From the FS Training & Equipping Classes
Your Calling – What It Is – How to Get It
Bonnie Nelson
There are a lot of different teachings about the idea of a “Calling from God” to consider. Some people doubt there is such a thing, while others are confused about what their calling could be and some don’t have a clue of where to find it.
If this is you, welcome to Firestorm Ministry, where we believe God speaks through the prophetic gift to reveal your calling and more. Firestorm is a good place for you to link up and have fellowship with people who hear and move in the Prophetic Ministry and can help you find some answers to your questions, while at the same time, help you learn how to hear the voice of God for yourself on a deeper level.
If you think about it, all Christians are all called to Christ, to follow and obey Him. “If anyone would come after me he must deny himself, take up his cross and follow me (Luke 9:23).” The call to Jesus Himself is the ultimate call on our lives and the purpose of a divine call, or even a call to minister, is not something we create, but something He places within us.
Since everyone is seeking to find out what his or her calling is, it might be good to start with answering the question, “What is a calling?”
A calling is basically, in its simplest form, what Yahweh wants you to do, with you and through you, in your life. It includes studying the Word, listening for His Will, finding the areas in ministry where you are passionate and then, taking action to prepare for what you want to do. In other words, get prepared and go for it.
Paul was “called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ” (Rom. 1:1; 1 Cor. 1:1) and noted in his letter to the Ephesian church that God “gave some apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers (Eph. 4:11).” These roles were vital in order to “equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ (v. 12).”
So, what part of the 5 Fold Ministry do you feel you are drawn to or fit? Do you know what each of the 5 Fold Ministry Positions do? Here is a quick and easy way to remember. It is called the 5 G’s.
The Apostle: Governs (Represented by the Thumb)
The Prophet: Guides (index finger)
The Evangelist: Gathers (middle finger)
The Pastor: Guards (ring finger)
The Teacher: Grounds (little finger)
I also like to include the Intercessor, who stands in the Gap. Maybe their position involves their whole body standing in the gap, raising up a wall, praying and warring for our protection.
Notice I said earlier, a calling in its simplest form involves finding out what God wants to do with you….and through you….in your life. We are all called into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Everything else flows out and from that commitment. Receiving Christ is first. When you accepted Christ, His Spirit entered you and now, He “co-labors” with you, to guide you, train you and establish your position in His Kingdom, first on earth and then, in the hereafter.
Wondering what it means to co-labor with God? I Corinthians 3:9 says:
For we are God’s coworkers. You are God’s field, God’s building.
God did not call you into a ministry position for you to work alone. Avoid the tendency to be a “Lone Ranger.” Get on the team in the House of God, where you can associate with other believers and be involved in ministry. Being connected with Godly leaders and people who are moving with God can bring wise counsel, much needed encouragement and sometimes prophetic insight to help you in the search for your calling .
The Church is also a place for us to pray for others and as we help people and grow in our relationships, God will increase our faith and gifts. If you are faithful in the little things, He will give you more and another aspect for us to consider is, the House of God is the incubator for ministry callings. Selah!
Be careful not to idolize, imitate or become a cookie cutter copy of other pastors or leaders, as God created you to be you and their purpose, is not your purpose. Ephesians 2:10
For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
So, we are created for good works, not saved by our good works. We are called to do good works, which God prepared us to do a long time ago. When we get saved, we are set apart by God for His purpose and the Calling He has for us does not stop at our salvation, it begins with salvation. This is where “your calling” is birthed in the natural.
Receiving Christ is the kick start and even though we are not perfect vessels, He is more than able to mold and shape us to be able do His Will here on earth. In His co-laboring with us, He will stir up those things He placed inside of us, which we need to fulfill our calling, just like He did for Jeremiah and in our journey with Him, we are being transformed into His Image.
The foundation of the call God has given us, invites us to join with Him as co-laborers and tell everyone “The Good News” about Jesus and what His death offers us. Jesus restored the link for us to get back into the family of God and it is crucial for people to hear and understand, the truth about what the death and resurrection of Jesus really means to them, in plain language – Resurrected Eternal Life.
Therefore let that abide in you which you heard from the beginning. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, you also will abide in the Son and in the Father. 25 And this is the promise that He has promised us—eternal life. 1 John 2:24
As a disciple of Christ, this is our calling, to preach the gospel. Mark 16:15 and Acts 3:6 confirm this as part of our calling.
