Recognise when God calls you and how to respond

God created each one of us in His image to carry out His glorious will on earth. The Lord’s will is not achieved by our own human ability or strength but by the power of His Spirit. This way, God the Father gets the glory for the work we do in Jesus’ name and can draw more people back to Him. If we obey the Lord and fulfil our calling, we can hope to hear Him say one day, “Good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of your Lord.” How can we recognise God’s calling on our lives and how should we respond?

 

Psalm 139:14 NKJV  I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well.

Zechariah 4:6 So he answered and said to me: “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ Says the Lord of hosts.

1 Corinthians 2:9-10 NKJV   But as it is written:  “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God.

We all have a heavenly calling and destiny. Our callings are not a mystery to our Creator, He has them all written down in a book in heaven, the words of which outnumber all the grains of sand on the earth. This is not hard to imagine, given that our DNA, when stretched out, will make 150,000 round trips to and back from the moon! How amazing are God’s thoughts for us. And what God has written on our gifts and calling is irrevocable.

Hebrews 3:1 ESV Therefore, holy brothers, you who share in a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession, 

Romans 11:29 NKJV  For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. 

Even Jesus had a book on God’s will for His time on earth. He prayed to God the Father, “Behold, I have come — In the volume of the book it is written of Me — To do Your will, O God.” (Hebrews 10:5,7 NKJV)

Psalm 139:16-18 NKJV  … And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me … How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand… 

Our primary calling is to “be” before we “do”

It may be tempting to rush to find our vocation in the Kingdom, but our first and most vital calling is simply to “be” where we embrace our identity as:

• A child of God (1 John 3:1)
• A saint (1 Corinthians 1:2)
• A friend of God (James 2:23)
• Liberated (Galatians 5:13)
• Holy (1 Peter 1:15-16)
• Eternally saved (1 Timothy 6:12)
• A recipient of blessings (1 Peter 3:9)

We can operate from a position of rest, knowing who we are in Christ. Once we understand our identity as Kingdom citizens, then we can move into our vocational calling to “do” — which is to establish God’s Kingdom on earth, just as Jesus taught us to pray, “Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven”.

This is extremely important for us to understand. We should not do the reverse, which is to “do” in order to feel worthy to “be”. We have been saved and called with a holy calling, not according to what we have done, but according to God’s own purposes and grace. All our gifts and callings have been assigned to us before time began. We cannot work for them.

Luke 11:2 NKJV  So He said to them, “When you pray, say: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. 

2 Timothy 1:9 NKJV  who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began, 

The Kingdom is built by the Holy Spirit within us

It is our Father’s good pleasure to give us His Kingdom. God’s Kingdom is birthed inside us by the power of the Holy Spirit, because our bodies are His holy temple. 

Luke 12:32 NKJV  Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. 

Luke 17:21 NKJV  nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.” 

God’s Kingdom is not one that is produced by human intellect. Instead, it is birthed  through the Spirit of God. It is a Kingdom of:

• Power (1 Corinthians 4:20) 
• Preaching and obeying God’s Word (Matthew 5:19) 
• Healing of sicknesses (Luke 10:9) 
• Casting out of demons (Matthew 12:28)
• Mysteries revealed by the Holy Spirit (Luke 8:10)
• Righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit (Romans 14:17) 

The Kingdom, however, is born within us with birth pangs and gestation, as we die to our former selves and as God re-creates a new creation inside us. This world is currently ruled by Satan. Kingdom people need to die to this world and come alive in Christ.

1 John 5:19 NKJV  We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one. 

Acts 14:22 NKJV  … “We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God.” 

Here are some marks of a citizen of God’s Kingdom: 

• Baptised in water and Spirit (John 3:5) 
• Dead to our flesh (Galatians 5:19-21) 
• Obedient to God’s will (Matthew 7:21) 
• Poor in spirit i.e. humble (Matthew 5:3) 
• Last on earth but first in His Kingdom (Matthew 20:16) 
• Persecuted for righteousness’ sake (Matthew 5:10)
• Will not turn back to the ways of this world (Luke 9:62) 

Rewarded for our obedience, not for our numbers

God, however, does not measure the fruits of our calling by the volume of our output, but by the weight of our faithfulness and obedience to His will, according to the book that has been written about us. In the Parable of the Talents, the master responded the same way to the servant with the five talents as he did to the servant with two talents, “…you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord” (See Matthew 25:14-30).

