What is God calling me toward? We have to ask ourselves this question as followers of Christ. More so, we have to be willing to listen for his calling upon our lives. It is far too easy to settle into life’s comforts. We are guaranteed throughout Scripture that, as Christians, we will face trials. So when did it become so easy to do less than what God has asked of us? Maybe it was when that job took off and became an all-consuming priority to support the family. Maybe it was when you started having kids and decided that it took up too much of your time. Maybe it was when that family member was sick and money was tight. Maybe you were in school and you had to devote all of your time to your grades in order to keep that scholarship. Whatever it is or was that held you back, God is calling you to something greater now. Are you listening? Or are you allowing life to deafen you to his calling upon your life?
If you aren’t easily tempted, Satan will entice you with business. Whatever things the Father of Lies can use to keep you from fully investing into your relationship with Christ, he will. Even if they seem like good things! Supporting your family is a good thing. Bearing children is a good thing. Helping family members is a good thing. Devoting time to your studies is a good thing! However, when they become more important than your relationship with Christ, then they become bad things. How do you know if these things are more important to you? Ask yourself these questions:
- Do you have time for a quiet time? A time to fully rest in the Lord, to pray, and be in his Word each day?
- Are your thoughts consumed by the business of your life — the things you still have to do, or the places you need to be — or are they consumed by your response to God’s calling upon your life?
- Do you pray? Have you asked God what his will is for your life?
Once we have our priorities straight, then we can press on to fight the good fight of faith (1 Timothy 6:12). No relationship can thrive if there is no line of communication. Imagine if you and your spouse had not spoken all day long. You would begin to wonder if something was wrong. Maybe you said something that upset them, and you didn’t realize it. Maybe that communication has been broken for a long time, and you’re so used to it now that you have become numb to it, so your relationship feels stagnant and dry. So it is with God. When we stop making him our priority, stop praying, or stop reading his Word, we begin to feel like he’s not there anymore, or that he doesn’t care. We don’t realize that we were the ones who stopped all forms of communication when we stopped praying, stopped going to church, or stopped saturating our minds with his truth.
God promises that he will never leave or forsake us. His very name is Immanuel, which means “God with us.” If you need more affirmation, you can read it in Deuteronomy 31:6–8, Joshua 1:5–9, Isaiah 41:10, Matthew 28:20, John 14:16–17, 1 Kings 8:57, 1 Chronicles 28:20, Psalms 37:28, Hebrews 13:15, Romans 8:38–39, 1 Corinthians 3:16, Psalms 23:4, Zephaniah 3:17, Revelation 3:20, Psalms 139:7–10, Ephesians 3:17, Jeremiah 23:23–24, Psalms 46:1, Colossians 2:9, 2 Corinthians 5:21, John 10:27–30, and that is just for starters! His promise to be with us as we heed his calling on our lives is spread all throughout Scripture! If we are sons and daughters of Christ, then Christ dwells in our hearts and nothing can separate us from that kind of unconditional love (Romans 8:35–39), no matter how busy we are.
What you need to ask yourself at this point is, “What is God calling you toward? Do you have the kind of faith it takes to do what God is asking of you?” Could it be that God has asked you to trust him with your life?
If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. As Scripture says, ‘Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.’ For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, ‘Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’ — Romans 10:9–13
It’s that simple. We know that, for those who put their trust in the Lord, he promises that we are fully his. He will never put us to shame, never leave us, never abandon us, and never forsake us. All he asks is that we ask him! He is the door, and if we knock he will open it to us (John 10:9).