Pathway to Victory

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Hey podcast listeners. Thanks for streaming today's podcast from Pathway to Victory and Dr. Robert Jeffress.

We're dedicated to bringing you bold biblical teaching that transforms your life and strengthens your walk with God.

And you can study God's word alongside Dr. Jeffress in person on the 2026 Pathway to Victory cruise to Alaska.

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Have you ever witnessed the breathtaking majesty.

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Of massive glaciers rising from crystal blue waters?

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Or stood in awe as bald eagles.

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Soar over snow capped mountain?

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I want you to experience these unforgettable moments with me on the Pathway to.

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Victory Cruise to Alaska, June 13th through 20th, 2026.

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Join Dr. Jeffress and the Pathway to Victory family for a spectacular seven-day adventure aboard Holland America's luxurious Koningsdam.

Indulge in elegant staterooms, world-class dining, and expansive decks perfect for breathtaking views.

Visit historic ports like Juneau, Skagway, and Ketchikan, where wilderness and frontier history await.

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There's something powerful about connecting with God.

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And fellow believers in the majesty of his untamed wilderness.

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I truly believe this journey will refresh.

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You spiritually, physically and emotionally.

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Cabins are filling quickly, so reserve yours today. To book your spot on the 2026 Pathway to Victory cruise to Alaska, call 888-280-6747 or go to ptv.org now here's today's podcast from Pathway to Victory.

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Hi, this is Robert Jeffress and I'm.

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Glad to study God's Word with you every day on this Bible teaching program.

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On today's edition of Pathway to Victory.

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How do you know what your vocation is? First of all, know the Biblical principle. Your job really is important to God.

Secondly, discover your desires. If God is calling you to a particular work, he'll give you a passion and the giftedness to do it.

But there's a third consideration, and that is exercise. Practicality.

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Welcome to Pathway to Victory with author and pastor Dr. Robert Jeffress.

After a grueling day on the job, you may wonder to yourself, do I really belong here? Or maybe you're content in your present vocation.

Today on Pathway to Victory, Dr. Robert Jeffress invites us to take a second look at our chosen profession and consider whether or not it's part of God's plan.

But first, let's take a minute to hear some important ministry updates.

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Thanks David, and welcome again to a brand new week of Bible teaching on Pathway to Victory. Let me begin with a question or two. Do you think God cares about your job? Do you think he has a plan for your career? Well, before today's program is over, I hope you can answer those questions with a resounding yes. Using Scripture as the foundation for my conviction, I intend to persuade you that God cares about your employment and wants nothing but the very best for you.

During the month of September, we've been talking about how to make wise decisions. Our subject today has to do with your occupation and, in particular, finding the perfect job. It's possible you're engaged in a job that you found frustrating, and you're wondering if God is nudging you to make a change. Let me give you a couple of suggestions for taking your next steps.

First, listen carefully to my message today and invite God's Spirit to speak to you through His Word. Second, get a CD copy of this sermon and listen to this study in its entirety. And then third, let me suggest that you get a copy of the book I've written that parallels this series. It's also called How to Make Wise Decisions. It'll equip you with the tools necessary to hear God's still small voice. My book is yours when you give a generous gift to support the ministry of Pathway to Victory. We'll give more details about these helpful resources later in the program.

Right now, let's turn our attention to God's Word and the subject at hand. I titled today's message Finding the Perfect Job.

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Now, when it comes to choosing a job, when it comes to discovering your calling in life, certainly we want to pray about it. Certainly we ought to seek wise counsel. But I want to suggest to you that there are three primary ways that God reveals your calling in life to you. Key number one, you've got to know the biblical principle. And the biblical principle is your work. Your job is important to God. Your job is important to God. I've discovered, ladies and gentlemen, that many Christians have a perverted view of work. And so today I want to share with you three erroneous views of work. And then what I believe is the biblical view of work. How God looks at your job.

First of all, there are some people who embrace the "work as our God" philosophy. Work as our God—now, this is the secular viewpoint that says we find our meaning and purpose in life through our job. Our job defines who we are, and so we pour all of our energy into our job. Well, some Christians reacting to that secular viewpoint have gone to another extreme, an extreme which perhaps many of you embrace. And that is the idea that work is our curse. Work is our curse. That is, our job, our work is really a judgment that has been passed down to us because of Adam's sin. By the way, that explains why a number of people end up leaving their jobs and going to seminary after having heard taught from the pulpit all of these years that the only thing that matters is winning people to Christ. The only thing that matters is ministry. Everything else is meaningless. People scratch their heads and they say, I don't want to spend the rest of my life doing that which is meaningless. That's the "work as a curse" viewpoint.

