This Will Push Some Buttons

“I Thought Charging Meant I Was Less Anointed

For years, I believed something I never said out loud. If what I was building was truly from God… it shouldn’t require strong selling.

If it was anointed, people would feel led. If it was aligned, it would sell itself.

And if I had to repeat myself? If I had to actually invite someone clearly to buy? If I had to talk about my offer more than once?

That felt… uncomfortable.

Almost impure. So I soft sold. I’d mention something once.

🫣 Maybe twice.

Then retreat.

If no one bought, I could tell myself, “Well… I didn’t really push it.”

It felt humble. But, it was actually self-protection.

The Burnout + Harvest Reckoning

But here’s what I didn’t want to face:

I was investing real money.

Courses.

Coaches.

Certifications.

Time away from my family.

Mental bandwidth.

Creative energy.

My family was sacrificing for this. And there was no harvest. Not because I wasn’t capable. But because I had never built a structure that allowed harvest to exist. I thought I was being generous. In reality, I was being strategically vague.

And vague doesn’t produce fruit.

That was my reckoning.

The Cultural/Theological Layer

Many Christians have been discipled — subtly — into believing that monetization contaminates calling.

We’ve absorbed the idea that:

• If it’s truly from God, it shouldn’t require persuasion.

• If it’s meant to be, people will just buy.

• Repetition feels pushy.

• Clarity feels aggressive.

• Asking directly feels uncomfortable.

So we build content.

We build audiences.

We build influence.

But we avoid building infrastructure because infrastructure requires boldness. And boldness risks rejection.

The Confronting Truth

Here’s the uncomfortable truth:

Soft selling feels spiritual, but often, it’s ego insurance.

If I never fully articulate the offer…

If I never repeat it clearly…

If I never ask directly…

Then if no one buys, I can say,

“Well, I didn’t really sell it.”

But harvest requires exposure. And exposure feels vulnerable.

The Stewardship Reframe

The shift for me came when I stopped asking:

“Is charging wrong?”

And started asking:

“Is it wise to keep sowing with no system for reaping?”

Scripture never condemns harvest. It assumes it.

Provision funds longevity.

Structure enables fruit.

And fruit sustains impact.

That realization changed how I see marketing entirely.

Not as manipulation, but as clarity.

Not as pressure, but as stewardship.

And here’s what I’ve realized: Most people don’t have a motivation problem. They have an architecture problem.

They’re building content, but they’ve never built the economic model behind it.

Next week, I’m going to unpack something I wish someone had explained to me years ago:

Why content alone will never sustain your calling, and what actually does.

(And in a few weeks, I’ll teach this live.)

I just recently saw a note go viral about this very subject. The post asked why were so many Christians charging for their Substack when they should be giving the knowledge of Christ away for free. There were TONS of comments in agreement.

This made my skin tingle. The Gospel is a message for all, and its FREELY provided.

But I don’t think that’s the root of this conversation…so why is it offensive to some if Christians are wanting to charge for proximity to their thoughts, expertise, or services?

Is there a similar feeling toward Christian authors who publish physical works of their words?

Let’s talk about it.

Emily