Burden Versus Call
It's important to know the difference between a burden and a call. Many people see a need for something, and they start things that they never complete because they were never called to it in the first place. If God has called you to do something, you'll finish it.
Some people go overseas thinking they're called when they just have a burden. They begin to build, let's say, a school. Halfway through, problems develop. They quit, run, and excuse themselves, saying, "God didn't call me to that." Either He did or He didn't! Which is it? We've got to get it straight. People's lives are at stake. People will be hurt by our actions if we're confused.
People who don't finish things they started probably never were called in the first place. If they were, they obviously weren't faithful to the call. Chances are they simply had a burden. There's nothing wrong with that. I get burdens about a lot of things. You should pray about burdens. You may want to offer financial support to help with some of those burdens. You even may want to give of your time in labor to it.
A burden, however, is not a call. Generally, burdens only last a short time. Calls last a long time; they last forever. You never can get away from the call of God on your life. I am certain that God calls people. He would not leave His servants in the dark.
A call is compelling. It is forever calling. You cannot get away from it. It burns within your heart. Your mind dwells on it. An inner voice constantly speaks to your spirit, whether you want it to or not.
If you want to know God's call on your life, pray and ask God. Wait on Him and ask Him what He would have you do. Are you called or not? Ask God. He will tell you.
I have a friend who was called as an evangelist shortly after she was saved. She was then a newspaper reporter. For several years, the Lord used her in Christian writing. But the call of God on her life compelled her to preach every chance she got. She began to preach frequently in prisons and small churches throughout the country. Her spirit yearned to reach more and more lost people.
For years she struggled with the call of God on her life. She'd seen so many people who had called themselves into the ministry and then failed. She didn't want to follow in their footsteps. Finally she began to pray earnestly about it. That voice within that kept telling her to reach multitudes was getting louder and louder.
One day she cried out to God, "I've got to know, God. I can't go on like this. This fire within my bones won't go away. Do I continue to write full time and preach part time or vice versa? Do you want me to devote my energies to the full-time ministry? What do You want me to do?"
The Lord instructed her to attend a meeting later that week and she would get her answer. At that meeting, a prophet of God picked her out from the crowd and said, "The Lord told me to tell you this. 'Know this: you are called. Don't ever question it again. That is sin. He has called you, and He will use you mightily. Watch as He opens many doors to you this year.'"
Within six months, she was in the full-time ministry. She now serves as a missionary overseas. She has traveled to more than a dozen countries proclaiming God's Good News to multitudes of lost souls.
Get God's vision and call for your life established in your heart, and you can't fail. God has success for you, too.
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