The Five Step Survival Guide for Working Women: Step 2 - What God Says in His Word

After completing the 5 Whys in Part 1, you chose one word that appears to be the core root of the problem you are experiencing. One word which summarizes what is lying beneath the surface of the difficulty you are currently having. You have used a business approach to reach this conclusion. 

However, the 5 Step Survival Guide for Working Women is about combining business and 

Biblical principles. The rest of this journey is about what God has to say about the issue. He wants to speak to you about this situation, and He wants you to turn to Him about it. Satan does not want you to turn to God. Rather, he wants you to stay stressed, confused, and anxious, and he wants this stress to continue. Satan knows there is power in God’s Word: Jesus regularly quoted and referred to scripture. God will bless you for being obedient by turning to Him, and will bring calm to your storm.

The next step in the 5-Step Survival Guide for Working Women is to see what God says about your issue. However, before diving into that, it is time for us to review what God says in His Word about His Word, for:

1. Reviewing what He says will remind you of His love for you as He addresses issues that are affecting your heart and your everyday life.  

2. Reviewing what He says will add confidence to your journey as He reminds you of the blessings of turning to Him and His Word.

3. Reviewing what He says will strengthen you as you see the steps in the path leading to working through your concerns.

Although this path may be unknown, God‘s Word reassures you that He will light each step for you. Over the next month, take time to review what God wants you to know about His Word or remind you of in His Word. There are verses for you to look up, read over, meditate on, and record what God will be showing you through His Word. It might be one thing; it may be many more. Record what you feel God is revealing to you. You should write them out or copy and paste them onto a document on your computer. By writing them down, and not just reading them, you will see much more of what God wants you to know when you take the time to record what you have read in His Word.

Taking This to God in Prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for Your love and Your Word. Forgive me when I do not turn to Your Word or forget to thank You for Your love, wisdom, advice, and guidance. As I read Your Word, please give me insight into what You want to reveal to me. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Over the next month, read the following verses, write them out on paper or copy them onto your computer, and record what God reveals to you or reminds you of through His Word.

Week 1

• Deuteronomy 8:3

• Deuteronomy 11:18

• 2 Samuel 22:31

• Psalm 12:6

• Psalm 30:5

• Psalm 103:33

What is God revealing to me or reminding me of in these verses?

Week 2

• Psalm 119:11

• Psalm 119:103

• Psalm 119:105

• Psalm 119:130

• Psalm 119: 160

• Proverbs 2: 1-5

What is God revealing to me or reminding me of in these verses?

Week 3

• Proverbs 30:6

• Jeremiah 23:29

• Matthew 4:4

• Matthew 24:35

• Luke 6:47

• John 15:7

What is God revealing to me or reminding me of in these verses?

Week 4 

• John 17:17

• 1 Corinthians 2:13

• Ephesians 6:17

• Colossians 3:16

• 2 Timothy 2:15

• Hebrews 4:12

• James 1:22

What is God revealing to me or reminding me of in these verses?

May God richly bless you as you turn to His Word and are impacted by His provision, guidance and love for you.

Bonny, Christian Women at Work

What's Your Motivation Behind What You Do?

Many days, I used to drag myself to work.

It’s not that I don’t love my job, for I do.

Rather it’s because I wasn’t seeing the bigger perspective about work in general.

His.

Spending more time in the Word, I realized that the church in Acts seemed to do more “church-like” Kingdom work outside of the walls of the church buildings, right in the communities, wherever they were. Just as Jesus did.

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as though you were working for the Lord and not for people. – Colossians 3:23

Immediately my eyes were opened to the reality that Kingdom work was never meant to be limited within the walls of a building.

Kingdom work was always intended to be carried within the heart of everyone in the Kingdom, and shared with those who need to hear the Good News that they too are welcome in His Kingdom.

• The Kingdom is within me, for I am His.

• The Kingdom walks with me, for the King is with me wherever I go.

