How do you know?

[~darkelfgirl~]

How exactly do you know if you're being called by God to do something?

[LadyRushia]

If you feel a strong urgency to do it, I suppose. It's hard to say, given that everyone's relationship with God involves slightly different experiences.

[Alexander]

After something is done and I realize it much later. I honestly don't know where God is leading me in anything I do.

[chibiphonebooth]

Well for me, when i finally knew that i was supposed to go to Japan, it was cause God hit me over the head like a bajjillion times. I felt a strong pull towards japan, and the more i prayed about it, the more i felt a confirmation in my heart. You are more at peace with the idea, and when people suggest other things, they just dont... seem right. God also gave me a bunch of dreams and signs and stuff that that is where i'm supposed to go next.

So right now, i'm waiting on God's word for when he wants me to go.

[Mave]

I take hints from personal circumstances, impact on spiritual state and motivations that are aligned with the Bible.

I finally found out that drawing webcomics on a voluntary basis with focus on the Christian faith was my calling in 2004. It took me more than 2 decades to figure this out.

i) Personal circumstances
- the only one in the family who draws/create stories as a kid
- the only one among my friends who still does this 27 years later
- encouragement from everyone (e.g "good artstyle, should draw more")
- steered towards science so that this can be done at my leisure/as a hobby
- found friends online who share the same vision/interests/callings
- successfully meld websites to create http://theproject.us and enjoy collaborations

2) Spiritual
- peace in heart, sense of fulfilment
- complete joy in doing this for free/not paid for this, excitement and enthusiasm never fades
- feel equipped with the talents/tools and confident enough to do a decent job
- relationships formed are edifying and spiritually fulfilling
- strong desire to do more and keep improving
- perseverance in pushing forward during difficult times

3) Motivation (make sure they're in line with the bible and God's purposes for us)
- sharing about the Christian lifestyle to non-believers
- edifying fellow Christians

Everything just made sense and I knew that I was called to do this.

[ChristianKitsune]

My experience is very similar to Mave. Only I'm just getting started ^^;

But I guess for me, I just know that I was given my abilities for a reason. And I know that God wants me to use those abilities for Him.

Like Mave, I feel that for now I should start off small, and do my own webcomic...if God wants me to be published some day, it will happen. (but I want to practice more first XD THATS A HUGE and Scary step )

But ontop of my webcomic I feel a strong pull to go to artist Alleys at local anime conventions. I never make a profit when I go (due to travel and hotel costs XD) but that doesnt really matter to me. It's meeting the fans, and showing them that Christians and Anime can coexist and that there is POSITIVE work out there that kids of all ages can read.

Which is why I feel God calling me to write comics... Although, my comic isn't like Mave's (which is very amazingly written and incorporates our faith into it, and mine is just PURE fun, with Christian overtones) I still feel that because I refuse to put anything gross and vulgar in my artwork that it can reach people.

It's truly amazing to talk to kids about God at anime cons..many times they are suprised, that I am there... and that I even care about them... but yeah. It's a great and amazing feeling. And I truly feel this is where God wants me right because of that.

However, to bring this topic full circle... PRAY about whatever it is you are thinking God wants you to do..

PRAY hard and LONG and make sure it's GOD talking and not yourself. Sometimes our own desires can be louder than God, and that' is very dangerous. :/

[minakichan]

I don't know, it might be because of my weak faith, but I'm honestly a little skeptical when people say that God told them to do such-and-such. Too many people throughout history have used that to justify doing terrible things, and the thing is, many of them seem to actually have believe that (to be more coherent, I guess: some people actually believed that God told them to do all kinds of terrible things).

[Mave]

It's fine to be skeptical to a certain degree, especially when you find that the person is doing something you don't quite feel is biblical (which I presume you use as a reference to define if something is terrible). I think it's great to check with your Christian mentors or trusted fellow believers.

I wouldn't say God told me explicitly to do this and this. But neither is it something that I know I definitely SHOULDN'T to do. XD

It's more of "Hmm seems like something I'm gifted to do, everyone whom I trust and respect approves it, it gives me great joy and enthusiasm, and it seems t be a blessing to ppl (based on feedback). Don't think I've hurt anyone yet. LOL"

So in the end and in the midst of doubts, I went with "OK, why not? Take a leap of faith and see where God leads. If it's not meant to be, He'll close doors."

I generally feel the same vibe coming from Kit-chan and therefore, feel inclined to think that we share the same calling. I should hope that we're not doing anything terrible.

Anyway, what exactly are you checking up on, darkelgirl?

[termyt]

God's calling for you will be inline with both your personal skills and with God's will and being.

