Today on MoneyLife

MoneyLife host Chuck Bentley opens today's program by telling you that in tough economic times, you want to protect your job and your home. With those two things, you can ride out almost any storm.

Chuck reminds you that he's called for a time of prayer and fasting for our nation's leaders adn economy. You can visit a special blog for more details.

The root cause of of our economic crisis is greed, a consumptive lifestyle, that violates God’s principles. We are living beyond our means. Change must come from the grassroots level, government won’t do it, nor the next President. We, as believers, have to turn to the Lord and start living according to His financial principles.

After the break, Chuck introduces Fred Yetka, President of the Yetka Management Group in Cleveland, Ohio. The firm provides leadership continuity for business owners, career continuity for individuals, making sure business owners have the right people at the right places at the right time.

Fred shares with you how God lead him to this work, noting that Christians have as many career issues as anyone else, and he wanted to help them.

Fred says employers are looking for people they can trust, people with creativity and imagination who can solve problems. You can increase your employer's trust in you by showing an understanding of the company's strategic plan and where you fit into it.

Chuck says imagination is the Lord sharing a little bit of His divine nature with us. Fred says we should bring our God-given creativity to problem solving. Solving problems keeps you employed – that’s why an employer pays you.

The key is bringing God’s creativity to solving problems instead of relying on ourselves. It's frustrating when an employer won’t listen to your ideas, but an employee’s role is to present them anyway.

There are practical ways to increase your value to your employer:

• Understand yourself
• Make sure you’re using your talents in the marketplace
• Do your best in whatever you do
• If you’re not able to use your talents and be your best, talk with your employer about a new position that would help your employer address a problem they’re having
• See Career Direct

After the break, Fred Yetka says he's seen people successful in discussing a new job with their employer and employees who determined they needed to leave their employer to pursue something else.

Fred says successful strategies to find a new job quickly in a global market where you have to compete with people from other countries, include understanding who you are, and being able to communicate that with conviction, being assertive.

To get to the top of a prospective employer's list, you must understand how you are distinct from others seeking the job. You must know your branding. Branding is your distinctiveness in the market place and it focuses on what you do best.

Should you keep your faith to yourself? Market yourself in accordance with what your employer is looking for, focusing on your strengths and abilities. Don’t change who you are.

First steps if think you may be unemployed soon:

• Develop a plan based on your skills and past experiences
• Put it on paper
• Be able to talk about it
• Look at where you could be utilized in the market place
• Be strategic
• Identify people who can help you

Fred says he’s worked with a number of people who were unhappy with their careers who started looking at how God made them and found how they could use their skills in other work. See Career Direct.

In the final segment, Chuck shares some thoughts:

• Always two sides to any financial problem
• Look at what you can do offensively and defensively
• Unemployment is on the rise but most people are working
• Companies are still hiring qualified, skilled employees
• Stocks are down but that offers a great opportunity for those who want to invest
• Even if you lose all your money, as a Christian you wouldn’t lose everything
• You wouldn’t lose God and He is everything
• Money and credit are tight right now
• Many people said during the Great Depression that there family relations were the best they had ever been
• People lived simpler, interacted more, made the best of it
• Job security is shaky, but this is a time you can shine
• You can demonstrate a servant’s heart, that you’re a problem solver
• Distinguish yourself at a time when you didn’t think you had value to your employer
• To every problem, there is a solution
• See Deuteronomy 31:6

Employment

More than 80 percent of Americans are discontent with their jobs – most have no consistent sense of fulfillment.

• Read More

Choosing the Right Vocation

In choosing a vocation, Christians must weigh their priorities very carefully. When people are out of God’s priorities, they are out of His will.

• Read More

Working Smart

Being successful is not about how hard you work – it’s about how smart you work.

• Read More

Reshaping the Work World

Two key characteristics describe workers who should be able to thrive in the rapidly changing work world: focus and versatility.

• Read More

Other Resources:

• ABCs of Money Package
• Career Direct
• God's Principles for Operating a Business
• Business By the Book
• Crown Mvelopes