Our obedience carries more weight to God than the amount of time, effort, or resources we sacrifice — whether He gives us more or less to do. Obedience is better than our sacrifices.

1 Samuel 15:22  So Samuel said:  “Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, As in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams.

Discerning our heavenly calling

We experience the greatest fulfilment and joy when we walk in our Kingdom calling but we cannot use our logical minds to decipher what our heavenly calling is. It is usually spiritually discerned.

Matthew 13:44 NKJV  “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. 

1. Called directly by God

Firstly, the Lord may call us Himself. We see numerous examples of this in the Bible. God spoke directly to Abraham, Noah, Moses, Samuel, Jeremiah, and Solomon about their callings. 

2. God sends someone to call us out

Secondly, the Holy Spirit may send someone with a prophetic word to tell us what our calling is. For example, the prophet Samuel was sent to anoint Saul and David as kings. Ananias was sent to Paul to restore his sight, pray to fill him with the Holy Spirit, and baptise him in preparation of his calling (Acts 9:15-18). 

Amos 3:7 Surely the Lord God does nothing, Unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets. 

Acts 9:15-18 NKJV  But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel. For I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name’s sake.” And Ananias went his way and entered the house; and laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you came, has sent me that you may receive your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” Immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he received his sight at once; and he arose and was baptized.

3. Positioned into our calling

Other times, we may find ourselves simply in a position to fulfil His higher plan. Take Queen Esther for example. She thought she was being groomed to be the queen, when in reality, God was preparing her to save the Jewish people from Haman’s wicked plot to kill them all. Because of her royal position and proximity to King Ahasuerus, she was able to intervene. Esther stepped into her calling through a decision to act, not a divine revelation.

Esther 4:13-14 NKJV  And Mordecai told them to answer Esther: “Do not think in your heart that you will escape in the king’s palace any more than all the other Jews. For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”

Some hints at what our calling may be

While we should not jump to conclusions what our callings may be, there are some signs that may hint at our Kingdom designations.

1. Innate tendencies | What are we prone to do; teach, lead small groups, pioneer new things etc.?
2. Burdens | What things do our heart ache over; sharing the gospel, children, alleviating poverty etc.? 
3. Early instincts | Was there anything we had an instinct as children regarding what we would doing when we grew up?
4. 30 years of age | What changed when we turned 30 years old?  Many people stepped into their callings or priesthood at thirty. Jesus began ministry (Luke 3:23), Joseph became second in command to Pharaoh in Egypt (Genesis 41:46), Saul became king (1 Samuel 13:1), David became king (2 Samuel 5:4), Ezekiel called as a prophet (Ezekiel 1:1), Levite priests began serving at the Tabernacle (Numbers 4:3) at the age of 30.
5. Greatest spiritual battles | What part of your life do you find the most spiritual warfare or get the most discouragements? These are areas the enemy could be fighting in order to hinder you from stepping into your Kingdom calling.
6. Your “tribe” | Were there believers in previous generations and what did they do for the Lord? This may indicate what the Lord has ordained of your family bloodline. Every tribe in Israel, for instance, was assigned a certain mandate and gifting (Genesis 49) 

When God calls us, He will reveal other things too

1. His divine plans e.g. Moses (Exodus 3:7-10) 
2. Your Kingdom office e.g. Jeremiah (Jeremiah 1:4-10)
3. The type of work you will do e.g. Simon and Andrew (Matthew 4:19) 
4. A new name that reflects your calling e.g. Abraham (Genesis 17:5) 
5. The instruction to “go!” e.g. Jonah Jonah 1:1-2; 3:1-2 
6. Anticipated suffering e.g. Paul (Acts 9:15-16) 
7. Promises to be with you e.g. Jacob (Genesis 28:10-15) 

God doesn’t call the qualified

Our calling may not be what we expect. It may not even be what we think we are most talented at. Take David, for example. We might have assumed his calling was to be a musician or a warrior, but his calling was actually to be Israel’s king.

