There are moments when a sense of calling arrives before any roadmap does. A thought keeps returning in prayer. A conversation lingers. An ordinary day suddenly feels charged with a higher purpose.
History is full of leaders who stood in that liminal space between conviction and clarity. In 1946, Mother Teresa rode a train from Kolkata to Darjeeling and sensed what she later called a “call within a call,” an invitation to serve people who were poor and forgotten. However, the five-year plan did not arrive along with her calling. She only received a next step. She sought counsel, took small faithful actions, and let the fruit guide her. Over time, steady obedience grew into the Missionaries of Charity.
If you are discerning a spiritual calling and not sure what comes next, you are not alone. You are in the place where many faithful journeys begin. The question is not how to secure perfect certainty. The question becomes, how do I take the next faithful step with wisdom, humility, and courage?
How do I know God is calling me?
You begin by separating two ideas that often get confused.
Calling is your why, the deep direction of your life with God. It may sound like serving people on the margins, teaching and encouraging, creating work that heals, or building communities that develop leaders.
Assignment is your what and where. It is the role, team, place, or season where you live out your calling for a season. It’s normal to carry a calling long before a specific assignment becomes clear. Once you can determine the difference between the two, then you can move from pressure to prayerful clarity. To help, write a one-page statement that answers three prompts: what I sense, what I know for sure, and what I do not know yet. Keep your statement simple:
“I sense a call to mentor young adults. I know I come alive when I teach and listen. I do not know whether this belongs in a campus ministry, a nonprofit, or my local church.”
Create a listening rhythm and gather wise counsel
Hearing from God requires room. Build a weekly rhythm that makes listening possible, then invite a small circle of people to help you interpret what you hear.
For the next four weeks, schedule three listening sessions on your calendar. First, practice silence and breath for twenty minutes and pray, “Speak, Lord, I am listening.” In the second, read Scripture slowly and write about what stands out to you. In the third, journal what you are sensing, where you feel resistance, and any small invitations that keep repeating. Treat these sessions like meetings with yourself and the Holy Spirit.
Alongside that rhythm, gather three voices who know God and know you. Ask a pastor or spiritual mentor to help observe your life over time. Ask a peer who will be honest and open with you. Ask a practitioner already doing the kind of work that interests you. Share your one-page statement and invite honest feedback. Give them three questions in advance so the conversation stays focused.
Capture what they say in writing and look for themes that echo across your conversations and prayer times. When prayer, Scripture, wise counsel, and your lived experience begin to point in the same direction, you have enough clarity to try something concrete. And even if the voices differ, you’ve still gained clarity about what to explore next.
Try a 30-day experiment and watch for fruit
Clarity for how to hear God’s calling for your life grows through practice. Design one focused experiment. Choose a small setting where real people can benefit and where you can learn quickly.
If you sense a call to teach, lead a four-week small group or workshop, and measure engagement and your energy after each session. If you feel drawn to mercy and justice work, volunteer weekly with a local partner and debrief after each shift. If you are considering pastoral or chaplain work, shadow a minister or chaplain and pay close attention to what gives you life and what drains it. If you are an entrepreneur or creative, pilot a simple project that meets a clear need and collect five honest reviews.
Write your experiment like a mini project plan on a single page. Name the goal for 30 days, the two or three actions you will repeat each week, and the simple scorecard you will use.
A helpful scorecard asks about peace, provision, perseverance, and people helped.
Peace is a settled center, not the absence of nerves.
Provision is a door that opens, a resource that appears, or a mentor who shows up.
Perseverance is the desire to keep going after a hard day.
People helped is a real face, a real story, and a change you can describe.
Meet with your small circle, read what you wrote in prayer, and study the scorecard. If peace, provision, perseverance, and people helped are present, then deepen your commitment for another season.
If none of the signs are present after 30 days, note that the calling may be true but the timing may not be right. Take some time to pray, discuss and discern what other experiences, relationships, or knowledge might you need to pick up this exploration in the future.
A simple prayer for the journey
“God, thank you for the nudge. I offer my desire to follow and my uncertainty about how. Give me wisdom to see, courage to act, and peace to wait. Lead me to the next faithful step, and keep my heart soft to your voice. Amen.”
Your next three actions
Keep it focused. Put each action item on your calendar this week.
1. Write a one-page statement that names what you sense, what you know, and what you do not know yet.
2. Block three listening sessions and invite your small circle to a conversation. Share the one-page statement and your questions in advance.
3. Design one 30-day experiment with a simple scorecard and a decision meeting.
Your move
You do not need the entire map for what to do when you feel called by God. You need a clear step you can take next, a few wise companions, and the humility to learn as you go.
If you are exploring a call to ministry or service and want a community around your discernment, connect with a mentor, a local pastor, or the Forum for Theological Exploration.
FTE exists to Inspire Leaders to Shape the Future. We would be honored to walk alongside you as you listen, experiment, and take the next faithful step reimagining ministry in modern culture.