• I work with the King, wherever I work

• All my work matters for His Kingdom when I do it for Him.

• When I am aligned with His heart for those around me, I am doing Kingdom work.
  

And I don’t need to be church staff, or in a church building to do so.

I only need to be lead by Holy Spirit, love with my Father’s heart, follow Jesus’ example of blessing those He encounters, and join them in doing their work.

For wherever I am, the Kingdom is too. And friend, the same is true for you!

When I go to work, I’m going to the Kingdom. I’m not working for the King, I’m working with the King. The Kingdom is not restrained to the walls of the Church. – Kris Vallotton

Taking This to God in Prayer

God, I have somehow believed the untrue thought that the only work for You which matters is the work done in church. However, Your Word is filled with encounters on roads, in homes, on boats - everywhere people are, You meet them there. Help me to bring this Kingdom mindset into my work place, that I might truly be a servant to all as You were and are, Jesus. That I might express how much You love them through my words and actions as I partner with You at work. Thank You for this revelation, and that I am never alone when I follow You. Amen

May our hearts be changed to see that wherever we find ourselves - at home or work, grocery shopping or in a meeting - we can choose to work for Him! And may we work for His glory, not ours.

Karla Lees, Christian Women at Work

@HopenHisPresenz

The Five Step Survival Guide for Working Women: Step 1

"…the storm subsided, and all was calm." (Luke 8:24)

As a Physiotherapist, I assess and treat people who have pain. It could be a pain in their leg, arm, neck, or back. It is essential to determine where the pain is coming from as, sometimes, the cause of the problem is not actually where the symptom is being felt. Even though the pain is in their calf, the cause may be an irritated nerve in their back. Although the pain is in their elbow, it may come directly from their neck. If I do not determine the core root of the problem, I cannot help them resolve their symptoms. 

This is similar to the storms we experience that cause us pain and stress. We require a process to decrease the pain or anxiety we are dealing with, and one such process is called "The 5 Why's". 

The 5 Why's was initially developed by Toyota to improve its operations by determining the root of a problem they were facing. It involves asking "Why" repeatedly until the "bottom line" of the problem is determined. This approach is helpful in both business and in your personal life.

The 5 Why's is a simple but very powerful tool to lead you in a process that helps you go deeper in your understanding of the issue. To unpack what is really going on. As I have used it to improve my business' operations, I have also depended on it from a Biblical perspective by returning to God's Word to deal with concerns, conflicts, and crises. 

Is there something at work that continues to be a chronic stress for you? Have you tried to deal with it but have yet to be successful? The 5 Step Survival Guide will help you determine the root of the problem and then discover what God wants you to know. 

The first step in the 5 Step Survival Guide is to state the problem.

This week, take time to determine what is really bothering you. Be specific. Don't just say, "I am stressed at work," but clearly state what it is that is stressing you, such as:

"I always stay late at work, and my family is upset I am not spending time with them." 

"My boss is asking me to do too much work."

"My employee is undermining me." 

"My manager is making fun of me." 

It may be something that has been bothering you the most, what has been going on the longest, or what you want to work on first.

The important thing is to make a start on dealing with a storm in your life. I have broken down this self reflection process into 5 smaller guided parts to help you narrow things down:

Monday: List the positive things about work and what you enjoy about your work environment and responsibilities.

Tuesday: Make a list of the things which are stressful for you at work. 

Wednesday: What are the top two most stressful things for you?

Thursday: Choose one issue that you would like to work through.

Friday: In one sentence, state precisely what is bothering you.

Taking This to God in Prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for Your Word, love, wisdom and direction. Right now, I am dealing with some difficult situations at work which I have not yet been able to resolve or have peace about. Please give me the wisdom to understand the real problem and the knowledge & understanding to calm this storm Your Way. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

May God richly bless you this week as you trust Him to help you clearly define the stress you are experiencing. Have a wonderful week, and I look forward to sharing Step 2 with you next month!

Bonny, Christian Women at Work