The Job Hunt

Now that I have passed my Driving Test, and I have recovered from the Man Flu (yes it is a real illness) that I had over Christmas I have been applying to as many jobs as possible (well maybe not as possible but you know a LOT).


I have been amazed to see how God is just actively at work in my life, especially my job hunt as I've just been so blessed to be able to see God guiding me every step of the way. A friend gave me a verse the other day which I keep turning to as it is so useful during this time.


Psalm 16:8 (NIV)
I have set the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.


It was really comforting to know that I really do have my God right next to me every step of the way. Guiding me towards a Job. I also came across this verse yesterday


Psalm 37:3-7 (NIV)
Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun. Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.


During my job application blitz last week (I had 2 big phone interviews for jobs I had applied for in one day) I was called up randomly for a job I didn't apply for and was given an interview off the cuff and somehow blagged my way through. I then was asked to go to an interview last minute which thankfully work allowed me to have off. So along I went, and I am not putting this so I look super humble, but I completely messed up the interview.


I didn't really want the job due to me wanting to focus on trying to get a job in my field of nerdiness and accounting. So because I didn't really want the job my enthusiasm wasn't there and that came across abundantly in the interview. But me being the numpty I am, I did something very stupid and addressed the situation by saying I wasn't convinced I wanted the job. But the interviewer was really nice and then told me why she asked me in to interview. She gave me some great feedback on my CV and told me that I should just be more confident in my ability. It then went onto being a really interesting meeting rather than an interview, we talked about loads of different things not really relating to anything with the job, it ended with the interviewer actually saying the words 'this is the strangest interview I have ever had'.


That being said I then got an email after the interview saying that I have got through to an group interview for a different job that I really want, and somehow God has led me through several stages of the selection process. So in my eyes I can see it so clearly that God has just put that 'practice' interview in my lap to show me how not to interview and God willing because of what I learnt I will be able to interview a lot better for a more relevant job.


But overall I am not scared about getting a job as I know that he has it in perfect control and I just need to keep applying to jobs and relying on him.


David

I'm not scared to say it: I Love Jesus!

I know I have talked a bit about loving Jesus in other posts and the info sections, but this is more just to talk about where I was a few months back and before that.


During my teenage years I went to church, was in the church youth group, I got baptised, I went on church camps, I tried to be a 'good' person, I asked Jesus into my heart (kinda), I called myself a Christian, and I generally thought that I was.


I knew all about Jesus, I knew some of the answers if I was asked about Christianity by my friends, I knew some of the bible stories, I knew what you had to do to become a Christian. So because I asked Jesus into my heart I thought that I was saved, I'm not all that convinced that I was as I really don't think that I meant it, and if I did it was momentary and I wanted to live my life for me, I didn't want to live as a Christian, I didn't want to lose control, I didn't want to give up my life. I knew it all in my head but it hadn't reached my heart due to me hardening it. 


Looking back I realise that Jesus wasn't real to me, I pretended he was on the outside but deep down I knew that I saw him as something equal to Mother Nature or Santa. So when I heard in sermons or from friends 'I know Jesus' and people confessing their love for Jesus, I kinda ignored it/thought they were a bit strange, I told myself I knew Jesus but I was too scared to question that I quite possibly didn't.


Even a few months back before I moved back home, if you had asked me 'Do you love Jesus?' I would have said 'Err...... yeah of course I do' (with an embarrassed laugh and a funny look on my face...well funnier than normal), I would have then swiftly changed the topic and made a few really bad jokes to make sure I didn't have to talk about Jesus. As I knew that I didn't really have a proper relationship with Jesus. And that made me uncomfortable, mainly as all my best friends were Christians and I didn't want to lose them by questioning if I wasn't actually a Christian or if I was saved and I wasn't living as a Christian.


All that being said, I have been changed these past few months, God has cultivated my heart, and I can say without a shadow of a doubt that Jesus is very much real to me. I am not scared to say it: I really do love Jesus.


David

Decisions decisions!

Last week I heard a sermon where God just spoke and spoke powerfully. Especially in response to a post I made last week about 'Hard Decisions', in many senses I felt that God was speaking just to me, but at the same time I knew that the sermon was for the whole church.


It was basically addressing the problem that all Christians face, and that is making decisions, should I go to university? Should I ask him/her out? Should I apply for that job? Should I do this, should I do that? and this continues until you just scream in frustration, and then you ask What's the right thing to do? What does God want me to do? How do I know that this is what he wants me to do? Should I expect a sign? etc etc.


So the talk went onto explain what we should be like and surprise surprise it's all about Jesus, as all of these decisions are very petty in the grand scheme of things, even though they seem very important to us in the moment. But what should be focused on is that we should be loving Jesus with all of our heart and then we will desire what he desires for us. e.g. If our love for Jesus does grow and grow, we then want to live for him, do things to serve and give glory to him and then ultimately do what he wants.


