She knows she has a high call of God on her life. But her call is not to preach from behind a pulpit. Her call is to implement kingdom principles in her sphere of influence.
Fulfilling it has not always been an easy task. Diane paid a great price to stand for righteousness and integrity in the workplace.
While working as a controller for a large corporation, she discovered that someone had made false entries in the financial journals of the company. Diane tried to deal with the situation but was told by the CFO that she had to “cook the books.”
After refusing to cooperate with the scheme, she was fired. As hard as it was for Diane personally, the Lord strengthened her, and one day, her supervisor at the company, the divisional vice president, came to her with tears in his eyes. He had watched how she conducted herself at work during that devastating time. Now he wanted her to know that her example was instrumental in his receiving Jesus as his Savior.
Diane, along with other professional women, is courageous in her calling. She embraces a biblical worldview and understands that God can give her a strategy for success in the place where she works.
Women in the marketplace often contend with a number of difficulties. Some face lack of promotion, sexual harassment or other challenges simply because they are women. Yet these professionals are making godly decisions as a result of their understanding of the call of God on their lives.
Willing to Take Risks God is also raising up women in the marketplace who are risk-takers. These women are willing to step out of their comfort zones and do what few women are willing to do.
My friend Dr. Betsy Neuenschwander went through medical school when few women were being educated to become doctors. To be accepted in her field, she felt she had to work harder, make higher scores on her exams and curry the favor of her professors.
But Betsy did not allow those obstacles to stop her from pursuing her career. She realized the Lord was preparing her to help transform nations. She knew she had a God-given destiny to fulfill.
To be a risk-taker, a woman must be willing to face the unknown. She has to deal with the fears designed to hinder her from her destiny.
Fear was a major stronghold in my own life when I was young. Name a fear, I had it!
But after I became an adult, I attended a meeting in which a woman spoke on the fear of the Lord. She made a statement that changed my life forever. “You will never walk in the fear of the Lord until you lose the fear of man,” she declared.
At that moment I realized for the first time in my life that I was consumed by the fear of man. Revelation opened my heart to realize that I had spent my life trying to please people more than trying to please God.
Immediately, I fell on my face and cried out to the Lord. “Forgive me,” I wept. “Help me to want to please You more than I want to please people.”
Walking out that commitment to the Lord has not been easy for me. In the early days of fulfilling my call, it was difficult for me to speak to more than three people at a time. I could not get a sound out of my mouth.
Clinging to my commitment to the Lord, I would sense the gentle nudging of the Holy Spirit: “Is this the fear of the Lord or the fear of man?” I had to make a choice. “I choose the fear of the Lord,” I would reply.
I had to run into my fear rather than running from my fear. I could not reach my destiny and do what I am called to do if I still had fear in my life.
Today, traveling to the nations and often speaking to several thousand people, I never experience fear. In fact, it is hard for me to remember I was fearful at one time. I am one of the boldest women around!
God is faithful to deliver us from all our fears (see Ps. 34:4). He wants His women to be all He created them to be.
Often women business owners and employees in the marketplace are fearful about expressing their faith at work. They are not sure what they can legally say and do.
Getting legal counsel can help business owners remain safe. An article appeared in Fortune Small Business magazine several months ago, in which Ellyn Spragins described the “dos and don’ts” for business owners regarding the application of their faith in the work environment:
“Civil rights legislation bars employers from making any employment decision based on religion, but it covers only firms with 15 or more employees. Smaller companies are free to use religion as a reason to hire, fire, or promote an employee—as long as they’re not located in a state whose laws cover smaller businesses.…Smart business owners know the law and find ways to make employees of all faiths—or none—feel welcome at their companies.”
