2024-04-11
Romans 8:26 MSG
Life can wear you down. You can get to the place where your anxiety runs so deep, or your stress levels increase so high that you can’t think clearly. The problem or pain you’re experiencing is so overwhelming that you can’t put it into words. Good news: That’s when the Holy Spirit living within you prays for you and through you.
As you bring your burden to the Lord and kneel in His presence, a wonderful thing happens. In The Message, Eugene Peterson paraphrases it this way: “God’s Spirit is right alongside helping us… If we don’t know how or what to pray, it doesn’t matter. He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans. He knows us far better than we know ourselves… That’s why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good” (vv. 26-28 MSG). Because prayer is relational, the Holy Spirit will communicate your heart to God and His heart back to you.
When you don’t know how to pray – stay. Just remain in God’s presence with your heart open, and He will communicate with you. “You have an anointing from the Holy One, and you know all things” (1 John 2:20 NKJV). Before God puts the answer in your head, He puts His peace in your heart. That’s why prayer cannot be rushed. It’s why taking the time to meditate and be still before God is so important. It allows the Holy Spirit to share God’s thoughts with you so that you begin thinking His way.
Soul food: Jer 41-44; Mark 2:1-12; Ps 25:8-15; Prov 10:1-3
2024-04-10
Philippians 4:13 NLT
Losing your job can be devastating. This is when you must keep the right perspective. Having less doesn’t make you a lesser person. God still values you, and you must keep valuing yourself. The Christian life is one of trial and triumph. Paul writes: “I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength” (vv. 12-13 NLT). What should you do when you’re unemployed?
(1) Reduce your expenses to the bare minimum. That may mean riding the bus or train, making your own lunch, and using other cost-saving measures.
(2) Take the stigma out of being unemployed. Don’t presume that people think less of you because you have lost your job. People generally respond to your situation in the same way you do. They will find your enthusiasm about your next move inspiring – even though you may not yet know what it is. “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28 NKJV).
Getting thrown into prison led to Joseph becoming prime minister of Egypt. “The Lord your God turned the curse into a blessing for you, because the Lord your God loves you” (Deuteronomy 23:5 NKJV). God can reveal talents within you and connections around you and open the door to a level of blessing and success you never dreamed possible. So, trust Him and keep believing that your best days are ahead.
Soul food: Jer 36:27-40:16; Mark 1:40-45; Ps 25:1-7; Prov 9:17-18
2024-04-09
Psalm 5:12 NKJV
To have job security you should:
(1) Increase your visibility in your industry. Establish contacts and relationships with others outside your company by attending local industry gatherings wherever possible. Your goal should not merely be to know enough to get by but to develop your skills so that you will get noticed and get ahead. When the time is right and you’re ready, God will open doors for you. “For You, O Lord, will bless the righteous; with favour You will surround him as with a shield” (v. 12 NKJV).
(2) Maintain a divine perspective on your job. Remind yourself that it is not the source of your security but simply one of many channels God can use to provide for you. Read the story of Elijah the prophet and how God miraculously provided for him through a raven, a brook, and a single mom with just enough food for one meal. God used four different streams to water the garden of Eden. So when you have an unmet need or a financial shortfall, ask Him to reveal different streams of income to you.
And stand on these two promises: “My God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19 KJV). “God has not given us a spirit of fear [of losing your job], but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7 NKJV). Fear and faith are powerful forces that seek to rule your life. One will take you in the wrong direction, the other will take you in the right direction. So, strengthen your faith by reading God’s Word, praying, and entrusting the outcomes of your life to Him.
Soul food: Jer 33:1-36:26; Mark 1:35-39; Ps 32; Prov 9:10-16
2024-04-08
Proverbs 21:5 NLT
To have job security you should:
(1) Endeavor to be as indispensable as possible. “Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity, but hasty shortcuts lead to poverty. Wealth created by a lying tongue is a vanishing mist and a deadly trap” (vv. 5-6 NLT). Strive for integrity and excellence in your work, while learning as much as possible about procedures and processes beyond your area of responsibility. Be willing to help others – but not at the expense of your own effectiveness.
