Many people are not effectively answering God’s call on their life because they are in a position of push or a position of pull, but if we want to experience the benefits of boldly walking in God’s call on our lives, we must be in a position of . . . well, you’ll have to watch and see. Enjoy!

God calls different people to do different things. This also means we have different ways we answer those calls. So in today’s video, I want to share with you 3 common ways that people often answer God’s call and the one way that is the best way to answer. 

A POSITION OF PUSH

The first common way people answer God’s call on their lives is in what I call a position of push. This means that God has told you what He’s calling you to do, but you are hesitant to answer for any number of reasons (fear, doubt, complacency, you name it), and so you may frequently find yourself in a position where God is pushing you to where He wants you to go. 

Some signs that you are in a position of push are: 

• You often overthink what God’s calling you to do
• People keep asking when you’re going to do what it is you’re called to do (and often wonder why you haven’t don’t it yet)
• You struggle with imposter syndrome and question if God made a mistake when calling you.
• The moment you get excited about moving forward in your calling, you immediately are overcome with doubt and insecurity. 
• The battle with doubt and anxiety that comes with answering the call makes you want to turn back.

The challenge for the pusher then is to trust God over your doubt and feelings of inadequacy. If you struggle to trust yourself with this calling, you’re going to have to trust God with yourself and what He can do through you, in spite of you. The hope I want to share with anyone in a position of push is Proverbs 3:5-6 which says:

An example of someone in a position of push in the Bible is Moses. When God approached Moses in the wilderness in Genesis 3 to call him to go and free the Israelites from Egyptian slavery, Moses hesitates. He does not go right away. In fact, he and God have a pretty lengthy conversation about it. Moses is fearful, doubtful, and he just doesn’t want to do it. But for every excuse Moses gives, God has a solution and although God does not take “no” as an answer, He really twists Moses’ hand and pushes him towards answering the call. 

Now if you are in a position of push, it’s often that your hesitation and indecisiveness are going to rob you of the peace and strength you need to move forward. The alternative is to trust God with your comfort zone and go where He tells you to go and do what He tells you to do. Now God is patient and gracious and He will take the time to process and wrestle with us, but hopefully, as we mature in our relationship with Him, that wrestling becomes less and less because we’ve experienced that if God is calling us to something, it’s for our good and His glory. 

A POSITION OF PULL

The next common way people answer God’s call on their lives is in what I call a position of pull. This is where God may or may not have revealed His call to you, but you are running full speed ahead to what you think it might be and so God has to pull you back to get you on track. You are a few steps ahead of God and although your ambition is praised by the world, it is more important to be in alignment with God. 

Signs you may be in a position of pull include:

• You always feel in a hurry for God to tell you what’s next
• You often leave projects unfinished because you’re excited to move on to the next thing
• You start sometimes with much energy and excitement, but eventually find yourself burnt out
• You feel like you’re always putting more into a matter than what you get out

Someone in a position of pull is often in a rush because they are passionate about this calling, but may find themselves out of step with God’s ultimate plan. It’s important then to trust God with the mission, no matter what that looks like, or how long it takes. Don’t become so focused on just getting it done or getting to the end destination, that you miss God in the journey. The hope I want to share with anyone in a position of pull is Proverbs 16:9 which says:

An example of someone in a position of pull in the Bible is David. David was passionate about building a temple for the Lord, and he was about to go all in on this project. But it was not God’s will for David to build the temple, but his son Solomon, instead. So God sent the prophet Nathan to David to pull him back and let him know the temple would be built, but not by him and not now. David could have moved forward full steam ahead and just did what he wanted, but instead, he praised God. He thanked God for the promise that the temple would be built, even if it wasn’t him building it, and then he ensured his son had all he needed when the time came to build the temple. If we’re too busy rushing what God has called us to do, we might miss when and how He called us to do it. Answering God’s call is not about just getting it done as fast as possible, even if we’re just genuinely excited, but about walking in step with God at His pace to His desired purpose. 

A POSITION OF FLOW

So the best way to answer God’s call is not to be in a position of push or pull, but to be in a position of flow. This is where you are walking in what God is calling you to do, but fear is not slowing you down, and anxiety is not moving you ahead of God by working in your own strength. Flow is where we surrender to God’s call, His way, and His timing. When we are in alignment with God like this, His Spirit becomes like wind beneath our wings and gives us the strength to do what we’re called to do. You will operate outside of your capacity because doubt is not slowing you down and you’re not relying on your strength, but God’s. This is where you become unstoppable. Isaiah 40:29-31 says:

God is fueling you as you surrender to Him. Often, we struggle with effectively answering God’s call on our lives because we’re in a position of push or a position of pull, but if we want to boldly answer God’s call on our lives, we need to be in a position of FLOW. If you are in a position of push, trust that God will give you the strength to fly. If you are in a position of pull, trust that God’s strength will take you higher than your own. When you find yourself in a position of flow, doing what you were made to do, no more and no less, that’s when you start to soar. 

To help you learn even more about how to confidently answer God’s call on your life, I invite you to join our next Bible study series titled “Crazy or Called” as we look at the lives of ten ordinary people in the Bible called to extraordinary purpose. If you’re ready to find the boldness to confidently answer God’s call on your life, join now for free and get the study guide to follow along by visiting the links in the description of this video.

If you enjoyed today’s video, will you do me a favor and share it with a friend because you just never know who might need some Beloved encouragement today. 

For more Beloved encouragement, be sure to download the Beloved Women app available in the Apple and Google Play stores for unlimited and ad-free access to Beloved Bible study series, daily devotions, exclusive content, and videos to fill your soul. I look forward to connecting with you there. 

As always, thank you so much for watching, and until next time, be beautiful, be blessed, and be loved.