- CHAPTER TWO
- YOUR ATTITUDE TOWARD THE
UNEMPLOYMENT
- Attitude is very important
during any time of adversity because a good attitude will help
put you above your situation while a bad attitude causes you to
live beneath your situation. If you maintain a bad attitude and
go for an interview, that attitude may very well spill over into
that interview and may hinder you from being hired by that
company. Employers will not knowingly hire anyone with a bad
attitude because that becomes a cancer among the other employees
and it brings morale down. A bad attitude is also sinful because
we do not determine where we, as blood bought Christians, will do
the work of ministry God has planned for us. We covered this in
the first chapter. A bad attitude normally develops when we view
a situation in an improper manner. At the time a person is handed
their pink slip, there may be a negative response and this is
normal but it should not become the prototype of living with a
bad attitude during the time of unemployment. It is very
important that a newly released person goes into prayer
immediately to abate any anger before it turns into bitterness.
Thank the Lord that He cares enough about you to become
personally involved with your life. Then take a few days off, if
you can afford it, go somewhere and when you return start laying
out a method of job hunting. At this point you will be refreshed
and will now job hunt with a clearer perspective.
- It is never wise to begin a
job hunt the same or next day from your release because you may
tend to put your former employer down since you are still in a
state of shock or anger. Deal with the immediate emotions first
such as anxiety, anger, shock and once you begin to reorganize,
you will be ready to face the job market with a clean attitude. A
tip to those who are still employed is keep your resume updated
because it is like a standing army, it should be ready to move
when it is called upon. The Christian should be like the
Israelites in the wilderness, always ready to move on God's
command. If you work in a company and are released without an
updated resume, you will bang your head against the wall trying
to figure out all the things you did there. You will have much
difficulty trying to recall and this will add to your already
existing tensions. Be ready, it is the biblical norm.
-
- THE NEGATIVE SIDE
- BELIEVING YOU WERE
SINGLED OUT
- (1 Pet 4:12-13) Beloved,
think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try
you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: {13} But
rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings;
that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with
exceeding joy.
- The truth may be that you were
singled out but the key is not to dwell on it and allow it to
seethe. Peter tells us that we should be prepared for the world's
injustices because to this end were we born. In the last chapter
we discussed the negative and positive aspects as to why you may
have been let go, read them again. Do not try to build a
"they're all against me" philosophy. This is very
obvious to others and you will be avoided like the plague. I was
on an interview once and told the interviewer I believe I was
singled out, and she asked me, "why you?" I could not
answer that question because I was unprepared for it. The
"singled out" theory is difficult to prove and will not
help you on an interview. You will never gain sympathy to your
situation from an interviewer, they are only concerned about
hiring the right person. If you were singled out by reason of
someone's prejudice then the Lord will deal with them, Don't you!
(Rom 12:19 Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather
give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.) Espousing the "singled
out" theory also has a tendency to lead to the "feel
sorry for me" mindset. I will cover more of this later on
the chapter. People who believe the whole world is out to get
them often possess a fatalistic view on life. They suspect
everyone and everything. This attitude creates a very suspicious
nature and will be caught by those who interview who are trained
to analyze word and voice inflections. We tend to accept what
happens to others, but we have a hard time accepting things when
they happen to us.
-
- HATING THE PERSON WHO
LET YOU GO
- (Luke 23:34) Then said
Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And
they parted his raiment, and cast lots.
- 99 out of 100 times a person
that does the dirty work of notifying you that you are being
released is not the one who initiates the procedure. Many times
it comes from upper management which is very good at hiding in
their ivory towers when bad things occur. Do not hold animosity
toward the one who actually did the lay off because we see Jesus
in this verse forgiving those who actually drove the nails, but
those who plotted against Him will stand in judgment for their
sins. The ones who drove the nails will not be guilty of this
particular sin, however, they are not exonerated from their other
sins unless they become saved.
- The one who let you go is
probably the front person for the one who is too chicken to do it
themselves. I was laid off (fired) and the President of the
company hid in the vice-president's office until I left the
building. I thought I was on good terms with him. To show how the
Lord takes care of His own, He lost his job shortly after I was
terminated and the facility closed in about a year after that.
