As The Leader Grows with Ken Joslin

Coaching with Ken | The Stewardship Shift: Moving From Stress to Structure

• Ken Joslin

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What if the financial stress you're experiencing isn't actually a money problem at all? The root issue many faith-based entrepreneurs face isn't about cash flow or revenue—it's about stewardship.

This episode challenges the common belief that God promotes hustle. Contrary to popular entrepreneurial thinking, God doesn't reward constant motion and frantic activity. He rewards faithful management of what He's already entrusted to you. Drawing from the parable of the talents in Matthew 25, we explore how stewardship proves to God that we're ready for more, and how this shift in perspective can transform not only your finances but your entire approach to business.

Most entrepreneurs don't need more income—they need clarity, accountability, and systems. We break down three distinct money mindsets: fear-based (avoiding accountability), control-based (clenching resources tightly), and faith-based (trusting God's guidance for your resources). Through powerful real-life examples of divine appointments and generous giving, you'll see how faithful stewardship opens doors to multiplication and impact.

The episode provides a practical stewardship operating system with three key components: knowing exactly what's going in and out financially, conducting weekly financial reviews, and taking ownership of how you're stewarding what God has entrusted to you. Plus, two critical questions to help you identify areas where your stewardship needs improvement.

Whether you're struggling with financial anxiety or simply looking to honor God more faithfully with your business resources, this episode will equip you with both the mindset shift and practical tools needed to move from stress to structure in your financial stewardship journey. Transform your approach to money management and watch as God multiplies not just your resources, but your impact.

Welcome to the ATLG podcast I am your host Ken Joslin, former pastor turned coach & host of CREATE, the #1 Faith-based Entrepreneur conference in America. My mission is to help faith-based entrepreneurs become the best version of themselves by growing in our Core 5: Faith, Health, Relationships, Business & Finances. You can get more information as well as join our FREE Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/676347099851525

Speaker 1:

Hey guys, welcome to another episode of as the Leader Grows. I am your host, ken Johnson, super excited this month to talk to you about finances this entire month. I'm just going to bring to you what we've been talking the previous month to our GrowthStack Drive ecosystem, our community circle and corner. Today I want to talk to you about the stewardship shift, moving from stress to structure. If we're super honest with ourselves, a lot of us, when it comes to money, we stress a lot about finances and I want to talk about the real issue. The root issue we have isn't a money problem, it's a stewardship problem and it comes from this belief, in this thinking that we have, that we believe that God promotes hustle. As faith-based entrepreneurs, we believe it's go, go, go. We talk about action. We talk about my favorite Jim Rohn quote speed increases, focus. It's movement and action, and we think sometimes that God promotes hustle. God doesn't promote hustle. He promotes faithful management and, as stewards, what God's called us to do is to be faithful managers. We understand, as faith-based entrepreneurs and listen, if you're not a faith-based entrepreneur and you're listening to this podcast, you're probably going to get a little different context regarding your finances and your resources that God's entrusted you with than maybe you've heard before. You're in a perfect spot today because I really believe, as a faith-based entrepreneur, or as an entrepreneur in general, like God's called us to live significant lives, and not necessarily successful lives. Ken, what's the difference?

Speaker 1:

In my first book, as the Leader Grows, which is also the title of this podcast, I shared a story that I learned 20 plus years ago from a mentor when she sat me down and she asked me this question. She said, ken, I'm going to ask you the most important question of your life Do you want to be significant or do you want to be successful? And it was a question. And, as she explained and kind of unpacked to me the difference, significant leaders build others around them, knowing that if they can help them achieve what they desire, ultimately another one of my favorite Zig Ziglar quotes if I help enough people get what they want, eventually I'll get what I want. But significant leaders are leaders who want something for people and not from people. People who chase success, on the other hand, tend to use the people that are in their ecosystem for their own personal gain and they usually almost always leave a trail of damage behind them. So when we talk about stewardship again. I want to shift from. We don't have a money problem, we have a management or a stewardship problem.

Speaker 1:

As faith-based entrepreneurs, as entrepreneurs in general, we believe and we've heard that God promotes hustle, that if I hustle, if I do the things, which is there's a lot of truth in that things, which is there's a lot of truth in that. But God doesn't promote hustle, he promotes faithful management. God, what do you want me to do with your resources, the finances I have under my control? God? What do you want me to do with those finances and guys? Here's the truth I want to share with you. Most entrepreneurs don't need more income. What we need is clarity, accountability and systems, and we're going to talk about clarity and accountability in today's episode.

