Faith Over Hustle: Redefining True Success

Are you climbing the right mountain in your leadership journey? The world tells us that success comes from hustling harder, grinding longer, and sacrificing everything to reach the top. But is that really God’s way?

In this episode of Servant Leaders Blueprint, Coach Larry challenges the myth of hustle culture and reveals the biblical model of leadership—one that’s rooted in rest, trust, and surrender, not stress and striving.

What You’ll Learn:

✅ Why working harder doesn’t guarantee true success
✅ The Biblical Mountain Motif—where God meets leaders instead of making them strive
✅ How Jesus led differently—prioritizing prayer, servanthood, and God’s timing
✅ 5 practical steps to shift from hustle to holiness in your leadership
✅ How to surrender control and trust God with the results

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Want to grow in faith-driven leadership with a community of like-minded leaders? Connect with us at www.servantleadershub.com for leadership coaching, resources, and support!

🎧 Listen now and take the next step toward leading with faith, wisdom, and rest!

Transcript

What would you do if you were just a few hundred feet from the peak of the second highest mountain in the world, but the weather might stop you short of your goal. Knowing that all your years of training, discipline and sacrifice had led to this moment. Would you keep pushing despite the worsening store. Or would you turn back knowing that success could come at an unbearable cost? 

In 1986, a team of climbers attempted to summit. K2 a mountain known as the Savage mountain because of its brutal unforgiving conditions among them was Alan Rousse, a highly skilled Mountaineer who had spent years preparing for his client. But in his relentless pursuit of the summit. He ignored warning signs. Deteriorating weather, dwindling supplies and the physical toll on his body. Rousse reached the top but he paid the ultimate price. Trapped into storm exhausted and unable to descend.

 He and several others perished on the mountain. The quest for achievement, their drive to reach the peak did not end in victory but in tragedy. Now you may not be climbing K2, but every leader faces a similar choice. Will you keep chasing the summit at all costs. Or will you listen to the voice calling you to something greater? Today, we're going to challenge a popular belief that's been drilled into leaders for generations. If you just work harder, hustle more and push through success is guaranteed. But is that really true? Or is the world's definition of success, leaving many leaders into burnout exhaustion and even failure. And this episode will uncover a different path. A biblical model of leadership that isn't about relentless hustle, but about holiness. Look at how Jesus climbed a different kind of mountain. One that led [00:02:00] not to personal gain, but to ultimate surrender. I'm coach Larry. I'm your host today and I'm going to begin by talking about some of the most pivotal moments in the Bible that happened on mountains. 

Not because people work their way to the top. But because God met them there. From Abraham's test on Mount Moriah to Moses receiving the 10 commandments on Sinai to Jesus sermon on the Mount. Mountains and scripture are places of self achievement. But places of divine encounter. So leader, let me ask you. Are you climbing the right mountain? Are you chasing hustle or are you pursuing holiness? Stick with me because today we're going to redefine what success looks like and how choosing Jesus over the grind. We'll transform the way you lead. So let's get started. 

Now to be honest, our culture glorifies, hustle. [00:03:00] It's in every leadership book I've ever read. Every entrepreneur podcasts I listened to and every motivational speech.

Things like wake up at 4:00 AM. Workloads ADR weeks and sacrifice everything to climb that ladder. And you will succeed. The hustle never stops remember, so keep pushing. Or winner's keep pushing no excuses, no brakes. We've all heard it. Some of us have lived it. If you're an emerging leader, you've probably felt this pressure. Maybe from corporate culture, social media, or even your own expectations. You might even think this hustle mentality is biblical. Because hard work is a virtue, right? 

Let me be clear. Hard work is good. Diligence is a biblical principle. But when work replaces God. When striving replaces surrender when [00:04:00] ambition replaces obedience, that's when we've climbed the wrong mountain. Let's look at some of the ways the just work harder, light traps us.

I want to start with one of the biggest stages of hustle culture burnout. a steady by Gallup found that 76 percent of employees. He experienced burnout at some time in their careers. And it's even worse for leaders, especially entrepreneurs, pastors, and high level executives. Think about it when you're always grinding, always pushing, always striving. What happens. Your body collapses. Your relationships suffer. Your faith dries up. 

Boom cold truth that comes to mind is come to me all you who labor and are heavy Laden, and I will give you rest. That's a Matthew chapter 11 verse 28. Jesus, doesn't say work harder and I'll bless you or. [00:05:00] He says, come to me and I will give you rest. Now, maybe today. That's what you need most, not another strategy, not another product Tivity hack. But to come to Jesus and rest. 

