So it is a great thing that you have started working and then earning money to be able to live well, give out of what God has given you to people as well as give out of the things God has given you back to him.

It is a great thing to want to be diligent at work as the bible says that he who does not work should not eat as well as he who cannot provide for his house especially those of his own family has denied the faith as so is worse than an infidel.

But then, there is only a thin line between working to be able to bring glory to God and your career advancement is fast becoming an idol in your heart.

What is an idol?

Simply put, an idol is anything that is important to you than God.

You used to be on so much fire for God before you gained employment, but the same job you prayed before getting God is the excuse you are giving as why you no longer have time for God anymore.I wish this is funny, but it isn't!

Now might be a good time to go back to your board and have some time to introspect, check out your spiritual life alongside your career in the last seven months of the year, and see how you have fared so far.

 

HOW TO IDENTIFY IF YOUR CAREER IS BECOMING AN IDOL?

1.   You Can Do Anything Irrespective Of Its Conflict With God’s Principles

This is one way to know when your career is becoming an idol. You just can do anything and anything once it guarantees you a rise in paycheck or makes you look good to your superiors, while there is nothing wrong in doing all of that, but it becomes wrong when you suddenly don’t care about the core of who you are again all because of a 25% increase in salary.

I know that increase will go a long way in making life a little easier for you, I also know it’s easier said than done especially when there are bills to be paid and the income isn’t doing so much justice to it anymore, but in the midst of all, God’s grace is available.

 

2.      You No Longer Have Time For God

Having time for God is relative and what someone living in a particular city can have the luxury of attending all midweek services as well as all unit meetings, another person in another city might not have that luxury.

You no longer have time for devotion.

No prayer life anymore.

No sensitivity to the Holy Spirit.

The only thing in your heart is your job, job and just your job.

This is not saying you shouldn’t give your best at work, far from it, I frown at it and I am always consistently wanting to improve the quality of the way I do the tasks assigned to me, but I also bear in my mind, that when the contains are down, it will be just me and my God.

I am not saying you should quit your job especially if you do not have a calling to a full time ministry, but you have to decide to do things differently if you will continually be a person who has  an on-going relationship with the Father and not a  once-upon-a-time Christian.

 

 

Things you can begin to do differently

 

~ Look for Godly alternatives

If you sincerely can’t attend midweek service because of the distance of your office to your church, how about creating out time to fellowship with other believers in another bible-believing church during the week.

I for one live and work here in Lagos, Nigeria, and if you have ever heard the news about Lagos traffic, you’ll agree that Lagos traffic is indeed second to none. Although my route to work is not as traffic-prone as the other person, but it is quite a distance to my home.  And my home is quite a distance to my church too.

Hope you get the point?

My church’s midweek services are on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and while I would really love to attend them, but the distance from the office to church is about one and the half hours all things been equal, the last time I attended a midweek service, it was so funny as I got inside the auditorium just in time for the benediction. It was a funny scenario.

After that incident, I knew I had to do something about it.

As a person, I love attending bible studies, while I have my time for personal bible study, I love been amidst other believers as someone shares the word to us, and I knew that attending bible study in church isn’t something I want to let go and I wasn’t about to resign either.

So I looked for another bible-believing church not too far from my home but which is on my way back from the office, so once I am coming from work on Wednesdays, rather than going home, I go to church and fellowship with other believers and then go back to my home church on Sunday.

That has been what has worked for me for about a year.

Your case might be quite different from mine, as there are so many things beyond your control, probably as a mother who have young children waiting for you at home, you might not have the luxury I have as a single lady, but while that is a tenable excuse, but you shouldn’t be willing to give it.

There is always a way if only we are desperate enough to find it.

So many services are been life-streamed, if you can’t get into the church auditorium, you can as well have your family sit down in from of the TV or your mobile device and watch themed-week service.

The same children you are reluctant to take to church now as a young three-year old, God forbid they grow up with no love in their heart for Christ.

While taking them to Church is not the ultimate determinant that they will grow loving God, but it sure puts their feet on the right path that you will be glad they followed.

That was a huge digression up there, but a woman had to hear that!

There will always be one excuse or the other, but you have to be strong to rise above it all..

I wrote a post on how to make time for God even with a busy schedule; you can check it out Here.

 

-          Create Another Schedule

There is a cliché that doing a thing same way repeatedly and expecting a different result is a sign of insanity. This isn’t far from the truth at all.

If you always put water on the cooker after which you pour your rinsed rice into it, and then leave it to cook for about 30 minutes before adding salt and then sieving the excess water which contains starch after about 45 minutes that you have cooked it in general.  After this process has been done and then you are expecting pounded yam, isn’t that going to be out of the normal?

But that is almost the same way some of us live our life, doing the same thing we have always done over the years, and then we are surprised that we are getting the same result we have always had.

How about you start leaving home at least 30 minutes before your normal time to be able to create out time for God before the office gets crowded and you get involved in so many things. Your getting to work on time will help you be in a great place as you wouldn’t have your mind on the fact that you are running late as well as the fact that you have a lot to achieve.

You get to work on time, you worship God for a while after which you bring out your devotional or go to whatever portion of the scriptures you are been led to, or just listen to a sermon or pray.

You can fully have your mind on God unlike if you had stayed back at home and then you can’t even concentrate on what you are doing as your heart is divided between God and the traffic you are likely to encounter on your way.

On your way to the office, you can begin to set your gaze on Christ by listening to worship songs or by praying either loudly if you are driving or under your breath if you are in a public bus. Then the climax can be if you get to the office.

Creating another schedule might involve you sleeping early so you can wake up every night to pray.

Find out what works for you and by all means begin to do it.

We can’t keep giving the excuse that we are not having time for God because of the job He has given to us, this far, no farther, the Devil isn’t having the final say over us anymore!

When our time on the job is finally over, what will be left of us?

Think about this.

Related: How To Shine Your Light At Work