Keep in mind God knows what the true circumstances are and He
does deal with the guilty and scheming parties behind the scenes.
-
- GOD IS OUT TO GET ME
- (Jer 29:11) For I know the
thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of
peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.
- This is probably one of the
most inane statements we could ever believe. If God wanted to get
us, does He really need to get us unemployed to do it? Jeremiah
29:11 is one of hundreds in the Bible which states God is for us.
(Rom 8:31) What shall we then say to these things? If God be
for us, who can be against us? The only reason we adopt this
attitude is because we have a wrong picture of God and tend to
misunderstand His motives and methods. In Genesis 37-50, we read
the rough time Joseph had but since he trusted God during his
ordeal, he reaped the benefits of waiting on God. We may not know
what God is doing in our lives but from all we read in Scripture,
He is always working on our behalf. So God is never out to get
you, He already has you, through the blood of His Son the Lord
Jesus Christ.
-
- WHY DO THESE THINGS
ALWAYS HAPPEN TO ME?
- (1 Pet 4:1) Forasmuch then
as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves
likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the
flesh hath ceased from sin;
- This is the pity party
attitude. A person with a pity party mentality usually enjoys
when a bad situation arises in their life so they will have a
legitimate reason to throw a "woe is me" celebration.
This verse warns us of the fact we will face many adversities in
life and it may include giving our life for the gospel. The Bible
teaches in 1 Corinthians 16:13 that we should be strong and
mature in the faith. (1 Cor 16:13) Watch ye, stand fast in the
faith, quit you like men, be strong. There are times of true
heartbreak in a person's life but one should not choose to live
in the pond of pity but must, by the strength of God given to
every believer, face any situation which comes into their life in
the manner befitting a Christian. Where did we ever get the idea
that adversity only happens to the other guy and not me? No
Christian is ever immune from adversity. There are Christians who
die in airplane crashes or have sick bodies who suffer 24 hours
per day. Christian suffer as much in this world as does the
unbeliever but we have the Lord and He makes our burdens into
something useful and bearable.
-
- I DID A BAD JOB AND THAT
IS WHY I WAS LET GO
- (Col 3:17) And whatsoever
ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus,
giving thanks to God and the Father by him.
- When we are laid off, one of
the first things we do is dwell on the negative. We instantly
bring up all the mistakes we made. Tell me, which employee did
you work with was the perfect human being who made no mistakes?
You cannot name one can you? The reason you cannot name one is
that none exist. Now if you made a great mistake which cost the
company much money and agony, then maybe you were rightly
dismissed. If this is the case, then you must do a detailed
analysis of the mistake you made and determine to be cautious
next time. During your analysis keep an open mind and do not
exclude any facts which may hinder a proper conclusion. You will
find out where you went wrong and once you have discovered the
error, allow it to die, don't dwell on it. Do not go to an
interview and tell them you made a great mistake, tell them you
made a great analysis and you know where you went wrong.
- If you have done your work
heartily unto the Lord and still made mistakes, that is all
right, and it does not necessarily mean this is why you were let
go. Dwell on the positive things you did for the company and
especially the little things that no one noticed or wanted to do.
You were not a liability for the company but an asset. Do not
allow yourself to consistently think something is wrong. If a
person makes a mistake, it does not mean they are disqualified in
their profession. When I was a Production Scheduler, there were
times I did not schedule something on time. I heard about it, but
that was the exception not the rule. I would not dwell on the
error but would work to prevent it from happening again. So just
because you were let go does not mean you are unqualified in your
chosen area of work. Sometimes an insecure boss will release you
because you are a threat to his/her incompetence or position and
they will seek an excuse to release you. Many bosses fear someone
who shows potential, so do not discount this treachery either. If
you have done your work to the glory of God, there is no reason
to feel any guilt.