And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. Mark 16:15
In Acts 3:6 Peter said, silver and gold have I none but “who” I have I give to you. This is the original translation changed later to, but such as I have, I give to you. The calling is to give Jesus to the people God brings to us.
Understanding your call will also reveal what part of the 5 Fold ministry you are best fitted for, with the purpose of training and equipping “The Body of Christ – the Saints – His Church.” Those of us, who are called to the Prophetic Ministry have I Corinthians 14:3 as a guideline for our purpose.
But he that prophesieth speaketh unto men to edification, and exhortation, and comfort.
The true purpose of prophecy is to build up, admonish and stir up, encourage and release from pain and discomfort, and to enable people to know and understand the heartbeat of their God for themselves. (Graham Cooke)
Just as John laid his heart on the chest of Jesus and heard his heartbeat, we are to lay our lives at the feet of Jesus and be obedient to hear His still small voice and release His Words, as we ministry to those in His Church. I Kings 19:11-13
11 Then He said, “Go out, and stand on the mountain before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; 12 and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire [a]a still small voice.
13 So it was, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. Suddenly a voice came to him, and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?
So, are you in a cave? Stop and come out of there and listen. God will reveal where He needs you and who you are in Him. Are you ready, are you prepared to teach and train and claim your calling, your destiny? If so, I can guarantee it will always involve some kind of a risk to come out of the cave and getting into the midst of the battle. You will be stretched and find out what it really means to get out there on that limb. You probably didn’t want to hear that.
What kind of risk? Whatever it is which is holding your calling back and silencing your prophetic voice. It might be a type of fear, fear of not being worthy, failure, being embarrassed, fear of thinking your anointing is not supernatural enough to “compete” with other prophets. Whatever the excuse, it is the first hurdle for you to jump, NO, to crash through and fly like an eagle.
But what about faith? Risk or Faith? We have all been told faith is all we need, just believe, have faith. But, there are times when you will have to stretch your faith and step out of the boat to go with Jesus and take (seize or capture) your calling in order to move into your ministry.
What if you sink? Jesus will pull you back up! That is not much of a miracle compared to some of the things He has already done for you and I. Is it? I still believe TRUST in Jesus is one, if not the most important mindset or gifts to have, when moving in the prophetic. It is also interesting to note, finding your calling can involve finding out what you don’t do well. So, don’t get stuck in the mud, now you know, move and try something else. I have a friend who wanted to be an opera singer, but she could not sing opera, so she did the next best thing. She got a job working in a Opera House where she could be around what she loved and support those who could sing. She got on the team.
If you have the desire in your soul, a passion to do ministry with Jesus, you will have to commit and put it all on the line. In plain language – “go for it.” Francis Chan writes in Crazy Love:
“But God doesn’t call us to be comfortable. He calls us to trust Him, so completely, that we are unafraid to put ourselves in situations where we will be in trouble, if He doesn’t come through.”
Bingo!! But, think on this….If you knew that you knew, the God who created the universe, the God who moves mountains, pounded the walls of Jericho straight down into the ground, parted the seas, heals the sick and broken-hearted, raised Jesus from the dead and was on your side, what risk would you take today? What would you quit doing? What would you start doing?
It is good to remind ourselves, Jesus is not just on our side, He is on the inside of us, going wherever we go, watching everything we do and listening to what we are saying. Interesting don’t you think? Surely you can hear Him telling you, He needs to work with you, because of all the junk going on in the world and the church today.
The world encourages us to find out what entertains us, not to find our calling in Jesus. The world wants us to have fun and be comfortable. So, we strive to get more “stuff” than our neighbors and we are told to follow how we feel, just be happy and be. The World System loves us to buy what we want on credit, don’t worry, just enjoy life and pursue happiness.
However, when you are chasing God’s will for your life, you are going to have to use your faith and TRUST God, to know that you know, He has called You to Himself and He is the one working inside you, to accomplish all He has begun. Finding your position in the Church and stepping into your ministry is hard work and not an easy road to follow, especially when you begin to preach Jesus and He even warned us. If they persecuted Me, they will persecute you too. ( John 15:20) Can you see it happening today? I can!
So, are you thinking right now, no one can stop me from fulfilling my calling and quoting, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me and if our God is for us, who can be against us?” (Philippians 4:13/Romans 8:31) There is one enemy you have who can override God.
Did you realize you can be against your calling? If you are called to co-labor with God and you are speaking against what He has called you to do, guess what? You can nullify/stop, your calling. He will not go against your will.
