By Chris Vaught

Nothing can fully prepare a person for the range of emotions felt when God places a call upon his or her life. Each call is unique and specific to the individual and comes from a personal encounter with God. The call given will carry a specific purpose concerning how God has chosen to use the believer in fulfilling a role in His Kingdom plan.

One can only imagine how Jeremiah felt when God spoke these words to him, “I chose you before I formed you in the womb; I set you apart before you were born. I appointed you a prophet to the nations” (Jer 1:5). The call was specific, and Jeremiah could not doubt what his role was to be. The Apostle Paul had a similar conviction. In writing to Timothy, he encouraged believers to be prayerful and to lead a quiet life so that they would have opportunities to be a witness for the Gospel of Jesus. Paul states, “For this, I was appointed a herald, an apostle…” (1 Tim 2:7 ).

Theologian Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones believed six traits accompany the call of God upon one’s life. The first, and perhaps most foundational, being an inner compulsion. He explained that the call instills irresistible inner coercion that becomes dominant in one’s life. To a class of seminary students, Charles Spurgeon would say, “If you can do anything else do it. If you can stay out of the ministry, stay out of the ministry.” Why would he give such a statement? Because if the student had an authentic conviction that they were called to the ministry, no other vocation could tempt them to quit.

Now comes the dilemma. Joy, gratitude, and excitement often accompany the call of God in a person’s heart. Yet, so does fear, insecurity, and doubt. At the moment the call is given, a spiritual war ensues. A battle within the soul rages between the indwelling Spirit of God and one’s own fallen human nature. Like Moses, one may doubt giftedness and value. Moses asked, “Who am I?” and proceeded to tell God why he wasn’t the right choice (Exodus 3), or such as Isaiah, one becomes keenly aware of their spiritual inadequacies and sinfulness (Isaiah 6).