-
- MAYBE IF I WOULD HAVE
COMPROMISED, I WOULD STILL BE WORKING
- (1 Pet 1:14-16) As obedient
children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts
in your ignorance: {15} But as he which hath called you is holy,
so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; {16} Because it is
written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.
- Here is where the rubber meets
the road. It is a very serious thing for a Christian to
compromise their testimony for a job. As Christians it is our
responsibility to maintain a proper testimony and any departure
from that is sin. If we compromise, we are saying our
relationship to Christ is less important than our job. I can
guarantee that if a Christian sins to keep a job, God's hand of
blessing will be removed from that believer until they repent of
that attitude. There is nothing more important to a Christian
than a good testimony. Compromise is the world's way to achieve
success and worldly success has a different meaning than
Christian success. I have heard others say and I have said it
myself, "I will just play the game."
- That simply means I will do or
say anything my employer wants regardless of the fact I know
better. We must never check our Christianity at the door at 8 AM
and then pick it up at 5 PM. We are Christians before we are
employees and being a Christian should make us a better employee
without sinful compromise. There are compromises which are made
on every job which are not sinful and the Holy Spirit will give
discernment. Never consider sinful compromise to save a job.
-
- THE RIGHT ATTITUDE
- Just as there are wrong
attitudes one may have toward their unemployment, there are also
proper attitudes which must be maintained so our situation may be
placed in proper perspective. By viewing our unemployment from a
positive point of view, there will be less anxiety and worry
since we will have no problem handing our adversity over to the
Lord. As Christians, if we have a good attitude toward our
adversity, we will learn all the Lord is teaching us. Adversity
is a teaching tool as well as a tool of chastisement. God knows
just how and what to apply to our lives. He designs each test for
every individual for our benefit. (Psa 11:5) The LORD trieth
the righteous: but the wicked and him that loveth violence his
soul hateth.
-
- MY UNEMPLOYMENT MAY BE A
TEST OF MY:
- FAITH
- (Heb 11:6) But without
faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God
must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that
diligently seek him.
- During the time you are out
you will discover who your faith is in, God or you. If your faith
is in your abilities then you should be thanking God He allowed
you to see an error which could be responsible for a greater
catastrophe in your life. If God is testing your faith in Him,
then all you need to do to pass the test is respond properly. By
placing unwavering faith in God, you will experience the comfort
and peace during a time which is normally hectic and laden with
anxiety. If you are experiencing any form of anxiety, then you
have discovered a flaw in your faith which needs to be repaired.
God may allow us to remain unemployed till the breach in our
faith is filled in. In the type of society we live in, faith
seems like something ancient, yet it is the essence for living
above the bad circumstances. Do a faith check and see where you
stand. Faith may be old fashioned but God gives us the following
admonition: (Jer 6:16 ) Thus saith the
LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths,
where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest
for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein.
- ENDURANCE
- (James 1:12) Blessed is the
man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall
receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them
that love him.
- There are three words in this
passage which give insight into the endurance of the believer.
The first word is "endureth" which is the Greek word
"hupomenei." It is a verb in the present active
indicative which carries the alternate meanings of "wait, be
patient, suffer, abide." God through James is telling us
that waiting is an action. We think of an action as only doing
something physically but rarely, if ever, think of waiting as an
action in the Christian life. The fact that this verb is in the
present tense tells us that waiting is an ever present action in
the believer's life. We are always waiting on God. God may want
to teach us the essence of waiting and that is, it is not a waste
of time as many think it is. Remember who gave us the time to
begin with. If God wants us to spend time waiting, it is His
prerogative, since He is God.
- The second word is
"temptation" which is the Greek word
"peirasmon." It is a noun which is also translated
"testing or experience." We see that we may qualify our
unemployment as an experience or a testing of our Christian walk
before the Lord. When I endure with the action of waiting, I am
telling the Lord that I trust Him with the situation I am in and
am willing to wait on Him for His answer. When we look closer at
this word we see that it is not a word describing a snare of the
devil, instead it is a test of my walk with God.
- The last word is
"tried" which is also translated "proved."
Those whom God has chosen for salvation are those whom God tries.
