Tag: Religion and Spirituality

Faith During Unemployment

In uncertain times, trusting God is a must.  But how do we trust in the midst of an uncertain future?

If we are obedient in trusting God and obeying His direction, we will be led to a deeper understanding of His will.  But how are we supposed to obey when we don’t know the ending?

Faith leads to eternal rewards.  But how do we keep walking in faith during long bouts of unemployment?

Bayless Conley had a great sermon this week about this.  Abraham is our Father in Faith for the Jew and the Gentile – for all.  Listen to his sermon below.

Bayless Conley – Answers – Footprints of Faith

Hebrews 11:1 “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” (KJV)   This explains that we are not supposed to have the ending before we start the trial.  Faith deals with unseen realities.

During my long bout of unemployment, I had a hard time reconciling a God that is good allowing this hard trial to happen, that God wasn’t delivering like He had in times past.  Even though I grew up in the church and had been a Christian since I was a teenager, none of that seemed to help when this trail continued.  I really felt like a modern day Job.  Unemployment doesn’t just affect your finances; but your friendships and your activities.  Your spiritual foundation is rocked and maybe even cracked.

In Romans 4:3, we find the basic reason Abraham could keep walking in faith – “Abraham believed God”; simple TRUST.  When people disappoint us, we lost faith in them, we don’t trust them.  That same feeling happens when God disappoints us.  We begin to lose faith because we don’t trust God in the same child-like way anymore.

We have to remember that God is good.  Jesus stated in Luke 18:19 “And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God.” (KJV).  We have to make up our minds that either every word of the Bible is true or not.  When we get past this hurdle to start trusting God again, to believe that He has our best interest at heart then we can proceed with other steps that Abraham took.

Footprints of Abraham’s Faith

  • Obedient faith
    • Hebrews 11:8. “By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed ; and he went out , not knowing whither he went .”  Abraham simply obeyed.   By faith, Abraham went out not knowing where God was leading him. When Abraham started going, God revealed a little more as he went.  This made Abraham vulnerable which put God in control.  In obedience, Abraham left everything behind.  We have to obey when God leads us, but never do anything under our own power.  If we go without God’s blessings, it will turn to ashes.  Faith is walking in the Light we have at the moment.
    • I have always tried to obey when I felt God was leading.  Every time I stepped out in faith, the project was accomplished well over my expectations.  This year, I stepped out in faith and sent in a short story.  It was picked to be included in their book.  My first published piece.  Beyond my expectations.  But, I found out during this trial that I love to be in control.  I didn’t even realize I was like that.  Leaving control to God has been a struggle, but is a relief when I finally let go and let God.
  • Unselfish faith
    • Hebrews 11:9 “By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: “  The country of Ur was one of the most civilized in the area.  Every luxury was available.  Abraham willingly left everything, family, homes everything to live in the desert in a tent for something that was sure would come to pass for him and his generations to come – God’s promise.  His eye was on an eternal reward.  He was willing to sacrifice for coming generations.
    • I have trouble with this one. How can I be unselfish and give my material goods away (or sell them for missions) if all of them are being taken away for bills?  I would love to say that I don’t struggle with this daily, but I do.  We are living in the house I grew up in.  Before that we were living in my grandparents’ house.  We live on the family farm with a lot of family still in the area.  It would almost kill me to leave everything and move, especially if I didn’t know where I was going.
  • Miracle-producing faith
    • Hebrews 11:11 “Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised.”  Sarah received strength from God and delivered Isaac.  There were other unfulfilled promises, at least in their lifetimes, but this was one that was waited for and definitely brought God glory.
    • As mentioned above, there have been many miracles in my life, but I tend to forget them when long trials occur.  We were able to give a piano to a nursing home, many different projects at church came to fruition even through there was a lot of opposition by the elders of the church, and the above published short story.  These are just a few of the miracles in our lives that I tend to forget about.

Next time I will go into the secrets to Abraham’s faith!!!!  Stay tuned.

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Doubt and Long Term Unemployment

Doubts Happen Even to the Strongest Believers

“There are some times in our lives when we can’t seem to see God’s will for us clearly and what we thought would have happened by now, just isn’t so. WHEN THE DOUBTS COME is an encouraging message from Pastor Jeff Schreve that offers real hope and a weapon to battle those doubts so that you can continue walking confidently with the Lord.”  From the web site FromHisHeart.Org

I don’t think I have ever heard of Pastor Jeff Schreve or his TV ministry until this morning.  His message this morning really touched a chord with me.  I began to doubt when things don’t go the way I think it should.  What he calls ME-ology instead of THE-ology.  I love that.

Watch this mornings’ show here:

When the Doubts Come – From His Heart Ministries

I know that during my six months of unemployment, with no real job in sight, I have had doubts.  My doubts really started a number of years ago when I experienced spiritual abuse at our small church along with the death of both of my parents.  I lost most of my close friends and my spiritual anchors.  So I might have been really ripe for major doubts.

John the Baptist had major doubts too.  He was the greatest prophet, why would he of all people have doubts?  Simply, he was put in jail.  After being in prison for almost a year, the outdoor loving Baptiser was confined to a dungeon cell, probably not even able to see the sun.  So I shouldn’t feel alone when experiencing doubts – I just don’t need to stay in doubt.  John sent to Jesus for encouragement.