The talk did start off about making decisions but as I said it did go onto focus on what is truly important and that is Jesus. In the last few months Jesus has become such a real thing and my love for him has grown and grown so much in the last few months that I sometimes forget that I can still grow in love for him infinitely more than I already have done. So by hearing this talk it made me very thankful for how much my love for Jesus has grown, but more importantly focusing on continuing to grow and become completely consumed with Jesus.


In terms of last weeks decision it just made me realise that I did have God all the way through making it, even though I did mess it up to start with, I had the desire to make the right decision and do his will. So it made me very thankful for what an amazing saviour I have. 


I don't want this to seem like I think I have attained a super level of godliness and every decision I make will be solely based around Jesus, as I really am not perfect in the slightest, I will continue to fall short, but I do have the desire to live for my perfect saviour.


This extract from Ephesians sums up what I want in my life pretty well from this sermon.


Ephesians 3:16-21 (NIV)
I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge---that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.


David

He is my Father

I've realised recently that when I'm praying, I have never really used the word 'Father' which is very disconcerting for me to realise. Through all the prayers I've prayed (and during exam periods especially that's a LOT) I have never addressed my God with the word Father. Which he is, as he was the one that fashioned my very existence.


I realised this whilst praying with others that a lot of people do call him Father which then led me to question why I have never done so.


I came to the conclusion that I was still trying to hold on to power in whatever way I could, as calling someone Father is really quite a submissive thing to do. As you are admitting they are your elder and have power over you. So it made me realise even more so that I have no power of my own and everything comes from the father.


I was really quite shocked that i had been doing this for so long and it showed me that I wasn't treating my awesome heavenly Father in the way I should. It was very humbling to realise that even in my prayer life I can sometimes completely miss very important truths.


It does astonish me sometimes on how God can teach me a lot from such a small realisation. He knows my heart and I will continue to fall short of his glory. But through what Jesus did on the cross I don't have to worry about how bad I am but focus on what an amazing savour and a loving Father I have and it's amazing to realise that he really does love me (even when I was against him) in a way I can't even begin to comprehend.


David

Hard Decisions

Last week I had to make arguably the hardest decision of my life. I won't go into details as I don't feel it necessary to talk about that. However believe me when I say it was a huge decision.


I knew that this decision was coming up and the night before I distinctly prayed that God would just make it abundantly clear on what he wanted me to do. And his will would be done. I didn't realise at the time that God would make it as clear as he did. It was mind boggling really. But first what happened....


It got to the actual making of the decision, I chose what my heart wanted and what I thought what God wanted for me. But I soon realised that this was very much the wrong thing to be doing. But in doing the wrong thing I had made the situation infinitely worse than it otherwise could have been.


I was completely and utterly ashamed of how sinful I was capable of being and I was distraught at what I had done. I was also very angry at God in a very pitiful way that he wanted me to make this decision. Even though I had distinctly prayed for it to be abundantly clear on what I should do. I just didn't want/expect it to be the answer he gave me or make it as clear as he did.


Even with all the mess that I had made for myself he really did rescue the situation and he was glorified through it. I did see after a few days that he made me make the right decision and gives me amazing confidence and trust in my amazing God that very much has a plan for my life. And all I need to do is rely on him.


David

I am a Missionary?

Last week was the first of a special type of prayer meeting in my church. It's all about being a missionary in your place of work. What happens is several different members of the church go up the front, say what they work as, the non christians they work with and the challenges they go through and what they need praying for. We then have a time of prayer for them before the next person goes up to share. It was truly amazing to hear what some people do and how they rely on god through all different circumstances.


The meeting is all based around how we should as Christians be showing off Gods glory through work and how we are responsible for being missionaries to the non-Christians that we work with. Not in the sense of preaching instead of working, but more like being salt and light in work and showing that we are different through Christ.


I don't know about you but I never thought of myself as a missionary. As I've always seen that the name missionary is only given to 'elite' Christians that go off church planting in some country I've never heard of. But it is amazing to think that I am in the place of work I am in currently not only to earn some money and improve my cv but more importantly to show off the glory of my god and try to show people how Jesus has changed my life and ultimately be a missionary.


David

RBT - The Concept

My Church is doing this life changing thing at the moment. It is called reading the Bible! (crazy right?!) and not only that but Reading the Bible Together! (Hence RBT). God is transforming our church into something that was unrecognisable when I first came back from university as they started it then. It really is very exciting stuff. 


Basically the premise is we have a set book(s) that we are supposed to read each month and once a month we have several different meetings at different times for different people (you go to the one that is most convenient for you to attend) and we talk about what God had shown us through the book(s). To give us some direction we have a set list of 9 questions, to which we have to find verses which go along with that. i.e what did you learn about Jesus, and you would say this verse taught me this about Jesus. Sounds a bit boring? Well trust me it isn't!!!