The result of our trial will be approval if we have conducted
ourselves in a manner worthy of our Christian calling. God will
test us to see if we have the maturity for whatever He is
preparing us for. If we fail the test, He may simply withhold
blessing, or He may give it to another who has passed the test.
Endurance is a great measuring stick used by God to reveal to us
where we stand on the ladder of maturity. Testing will never be a
decision maker for salvation but it will be for service.
-
- FAITHFULNESS
- (Heb 3:5) And Moses verily
was faithful in all his house, as a servant, for a testimony of
those things which were to be spoken after;
- This verse reveals that Moses
was a faithful man in duties to his household. He was the head of
the house yet the servant of the house. He was faithful no matter
what conditions prevailed. God may be testing us in the same
manner to see if we will be faithful to Him during our
unemployment. We will also see how faithful we are and if we are
really leaving the situation in His hands. Will we continue to
look to the Lord each day or will we take our situation into our
own hands without the benefit of God's guidance. Obedience during
a time of adversity is an acid test of the highest. Will I truly
trust God or will I buy lottery tickets, play the numbers, work
under the table, take a job which is detrimental to my testimony,
etc? God designs every adversity to attack an area of weakness in
our lives, so the result will be obedience and faith. I must be
as faithful to God when I am in adversity as I am when the
paycheck is coming in every week. If I can remain faithful to
God's principles of living during my adversity, then I will grow
and become more intimate with God as I learn how He works His
plan in my life. When you obey, you will then leave a clear
channel to find God's will in your life. Disobedience yields more
disobedience but obedience yields maturity and spiritual reward.
-
- WHAT IS THE LORD
TEACHING ME?
- (Psa 119:12) Blessed art
thou, O LORD: teach me thy statutes.
- When we adopt a teachable
position we are opening the gates of knowledge and wisdom. This
is a great attitude to have because it causes us to wait on God
and with every action He takes, we learn, because we are open to
Him. Many Christians do not ask the Lord to teach them, instead
they just want to receive their next job. If we select this
attitude, we will miss what God is teaching us in preparation for
our next assignment. When God allowed you to lose your job, it
was for a purpose and not a mean trick.
- When the Lord Jesus Christ was
on earth, His entire life was not only a testimony but a
classroom. He taught every moment of His life, even at times when
it seemed He wasn't teaching. The training the disciples received
was utilized by them throughout their ministry based lives. The
disciples learned by making mistakes and by asking questions.
Every event was a teaching experience for them, even at the time
they received the experience they may have not understood the
reason for it.
- What comes to mind is when
Peter came to Jesus by walking on the water. Sure Peter sunk
because he looked around but look at the situation from another
angle. The other disciples wouldn't even get out of the boat.
Their faith was non-existent at that time so let us not get on
Peter's case too hard. If you read Peter's epistles, you will see
one of the major themes is the trial of the believer. He speaks
from experience that we should keep focused on Christ and not the
circumstances which surround us because we should expect trials
in our life. So keep your spiritual eyes and ears open to the
lessons the Lord will be teaching you, and if they are not to
your liking, they are essential for your growth and stability in
your Christian walk.
-
- IS THERE A SIN IN MY
LIFE WHICH MUST BE EXPUNGED
- (Psa 38:18) For I will
declare mine iniquity; I will be sorry for my sin.
- This one is obvious. If there
is a sin in my life which has a hold on me like a fortress, then
God is getting my attention to get rid of it. You may have had
tuggings and reminders when you were working but may have
shrugged it off. Now God has placed you on the backside of the
desert so there is nothing cluttering up your mind. You will now
be able to take an inventory to see where that sin has you and
take steps to expel it from your life. This is a besetting sin
and if you have one, you have been warned many times about it
from the pulpit, friends, Bible reading and study, even if it is
a private sin. We can hide from man but we can never hide from
God. He does not want anything in our lives which will hinder our
growth or stultify our usefulness in service. A besetting sin
carries consequences:
- IS THERE AN AREA OF
UNKNOWN DISOBEDIENCE IN MY LIFE WHICH MUST BE BROUGHT TO LIGHT?
