Today’s episode is a solo guest training with the lovely Natania from Natania Creates. I’ve loved following her for years and really value her perspective on combining business building and faith (and how to build a business like God pays you). A lot of you have told me you want more people to follow who speak about faith and business together—Natania is definitely one of those voices.
In this episode, she really preaches. You’ll hear her talk about experiencing a forced season of rest after becoming a first-time mom, and how she wrestled with ambition, identity, and control. She also shares her thoughts on comparison with other business owners, which I found so powerful. If you’ve ever struggled with feeling like you should be further along, or with constantly looking at what others are doing, you’ll love her scripture-based way of approaching it.
She also talks about how to build a business that will actually last. I especially love her point about how we can unintentionally tell God we’re going to build our business without Him—and instead how to shift toward building with Him. And she unpacks what that practically looks like.
She also ends with some really practical tips you can apply right now. So even though we’re talking scripture and big-picture faith, you’ll walk away with tangible steps for your life and business.
Honestly, this is one of those episodes I wanted to re-listen to as soon as it airs. It feels almost impossible to pick a title because there’s just so much beautiful, God-led wisdom in here. My hope is that it speaks to you right where you are whether you’re in a tough season or celebrating a big win. It’s one I think you’ll come back to again and again, almost like a little sermon about God’s plan for you and your business.
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I am so excited to be on the Breakthrough Brand podcast. My name is Natania. I’m a business coach, digital marketer, and the founder of Natania Creates, where I teach women how to start, launch, and scale their businesses so they can build lives of financial freedom doing the work they love in this world.
I’ve recently expanded my vision into a digital marketing agency called Studio by N, where we offer done-for-you video content and marketing support, from strategy to full execution, helping both local and global brands show up powerfully online.
But personally, I’m a brand-new mom. I’m also a happily married wife, a dog mom, and someone who knows firsthand what it’s like to navigate the tension of trusting God while building a business especially during a major life transition like giving birth, walking through six weeks postpartum, and stepping into this new identity called “mom.”
Trusting God Through Uncertain Seasons
In this season that has felt uncertain, quiet, and slower than I expected, I’ve been on an amazing journey of trusting God. I’m so excited to share in today’s episode some of the lessons I’ve learned, sometimes the hard way, that I know will help you too.
Today I want to talk to the woman who says with her mouth, “God is my provider,” but in action, is hustling like she’s on her own. And listen, I’ve been there—running a business while burning out, overworking, obsessing over the details, the results, the success. Even though I knew better in those moments, I still tried to take everything into my own hands. So if you’re listening right now thinking, “She’s talking to me”… sis, I am.
The truth is, I know what it’s like to build a business that looks successful on paper. But after entering motherhood, I could see that God was gently but firmly leading me into a forced season of rest. And even though I wanted to keep pushing forward, I fought it. I fought the rest, I fought the Sabbath, I fought the pause. But God, so loving, patient, and kind, was taking me on a sabbatical.
And here’s the thing: this sabbatical had no end date. It was open-ended. No deadline, no certainty, no timeline for when it would be “over.” I simply had to trust that God would speak to me and provide. That’s what we’re going to talk about today in this episode: Living Like God Pays You.
So I want you to get cozy, grab your journal, and lean in. I’m going to share with you what I’ve learned in that season of wrestling—with ambition, yes, but also with identity, control, and provision.
Have You Been Eating The Bread of Anxious Labor?
During that season of rest, God brought me to Psalm 127:1–2. I want to read it for you here, but I encourage you to go back and sit with it in your own quiet time with the Lord:
“Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it. Unless the Lord guards the city, the watchman keeps awake in vain. It is vain for you to rise early, to retire late, to eat the bread of anxious labors; for He gives blessings to His beloved even in his sleep.”
And I want us to really sit with that: have you been eating the bread of anxious labor? Another translation simply calls it the bread of anxiety. And I’ll be honest—I was eating that bread for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snack time. I was that person.
The thing about this bread is—it doesn’t last. That’s why you keep filling yourself up with a false sense of hope, a false sense of security, and a false sense of satisfaction. You’ve already eaten it before. You’ve already partaken of it. And yet, it didn’t last. So what do you do? You go back to it again, and again, and again—hoping that somehow this bread, this anxious bread of labor, will finally satisfy the anxiety in your heart. But it doesn’t.
What I’ve learned is that this bread is restlessness. This bread is anxiety. This bread is filled with fear. This bread is striving. It’s rooted in self-effort, self-dependency, being “self-made.” It’s you trying to do it on your own, without trusting God. And when you’re eating this bread, you don’t even realize it doesn’t last.
For me, this bread showed up in a very practical business sense. It sounded like:
- If I don’t post today, I’ll miss the algorithm
- If I don’t post today, I won’t stay top of mind
- If I don’t show up today, I won’t make a sale
- If I don’t send that email, no one will buy
- If I’m not visible on social media, my business will tank
- If I don’t launch this program, I won’t hit my income goals
- If I slow down, the money will stop
God Is Your Source Of Provision
But let me remind you: God is your source of provision. Not your schedule. Not the algorithm. Not going viral. Not your systems. Not your strategies. Not your educators. Not your coaches. Not even your clients.