The second danger of hustle culture is this. We are. We start believing that our identity is in our work. Instead of in Christ. I see this all the time with entrepreneurs, executives, and even pastors. We start defining ourselves by the size of our company or our congregation. The number of social media followers, we might have the salary. We make, or the title that we hold. And before we know it, our entire self-worth is wrapped up in what we do. Not and who we are in Christ. Another verse comes to mind. From mark chapter eight, verse 36, it says, what does it profit a [00:06:00] man to gain the whole world. And forfeit his soul. 

 Let me ask you this leader. Are you climbing a career mountain that will leave you empty at the top or hustling so hard that you don't even recognize yourself anymore. Are you defining your success by worldly standards instead of kingdom standards? Jesus has something better for you. 

But before we talk about that, here's the third danger of hustle culture. It ignores God's design for leadership. See the world teaches that leadership is about climbing higher. Getting ahead of the competition, building your brand winning at all costs. But in God's kingdom. Leadership isn't about climbing. 

It's about following. It's not about achieving. It's about a bang. Look at Jesus. He had all the power in the universe. But how did he lead? [00:07:00] He washed themed instead of demanding a throne in John 13, 12 to first 50. He served instead of seeking status. Matthew 2028. He prayed in solitude instead of working nonstop. And mark one verse 35. Jesus, never once hustled for his father's approval. So why do we. 

Maybe you're grinding, hustling, pushing yourself to exhaustion, and you're realizing this isn't leaving me where I thought it would. Here's the good news. You don't have to keep climbing the wrong mountain. You don't have to keep sacrificing everything on the altar of hustle. Jesus has a different way for you. I'll way of peace, purpose and presence. 

And some 1 27 verse one. We read unless the Lord builds the house. Those who build it labor in [00:08:00] vain. 

So let's recap. Hustle leads to burnout. Hustle creates a miss place state. Identity. And hustle ignores. God's designed for leadership. The world tells us work harder and successful follow. But God says, follow me. And I will give you rest. 

So I have a challenge for you as you think about this. I'd like you to pause, reflect. And ask yourself. 

Where am I striving instead of surrendering? 

And then I want you to start leading from a place of peace not panic. And finally, I want you to seek God's presence over productivity. 

Remember the greatest leaders. Aren't the ones who hustle the hardest. They're the ones who followed Jesus. The closest. Stick with me. Because next we're going to [00:09:00] look at the biblical mountains. Where God meets leaders and how you can start leading his way. 

So here. We've just talked about the lie of the hustle culture, how it leads to burnout, misplaced identity and ignoring God's designed for leadership. And now I want to shift our focus to something powerful in scripture. Because throughout the Bible, God meets leaders on mountains. Not because they climbed their way up, but because God called them there. In the world's leadership model, mountains are about achievement. Reaching that peak climbing higher than the others. 

Proving yourself. But in God's kingdom mountains, aren't about proving yourself. They're about God revealing himself. So let's look at some of the key mountain moments in scripture. And how they apply to your leadership. 

Our first bone is Mount Moriah. The place where Abraham [00:10:00] was tested. Remember. Let's set the scene. First God had promised Abraham that he would be the father of many nations. But years went by and Abraham and Sarah were childless. Then finally in their old age, God miraculously gave them Isaac. And then one day God says. Take your son, your only son whom you love Isaac. And go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain, I will show you. 

I imagine that. God was asking Abraham to give up the very thing. He had waited his whole life for. But here's, what's powerful. Abraham. Simply obeyed. He didn't argue. He didn't negotiate. He simply trusted. And at that last moment, when Abraham lifted the knife, God provided a Ram [00:11:00] in the thicket. 

Now, what does this mean for you as a leader? 

 The truth is sometimes God will ask you to lay something down. Before he blesses you with something better. Maybe it's your obsession with success? Maybe it's even your fear of failure. Or perhaps it's your own timeline of when things should happen? 

Sometimes it maybe is, looks like letting go. What are you holding on to the God is asking you to surrender. 

And we go to the next mountain Mount Sinai, the place where God gave Moses the 10 commandments. I want you to notice something when Moses climbed Sinai, he wasn't striving to hear from God because God had already called him. To come up. It was on God's timing, not Moses hustle. And what did God give him? [00:12:00] Instruction. Wisdom and guidance. 

