The office can be a busy place where everyone is hard at work delivering on results for the company. And you probably don't realise it, but the busiest person at work in the office is Jesus Christ; He's busy redeeming your office from the work of the enemy.
To say that the office can be a messed-up place is an understatement. A lot of stress, worry and fear can be born in the office. With all the pressures we face—quotas, salaries, office politics and the like—and sometimes the lack of passion to face them right, we actually give the enemy a foothold to take us off the track that God wants for us.
For many, work can actually be counter-productive, but that's not God's will for any of us. Deuteronomy 8:18 reminds us, "You shall remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your fathers, as it is this day" (ESV). God is the author of work and of livelihood, and He wants us to do things His way, not the way of the enemy. Here are three ways the enemy works in the office and how God wants to counter it.
Disunity. God's design and plan has always been to exist in harmonious relationships and in unity, but let's face it. There can be times when the last people we want to be friends with are our office mates. This is clearly the work of the enemy to try to keep us off God's fast track. I'm not saying your workmates are being used by the enemy, but He is trying to bring division.
Ephesians 4:1–3 says, "I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace" (ESV).
Anxiety. There can be a lot of things that can cause anxiety at work, and that's exactly what the enemy wants to use against you. When you start worrying about deliverables, money, schedules, time and so on, you lose track of the things that really matter.
But Jesus reminds us in Matthew 6:25, "'Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?'" (ESV).
Idleness. While some of us may be going too fast, there will also be those who might feel stuck. God doesn't want you idle. He wants you growing in your career and growing in your character, and He uses the workplace to do that. There is an enemy out to steal, kill and destroy your hopes and ambitions, but God wants you driven to excel in the workplace.