God will never call you to do something that is out of His character. So then, it stands to reason, to understand God's will for your life, you must gain an understanding of His character. This is the tricky part because what we interpret as "good" is often not in line with what God sees as "good." Note that God has done many things that we would not consider "good" today - like commanding the prophet Hosea to marry a prostitute.

Here's my recommendation for you to help you determine His will:
1. Read and study the Bible. All aspects of the Christian lifestyle require the study of the Bible to be successful. The Bible is the blueprint for the nature of God. God will never contradict Himself so understanding the Words He has given to us will help us identify false prophets and prophecies.

2. Get some Christian friends – not just other people who go to church, but people who are dedicated to following God’s will. They don’t need to be perfect or have the Bible memorized or anything like that, they just need to be earnestly seeking Him. Meet with these friends regularly to discus current events, the Bible, hang out, watch movies, get to know each other.

3. When you feel an inclination to do something big, talk to your friends and family and anyone who is mentoring you in Christ. People you can trust. They will help you figure out if what you feel lead to do is within God’s will. Use them to keep you honest (and you will do the same for them). For example, if you fall in love with some guy we’ll call Billy. You love Billy so much you can’t imagine being apart, so you agree to marry him. Problem is, no one you trust likes Billy. If the people who know you and love you don’t think Billy’s a good idea, then it’s time for you to take a step back and figure out why. Could be they are all wrong, but it’s much more likely that you are.

[~darkelfgirl~]

Thanks guys (for the experience and advice)! I've always wondered because people say that they were being lead to a certain area by God.
(I want to reply to everyone's reply but I'm in a huge rush ).

Anyway, what exactly are you checking up on, darkelfgirl?

I'm just wondering if I'm being lead to write. I feel like it...but then again, I'm not sure if it's God will. It seems so since it's one of my big attributes--but I just don't know for sure. It's not like God's going to say out loud "Darkelf! I am calling you to write!" (well, He can), so I'm just wondering how "callings" work. I'm just hoping it's not my desires and emotions that's making me think so.

[LadyRushia]

I'm just wondering if I'm being lead to write. I feel like it...but then again, I'm not sure if it's God will.

I understand being concerned as to whether or not it's God's will. I fell into the trap of *thinking* I was doing God's will when I really wasn't (and then China happened; I think I told you about that, but if not, feel free to PM me). I know that I dedicated my writing to God one night and since then my stories have involved Christianity as a very significant part to the plots. I believe God has put in on my heart to write. I have an idea of where He may take it, but He's going to use it however He wants.

I guess in order to tell if you're being called to do something, you feel a very strong urge to do it. Again, it's hard to say because everyone has had different experiences. Continue to pray about it; confusing God's will with your own leads to a path of extreme pride (at least in my case), not to mention other negative sentiments.

If you want to talk more, PM me.

[Gabriel 9.0]

Like LR put it , you feel this very strong motivation, willpower and strength to do duty for the greatest king in existance.

[mitsuki lover]

First and last pray about it.

[ShiroiHikari]

For example, if you fall in love with some guy we’ll call Billy. You love Billy so much you can’t imagine being apart, so you agree to marry him. Problem is, no one you trust likes Billy. If the people who know you and love you don’t think Billy’s a good idea, then it’s time for you to take a step back and figure out why. Could be they are all wrong, but it’s much more likely that you are.

This proved to be true, in my case. I was with another guy off and on for several years before my current relationship. None of my friends liked him, and I could never figure out why. My parents were indifferent to him.

After enough time passed, I realized I didn't like him anymore either. I didn't know what to do about it, and for a long time did nothing. I got to the breaking point, and God worked in my life through some good friends of mine to get me out of the situation and into the place where He wanted me to be. It all happened pretty fast, too.

[Tsukuyomi]

It's true what everyone says. You just feeling inside you.. with your whole being. You can try different things, but the one that you feel comfortable with the most. The one that gives you no doubts. That's the one you're meant for It doesn't have to be just one thing either Just listen to your heart, because that's where God lays (right form of word o.o?) ^ ^

[Mithrandir]

It's fine to be skeptical to a certain degree, especially when you find that the person is doing something you don't quite feel is biblical (which I presume you use as a reference to define if something is terrible). I think it's great to check with your Christian mentors or trusted fellow believers.

Quoted for truth, justice, and the American way. Actually, quoted because of the wisdom in here. I have a friend who constantly hears God telling him to do stuff, but his actions don't always pan out appropriately.

Do be careful not to throw out the baby with the bathwater, though.

[Raiden no Kishi]

I don't, actually. Maybe that's why my life feels like I'm stuck in Neutral . . .

.rai//

[Tsukuyomi]

Some things will happen quicker then others Just give it some time and things will fall into place It's the things you take time on that will flourish

[rocklobster]

[quote="ChristianKitsune (post: 1196016)"]My experience is very similar to Mave. Only I'm just getting started ^^]

Also sometimes Satan can tell you something and make you think that it's God talking to you.

