly as you speak to clarify your unique calling. Hey friend, I know what it's like to feel far from God, even when you're doing all the right things. You're showing up, you're praying, you're reading your Bible, but inside something feels disconnected. You wonder if you're doing enough, if God is even listening. You feel a little ashamed that your quiet time isn't what it used to be or what you hoped it would be. I want you to know you're not alone and you're not failing. God isn't asking for your perfection. He's just asking for your presence. That's what our coaching call is all about, not pressure, not performance, just learning to lean into God's presence. And as a special touch, you'll receive a free essential oil sampler ahead of time so you can experience how these simple tools can enhance our time together, creating an environment where peace and clarity can flourish. Let me walk with you into a slower spirit-led rhythm that will help you reconnect with the One who's been waiting to refresh your soul all along. Say yes to peace, say yes to presence. Book your Aroma of Christ coaching hour now at PaulaBehrens.com /coaching. That's Paula Behrens B-E-H R E N S .com /coaching (no spaces). All right, it's time to get started. Grab your Bible, dust off your journal, and cozy up to your favorite beverage and let's dive in. I want to begin with something that might surprise you. The Lenten season is not just about giving up something. It's not a spiritual diet. It's not a 40-day self-improvement challenge. Lent is an invitation. It's an invitation to come closer to Jesus, to quiet the noise, to examine our hearts, and to realign our lives with what truly matters. In the historic church calendar, Lent begins on Ash Wednesday and leads us toward the cross and the Resurrection. It's a season of repentance, reflection, prayer, and preparation. It's about remembering that we are dust and to dust we shall return. It is about recognizing our need for a Savior. It's about softening our hearts again. And what does that have to do with Christian entrepreneurs? Everything. Because if you run a business, whether full-time or part-time, whether you work from home or from an office, you are in a constant motion. You are creating, solving problems, serving clients, meeting deadlines, marketing, planning, and pivoting. There's always more to do. And without realizing it, your business can become a place of striving instead of surrender. Lent invites us to pause and ask, Lord, where have I been striving in my own strength? Where have I been building something without fully inviting You into it? A few days ago I was having lunch at one of my favorite restaurants, and there were three ladies at a table across from me. You know how women are when we get together. We are not exactly whispering. I could easily hear their conversation. One lady was Catholic, one was Baptist, and the third was Methodist, and they were talking about Lent. The Catholic lady was explaining that once members reached the age of 65, the Catholic Church does not require them to give up anything for Lent anymore. The Baptist friend said, Well, we do observe Lent in our tradition, and I've never heard of that before. The Methodist sister agreed and chimed in. And as I listened, I thought to myself, Yes, we do observe Lent in the Methodist tradition, and many congregations begin with the imposition of ashes on Ash Wednesday. But then another thought rose up in my heart. What is this holy season really supposed to be about? Is it about giving up something as if we will make God love us more? Or is it about loving God more deeply and allowing ourselves to be loved by Him as we draw closer? For some people, Lent becomes a checklist. I gave up chocolate, I gave up coffee, I gave up social media, and there's nothing wrong with fasting from something. Fasting has deep biblical roots. But the heart of Lent is not deprivation for the sake of suffering, it is making room. For the Christian entrepreneur, that might look like asking, What is crowding out my awareness of God in my work? What habits, distractions, or fears need to be surrendered so that I can partner with Him more fully? In the New Testament, there's a beautiful Greek word that helps us understand this posture of partnership. I've talked about it quite a bit, I think, on this show already, but if you haven't heard, the word is koinōnia (κοινωνία). It's often translated as fellowship, communion, or sharing, but it means more than simply being together. It carries the idea of participation, joint partnership, deep connection, and a shared purpose. When the early believers lived in koinōnia (κοινωνία), they were not just attending church services, they were sharing life, they were participating together in the mission of God. There was a mutual giving and receiving, there was a shared heart. When we talk about partnering with God in our business, we are talking about koinōnia (κοινωνία) with him, not building for him while he stands at a distance, but building with him, not asking him to bless our plans, but inviting him into the planning itself. Not compartmentalizing our faith on Sunday and our business on Monday, but living in ongoing fellowship. Koinōnia (κοινωνία) with God in your business means you pause before that client call and say, “Holy Spirit, guide my words.” It means you view your income not as your security, but as provision from a faithful Father. It means you care more about integrity than image. It means you recognize that the person on the other side of your screen has a soul. This is where Lent becomes deeply practical for entrepreneurs. It becomes a season to examine our motives. Am I chasing validation? Am I building to prove something? Am I afraid of not having enough? Am I so busy serving others that I am neglecting my own soul? Sometimes the greatest thing we need to give up during Lent is not sugar or caffeine, but self-reliance. Now, I want to shift gently into something that has been a beautiful tool in my own journey and in the lives of many I have coached. It's called the Aroma Freedom Technique. You may be familiar with it, or this may be new to you, but I want to explain it in a simple, everyday language. The Aroma Freedom Technique is a process that helps people identify limiting beliefs and emotional blocks and then release them through prayerful guidance and the