Speaker 1:

So we look at Matthew 25, we see the parable of the talents and if you've never heard the parable of the talents, the story of Matthew 25, as Jesus is sharing, this, is a parable of three different individuals and these individuals were entrusted in scriptures very clear. He gave to them as they could manage it. So the one he gave five talents. The one he gave two and to one he gave one. The person with the five talents, the one he gave two and to one he gave one. The person with the five talents went and invested that money. And so when the owner came back, of the five talents, he had turned the five talents into five more talents. The one with the two did the exact same thing. He had invested the money and actually gave a return back to the owner. He stewarded that gift well. The one with the one talent we read in scripture not only was he afraid of the owner, he was afraid of in this story it would obviously be God. God gave him the one. He went and buried that one talent and there was no return. All he did was give back to God what God had entrusted him with. And we know, according to the story, when Jesus is sharing this parable, that the one, that the person who had five, was given more. The person who had two and invested, he was given more. And the person that had the one, because he didn't steward it well, even that was taken away from him. And so here's the big idea today Stewardship is how we prove to God that we are ready for more. Stewardship is how we prove to God that we are ready for more. Stewardship is how we prove to God that we are ready for more.

Speaker 1:

So here's a couple of questions I want to ask you on the mind shift. I want you to ask yourself these questions Am I and when it comes to my finances and my stewardship, am I operating out of? And I think there are three different mindsets that we operate on One is fear, one is control and one is faith. Am I operating out of fear, am I operating out of control, or am I operating out of faith and fear? Guys, one of those mindsets would be a scarcity mindset. That can be a controlling mindset as well, and one of the things that I say how do you identify, or how you identify a scarcity mindset is one of two things usually happen. Number one, you either spend everything you have or, number two, you save everything you have because you have a scarcity or a fearful mindset when it comes to money. So here's the other question, the first question am I operating from fear, control or faith? Second question what am I doing right now?

Speaker 1:

Currently, you're listening to this podcast in your office, at home, in the bathroom, in the car, wherever you're at God, what am I currently doing with what you have already entrusted me with, like the resources I have, and that's pretty much everything my time, my talent, like what am I doing with the giftings God's given me? And then my treasure. What am I doing with the material resources, the money, all the stuff God's entrusted, the cars, the houses, anything that God's entrusted you with? How am I stewarding that? Am I stewarding it in a way that honors God and in a way that God has asked me to steward those things? And again, matthew 25,. Here's a couple of truths that come out of that. Number one God doesn't promote hustle, he promotes faithful management. So if we're looking or if we're struggling with lack, our lack doesn't come from the amount of resources that we have. It comes from the way that we're stewarding the resources that God's entrusted us with. Second truth is this regardless of what our current financial season looks like it could be good, it could be bad, it could be whatever it is always a trust test. Your current financial season is a trust test. It is God saying are you going to steward what I've entrusted you with, and are you going to steward it well? Are you going to steward what I've entrusted you with and are you going to steward it well? Are you going to steward it the way that I have asked you to steward it. And here's the third truth out of Matthew 25, that the reward when we steward well is multiplication. God adds to what we currently have, but it has to come from, and we have to begin with, a mindset of stewardship.

Speaker 1:

I'm going to share with you guys two books that I've read that are absolutely phenomenal. I'm not sure. The first one is the complete works of Francis Scoville Shin will drop the link on Amazon or audible to be able to grab that book. That book is absolutely phenomenal. One of the things that she shares in this book is this faith is expectancy, faith is expectancy. Now, let me preface it all with this I don't buy into the prosperity theology. I don't think God wants you to have a fill in the blank before you steward what he's given you with. Well, I'm fortunate to have some very wealthy friends. They have some very nice things, but their first and foremost responsibility isn't to themselves and what they have. It's not about another watch or another car, another beach home. It's not about any of those things. It's God. You've entrusted me with this. God, what am I going to do with it? And God, what would you have me do with that. So faith is expectancy and I love this in Francis Scovel Shin's the complete works of Francis Govel Shin, I think it's all three of her books that are rolled into one.

Speaker 1:

This is the one thing I wrote down in my notes from there is man must prepare for the thing that he has asked for. So here's a question I want to ask you Are you preparing for the thing that God has asked for in your business, in your finances, in your health, in your faith journey, in your relationships? Are you preparing for the thing that God, that you have asked God for? Are you preparing for it? Do you say God, I want this relationship? I'll give you a prime example, and this doesn't necessarily have to do with with money or financial resources, but it does have to do with relational resources.

