Sermon: Freedom from the Lies of the Enemy
January 19, 2013
3 Stages in the Process of Fulfilling your Destiny
January 23, 2013
There is a lot of talk about finding your calling in life. Terms like destiny and purpose are popular today in Christian messages, books, and conferences.
This is understandable, as many people find themselves wandering through life without much direction. Yet, we are created by God for a purpose. I love what Paul said in Ephesians 2:8-10:
For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
Paul makes it clear that we are not saved by works. But we are saved for works. We are God’s workmanship. And He has prepared good works specifically for us to step into.
All believers have a calling; not just those called to ministry. Every calling is holy because it originates with God. But how do you know what your calling is? How do you discover it? There is no formula for this, but here are three questions you can ask yourself to help in the discovery process.
1. What has God Spoken?
This does not mean that you have to hear an audible voice. God speaks in various ways, and this includes speaking into our destiny and calling. What has God said about your calling?
It may be a very specific word, or it might be general. I received a general calling to ministry about ten years ago, and it has become more focused and specific over time. God gave Joseph dreams that related to his calling, but the specifics were not given at that time. David on the other hand received a prophecy from Samuel that he would be the next king of Israel; a very specific word about his calling.
Has God spoken to you through His word, dreams and visions, prophetic words, or other people about your calling? If you are His child, expect that He will give you direction toward your calling.
2. What am I passionate about?
Another clue to discovering your calling is your passion. What gets you excited? What keeps you up at night? What would you do even if you never got paid for it? Don’t negate these things. They are there for a reason.
There will be many obstacles that come on the road to fulfilling your calling. And often times the preparation process involves difficult seasons of refining your character and purifying your motives. It is passion that gives you the fuel to persevere until the fulfillment of the call.
3. What am I gifted at?
Though they are not the same, there is a relationship between your gifts and your calling. Sometimes the calling comes first and then the gifts emerge in the preparation process. Other times your giftedness is the sign that points you in the direction of your calling.
Ask yourself: what are my biggest areas of strength? What am I good at? What comes naturally to me? What spiritual gifts manifest in my life? These are all clues that help clarify your purpose. Your calling will fit with the gifts that God has given you.
Use these clues in the process of discovering your calling. And remember this: your calling comes out of your identity. In other words, what you do flows out of who you are.
The true foundation of your calling is your intimacy with God and your identity in Christ. As you grow in your relationship with the Lord, believe that your calling will become more clear and come to fruition.
Questions: Do you have a clear sense of calling? How did you come to discover it?
11 Comments
[…] Posted by Jake Kail on Jan 23, 2013 in The Christian Life | 0 comments It is one thing to discover your calling. It is quite another thing to go through the process of fulfilling […]
[…] 2013 in The Christian Life | 0 comments Having a dream or sense of vision is often a part of discovering your calling. But dreams do not come to pass by […]
Thank you for reminding me that obstacles and difficult seasons are times of refining and preparation. My biggest prayer to Him is your kingdom come, your will be done in my life. I am truly enjoying your blog. Just found it the other day.
Thanks for the comment Rae. I am glad you are being blessed and encouraged by the blog!
in my dreams i c myself healing n delivering n raising dead people.what is my caling
Hey Peter, that looks like a clue that you may have a calling into a healing/deliverance ministry. God will lead you and confirm your call along the way. God bless!
thanks pastor.Adonai bles u.
[…] we have a greater revelation of God’s destiny for us, it will give us greater boldness and courage. We can know that God will bring to pass the things […]
I’ve been seeing numbers for over a year now. In the summer of 2009 I asked God to show me where he wanted me to live, in a dream he gave me 24031 but I don’t have a street or a zip code. The numbers that I keep seeing throughout the day and waking up to are 222,517,1111,1010,444,333,111,555. I believe my calling is to stay at home to care for my 9 year old and to be a part of her education. Taking care of my kids and gone has always been a joy for me but because I’m a single parent I have to work, I’ve been dating a very Godly man for almost 2 years he tells me I’m in his life for a reason but won’t say anymore than that. I know I’m called to be a wife but I just don’t know when.
So before I was born again I was into ghost and demons. I realized that was bad and quit watching and studying them but I can’t figure out if that was just my flesh liking the scare or if God made this something I was interested in, and I did gain some knowledge of what they are about. So then after being born again I have dreams that I am casting out demons from Children and family members. I am having troubles figuring out if this is what God has called me to do or if it is just me being interested in it. What are your thoughts?
Hey Sarah,
That is a great question! It sounds like you had an unhealthy fascination with spirits, but that does not mean that you are not called to minister deliverance now. In fact, sometimes the enemy tries to hi-jack our callings like that. For instance, people who are interested in psychic phenomena might actually have a calling to prophesy, but the enemy is trying to steal it with a counterfeit. Does that make sense?
God actually used dreams as part of my calling into deliverance (You can read about that here).
Hope that helps!
Jake