God, didn't say Moses. I want you to go back down there. And why did you to work harder? And if you do that, I'll bless you. Sometimes we hear that from modern preacher. That PR it's just, the more you put in the more you'll get out. But that's a false hood. He was no, he spoke to Moses in the stillness of the mountain and remember. So as leaders, we need our own Mount Sinai moments. Moments where we pause. One was for, we see God's voice. Moments where we let him guide our leadership. The leaders, your best decisions will never come from Russia. They will come from seeking God's instruction. This reminds me of times when I've rushed ahead of God, when God was calling me up to my mountain. Where I needed to just sit with him and listen. But instead I pushed harder and I hustled and [00:13:00] I rushed ahead of him and I paid the cost, many times. But once I found out, I realized that I needed to ask. For my own Mount Sinai moment. So I'm going to ask you. What was the last time you had a Mount Sinai moment? Where you slowed down and you listen for God. 

Let's talk about Mount Carmel. Where the prophet Elijah had his showdown with the profits of bile. Here's what happened? There were 450. I believe it was 450 prophets of Baal. And one prophet of God. Elijah. Pretty big odds, one to 450. The prophets of bale dance, they showed it. They even cut themselves to get their thoughts. 

Attention. But there was no response. Then it was the largest turn. And he did something so simple. [00:14:00] He prayed. He trusted God. And God sent fire from heaven. Boom. God showed his power. Just need to trust God more. So ask yourself. Where in your leadership, are you trying too hard instead of trusting for God to show up. With his power. To work through your life. 

And finally we come to the greatest leadership sermon ever given. The sermon on the Mount. What does Jesus say? He starts with talking about blessed are the meek. Blessed are the pure in heart. Bless it. Are the peacemakers. Wait. Where does the part about hustle and ambition? 

Nowhere. Jesus is saying. Leadership isn't just about climbing higher it's about serving lower. [00:15:00] Success. Isn't about being first it's about putting others first. And God's kingdom leadership looks very different. 

So let's recap. Mount Mariah was all about trusting God's provision. Mount Sinai. It was about seeking God's instruction. Mount Carmel was about relying on God's power. Sermon on the Mount. Was about leading God's way. Which mountain is calling God, calling you to. Today. 

Now I want you to stick with me because next we'll talk about practical steps to shift. From hustle to holiness in your leadership. 

So far, we've talked about the lie of the hustle culture, how the world tells us to grind harder. But God calls us to something different. We've looked at the biblical motifs [00:16:00] of the mountains and how God meets leaders on mountains. Not because they strive to reach him, but because he calls them to come and be with him. Now let's shift gears and look at the ultimate leadership model. The way Jesus led. Because here's the thing. Jesus differ hustle. Jesus. 

Didn't burn out. And Jesus never measured his success by numbers or status. Or influence. Instead he did something radically different. So let's break it down. There are three core leadership lessons from Jesus' life. That I want to share and how we can apply them to our leadership. Yeah. First Jesus led from. Rest, not from hustle mark for one. Verse 35 says very early in the morning while it was still dark. Jesus got up left the house. I went off to a solitary place [00:17:00] where he prayed. I imagined this Jesus At the peak of his ministry. People are flocking to him. 

Miracles are happening. Crowds are growing. And what does he do? He retreats. He rests. He prays. Now let's be real. If most leaders today were in his position. They would be posted on social media continuously. Hey. There are several leaders who do that today. Don't they. They're continually expanding their brand. 

And probably writing a best-selling book to push their brand even more. But Jesus, wasn't about scaling influence. He was about staying connected to the father. So are you prioritizing rest? Or are you running on fumes? Do you pause to pray before making big decisions? Yeah. Do you take time to [00:18:00] recharge or are you constantly exhausted? Are you leaving from a place of peace or a place of panic? I want to challenge you. Take one morning off every week. Block out the whole board. No meetings, no emails. Just prayer. Reflection and rest. And if you can't do it at the office. Just book out that time and book a hotel room. Or a place in the park somewhere. 

You might think. I can't really afford to do that. I ha I can't take any time. But I want to guarantee you, if you do that for one month, for four weeks in a row. I believe in fact, I know you'll make better decisions. Your stress level will lower. And you'll have more clarity than you've had in years. I started [00:19:00] practicing this. One of my Heights in one of my rules where I was running on fumes. And it made all the difference. And it helped me to achieve even more than ever before. 'cause I got focused on what was God resources for me. 

Sometimes the most productive thing you can do. Is simply to rest. 

So the question is, are you leading like Jesus? Are you making breast a priority? 

So let's move on to the next radical leadership lesson from Jesus. He didn't chase status. He embraced servanthood. Now think about it. Jesus was the son of God, the king of kings. He could have demand only honors the respect, the power that he well-deserved. But instead, what did he do?

