Understanding god’s calling in your life

I went into the ministry with only a high school diploma and some college education. I have an extensive library with commentaries and different translations of the Holy Bible to help guide me into writing a sermon. Last, but certainly not least, I have the Holy Spirit that gives me the words to speak to the children of God. I have accepted the great high calling to be a pastor about thirteen-teen years ago but have struggled at one time if my calling is from God or myself. How does a person know that they are being called by God to serve? How does a person who is full of sin know that they are being called by God? Simple, you will not be happy doing anything else. I have done many things to make money for my family and was never happy after I have left the ministry 2009. I left because I doubted my call. I was running away from a call that I could not out run. When I try to find happiness in several businesses that I created, I was lost and in despair because they failed miserably. I believe God did not bless my failing business because I was out of His will for my life. I knew right there it was time for me to quit running and start serving again.

In writing this paper, I hope it will help the reader to understand their calling from God and how to know with out a doubt their calling is genuine. God’s Word is filled with people being called to fill some task that God wants them to do. Abraham was called by God to pack up his entire home and venture out into new territory’s that were unfamiliar to him. God called him to be the father of his chosen people which will lead to the birth of the His church. Moses was a murder and fugitive and God called him from a burning bush to lead the Hebrew people out of the grips of Pharaoh and his slavery tactics to the Promise Land. God called Joshua after the death of Moses to lead the people across the Jordan River into the Promise Land. Each of these servants were not the best candidates to be called by God. They each had their own sinful desires, but God still called them. He did not call them because they were perfect and sinless. He called them because of His never-ending grace. Like those three brave men, God calls men and women to serve in some capacity because of his grace, not because of our self-worth. He calls us personally. He does not call us because our family members and friends are serving God. God calls us personally, by name, to be His hands and feet on the world to do various things and fulfill various roles.

But why does God call us? To build up the body of Christ. We are to serve so that we can prepare God’s people for His work. We are to serve so that His people who are lost can have a relationship with Jesus Christ. We are to serve so that the whole world can know the love and grace from God. You might be asking yourself, “ Okay, I understand all that. But, how do I understand my own calling in my life?” Most of who sense God’s call will not experience a burning bush call like Moses or burning coals and a vision of God sitting on His throne like Isaiah. One way to know is have a desire to preach or serve. It is like having a yearning to just get out there are start proclaiming the Good News of Jesus Christ. You are feeling compelled to work for God in any capacity no matter how hard it can be at times. This passion, this desire, this yearning will last for the rest of your life. God’s call will not just be for a little bit. It was meant to last your entire life. Michael Duduit confirms this by saying, “ When God calls you to ministry, he calls you to serve and gives you a desire to be involved in his kingdom work. No matter what area of ministry God is calling you to, you will hunger to be involved in ministry. ”[footnoteRef: 1] I find that statement to be true. When I first had my calling from God, I had a deep hunger for Him.

I had a deep desire to go out and preach to strangers. I had a deep thirst to tell people the love I experience from being in a relationship with God and I wanted others to experience what had. [1: David S. Dockery and Michael Duduit, Theology, Church, and Ministry: A Handbook for Theological Education (Nashville, TN: B&H Academic, 2017), 69. ] When I heard God calling me to the ministry, the desire I had for Him and the desire I had to serve went into overdrive. Immediately, I wanted to serve in my home church. I did not care where, all I know is that I wanted to serve Him. I knew God was preparing me for what is to come out of His great plan. I kept hearing this “ still small voice” in my head telling me to proclaim His news to His people. I wanted so baldly to stand behind the pulpit and preach my heart out. I recall a time of child hood memory of me at the age of eight years old standing behind my grandmother’s wood stove with an open Bible. I would look down at the Bible and read Scripture, look up to the imaginary people sitting in the imaginary pews and start preaching the Word. I had no idea what I was saying but it just made since to me. Come to think about it, maybe my calling went back further than I thought. In conclusion, there will be doubts sometimes, but having a desire, an inner compulsion to serve, a happiness that far out weighs any jobs or careers that you may have you know without a doubt that God is putting a high calling on your life. We may not fully understand why, but we know that God is doing it to fulfill a purpose in our lives because it is part of His great plan. When we since the call, we know that God is calling us to work for Him to build His church, to be an instrument. Pastoring is not for the faint of heart and God promises to never leave us when we feel we are forsaken by His own people. In your heart you will just know that you are being called whether you are as sinful as Moses or a saint like Jesus. You will just know.