Pastor's Introduction:

Being filled with the Holy Spirit is not everything, it solves a problem of spiritual capacity. It cannot replace reading God's Word, nor can reading God's Word replace being filled with the Holy Spirit. Reading God's Word cannot replace studying mathematics; you must study many subjects to get into university. We must understand the above principle. Some people mistakenly believe that Christians will have blessings falling from the sky after believing in the Lord. Indeed, things do fall from the sky, but the Bible speaks of blessings, not pies. At best, pies merely satisfy hunger, but blessings are very important to people.

In the Bible, it says that when you diligently obey the way of God, blessings will come upon what your hands do. This is actually common sense, but I have found that many Christians lack common sense, which is fatal! Failing exams miserably is unacceptable. If you believe in the Lord well, break free from spiritual bondage, and study and work diligently, you will make progress. Be a competent person, sowing and reaping well in your responsibilities. Do not be an impractical Christian, which is not only fatal but also ridiculous. Many brothers and sisters in our church have had their resumes personally revised by me, and I thank God for helping them rewrite their resumes, which also helps them understand their career directions. If a person comes to believe in the Lord without a sense of direction, they will fall into religiosity, which is the spirit of religion. It is one of the most formidable spirits of the dragon. Today, we are discussing the topic: Having a Clear Career Direction and Goal.

Let us lay the groundwork for this today. If the church does not address life's problems such as career planning, learning, work, marriage, and relationships, what is the church for? Does the church only read the Bible? In fact, careful reading of the Bible reveals that it is very practical in many places, such as who's ox gored whose field and how to compensate. Our God is a practical God, and the blessings in the Bible are also very practical. This will not only make us the head and not the tail, but also bless your kneading bowl, the land you sow, and the offspring of your livestock. But in the current Christian mindset, if someone's livestock gives birth, they would dismissively say that it's just a piglet, nothing special. But they do not know that this is God's blessing to them. Our work is the same; God wants to bless our work, but we must first diligently obey the way of God. By doing so, you also prove that you are living a real life.

Brother WC (Host): Now let's start our Chatting Trio. Let's explore a few aspects:

Statement 1: I want to do what interests me

Sister KX: Recently, I have encountered many naughty children at work, which has caused many difficulties, leading me to doubt whether this job is right for me. Although I know that this job is given to me by God, I become irritable and think about whether this job is suitable for me when encountering troubles. Am I suitable to be a teacher? Following this line of thinking, I started to overthink: Should I pursue a degree or change careers? What do I really like? Some time ago, I was interested in design and thought about studying it. After a while, it changed again. My mind always makes judgments based on my current interests, and in the end, there are no results.

Pastor: Some time ago, Sister KR came to me, feeling that being a kindergarten teacher was not her interest. She had worked very hard to find this teacher's job after graduating from a private school. After working for a year, she told me that this was not her interest. I am very clear about one thing: Interest has killed many people! It is very painful for a person to do something without interest but must do.

Before, a polytechnic student told me that he liked multimedia, so I asked him to create a multimedia project for me to see. After six months, he said that he was no longer interested in multimedia. Why? Because he found it very difficult to actually do it. What is the difference between having interest and not having interest? We should explore and understand this more deeply. Interest is actually a lie. He was interested in multimedia six months ago because he did not understand it. Six months later, he lost interest because he understood multimedia. Many people are confident about making blockbusters, but they do not know the many sacrifices behind it.

If you let someone who likes to paint make a living by selling paintings, it is difficult to persist to the end because they find that their paintings cannot be sold. Interest seems to reasonably delay people. Some people in their forties or fifties still have not found their true interest. Isn't it painful to spend a lifetime doing things you are not interested in? Not loving to study as a student, not liking to work when working, spending a lifetime as an unhappy person.

Brother WC: The book Winning by Turning the Tide begins with a description of a person's life: getting by, going with the flow, being busy all day, achieving nothing, staying in the same place; being irritable in life, unable to find fun, unable to find achievement.