Now, through the years, clergymen got kind of smart about this. It suddenly dawned on them, if we keep telling our people that their jobs are absolutely meaningless and count for nothing, and if they all leave their secular jobs and go to the seminary, who's going to pay the bills? Who's going to keep working and tithing? Who's going to pay our salaries? And so they came up with this third viewpoint that you've heard many times, and that is "work as our platform." Work as our platform. Doug Sherman and William Hendricks, in their book, *Work Matters to God*, explain this viewpoint. It's the idea that your secular job as a banker or as a real estate agent or as a grocery store clerk, your job is meaningless except when it provides you an opportunity to be a witness for Christ.

Now, let's be clear. God does want us to be a witness for him and take advantage of any and every opportunity we have to share the gospel. But do we really want to say that 99% of our working life is meaningless to God? I think there's a more biblical viewpoint of work, and it's the one I want to share with you today. And that is, work is our calling. Work is our calling. If you don't hear another thing I say today, hear this. Your job, your work in and of itself has meaning to God. Work is not a curse. Work is part of God's plan for your life and my life.

Where do you get that in Scripture, Pastor? Turn back to Genesis chapter one for a moment. Now, this is all before the fall, okay? Before Adam and Eve sinned in the garden. And notice the purpose for which man was created. Genesis 1:26. Then God said, "Let us make man in our image according to our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the sky, over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." Verse 28. "And God blessed them. And God said to them, 'Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth, subdue it, and rule over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the sky, and over everything that moves on the earth.'" God created man to rule over the earth.

Now turn over to chapter two, verse eight. "And the Lord God planted a garden toward the east in Eden. And there he placed the man whom he had formed." What was he to do in that garden? Sit around and enjoy it? Well, that's part of it, but look at verse 15. "Then the Lord God took the man and put him into the Garden of Eden to cultivate it and to keep it." What I want you to see is you and I have been created to be workers. We have been created to be an extension of God's work here on earth.

Go back to Philippians 2:13 for a moment. It says, "For God is at work within you, giving you the power and the desire to accomplish his purpose." I gave you the Phillips paraphrase. God is at work within you, giving you the power and the desire to achieve his purpose. Now here's the $64,000 question. What is God's purpose in the world today? Well, that's easy, Pastor. He's trying to win people to Jesus Christ. He's trying to redeem humanity. That's true, but is that the only thing he's trying to do? How many of you would say, I think God is interested in justice in the world? Do you think God is interested in justice? Or another question. Is God interested in making sure people are fed in the world today? Of course he is. He's promised to do that. Is God interested in making sure you have something to wear? He certainly is. All of those are people God uses to accomplish his purpose.

We are very narrow-minded when we limit God's purpose to just evangelism and discipleship. God has many things he's accomplishing in the world today. Let's say there is a man who has served faithfully as a soldier in the armed forces and in the service to our country. He's lost a limb. He no longer can provide for his family. And so he depends upon the government to send money every month to provide for him and his family. One month, the check doesn't arrive. There's no way to provide groceries for himself or for his family. And so he prays to God, "God, please help this money to come. Please help it to come." Meanwhile, that guy up in Washington D.C. sits at his desk reading his Bible instead of doing his job. Because he bought into that concept that somehow his job is not important to God. All that matters is reading the Word.

What I want you to see this morning is your job, whatever it is, is a calling from God; all work is important. It's like A.W. Tozer said, "It's not what a man does that determines whether his work is sacred or secular. It's why he does it." If you want to know what your calling in life is, number one, first of all, know the principle. Your job is important to God. Secondly, discover your desires. If you want to know what God has called you to do, discover, learn what your desires are. Why? Again, Philippians 2:13. God is working in you, giving you both the power and the desire to accomplish his purpose.

A few years ago, my friend Bob Beal of Master Planning International introduced me to a concept called life work. Your life work, and I want you to write this down, can be simply defined as the work that is the best use of the rest of your life. My life work is that work which is the best use of the rest of my life. You see, people in their 20s, they basically are interested in survival. How can I make enough money to pay the rent, pay the bills, and that's okay. That's a normal stage. But when people tend to move to their 30s, they're more interested in success. That is, they've got the basics covered now. Now they want more money or they want a more prestigious position. Again, nothing wrong with that. That's part of the cycle. But when people enter into their 40s and early 50s, they move from survival and success to significance. That is, they want to know, how can I make a real and lasting difference in the world? Significance. And that's where life work comes in. What work? What job is really the best use of the rest of my life?

How can you discover what your life work is? Your God-given calling. I want to give you eight characteristics of your life work that will help you determine what it is God has called you to do. First of all, your life work will be something you feel passionate about. When you look around the world, what needs do you see that need to be met? If God is calling you to do something, he's going to give you a passion to do that.

