Discerning Your Spiritual Calling: Expanding & Awakening Your Faith:
Eric Butterworth (2003) in the book The Creative Life: 7 Keys to Your Inner Genius, uses the Genesis creation account to outline a seven-step meditation process for discovering your spiritual calling. Butterworth notes that each stage of the creation story provides guidance on how you can fulfill your purpose and create a life of meaning. This article explores the second step of the meditational practice: awakening your faith.
During the initial phase of creation, God formed the heavens and the earth by separating light from the darkness. Metaphorically, this is the equivalent of the initial revelation of your spiritual call. You receive the initial illumination, yet you don’t have the details or the plan for how your calling will manifest.
In the second phase of creation, God created the skies by separating the waters of the earth and air. The sky was called the firmament. Firmament, when translated from the Hebrew word raki’a, means “expansion” (Easton, 1897). Based upon the creation account, God, on the first day, illuminates or brings light to your calling, but on the second day, God expands your calling. This expansion occurs through the awakening of your faith.
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In our modern era, faith can be an elusive term. We often misconstrue faith as adherence to a particular set of beliefs, doctrines, or creeds (Butterworth, 2003). Faith is so much bigger! Faith is the “inner power” that begins to “empower” your spiritual call. It is through faith that your creativity releases and your spiritual calling expands. As Paul noted, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1, NIV). Even Jesus expressed the importance of faith when he said, “Everything is possible for one who believes” (Mark 9:23, NIV).
Faith & Discovering Your Spiritual Calling:
What is the inner power of faith? According to Butterworth (2003) it is the creative power that already lives within you. Your spiritual calling is encoded on your DNA from the time of your creation. Your spiritual call manifests in direct relationship to how in-tune your faith is to God. Faith is the kingdom of God within you; waiting to be unleashed as a gift of service to the world (Butterworth, 2003).
The power of your faith is infinite. Just as your outlet connects to the global energy supply’s immense electrical power; so, it is with your faith. It is only when you plug into and allow your consciousness to be God-centered that faith empowers the possibilities of your spiritual call. The power of faith transforms your focus from limitations and constraints to possibilities and opportunities. God can use your talents, skills, and abilities. The capacity of God expressing through you is only limited by the capacity of your vision.
Faith is so much bigger! Faith is the “inner power” that begins to “empower” your spiritual call.
This is usually where anxiety, fear, and worry show up in the process of your calling. You receive the initial “Let there be light” illumination of your call; then, as the concept of your calling expands; fear enters. Fear is simply misplaced faith! Worry, fear, and insecurity are all malignant expressions of faith (Butterworth, 2003). The trouble isn’t your shortage of faith; it is your focus on lack, scarcity, and want instead of on possibility and opportunity. You do not lack faith to carry out your spiritual call! Faith is always present even if your faith focuses on fear. Faith and fear are simply expressions of the same spiritual power. Your choice is which do you engage with: faith or fear?
Faith expresses through your spiritual calling by focusing your heart on divine supply and abundance. To empower your faith, you must center your focus on God’s supply and provision. Lack of faith won't be the reason for your lost opportunities. Lost opportunities occur because of your failure to center in God’s provision and abundance.
Faith & the Spiritual Calling of Moses:
Moses received his spiritual call to deliver the Hebrews from Egyptian slavery through the illumination of the burning bush (Exodus 3:1-17). In his excitement, Moses affirmed his faith by declaring, “Here I am.” Initially, his spiritual call excited Moses. Moses was very aware of the need. He was confident he had the skills, abilities, and talents to meet that need.
With Moses’s excitement, God engages the second stage of the spiritual call. God enlarges his vision. God begins by reviewing the suffering of the Hebrews in Egypt. The vision also includes a promise of deliverance, opportunity, and abundance. Moses is still very much on-board as his calling is one of prosperity.
