God's Will vs. God's Calling
Welcome to the Holy Spirit Untethered. My name is Amber Beals, and it is my job and my mission to allow the Holy Spirit
Amber Beels:to speak through me, to help demystify who He is, what his role is, and to deeply encourage you to seek a relationship with him. Alright. Let's get started. Hey, guys. Welcome back to Holy Spirit Untethered Podcast.
Amber Beels:My name is Amber, and I am so happy that you are here listening to this episode. I am excited for today's topic because it's a little lighter than last week's. If you listen to last week's episode, it was on conviction, which, you know, that can be kind of a touchy subject. It's it's not a comfortable subject to talk about. So but it was good.
Amber Beels:I think it's good to be reminded why conviction from the holy spirit is a good thing and for us to respond in the right way when we do get convicted. So if you haven't listened to that episode, I would encourage you to listen to it. Today, we're gonna be talking about God's will versus God's calling or purpose on your life and how the Holy Spirit plays into that. And this was kind of put onto my heart because, well, if you've ever done the doom scrolling thing on social media, like, I'm I'm guilty of doing that a lot. So but luckily, at least, my algorithm on both Instagram and Facebook, it's all, like, Christian talk.
Amber Beels:Like, that's what you call it. Like, it's based off TikTok. I actually oddly enough, I don't watch TikTok anymore. I'm not on it anymore. However, it's like that's kinda where that doom strolling scrolling came from, where you just watch video after video.
Amber Beels:And so whenever there's like a subgenre of things, you could call it, like, book talk, where, like, your algorithm, like, goes into, like, a bunch of books and authors, or it could go into, like, dog talk, where all of the videos you're watching are about dogs. Well, this and my algorithm, not on TikTok, but on Instagram and Facebook is Christian talk. So, like, I get a lot of Christian content, which is great. I mean, if I wanna be doom scrolling, I'd rather be doom scrolling on content that is somewhat uplifting. I mean, I still have to kind of put my guards up and be like, okay, is this doctrine sound?
Amber Beels:Like, this is a false prophet. Like, this does make sense. Is this is aligned with scripture? You know, you gotta put it through its paces. But for the most part, a lot of it is uplifting.
Amber Beels:And it's going to edify you in a way that, you know, normal social media content, watching cat videos or whatever. It's gonna edify you a little bit more than that kind of content. Though, I I believe that content has its place. I mean, if I'm kinda down, a cat video doing something silly does bring my mood back up. So I think it does have its life.
Amber Beels:But anyway, but before we get into today's topic, let's go ahead and pray. So if you can and it's safe to do so, go ahead and close your eyes, and let's pray together. Dear heavenly father, I just thank you for today. I thank you for the person listening to this episode right now. I just pray a blessing over them.
Amber Beels:I pray that you would use me today, Lord, that I would be a vessel and that your holy spirit would speak through me, Lord. I pray that your words would come through and mine would fall away. I pray you would prepare both of our hearts for this message and just allow us to be able to learn more about your living spirit in a way that will allow us to please you and know what your will for us is. We thank you for that in Jesus' name. Amen.
Amber Beels:Alright. So God's will versus God's calling or purpose, whatever you want to call it. It was funny because like about a month ago, I went to my life group, my old life group, and this question came up from a person in our group. He's awesome. He asked all the good questions.
Amber Beels:They might seem like simple questions, but they're actually questions that all of us Christians should be asking. And they're just really good, like, down to the nitty gritty, like, what do you believe in and how do you apply it in your life kind of question. So they're very, like, tangible, practical questions, and I love them. But what his question was, you know, how do I know what God's will or his calling in my life is? And is that important?
Amber Beels:And, you know, there were some quest there were some answers to that question, and the way that I thought about it was, like, God's will in your life, that doesn't change. That is, you know, when Jesus was walking around in Israel, he said that he wanted us to love one another. And you know, that the whole that the world would know us by our love. Like, that was the main commandment for us was to do that as Jesus loved everybody. And that's kinda like God's central commandment slash will, I guess you could say.
Amber Beels:But I also believe that there is a calling put on everybody's life that is specific to you. And I think that it doesn't stay the same. I believe that your calling can change over time, especially as you mature, as you grow. But it's important to know for the season that you're in, what your calling is, and how do you go about finding that, and should that be your focus, and and how do you confirm that what you're doing is within your calling and all the things. So I thought that was a really good question, and I wanted to address it in this episode.
Amber Beels:So for God's calling, I actually have a scripture here. It's in Psalms. So we're in Psalms 40 verse 8. I delight to do your will, oh my God, and your law is within my heart. Now we're talking about his law in the scripture, but I believe that kinda goes along with God's will.
Amber Beels:And what I really think God's wills can be broken down to is your posture. And I talk about this a lot on this podcast is your heart posture, because that is the number one thing that the Lord really cares about is where your heart is at. Like, your behavior will follow your heart. So it's so important to keep account of where your heart is and what are you thinking about all day? What are you worrying about?
Amber Beels:What is top of mind? Those are the things that lead your life. And so it's so important for us to be able to renew our mind. That's why scripture says to renew your mind every day and put God first at the beginning of the day so that he is top of mind every day. It's a very intentional thing to do, and I have to say that I'm not perfect at it.
Amber Beels:I am not. I try, but it's a very intentional thing. And I think if you build a habit to read scripture in the morning, you know, make that a a daily habit, then it's easier to do because it's already a part of your routine. God's already gonna be one of the first things that you think of in the morning. And if you can kind of, like, set your day straight, be like, Lord, help me, Holy Spirit, renew my mind today.
Amber Beels:Allow me to see you in the little things. Remind me to include you in the little things because you're my helper, and I need your help. Even when I'm writing this email or when I'm running this errand or whatever I'm doing, like I'm going to need your help in all things. I need your help. And just remembering that we have that dependency on the Lord.
Amber Beels:And when you realize that you have that dependency, then your heart posture changes because you end up loving the Lord because he is the one that you depend on. He is so faithful and he never lets you down. Even when you don't see it, it's like the Waymaker song, even when I don't see it, you're working. Even when I don't feel it, you're working. Like, He's constantly working in your life.
Amber Beels:And in the seasons that you don't hear His voice or you don't feel like He's answering any of your prayers, He's working. He's doing something in you, and that is making you more like Christ. And that is where that heart posture really comes into play. So I believe that the Lord's will is your heart posture. Like, as long as it's in alignment with Him, not just any heart posture, it has to be in alignment with the Lord and making sure that you are seeking his face with all your heart.
Amber Beels:I know I just read a couple of months ago, 1st and second Chronicles, and, you know, it's kind of a chore to get through some of those books. But, you know, after you get past the genealogy part, it talks about the Kings. And one of the things that it'll say about the Kings of Israel is like this King sought the Lord with all his heart. This King did not. And then you kind of see, like, that's how it starts.
Amber Beels:And then it talks about his life. And so that tells me, okay, that's important to the Lord. That you're seeking him with all your heart, that your heart posture is in a place where you have reverence for the Lord that you fear the Lord. And not like in a, oh, I'm afraid of the Lord, but like, he's important to me. And I know who he is.
Amber Beels:He is the king of the universe. Yes, he's my father, but he's also the creator of the universe. And he wins all battles. Like he's mighty. He's not just my father.
Amber Beels:He is mighty and he needs to be respected and revered because of it. And I think that's really important for us to remember that, yes, he's he's Abba, he's my father, and I can run to him like my father. But there's also that sense of respect. Like, my father's a king, and I need to respect him. And I need to hold him in reverence because of his position, not only in my life, but in the world, in the universe.
Amber Beels:Like, this is the position that he holds, and he needs a certain type of, again, reverence for that position. So I believe that's God's will for us is that our heart posture is in a good place, and we're putting him in that rightful high position in our lives. Now when it comes to our calling, I think a lot of the times we get hung up on this because I don't know about you, but I grew up on VeggieTales. And Bob always told me, you know, Bob the tomato saying, you know, you're special and God loves you very much. You know, they always said that at the end of every episode, remember, God loves you and you're very special, something like that.
Amber Beels:And so like being a millennial, I have that like snowflake mentality a little bit where I'm like, well, I'm special. Lord made me special. I'm no one's like me, you know, type of thing. So I have a special calling and I think it's okay to want to be special, to want to be unique, to want to have a special calling in your life. And it's true.
Amber Beels:The Lord has a special calling on your life. And I think the important thing here to note is to not focus on the calling. Again, we have to go back to that heart posture. Like, the heart posture is the most important thing. God's will is the most important thing.
Amber Beels:Secondary to that is your calling. So what he has put on your life. And you could only operate in your calling when your heart posture is there. Like, when it's in the right place. You can't be trying to do your calling first when your heart posture is not there.
Amber Beels:So I think that's really something to think about when you're trying to figure out what your calling is. Like, first, analyze and take audit of your life and make sure that your heart posture is in the right place. And, you you know, you're not gonna be perfect, but as long as you're, you know, you're not getting convicted over certain things and the holy spirit has been encouraging you in certain areas, he's gonna use you whether you're perfect or not. I mean, he used the donkey for his calling and building his kingdom. So if he can do that, he can use you.
Amber Beels:Right? And there's gonna be a special calling on your life. And so, I think it's important just to not put the calling above God's will. So, once you, you know, you're on the right track and you have, you know, that your your hearts in the right place, Then there's a calling. So I'm in the scriptures right now in second Timothy chapter 1 verse 9.
Amber Beels:Who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began. So the Lord has had a calling on your life before you were born, before your parents were even thought of. Like, he had a purpose or a calling on your life. And I believe that that changes over time. Like I said in the beginning, I believe that depending on what season you're in, you have a different calling.
Amber Beels:Like for me, when I was younger, I was brought up in the Christian church. I became agnostic when I was, like, in my teens because my mom was a pagan. She, practiced in the Wiccan religion, which is a pagan religion, and it kind of I don't wanna say it confused me, but it just kinda, like, made me think, okay, well, maybe Christ isn't, like, the only way. And so I became agnostic because I was like, okay. I believe in something, but I don't know what that is yet.
Amber Beels:And I knew it wasn't gonna be what my mom was doing because I saw what my mom was doing, and I thought that was kinda crazy. Like, at least I had enough wisdom as, like, a 19 year old to be like, okay. I'm just looking at this group of people of a as a whole, and something's not right here. Like, they all have issues. They all are very broken.
Amber Beels:They all are very angry. They all are, like it just doesn't look good. And I was, like, at least in the Christian culture, people are kind, you know, a lot of the times they, you know, they're broken too, but they're they're not like this. And so at least I had that wisdom at the time, but I believe during that season when a friend of mine brought me back to Christ, and I was newly born again Christian, 19 years old, I believe that my calling at the time was to bring my mom back, to bring her back to the Christian faith because of all the stuff that she was in, because of the the witchcraft and all the things that she was participating in. She had some, you know, demonic stuff going on in her life, and it wasn't pretty.
Amber Beels:And she needed help. And my family, my my grandfather and my grandmother, they didn't really know what to do because my mom also had bipolar, and so they weren't sure if it was, like, a spiritual thing or, like, a mental illness thing, you know, because a lot of the times they there's a a blurry line between the two. Sometimes they overlap. And so my mom was going through something, and I came to ultimately, the goal was to help her and put her in a hospital. But as soon as I walked through her door, I just knew that it was a spiritual battle, like as soon.
Amber Beels:And I was just a I was literally, like, a month back to being a Christian. And I walked through her door, and I was like, this is a spiritual thing. This is not a mental thing. Like, I just knew. And I believe that's one of the gifts of the spirit that the Lord gave me at that time, which was the interpretation of spirits, the being able to see beyond the physical, seeing that there is a spirit be behind all of this.
Amber Beels:And so during that time, you know, I was scared. Like, that made me very, like, spiritual averse after that whole, like, experience because I saw things and, you know, heard things that that I just they were hard to deal with as a 19 year old. Right? They're hard to deal with as an like an adult adult. Like, I was a baby adult at that point, but it was hard for anybody.
Amber Beels:Right? But going through that and helping her, at the end of it, she was saved. And she got freed from all of that spiritual and demonic possession, oppression, all the things. And to this day, she doesn't remember any of that stuff, which blows my mind that she doesn't remember. When she first told me that she didn't remember, I was like, okay.
Amber Beels:Well, I'm not gonna, like, remind you because I don't know, they might come back. Like, I was, again, like, spiritually traumatized because of that experience. But 10 years after, the Lord was like, you have to tell your mom what happened. And I was like, why now? Like, why why do I need to do that?
Amber Beels:He's like, because she needs to know. She needs to know what I did for her. She needs to know that I saved her, and she doesn't remember. And I was like, okay. Well, that's fair.
Amber Beels:So that was a that was an interesting lunch that I had 10 years after that with my mom. She definitely didn't know how to respond, which, I mean, how could you if you don't remember any of that? To know that you had gone through that and that your daughter had to do all these these things for you and that the Lord saved you from, you know, from all this spiritual tax. And anyway, long story short, I believe that was the calling in that season for me to help bring my mom back. My mom is back.
Amber Beels:She's still a Christian. She attends church and everything, and she's doing great. And now that calling's over because she's she's on her own spiritual path. And so what is my calling now? And as of now, what it took for me to know what it is is that it took a relationship with the Holy Spirit.
Amber Beels:The Holy Spirit is the one that's going to reveal to you things that are important in your life. He's he's the one that's gonna help you with that heart posture, God's will, getting you into that heart posture and helping you stay there in that heart posture. But he's also going to help you with the calling or your purpose in life or at least for that season. Because you you have an intimate relationship with the Holy Spirit. You're speaking to him.
Amber Beels:You're interacting with him. You're asking him for guidance, for counsel, you're seeking his wisdom, you're doing all the things, he's gonna be talking to you. It's not a one way conversation. It's not just you talking to the Holy Spirit. He has a voice, and he's there.
Amber Beels:Every moment of every day, he's with you. And so he's gonna be talking to you. And one of the things he's gonna mention to you is you're calling in the season that you're in. And so for me, a couple years ago, he gave me this calling of equipping the saints, which is a very vague calling. Equip my saints.
Amber Beels:That's what he said. Equip my saints. And so I thought the best way to do that is to teach people who the Holy Spirit is because I didn't know. I mean, I knew sort of, but I didn't know what his role was. I didn't realize how integrated he is in our lives, how essential he is to pleasing Jesus.
Amber Beels:Like he is essential to be able to live a life like Christ, to be a Christian, to be a true believer. You need the Holy Spirit to do these things and not just, you know, I I feel like he's the least of the trinity member of the trinity that is acknowledged. We always talk about Jesus, the son, and God the father, but God the holy spirit, I mean, we don't talk about him much. And when I went through that course that I talk about a lot, holy spirit and introduction by John Brevere. It's on messenger x.
Amber Beels:I'll include it in the show notes. It's a very, very good course. After I took that, I was just shocked that I had been a Christian for x amount of year years, like over 10 years, and I didn't know this. I felt like it was so crucial to being a Christian and living a life like Christ, to to have this knowledge, to be empowered by the Holy Spirit. Like, you don't need the empowerment of the Holy Spirit to be saved.
Amber Beels:You don't need the empowerment of the Holy Spirit or the baptism of the Holy Spirit to do the work of the Lord. You don't need it. But, man, should we all want it? Like, it's like a supercharge in your relationship with the Holy Spirit. It's so important.
Amber Beels:Like, once I did that, my relationship with the Holy Spirit, my relationship with the Lord, it just exploded because I knew Him on a different level, because I was able to speak to him in his language. I was able to walk in those spiritual gifts. I was able to do all these things that I couldn't before, not because he didn't love me and didn't wanna give it to me. Of course, he wants to give this gift to everybody. This isn't just for the elite Christians.
Amber Beels:Like, there is no such thing as an elite Christian. He wants this for everybody because he loves all of his children, and he loves us all the same. And so this tool of being baptized in the Holy Spirit and being able to use those gifts of the spirit to be able to pray in your heavenly language, to be able to like, praying in the heavenly language is not just, like, a cool trick. It's not. And it's not something that you should be throwing around that you can do.
Amber Beels:Like, whenever I do it in public, I do it underneath my breath, because I know that the Lord knows how to pray for this person better than I do. He knows what's going on in this with this person or in their situation. And so I pray under my breath in tongues, allowing the holy spirit to pray through me for this person, because that's gonna be more effective than me just praying and trying to guess what's going on with this person. And, again, under my breath, I don't make it loud. I don't, like, make a big show of it.
Amber Beels:Like, I do it because it's a tool that was given to me by my father so that I can communicate better, and I can help build the kingdom on a deeper level, like, really partnering with the holy spirit to be able to do these things. Like, I feel like if we limit the holy spirit, He is mighty. Like, yeah, there's that sin that unforgivable sin, right? Like do not grieve the Holy Spirit because the Holy Spirit is sensitive. He's a very sensitive member of the Trinity.
Amber Beels:But yet I believe he's also one of the most mighty member of the Trinity. He is mighty. He's the one that put the stars in the sky. He's the laborer. He's the one that stays with us.
Amber Beels:He stood back. He stayed back here on earth for us to do life with us. And when we don't accept that, that gift of empowerment from Him, I feel like we put him in a box or disable him. I think that's the right word. Like, we disable him because he can only help us so much.
