How do I know the call of God in my life?

How do I know if God has called me into full-time ministry?

People often ask me such questions about the calling of God, and I’ve come to realise that while giving them guiding principles and advice like “you’ll know when the time comes” were helpful to a certain extent, I wasn’t really answering their question. Neither will I be able to fully do so.

I can share from my personal testimonies of God’s divine leading and providence in my life, and listeners will be wowed and encouraged by my journey of faith in the Lord. Yet, as impacted as they may be, I would then see an “encouraged face” turn into a “blank face” because, after all, the calling of God is a personal journey that you need to embark on and experience for yourself.

Everyone has his own story when it comes to answering the call of God in his life.

I asked the Lord to give me a more excellent way of answering this all-important question many ask, so that after hearing my testimonies, they can go on and write their own journey of faith.

I felt the Holy Spirit saying to me: “Why do you get so caught up with the calling of God? What about your covenant with Him?” That hit me like a bolt of lightning piercing through my being!

Don’t just think calling – think covenant! Don’t be fixated on or overwhelmed by the call of God, it’s unique and different for every person. However, when you make God’s covenant your focus and starting point, that’s something everyone can identify with that because we all have a personal relationship with God.

The call of God in my life is made up of many “small callings”.

There are some things that we do for the Lord, not because we’re called to do them or are the best or the brightest – but simply because we love Him and want to do all we can in any capacity to please Him.

When you “think covenant” and truly understand what that means, I believe you won’t be making statements such as these.

• I’m not called to lead a cell group.
• I don’t feel led to serve in the usher ministry.
• I don’t do admin work. I want to preach the gospel.

The call of God in my life is made up of many “small callings”, the seemingly insignificant, mundane and routine tasks that when faithfully and excellently executed will come together and eventually form the call of God for my life.

Jesus said in Luke 16:10: “The one who manages the little he has been given with faithfulness and integrity will be promoted and trusted with greater responsibilities. But those who cheat with the little they have been given will not be considered trustworthy to receive more.”

“If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself.” (2 Timothy 2:13 NKJV)

Ultimately, the call of God in life is sustained by His covenant with us. A covenant is a chosen relationship in which two parties make binding promises to each other and are accompanied by oaths, signs and ceremonies. 

Covenants are like the “backbone” of the Bible upon which the entire redemptive story was built. From Genesis onwards, God enters into one formal relationship after another (covenants) with various people so as to rescue the world. These divine-human relationships reached their climax in Jesus. Thus to tell the story of God redeeming His people through Jesus is to tell the story of God’s covenantal relationship with them.

In a marriage, a husband and wife choose to enter a formal relationship binding one to the other in lifelong faithfulness and devotion – that’s a covenant. The difference between covenant and contract is evident when someone breaks one of the agreements. A contract is void when one of the involved parties violates it.

A covenant remains intact even if one of the parties breaches it.

On the other hand, a covenant remains intact even if one of the parties breaches it – it’s unilateral, unconditional, irrevocable and indissoluble. And the most solemn covenant of all is one that’s been established through the shedding of blood – first mentioned in Genesis 15 which recorded the dramatic encounter between God and Abraham, and in the New Testament, where the blood covenant was made by God through the sacrifice of Jesus.

May our churches not be built on clever ideas, systems, formulae or personalities. May they be built on our covenant with God – that we would give our all to bring Him pleasure and put a smile on His face. We are a covenant people of the Most High God!

This article was adapted from a blog post on Cornerstone Community Church’s website.