HOW TO RECOGNIZE AND CONFIRM MY CALLING
“We
need to find our purpose of life”- Apostle Ezekiel Guti
Many people are
definitely faced with this question: How
do I recognize and confirm that I have a calling? This challenging question
has been a million dollar question. What seems to paralyze most people is that
they are expecting an unusual or spectacular sign for a calling confirmation. Your
calling can be confirmed through a variety of channels. Oswald Chambers in his
book, My Utmost for His Highest said, “The realization of the call
in a person’s life may come like a clap of thunder or it may dawn gradually.”
As individuals we are called
to different callings. An individual needs to identify with the different
callings God presents to us in life. It is wisdom and understanding to discover
these callings in our lives so that we rightly fulfill what we have been called
to do. You can’t fulfill a calling you don’t know. This mammoth task of calling
discovery and confirmation is what most people are reluctant to do.
Recognition of the calling seems a difficult task for many. Though there are many dimensions of call recognition and confirmation, below is a summarized version which can assist you in call identification and confirmation.
Self evaluation
“The greatest discovery in human experience is self discovery” Apostle E. H. Guti.
You can easily check out your calling by self evaluation. You can ask yourself questions like: ‘What excites me most? What are my interests? What are my passions? What is my calling?’ You can also plan core values and standards you aspire to pursue. Though the list may not be exhaustive this can lead you to what you have been designed for. Living our lives by honoring our values and passions is a gateway to our call and this creates deep contentment.
Alignment to life situations
In the life of every person with a calling there are events and situation in life which are presented by life so that we can relate to our calling. These events will then call to our attention the need to solve life issues using the calling in us. These life situations are an opportunity given to us by God so that our callings are tested.
It calls therefore for every person
to align his or her calling to benevolent life situations. It can be a leadership
vacuum which requires your calling to deal with it. You may not know that you
are the leader called by God to do so. As you do that, the calling in you
definitely manifests itself. The passion in you rises as you relate to what you
have been designed to be. For instance the challenge in Egypt needed a Moses,
the deliverer-cum-leader. Moses had to let what was in him manifest to lead the
Israelites from the bondage of Egypt.
Many scenarios pass by without people noticing the need to jump into
and manifest their calling. It is especially challenging that these situations
never blow a whistle to indicate that you now need to take action. The passion
in you should vibrate and force you into action to manifest your calling. Open
your eyes right now for those particular situations in life. They may be not
easy to identify but they will definitely come.
Prophetic
and prayerful impressions by the Holy Spirit
A calling is a spiritual entity which can, thus; be recognized after a
prophetic proclamation. This proclamation is not a ‘giving’ of the call but
just a confirmation of the presence of a call in an individual. Because of the
challenges of spiritual dynamics related with prevalence of false prophetic
declarations, one then also needs a personal confirmation of this. There should
be an inner witness to this.
In relation to prophetic proclamation one can also identify a call by
prayerful impressions upon one’s life. This can be through visions or a word
from God. Manifestations of these impressions can also come through dreams
where one ‘sees’ his or her calling. God can also impress upon us our calling
through miraculous visitations and manifestations like angels which can bring a
word of placement to the future.
It is up to the individual then to
align and be obedient to what God is impressing through the Holy Spirit. These
impressions are there to give directions to humanity as far as destiny is
concerned. For the Holy Spirit to manifest and impress upon our lives we need
to be very sensitive and have a submissive heart.
The counsel
of the mature
“Where no counsel
is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counselors there is safety” Proverbs 11:14
A call can also be recognized and confirmed by the spiritually
mature. These people are able to
recognize your call and affirm that God is indeed leading you into a particular
calling or ministry. These people can then even act as your coaches or mentors
in your calling. Without proper counsel, you will
not be able to learn, maximize and excel in your God-given purpose.
Counseling and guidance into the
development and utilization of your calling is very critical. Counsel is a fountain of wisdom which is based on
experience. Counsel has an advantage that it allows us to be coached in
relation with their destiny. It brings light to what one was called to do. Through
counsel, we can confidently align ourselves to that which God has called us to
be and it enables us to visualize destiny from another angle.
Counsel is a platform for coaching which is a means to obtain calling
reflections from one who is more mature and experienced. This enables one’s
skill and abilities to be sharpened. When this is done there is growth and
development in the area where one is called. Counseling is also a platform of
intentional accountability and submission. It is sad that many people who are
called by God have fallen prey to pride because of the lack of counseling.
Counsel and coaching generate an
informed perspective and objectivity for one who is called. Bad decisions are
eliminated and blind spots are exposed. As one will be wandering in the
wilderness of call identification counsel is needed as it supplies the needed energy
and encouragement. Every good counsel should give every visionary hope to his or
her calling. In life, counsel should be a source of encouragement for those
with a calling who may be crying, tormented, seeing a bleak future and with
hearts failing. When the situation seems chaotic and not favorable, when
Goliaths of you calling are intimidating; you need counsel of encouragement.
Counsellors can as well discern the gifts and talents in you. Be wise
enough to engage in discussions about God’s calling with those mature people
who know you well. This discussion is done with the intention of getting
feedback about the calling upon your life. It is imperative to note for those
with a calling that counselors, mentors and life coaches can equip people with
life choices about their passions and callings.
We are not saying the counsel of the mature gives you the call, because
the call comes from God. Being a counselee does not mean you lose your
individuality. You are still the one God called. You have an assignment to fulfill and the
counselor is just working as a platform. Never let anyone to ‘force’ you into
an area you have not been called for. That is a recipe for disaster. When we
allow ourselves to follow other people’s callings, we will not fully exhibit what
we have been called for.
Respecting
our passions
A passion is not necessarily a call but a passion is critical in call
identification. As one who is called you may be compelled by a push to do
something as an answer to a great need. This passion can act as magnet to draw
you closer to you calling. If one is called for example, into ministry he may
just sense a burning and an intense desire to serve God. This call can also
come as an intense, all-absorbing desire for that which you were called to be. If
God is guiding you toward some kind of calling, it is more likely that you may
find a deep desire for it in your heart. Those who have a calling definitely
will have a sense and growing compulsion to pursue what God is calling them to
be.
Prepared by John Museredzo [DBS, DHAPM, DICD, BA, BMin, BSc, MBL]
Author/Speaker/Pastor/Life Coach/Consultant
Cell: +263775127589
+263733420309
Facebook: yehohananmuseredzo
Website: www.johnmuseredzo.com
Email: pastorjohn@johnmuseredzo.com
jhnmuseredzo@gmail.com
Twitter: johnpastor1977
Skype: john.pastor1977
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