- (Prov 28:13) He that
covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and
forsaketh them shall have mercy.
- There are times when we commit
a sin and do not realize it. Sin blinds Christians too but not to
the extent it blinds the unbeliever. Sometimes we carry habits
from the old life into the new life without giving it any special
thought. Remember in chapter one I spoke about me sending in the
contests? I was a few years into my Christian walk before I was
convicted that I should not look to any of the world's schemes to
get rich quick. I did not realize this was against God's
principles of earning money. So I stopped doing it. We can
recognize this sin in our lives very easily when we rationalize
it by saying, "I will give half to my church."
- When God opens our eyes to a
sin in our lives, we must be quick to act on it and remove the
sin. One other thing, God may use the person you least like to
tell you about it and this will be another test of whether we
believe the message or the messenger. Unknown disobedience can be
repaired and it may take a change of lifestyle but it is
attainable if you hand it over to the Lord in all sincerity.
Scrutinize yourself and God will open your eyes to it.
-
- VIEW IT AS A SPIRITUAL
CHALLENGE
- (1 Sam 17:26) And David
spake to the men that stood by him, saying, What shall be done to
the man that killeth this Philistine, and taketh away the
reproach from Israel? for who is this uncircumcised Philistine,
that he should defy the armies of the living God?
- David's spiritual insight
surpassed the visible picture of the Philistines challenging
Israel. He saw it as Satan opposing God as he viewed Israel as
the army of the living God. Now the deeper spiritual meaning of
this passage gives us the key on how we should view our spiritual
battles. David is a picture of Christ, Israel is a picture of the
church, and Goliath is a picture of Satan. David went out to
battle Goliath fearlessly and won resulting in the victory of
Israel over the Philistines. Christ battled Satan at the cross
and won resulting in the church triumphant which means we never
have to back down to Satan because he is a defeated foe. (John
14:30) Hereafter I will not talk much with you: for the prince
of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me. This verse
gives us insight, since Satan has nothing in Christ and if you
are in Christ then he has nothing in you either.
- During the time of
unemployment we must view it as a spiritual battle. Satan will
come against you with many devices to try and get you to sin
against God and to divert your trust from Christ to worldly
practices. The Christian is in a spiritual battle whether
employed or not but we are most vulnerable when we are in a state
of adversity. Whenever a bad situation arises and you are faced
with seemingly overwhelming circumstances, view that as the same
type of spiritual battle David faced. Read the chapter in its
entirety!
-
- YOU WERE A VICTIM OF A
LEGITIMATE CUT BACK
- (Gen 41:29-30 KJV) Behold,
there come seven years of great plenty throughout all the land of
Egypt: {30} And there shall arise after them seven years of
famine; and all the plenty shall be forgotten in the land of
Egypt; and the famine shall consume the land;
- During the 1980's there was
much prosperity in the United States and everyone seemed to be
working and prospering. Little did people know that all the
prosperity was being funded by debt. Our national debt went from
900 billion dollars in 1980 to 3.25 trillion dollars in 1990. So
you see there was no prosperity in the 1980's as it was all an
illusion. A financial principle is that you cannot borrow your
way to financial freedom or prosperity. There can never be true
prosperity when you underwrite it by debt. We now have an
unpayable national debt and are teetering on the verge of global
depression. (Prov 22:7) The rich ruleth over the poor, and the
borrower is servant to the lender.
- Have you ever been in debt?
When you were working, who received a good portion of your funds?
It was the lender wasn't it? It is the same principle in any
matter of funding. Since our country borrowed uncontrollably in
the 80's, the bills are now coming due, in the form of
foreclosures, bankruptcy, unemployment, company closings, etc.
There was a possibility you were caught in the middle and your
lay off was legitimate. As Christians we can be thankful that God
does not base His economy on any of the world conditions, He
bases it on Himself. Even in the midst of a depression God can
find you a job. So we need not look around at the situation and
sink like Peter, but we may be confident that our Lord watches
over us and will fulfill His will in our lives.
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