Secondly, your life work will utilize your single greatest strength. It will utilize your single greatest strength. Again, God is working in you, not only giving you a desire to do something, but the power to do it. By the way, could you summarize your single greatest strength in one word? If you were to try to summarize your single greatest strength in one word, what would it be? Maybe it's communication, maybe it's organization. Maybe it's persuasion, maybe it's compassion for others. If God gives you a calling in life, he's going to give you the strength, the gift to do that. Know what your single greatest strength is?

Number three. If you found your life work, you love it. It's something you love doing. Now that doesn't mean you don't get frustrated at times doing your life work, but generally you're exhilarated by it. Number four, you never tire of it. Now again, that doesn't mean you don't get tired doing it. But there's a difference between getting tired and tiring of something. When you're doing your life work, even when you're, you know, just scraping bottom physically and strength-wise, you're still excited about it.

Number five. And double star this. Other people affirm you in it. When you are doing your life work, people will say to you things like, "You were born to do this," or "This job was just tailor-made for you." By the way, when you're not in your life work, people will say things like, "How can you stand doing that?" Others say, "You know, I don't think you're going to be doing this much longer." If you found your life work, other people will affirm you in it.

Number six. It is a good use of the rest of your life. It's a good use of the rest of your life. That is, it's a worthy cause that you can connect to the purpose of God in your life. Number seven. It maximizes your history. It maximizes your history. When Dick Halverson was appointed chaplain of the United States Senate at age 65, he said, "God has spent 65 years..."

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Preparing me for this position.

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See, look back. You could see how all of his experiences were working together to prepare him for that calling. It'll be the same way with you. When you discover your life work, you'll be able to see how God has orchestrated things in your life to give you the gifts you need and the experiences for that calling. And number eight, you will be at peace. You will be at peace. When you find your life work, you will think, this is me. This is what God has created me to do. There'll be a settledness in your heart.

How do you know what your vocation is? First of all, know the biblical principle. Your job really is important to God. Secondly, discover your desires. If God is calling you to a particular work, he'll give you a passion and the giftedness to do it. But there's a third consideration, and that is exercise. Practicality. Practicality. Does this make sense? You see, your job, your vocation is not only a way for you to connect to the purpose of God in the world, but your vocation is also a way for God to bring you the financial resources you need to take care of yourself and your family.

And that's why a very practical question for you is, can I make a living at this life work? Is it something I can make a living at that I can provide for myself and my family? By the way, it is for you to take care of yourself and your family financially first. Timothy 5:8 says, if any man does not provide for his own, especially those of his own household, he is worse than an unbeliever. He has denied the faith. God wants you to take care of your family. And the primary channel through which you will do that is the life work to which he has called you.

Now, seeing your calling, your life work is a primary way through which God provides for you financially. That has two implications. First of all, when given a choice, choose employment over unemployment. Choose employment over unemployment. Occasionally, somebody will come to me and say, well, Pastor, I think God's calling me to quit my job. I say, well, really, why do you feel that way? Well, I'm just so unhappy. I'm just so unpleasant. There has to be something better I can do. I'll say, well, fine. Do you have another job lined up? Well, no. The person will say, I don't have anything lined up. But I'm just trusting God. I just know he wouldn't want me to stay unfulfilled in the job I'm in. I say, wrong. Stay where you are until God opens another door. Because it's always better to choose employment over unemployment.

If God wants to provide for you financially, don't quit the job. Don't give up the blessing he has given you until you have found something else. It's a very practical consideration. It is easier to move from something to something else than it is to move from nothing to something else. So when you can choose employment over unemployment, number two, learn to differentiate between a hobby and a career. Differentiate between a hobby and a career.

When it comes to finding your life work, I'll go ahead and confess it. I watch Seinfeld sometimes on television. Okay, it's a funny show, but I know there's one episode in which the hapless George Costanza finds himself unemployed once again. So he's talking to his friend Jerry about, how am I going to find a job? What job should I go into? And so Jerry said, well, George, what do you enjoy doing? And George says, well, I like going to the movies. I like watching football games. And making insightful comments. Jerry said, well, that's good, but I'm not sure you can make a living doing that.

See, that's the difference between a hobby and a career. A hobby is simply something that interests you, but a life work is something that can provide you with an adequate income. For example, you may say, well, I enjoy fooling around with computers, I enjoy writing programs. That's great. But the question is, can you actually make a living doing that? Will it provide you with an adequate income? By the way, that's a key phrase. Adequate income. The amount of money you need to survive on changes throughout your lifetime. For example, some of you are 65 or 70. You have a pension already, you have Social Security, you have. You don't need that big of an income stream for the rest of your life. So you may feel free at this stage in your life to pursue a life work that doesn't provide as much income as you might have needed when you were 40 or 50 years of age. The key is, will this life work, will this vocation pay the bills?

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Now, let's see how all of this works together.