[Doubleshadow]

In my experience, it's been a clear message from Him to me, as clear as if a voice was speaking, or a physical impulse yanking me once to get my attention before what I'm supposed to do comes through. Maybe I don't pay attention very well?
I once heard the Holy Spirit contrasted with the conscience, emphasizing the conscience is partly determined by societal precepts while the Holy Spirit is not and often tells us to do things that surprise us. Among other things, the Spirit will prompt you to do things you normally wouldn't. As an example, let's say someone you can't stand is crying by themselves. There might be a slight niggle from your conscience to say something nice, but mostly you'd just walk away knowing saying anything will probably result in harsh words. Then you feel something moving you to go sit and talk with this person.
I tried to learn to tell when God was talking, and I could do for a while. Now, I'm so busy and can't find time to be still and listen.

[Tsukuyomi]

Also sometimes Satan can tell you something and make you think that it's God talking to you.

Even if Satan tried. Wouldn't there be a strong feeling of wrongness.. y'know O.o That's why you have to be careful. If there is a slightest doubt you may have about something like that. Proceed with caution u_u

I.. sound like a street sign o.o;

[Mithrandir]

Assuming you are taking the scripture literally, scripture seems to indicate that Satan is "silver tongued," meaning it won't always be easy to tell the difference.

[Tsukuyomi]

In that case.. You should be extra cautious. Be sure to weigh both pros and cons. Think about how it'll effect others. Not only yourself.

[~darkelfgirl~]

Also sometimes Satan can tell you something and make you think that it's God talking to you.

That's what I'm also concerned about.

It doesn't necessarily have to be 'wrong', but it maybe isn't God's Will or may lead to a wrong place or direction.

[Quote=Doubleshadow]In my experience, it's been a clear message from Him to me, as clear as if a voice was speaking, or a physical impulse yanking me once to get my attention before what I'm supposed to do comes through. Maybe I don't pay attention very well?
I once heard the Holy Spirit contrasted with the conscience, emphasizing the conscience is partly determined by societal precepts while the Holy Spirit is not and often tells us to do things that surprise us. Among other things, the Spirit will prompt you to do things you normally wouldn't. As an example, let's say someone you can't stand is crying by themselves. There might be a slight niggle from your conscience to say something nice, but mostly you'd just walk away knowing saying anything will probably result in harsh words. Then you feel something moving you to go sit and talk with this person.
I tried to learn to tell when God was talking, and I could do for a while. Now, I'm so busy and can't find time to be still and listen.[/quote]

Yeh, that has happened to me before. Now that's a calling I can identify. The calling to a ministry or something of the like is the hard one for me to identify.

Yeh, I have the same problem, too. I definitely know He's talking to me, but I'm just so busy.

[Angel Tifa]

Hmmm. This has always been one of those tougher questions for me because I'm still relatively new to Christianity (although a year and three months isn't that new, but out of an entire life time that's very freshly new ^^).

I guess one way of knowing that the Lord is calling me to do something for Him is that if I get a random thought of an action that is very Christian like, I guess you could say thats the Lord calling me to do something.

Or like when I've done something and come to see an outcome of it (whether it's good or bad), that's how I know whether or not to do something again or never again.

I hope that makes sense.

[~darkelfgirl~]

Yeh, it does ^^.

There's some things that have been going on and on in my head, but those are ministries (if they are called that) that take a lot of guts to do and serious spiritual dedication. I mean a lot lot. I'm not saying that I'm not capable to doing that (because God will help me if it is His will), but I'm not sure if it is just me thinking too much on it or something. *shrugs*

[GhostontheNet]

The mere fact that you are even able to ask this question probably means that God has not yet called you to any special task or vocation yet. The best thing for you to do will be to continue to grow, to pray, and especially to wait. Believe me, if you keep your heart and mind open to doing God's will, it will be impossible to miss when the time comes. Its really a lot like what Soren Kierkegaard says in his The Lily in the Field and the Bird of the Air:

"Seek first God's kingdom and his righteousness."

But what does this mean, what am I to do, or what is the effort that can be said to seek, to aspire to God's kingdom? Shall I see about getting a position commensurate with my talents and abilities in order to be effective in it? No, you shall first seek God's kingdom. Shall I give my possessions to the poor? No, you shall first seek God's kingdom. Shall I then go out and proclaim this doctrine to the world? No, you shall first seek God's kingdom. But then in a certain sense is it nothing I shall do? Yes, quite true, in a certain sense it is nothing. In the deepest sense you shall make yourself nothing, become nothing before God, learn to be silent. In this silence is the beginning, which is to seek first God's kingdom. (Soren Kierkegaard, The Lily in the Field and the Bird of the Air XI 14)

What Kierkegaard says here is quite true. As a matter of fact, God caused my computer to go down and would not permit me to type this reply until I prayed for his blessing to go ahead and type it. If you seek God's kingdom in silence, he will announce his will loud and clear as a bullhorn when the time comes (though it will typically take some time for the resonance to build up to this moment so you understand the meaning of his instructions when they come). And if you're still worried about it, I'll tell you about the process he uses to call me into tasks and vocations.