Even if you get a sale, even if that Stripe notification goes off, even if someone purchases—at the end of the day, the bottom line is this: God is your source of provision.
So, grab your journal and ask yourself: Where have I been relying on hustle instead of God’s help? Sit with that. Really sit with it.
As I was meditating on this, while God was leading me into a season of rest (yes, I went in kicking and screaming), I had to admit: I know I’m eating this bread of anxious labor. And if that’s true, then the question becomes… what should I be eating instead?
That’s why Jesus says:
“I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.” - John 6:35
That’s why He also says, “You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.” - Isaiah 26:3
I’ve learned that when you find yourself eating the bread of anxious labor—feeling like your business runs solely on your actions and best efforts—that’s when you slip into the dangerous mindset of: “I’m in this alone. I’m building my business by myself. I am the beginning, the middle, and the end.”
When you operate from that anxious, self-dependent position, you’re showing God that you don’t actually need Him. You’re communicating, through your actions, that you’re going to rely on your best efforts over His help.
Read more: 4 Encouraging Bible Verses For When Business Feels Overwhelming and Uncertain
Don’t Build Your Business Without God
And that leads me to my next point: don’t build your business without God.
Let’s go deeper here. In Psalm 127:1–2. it says: “Unless the Lord builds the house…” Let’s put a pin in that. Because if you are running a business that God is not in, you are laboring in vain.
When I first read that verse, it wrecked me in the most beautiful way. I felt like Jesus was speaking directly to me: “I’m talking to you. I’m talking to you. Unless I build your business, you’re building in vain. Unless I sanction this part of your business, your posting is futile.”
Without God, it’s almost as if you’re fighting His hand, almost as if your actions are saying, “I’m more powerful than the God of the universe.” Of course, we’d never say that out loud. But sometimes, that’s exactly what our actions communicate.
Are You Laboring in Vain?
This verse shows us something important: it’s possible to build something great, to plan something impressive, to even see success and still be laboring in vain. That’s where it gets tricky. Because yes, it’s possible to build a profitable, even wildly successful, business and still be out of alignment.
Real talk: you can be booked and burnt out. You can be booked and busy and out of alignment. You can be growing a profitable business on paper and still grinding, hustling, toiling, and eating the bread of anxious labor without the grace portion God has appointed for you in this season.
If you’ve ever felt like you were forcing something in your business, that could be a red flag that it’s not God-led in the first place.
That was a truth I had to face myself. Because on paper, I’ve seen incredible success: I’ve gone from zero to six figures in six months. From six figures to multi–six figures. I’ve had profit, clients, opportunities, global speaking engagements. But I’ve also been burnt out. I’ve also operated out of alignment. I’ve missed the grace that God had for me in a season because I went ahead of Him, thinking I knew best.
Avoiding the Comparison Trap As An Online Business Owner
And here’s where it gets good. Maybe you can relate to this: you log online and see people at the pinnacle of their business on cloud 10, soaring, going viral. They’ve got a team, systems, speaking gigs, celebrity connections. And in your quiet moments, you’re scrolling and wondering: “But God, what about me? What about me?”
I’ve had those moments especially in seasons of comparison, or in times when I’ve felt overlooked by God. When my business slowed down. When I took a year of maternity leave and everything ran at a much slower pace because I was focusing on nurturing and raising my son.
That’s when Proverbs 13:22 speaks to me: “The wealth of the sinner is laid up for the just.”
It reminds me that not all success is sustainable. Not all fruit is godly fruit. And right now, yes, right now, there are people you might be comparing yourself to. People you think are ahead of you, because they’re further along in their business. They’re going viral, hitting milestones, gaining clout, visibility, fame. Maybe those are things you desire too and it’s not wrong to desire them. But here’s the truth: not everyone is building something that will last.
And that’s why I love Psalm 127:1–2.: “Unless the Lord builds…” Unless the Lord builds their business, they build in vain.
Could it be that right now you’re comparing yourself to people who are building businesses that are futile? Businesses that are in vain? People who look like they’re killing it online, attaining levels of wealth, just like Proverbs 13 says, they have wealth. But could it be that they are building something that won’t last because it’s not built on the Rock?
Let me remind you: never compare. Comparison is a distraction from the construction site God has placed in front of you, and the blank canvas full of unlimited possibilities He’s outlined for your business. You have to remind yourself: I am building something eternal. Something that will last. Something backed by heaven. Not something built in vanity, not something that won’t stand in the long run.
Not All Wealth Is Built Equally
That was something I had to come to terms with myself. Because in the midst of everyone else scaling, going viral, bringing in revenue, it’s easy to think, Wow, everybody else is building. But not all wealth is built equally. And you don’t have to compromise to succeed.
