Perhaps you already know how comfortable it feels to be content in your work. If you continue to meet your work objectives, you can expect to receive a paycheck each month. You can do what your employer asks of you, and you could continue doing that as long as necessary. But even in a place of comfort and contentment there are two questions that you need to ask:
Am I called to do this job?
Is there something else I should be doing?
A God-designed Vocation
Consider that your job is a God-designed calling. God does not call all people to be vocational ministers and missionaries. He calls people from all walks of life into many different career paths. There are way too many people scattered throughout the world for Him to work only through a select few vocations. There are many people you encounter on a daily basis whom ministers and missionaries may never encounter.
A God-designed call in your vocation means that you know God has placed you in your work environment for specific purposes. Those purposes may vary from person to person, but your purpose will be specific to your life need and God's plan. Some people are placed in their work environment because their skills or gifts fit the employer's need. Others are placed because God is providing a family's need for health insurance. Some are placed because God needs a Christian influence in a non-Christian work environment. Others are placed because they need to be mentored by those in leadership over them.
A God-designed Nudge
There are many reasons why God leads people to specific places of employment, but there are many people who refuse to listen when it is clearly time to seek employment elsewhere. When people are content in their employment, they may turn a deaf ear to the nudge from God to investigate employment options and to see what God is doing in their lives.
Along with contentment, fear is often a hindrance. Some who are restless in their current places of employment are afraid to seek employment elsewhere. Some remember how difficult it was to get a job and don't want the hassle of going through the rejections and job searching when they could continue to sit comfortably right where they are.
A God-designed Word
Now let's consider that there is something else that you should be doing. How will you know what you are supposed to be doing? As in all areas of your life, God is not silent when it comes to your vocation. God speaks to you today in various ways. He speaks through His Word, through the Holy Spirit, through wise counsel of godly influences in your life, and through your life experiences. As you consider what you need to be doing vocationally, God will offer His advice to you in one or more of these avenues.
Often you will know that it is time to consider a change in your employment when you begin to sense a restlessness in your heart. If you have accomplished as much as you think is possible in your present position and still desire to do more, perhaps you are ready for a new challenge. If a job opportunity is presented out of the blue, perhaps it is an opportunity for you to investigate.
A God-designed Assignment
I once heard a professional say that he never closed any doors without investigating. Often, logic tries to drive your decisions about possible careers, but not all God-given assignments are logical. Is it logical to change jobs and accept a lower salary? No, but sometimes it is the right thing to do. The monetary pull of a potential job offer should not be the deal maker or breaker.
Saying no to a possible job opportunity without praying about it can cause you to potentially miss the job that God is preparing for you and your specific situation. If you hear about a potential job or someone wants to talk with you about a job opportunity, investigate and ask questions. You might not take that job, but the discussion and investigation could lead to another opportunity in the future.
Don't let fear immobilize you from dreaming the dreams that God has placed in your heart regarding your vocation. 2 Timothy 1:7 says "For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline." It might take some self-discipline to get out of your comfort zone, but being in the right place of employment for this season of your life can bring you great peace. And peace is one commodity a paycheck can't buy.
Questions to Move You to Action
Do you know that you need to seek God's will to find a new place of employment?
What keeps you from investigating new job opportunities?
Are you ignoring God's call for your life?
Have you had an honest discussion with your spouse or pastor about a possible change in your employment?
What do you think your next step should be, and how are you going to act upon that step?