I thought I was through with doubts when I thought I hit rock bottom when recovering from the spiritual abuse.  I really doubted if God was there and why if God was for me, why did it seemed like He was against me?

I came full circle, started forgiving the people for all past offenses and I even forgave God for allowing it to happen.  Even though forgiving God is a strange thought, the process needs to happen to go forward with healing.

Then unemployment happened.  In past unemployment, God always delivered with a good job right before unemployment ran out.  I never was without insurance.  God was always good.  But, I already felt like this time was going to be different.

How am I supposed to be a witness for God, when I felt like God was against me?  How am I supposed to not doubt not knowing where the money will come from?

Steps of Doubt

Understand what causes doubt

  • When we experience long trials
  • When we can’t make a sense of the issues – that there is an ultimate plan
  • When we put our feelings before our faith – we don’t feel like God loves us

Come to God with our doubts

  • Come to God reverently
  • Come to God honestly
  • Come to Him expectantly – we need to expect that He will answer

Remember what we have seen and heard

  • Remember our past deliverances  – begin writing down every deliverance and blessing God has done for you.  When doubts arise, start reading.  As soon as I realize a God-deliverance or blessing, I write in on a slip of paper to put in our blessing jar.  When doubts come, pull out the jar and read all that God has done for YOU.
  • Remember the great deliverances from the Bible – read of David and Goliath, of the Red Sea, or of Abraham’s promised child.  If you read it as truth, it will renew your faith.

I hope this helps.  Unemployment is one of the hardest things I have ever done, including the deaths of both my parents.  But don’t doubt and lose hope!

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Unemployment Hopelessness

Hope While Feeling Hopelessness

This week I ran into a pride killing situation.  We finally decided that we needed help with our light bill and maybe with the groceries.

Before my unemployment, we depended on our money so much more than I really realized.  We depended on money to feed us, to let us live comfortably, to  allow us to help others.  We just took the blessing of money for granted, until it was ripped away.

So, just making the decision to get help with some of the bills was a huge humbling experience.  But waiting in the little office, just to be told to go home, we will call you was depressing.  I really wanted the experience to be over with and a resolution to be right around the corner.  Then the call never came.  The workers never answer the phone either, everything goes to voice mail.

It feels so unfair that all this is happening to us; That we have to fight at every step with a government that is determined to take every thing that we have worked for.

I didn’t even feel up to going to the DSS office to apply for food stamps in person, but I did do the online form.  It promptly told me NO.

Sometimes you have to lose everything to gain Everything.

Real Hope

The unemployment situation is totally out of our control, so we depend on God.  We go to Him for leading, and continue to satisfy our needs.

Even though I see the many things that we have to sell now to make payments and I tear up greiving, I am grateful for what we have.

I try to find ways to help others that don’t revolve around money.  Before, I would always, first,  give money instead actually doing anything.  Now I find real pleasure in finding different ways to be cups of cold water to people who are thristing for the love of God.

People who are unemployed can help their attitude by:

  • finding ways to help other – helping at a retirement home, helping at a homeless shelter,
  • don’t isolate yourself – get involved with people
  • prayer – God changes us in our quiet times
  • get into a real good Bible Study on Job for example.  Some Bible Studies won’t feel like it applies to your situation right now, but knowledge and wisdom always help
  • Don’t dewell on sites about unemploment – reading the comments only lead to more depression. Focus on sites that encourage and lift up your spirits and God.

Don’t give up!!  God is always good and He is helping even though it doesn’t look like He is.

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Finding Encouragement

“I personally feel that being the wife to an unemployed man means we need to do our part to show love in tangible ways, to be his best friend in the storm, to try lifting his spirits when we can, and to help boost his self esteem.”                                               ~ Rosann Cunningham, UnEmployed Faith

I love this quote from the book Unemployed Faith.  But what if the wife is the one who is the breadwinner and unemployed – where does encouragement come from then?

From the womb, I was a tom-boy.  I loved westerns and empathizing with the gunslingers and not the “helpless” women.  I always either had a toy gun in my hand or a race car.  No matter how many dolls Momma gave me, I had more fun with the “boy toys”.

My grandfather owned a hardware store, so I wanted to play store instead of house.  My whole life has been around not being helpless, of being in control.  I always believed I had more of a boy’s brain than a girl’s.

But, as I grew older, I definitely knew that I had at least part of a girl’s brain, because my feelings would get hurt discouraged at things that didn’t phase my husband.

I have been unemployed before, but this time is different.  God always came through in the other three times I have been laid off.  The week unemployment ran out, God had a job waiting for me.  I never doubted.

Now this unemployment happened.  God doesn’t seem to be anywhere around.  Bills are piling up, threats of house forclosure, threats of lawsuits for non payment, threats of reposession are happening on a weekly, if not daily basis.

I really love my husband, but all I hear from him is what we need to spend money on next, not what he is going to do to help.  It is always about what I need to do.

How do you find encouragement when there is none around to encourage?

Go back to the Bible.  All the encouragement you will need God will lead you to.  Also, find some good sites on Facebook.  The UnEmployed Faith group is great place for encouragement and to find others in your exact place of discouragement.

Always find something to give God praise for.  This simple but hard thing to do always comforts me and puts my attitude in a different place.

I hope this helps encourage others who are searching for something, anything to hold on to in this storm that threatens to overwhelm.

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