Side hustles used to be optional extras for people who wanted to make money. Now they’re survival strategies for covering basics that one job doesn’t stretch to cover anymore. You’re working your main gig during the day and hustling nights and weekends, trying to build something that might eventually replace your paycheck or at least give you breathing room. The grind is real, the exhaustion is constant, and you’re wondering if any of this will actually pay off.
Launching something on the side means betting on yourself when you’re already tired from your regular job. It means sacrificing rest, social time, and easy evenings to build something from nothing. You’re learning skills on YouTube, networking on your lunch break, and praying that customers show up. Some days you feel like a visionary entrepreneur. Other days, you feel like you’re spinning your wheels while everyone else is relaxing.
Scripture doesn’t use the term side hustle, but it’s full of people who worked multiple income streams, built businesses, and created value while managing other responsibilities. These verses offer wisdom for the exhausted entrepreneur trying to build something meaningful without burning out completely or compromising the things that actually matter.
Bible Verses for Side Hustle Success
1. Colossians 3:23 – Work as for the Lord
Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters.
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2. Proverbs 14:23 – All Hard Work Brings a Profit
All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.
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3. Proverbs 21:5 – The Plans of the Diligent Lead to Profit
The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty.
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4. Proverbs 16:3 – Commit Your Work to the Lord
Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.
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5. Ecclesiastes 9:10 – Whatever Your Hand Finds to Do
Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the realm of the dead, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom.
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6. Proverbs 12:24 – Diligent Hands Will Rule
Diligent hands will rule, but laziness ends in forced labor.
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7. Proverbs 13:4 – The Desires of the Diligent
A sluggard’s appetite is never filled, but the desires of the diligent are fully satisfied.
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8. 1 Corinthians 15:58 – Always Give Yourselves Fully
Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.
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9. Proverbs 10:4 – Diligent Hands Bring Wealth
Lazy hands make for poverty, but diligent hands bring wealth.
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10. Proverbs 22:29 – Skilled in Their Work
Do you see someone skilled in their work? They will serve before kings; they will not serve before officials of low rank.
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11. Galatians 6:9 – Don’t Grow Weary
Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.
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12. Proverbs 27:23 – Know the Condition of Your Flocks
Be sure you know the condition of your flocks, give careful attention to your herds.
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13. Matthew 6:33 – Seek First His Kingdom
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
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14. Proverbs 11:25 – A Generous Person Will Prosper
A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.
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15. 2 Thessalonians 3:10 – The One Who Is Unwilling to Work
For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat.
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16. Proverbs 13:11 – Whoever Gathers Money Little by Little
Dishonest money dwindles away, but whoever gathers money little by little makes it grow.
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17. Luke 16:10 – Faithful in Small Things
Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.
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18. Proverbs 31:16 – She Considers a Field and Buys It
She considers a field and buys it; out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.
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19. 1 Timothy 5:8 – Provide for Your Relatives
Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.
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20. Proverbs 15:22 – Plans Fail for Lack of Counsel
Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.
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21. Acts 18:3 – Paul Made Tents
And because he was a tentmaker as they were, he stayed and worked with them.
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22. Philippians 4:13 – I Can Do All This
I can do all this through him who gives me strength.
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23. Proverbs 24:27 – Finish Your Outdoor Work First
Put your outdoor work in order and get your fields ready; after that, build your house.
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24. James 1:5 – If Any of You Lacks Wisdom
If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.
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25. Proverbs 6:6-8 – Go to the Ant
Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise! It has no commander, no overseer or ruler, yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest.
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26. 1 Peter 4:10 – Use Your Gifts to Serve Others
Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.
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27. Proverbs 28:20 – A Faithful Person Will Be Richly Blessed
A faithful person will be richly blessed, but one eager to get rich will not go unpunished.
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28. Romans 12:11 – Never Be Lacking in Zeal
Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.
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29. Deuteronomy 8:18 – He Gives You the Ability to Produce Wealth
But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today.
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30. Proverbs 31:18 – Her Lamp Does Not Go Out at Night
She sees that her trading is profitable, and her lamp does not go out at night.
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31. Luke 14:28 – Count the Cost
Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it?
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32. 1 Corinthians 10:31 – Do It All for God’s Glory
So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.
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33. Proverbs 20:13 – Do Not Love Sleep
Do not love sleep or you will grow poor; stay awake and you will have food to spare.
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34. Ecclesiastes 11:6 – Sow Your Seed in the Morning
Sow your seed in the morning, and at evening let your hands not be idle, for you do not know which will succeed, whether this or that, or whether both will do equally well.
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35. Proverbs 16:9 – The Lord Establishes Their Steps
In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.
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Our Thoughts On What the Bible Says About Side Hustles
The Proverbs 31 woman is essentially the patron saint of side hustlers. She ran multiple businesses, managed real estate investments, created products, and traded goods while maintaining her household. Her lamp didn’t go out at night because she was grinding, and Scripture celebrates rather than criticizes her entrepreneurial spirit. Paul made tents to support his ministry rather than relying entirely on donations. Lydia sold purple cloth. Aquila and Priscilla ran a business together. Multiple income streams aren’t a modern invention.
Biblical work ethic doesn’t glorify busyness for its own sake, but it consistently rewards diligence, planning, and using your gifts productively. The warning isn’t against working hard but against working foolishly, chasing wealth at any cost, or sacrificing what matters for what doesn’t. Side hustles become problematic when they consume time meant for rest, family, or spiritual health. But when done wisely, they’re legitimate expressions of stewardship and provision.
The tension is real, though. You can’t hustle sustainably without rest, and you can’t build something significant without sacrifice. Scripture offers wisdom for that balance: seek God first, work as unto the Lord, not just for money, be faithful in small things before expecting big returns, and remember that God gives the ability to produce wealth. Your side hustle isn’t separate from your faith. It’s an extension of stewarding what God’s given you.
Say This Prayer
God, this side hustle is harder than I expected. I’m working my regular job, trying to build something on the side, and honestly, I’m exhausted most of the time. I need Your strength because mine runs out quickly. Help me to work smart instead of just working hard, to build something sustainable instead of burning out.
Give me wisdom about what to focus on and what to let go. Show me if I’m spreading myself too thin or if I need to push through this season of grinding. Connect me with customers who need what I’m offering and mentors who’ve walked this path successfully. Protect me from shortcuts that compromise integrity or from getting so consumed with building this that I neglect what really matters.
When progress feels slow and I’m tempted to quit, remind me that faithfulness in small things prepares me for larger opportunities. Help me to work as if I’m serving You, not just chasing money. Keep my motives pure and my priorities straight. If this side hustle isn’t Your will for me, close the door clearly. If it is, open the way forward.
Use what I’m building to provide for my family, bless others, and bring You glory.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Evang. Anabelle Thompson is the founder of Believers Refuge, a Scripture-based resource that helps Christians to find biblical guidance for life’s challenges.
With over 15 years of ministry experience and a decade of dedicated Bible study, she creates content that connects believers with relevant Scripture for their daily struggles.
Her work has reached over 76,000 monthly readers (which is projected to reach 100,000 readers by the end of 2025) seeking practical faith applications, biblical encouragement, and spiritual guidance rooted in God’s Word.
She writes from personal experience, having walked through seasons of waiting, breakthrough, and spiritual growth that inform her teaching.
Evang. Thompson brings 12 years of active ministry and evangelism experience, along with over 10 years of systematic Bible study and theological research.
As a former small group leader and Sunday school teacher, she has published over 200 biblical resources and devotional studies.
She specializes in applying Scripture to everyday life challenges and regularly studies the original Hebrew and Greek texts for a deeper biblical understanding.