Staying Above It All

by AMELIA VIJAYAMALA

"Please tell me what to do. I have compromised on God’s Word but I really had no choice. My own boss not only requested me but expected me to do it for her. To refuse her would mean to jeopardize my job and my career… and I cannot! But now I feel so guilty before God and afraid if what I did for my boss is exposed!" This was a cry of fear and sadness from a professional’s heart. She regretted her failure to stand firm on her Christian convictions and now felt trapped by her own deed.

Today’s Christian in the marketplace faces many challenges. But these challenges can either help build a character of godliness, strength and integrity rooted in the Word of God or cripple a Christian because of self-preservation. If a Christian caught in this fear does nothing towards addressing this situation in the light of God’s Word, it will ultimately erode his principles and convictions, causing him to compromise in his walk before God and eventually lose his "saltiness" and usefulness for God. Hence, Christians in the marketplace today must decide how they will choose to respond to such challenges that will surely come their way.

If we recognize in our hearts and respond correctly to who our God says that He is, we will learn to trust Him in any situation and be willing to align our motives and responses to His Word. But if we focus not on the character and integrity of our God but allow Him to become overshadowed by our own perceived and exaggerated danger and hopelessness of the challenge, this becomes a sure recipe for emotional and physical burnout, spiritual slack, and long-term failure. We must make sure that we do not merely believe but also learn to trust what God says in His Word about Himself.

Perhaps we need a paradigm shift in how we view God at work. Do we unconsciously dichotomize the living God and the marketplace, believing the lie that God is only concerned about spirituality and is mostly detached from business, commerce and the political arena - that His principles cannot give clear-cut guidance and direction to meet the complexities and challenges of today’s marketplace?

In 2 Chronicles 20:1- 11, King Jehoshaphat found himself the target of a vast army planning to war against him. Verse 3 therein tells us that the king did become alarmed at this prospect of complete annihilation of his nation. But we are told in verses 3 and 4 that he "resolved to inquire of the Lord" and got his people to come "together to seek help from the Lord". As ruler of Judah with immense resources at his disposal ( 2 Chronicles 17:11 – 19 ), we would expect that in this alarmed state he would have instantly deployed these resources into battle mode to defend himself and his people. But this man of great influence and power, a man of authority over the nation of Judah, chose to seek God for wisdom, strategy and deliverance during this time of great challenge and danger.

In his prayer before the nation’s assemblymen, he focused on the power, character and integrity of God in the midst of possible calamity ( 2 Chronicles 20: 6-12 ) : "..power and might are in your hand, and no one can withstand you (v.6) …..we will stand in Your presence before this temple that bears Your Name and will cry out to You in our distress, and You will hear us and save us (v.9) …..for we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon You ( v.12). "

Jehoshaphat acknowledged his humanness and vulnerability in the face of danger and made that crucial decision to trust God’s intervention and deliverance. That day he experienced the victory of a battle he did not even enter into because the Lord had gone before him. "In spite of his fear, he focused on God, faced the situation and found God’s deliverance" - ( Practical Christian Ministry, Campus Crusade for Christ Int.).

For some it may be easier to be God-focused and to remain steadfast and firm when the challenge is obvious; it is the seemingly ordinary and routine decisions or moves that we have to make at work that can sometimes leave God out, often with more far-reaching effects in our walk and usefulness to Him. Sometimes we may leave God out of our planning or decision-making because He is seemingly silent and we cannot discern His answer or leading. At other times we are conscious that God works according to His own time frame, which cannot reconcile with the urgency of our situation at hand. So, often we conclude we have no choice! But 1 Corinthians 10:13 says "No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it".

So what are some basic and practical steps to help guard our hearts and our walk? I would like to encourage you with just five practical but vital steps to live out at the workplace:

Learn to recognize and respond to God’s character and ability. He is God who is completely trustworthy and faithful, perfect in integrity and power. We can absolutely trust Him to be who He says He is and to do what He says He will do. Recalling past examples of God’s faithfulness and sufficiency in your life enables you to trust God to demonstrate His character afresh in your present situation. However, do not lean upon past experiences to keep you going but rather expect the reality of His presence and His leading in your life daily. His Word in 1 John 5:14 says "And we are sure of this, that He will listen to us whenever we ask Him for anything in line with His will. And if we really know He is listening when we talk to Him and make our requests, then we can be sure that He will answer us." (TLB)

 

Abide in close intimacy with the Lord daily. Only then can you recognize His voice and wise counsel above the noise of clashing directions and confusion in the marketplace. Those who slacken in their walk with Him and run to Him only when crisis smacks them become unsure of His voice, though He answers. Hence, we are reminded in Colossians 2:6 that "… just as you trusted Christ to save you, trust Him too for each day’s problems; live in vital union with Him".

 

Identify yourself as a committed Christian in the marketplace. This will help you be watchful over yourself as you represent the living God, even as you realize others observe your lifestyle as a Christian. You can either shy away from this responsibility of representation, rationalizing it is better to "hide away" your Christianity than be a poor representation for Christ or you can determine in your heart to do your best to be "salt and light" for Him, trusting Him to help you. Choosing the former sets you up for sure compromise as you already "plan" to fail in your witness; choosing the latter makes you want to be accountable to honor God and shapes you toward becoming Christ-centered at work.

 

Know the bottom-line in your Christian walk in the marketplace. Where is that line that you will refuse to cross over as a God-fearing Christian no matter what the costs to you? Will it cost you popularity, status, a chance at promotion or even your job? Would you compromise your Christian values for self-preservation or will you trust God knowing that despite the costs to your choice, you cannot lose when you choose God. Daniel and his friends stood firmly on this and they chose well.

 

Prayerfully seek God to bring you into an accountability and prayer partnership at work with a trusted colleague or small group of colleagues. Prayerfully and mutually share your burdens and keep each other accountable in your walk at work. This helps you to not walk alone amidst challenges and to regularly seek godly counsel together. It also enables you to help one another keep strong accountability with and before God.

We must trust God at His Word and that He always has our best interests in His plan and purpose for us. Apart from faith in God and His Word, we cannot resist and overcome the enemy’s onslaughts. Whatever challenges faced at the workplace can be used by Him for His glory if we learn to trust His character, recognize His purposes, respond in faith rather than fear. We must never view our jobs as ends in themselves. From God’s perspective, we will "see our jobs as an opportunity to support ourselves while we are faithful in serving Christ and making Him known in our world." - ( Practical Christian Ministry, Campus Crusade for Christ Int.)

Amelia Vijayamala is a staff member of MCCC and serving with the Impact! Ministry which focuses on the marketplace. Prior to joining MCCC, she was Senior Human Resources Manager in an established computer systems company.