Speaker 1:

Two and a half three years ago I wrote out my ideal partner homework I did with my good friend and therapist, lauren, and in that it's several paragraphs long, proverbs 31 woman. And I just describe what that looks like. She's passionate, she's life-giving. Every room that she walks into she brings her life-giving presence. Every encounter that people have with this person, with this woman, leaves them a better human being. She is a great mother to her children, a great stepmother to mine, and I could go on and on and on. All this stuff that I wrote down I'll never forget. I gave that to Lauren, took me about a week and a half to write it and Lauren said, okay, this is what you're looking for. I said, yes, ma'am, she goes. Okay. Now you have to become that man and it's the same thing. So here's my expectations. What am I doing to prepare for that? I'm going to spend the next two or three years which I have becoming that man, because I am expecting God to send me that woman.

Speaker 1:

So Frances Scovel Shinn she uses. This book was written in 1925. It's 100 years old and they use a ton of scripture in this. So I want you to filter it through the lens of scripture. The second one is T Harv Eker's book the Millionaire Making of a Millionaire Mind. It's an unbelievable book. I've listened to it several times.

Speaker 1:

I don't think he's a believer. He doesn't talk about scripture, but it doesn't mean the principles in the book Number one, the principles in the book come from scripture. It doesn't mean it's not a book that we can take as faith-based entrepreneurs and use that he talks about in Wealth, file no 1, that rich people believe I create my life, where poor people believe that life happens to me. And I was just on a call with a friend and we were talking about trauma, we were talking about narcissism, we were talking about some things this morning and they said to me they said my therapist told me one time they were like it's amazing that you don't, that you didn't turn out in a different situation that you did. Had it not been for God's grace and you really leaning into the life that Jesus has for you, your life could look way different than it does today. But and I think it's not just for wealthy people believe that life, that I create my life, and poor people believe that life happens to me. I think, listen, if you're making a difference and you're a life-giving, faith-based entrepreneur, people want to be around you. So you can ask yourself this question when I walk into a room, do people gravitate towards me or do they gravitate away from me? Room do people gravitate towards me or do they gravitate away from me? That will give you some kind of an idea of what my life looks like and how people view me and how life-giving is my presence. So those are two books, complete Works of Francis Scovel Shinn. That's amazing. The T Harv Ecker book, secrets of a Millionaire Mind unbelievable book there as well.

Speaker 1:

So I want to talk real quick about three money mindsets. Number one we talked about fear-based. Am I fear-based? And here's what fear-based people do. They avoid accountability. They avoid accountability which means I don't follow a budget. I don't know where my money goes. I'm not sure where every cent is spent. I don't want accountability because I have a fear-based mindset. The second mindset in that is a control-based mindset. When you have a control-based mindset, you clinch with everything you have, the limited amount of resources you have, because you don't believe you're going to get any more. That's how I know if I clench tight to what I have. Listen if God speaks to you and says I want you to give this and I shared this on one of our coaching calls this week in our GSD circle, on our corner calls. I've had some unbelievable experiences over the past 20 to 25 years when it comes to finances in God saying I want you to give this to this individual.

Speaker 1:

One was I was at Waffle House one night. I just started my health journey. It's like five years ago. I walk into Waffle House. Just got through playing basketball with all my guys I'm the only guy in Waffle House Just started my health journey, just got on keto for the very first time. So I'm eating scrambled eggs, cheese and bacon at Waffle House. Scrambled eggs, cheese and bacon at Waffle House Probably not very healthy on the cholesterol and all those things, but it's definitely keto.

Speaker 1:

And I walk in. I'm sitting there. It's late at night, it's like 11 o'clock, it's like the week before school starts and I'm sitting there and I get done eating and I go up to the as I get done eating, some guy walks in and he drops three kids off high schooler, middle schooler or elementary school student and I could tell that the server, my waitress, those were her children. So I walk up to the counter, I'm paying my bill and I tipped her and I was just asking her. I said, hey, was that your husband that dropped the three kids off? And this was her reply she goes no, my husband passed away. My husband died last month, in July, and all he left me was these three kids.

Speaker 1:

And immediately I'm sitting here and God goes, give her everything you have in your pocket. It was $240. So I had, uh, what would that be? $12, $20 bills? I think that's right. And I had it just folded up in a rubber band in my with my driver's license and stuff. I pulled it out and I put it on the counter and that already tipped her well and I just kind of fanned the $240 out and I said I said ma'am, I said it's not an accident that I'm here tonight.

