Romans 10:17 tells us that “faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God,” in other words, faith comes by hearing the word of God.  It doesn’t come by praying for it, it comes by hearing God’s word.  The kind of faith that is taught in the Bible, the kind that is rewarded by God, is not a blind faith, but it is a faith that is based on God’s promise.  It is hearing in such a way that it gets to be part of you.  That may require some time and repetition.

Romans 12:3 says, “I believe, therefore I have spoken.”  What we really believe, we will say.  That’s why Romans 10:9-10 says, “If you shall confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved.  For with the heart a man believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”  So, if you want your faith to be increased, use the faith you have, learn and confess what God says about things, and keep doing it until it becomes your automatic reaction.

05Jesus told His disciples that if someone offended them seven times in a single day, they were to forgive him each time.  They knew that was a very tall order, so they asked Jesus to increase their faith.  Jesus then told them that they really didn’t need more faith.  He told them that if they had faith as a grain of mustard seed they could speak to a particular tree and command it to be moved into the sea, and it would obey.  Most people think Jesus was talking about the size of their faith, but actually He was talking about the potential of their faith, when they put it to work.  A mustard seed, or any other kind of seed, will be just a seed until it is planted, but once it’s planted things begin to happen.

So, how do we plant our faith, or put our faith to work?  By doing what the Bible tells us to do about any particular matter.  Do it, not because you can see the end result, but do it because that’s what God says do, then trust God for the results.  We are to believe God enough to do what He says and to say what He says.  When faith is planted in this manner, it will produce.  It ‘s not just something that we dream up that we believe and confess, but it is those things that are clearly based on the promises of God.  Faith that is put to work is great faith.

There are times when people intentionally change jobs.  It may be that a person finds an opportunity for better working conditions, faster advancement, or more money.  There is a right and wrong way to do everything, including changing jobs.

Don’t burn your bridge behind you.  You may know that you’re never going back, but why not leave in such a way that your boss would really like to have you back?  You never know, when somewhere down the line, leaving a job in good standing will pay big dividends for you.  Some prospective future employer may make a decision about you based on what he can gather from your former employers.

Give sufficient notice and express appreciation for the opportunity you have been given on the job you are leaving.  Go above and beyond the call of duty, making sure you tie up any loose ends, etc.

When you get to your new job, don’t make the mistake of being severely critical of your old job, and your former employer.  It doesn’t take a smart person to figure out, that if you speak negatively about others, you will also speak negatively about him, when you are not in his presence.   Get yourself an employment mentor, if possible.  Find someone, who is successful at the job, and learn all you can from that person.  You want to be that person that they just can’t do without.

Few things can be more grievous than to be bossed around by someone who has no regard for God, the things of God, or the people of God.  An unsaved boss might demand that you misrepresent the truth, in order to make a sale or avoid some difficulty.

Make up your mind in advance what you will, and will not do, in certain situations.  Be respectful, and if your ordered to something that you cannot do in good conscience, explain to your boss why you cannot do it.  He may throw a temper tantrum, but deep respect your commitment, and that will be the end of it.  On the other hand, it is possible that he will either fire you or start looking for a way to get rid of you.  If you suffer, because you will not compromise your Christian testimony, you will be in very good company.  Just read the Bible, and you’ll see that it’s not at all uncommon.

We evangelicals believe that we are missionaries in this world, including the workplace.  However, an employee needs to understand that he is being paid to be productive in the area of his job description.  He is ethically bound to give a good day’s work for a good day’s pay and, at the same time, not do anything that will hinder others from doing the same thing.  With that said, the Christian employee is still a missionary and should look for ways to let the gospel light shine.

A starting place is to be the best worker you can possibly be.  Fellow-workers see the quality of your work and the level of your dedication, so work as unto the Lord.  Then, be friendly with everybody.  Some people are much easier to be friendly with, than others, but respect and friendliness go a long way towards opening the door of opportunity to influence someone for Christ.  Finally, use wholesome speech.  Your speech reveals your heart, and over time will demonstrate to those around you that you are real.  Just doing those simple things will very often result in opportunities to invite a fellow-worker to go to church with you, or to set up a time to talk with him about what God has done in your life.