Clarifying Your Calling

“Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.” – Romans 8:30

What is calling you?  Do you know your calling?  Are you operating in your calling?

The idea of being called by God and chosen for a purpose before we were even born can be a difficult concept for entrepreneurs to grasp.  They often believe they are in complete control of their destiny and what they do is an act of their own free will and choice.  God has given us free will, but He also told us what to choose and prewired us to make certain choices based on His plan and purpose for our lives.  However, the gift of free will gives us the ability to go against this preordained plan (Deuteronomy 30:19). One way to guard against this is to clearly know our calling, to be intentional about pursuing it and making every choice based on it.   

A calling is the stirring of man’s heart by God to respond to His will for our lives and glorify Him through everything we do.  Traditionally, many believers have limited this term to refer only to roles within the structure of the local church or within a parachurch ministry. One passage in Scripture often used to support this is Ephesians 4:7-15 which states:

“But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift.  Therefore He says:  ‘when He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, and gave gifts to men.’  (Now this, ‘He ascended’-what does it mean but that He also first descended into the lower parts of the earth?  He who descended is also He who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.)  And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ…”

These so-called functions are really spiritual gifts or, as we refer to them in the Biblical Entrepreneurship class, perfecting gifts.  These gifts are not limited to those who are called to official church offices or functions but rather can be operational in others whose calling may be in the marketplace as well.  We must also keep in mind that most of the individuals in the Scriptures who were called did not solely utilize their gifts in traditional spiritual vocations but used them in their roles within business, government and family.  A good example is Daniel. He had a clear gift of being a prophet and worked for the Babylonian government where he used his prophetic gifts to realize God’s purposes there.

“It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom one hundred and twenty satraps, to be over the whole kingdom; and over these, three governors, of whom Daniel was one, that the satraps might give account of them, so that the king would suffer no loss.”  – Daniel 6:1-2

Another example is the Apostle Paul who had the gift of being an evangelist, functioned as a pastor/teacher and maintained his tent making business.

“After these things Paul departed from Athens and went to Corinth.  And he found a certain Jew named Aquila, born in Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla (because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to depart from Rome); and he came to them.  So, because he was of the same trade, he stayed with them and worked; for by occupation they were tentmakers.” – Acts 18:1-3

How do you identify your own calling now that you understand the connection between using your spiritual gifts in the ministry and the marketplace?

1. Assess your gifts, skills and abilities. They are tools to help you carry out your call.
2. Reflect on your experiences and trials and identify the patterns within them as signs toward your calling.
3. What are the reoccurring themes that God has been reiterating to you throughout your life even before you were saved? Listen attentively to the Holy Spirit as He speaks to you through Scriptures, circumstances and other believers.
4. Do not limit your call to one vocation. Your call is expressed in everything you do, and it can be multidimensional.  Your business is just one of the ways your call is expressed.
5. What is your burden?  What are some of the things that pull at your heart and you are very passionate about?
6. What things come naturally to you? What do you experience the most joy doing?  Ask others around you to give you their input as well.
7. In what ways can you serve others by fulfilling the Great Commission and the great commandment while manifesting the Fruit of the Spirit?

Remember that as important as it is to clearly identify your calling with confidence, as did so many people in the Scriptures and many others today do , it is more important that whatever you do, whether you feel called to it or not, you do it as unto the Lord.  

“And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the father through him.”  – Colossians 3:17

My prayer for you today is that God will grant you the wisdom to clarify your calling in Him and the courage to pursue it no matter what.