Given the increase of false teachers and prophets, a question that many of us need to ask ourselves in the Christian world is: How Do You Know If You Have A Divine Calling.
Interestingly, yesterday I was talking to someone who thought he was a prophet sent from God to mankind.
The man believed that possibly God had called him.
He dressed in white with long hair and beard.
It was a bit of a strange conversation as the man, though seemingly fine, was going through a psychiatric disorder.
Unfortunately, it is not for cases like this that this post is written.
If your experience is similar to the previous one, you are welcome to read it.
However, I highly recommend taking the initiative to seek professional help.
Now, you may be going through a situation in your life where you need to make a decision because you believe, feel, think, or desire that God has called you to dedicate yourself to supporting his work on earth in a special way.
However, there are times when, because of life circumstances or because of our psychology, we would like to have greater certainty of that calling.
That’s where the question arises: how do you know if you have a call from God?
To answer this question, I would like to share with you a short Bible history.
God had instructed Moses about the tabernacle to be built for God to dwell in the midst of the people of Israel.
He had given Moses specific instructions on how to elaborate the objects of the tabernacle, the dimensions, the sacrifices, the offerings, the garments, among others.
However, Moses was not an artist or craftsman, someone was needed who had the artistic skills and competencies necessary to direct the execution of this work.
That’s where God called someone to do it.
I invite you to read with me, a short fragment from the Bible, from which we will extract some ideas in relation to this topic:
“See, I have chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge and with all kinds of skills— to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, to cut and set stones, to work in wood, and to engage in all kinds of crafts.
Exodus 31:2-5
However, on the subject of God’s calling, I would like to briefly share four ideas from the previous text.
Keep in mind that these ideas are not intended to be exhaustive, but to propose some considerations as a starting point to analyze your calling.
#1 God calls specifically for specific tasks
The first idea is that although all believers have been called to contribute to the advancement of God’s purposes; God specifically calls people to contribute to specific tasks.
In the previous case, the people of Israel were a people chosen and called as a group to participate in God’s plans and purposes.
They were the people through whom God would fulfill his promise of redemption and blessing to all the nations of the earth.
In a general sense, all the people had a calling, and all the people were to share the present experience of redemption with those who did not know it around them.
However, in this account, God calls Bezalel to fulfill a specific task in his plans.
Similarly, today we believers have a general calling, yet God also calls people for specific plans.
In circumstances, we may or may not have a clear idea of what that specific task is.
However, if we believe we have been called, we can obey the call and move forward, knowing that our task will become clearer as we move on.
#2 God gives you a personal desire
Although there are cases in the Bible where a superficial reading seems to indicate that God calls someone who does not want to perform the task, after a more detailed reading, we can see that his reminiscence had other explanations.
Explanations such as fear, self-insecurity, need for emotional healing, or inability to understand God’s plans.
In general, God chooses and calls according to the potential he has placed in people in relation to the task required.
This is usually manifested by a private desire to see a change or a desire for service in a specific area.
In the case of the present story, God was not asking Bezalel to do something that he would not be interested in doing of his own will.
It was this person’s professional job to work on these tasks.
Understanding God’s plans help people desire to participate in them.
We can see in the Bible and in our very lives that a lack of understanding of God’s plans makes people hesitate to fulfill the calling.
However, once they are understood, those who have been called, carry out their work with satisfaction and promptness.
Now comes the question for you, do you consider having a particular desire to serve in a specific area, and do you think God is calling you to it?
If so, your call may become a reality.
#3 God trains for the job
Another element about the calling of people in the Bible, which we can read in today’s text, is that God empowers people to fulfill the work for which he calls them.
The Bible says that God gave Bezalel the wisdom and artistic ability to perform his task.
We could interpret this as a spontaneous inspiration, or we could interpret it as God had allowed in Bezalel’s life the circumstances for him to develop and perfect his gifts and abilities so that at this time he would be ready to participate in his calling.
Similarly, if God calls you for a task, be careful not to set your eyes on yourself and underestimate your abilities, God empowers the called one.
Still, part of the confirmation of your calling may be that God has given you gifts and allowed you in the past to develop and cultivate specific abilities that allow you to be useful in the present.
Either way, put your eyes and your trust in God who owns all the wisdom of the universe and move forward by trusting him by faith.
#4 God uses other people to confirm your call
It is also true of the above account, that on multiple occasions God confirms the call through other people.
God instructs Moses to communicate his call to Bezalel for the work required.
Similarly, God uses people around us who observe our gifts and abilities to communicate or confirm in us the certainty of our calling.
Take a look around you and ask yourself if anyone has motivated you to take the path you think you’ve been called to.
Stay tuned to see if anyone around you does.
Pray for it.
Share your ideas with godly believers who can put the topic in prayer with you and tell you sincerely of their appreciations.
I hope these ideas have been a blessing to you.
What do you think? Do you think God is calling you to something? What is your experience? Share in the comments.