use of specific essential oils. It's not mystical, it's not new age. It is rooted in the understanding that God designed our bodies and brains in a remarkable way. When you smell something, that scent travels directly to the limbic system of your brain. The limbic system is the emotional center. It is connected to memory, fear, pleasure, and motivation. Unlike other senses, smell has a very direct pathway. That's why a certain scent can instantly transport you back to your grandmother's kitchen or a childhood Christmas. When we experience something painful or stressful, our brains can form patterns. If we repeatedly think a thought like, I'm not good enough or I'm gonna fail, those neuropathways become stronger over time. It's like walking the same path through a field again and again until it becomes worn down and easy to follow. The good news is that God created our brains with neuroplasticity. That simply means the brain can change, new pathways can be formed, old ones can weaken when they are no longer used. The aroma freedom technique combines focused questions, prayer, truth statements, and the inhalation of specific essential oils. The scent engages the emotional brain while we are consciously identifying lies and replacing them with truth. In layman's terms, we are helping the brain let go of old fear-based patterns and create new, healthier ones aligned with God's Word. For a Christian entrepreneur, this can be incredibly powerful during Lent. Imagine sitting with the Lord and recognizing that underneath your constant hustle is a fear of not being seen, or a belief that if you slow down, everything will fall apart. Through prayer and this gentle process, you can invite the Holy Spirit into that memory, into that belief, and begin to release it. Actually, release it for good. This is not about self-help, though. This is about surrender. This is about saying, search me, O God, and know my heart. Show me what is not aligned with you. As those internal shifts happen, something beautiful occurs. You become freer, and free people are not pushy about Jesus. They are peaceful, they are confident, they are secure, and that peace becomes attractive. The Apostle Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians that we are the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. Think about that imagery for a moment. Aroma, fragrance, presence. When you operate your business from a place of koinōnia (κοινωνία) with God, when you have allowed him to refine your heart during seasons like Lent, your life carries a different scent, not a literal one, though that may be pleasant too, but a spiritual one. People sense authenticity, they sense integrity, they sense hope. You don't have to force spiritual conversations, you don't have to preach at your clients. But when someone asks, why are you so calm in the middle of this chaos? you can say gently and naturally, My faith anchors me. And when someone shares a struggle, you can say, Would you mind if I prayed with you? And because you have built trust, that invitation feels safe. For those of you working from home, maybe feeling unseen, I want you to hear this clearly. The Kingdom of God is not limited by geography. Your dining room table can be holy ground, your Zoom room can be a mission field, your inbox can be a place of encouragement, but it begins with your own heart. Lent reminds us that before Jesus ministered publicly, he went into the wilderness. Before Resurrection came the cross, before expansion came surrender. What if this season is not about pushing your business harder, but about asking God to purify your motives? What if it's about simplifying, listening, and realigning? Now I'm not going to cover everything today. I want to stir a little something in you. I want you to feel a holy curiosity rising up within. Let me ask you this. What would it look like to truly partner with God in your business? Not just invite him to bless it, but to co-labor with him in it. What would it look like to approach marketing as ministry, to see customer service as compassion, to treat income as stewardship rather than status? And what if Lent became your annual reset button, a sacred pause to evaluate, release, and renew? In our free workshop, "Partnering with God In Your Business," we are going to unpack this in a very practical way. We'll be talking about how to discern where God is already moving in your work. We'll be exploring how to integrate faith naturally without being awkward, and we'll look at heart-level alignment and simple tools, including how the Aroma Freedom technique can help clear the internal blocks that keep you playing small. If you have ever felt that quiet ache, that sense that your business is meant for more than profit, that it's meant for eternal impact, I invite you to join me. Registration is now open at PaulaBehrens.com/workshop. That's Paula Behrens B-E-H-R-E-N-S .com/workshop (no spaces). Do not let another season pass by where you separate your faith from your work. Lent teaches us that surrender is not loss, it's gain. When we lay down self-reliance, we pick up grace. When we release fear, we receive freedom. When we seek koinōnia (κοινωνία) with God, we discover that he has been inviting us into deeper partnership all along. Your business matters, your obedience matters, your hidden faithfulness matters, and as you draw near to him, especially in sacred seasons like Lent, He will draw near to you. Let the Holy Spirit whisper, and then take the next step. Save your seat for the upcoming event. It's free at PaulaBehrens.com/workshop. That's Paula Behrens B-E-H-R-E-N-S .com/workshop (no spaces). It's an online Zoom call, so lean in, save your spot now, and say yes to partnership. Because when you live and work on purpose in Christ, even the smallest daily task can become part of an eternal story. Thank you for tuning in today. And remember, just like setting biblical boundaries, it's okay to say no to things that don't serve you well, like that third piece of cake at the church potluck. If you were blessed by this episode, be sure to share it with a friend and leave a review so that we can reach even more listeners like you. Check the show notes for all the links. Join us next week as we continue to discover how to live on purpose in Christ. Until then, keep leaning into Him and walking in His Wisdom. See you next time.