Moses continues to feel confident until God expands his call further; this time exploring the risks and perils. The Hebrews can create a new life in a land of abundance. Yet there remains one problem. Pharaoh must release the Hebrews from their captivity, and it is Moses who must demand their release. Suddenly, Moses isn’t so excited about his spiritual calling as fear grips his heart.
Moses does what we all do when we face an insurmountable task; he questions himself. Moses inquires, “Who am I that I should confront Pharaoh?”. You can almost hear Moses' anxious thoughts as he questions his own skills and talents. The immensity of the risk and trials are settling in, and Moses is no longer sure he is up to his spiritual call.
The trouble isn’t your shortage of faith; it is your focus on lack, scarcity, and want instead of on possibility and opportunity.
The biblical narrative shows how fear grips your heart as your calling expands. You begin talking yourself out of your spiritual call. Just like Moses, when your call expands; you will have a choice between faith and fear. In fear, you will question if you can live out your spiritual call. This is allowing yourself to live in the lies of scarcity and lack.
When Moses focused on his fear instead of centering on God, he moved to a poverty consciousness that could have quickly derailed his spiritual call. Moses questioned his abilities, talents, and skills, but God is quick to remind Moses to center himself. God comforts Moses by assuring him, “I will be with you.”
It was only when Moses centered on God that he could transform his fear into faith. Anytime you are spiritually called, there will first be illumination, then expansion of the initial call. You have a choice, “Will you live in faith or fear?”. As the details of your call expand; you will face insecurity, self-doubt, and uncertainty. It is only when you sit quietly in meditation on God and the Spirit’s all-encompassing omniscience, omnipresence, and omnipotence that your fear becomes transformed.
To transform fear into faith; your version of God must become bigger. As Richard Rohr (2022) notes in Jesus’s Alternative Plan: The Sermon on the Mount, this version of God creates a different way of seeing your world. You view a world of possibility where “God is on your side, God can be trusted, and there is no reason to be afraid.” Your version of God must change to meet the demands of your call. God must become a Lord of benevolence and generosity, who seeks your highest good. This transformation of your vision of God can only occur through centering in God’s presence.
Reflection Questions for Expanding & Awakening Your Faith in Your Spiritual Call:
What were your feelings and thoughts when you first received the illumination or introduction to your spiritual calling? How did these feelings and thoughts change when God expanded the vision of your calling?
What are the indicators you are experiencing fear, rather than faith, in your spiritual calling? Are you confronting obstacles of lack, insecurity, self-doubt, or uncertainty?
Identify and list on paper every insecurity, self-doubt, and uncertainty you face. Describe each one; notice your fear. Explore how this fear impacts your approach to your call.
Practice the meditation below and write out an alternative story to counter your fears. In this story, you believe God is on your side. How does expanding your view of God transform your fear into faith?
Meditation for Expanding & Awakening Your Faith in Your Spiritual Calling
Now that you have identified your fears and named them; use this meditation to expand your view of God and center your perspective.
Take three to five deep breaths. Once you feel calm, pick one aspect of God that helps ease your fear. It may be God’s eternal presence, God’s all-powerful nature, or the Spirit’s eternal knowledge. Imagine this aspect of God being a light that grows from your heart-center and expands slowly bit-by-bit until the light fills your entire body. Sit quietly, focused on the eternal light within you; noticing how it strengthens you.
Now the light has expanded; instead of focusing on fear, focus on a God who is on your side. There is no reason to be afraid.
Review your list of insecurities, doubts, and uncertainties you are experiencing regarding your expanded call. Like Moses, ask God what to do about each one, letting God’s abundance, prosperity, and concern for your well-being replace scarcity, doubt, and fear. Next to each fear, write out what happens to the fear when you center in God’s all providing spirit.
Creatively reimagine your calling being fulfilled. Imagine success, God’s provision, and abundant supply replacing scarcity and lack. Notice how rewriting the story from the perspective of faith versus fear allows you to see the world as safe and working towards something good.
By: Heath B. Walters, Ph.D.
Copyright December 15th, 2022, Heath B. