Have you ever had a calling from God?

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My neighbour is an accountant. He is 33, married to a lovely woman and has no children. They are both very Christian and regularly talk about God in everyday conversation ie. when they got married they could feel God’s presence etc.

He has recently had a calling from God to try a long held dream to become a singer. He says he has felt God leading him down this path and can no longer refuse him.

This is all great but what does a calling from God actually involve? What’s the difference between that and just deciding you fancy a career change? As a non Christian this is not something I have ever experienced but interested to find out.

He has recently had a calling from God to try a long held dream to become a singer. He says he has felt God leading him down this path and can no longer refuse him.

He hasn't, he's batshit, well unless he turns out to be the next Tom Jones and makes a few million, but that would be unusual.

I only just understood that some people actually do believe in god. I thought people just said all the god stuff for tradition and to passively 'be better' than other people. I really thought it was like Father Christmas or the tooth fairy. I put out mince pies but I know Im eating them when the kids are in bed. I didn't think that people REALLY believed when they weren't being watched in church etc. It makes me wonder why lots of religious people are so rubbish at applying the rules if they actually truly believe they will be judged or burn in hell or whatever. I was seriously shocked when I realised that some people sit on their own in private with no witness having a one sided natter to god. Wtf?! Maybe I had a calling and I just never realised. If god spoke to me I would definitely think I was going nuts and book a doctors apt.

I am not Christian, I had a pretty shitty childhood, I tried to be catholic as a pre-teen and did believe for a hot second (until just realizing that it was indeed very much bullshit and how hypocritical the church and christians as a whole could be) but I have been for the bigger part of my life atheist/agnostic (still am). That being said, on my 14th birthday, I was crying, after having had yet an extremely shitty birthday and I suddenly had this inner voice/feeling of '' don't worry wait until you are 16 and life will get better then" It was the strangest thing because why 16? I wouldn't be an adult so I couldn't see why 16 and I had also been battling depression for years and was suffering from PTSD and a bunch of other things that were making me extremely suicidal so the thought that things might get better at 16 wasn't really bringing me any comfort whatsoever. Yet, I did make it to 16 and strangely enough my life completely changed.

I had the opportunity to move abroad for a year at 16 (which is not something I would have pictured myself doing at all at 14), took it, and never looked back, I have never moved back and since then I have been working in plenty of countries/continents and my life have taken a 180 for the best. I also figured out my sexuality during my journey so I very much doubt it was God's calling haha (though maybe the gay godesses were secretely trying to lure me in? ) but I will say that whoever the ''voice'' belonged to, she was right.

I ironically had a similar feeling about 2020, I had an amazing 2019 and was dragging my feet on NYE for once because I ''knew'' the coming year wasn't going to be a good one.

I don't necessarily believe in '' God calling'', I think we all have an instinct that sometimes will push us to do something that might seem out of character or irrational but somehow, for a weird reason, feel exactly like what we should be doing/where we should be right now.

Any of religion and you’d all be called out for discrimination, what makes Christianity the only acceptable religion to mock?

Other religion*

DP also has a former friend who is a missionary. However, he is not paid, he claims that God will provide, when in fact what this means is he expects his friends and family to pay him money in the name of the “good work” he does.

Ah yes, I think that fits in with the prosperity gospel. There seems to be a bit of an overlap between those who have 'callings' and religiously-mandated sponging off others.

I believe in God and respect that others do too - I think it is a genuine set of beliefs. But I am pretty cynical about church organisations.

Exactly what @MitziK said. It’s a way of making his religious wife feel she has to support him unquestioningly financially and emotionally, while he makes zero money bellowing ‘My Way’ at the local boozer’s karaoke night in case Louis Walsh is there. Because God told him to.

If there is only one God surely all religions are being mocked.

I'm a Christian, fairly new but from a catholic then completely non believing back ground. Also have mental health problems from teenage years. The last year I have been a Christian is the most free and mentally stable I have felt my whole life.

To those saying God wouldn't care about the minute details of individuals lives - Jesus does. There is a difference between religion and Christianity. Being a Christian means you make a decision to believe Jesus died on the cross for your sins and Make Him the Lord and Saviour of your life. The Bible teaches us that Jesus wants a personal relationship, a friendship with each individual believer. It also teaches us to cast all our cares into him. He wants to heal our hearts from bitterness, rejection, trauma, abuse, addiction - anything out there at the hands of evil or even just our own bad decisions. BUT he also wants us to testify for Him - where a calling would come from. This singing accountant may have a calling if he is drawn to leading worship. If it is for financial gain, popularity then no, it's called in the Bible "selfish ambition".

Unfortunately there is a lot of this in the Christian community. Selfish ambition in the name of Jesus. If your calling doesn't testify to the miracle working power of Jesus then it's not a calling from God.

Christians get such a bad reputation because of people who exploit it for their own gain.

If you could see how real Christians operate it would be attractive. They give to the poor, they love the ones that have been cast out by society, the just serve and love constantly with warmth and joy in their heart. It's beautiful. And they are humble. They rarely ask God for anything for themselves but always for others. This is what Jesus wanted.

For heavens sake, @imapenguinlover, you’re a brand-new convert and you’re already setting up a distinction in your post between attractive, idealised ‘real Christians’ and those dastardly Christians who pursue ‘selfish ambition’.

Chocolate is the only calling I ever have and I answer it everytime

No I’m ex-directory.

He has recently had a calling from God to try a long held dream to become a singer. He says he has felt God leading him down this path and can no longer refuse him

Convenient for him. Wonder if his wife has felt God’s calling to be the main bread-winner whilst he tries to become a singer...

No because he isn’t real

And I hate to be a fun sponge but it's really not on mocking Christianity - you wouldn't mock Judaism or Islam so don't think Christianity is fair game

On threads about Islam people always say you wouldn't make fun of Christianity like that. Whatever religion people are on MN they think theirs should be exempt from criticism and that no one bothers about other faiths which is nonsense, I think they're all fair game, and yes people do make fun of other religions too but it isn't a surprise that in the UK people's focus is on the main religion here which is Christianity.

I'm also wondering this too. I wonder when people say things like "so i prayed and God told me to do this...or that" etc. How does it work

@Hayfevered

But there is a difference, through discernment in the Spirit you see it. Prosperity Gospel - Money and Power are route of all evil. Humility, love and service is "of God". If your works do not produce the fruit of the Spirit then you are not operating from a Godly place.

I'm also wondering this too. I wonder when people say things like "so i prayed and God told me to do this...or that" etc. How does it work

It works by conviction with the Holy Spirit. Its a guiding and answering of prayer. Ive had it many times so have lots of people I know within the faith. Not for trivial things either, but for important life decisions.

Plenty of people twist religion for their own gain. “Even the devil may quote scripture to his purpose”.
There are paedophiles who trained as priests purely to get access to vulnerable children with a cloak of professional respectability, for example.
But none of that invalidates the existence of God, or means that Christ does not love us all individually, or that all the fund raising and charity work done by the church all over the world for the poor and disadvantaged, is somehow wrong.
I would rather listen to the words of Christ - who willingly suffered flogging and the agony of crucifixion, out of love for me and all humankind - than the scornful sneers of atheists calling him a “bearded sky fairy”, as one particularly vile PP did.

@babdoc

Totally agree

@Babdoc I do agree and that's the poi t I was trying to make and was ridiculed. Used to it now. The wolves in sheep's clothing in churches, Christianity ect does happen. I see it in my own church, a good heart changing and chasing status, money, being manipulative ect. I had the unfortunate experience of being spiritually abused but (all the God hating posters will cringe when I say this 😂) God revealed a lot to me through this experience. He did show me that people will and do abuse Christianity.

This thread was difficult to read, the open ridicule and mockery is hurtful but Jesus himself was ridiculed and mocked. The path is narrow, so if you're following g the masses on a wide path you're generally going the wrong way.

But there is a difference, through discernment in the Spirit you see it. Prosperity Gospel - Money and Power are route of all evil. Humility, love and service is "of God". If your works do not produce the fruit of the Spirit then you are not operating from a Godly place.

But that's your interpretation, @imapenguinlover. Christianity is an incredibly riven religion with a huge variety of practices. I'm not talking about black and white situations like paedophiles getting ordained to get at children, or the churchwarden running off with the collection box, I'm simply talking about the many varieties of Christian who simply don't agree with you, and think their way of being a Christian is preferable.

I think people are getting confused, imo he is calling this “ a calling” other people would just say, “it’s something I desperately want to do”

And @Babdoc, the self-dramatising 'I am like the flogged Christ for the mockery I sustain as a Christian on Mn' is getting really old.

We've all heard the Good News, but some of us just think Jesus was an interesting, but entirely human, preacher with a gift for storytelling and some admirable ideals about social justice.

Bring Bring, Bring Bring....O hello it’s God calling.... is it me you’re looking for..... I can see it in your eyes..... I can see it in your smile......that it time you became a singer.....

That’s how I imagine it 🤷‍♀️

Not personally but my father who has been an atheist all his life till about 8 years ago got a calling and is now a church leader.