He washed his disciples feet. Perhaps the most beautiful [00:20:00] and magnificent example of servanthood and true leadership. Let me read for you from John 13, verse 12 to 15. It says when he had finished washing their feet, He put on his clothes and returned to his place. Do you understand what I've done for you? He asked them. You call me teacher and Lord and rightly so for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and teacher have washed your feet. 

You also should wash one another's feet. I've said you an example. That you should do as I have done for you. 

Wow. Nobody if leadership wasn't about getting ahead. But about helping others move forward. 

Ask yourself. How are you serving your team? Instead of just managing them. 

Do you seek recognition or do you focus [00:21:00] on impact? 

Are you willing to do the small on-scene tasks that no one else wants to do? 

That's kingdom leadership. 

So ask yourself this, are you leading from a place of servanthood? Or are you still chasing status? 

And here's the last leadership principle from Jesus. I don't want to talk about today. He trusted God's timing. Not his own. There were moments when people tried to make him king, remember. But he refused saying this is not my hour. This is not my time. People tried to rush them into miracles. But he waited. He said these things are to glorify the father, not for my glory. People told them. What he should do. 

But instead he listened to the father. [00:22:00] And followed his direction. John seven verse six. Jesus says. My time has not yet come. 

He wasn't in a rush. He wasn't pressured even, but all the people's expectations and needs. And he wasn't anxious about missing out. He trusted God's timing. What have your biggest leadership struggle isn't a lack of effort, but a lack of patience. Are you trying to force doors open or are you waiting for God to open them? Are you constantly rushing or are you willing to trust in God's perfect timing. Are you trying to make things happen? Or are you walking in step with the spirit? When you trust God's timing, you won't have to force success. 

It will flow. So are you trusting God's timing in your leadership today.

So Jesus led from harassed, [00:23:00] not hustle. He led the serve at hood, not status. And Jesus trusted. God's timing. Not his own. So are you leading like the world, or Jesus. Are you striving for success or are you seeking holiness? Jesus said, seek first the kingdom of God and all these things, hold the, add it to you. Now when you seek him first, you'll lead differently. So next, let's look at some practical steps to apply this in your own leadership.

So we've talked about the lie of the hustle. 

We talked about the biblical mountain motif, and we've talked about the leadership model. But it's one thing to know these truths. It's a whole different thing to live them out. I can attest to that. So in this section, I want to give you five tangible steps to shift from hustle to holiness in your leadership. These are steps that will change your life if you apply [00:24:00] them. The first one is that you need to think about pause and reflect. Where. You stop chasing success without God. So the first step to scaling the mountain is awareness. You can't change what you don't acknowledge. So let me ask you. Where in your near ship, are you striving instead of trusting? Maybe just take this moment and reflect. Are you saying yes to everything? Because you're afraid of missing out. Are you constantly busy, but never really feel at peace. Or even getting things done. Are you working harder and harder? But your soul feels empty. 

 Here's the challenge. 

I'd like you this week to start with taking the time to reflect. Start a journal if you don't have one already. Pray. Ask God. 

Ask him things like, where am I chasing the world's [00:25:00] version of success instead of your plan? Where am I relying on my strength instead of yours? Where am I working harder when I should be trusting more? 

Secondly, prioritize presence over performance. Here in this second shift. You need to stop measuring your leadership on by how much you accomplish. How now, how many things are your two, two lists? You check off. And start measuring it by how much time you spend with God. Such as the example of Martha that Jesus talked about. In Luke 10 verse 41 42. 

 When he was talking to Martha , he said you are worried and upset about many things. But few things are needed or indeed only one. And Mary has chosen what is better. And it will not be taken away from her. Martha was busy serving. But Mary was sitting at Jesus' feet. [00:26:00] Jesus wasn't saying serving was bad. He was saying, being in his presence is better. Your leadership flows from your time with Jesus. 

So here's the action steps. Start your day in prayer before checking your phone or your email. Spend time with God before you spend time in meetings. Put his presence first before performance and projects and plans. 

Thirdly. You need to embrace servant leadership and lead like Jesus. Remember the world is saying climber higher be the boss, make others, you serve you. But Jesus says, whoever wants to be first must be. A servant. And mark 10 verse 44. True leadership. Isn't about getting ahead. It's about lifting others up. 

So here's some action steps. 

Look for ways to serve your team this [00:27:00] week. Look for some practical things you could do for them to make their day easier. Help someone else succeed. Even if it doesn't benefit you and lead with humility, not with your ego.

Number four. Trust in God's timing. So you stop rushing and you start waiting. Here's one of the hardest lessons in leadership. God's timing is different from ours. Sometimes you want success now? But God is saying not yet. 