It is important to stop and listen to what we are speaking over ourselves and our calling. Our words have the power of life and death. Oh, I can’t do this, I could never be like Johnny or Mary. I am not anointed enough to do what they do. I can’t hear God’s voice, I am just a lowly sinner. Oh woe is me. I am doomed to sit back here on the pew. Is this you?
Let me remind you of what is written in I John 2:27.
But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you [a]will abide in Him.
What is the anointing?
In Bible times, people were anointed, smeared with oil to signify God’s blessing or call on a person’s life (Exodus 29:7; Exodus 40:9; 2 Kings 9:6; Ecclesiastes 9:8; James 5:14).
A person was anointed for a special purpose—to be a king, to be a prophet, to be a builder, etc. There is nothing wrong with anointing a person with oil today. We do it every Sunday at Victory Christian Church. However, it is important to make sure the purpose of anointing, is in agreement with Scripture.
Anointing someone should not be viewed as a “magic potion.” The oil itself does not have any power. It is only God who can anoint a person for a specific purpose. If we use oil, it is only a symbol of what God is doing in the spirit realm.
Another meaning for the word anointed is “chosen one.” The Bible says that Jesus Christ was anointed by God with the Holy Spirit to spread the Good News and free those who have been held captive by sin (Luke 4:18-19; Acts 10:38).
After Christ left the earth, He gave US the gift of the Holy Spirit when we received Him (John 14:16).
TODAY – ALL Christians who receive Christ are anointed and chosen for a specific purpose in furthering God’s Kingdom (1 John 2:20). It is wise not to run around trying to get another person’s anointing, when we already have the one Jesus received and then gave to us. Should we not be preparing and equipping ourselves through the Word, fine tuning our gifts and focusing on OUR calling, place, purpose and ministry in Christ instead?
The Spirit of Christ is in you, He is the Spirit of Prophecy and will reveal your calling, you don’t need a hundred different anointings, from a hundred different people to make your anointing more powerful. You have been set apart and everything you need was placed in you before you were in your mother’s womb. Christ is working in you to bring those things to the surface and then, molding, shaping, fine tuning them to enable you, to train and equip His Church – The Saints.
Christ within you holds all the keys to your calling and destiny. Seek Him.
Jeremiah 29:13. “And you shall seek me, and find me, when you shall search for me with all your heart.”
All of your gifts come from above, not from here on earth and are deposited in you.
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. James 1:17
“Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us is God, who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee” (2 Corinthians 1:21-22).
God has many things for us to do to walk into and fulfill our calling.
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, Luke 4:18
We are called to love people (Matthew 5:46), It’s harder to love some people than others, just so you know.
Serve the least of these (Mathew 25:40).
Make Disciples, encourage & share our faith (Matt 28:19).
Be a light wherever we go (Matthew 5:16) and more.
According to Ephesians 2:10 we are “God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
You may already have an idea of some of your calling, but is there more? What is it that breaks your heart when you see it? What calls you to sign up on the help list? What is it that excites you and is the real passion in your heart? Listen to what is God saying to you right now.
“I appointed you and called you as a _____________.”
Fill in the blank if you know something you’ve been appointed or assigned to do.
Jeremiah 1:4-10 says, before he was ever born, he was called by God as a prophet and we all know, he gave excuses of why he could not be a prophet. If you have been given a prophetic word regarding your calling, do you have a list of excuses or limitations of why you can’t fulfill it? Then repent right now, in the Name of Yahshua/Jesus. And start preparing, learning, so you can line up with who God has told you – you are.
Know this. When God appoints, He also empowers. He is faithful to provide all you need. Your calling or assignment is not about your ability. It’s about God’s ability. He loves to work through ALL our weaknesses and astound the wise. Everyone knows when God is working in your life, because they know you could never do the things you are doing without Him, backing you up.
Paul tells us: “Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. (2 Corinthians 12:9) NIV.
It is even more revealing in the KJV: And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
So, shake off the list of reasons you can’t do this or that, because it is not about you, it’s about the Can Do God, Yahweh, who abides in you. He is the one “called” the “God of the Impossible” and Nothing is too hard for Him.
One more thing. Don’t let any spirit of anxiety or worry plague you regarding your calling. Paul warns us about this.
“Do not be anxious about anything, but pray about everything and present your requests to God, and the peace of God which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ. (Phil. 4:6-7)
When Yahweh calls you and begins a work in you
He will perfect and finish it
In you – through you and – with you
You are Made Complete in Christ
