Written by Kim Slater
Losing a job can be a life-changing event. For
Jill Monaco, founder of Jill Monaco Ministries, an unemployment status opened
doors for God to bless her in ways she never imagined.
After working in ministry for nearly a decade,
2012 began with Jill sensing a need to update her resume. A few months later,
she was let go from a director position in an artist program she had built from
the ground up.
The following Sunday, Jill was sitting in weekend
services when she felt a prompting to “give
your severance.” She felt an incredible
amount of peace as she processed the words. After confirmation from a trusted
pastor, Jill gave away a substantial amount of money, taking her out of her
comfort zone and stretching her faith in new ways.
Keenly aware that she barely had enough money to
pay one month’s bills and no job prospects, she bravely wrote the check. To her
amazement, it was mere minutes from dropping the offering at the church that
God began to move in her life. “The same day I gave the church my check, I got
a call offering me a contract job,” Jill said.
The six-month contract eased Jill’s financial
concerns, and she enjoyed the summer believing a permanent job would be coming
in the fall. As the months passed, it became painfully clear no job offer was coming.
Jill made a choice to exercise extreme faith.
“Instead of giving into fear, I made a choice to
praise Him,” Jill said. “God knew my heart and knew I was scared. I made a
decision to trust.” I cried out to God saying, “I don’t understand, but I trust
you are going to do a good work.” God listened to Jill as she wept and laid her
fears down at His feet. “God told me to walk in faith because I didn’t need to
know what was going to come,” Jill said.
One of the many lessons Jill learned that summer
was that God is faithful with finances. “He made provision for seven times more
than what I gave,” Jill said. She witnessed many expressions of God’s love in
this season. From a friend who called and said God wanted her to send Jill new
running shoes to receiving a check from someone who was led to bless her with
$700.
Another revelation Jill discovered was that
seasons definitely change. It became apparent that she was being transitioned
to a “Mary Season”. “It was like
Jesus was in my house waiting for me to sit at his feet, but I was busy being a
Martha,” Jill recalls. “I was looking for a job, networking, and doing all the
things I felt I was supposed to do as a responsible, unemployed person. But,
God wanted me to rest.”
During this time of rest, Jill took long walks
with Jesus, spent time in prayer and delved deeper into God’s word. Some of her
realizations included:
• If I get anxious or feel overwhelmed it's my
flesh. Stop, drop and pray.
• If I can't do everything on my to-do list,
then my list is wrong. Ask God how to reschedule or what He wants me to
do.
• I will no longer push myself so hard that I
leave His rest. Say no to people more.
Admitting that she needed the summer to achieve
complete rest, Jill saw this eye-opening revelation as a gift. “I learned
working 60-80 hours a week for four years is not a season,” Jill said. “It is insanity,
it's not sustainable, and it's not God's idea of ministry.”
Jill’s biggest blessing came when God said,
“Jill, you were faithful in building a ministry for someone else, now I trust
you to build your own.” Ever obedient, Jill spent the summer researching,
setting up and building what is now, Jill Monaco Ministries. She has always
been passionate about helping people believe God’s word and defeating lies of
the enemy, but she didn't know how to make that a full time ministry. Jill now
sees that hoping and believing is pure joy! “I'm walking in such faith now that
I've seen miracles,” Jill said. “I've seen the sick healed and witnessed
God’s answers to prayers.”
During the time that Jill was out of work, she
experienced healings of her own. As the wounds slowly faded, Jill made room for
God's revelations. The biggest gift Jill received was realizing how much she
loves people. “I didn't know that was going to be the fruit of this season,”
Jill said. “I can listen to someone and see the best in them. When they are down,
I see the brokenness through God's eyes and have compassion.”
As a result, Jill turned compassion into action –
using her ministry to help bring freedom to individuals in need. “Most of the
time, brokenness comes from a lie someone believed and a decision they made to
protect themselves.” Jill shared. “Those are the enemy’s strategies, so I speak
to the lies and replace them with God's truths. I see people as God sees them
and speak God’s love over them.”
Inexplicably, when Jill thought about getting her
resume together, she began praying for her new
boss. She looked up at me with a smile and sweetly said, “I didn’t realize then
that my new boss would be God.”
To read more about Jill Monaco, visit her online
at www.jillmonaco.com.
All of the information contained in
the interviewee's personal blog may or may not necessarily reflect the
theological views of www.titus2women.org
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