Speaker 1:

Number one, god sent me here to tell you that he loves you and that he is here for you. And he told me to give you what I had in my pocket. And I fanned the twenties out. It was $240, 240. And god said to give this to you right now. And she just started to weep and she said can I give you a hug? And I said let me pray for you. So she walks around the corner and at the counter and as she's walking around the counter she calls her kids and she's like guys. She said you have all three boys. She goes look what god did for us today. And she told me she goes. She goes, sir, I'm going to use this to go get school clothes for my kids. And she brought her kids around. I was able to pray for her, her kids and her, her family and their future, and just let them know. Guys, listen, god has not forgotten you. That's why I'm here tonight.

Speaker 1:

Had another instance this past year. I get in an Uber we're going to, we're going to Atlanta, and there's four of us in the car. I don't meet a stranger. I'm talking to the driver, her name is Shay and she's a young African-American woman. And I said, shay, tell me what's going on, how are you doing, how are you liking Atlanta? Tell me about your family. And she was like well, it's great.

Speaker 1:

This was like three or four days before Christmas this past year and we're in the car and I said she said, well, I had three, now I only have two. Well, that changes the entire car ride. You can feel the energy just get sucked out of the car and so kind of the pastor side of me kind of kicks in. And I said, shay, I said would you mind telling me what happened? And she goes yeah, about six weeks ago, my 15-year-old daughter who's had very severe epilepsy her entire life, and my 26-year old had epilepsy and had seizures for years. So I know the pain of a parent to watch your child have a seizure. There's nothing you can do.

Speaker 1:

She said about six weeks ago my five-year-old son, who's slightly autistic, went in to wake up my daughter and she had had a massive seizure in the middle of night and she passed away. And I was like oh, I was like, you know, say I'm so sorry, like it's almost Christmas. And she said the worst part of it was this she said I couldn't work because we had to have the funeral and all this stuff. I was out of work for a month. I lost my job and I got evicted from our apartment in Atlanta and they had moved to the South side of Atlanta where she was renting an Airbnb. And she goes. Now I'm just trying to make sure I can keep the kids in a home.

Speaker 1:

And God started to speak to me and I said listen. I said we're going to do, we're going to jump in here. We'll be here for about an hour, hour and a half at dinner. And I said I'd love for you. If you're okay, I'll hire you Uber on the way back. And I said I'll give you 250 bucks if you'll wait on us. And she was like that'd be great, that'd be a huge help. So we're driving about 10 minutes further and God goes no, that's not enough. And I just said, shay. I said has anybody ever given you a thousand dollar tip? And she starts crying in front of me. She goes no, sir. And I said here's what I'm going to do. I said God told me 250 wasn't enough.

Speaker 1:

And you're, ken, why are you sharing this story about stewardship? Because if we steward well, god will give us more. And God gives us more to be a blessing to other people. It's not just so that we can grow whatever area of our life. We want to grow financially Again, watches, cars, homes, items, purse, whatever it is. God gives us that because he wants to know can you steward it the way? I'm asking you to steward it? And she goes Ken, no one's ever given me a thousand dollar tip. I said here's what I'm going to do. You got a Venmo. I do. I'm going to Venmo you $500 right now. You wait on us and we come back out in an hour and a half. If you'll drive us home when you drop us off, I'm going to Venmo you another $500. And she's literally in her car crying. The next day she's sending me videos. She sent me videos, guys, of her daughter's funeral. She sent me videos the next day of them in church and then that afternoon she took part of that money that I had sent her and bought her kids Christmas presents.

Speaker 1:

Guys, when we talk about stewardship, again, we don't have a money problem, we have a stewardship problem. So when I talk about these three different types fear-based, control-based, or stewardship-basedwardship-based we trust God. We ask God God, what do you want me to do with these finances? And when God speaks, we are obedient. And, guys, the difference that can. I just say this For some of you guys, for some of us, and it's okay that we think this way because I think we and it's again it's okay for you to want you know, I want to move out of this. You know, two bedroom apartment, I want to buy my first home. Great, god has, god is all for you doing that. You know, I want to get rid of this car that's breaking down. I want to buy something new. God's all for that. What we have to do, and when we operate as stewardship based, faith-based entrepreneurs, we trust God. We build systems, we know where our money goes. We do follow a budget. I just listened to Dave Ramsey.