[termyt]

but I'm not sure if it is just me thinking too much on it or something. *shrugs*

There's an excellent chance of that.

If, while you are traveling down life's interstate and God calls out an exit, you should take it. However, if you miss it, all is not lost. God can and will use you no matter where you are so no matter what you do, seek Him first and foremost.

For an example, let’s look a Jonah. God called him to go to Nineveh, but Jonah was unsure and afraid so he boarded a ship going the opposite way. God sent a horrible storm that threatened to sink the ship. Everyone on board was terrified to the point where they suspected someone on board had angered some god or gods and cast lots to find out who. The lot fell on Jonah, of course, and Jonah revealed he was a Hebrew who served and was running away from the Living God. He told them to throw him overboard, but they refused and tried to row to land, to no avail. [Quote=Jonah (1:15-16 NIV)]Then they took Jonah and threw him overboard, and the raging sea grew calm. At this the men greatly feared the Lord, and they made an offering to the Lord and made vows to him.[/quote] So, even though Jonah was not on the path God wished for him, God still used him as a witness to His power and glory.

Of course, Jonah knew exactly what God wanted him to do and chose to do otherwise causing God to spectacularly put him in his place. I know I have wished for so obvious a sign before but that certainly is not the norm. (If anything, the lack of a spectacular sign shows you are doing "OK") My point is, a decision is better than a non-decision. Walking a path is better than standing still. If you chose the wrong path, God will nudge you back to the path He has chosen for you and, in the meantime, He will use you where you are.

[Shao Feng-Li]

If what you're "hearing" doesn't line up/ contradicts scripture, don't do it.

[GhostontheNet]

There's an excellent chance of that.

If, while you are traveling down life's interstate and God calls out an exit, you should take it. However, if you miss it, all is not lost. God can and will use you no matter where you are so no matter what you do, seek Him first and foremost.

For an example, let’]

That's an interesting view on why Jonah sailed the other way. Whenever I read Jonah, I always tend to think of it as a story about ethnic hatred and God's refusal to capitulate to it. Here Jonah is given the task of warning Nineveh, this flagrantly wicked city that has commited great violence agsinst the People of God that the city will fall in forty days. But Jonah knows that almost all prophecy is conditional and that no prediction of cataclysm will come to pass if the people in the affected area repent of their wickedness. Not too keen on the idea of Nineveh repenting because he would really rather see the city wiped off the face of the earth, he figures that maybe the prophecy will still be fulfilled if he does not go and prophesy against it. And so, he sails in the opposite direction to try and smother all hope for Nineveh (Jonah was a jerk like that). What ensues is a comedic farce in which God proceeds to drag Jonah kicking and screaming back to Nineveh to deliver his prophetic warning. He tells the people, and then, lo and behold, the whole city repents and doesn't have to be destroyed anymore. This really upsets Jonah, and so the story continues:

But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was angry. And he prayed to the LORD and said, "O LORD, is not this what I said when I was yet in my country? That is why I made haste to flee to Tarshish]

And so, while he feels like dying of shame, he goes and sets up a tent east of the city. God creates a plant that gives him shade from the sun, but then sends a worm to destroy the plant. God then sends a scorching wind while the sun kept on beating down on Jonah until he was weak and faint. And so the story continues:

And he asked that he might die and said, "It is better for me to die than to live." But God said to Jonah, "Do you do well to be angry for the plant?" And he said, "Yes, I do well to be angry, angry enough to die." And the LORD said, "You pity the plant, for which you did not labor, nor did you make it grow, which came into being in a night and perished in a night. And should not I pity Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know their right hand from their left, and also much cattle?" (Jonah 4:8-11 ESV)

And so, it is there that the story ends. This is not to say, of course, that the story of Jonah has no bearing on the present discussion. I think there are two important things that we can learn from Jonah. I recall that I mentioned earlier that to a receptive heart the call of God is impossible to miss. And indeed, in Jonah's case it was so impossible to miss that he even accomplished it while being dragged through his task kicking and screaming. The second thing we learn is that we must not let our own prejudices against certain groups of people prevent us from carrying out the work the Lord of the whole earth would have us do. Even wicked Nineveh looks entirely different in the light of God's grace, so what will those barriers that seperate us from showing his love and mercy to other kinds of people look like in that same light?