Pastor: Many people live in this state. The church helps people reverse this state. In the future, the church will have various ministries to empower various talents. When we clarify these ministries, people will live prosperously.

Brother WC: Interest is actually very similar to faith. Is interest a decision? Or is it an external feeling? Sister KX is good at singing, can you share with us your most boring experience when practicing singing?

Sister KX: The most boring time when I practice singing is when I practice vocalization. When singing high notes, the teacher uses various methods to train: pushing a piano with the stomach, squatting while lifting a stool; when I still can't reach the high note, the teacher asks me to tie all my hair up and hold it on top of my head. When I can't reach a high note, she pulls my hair up. This is the most painful time I have when practicing singing.

Pastor: This phenomenon proves one thing: Does KX really like to sing? Experiencing this kind of pain when training in singing illustrates a principle: Farmers sow in the spring in exchange for the harvest in the fall. If you don't sow in the spring, you will reap weeds in the fall. If you only rejoice in the harvest scene in the fall but are unwilling to sow and weed, you will definitely have no harvest in the fall. That is to say, the farmer experiences such hardship, and the joy of harvesting in the fall immediately replaces the past hardship. When we sow, we can sow with joy or with complaint. You sow with joy because you tell yourself that there will be a harvest in the fall, and you have a kind of hope in your heart.

Brother WC: Sister KX, is it possible to still have joy in that kind of painful singing practice?

Sister KX: It is possible, because I have liked singing since I was a child. It may be painful when training, but when I can really sing that high note, I feel very happy!

Pastor: Everyone must pay attention to the fact that interest is deceptive. What is true interest? Someone finds it uninteresting to solve math problems, but someone is fascinated by solving problems. Because they have an understanding of the mysteries inside, they discover the wonderful connections inside. There are champions in every walk of life, and every walk has its wonders. If you are led by interest, it is easy to accomplish nothing because you can easily lose interest after doing it for a while. The most fatal thing is falling in love. Everything is good at first glance, but the more you look, the worse it gets. What do you do? You are very happy and excited when you get married, and you love each other very much, but later you feel nothing. The worst thing is that you develop feelings for other people of the opposite sex, which will be particularly painful and tangled. So many times, feelings are not accurate!

People cannot do anything well by relying on feelings and interests. Some books on career planning suggest paying attention to their interests and hobbies. I personally disagree with this concept. The goal of career planning should be to set a good goal, overcome all kinds of difficulties, open roads through mountains, build bridges over water, and that's how we pass university entrance exams. When you have an inner understanding of something, and then you say you are interested, this kind of interest is more practical. In fact, if you master the internal connections of every thing, you will find it very wonderful, and you will also develop interest.

Statement 2: Career Prospects

Brother WC: Many people consider changing jobs because they feel that the current company's prospects and professional field prospects are not optimistic. Many people also change many industries in ten years. The first year is good, but in the third year, they may encounter problems, and they will examine whether their personality is more suitable for another major. After changing to another major for a year, they find three years later that their personality is suitable for another major. This cycle repeats and returns to the starting point. This is a very common phenomenon. Everyone makes future career judgments based on objective conditions such as the company's development prospects. The pastor has held many different positions and has a lot of say. In Singapore, he started as a customer service representative.

Pastor: There is a saying in success studies: Doing your current job well is the key to your success! That is a personality that does things well. I can boast that I used to be a customer service representative and was later promoted to manager to manage twenty or thirty employees. One day, I received a call from a supervisor at my work unit. He asked me to help him solve a problem. After I solved it for a few days, he realized that I was no longer a customer service representative and felt very embarrassed. In fact, no matter what you do, as long as you have an attitude of solving problems, rather than thinking this is not my responsibility, this is not a problem. When I go to some cooperative customer service companies to understand things, I hate hearing: This is not the responsibility of our department. Can we use our brains in the future to help solve the problems encountered by others. Once you have such a personality that does things well, money and work will chase you.