Speaker 1:

I was telling a friend yesterday I was about to get on my Peloton and watch a video of Dave. And this woman calls in. She had four kids, she was 45 or 46. Her husband had just passed away. He was a roofer and he fell through a roof and died five months, six months before that, and she was about to get foreclosed on her home. And I'm sitting there about to get on my Peloton, I'm bawling. Listen to Dave. Navigate through this with this woman. Hey, it's going to be okay, we're going to help you. Do you have a car? Nope, got repoed. Okay, we can help you with that. I'm going to connect you. I think her name was Lisa on the team and she's going to help you.

Speaker 1:

And then, later on that day, one of the videos I saw was the follow-up call from her and Dave. And again I'm sobbing. Don't listen to this story. But guys, why? Because her life was changed.

Speaker 1:

Because Dave stewarded what God had given him well, and when God said give, he listened to God's voice and he did exactly what God wanted him to do with the finances. Because he understood I don't have a money problem, I have a stewardship problem. Can I steward what God has entrusted in my hands? I want to give you, guys, a stewardship operating system. Here's three steps. Number one do I know what's going in and going out? Do I know what's going in and going out? And, guys, I didn't do this right for five years. It was up until last year when a friend of mine sat down and goes hey, what's your budget for Create? How much money are you making on your conference? I'm like I don't know. Now I can spit off all the numbers of everybody, what it costs, tell you exactly what the budget was. I could tell you exactly, but I didn't really know my numbers and I'll never forget. Troy Hoffman looked at me. We're sitting in Costa Rica at RMI. We're actually at the hotel grabbing breakfast and he looks at me. He goes Kim, you realize you can't scale what God's called you to build until you know your numbers and you are not going to have the impact and influence that God's called you to until you know your numbers. So, do you know what's going in and out? Do you have a weekly review?

Speaker 1:

Out of that whole conversation with Troy, I hired a fractional CFO. He went back in our books all the way back to December of 2019 when I established this LLC, went through every line item transaction in our QuickBooks, every line item and transaction for every credit card we had. It took about four months to do all this and cost me about $15,000. To get our finances in order, we created a GSD. I call it our daily cash spreadsheet. So when it comes in, I can see here's our accounts, here's how much cash we have in the bank. Here's the credit cards. Here's what our debt, our debt, ratio, is. Here's business loans that I have. Here's this loan. I've got one that's and we haven't borrowed against at all, and I've got one that we owe just a small amount.

Speaker 1:

But here's the percentage. Here's the utilization. Here's our weekly monthly recurring revenue that's coming in this week. Here's what our expenses are. Here's the plus or minus number and then here's our monthly recurring revenue for our community circle corner. Here's our sales. And this is all in one spreadsheet.

Speaker 1:

I look at it. I get a good snapshot of what's going on. I never had that, guys, up until five or six months ago, and it's crazy now that I steward that at that level what God is doing in the people that God is bringing into our lives. Know what's coming in and out, weekly review and then listen. Here's the biggest thing for stewardship Again, god doesn't promote hustle, he promotes faithful management.

Speaker 1:

Do I take ownership of how I'm stewarding what God has entrusted with me? Here's two questions. I want you to review this when you hop off this podcast. I'd love for you to write these down. Number one where am I mismanaging what God has already given me? Where am I mismanaging what God has already given me? Where am I mismanaging what God has already given me If you don't know what every penny looks like going in and out of your organization, of your business, of your personal life? Guys, I promise you God's not going to send you increase until you can do that Well. Second thing what pattern is God through this podcast, what pattern is God asking me to correct? So two questions what am I mismanaging what God's currently giving me and what pattern is God asking me to course correct today? Guys, thank you for joining me on this episode of as the Leader Grows.

Speaker 1:

I'm excited this entire month to bring you all of these different talks on finances. I'd love for you to jump into the even more free resources at growstackdrivecom forward slash free. Growstackdrivecom forward slash free.

Speaker 1:

All of the resources, all this content that we're talking about now, all of the videos for our Create Conference with good friends like John Maxwell, gary Brekka, erwin McManus, ed Malet, brendan Burchard a ton of amazing speakers on our core five areas. All of that content is free. I've got three courses on mindset, strategy and leadership development All those courses free. We give all of that content away why? Because we know if you will take 10 to 15 minutes a day to really work on you and becoming the best version of yourself, it will transform your life. Growstackdrivecom forward slash free. And again, thank you for helping us become one of the top one and a half percent podcasts in the entire United States. Thank you for doing that. Do me a favor leave a five-star review. Share this episode. If it's helped you, share it with a friend. I'll see you next week on as the Leader, gr.