(2) If the fear of losing your job stems from personality clashes with your boss, embrace the biblical principle of authority and submission. The buck stops with the person in charge. Therefore, determine to submit to anything asked of you that’s not illegal or immoral. When possible, confirm the instructions from your boss with a follow-up memo, including your feedback on the potential outcome. Always speak with respect. Be willing to go the extra mile. Don’t make excuses or try to cover up for poor workmanship. Getting along with your boss is crucial, so make doing so your special project. “Exhort bondservants to be obedient to their own masters, to be well pleasing in all things, not answering back” (Titus 2:9 NKJV).
(3) Know your marketability. Are you in a field with a strong demand for your skills, or do you need to educate yourself in order to upgrade them? If you want a raise or a promotion on the job, you must be willing to invest the time and effort to do what’s necessary in order to earn them. “Lazy hands make for poverty, but diligent hands bring wealth” (Proverbs 10:4 NIV).
Soul food: Jer 31-32; Mark 1:29-34; Ps 72:12-20; Prov 9:7-9
2024-04-07
Proverbs 12:11 NIV
If you think the perfect life would be one in which you didn’t have to work, think again. God created the garden of Eden, then He created Adam, then He told Adam that his job was to take care of it. Why? Because work gives dignity and meaning to our lives. That’s why the Bible says, “Those who work… will have abundant food, but those who chase fantasies have no sense” (v. 11 NIV). For the next few days, let’s talk about how to have job security. In 2010 the unemployment rate in America was about 10 percent (approximately fifteen million workers). With statistics like those, it’s easy to see why so many of us live in fear of becoming unemployed.
The fear of losing your job is rooted in the following core fears. Lack: “How will I meet my obligations?” Inadequacy: “I’m not good enough.” Helplessness: “What do I do now?” Loneliness: “I’ll be isolated from my social network.” For some, the shame and humiliation of losing a job is as devastating as the loss of income. Fretting about being fired can become a self-fulfilling prophecy because its anxiety makes you less efficient and effective.
So if you live with the constant fear of losing your job, it’s time to stop worrying and start developing a strategy that will enhance your position on the job or assure you of a soft landing if you get laid off. Your first and foremost strategy must be to trust in God’s faithfulness: “The Lord your God will then make you successful in everything you do…. The Lord will again delight in being good to you… if you obey his voice” (Deuteronomy 30:9-10 NLT).
Soul food: Gal 5:22; Isa 61; Heb 12:2; Isa 35:3-10
2024-04-06
James 4:6 NKJV
Here are three important principles you need to keep in mind when conflict arises:
(1) Deal with the issue without attacking the person. Some of the most vicious personal attacks have been waged over religion. What a shame! Some of us would rather lose the relationship than lose the argument.
(2) Sometimes it’s best to go separate ways. When Paul and Barnabas argued over whether or not John Mark should travel with them on their next missionary journey, “their disagreement was so sharp that they separated” (Acts 15:39 NLT). But that’s not the end of the story. Actually, it resulted in the birth of two different ministries. So, be gracious. What’s happening right now may be God’s way of moving you into a new area of service and blessing.
(3) Remember that “iron sharpens iron” (Proverbs 27:17 NKJV). When iron sharpens iron, sparks fly. If you have ever been around teens, you can relate. They’re experts at coming up with unconventional off-the-wall opinions that challenge you and keep you honest. An old Quaker who bought a cantankerous cow. Every milking session became a battle of wills. Determined to demonstrate grace under fire, the old man refused to react when Bessie stomped her foot, whipped him in the face with her tail, and knocked over the milk bucket. Finally, she kicked him against the barn wall, and that did it! Glowering, he growled, “Thou knowest I am a Quaker and cannot strike thee back – but I can surely sell thee to a Presbyterian!”
When you are the injured party, that’s when you need to draw on this promise: “He gives more grace.”
Soul food: Jer 28-30; Mark 1:16-28; Ps 72:1-11; Prov 9:1-6