Brother WC: Sister KX just mentioned one point: she feels that her irritable personality is not suitable for the profession of early childhood education.

Pastor: We must know that personality is our greatest asset. In the Bible, there is a person named Joseph. Joseph is a very characteristic person. He did his best when he was a slave. He didn't think that his life would be ruined by being a slave. He went from the smallest slave to the biggest slave, and the owner handed over all the affairs of the house to him. Do you think he is really suitable to be a slave? Later, he was thrown into prison again, where he did his best among the prisoners. No one would say that I am interested in being a prisoner. This person's character shaped him to eventually become the prime minister of Egypt.

If a person's personality makes them complain that they cannot do this well, this is one of the worst personalities. I encourage everyone to start dealing with this strange thing in themselves, so that the personality inside you can be shaped, and you will definitely be very promising!

Statement 3: Your Existing Capital

Pastor: We have a nurse inside who later learned accounting. I personally think that she can't even do a good job as a nurse, and she can't do a very good job in other things either. In fact, it's useless if anything is done badly. I think it would be very promising to do the best job even cleaning toilets. I have a polytechnic friend who started a cleaning company in his 20s and later made a lot of money, earning his first pot of gold and then buying a detached house.

A person's entire career development is not based on interest, nor is it based on career prospects, but it must be based on one thing: the existing resources in your hands. For example, you have already studied nursing for three years, which is your capital. There will be a big difference between studying and not studying for these three years. When I write resumes for others, the first thing is my career development direction. If you don't have a direction, it will be troublesome. If you meet me for an interview, and I ask you what kind of jobs you have been looking for recently? If you tell me that you are looking for any job, the interview will basically fail. Looking for any job as long as you can make money. This is not the characteristic of a talent. A person's maturity represents a person's direction, but it is definitely not interest.

Brother WC: Many times we underestimate our resources. Sister KX feels that singing cannot be used as a career, because after the Sichuan Conservatory of Music produced Li Yuchun, the family's view is that there can be no more singers. In fact, in terms of reading music, I (WC) estimate that I am not as fast as KX, and my singing skills are not as good as hers.

Pastor: From this, it can be seen that KX's mother's concept of her daughter's career planning is very vague. If she goes back to that time to make a decision, she should learn to examine what capital she has. If I sing well and don't study well, I will put more experience in singing and develop in this direction. Although only a few stars have emerged, the others have not starved. Whether it's singing or other skills, making a living is a very simple thing. Many people equate loving to sing with being a star to make a living, but that's not the case. He made wrong thinking and choices from that time, which affected the maximization of his capital.

KX is now a kindergarten teacher and is currently confused about whether she should pursue singing or continue as a kindergarten teacher. This presents two possible paths. Later, she discovered her passion for drawing and doodling, adding a third direction. At twenty, you have three paths; at thirty, ten; and by fifty, a hundred. How can one possibly navigate life like this?

Jack Ma once said, Modern individuals need a skill, and they need to dig deep, very deep. One should be one kilometer wide and one kilometer deep, but many people today are one kilometer wide and only one inch deep. This demonstrates a wide range of interests, knowing a little about everything, but with only an inch of depth, rendering you useless.

If KX needs to re-plan, how should she proceed? For example, if I want to take a plane to both Russia and Melbourne, what do I do? It is impossible to go halfway. Flying back and forth like that would likely result in landing at Beijing Airport (the starting point). There are many examples like this. Therefore, in life, one can only walk one path to maximize capital and returns. In this chaotic era, there are many distractions. I only care about the process, not the result. If you don't care about the result, what are you doing? If I plant a tree and don't care if it bears fruit, or if I date a hundred people and never marry, what is the point? Such things are hurtful, physically and emotionally damaging. What is the significance of doing this?

Ultimately, are you a goal-oriented person? Your goal determines what you do and what you don't do. Therefore, the second rule of success is knowing what not to do. If you don't know what not to do, you end up being one kilometer wide and only one inch deep. A knife can cut because it is sharp; if it is dull, it becomes useless. Therefore, everything needs to be sharp and constantly honed.

