DIALOGUE With the LORD:
God: Your season in this place( job of 14 years) is up.
Me: What do you mean God?
God: It’ s time for you to move on. I have other work for you to do.
Me: Ignoring what I heard. 5 ½ years later …
Me: God, why am I experiencing all this persecution on this job?
God: Silence
That’ s kind of how the conversation went when God was leading me to leave my employer. I was trapped in fear of how I was going to pay my bills and where the provision was going to come. As though I was my own source. Yes, I was married and yes, my husband worked, but truth be told, we needed both incomes to sustain us. Not only was this fear a very real and tangible emotion that consumed me, I was equally unclear of what God wanted me to quit my job to go do. Asking,( said while laughing), would have been the natural thing to do, but it was not. Instead, I rejected and disobeyed what I heard and stayed a little longer.
By year 19, at the height of Covid, it was painful to go to that job. Literally. I started getting waves of random migraines. I wasn’ t sleeping. I had become depressed, full of anxiousness and didn’ t know what to expect day- to- day when I went to work. Due to Covid, mandatory telecommuting was implemented in our office, however, I only briefly got to enjoy this luxury. I somehow became the focal point of a personal campaign. Almost 20 years with no incidents and suddenly, I was being lied on; my character assassinated, and I was continuously being brought into these counseling sessions with my superiors. Every other month there was a new allegation that I had to answer. It had become harassment at this point. I was certain this was nothing but the devil. Or was it?
When Paul asked God in 2nd Corinthians 12 to remove the thorn from his flesh, God answered by telling Paul,“ My grace is sufficient for you …” Sometimes we blame the devil for everything. When things aren’ t going our way or appear difficult, we automatically
By: Genea Johnson
give credit to the enemy. When Job was tried and tested. It had everything to do with his character. God knew Job’ s character better than Satan. God allowed Job to be tried by the enemy. God already knew the outcome. Though Job and Paul were both tested, the tests were allowed. In my case, I rebelled and disobeyed in fear. I tried to act like I didn’ t hear when God instructed me to leave the job. As a result, I got the great privilege of receiving an open rebuke; a chastisement; a thorn in my side. I had a decision to make. My disobedience had caused me not only physical and emotional pain but caused my spiritual disconnection from God.
When I finally got tired of the emotional roller coaster ride, I decided to get off by quitting that job in February 2022. One of the best decisions of my life. A year prior to me quitting, the Lord told me how I could use a skillset I had acquired through my employer as a business. He gave me the name, the blueprint, the ideas and the strategies of being a business owner. No more punching into someone else’ s time clock. No more compromising my personal and spiritual integrity to match the company’ s agenda, no, God gave me a vision. And though to date it has not reached its full potential and is still evolving, my decision to be obedient to God’ s plan for my life, has launched me out into the deep of entrepreneurship and I am NEVER going back.
Don’ t be deceived, entrepreneurship can be difficult. It has its challenges. Some days, weeks and even months, are better than others, but working for myself allows me to align my business ventures with God’ s kingdom principles. It allows me to serve others in a way that honors God. It affords me more time with my family, my friends, my church and most importantly, more time with God. BUT it still requires hard work, sacrifice, dedication and tenacity. If God is calling you out, take my advice and go when He tells you. He doesn’ t promise trusting Him will be problem free, but He does promise to be right there with you, giving you
His grace that is sufficient.
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