There was one time when I worked for the young pastor who wanted to plant a church. He was ready. He was excited. He was passionate. He taken all kinds of church planning. Courses. But every time he prayed, God said, wait, He didn't understand. He watched others launch their ministries. He felt like he was falling behind. And he wanted to force the door open. But he didn't. He waited. And about [00:28:00] three years later I had the privilege to work with him and God opened the perfect door. Building was provided. The right team came together. The timing was exactly what God had planned. He had forced it earlier he would've missed God's best. 

So action steps. Pray before making big decisions. I asked God, is this my timing or yours? And be patient. Trust his plan. 

And finally, number five, I surrender the outcome to God. This final shift is all about surrender. Surrendering the outcome, let go of the control and trust God completely. See, we have to think of, if I don't work harder, I won't succeed. Or if I don't control everything, it'll all fall apart. If I don't make it happen, no one will. But God is in control not us. 

So I want you to [00:29:00] pick one of these steps and start practicing. Reflect on where you're chasing success without God. 

 Prioritize your presence, his presence over your performance. Lead like a servant, not a boss. Trust his timing instead of rushing. Surrender the outcome. Let go and let God. Remember, you don't have to hustle to succeed. Just follow Jesus. Now we're going to wrap up with a few closing thoughts. Leaders. 

Let's take a deep breath for a moment. Because we've certainly covered a lot in this episode. And I've asked you a lot of questions. But we've exposed the lie of hustle culture. The belief that success comes from grinding harder instead of trusting God. We explored how God meets leaders on mountains. Not because they climb their way up, but because he called them there. We broke down Jesus [00:30:00] leadership model, a model based on rest, servanthood, trusting God's timing. And we laid out some five practical steps. You can take the shift from hustle to holiness. But here's what I want you to remember the most. You don't have to climb the mountain alone. In fact, you shouldn't. See the world says it's all up to you. But Jesus said, come to me all you who are weary and I will give you rest. God, isn't asking you to push harder. He's asking you to walk closer. I know that for many of you listening, this message is hitting deep. Some of you are tired. 

Some of you are stressed. So you feel like you're carrying the weight of leadership all by yourself, but I want to encourage you today. You're not alone. You don't have to figure out leadership by yourself. You don't have to navigate burnout alone. You don't have to lead from a place of exhaustion and fear. [00:31:00] God has given us community a placed to learn and to grow. After walk this leadership journey together. And that's why I want to personally invite you to join a community that I'm getting started called the servant leaders growth hub. What is the servant leaders growth hub? It's going to be an online community designed for faith driven leaders, just like you. And inside the community you'll find biblical leadership training. So you can lead the way Jesus Lee. Led there'll be live coaching sessions where we'll dive deeper together to topics. Just like we did today. 

And you'll find a supportive network of like-minded leaders who are committed to leading with faith, integrity, and wisdom. The best part. You'll discover the power of not going it alone. If you're tired of leading an isolation, if you're. Ready to step into a leadership journey that [00:32:00] aligns with your faith. Then I suggest you head over to my site at servant leaders hub.com and join us today. And just as we're wrapping up, I want to challenge you one more time. 

To take some of these steps. Let's start prioritizing time with God over your to-do list. Put it as priority. Number one. And start letting go of control of everything and trust God for his timing. Start leading with servanthood. Instead of striving for status. Whatever it is, commit to it. Write it down, pray over it. 

Take action. In fact, I'd like to pray with you right now. If you're driving, you don't have to close your eyes. Just go into a moment of connection with God. father, we thank you for calling us to lead. Not through our own strength, but through yours, we surrender our [00:33:00] ambitions, our worries, and our need to control everything. Help us to trust you more. Help us to lead like Jesus with humility, with wisdom and with rest. Give us the encouraged to step away from hustle and step into holiness. And may we always remember that success isn't found at the top of the world's mountains. It's found in walking closely with you. in Jesus name. Amen. 

So I'll just. As I cause remember, head on over to www servant leaders, hub.com and join our servant leaders growth hub. Connect with other faith leaders and start leading from a place of rest and wisdom and purpose and share this episode with someone who needs to hear it. Someone who's struggling with burnout or stress or the pressure to hustle harder. And if you found them today's message valuable. 

Do me a favor. Subscribe to this podcast support me so I can [00:34:00] keep providing this for others. Leave a review. Let me know what resonated with you most in the comments. And until next time, remember this. True leadership. Isn't about climbing higher. It's about walking closer with Jesus. Thanks for listening.