Brother WC: Speaking of honing, our work requires full dedication and setting aside 20% or more of our free time for self-management. Career planning also involves continuously improving oneself at work. KX, what have you learned at work this past month?

Sister KX: This past month, I learned many lessons dealing with one particular child. Initially, he wouldn't listen to me, and many methods didn't work. He was hitting and grabbing people, and I tried to contact his mother. My initial thought was that if I bothered her enough, she would recognize her son's problem and address it. However, after the third call, I realized nothing was being resolved. Later, I asked my mentor, who advised me not to call the mother anymore, as she would instinctively feel it was a complaint about her child's behavior. He also suggested that I record the child's daily actions and discuss them with the parents during parent-teacher conferences.

In career planning, we must clearly understand that character is our most valuable asset. When helping someone write a resume, the first line should be the career development direction, and the second paragraph should be my accomplishments. Why put accomplishments there? Because they reflect your character. When working, you should have a clear understanding of what you are doing. The achievements you accumulate reflect your character and values. Therefore, have a sense of direction and know what you are doing. Why has my career development been so good and fast? Most importantly, it is God's grace and blessing. On another level, I clearly know what I am doing every day. I am doing something every day to enhance my value.

Like KX, who is a kindergarten teacher with limited choices, can you refine your character in your current role? I want to be the best kindergarten teacher, researching how to manage and teach naughty children. Although the boss may not give you this specific task, you can diligently record, research, and develop new skills. Many people have a lot of experience; you must transform this experience into your own and implement it. I believe that in future interviews, you can highlight your character in your work. Even if you switch to another job, you can still do well because you can identify and improve work projects in the process.

In life, one must accumulate many highlights, which are achievements. Next are skills, knowledge, and experience. Experience solves a small problem, while achievement solves a large problem. Once these concepts are established, there is no strong connection between career planning and interest. It is a sense of direction and confidence. There may be a question: Will I be successful in the future? We must believe in faith that we will be successful and reap rewards. If you accumulate something to a certain degree, it will become gold. Don't get stuck on which one to do; instead, do everything well. I think KX's path ahead will involve many practical manifestations of character in her work.

Being able to persist in doing something is a sign of faith. The entire Book of Genesis is about faith, creating something from nothing, seeing what is unseen. The iPhone you hold today did not exist before, but it existed in Steve Jobs' faith. The Taobao and Alibaba I use today did not exist a dozen years ago, but they existed in Jack Ma's faith. Therefore, a person with faith can make things materialize from nothing, and a person with faith can make things happen.

Faith is a choice. When we choose to believe, things will be accomplished. You will find that believing in the Lord is a very real thing. There is a Chinese saying: Believe and it will be; don't believe and it won't be. People who believe that things will happen will accomplish them, while those without faith can do nothing. When I was young, I was deeply inspired by the story of the Foolish Old Man Who Removed the Mountains. He wanted to remove the two large mountains in front of him, so he dug every day with a shovel. Some people laughed at him and sarcastically asked when his wish would be fulfilled. The Foolish Old Man replied, If I don't finish digging, my descendants can continue to do it. But in the end, his descendants didn't have the opportunity because the Foolish Old Man's actions moved God, who sent two angels to move the two mountains away. The Foolish Old Man had the faith to dig, doing one thing at a time. This is the Foolish Old Man's character. When you have this kind of character, God will send angels to help us.

Sister AL: Pastor, I did one thing but became interested in other things. I liked dancing when I was young, then I became interested in singing, but when I actually sang, I lost interest. What's going on?

Pastor: The biggest difference between me and AL is that I like whatever I do. When we reach fifty, we will see the results of one's choices. People who came to Singapore at the same time as me did various things: real estate, studying abroad, immigration, etc. However, due to policies and many other reasons, what they did was always abandoned halfway; they worked hard all their lives, which is a state of following the crowd. When we understand that we will encounter difficulties in doing anything, the key to overcoming them is faith. I believe I can do it and can do it well, breaking through every bottleneck.

