Connect To Your Calling - Pastor Ekpenyong

Never settle for less than God’s best for your life.

Matthew 7:13-14 BBE

13 Go in by the narrow door; for wide is the door and open is the way which goes to destruction, and great numbers go in by it.

14 For narrow is the door and hard the road to life, and only a small number make discovery of it.

The gate of LIFE God ordained for you is small and the road narrow and ONLY A FEW EVER FIND IT.

This is why it requires courage to move beyond the ordinary mass, everybody-is-doing-it kind of life.

You can connect to your calling.

It’s a sad thing to live your life without this deep rooted sense of connection to your purpose.

In spite of your vocation, what will ever matter most is that you’ve connected to your calling and awakened to the inner fulfillment that it affords.

Some mistake the subject of calling as a matter of only functioning in the traditional fivefold ministry.

However, it can be a calling to teach, to give, to build, to being creative or whatever it is you suspect you're built for.

Romans 12: 2-8 TLB

2 Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but be a new and different person with a fresh newness in all you do and think. Then you will learn from your own experience how his ways will really satisfy you. 

3 As God's messenger I give each of you God's warning: Be honest in your estimate of yourselves, measuring your value by how much faith God has given you. 

4-5 Just as there are many parts to our bodies, so it is with Christ's body. We are all parts of it, and it takes every one of us to make it complete, for we each have different work to do. So we belong to each other, and each needs all the others. 

6 God has given each of us the ability to do certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, then prophesy whenever you can-as often as your faith is strong enough to receive a message from God. 

7 If your gift is that of serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, do a good job of teaching. 

8 If you are a preacher, see to it that your sermons are strong and helpful. If God has given you money, be generous in helping others with it. If God has given you administrative ability and put you in charge of the work of others, take the responsibility seriously. Those who offer comfort to the sorrowing should do so with Christian cheer.

When you connect to your calling and function from it, you will experience such satisfaction as nothing else will ever give.

In resolving this calling issue, it is critical that you distinguish between what you’re good at (your vocation or skill set) and what you’re good for (the fulfillment of your purpose and maximizing your potential).

Where are you hedged?

Are you appearing to fulfill what people expect or are you about fulfilling your true potential?

When you don’t become fixated on winning the prize or appearing successful, you will discover the fulfillment that comes in fulfilling your true potential.

Simply put, when you stop living to impress people, you will find fulfillment as you fulfill your true potential.

Many people feel trapped in work that provides a paycheck but little else. This is so because they find they have little opportunity to use their gifts or do anything that is personally meaningful.

What is calling?

Your calling is the knowing and feeling in your heart to do a specific work. It’s as though you sense God summoning you towards your life’s work.

The inner nudges, the sense that there is more to life than simply earning a paycheck and the quiet knowing that you are meant to do more than simply survive; these things may point to your calling, to an invitation or summons, to a path meant for you.

God in His love prods us into action in many ways. He can even use negative feelings such as discontentment and confusion, or positive emotions like energy and enthusiasm about doing something new in our lives.

Philippians 2:13 WUEST

“For God is the One who is constantly putting forth His energy in you, both in the form of your being desirous of and of your doing His good pleasure.”

There are also several decisive moments in our lives in which we find ourselves asking questions like “Who am I?” and “What is God calling me to do?”

What should you do if you find yourself feeling you were created to do something more with your life, if you sense the LORD prodding you to something different?

1. Recognize that finding the calling ordained for you is a partnership between you and God.

God always does His own part of leading and guiding us into the ordained path, but you have to cooperate and follow His lead.

Psalm 32:8-9 NASU

8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go; I will counsel you with My eye upon you. 

9 Do not be as the horse or as the mule which have no understanding, Whose trappings include bit and bridle to hold them in check, Otherwise they will not come near to you.

2. Commit to a time of prayer.

It is important you commit to some time in prayer when seeking an answer from the LORD.

Jeremiah 33:3 Amp

“Call to Me and I will answer you and show you great and mighty things, fenced in and hidden, which you do not know (do not distinguish and recognize, have knowledge of and understand).”

God wants you to know your calling so you can go forward in it with all confidence. God will be faithful to reveal it to you as you press into Him by prayer.

Colossians 1:9 TLB

“So ever since we first heard about you we have kept on praying and asking God to help you understand what he wants you to do; asking him to make you wise about spiritual things;”

3. Walk in the Will of God.

Partnering with God to connect your calling requires making wise, essential, biblically grounded decisions. It is an essential part to spiritual maturity.

If we aren’t following His instructions already given us in the word and endeavoring to walk in His will, how can He trust us to obey Him in our calling?

Mastering forgiveness, walking in love and humility are necessary training grounds that come ahead of your calling that are not only there for your protection, but for those whom you’re called to impact down the road.

4. Employ an investigative and explorative approach.

Identify the key dimensions or puzzle pieces of your unique God-given design. People learn about their design through life experiences, feedback from others, tests and assessments.

Pay attention to the moments of meaning that you experience, both in your work and outside of it. The more you grasp the connections between the moments that stand out to you, the more you will understand what your calling looks and feels like.

5. Let go of a mindset that may be holding you back from your true calling 

Fear, worry, guilt, failure, not wanting to be judged.

Truth is you need courage to dare to be different and to do YOU and everything you feel your life is about.

It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are. While sometimes your concerns and fears may be legitimate, the greater concern should truly be WILL THE WORLD EVER RECOVER FROM YOUR INACTIONS?

If you knew how desperate the world will be without your contribution, you will throw away all your excuses and self consciousness.

6. Your present is not the enemy of your future.

While it is great to have a vision, realize that you may not know the next step. Therefore, don’t get all out for the future that you miss your calling for today.

Before being called to something, we are called to Someone. Before being called to do, we are called to be. Therefore, focus more on being than on doing.

To determine where your focus is, ask yourself what you’re thankful for. The enemy will try to make what’s going on in your life today not seem remarkable. He’ll have you worrying about things you can’t know right now.

But I encourage you to look at your life with a thankful heart and know that everything is falling in place according to His plans and purpose.

One thing you must realize is God is more interested in you fulfilling your calling than you even are.

You can live this calling even if you are unemployed or in work that doesn't fit you well.

The more diligently you are seeking to live your primary calling, the more effectively the Lord can guide you in finding your vocational calling (that is, work that fits your gifts and brings a deep sense of purpose and significance.)

Listen to the voices all around that urge you to accept the challenge to live your calling. Seize the day. 

Make your life count for eternity. 

Walk worthy of your calling because nothing else truly matters.

You're BLESSED and loved!