Amber Beels:And I believe that he'll give you some of those gifts in a dire need. If you don't know about the holy the empowerment of the Holy Spirit or that tool, and you're in a situation where you need it, I believe he'll he'll give it to you temporarily, but you still need to be baptized and empowered by him and understand what that means for you to be able to operate in those gifts all the time, if that makes sense. Like, he'll give it to you in a time of need, but you're not gonna be able to use those gifts all the time until you know how they work and the purpose behind them and you ask for them correctly and all the things. Right? So I'm kinda going on a tangent, but all of that to go back to my calling is to equip the saints.
Amber Beels:And I believe that that looks different in every different way. So, like, I can equip the saints through this podcast. I can equip the saints through the class that I host. Like, I do that class, holy spirit and introduction through my church. I host it at my house.
Amber Beels:Like, there are different ways to fulfill that calling. And I believe that whatever your calling is, it's gonna be something that the Lord gave you a gift in. So it's gonna be something that brings you gladness. It's not gonna burn you out. It brings you joy and fulfillment in a way.
Amber Beels:Whenever I host that class in my house, I get joy from that. Because it's a reminder to me how important those things are, and I get to see it play out in other people. And that just brings me immense joy. When I do this podcast, when people tell me like, oh, I really love your podcast. Oh, I really love how you teach and, you know, whatever.
Amber Beels:Like, that brings me joy because I'm like, okay. That means that I'm operating in my gift, and I'm fulfilling my calling in this way. And I believe that the Lord will talk to you, whatever that looks like in your life. Maybe your gift isn't in talking or people or whatever. It could be, you know, I'm really good with numbers.
Amber Beels:And so the Lord brings you in situations where you can fulfill your purpose by helping maybe small businesses who are Christian and need help, and you offer your services to them. And that is your gift, and it brings you joy. Maybe it's singing. Maybe it's worship. Maybe the Lord gave you a gift in in doing that.
Amber Beels:Maybe it's, you know, in healing or whatever it is. You'll know that it's correct in your life, and it is the calling or purpose the Lord put on your life when it brings you joy. And you'll know because if your heart posture is right, the holy spirit will confirm or he'll convict. He'll let you know. And it's gonna be a soft well, it depends on how he talks to you.
Amber Beels:To me, it'll be soft and be like, hey. This isn't the right way to go. We need to kind of switch gears and do something else. Or it might be you're in the right place, and you'll feel him working through you, and you'll feel, like, at peace. There's a peace that comes with it when you're operating in that place that you're supposed to be operating from.
Amber Beels:When you are fulfilling the calling and purpose on your life that the Lord put on you, especially for that season, I believe that you'll know. But you have to have that intimate relationship with the Holy Spirit. You have to have the right heart posture, and it shouldn't, again, be the focus of what you do. The focus should be the Lord, not your calling. And I feel like some people, they can find their identity in their calling.
Amber Beels:Like, oh, I was I was called to be a worship leader, and that's who I am. That's like what I do. Okay. Well, what if the Lord takes away your voice? Now what?
Amber Beels:That person's world will crumble because they were finding their identity in their job, in their gift when it's just that, it's just a gift. It's not, it's not who you are, it's not your identity. Your calling is not your identity. Your identity is that you are a child of God, that the Lord is your father, that you live in victory, that you serve the Lord and that you want to fulfill His will, which is putting Him first in your life and being obedient to whatever it is that He calls you to do in your life. That's kinda what I wanted to talk to you about today.
Amber Beels:God's will in your life versus your calling or your purpose that the Lord puts on your life. Again, I think it changes, and I don't think it's as important as people kind of make it, because what's more important is your relationship with the Lord. What's more important is your heart posture, putting the Lord first, and then your purpose will follow, your calling will follow, and he'll let you know. And you'll know when he tells you because you'll get that peace, because you'll get that confirmation, whether it's, you know, I call them spiritual echoes where other people confirm in your life that they think you should be doing this thing, or the Holy Spirit himself confirms it in you. Whatever it may be, you'll know.
Amber Beels:And so I wouldn't stress over it. I wouldn't stress over your calling. Just really focus on your heart and make sure that it's in the right place and that the Lord is in the right place in your heart and in your life. Alright, guys. Well, thanks so much for listening today, and I hope this message blesses you.
Amber Beels:And if you could do me a favor, could you rate this show and share it with a friend? If you find value in this podcast, if you've learned anything in this podcast, then, you know, write a review. Whether it's on Apple or Spotify, wherever you listen to, it would really help my algorithm and help this message get out to the people that it needs to reach. Because that's the whole point of this is so that I can equip the saints, like I said. And I can only do that if it reaches the saints.
Amber Beels:So if you could do that, that would be awesome. Thanks so much, guys.