Brother WC: Is liking something a kind of faith?

Pastor: No, it's ignorance. Because you will find that they like it when they haven't done that thing. People should like what they do, and I will not flinch even when I encounter difficulties. This is a manifestation of a person with faith.

The Christian faith is talking about faith, so I will always convey faith in my sermons. When I pass it on, people will find their problems become smaller. The relationship between faith and problems is relative. If your faith is great, the problem will become small. If you have faith, you can persevere. Everyone should develop a habit of practicing faith in this process.

From a spiritual point of view, why are people interested in other things when they are doing one thing? I tell you that is the corrupting work of evil spirits. It will produce many strange feelings inside. If you can't resist it, you will be corrupted. Understand that faith helps us resist all this corruption and achieve the future. Which successful company does not encounter difficulties? Alibaba and Apple all have difficulties, but they will open roads through mountains and build bridges over water with faith.

Sister KX: Pastor, I used to play the violin for ten years, but there always seemed to be obstacles. Some people would say that the sound I made was like playing the erhu. But that wasn't what I initially heard. Later, when I made mistakes on stage, I began to doubt whether it really sounded like the erhu. Then my hand became stiff and couldn't coordinate with the chords, which made me doubt my ability even more. Many reasons weakened my confidence. That experience led me to learn other instruments. After coming to Singapore, I learned the flute, and after learning it well, I stopped again for some reason.

Pastor: I have worked in education for many years, and I have a certain depth of understanding of people's habits of going to school and studying. Does a person have a strong mind? No matter what, I will not stop this thing. For example, I have believed in the Lord for more than 20 years without stopping. It's not that I don't have difficulties, really a lot of difficulties come to hinder me. I went to the local group at that time, and I really didn't know what the group leader was talking about at that time, but I was still able to persevere in participating. Although I am quite good at speaking, I rarely dominate.

So whether we can persevere in doing one thing is a character. For example, my son learns to paint, I don't care whether he has an exam tomorrow or other reasons, he has to go to painting class every Sunday, rain or shine, and he will stop at the appropriate time. Many people stop doing things because of environmental changes. If people have conditions and reasons, things are easily stopped. For example, if a child is painting and the ink accidentally drips on the paper, he will throw away the drawing paper. But a true painter will teach the child to turn that flaw into a stone and continue to teach the child to complete the entire painting. What kind of habit is formed is important to a person's life. Overcoming difficulties is a determination, it is a response of faith.

Sister KX: When I was in junior high school, I had to play the violin no matter what, and I had to perform dancing. When I made some small achievements, there was a situation, and I was forced to stop.

Pastor: KX, this is a spiritual problem. Believing in the Lord not only solves the problems of the logical system, but it can also overcome the problems of spiritual control. If a person is spiritually controlled, even if I talk about these applications to that person, there will be no effect. This is the operation of the dark forces in the spiritual realm on us, so believing in the Lord is also breaking the curse. There is a kind of curse: I don't want to do this, but I do it. The Bible mentions this: For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. (See Romans 7:19) That's because there is something else doing it in you. Our flesh is like a car. If we change drivers as soon as we drive, the driving methods and routes will be different. What we do is to drive the wild driver out!

One of the reasons why I feel wonderful as a pastor today is exorcism. When you cast out this kind of ghost, the strange habits on people disappear. In fact, a person's life has spiritual control, and even if you do career planning, it is not very useful. So believing in the Lord must grasp the core of what the Bible says and live it out in practice.

Sister AL: What the pastor just said about throwing away the paper because of a stain on the painting gave me an inspiration: the paper can be thrown away, but our lives cannot be constantly thrown away and started over, so we must keep looking forward and do things boldly; don't be afraid of making mistakes, as long as we keep moving forward, it's all good!