byOne of the most profound questions in ministry, primarily targeted to young and upcoming ministers, is, “Did God call you”? I was also asked this question, but not by people who were mean or disrespectful of my anointing. Thankfully, I was able to check my desire for ministry well before pursuing it to higher levels and even to start The Bible Daily Network. Today, I am writing this article to help anybody battling with the surety of his calling to ministry, and I hope you’ll get your answers after reading this.
What is “divine calling”?
To say that God has called a person basically means that that person has been separated unto Him. That’s it. How true is that? Jesus once said to His disciples that they didn’t choose themselves, but He chose them (see John 15:16). And we all know that the disciples were commissioned to do ministry. Right? So, God is the one that calls people, not themselves. If you see someone doing the work of the ministry genuinely, it is likely that God called him, even though he may not be sharp in discerning the call well.
Think about the disciples. When Jesus called some of them, He just said that they should follow Him and He’ll make them fishers of men (see Mark 1:17). None of them didn’t know that following Jesus into ministry would cost them their relationships with some family members and even their places of sleep. In fact, Peter realised this later, and that made him tell Jesus, “… See, we have left all and followed You. Therefore what shall we have?” (Matthew 19:27 (NKJV). Just because you’re experiencing challenges in ministry doesn’t mean God didn’t call you. Don’t let the obstacles make you doubt yourself. Many times, the challenges are a confirmation that God is up to something extraordinary in your life, and if you do not give up, you’ll go higher.
Don’t let the obstacles make you doubt yourself. Many times, the challenges are a confirmation that God is up to something extraordinary in your life, and if you do not give up, you’ll go higher.
Diversities of God’s calling
One beautiful thing God does is that He doesn’t give everyone the same calling. There are differences, and in each one, there are levels. Ephesians 4:11 (NKJV) says,
“And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers,”
Jesus gave some people five separate callings – apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers. Because of the use of the word “some” and not “all,” I believe there are other areas of God’s calling that are not mentioned in the scripture above. For example, someone may be called to use art to design craftings that proclaim the gospel. Another may not be a preacher in any institution, but start writing books to impact many for Christ. You see, there are diversities of divine callings as well as divine gifts, but the same God (see 1 Corinthian 12:4). It is up to you to pursue a deeper intimacy with God for Him to reveal to you which part you are called into so you can function therein. Note that what God will reveal to you may be entirely unique from the traditional methods of ministry.
Levels in God’s calling
When it comes to levels in the divine calling, I would say that it is a matter of the minister’s level of fellowship with God and diligence in ministry. You cannot get to higher levels of your divine calling if you are either lazy or not prayerful or both of them. Proverbs 12:24 (NKJV) says,
“The hand of the diligent will rule, But the lazy man will be put to forced labor.”
So, from this, to hit a higher level of impact, you must be a diligent minister of the gospel. Secondly, you must be prayerful. Learn to balance both. Don’t work so hard that you don’t have time to fellowship with God. Otherwise, you might experience burnout in ministry. Why? The spiritual fervour to keep thriving in ministry is mainly fueled by your time of intimacy with God. Learn from those ahead of you, especially people who bear a similar area of calling to the one in which you function. When you do that, you’ll not make some mistakes such people did when they were at your level.
To hit a higher level of impact, you must be a diligent minister of the gospel.
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Always check your heart
Your heart will always be the place from which life issues will spring (see Proverbs 4:23). If you leave your heart unchecked as you minister, the devil can take advantage of it and steal the precious Word of God in it. If you are going to deal with lust, love of money and other evil sins going on in this generation, it must be first addressed in the heart. Always pray for God to help you keep your heart clean as You serve Him, and focus on doing whatever God tells you.
You are a blessing!