Acts 13:22 NKJV  And when He had removed him, He raised up for them David as king, to whom also He gave testimony and said, ‘I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My own heart, who will do all My will.’ 

Sometimes, we may even step into a calling that someone else has relinquished. Take Eliakim for example. God moved him to replace the corrupt royal steward, Shebna in charge of King Hezekiah’s royal household.

Isaiah 22:20-22 NKJV  ‘Then it shall be in that day, That I will call My servant Eliakim the son of Hilkiah; I will clothe him with your robe And strengthen him with your belt; I will commit your responsibility into his hand. He shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem And to the house of Judah. 

None of us are ever truly “ready” for our calling. 

When the Angel of the Lord called Gideon a “mighty man of valour,” Gideon did not initially respond with enthusiasm. He first responded based on the trauma of being oppressed by the Midianites; “Why then has all this happened to us?” (Judges 6:13). The second time, he responded based on his perceived weakness; “My clan is the weakest… I am the least” (Judges 6:15). We often let our personal experiences or understanding get in the way. Gideon did not focus on the Lord or the great salvation ahead of him. He may not have seen himself as qualified but the calling ahead of him was much too important to ignore — the salvation of thousands of souls. 

Some may even run away when God calls them when they love this world too much. Demas, for example, forsook Paul for this present world. God has severe words for those who refuse to act, labelling them as “wicked and lazy” servants. Why? It is because our calling impacts dozens, if not hundreds or thousandfs, of other lives. God does not work in half-measures. When we refuse God’s call, we risk the destinies of many others. If Paul hadn’t answered the call to preach to the Gentiles, millions of people may not be believers today. We all become believers because someone — a missionary, a family member, a friend — answered God’s call. We need to take our eyes off ourselves, our fears and this world and heed God’s purposes for our lives.

2 Timothy 4:10 NKJV  for Demas has forsaken me, having loved this present world, and has departed for Thessalonica—Crescens for Galatia, Titus for Dalmatia. 

Matthew 25:26,30 NKJV  “But his lord answered and said to him, ‘You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed… And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ 

God does not call the qualified. As 1 Corinthians 1:26-29 NKJV explains, God chooses the foolish, weak, base, and despised things of the world to put to shame the wise and mighty, so that no flesh should glory in His presence. Faith always comes with an echo of fear. We will need to learn to accept the undercurrent of anxiety and rejoice! God will give us divine power to fulfil His divine will. Let us remember that He can call anything into being simply by speaking a Word.

1 Corinthians 1:26-29 NKJV  For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence. 

2 Peter 1:3-4 NKJV  as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. 

Romans 4:17-18 NKJV  (as it is written, “I have made you a father of many nations”) in the presence of Him whom he believed— God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did; who, contrary to hope, in hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was spoken, “So shall your descendants be.” 

A season of obscurity

When the Lord shows us our calling, He does not put us into action straight away. There is usually a season of preparation in obscurity. This is one key aspect of being called by God. He works on our character before He launches us into our calling. Remember, to “be” is more important than to “do”, because sometimes “doing” can make us forget who we are — or worse, we forget the Lord because of all the pressures and distractions from this world.

Just take a look at all the years in solitary and hiddenness these men of God spent away from the public eye.

• Moses: 40 years in Egypt and 40 years in the wilderness in preparation 
• Elijah: 3.5 years hiding before emerging to challenge king Ahab 
• Joseph: 13 years as a slave/prisoner before becoming Vizier of Egypt 
• David: 15 to 20 years after being anointed become he became king 
• Apostle Paul: 3 years in Arabia and Damascus being returning to Jerusalem 

Suffering can prepare you for your calling 

During these seasons, we may go through times of intense trial and testing. The Lord will send us through “wilderness” seasons to drive out the idols in our lives, just like He did with the Israelites. Even Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness to be tested.

Matthew 4:1 NKJV Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.