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The great New Testament scholar F.B. Meyer was one time sailing from England to Ireland. As the ship was about to enter into the port in Ireland, Dr. Meyer went up on the bridge, standing next to the captain, and he saw this confusing array of lights on the shore. He said to the captain, "How can you ever navigate the ship safely into the harbor with all of those lights?"

The captain said, "You see that light over here on the left?" Meyer said, "Yes." The captain continued, "See that other large light right in the middle?" Meyer replied, "Yes." The captain then pointed out, "And notice that other light over here on the right." Meyer acknowledged, "Yes." The captain said, "Now notice what happens." As the captain began to steer the ship, that light on the left suddenly and slowly moved until it became one with the light in the middle. Then, as he continued to turn the ship, those two lights that had become one turned and merged with that third light. The captain said, "When those three lights become one light, then I know I can move safely ahead."

F.B. Meyer said, "God has provided Christians with three lights for determining His will: the word of God, prayer, and desires. And when those three lights become one light, then we can move safely ahead."

I want to suggest to you today that when it comes to discovering your life work, God has actually given us four lights. If you're trying to determine your calling in life, consider light number one: my passion. What is it God has called me to do? What do I feel passionate about?

Light number two: my single greatest strength. What is it that God has gifted me to do?

Light number three: practical considerations. Most prominently, can this calling, can this job pay the bills?

And light number four: God's purpose. Does this calling, this vocation, line up with what God is trying to do in the world?

When those four lights come together and become one light, then you can know you have discovered your life work. In Colossians 3, the apostle Paul said, "Whatever work you do, do your work enthusiastically as unto the Lord, for it is the Lord Christ whom you serve."

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Maybe you're listening right now on your commute to or from your place of employment, or you're catching the program at home between Zoom calls. My sincere prayer is that God will use today's message to validate your significant role in the workplace. This is just one of the 10 topics I address in my book called *How to Make Wise Decisions*.

As I mentioned earlier, you're invited to request a copy today when you give a generous gift to support the ministry of Pathway to Victory. This teaching series concludes on Friday, and I want to make sure that you're among those who receive my book as a tangible expression of my thanks for your support. People often tell us that Pathway to Victory has become their companion while commuting to work, and it's your contributions that make this possible.

Elizabeth, who listens to our program in South Carolina, dropped me a note and said, "Pastor Jeffress, I listen to Pathway to Victory on my way home from work every day. Somehow you always seem to speak to what's going on in my life." Elizabeth described how she's learning to accept God's forgiveness and His willingness to grant her a second chance in life. These moments of spiritual transformation are made possible because people like you financially support Pathway to Victory.

So on behalf of Elizabeth and millions of others, thanks for catching the vision and investing generously in Pathway to Victory. Remember, when you give a generous gift today, I'll make sure you receive my book *How to Make Wise Decisions*. Here's David to tell you more.

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You're invited to request a copy of how to Make Wise Decisions when you give a generous gift of Pathway to Victory or when you make your first gift as a new Pathway partner. In this practical book, Dr. Jeffress explains how God makes His plan known to His children and how to act upon those plans.

Now, to request your copy of how to make wise decisions, call 866-999-2965 or visit ptv.org. When your gift is $75 or more, you'll also receive the complete CD and DVD teaching set for our current series, how to Make Wise Decisions. Call right now, 866-999-2965, or go online to ptv.org. If you'd prefer to send a check, write to P.O. Box 223609, Dallas, Texas 75222. That's P.O. Box 223609, Dallas, Texas 75222.

I'm David J. Mullins. You know, there are few things more frustrating than being on the phone and hearing "Please hold." Next time on Pathway to Victory, we'll discover how to respond when it feels like God has placed us on hold. Hear a message called "God's Thundering Silence." That's Tuesday on Pathway to Victory.

Pathway to Victory with Dr. Robert Jeffress comes from the pulpit of the First Baptist Church of Dallas, Texas. Witness God's glory on display in America's Last Frontier.

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Alaska's majestic wilderness showcases our Creator's handiwork like nowhere else on earth, and you're.

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Invited to experience it firsthand on the.

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2026 Pathway to Victory cruise to Alaska.

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Board Holland America's luxurious Koningsdam ship with Amy and me for a journey that.

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Will refresh your soul and renew your spirit.

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Experience the unforgettable adventure June 13 through 20. To book your cabin, call 888-280-6747 or go to ptv.org.

You made it to the end of today's podcast from Pathway to Victory, and we're so glad you're here. Pathway to Victory relies on the generosity of loyal listeners like you to make this podcast possible. One of the most impactful ways you can give is by becoming a Pathway Partner. Your monthly gift will empower Pathway to Victory to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ and help others become rooted more firmly in His Word.

To become a Pathway Partner, go to ptv.org/donate or follow the link in our show notes. We hope you've been blessed by today's podcast from Pathway to Victory.