Happy New Year and Happy New Decade!
As we step into a new year and a new decade, many organizations are closing their financial year, and employees are receiving performance evaluations through the appraisal process. For some, this season has come with the joy of promotions, new jobs, expanded assignments, bonuses, and fresh opportunities. To you, congratulations and may the Lord establish the work of your hands even more.
Yet I am also mindful of many others who may have ended the year feeling shortchanged, unfairly evaluated, overlooked for promotion, denied a salary increment, or passed over for recognition. If that is you, I want to encourage you today: what happened in one review cycle does not cancel God’s plan for your life.
Your current circumstance does not define your future.
Your appraisal is not your identity.
And man’s opinion does not override Heaven’s verdict.
No matter what the outcome looked like, it does not negate the fact that the Lord has a great plan for you in this season. This is a season to believe for more, to stand in faith for fruitfulness, and to trust God for a double portion because in Christ, we are standing on higher ground.
Why is this so?
To answer that, let us reflect on 2 Kings 2, the powerful account of Elijah and Elisha.
As Elijah was about to be taken to heaven, he asked Elisha to remain behind in Bethel. But Elisha refused. He was determined not to disconnect from the grace, assignment, and impartation available in that moment.
Bethel is significant. It was the place where Abram built an altar to the Lord, and also where God revealed Himself to Jacob. Bethel represents a place of encounter, revelation, and consecration.
Elijah and Elisha then continued on to Jericho, and once again Elijah asked Elisha to stay behind. Yet again, Elisha would hear none of it.
Jericho is also deeply symbolic. It is the place where the Israelites marched around the walls in obedience and praise, and the walls came down just as the Lord had promised. Jericho represents a place where faith, obedience, and praise bring breakthrough.
Finally, they arrived at Jordan, and for the third time Elijah asked Elisha to remain behind. But Elisha stood his ground.
Jordan was the place of crossing over where God made a way for His people to move into promise. Jordan represents transition, divine access, and the power of God to make a way where there seems to be none.
Three times, Elisha was given the opportunity to stop short.
Three times, he was invited to remain behind.
Three times, he chose to press on.
Eventually, Elijah asked him:
“Tell me, what can I do for you before I am taken from you?”
Elisha responded boldly:
“Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit.”
Elijah understood the weight of that request. He told Elisha that if he saw him being taken away, the request would be granted; if not, it would not.
Elisha remained attentive. He remained focused. He remained spiritually alert. And because he saw, he received.
He came back carrying a double portion.
How does this relate to our workplace?
This passage is deeply relevant to our lives in the marketplace.
Many of us are in seasons where we feel tested, delayed, or overlooked. We may be tempted to stop at Bethel, settle at Jericho, or remain at Jordan. We may be tempted to give up too soon, lower our expectations, or allow disappointment to define our outlook.
But like Elisha, we must refuse to remain behind.
We must keep moving with God through every stage of our journey:
- Bethel — where God reveals Himself and calls us deeper
- Jericho — where praise and obedience bring down barriers
- Jordan — where we cross into new territory by faith
The workplace is not separate from God’s purpose. It is one of the primary places where He desires to reveal His Kingdom, release His wisdom, and demonstrate His power through His people.
We are the temple of the Lord, and He desires to reveal His heart, His strategies, and His Kingdom agenda to us. All we need to do is call on His name, seek His face, and remain yielded to His leading.
So let me ask you:
- What would you like the Lord to do in your organization?
- What are you trusting Him for in your career, your business, your leadership, or your assignment?
- Are you willing to surrender fully to Him and receive His revealed strategies and ideas?
Because when we yield to God, He empowers us with insights that can catapult us into new levels of:
- Excellence
- Creativity
- Integrity
- Influence
- Fruitfulness
In the marketplace, revelation matters. Obedience matters even more.
I often say this:
You are only as effective as your last revelation, and at your best when you walk in obedience to it.
Do not let disappointment distract you
If you were overlooked for a promotion, denied a bonus, or disappointed by a performance review, guard your heart carefully.
Always give thanks to the Lord for where He has placed you to carry out His assignment. Refuse to fix your eyes on the person who may have negatively affected your promotion, bonus, or salary increment. Refuse bitterness. Refuse comparison. Refuse offense.
The Lord is not running out of options to bless you.
He is not limited by one manager, one system, one organization, or one decision.
He is not restricted by one closed door.
He is not surprised by what surprised you.
Learn to be thankful, and allow Him to work even the negative things together for your good.
The Lord is our Source
We must never forget this foundational truth:
The Lord is our Source; the job is only a resource.
No matter what happens in the workplace, God remains faithful. He is able to make a way for us where there seems to be no way. Just as nothing could stop Him from bringing the Israelites into the Promised Land, nothing can stop Him from bringing us into a place of fruitfulness in our workplaces.
What He starts, He finishes.
Philippians 1:6
“He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”
If God placed you there, He has purpose there.
If He assigned you there, He has provision there.
If He called you there, He will sustain you there.
Return empowered
Elisha came back carrying a double portion of Elijah’s anointing.
In the same way, I believe you are returning to your workplace empowered spiritually, mentally, emotionally, and physically — carrying fresh grace for the assignment ahead.
You are not returning empty.
You are not returning defeated.
You are not returning merely to survive.
You are returning with:
- A double portion of insight
- A double portion of courage
- A double portion of wisdom
- A double portion of resilience
- A double portion of Kingdom influence
You are returning to bring Heaven to earth in your workplace.
So make it your business this year to allow the Lord to be your all in all. Let Him be your source, your strategy, your strength, your covering, and your confidence. Do not settle.
Do not remain behind.
Do not stop short of what God has for you
Shallom