If you remain in alignment with God, if you don’t move ahead of Him, if you don’t step outside of His plan or beyond the grace He’s allotted for you in this season then you’ll learn contentment and satisfaction with what He’s given you. And that’s when you’ll realize you are building something that will last. Something that will stand to the very end.
At the end of the day, God isn’t impressed with the accolades we chase here on earth. God is after what will last into eternity. That’s another reminder I want to give you.
Choosing Faith Over Fear When It Comes To Your Finances
And before we wrap up, I want to leave you with one more point: choose faith over fear when it comes to your finances.
There were times in my business when fear crept in. Times when I didn’t believe God would come through for me. Times when I doubted that He would let my business reach certain financial milestones—or that I could take months off and still be provided for.
One of my favorite parts of our anchoring text, Psalm 127:2, says: “For He gives blessings to His beloved even in his sleep.”
I want us to sit with that even more. Did you know God can do more with your business while you’re sleeping than you can do while you’re awake and working?
I had to meditate on this during my season of rest. I’d read those verses, but deep down I didn’t believe they applied to me. And I know some of you hear this and think the same thing: “That’s not for me.” But I want to challenge that voice of doubt.
God’s Word is true. His promises are “Yes and Amen.” His words don’t fall to the ground. They don’t change, they don’t falter.
So when Scripture says God gives blessings to His beloved even in their sleep, that means you can go to bed at night without striving. You don’t have to wake early and stay up late eating the bread of anxious labor. God provides.
God blesses. God increases. God allows success. God opens doors. God gives opportunities even while you’re fast asleep. Even when you’re on maternity leave. Even when you’re sick. Even when you can’t work. Even when you’re at church. Even when you’re serving someone else. Even when you’re focused on other things.
God promises to provide.
So even in the middle of a launch, an event, a book deadline, or a major life transition, this is your permission slip: you can take a break.
Because I know the thoughts that creep in: “What if I don’t make enough? What if no one buys? What if I lose momentum while I’m on maternity leave?”
Read more: What God’s Word Says About Business, Work, and Everyday Faith (2 Scriptures to Pray Over)
God Will Provide For You
That was something I struggled with too.
What if I become irrelevant? What if I’m forgotten while I’m taking a year off for maternity leave? Let me tell you: God provides in and out of peak seasons. God doesn’t just bless the launch and the mountaintop moments. He blesses you in your sleep. He blesses you in the valley. He blesses you in the slow seasons.
God doesn’t only provide when you’re posting. He provides when you’re not posting. He provides when you don’t send the email. He provides when you take a sabbatical because rest is biblical. God gives blessings even while you are asleep. His provision does not slow down or stop when you take a break. If He owns the cattle on a thousand hills, He has promised to provide for you.
Even if you’re in a crazy busy season, I want you to give yourself permission to rest because it takes faith to rest.
Did you know it actually takes faith to close your laptop? To log out of Instagram? To shut down those apps? To put your phone in another room so you can sleep in peace? It takes faith to step away from the algorithm and declare: You don’t control me. You’re not my source of provision, God Almighty is.
And so you say, “God, I trust that whatever efforts I put in today, however many hours I worked, that is enough. You will bless it. You will expand it. And that is enough for today.”
So if you’ve ever been scared to rest, sis, this is your permission slip.
Now, I want to end with some practical, hands-on ways to actually live like God pays you.
Rest on purpose.
Don’t wait until you crash. Schedule Sabbaths. Build rest days, weeks, even months into your calendar. Plan your business around seasons of rest.
Trust God with your finances
Take His Word seriously. For me, that was Psalm 127. Don’t just skim over verses like that and think, Wow, that’s nice. I hope one day I see that in my life. Pray it. Say, “God, this is Your Word. Help my unbelief. Let me see this verse manifest in my life.” And He will be faithful to respond.
Steward the slow seasons
Don’t rush out of them. Let me tell you, God put me in a season of rest. He told me to take a month off, and I went in kicking and screaming. But after a couple weeks, I thought, This is amazing. I feel like I’m on a long vacation. I get to slow down and savor this season with my son.
And when I finally felt ready to come back, God gave me the green light. Within 48 hours of ending that sabbatical, opportunities flooded in… brand partnerships, speaking engagements, a new business idea. My schedule filled up more in those two days than it had all year. All because I trusted God at His Word.
Connect with Natania
So if this episode blessed you, I want you to share it with another sister who might be in a season of uncertainty whether she’s going through a life transition, heading into maternity leave, or right in the thick of building her business. Share it with her. Screenshot this episode and tag me, @NataniaCreates, and let me know your biggest takeaway.
I am cheering for you. I am wishing you all the success in your business, and I pray you will steward every single season God places you in this year. And remember this: you are not self-funded. You are not self-made. You are backed by heaven. You were created by God with a purpose. You are living on purpose. God has a plan for you and for your business. And He is not short of any dollar amount. He is faithful to provide.
No matter what season you find yourself in… He is with you.
Links Mentioned:
Scriptures mentioned: Psalm 127: 1-2, John 6:35, Isaiah 26:3, Proverbs 13:22
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