So basically I am going to be posting every month (and quite a few in the coming weeks as I need to catch up with all the books that I have done so far) what I was shown through different books. I am hoping that it will help cement just how amazing our God is by putting pen to paper (or rather fingers to keyboard)


I don't know about you but with me personally is I have never been very good at reading my Bible and when I did I just read it with my mind being completely blank. It was a chore and I in no way enjoyed it, but when I came back to Swansea I realised on what God had done to the church so it made me take notice and it had never really clicked before but the Bible is God's Word, I know that is common knowledge, I never really believed it before if that makes sense, it really is what he speaks to us through. I look forward to learning more about what God has to teach me.


David

Jesus isn't Plastic!

Please do watch this video

A few months ago I moved back home after being in university, I had just gone through a horrific break up, and I was going back to the place where during my whole time at uni, I didn't want to go back to, I dreaded it. Most significant though was I was in no way walking with the Lord, I wasn't reading my Bible, I was going to church out of obligation once a month or so to keep my Mum happy and I was praying only for things like 'Please let me pass my exams first time' (which I did, which when doing Accounting and Finance is a miracle in itself), 'Please get me the best job without having to do anything' (He didn't answer that one...yet....) and a lot of other self involved prayers. Basically I was dead as a Christian, and I was living a Non-Christian life and I had been for 3 years at Uni.


However with all of that resentment towards my home town (mainly because all my Christian friends were there and I knew I was living a completely empty and meaningless life and it would remind me of that), I moved back and I went along to my home church and all I can say is God spoke to me and spoke to me big time. He made it abundantly clear that I was going no where and unless I changed pretty quick I was heading for a completely miserable life.


He did speak to me in loads of ways and one of them was this video that a mate of mine showed me when we were exchanging youtube videos (as you do). When I first watched it, it made me angry, but I think it is supposed to do that if you are not living the way you should, I then began to question what it is that Jesus means to me? Is my Jesus plastic? After a while of pondering this I realised I had completely gotten the wrong end of the stick after all the years of sitting in sermons and living as a 'Christian', Jesus is alive and he is real and I can know him. Obviously it wasn't a miraculous sudden change with mist and fancy mood lighting, but my eyes were opened, and over the next few months with me properly reading God's word with RBT (I will be talking about that A LOT in future posts) and letting Jesus rule my life, I really have felt my relationship with Jesus grow into something so much more meaningful. I can now honestly say that my Jesus is real and alive in me and he is definitely not plastic.


Now when I watch this video it encourages me, but it is only through being challenged first that I am now able to take encouragement from it.


David

Christianity Today

I am a Christian, but one thing I really dislike is how by saying that these days is that it often is just looked at with a really blasé attitude which often comes with "So am I!" when asked more into it they say things like "I know there might be a God out there somewhere up in the clouds, I like the church buildings, I like singing with an organ or I went to church 2 and a bit years ago (I was completely bored out of my mind, I stared at the ceiling the whole time day dreaming about all the Christmas presents I'll be opening tomorrow) but I am still a Christian."


In my opinion you are either saved or not i.e. either a Christian or not, no 'ifs' and 'buts' in between. All I know is that Jesus died on the Cross for me and through him I have salvation. As ultimately that is the most important thing, and the thing that makes you a Christian is by knowing Christ and I am thrilled to say I know Jesus. I wish all "Christians" out there were saved and for those who aren't I will just have to pray that they do come to know the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal friend. As it rocks.


But thinking about this leads me to question, have I got it right? Are there other Christians out there who know that I have got it wrong? I know I am still a massive sinner and get a lot of stuff wrong, a lot of the time but I hope and pray that I have the fundamentals right. But by just questioning this simple belief it has cemented in my mind that I am saved, I do have a personal relationship with the living God and I have (for once) got this right, not through my own intellectual prowess but through God's amazing wisdom.


Really all I can do in the future when someone says "I am a Christian" and then says something that completely contradicts being a Christian is pray for them, as well as making it abundantly clear that I believe in Jesus and what the Bible teaches and ultimately we believe in 2 very different Gods (which isn't easy to say), But as long as I back it up with scripture then God willing I'm doing the right thing (I hope!)


Luke 11v23 He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me, scatters.


Mark 6v11 And if that place will not welcome you or listen to you, shake off the dust off your feet when you leave as testimony against them. 


David

A Blog?

This is my very first entry into what is my very first Blog, I have no idea how this is going to pan out. All I know is yesterday I prayed that the Lord would help me focus myself on him more and help me to have a bigger fire for him in living my life for him.


What did I find today? I randomly stumbled on Christian Blogs through the Google Reader App for my iPhone I randomly felt like downloading this morning. I then felt the compulsion to start a Blog and here I am. God is funny how he pushes me to do new things.


I want it to be clear this is not a 'New Years Resolution' as I think they are a load of rubbish really (no offence to you people who are still going to the gym for just over a week, good luck with the continuation of that!). If I put the New Years Resolution tag on this it is doomed to fail before February. However instead this Blog is here to give glory to my God, and I am hoping it will help me deeper reflect on God's word, what he is doing in my life and where he wants me to go in the future.


If you are reading this I hope you become encouraged as a fellow brother or sister in Christ and enjoy my very poor humour. Also if you do not know Jesus as your personal Lord and Saviour then I hope this provokes thoughts.


David