It may feel like God is “breaking” our spirit but it is really because He wants to fill us with more of His Spirit. When we suffer, we recognise our human frailties and learn to lean on God for strength. In a sense, our flesh dies in increasing measure and we are “resurrected” spiritually to a new way of thinking and being through the power of the Holy Spirit. This chastening yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness (Hebrews 12:11). Suffering makes us lowly, meek, humble, broken, and contrite. Without these qualities, it is hard to remain yoked to Jesus — because Jesus is gentle and lowly in heart. What qualifies us for Kingdom work is not a certificate, but our testimony. God looks at our walk, not our talk.

1 Peter 2:21 NKJV  For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps: 

Hebrews 12:11 NKJV  Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. 

Matthew 11:29 NKJV  Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

From Ephesians 4:1-4, we get to see some of the qualities God will build in us through our suffering

• Humility, gentleness, longsuffering 
• Ability to bear with one another in love 
• Unity in the Spirit
• Walking with others in peace and hope 

Ephesians 4:1-4 … NKJV  walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; 

Jesus suffered greatly for our sakes and can demonstrate that He truly understand our sufferings. This principle applies to us too. Our personal testimony of enduring suffering gives comfort to the troubled and binds us together in a bond of mutual compassion and comfort. The deeper our suffering, the more powerful our testimony for Jesus. Therefore, let us submit to God, persevere through our trials and testify of Jesus’ faithfulness to us in the midst of it all. Those who have overcome are able to help others overcome.

2 Corinthians 1:3-4 NKJV  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 

Beware not to compromise our callings 

The kingdom of darkness that is ruled by Satan will always oppose God’s kingdom on earth. One way it does this is by trying to prevent God’s people from stepping into their callings. We see the example of Moses, who was born during a time when the Egyptian pharaoh had ordered the infanticide of all newborn Hebrew males (Exodus 1:22) or the example of Jesus, who was just an infant when King Herod ordered the killing of all boys under the age of two born in the Bethlehem area.

Matthew 2:16 NKJV  Then Herod, when he saw that he was deceived by the wise men, was exceedingly angry; and he sent forth and put to death all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all its districts, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the wise men.

If the kingdom of darkness cannot stop us from arising, then the enemy will try to corrupt our callings. For example, the enemy will lead children into traumatic experiences so that their perspectives become dis-coloured. Their gift of discernment gets rooted in fear, rather than in faith, for instance. Prophets are lured into fortune telling by spirits of divination rather than being led by the Holy Spirit. Spiritual warriors are lured into becoming online gaming addicts instead.

Here are examples of people whose callings were compromised and the consequences.

	Compromised by sin	Consequence
Jonah	Disobedience	Trapped in a fish for 3 days
Aaron	Peer pressure to build a golden calf	Never saw the Promised Land
Samson	Fleshly lusts	Blindness and captivity.
Solomon	Foreign wives turned him to worship idols	The kingdom breaking up
David	Adultery with Bathsheba and murder of Uriah	Violent turmoil in his own family
Saul	Pleased the people, rather than obeying God	Lost his kingdom

Never lose sight of God

From the examples given above, we can see how important it is to never lose sight of God and our relationship with Him. No matter what our calling is, whether greater or small, we can compromise our inheritance from God by doing things our own way i.e. sin. 

We need to trust God to direct our steps. He will protect us, prepare us, and provide the support we need for it is God who works in us “to will and to do for His good pleasure.”

1 Thessalonians 5:24 He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it. 

Philippians 2:13 NKJV  for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure. 

How to respond when you discern God’s calling 

The Bible gives us numerous examples of how people responded when God called. Let us follow the wisdom we find in the Word and obey. He is worthy of our dedication and praise.

• “Speak, Lord, your servant is listening.” | 1 Samuel 3:10 NKJV  Now the Lord came and stood and called as at other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel answered, “Speak, for Your servant hears.”
• “Please give me a sign that this is indeed Your will.” | Judges 6:17 NKJV  Then he said to Him, “If now I have found favor in Your sight, then show me a sign that it is You who talk with me.
• “Thank you, Lord, let it be done according to Your will.” | Luke 1:38 NKJV  Then Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.
• “I magnify You, Lord, and I rejoice!” | Luke 1:46-47 NKJV  And Mary said: “My soul magnifies the Lord, And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.

May this sharing be a blessing to you as you seek to love the Lord with all your heart and fulfill His calling on your life.