3 Fears We Have about Hearing God’s Calling on Our Lives

As a “calling coach,” I’ve been helping people hear God for the calling on their life, and practically step into it, for a while now. When I started, I thought people wanted to know God’s calling on their life, but just didn’t know how. What I actually discovered surprised me.

While, yes, we want to know God’s calling on our life, we also have mixed feelings about it. In fact, we are often outright afraid to hear God’s calling on our life. After working with many people, here are what I’ve found to be the 3 most common fears we have about hearing God’s calling on our life.

(1) “I fear God will ask me to do something I don’t want to do.”

“I’m afraid God will call me to do something I hate, or something I really don’t want to do, like teach Sunday School. Or move to Africa. And then that’ll put me in the awkward place of either hating my life or being disobedient.”

There’s nothing wrong with teaching Sunday School or moving to Africa. Those are good things. But if those are things you would hate (or severely dislike), then don’t worry. God’s not calling you to do that.

Don’t be afraid. God doesn’t call us to something we hate. It might be something we’re afraid to do, but because we think it won’t work, or we don’t know how, not because we hate it. If it actually worked, it’s something we’d be excited about.

Your calling is not something God has to guilt you into.

If you feel pushed into something, then that’s not God’s calling for you. God’s calling pulls us. It’s something, if all the risk was stripped away, that you’d want to do.

What is something you keep telling yourself to not get so excited about? “That’ll never work!”  But your thoughts and your heart can’t stop leaning in that direction. God’s calling is pulling you.

God put his calling in you, as a passion in your heart, when he created you. The enemy’s tried to bury it, as deeply as he can, under mountains of wounding. But it’s still there.

Are you willing to let God rekindle your passion?

(2) “I fear getting it wrong.”

“But what if I get it wrong? What if I don’t hear God correctly? I don’t want to waste years of my life, operating out of my flesh, going down the wrong path.”

Kudos for caring! Honestly, many people don’t care if they’re on the wrong path as long as they’re comfortable and happy in the moment. But you are a person who fears God and actually cares.

God honors that desire of your heart to get it right, stewarding your life for his Kingdom. With that heart motivation, he won’t let you get it wrong. With that heart motivation, the only wrong step you can take is not taking one.

Check out this 3 minute video that explains it better with visual aids. 🙂

Don’t be afraid. God won’t let you get it wrong. The only wrong step you can take is not taking one.

Are you willing to take the first step into the adventure God has for you?

(3) “I fear I can’t live up to it.”

“I’m not afraid I’ll hear God wrong or that it’ll be something I hate. I’m afraid I’ll hear God right and it’ll be something I’d love to do, but I won’t be able to. I’m afraid I won’t be able to live up to his calling on my life.”

Legit fear. And actually… accurate. We are all broken people, and we can’t live up to his calling on our life. By ourselves. But the good news is, we don’t have to.

Yes, God’s calling on our life is something bigger than us. It’s not something we can do in our own strength. But God never calls us to do something alone.

When God calls people in the Bible to these impossible things, like Moses, Gideon, etc., and they have legitimate concerns about why they can’t do the thing, God always answers the same way:

“Nevertheless, I will be with you.” – God

He doesn’t argue with them about their concerns. He just assures them they will not be alone.

Don’t be afraid. God is not calling you to do it alone. He will be with you. And he typically brings other people alongside you. Eventually.

Yes, God calls us to something we can’t do. Alone. But the good news is he’s calling you into partnership with him. He wants to do it with you. Your job is to take the next step. His job is to make it work.

Are you ready to partner with God?

Are you willing to be willing?

Three times above, I’ve asked the question, “Are you willing to …?” Sometimes we’re not willing because it’s scary. That’s ok.

If that’s you, are you willing to be willing? That’s enough; God can work with that.

Your Turn

Does this resonate? Do you see yourself in this post? Which fear do you struggle with? Tell us in the comments, and the community can help you. Or if you’ve worked through one of these fears (or another one related to hearing God), tell us your story in the comments. Your story will help others.

And please share this post if it will bless others.