WHEN A MAN’S JOB CLOSES THE GATES OF HEAVEN AGAINST OTHERS AND HIMSELF

There are some jobs that not only expose you to committing sins, but also put you in sin. There are jobs that require you compromising (no matter how little) before you can get things done. While in others, you do not have to directly compromise, but what you stand for, market, produce, or promote may be the reason others are missing Heaven and going to hell. What is happening is that your job is closing the gates of Heaven against others and yourself.

Children of God who find themselves in such situations usually give the excuse that they have no option than remain there because according to them that is their source of “daily bread”. But this is not correct.

Firstly, the Bible teaches us that God and not salary/stipend/remuneration is the source of our daily bread. “Give us this day our daily bread” (Matthew 6:11). God is Jehovah Jireh and not “Jehovah-Salary.” He promises to supply the needs of His children not according to their monthly salaries or daily income, but “according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19). We learn as believers to trust God for our upkeep.

Any job that you have to acquire or maintain by sinning and compromise will only earn you “rewards of iniquity” (Acts 1:18), and these become traps on a man’s way to Heaven. Salvation may be free, but Heaven certainly will cost something. For a man, Jesus told him, “If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in Heaven: and come and follow me.” (Matthew 19:21). This is the cost of being a true disciple. Today, there are many multitudes in church, many fans of preachers and churches, and less true followers and disciples of Jesus.

Jesus raised an issue with that man: One, if he wants to be perfect; Two, if he wants to have treasure in Heaven; Three, if he wants to follow Him as a disciple…then, he must let go! Jesus said: “Be ye therefore perfect, as your Heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48); “Lay up treasures for yourselves in Heaven” (Matthew 6:20a); “Follow me” (Matthew 4:19a). It is clear that everything He told that man was real, but the man went away because he could not consider letting go of things that meant so much to Him (but meant nothing to Heaven). The man walked away from eternal life.

There are certain businesses that believers must not engage or transact in. Some include:

-         Sale of alcohol or cigarette whether wholesale, retail or at the point of consumption. A believer must not promote in any way, by advert or collaboration, the sale or marketing of alcohol and cigarette

-         The sale of made in hell attires or commodities such as pornographic posters or tapes, ungoldly and harlotry dresses and materials, etc. Trading in these and other similar ones is tantamount to being a registered marketer for the devil in disbursing hell commodities around.

-         Also included is the movie and music industry. How will you say you are a believer and you are at ease and comfortable in a movie industry where you take up roles involving nude and pornographic scenes and other forms of immorality? It is like letting a so-called daily bread take you to hell. How can you be a sponsor of a movie or project with undertone of immorality? As a photographer, how can you be a believer and see nothing wrong taking nude pictures? You may say you are not the one naked, but you are definitely a part of the process of conspiracy onto promoting the works of the devil. If you have truly yielded to Christ and committed to making Heaven, you will not accept sponsorship by an alcohol or tobacco company…No, you will not. The list is endless beloved.

Secondly, when your job is that of compromise, having to lie always to get things done, among other iniquity, yet you say because of your daily bread you have to continue there, you indeed have to face an eternal reality: WILL YOU ALLOW YOUR DAILY BREAD TAKE YOU TO HELL?

The love of money is the reason why many believers try to put up defence while they work in certain places that are unpleasing to God and a disadvantage to eternity. Consider this: if a man who takes alcohol will go to hell, what then would be the reward of the person who produced the alcohol or the person who sold it to him? The truth is that you cannot shut the doors of Heaven against another person and send that person to hell then you think you are heading to Heaven and you expect God to open the same gates of Heaven to you. “It is impossible but that offences will come: but woe unto him through whom they come!” (Luke 17:1). Since it is sinful to smoke and take alcohol, it is also wrongful and sinful to make, promote/market or sell these things. Since it is sinful to wear ungodly/lustful garments and attires, it is also wrongful to sell them. It is like causing others to stumble. Both the buyers and sellers will be judged alike by God.

There are times it becomes clear that you cannot remain in that business/organisation/job and serve God committedly and in holiness; such are the times it becomes eternally necessary to move in order to remain acceptable and in the will  of God.

May no job deny us Heaven! May what we sell/market/produce/invent…may our so-called daily bread not stand between us and Heaven in Jesus’ name. Now is the time to get things right. Maranatha.