Ministry Calling

Dear Victorious,

I'm in high school and am thinking about becoming a preacher as my lifetime profession. My grades are good enough to get me into most any Bible college or seminary. But what are some signs that this would be the right choice? I mean, how do you know if you're really being "called" by God to ministry as a profession?

Robert E. Rio Rancho, NM

Dear Robert,

Discerning a calling from God is a serious matter. There are two things I would specifically look for if I were you. The first is that you can't imagine yourself doing anything else. (It's been said that one should never go into ministry as a profession unless he or she can not do anything else!) The second thing is that people who are considerably more spiritually mature than you are agree that you are anointed by God and called for this purpose. They will have prayed about the matter with you, and affirmed it for you.

When God is doing something, like calling someone to ministry, He never ever keeps it a secret. Expect other mature believers to affirm whatever you think God may be telling you.