When will you do what God has called you to do?
Have you ever felt that God has called you to do something with your life, but you just weren’t sure you could accomplish it? And so you asked your close friends or a family member you could really trust for their input. That’s a pretty good idea actually. But what does it take for you to do what God has called you to do?
When you open your heart to someone you trust and who will understand the call God has put on your life, it can be an incredible support. But unfortunately what sometimes happens is we think we have to get someone else’s approval or permission to do what God has called us to do.
When God has called you…
Now there are certainly times when you need to include people close to you with what God has put in your heart to do. If you feel God has called you to go on a mission trip, start a non-profit foundation to help a particular segment of society, or start your own or get involved in your church’s ministry, you probably need to include and involve the people you’re close with in the process because your decision will affect them. And that is good.
When I felt called to start The Bible Speaks to You Podcast, I talked to my wife and shared what God had put on my heart. She was so supportive, for which I was and still am incredibly grateful. But I knew I needed to do it. I did not ask for her permission. I asked for her support.
And when she has felt God leading her to do something, we talk about it of course, but I am in a role to be supportive. When God has given her something to do, that’s all the permission she needs. She doesn’t need my permission to do and be what God has appointed for her.
I’m so grateful for this mutual understanding in our marriage because we both have a strong sense of purpose. And we keep each other informed as God gives us additional things to do.
You don’t need others’ permission when God has called you
But over the years, I have occasionally met folks who have a very strong sense of purpose. They sincerely believe God has called them to a particular task or mission, but they don’t feel they can do it unless they get approval and permission from their family, or maybe the folks at church.
Now don’t get me wrong, it’s very encouraging and supportive to have people close to you whom you trust enough to share with them what God has put on your heart. But sometimes, even close friends and family, don’t understand why on earth you would want to do what God is calling you to do.
They think you’re not being practical, that you’ve lost your common sense, or worse, they think you’re crazy. But they’re only seeing you from their limited perspective and don’t see the depths of your desire to do whatever God has put on your heart. And they haven’t heard God’s voice calling you, which you have heard.
People in the Bible who didn’t ask permission
There are so many examples in the Bible of God calling people to do certain things, who didn’t wait around for anyone’s permission to get down to business.
I’m thinking especially of young David when he went to take food to his three oldest brothers, who were fighting in Kings Saul’s army against the Philistines. While he was there, Goliath, the giant from Gath, openly challenged the Israelite army, who were all terrified of him.
As it turned out, David thought he was just on an errand to deliver food to his brothers and give a gift to their officers, but a great stirring took place in his heart when he heard Goliath defy and taunt King Saul’s army.
David wondered out loud who would fight Goliath and his words were reported to King Saul. Saul called for him and David told the king that he would go fight the giant. The whole story is in 1 Samuel, Chapter 17.
David said to Saul, “Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him.” 1 Samuel 17:32 NIV
God prepared David’s heart
It wasn’t the pride of youth that impelled David to fight Goliath. He felt called by God, and even explained to Saul how God had prepared him for this very task. He had killed, with his soon to be famous sling, a lion and a bear when they tried to attack his sheep.
David knew God would help him in his confrontation with Goliath and told this to Saul.
Here’s the point I want to make. David was so sure of what God had called him to do, he didn’t run home to ask his father, Jesse, for permission if he could do it. And just to put this in context, David is most likely a teenager at this time. You had to be 20 years old to fight in the arm. God told Moses:
You and Aaron are to count according to their divisions all the men in Israel who are twenty years old or more and able to serve in the army. Numbers 1:3 NIV
David didn’t ask for permission to fight Goliath
David did not ask permission from his three oldest brothers either, who were soldiers in the army. In fact, his oldest brother Eliab, said some pretty derogatory things about his youngest brother, even before he said he would fight Goliath.
And David didn’t really ask Saul for permission either. It was more that he told Saul what he was going to do and why he was so certain God would help him succeed. Saul gave his consent, you could say, but the more I read this story, I get the idea David probably would have gone ahead with his plan regardless of what the king said.
And when David went to meet Goliath, he acknowledged that God, who had called him to this moment, would help him.
David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the LORD will deliver you into my hands, 1 Samuel 17:45, 46 NIV
That’s a good lesson for us. When God calls you to do something, it’s really important to acknowledge God is there to help you do what He has called you to do.
And just as with David, God will prepare you, or has already prepared you, for what He’s calling you to do.
Jesus did not ask for permission to be the Messiah
There are so many more examples in the Old Testament of people God calls to a particular mission, but I want to jump right to the New Testament and look at Jesus and how he approached his ministry. Jesus is the supreme example for us in anything and everything we do, especially the way we respond to God’s call on our lives.
Just think of how Jesus approached his purpose as the Messiah. He didn’t ask anyone for permission to preach the gospel of the kingdom. He just started doing it when God told him to. He didn’t ask anyone’s permission to travel around the countryside teaching in various synagogues. He just did it.
He didn’t ask permission to heal people. He just did, even on the Sabbath. Can you picture Jesus looking over at a group of Pharisees asking if it were okay for him to heal on the Sabbath, only planning to do it if they gave their permission? Of course not. He didn’t ask permission because he didn’t need permission. He had his marching orders directly from God.
And you know what the Pharisees’ response would have been if Jesus had asked their permission to forgive the lame man’s sins. They didn’t approve even after he did forgive the man.
Jesus didn’t ask permission for what to say in the Sermon on the Mount
Now think about Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount. He didn’t get permission or approval from a committee at a local synagogue or from the Sanhedrin for what to say or not say. He said what God told him to say.
If you’ve been listening to The Bible Speaks to You Podcast for a while, you know exactly what Bible verse I’m going to mention right now. I quote this all the time because it’s so important for us if we really want to follow Jesus’s example.
For I [Jesus] did not speak on my own, but the Father who sent me commanded me to say all that I have spoken. I know that his command leads to eternal life. So whatever I say is just what the Father has told me to say. John 12:49, 50 NIV
I guess you could say the only one Jesus got permission from was God. And that’s the way it should be for us as well.
Think about the Sermon on the Mount for just a minute. What if Jesus had had to get permission for what to say, or to say anything at all? What if Jesus had to get permission from a committee at your church to give this sermon or what to include in it? Can’t you just see such a committee arguing over what to include or not include, how to say it, how to change the order, or what else should be added?
Do you need permission to do what God has called you to do?
Now I realize that’s an extreme example. Jesus was Jesus. As I said, he only said what God told him to. He didn’t need permission or approval from anyone. If you were going to deliver a sermon or an important message for your church, there might be a time when you needed some editorial assistance in getting your message ready. But most pastors I know do not get approval for every sermon they preach. When God has called you to this sort of thing, He will provide the inspiration and right things to say, and help if you need it.
But there’s a big difference between asking for this sort of help and thinking you can’t do something without human approval, when God has called you and already given you permission, authority, and the ability to do something.
Difference between God’s calling and your own agenda
Now unfortunately, sometimes people can’t always see the difference between God actually calling them to do something and them claiming or believing God has called them to do something that is really just their own idea.
This kind of discernment takes a lot humility to hear God’s voice and not confuse it with your own.
This is why we have this wonderful advice in
Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 1 John 4:1 NIV
This applies to the ideas that come to you as well as to what other people say.
When someone is acting with a sense of purpose that they are fulfilling God’s call on their life, it may very well be the case. And it’s a beautiful thing when it is. But it could be just a cover up for their own agenda.
If what they try to convince you is their God-given purpose goes against your sense of what God is telling you, or they try to persuade you that your purpose is to support their purpose, remember this verse from 1 John. You have to follow what God is calling you to do, not what someone else is telling you that may be.
Who else didn’t ask permission?
Let’s look at some more examples of people who didn’t ask permission to go forward with their God-given mission.
Because it’s one thing to look at Jesus’s life and see how perfectly he set an example for us. But what about normal, everyday people in the Bible, like you and me?
I’m thinking about Peter on the Day of Pentecost. When he and the other disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit, they didn’t ask for permission to speak in tongues. It was just a natural result of being baptized with the Holy Spirit.
All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. Acts 2:4 NIV
The key point here is that they were filled with the Holy Spirit. Their authority to speak this way came directly from a divine source, not their own abilities.
Peter didn’t ask permission to preach
But what happened next? Did Peter take a quick vote among his fellow disciples, did he poll the crowd, or the religious authorities of the day to get permission to stand up and preach to the assembled crowd? Absolutely not. He was impelled by God to seize the opportunity God had provided to tell the thousands of Jews present about Jesus.
This is a good example for us. When you’re inspired by God, guided by Christ, and filled with the Holy Spirit, you don’t need permission from anyone, not your family, your friends, or a church committee to do what God calls you to do. But again, the point here is that Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit. He wasn’t just relying on his own human abilities.
There were times earlier in Peter’s life when, instead of speaking in tongues, his tongue got tangled, you could say, and words came out of his mouth that were not a good example of what God called him to do. I’m thinking specifically when Peter denied Jesus three times before the crucifixion. Instead of the Holy Spirit, it was fear that moved his lips.
You don’t need to ask permission to do what God has called you to do
When you are impelled by God to speak or act, you don’t need someone’s permission. Now, you might break a human protocol or tradition, but if God is telling you to speak, that is all the permission you need.
Well . . . sometimes it is right to ask for permission
But now that I’ve made that point so clearly, I have to mention a time in the Bible when Paul, who was definitely called by God for a great purpose, did ask permission to speak.
Paul had returned to Jerusalem after one of his missionary journeys and after several days someone accused him of teaching things contrary to the Jewish faith and stirred up the crowd, which then tried to kill Paul.
A Roman commander arrested Paul as a troublemaker, but Paul asked permission to speak to the crowd.
Paul answered, “I am a Jew, from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no ordinary city. Please let me speak to the people.”
After receiving the commander’s permission, Paul stood on the steps and motioned to the crowd. When they were all silent, he said to them in Aramaic: Acts 21:39, 40 NIV
There may be times when you definitely need to get permission to speak in a given situation or at a particular venue. Paul was aware of and being respectful of the situation he was in, and realized that he needed to ask permission to speak. But he did not ask anyone’s permission for what he was going to say.
Be conscious of the situation
We, too, need to be respectful of whatever situation we find ourselves in. There may be a time when asking permission to say or do something in line with your calling is totally appropriate. You can trust God to reveal that to you.
Sometimes going along with certain procedures or protocols may open the door for you to say what God has put in your heart, whereas ignoring what may seem to be just human ways and means, might prevent you from using an opportunity to do what God wants you to.
The only way to know what to do is to be in communication with God. He will tell you when and what to do and say, just as He did with Jesus. It’s on us to listen to God’s voice, the way Jesus did.
Now, you may have a very clear sense of God’s purpose for you. Or you may be thinking, Hey James, I know I must have a purpose but I don’t really have any idea what it could be.
If that’s the case, you might enjoy a very early episode of the podcast, Episode 19: How to Discover Your Spiritual Purpose in Life.
And whether you have a beginning awareness or a very clear sense of God’s purpose for you, I encourage you to ponder and cherish this purpose. It’s certainly natural at times to ask for help and support along the way. Jesus did.
But you don’t need anyone’s permission to do what God is calling you to do.
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James Early, the Jesus Mindset Coach, is a Bible teacher, speaker, and podcaster. He conducts Bible workshops online and in person. His focus is on getting back to the original Christianity of Jesus by embracing the mindset of Christ in daily life. Contact him here.
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Bible References
1 Samuel 17:32 NIV
32 David said to Saul, “Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him.”
Numbers 1:3 NIV
3 You and Aaron are to count according to their divisions all the men in Israel who are twenty years old or more and able to serve in the army.
1 Samuel 17:45, 46 NIV
45 David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.
46 This day the LORD will deliver you into my hands,
John 12:49, 50 NIV
49 For I [Jesus] did not speak on my own, but the Father who sent me commanded me to say all that I have spoken.
50 I know that his command leads to eternal life. So whatever I say is just what the Father has told me to say.
1 John 4:1 NIV
1 Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.
Acts 2:4 NIV
4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
Acts 21:39, 40 NIV
39 Paul answered, “I am a Jew, from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no ordinary city. Please let me speak to the people.”
40 After receiving the commander’s permission, Paul stood on the steps and motioned to the crowd. When they were all silent, he said to them in Aramaic:
