Answer The Call
Welcome to the Higher Calling Blog! I’m Dr. Dej and in 2020, just as the COVID-19 pandemic began to rage, God began prompting me to utilize the gifts He’d given me to create a safe space of encouragement for others. As the child of Pastors, much of my upbringing was spent either going to church, or fellowshipping with those I attended church with. Spending time in those environments both sparked and cultivated a love for the word of God, a desire to know Him deeper at a young age, and ultimately provided a sneak peek into my calling. My Dad says that at four years old I told him I wanted to be a preacher. By twelve, I had read the Bible in its entirety more than once, and had accepted the gift that is the Holy Spirit, with the benefit of speaking in tongues.
As you can imagine, the enemy was not too fond of that, and I was not an exception to Peter’s warning in 1 Peter 5:8, that as believers we should be alert because the enemy “prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour”. Thus, I spent my adolescent years fighting imposter syndrome and fear, and wondering why I sometimes felt at war within myself. As acclaimed Pastor Joyce Meyer said best, the battlefield is in the mind, and that has always rang true for me. Though my relationship with God went through its own growing pains during my adolescent and early adulthood years, His calling on my life never changed. As I said before, I’m a church kid, and more specifically a PK (preacher’s kid) which means I’ve seen the good, the bad, and the ugly of church culture, and was previously adamant about wanting nothing to do with ministry in any form. Furthermore, I consider myself to be a mad genius behind the scenes, versus a spokesperson commanding front and center. As I began to further commit to God, however, I could no longer ignore that He wanted to use me to encourage others. In fact, He began to send people within my sphere of influence so that I could do just that.
When my soul looks back in wonder, I am able to see the ways in which God has woven the tapestry of my calling thus far. From the people I’ve met, to the schools I’ve attended, the degrees I’ve pursued, the titles I’ve held, and the skill sets I’ve honed, I can see the fingerprints of his Providential Hand in it all. As promised in Philippians 2:13 (which is one of my favorite scriptures), He has continually given me both the desire and the power to do what pleases Him, which ultimately supports fulfilling a predestined calling with an eternal impact.
With that being said, I am far from having my calling all figured out. I share the exact same sentiments with Paul in Philippians 3:13-14 when he says that he too did not feel as if he had yet arrived, but that he would continue to “press toward the mark for the prize of the HIGH CALLING of God in Christ Jesus”, which results in eternity spent with Jesus. Throughout the length of the New Testament Paul frequently speaks to the significance of living out our calling, which is without surprise, considering his conversion story.
In Acts 7:58, we are introduced to a man named Saul. The Bible details him in this verse as the man at whose feet the coats of those who stood witness to Stephen’s perceived blasphemy were laid. Stephen was subsequently stoned, becoming the first Christian martyr, and Scripture intentionally states that Saul approved of his murder. This event led to a great persecution of the Church. By Acts 9, Saul had gotten permission from the high priest and other high ranking Jewish officials to murder those who belonged to The Way, which was a sect of Jews who collectively proclaimed that Jesus was the resurrected Son of God. Along the way on a road to Damascus, Saul was knocked off his animal and blinded after seeing a bright light and hearing a loud voice. The voice belonged to Jesus, who asked Saul why he was persecuting Him. Jesus then sent Paul into the city, where he fasted for three days and three nights. He was then prayed for by a disciple named Ananias to receive the Holy Spirit and regain his sight, and he ultimately converted into who we know as the Apostle Paul, who wrote most of the New Testament.
In Acts 26:14, we receive additional information about Paul’s conversion experience as he recounts it before King Agrippa of Judea. Paul details that in addition to Jesus asking Paul about being persecuted, Jesus also informs him that it is hard for him “to kick against the goads”. The Passion Translation of this same verse clarifies that Jesus tells Paul, “You are only hurting yourself when you resist your calling”. When I read these words they rang loudly in my head. Today’s society champions independence and the capitalist ideology of being “self-made”, yet Jesus is clear that he has bestowed a calling on each of us that won’t fit neatly within the confines of culture. This is not to say that God does not give us the ability to produce wealth using our gifts and calling (Deut 8:18), but we often fail to prioritize the purpose of our calling and in doing so, we subject ourselves to unnecessary pain.
As previously mentioned, I’m still learning how to navigate the path of my calling, and my journey has not been without the scars that come from resistance, but I invite you to take this journey of progression (not perfection) with me. Because at the end of my life, I want to hear the words “Well Done, Good and Faithful Servant. Come on up a little higher” because I answered the Higher Calling here on earth. My prayer for us moving forward is befittingly written by the Apostle Paul, and begins with 2 Thessalonians 1:11, which is the foundational scripture for this Higher Calling Collective brand:
“So we keep praying for you, asking our God to enable you to live a life worthy of His Call. May He give you the power to accomplish all the good things your faith prompts you to do. Then the name of our Lord Jesus will be honored because of the way you love, and you will be honored along with Him. This is all made possible because of the grace of our God and Lord, Jesus Christ”.
Amen.
