When Your Calling Meets Chaos

Me: Okay, God, I finally relent. I hear you calling me to do this. I'll do it. I'm afraid—we can't afford it, and I don't know how we'll make it happen—but I'll do it.

My Life: It's time for the dryer to break, your car to kick the bucket, the septic tank to sprout a fountain in the backyard, your sink to fall out of the counter and into the cabinet (while full of water and dishes), and everyone in your house to catch the stomach flu…all within one month.

This is all—very unfortunately—a true story. God has been drawing me into a new season of life, one that scares me, excites me, and—did I mention it scares me? He’s been speaking to me about this for a while, and I've pushed it off as wild, crazy, and probably not God. But the pull toward this new season is growing stronger, His voice louder, and my heart so wrapped up in it that I had to relent! I finally had a few scary conversations (which turned out to be not so scary), with no solid answers on how we'll enter this new season, afford it, or even what it might look like. Yet, I gave God my "yes." I said, "Okay! I hear you. I’ve been avoiding you, and I’m afraid, but yes, Jesus! If this is what you want, I'll give it to you."

Then, wouldn't you know it, life started blowing up. We had a healthy tax return intended to fund important projects to expand our homestead—but those plans were dashed. Almost as quickly as the money came into our account, it went out again to pay for dryer parts, sink repairs, car repairs, and bills upon bills. Things keep breaking left and right, and unexpected large expenses continue showing up. Honestly, I'm questioning more than ever how we'll ever afford this thing God is calling me into.

“You’ll put your family into poverty. Your kids will miss out. You can’t survive on what you’ll have. It won’t be enough. You’re making an unwise choice. You need plans and answers before moving forward. There's no way ahead. You must not have heard God right. You’re just being selfish. Are you even sure you know what God's voice sounds like?”

Wow—that spiraled quickly! Those statements are so accusatory. Can you relate? Have you ever felt God leading you in one direction, made a solid decision—even a declaration—to obey Him, and then been met with obstacles, trials, and spiritual battles, one after another? I'm reminded of someone else who completely understands this scenario.

Let’s look at Matthew 3…

The Baptism of Jesus Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented. And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

The Temptation of Jesus Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” But he answered, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and ‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’” Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’” Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to him, “All these I will give you if you fall down and worship me.” Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.’” Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him.Wh

Matthew 3:13–4:11 ESV

The next heading in Matthew is "Jesus Begins His Ministry." You may already know this, but Jesus didn't begin His public ministry until after His baptism. God affirmed His identity and calling, and immediately afterward, Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness. He didn't accidentally end up there; God intentionally led Him there to be tested.

So often, after we're affirmed in our calling, we enter a time of testing before fully stepping into that season of life or ministry. If we aren’t expecting it, we may quickly question if we heard God correctly or if we're heading in the right direction. “Did God really say…” Does that sound familiar? Yet, this testing and trial is often an intentional period of refining, intimacy, and faith-building necessary for us to step into our calling.

Are you experiencing a season of trial after an affirmation of your calling? I am, and good grief—I am tired. But tonight, instead of asking, “When will this end?” I'm trying to ask, “Lord, what are you teaching me right now? What must I learn before entering this next season of life and ministry? What are you saying, Lord?” Because the enemy is tempting me to give up, telling me it’s too hard, or suggesting easier options to distract me from the Lord’s direction. I need to follow the example of Jesus. He countered every attack with Scripture, battled every temptation with God’s Word, and conquered every lie with Truth.

If I'm not living immersed in the Word, I'm not prepared for trials, tests, and battles. Without Scripture, I'll fall, run away, or crumble. I need the Sword of the Spirit—my only weapon in spiritual battle.

Our church is currently reading through the Bible in a year, so I've been absorbing a lot of Scripture daily. That's likely why I finally said "yes" to the Lord—His voice has become clear, recognizable, and undeniable. Reading three to four chapters daily for several months deeply affects me. God knew I needed this preparation before stepping into this season of testing. I need His Word ready on my lips to answer every temptation, doubt, and fear.

Using Scripture to fight the enemy isn't only for entering new seasons or wilderness moments. It's for every spiritual battle we face. There's a reason the Sword of the Spirit—God’s Word—is the only offensive weapon listed in the Armor of God. Everything else is defensive. To counter the enemy’s attacks, doubts, fears, and lies, you don't need extraordinary faith, extensive knowledge, or vast experience. You simply need God’s Word.

If you’re battling fear, doubt, or uncertainty, run to the Word. If you're crumbling under pressure, go to the Word. Whatever spiritual battle you're facing…

Go to the Word.

Photo by John Lord Vicente on Unsplash