Oh Ye of little faith?

[Lara 0]

I'm having a mini battle in my mind and emotions here.

If all goes well I'll be finishing my masters in June next year. I have already started searching for a job. However, I am not feeling very hopeful as I feel as though there is nothing to really distinguish me from other candidates. I had the opportunity to see someone else's cv a few weeks ago and it was more or less the same as mine except that the schools were different but their qualifications and skills were more or less the same.

I have the added burden of not have EU citizenship so that may make it harder for me to get a job. The funny thing is when I made the decision to stay here I thought it was influenced by God somewhat as I thought I'd gotten some confirmation that I was making the right choice.

I've been doing research and entry level positions in my field are very hard to come by now. The market is very competitive. And I had bad experiences before trying to find a job prior to starting my masters. The religious establishment says that if you pray and have faith and believe then all things are possible. I would like to believe that but I also believe in being practical.

I've been praying and fasting about this and other things. However, after reading about what one person went through to find a job I decided it may be best to put contingency plans in place in case what I want doesn't materialize. Does this mean I lack faith? I am sorry to be like this but I've been burnt with this faith stuff before.

Does anyone have any thoughts on my situation?

[TheWhiteShadow 0]

Hello, Lara -

I don't see anything wrong with putting contingency plans in place as long as you don't feel any personal violation in your spirit for doing so.

Earlier this year I felt that I had a promise from God about where I was going to work. Signs seemed to be everywhere. I stepped out in faith at that moment, applying for the posted position. And guess what happened? I had heard the promise, but I didn't have the timing. It wasn't until 7 months later that I got the job at the promised employer, and that was after a 2nd time applying. The point of my experience is that I do not doubt God's ability to do anything, but I do doubt my ability to hear and understand him at times. I don't necessarily lack faith, and I doubt that you do, either. But when the details aren't made clear upfront, that can leave us in a place where misunderstanding can lead to disappointment.

Based on all that, there's nothing wrong with being practical. Only continue to trust and be led as you seek out the solution.

Praying that everything goes well for you.
-Mark

[astra 0]

Praise God! Don't look into your earthly citizenship. You have HEAVENLY citizenship! You DO have a very distinctive difference about you - you are a CHILD OF GOD ALMIGHTY! This is how you are going to stand out in your job search. Don't think that people who are hiring are the ones that will grant you the perfect job position! No, no no! Your God is your Source. He will give you the best job there is! He will create a job specifically for you if need be, not according to your skills or even education but according to His RICHES AND GLORY! Why? Because HE CAN!

So how do you receive it? Stop looking at your past experiences! Stop looking at the economical and job situation! This is a deadly TRAP! This will entangle you with the spirit of practicality which in reality is the spirit of curse. It will make you curse your blessings. I know. I've so been there! I thought too I was being practical, but what business do we, children of God Almighty have to be practical?!
Here's a good point here - do you believe that you are saved? Do you believe that Jesus gave His life for you on the Cross so you can be saved from eternal damnation? If your answer is "yes", be very careful how you answer the next one: Do you believe that the sacrifice of Jesus' life is esteemed by God less than a gift of a perfect job? Why do we think that God esteems Jesus' Sacrifice LESS that material gifts? Like jobs, cars, debt-free living etc? Isn't it an abomination to our Father God?
I used to think just like you about these things. Something like "Yeah, right. Like God is going to give me a better car, the one that I really would like to have. I don't even deserve it." And immediately I heard this conviction in my spirit: "Do you think you deserved Salvation?" That stopped me cold. I will NEVER think like this again. EVER!
What I would strongly suggest in your situation - stop investing your time into looking at your experience, job market, other people etc. Invest your time into learning about your Father's LOVE for you. Spend as much time as you can each day doing this. Praise Him, tell Him how much you love Him, trust Him. Ask Him to show you all the great and wonderful things He's got for you and teach you how to receive them. He will! You will see that eventually it will become very easy to believe Him for awesome things and actually receive the manifestation of them in the natural.

[astra 0]

Mark, the same thing happened to me with the job I have now. It seemed impossible to me to get it. I had an interview and the Lord actually turned the favour of one person who interviewed me towards me. The reason why I was failing in receiving jobs previously was exactly what he liked about me - go figure! I did not get the job the first time though. But 3 months later I got another interview and was offered the position right on the spot with the salary I did not even expect (my expectations were quite low those days because I looked at the circumstances way too much :-) )
Prior to my first interview I was praying in tongues one day and all of a sudden I felt like leaping with joy, praising God. I had no idea why I felt this way. In the natural we were in a very gloomy situation with our finances. I lost my previous job due to my previous employer's bankruptcy. But I understood this later when I got the job. I later found out that more experienced people in the field applied for this job and failed! God gave it to me instead :-)

[Lara 0]

Thanks WhiteShadow for your repsonse. It was very helpful.

Astra, the latter part of your response about spending time with God etc was helpful however just one thought. Being a child of God doesn't necessarily distinguish me. What happens in the case where there is more than one child of God applying?

I am sorry but I am not at the place where I can be enthused about God and his provision. I am just trying at this point in time to figure out the true gospel from the prosperity gospel and so I am sceptical about anything which has God supplying miraculously what I want.

[astra 0]

Lara, being not the only child of God is not a problem! God knows how many children He's got :-) He is not going to make us compete for His provision,'cause He's got NO LACK of jobs. I also can identify with your struggling with seeing God's provision. I've been there. Lack of faith in financial area is my weakest point where faith is concerned :-( I guess I have to kick out the spirit of poverty. You see, my family does not have lack of finances. God has brought us out of this situation to the poing where we can perfectly afford paying our bills. But I am still working on believing God for more than just paying basic bills. I do this by putting His Word into my heart day after day after day. And this faith is chipping away at the powerty-mind stronghold.
So It's perfectly ok to feel like you do (or I do) as long as we DON'T STAY here. Work on it and it will budge a little, then more and more and then it will come crushing down. Praise God!!

[lola21st 2]

Hi Lara -

I understand where you're coming from and if it’s ok, I’d like to share what has worked for me in my own job hunts as encouragement to you. Remember the following:

- Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV) - 11 “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

God has a job for you that will use your unique talents, skills, training, and personality for His good. While there are some jobs that may seem appropriate, may even seem like they're the perfect fit, if they're not the job that God has for you, you don't want them. I remember interviewing for a job, thinking it was the perfect job opportunity for a variety of reasons and thought for sure that I would get the job but it ended up that they selected someone else. I was crushed because I didn’t know what went wrong. I didn’t realize at the time that God was in the situation. It wasn’t until a year after the interview that I realized why God didn’t place me in the job – the company started doing very poorly and had their first massive layoff one year later – had I been employed there I would’ve been laid off. The job that I did get during that job search was the best job I’ve had career-wise and provided me with a financial windfall that enabled me to buy a home.

This very same dynamic played out again four years ago when I was in the middle of a job hunt – there was a job that I wanted badly because the company produced a really interesting product and I thought the job would provide great experience in an interesting industry. I didn’t get the job and didn’t understand why but once again it was for the best because the company’s financials took an unexpected downward turn and the company began massive layoffs. I’ve learned over the years that God is always walking with me through my job hunts, closing some doors so that others can be opened. Protecting me from a future headache (one time I didn’t get a job that I wanted which turned out to be a HUGE blessing because the person that I would be reporting to left the company a couple of months after I interviewed with him and a former (horrible) boss of mine was hired into the job – that would’ve been a nightmarish situation because we got along like oil and water) I while placing me in jobs that utilized my skills, gave me great job experience and, in some cases, I really think I was also placed in certain jobs to minister to other people in the workplace through encouraging them through situations that they were experiencing.

The thing to remember is that when you’re a servant of the Lord, a follower of Christ then your life is no longer yours. As a well known pastor wrote in the opening chapter of a very well known book about life in Christ (we try not to avoid citing other ministries on this website, see the new member section for the reasons why) – it’s not about you. One way that translates into our everyday lives is that the Lord may place us in a job situation so that we can fulfill a spiritual assignment over and beyond the actual job duties. I was once in a job for less than 8 months before I was poached to join another company. I believe the reason that I was in that job was because the Lord chose me to minister to another person who worked in the department and was going through some personal and professional issues. As soon as she was able to bring closure to a life issue and make a decision regarding her career, I received a call from a recruiter that I’ve worked with over the years regarding another job opportunity – better job, more promising responsibilities, higher income, etc., pretty much too good an opportunity to pass.

The Lord may also place you in a role so that you can gain experience that will prepare you for a future assignment/project/job/ministry/etc. The role may not seem to be the most attractive/lucrative/easy/issue-free/etc. but you’re placed in it for a reason. I say this all to say, if a job is for you, nothing can keep it from you – thousands of others with the exact same background may apply for the position, but if it’s God’s plan that you get the job, then you’ll get the job.

Which leads me to my next piece of advice: Pray for favor. Every time I go on a job interview I pray that I’m exalted before the job interviewers, that they can see in me what God sees in me for the position, that they don’t even know why it is that I’m the one for the position but they just know intuitively (aka supernaturally) that I’m the one for the job. In a contract position that I had, the hiring manager said the same, he said that during our interview, he knew that I was the one for the position, he couldn’t put his finger on it, but he just knew I’d be a good fit (go God!).

Does this mean that you shouldn’t have a backup plan? Definitely not! It’s wise to have to a contingency plan (or 2 or 3) in case the first plan doesn’t come through. My feeling is that we should step out on faith and do everything that’s within our control to achieve a goal. That which isn’t within our control, we leave in God’s hands.

All the best to you and be sure to let us know how things turn out, ok?

[Lara 0]

Thank you so much. This really did encourage me.

I've been feeling quite concerned of late about my situation. This brings some added perspective to what I'm facing.

I've had so many disappointments in the past and sometimes it seems as though others are getting ahead but you are purposely being held back. Sometimes you start to wonder why it is that others seem to be so fortunate and your life seems to be nothing but one struggle after another.

I've also felt very useless as I know I have talents which can be used but no one seemed interested in giving me a chance. Sigh...I guess its just about having patience and trusting God.

[lola21st 2]

...I guess its just about having patience and trusting God.

Amen, this is it! The other thing that's so important is to stay prayed up. You're vulnerable during this time to the whispers of the enemy - you're not good enough, you'll never get a job, you're not worthy for whatever reason, etc. He usually has a lie custom made just for you and your situation and this is when you have to resist him and his lies and walk in faith, not by sight. Stand on God's promises, and continue your job hunt.

Also, continue to let people know that you're looking, network, go to job search workshops, etc. Do a sober assessment of yourself or, better yet, seek feedback from an interviewer if you should find out again that you didn't get a position. Be open to feedback so that IF there's anything you need to change in the way that you interview, you'll know and can make the adjustment before you have other interviews. OTOH, you may get feedback that you interviewed well but there were other things that played a role that have nothing to do with you.

Again, the bottom line is to trust God and KNOW that He hasn't forsaken you, He loves you and is with you as you're going through this process, He wants to see you succeed and is putting things in place for you. Again, walk by faith and not by sight.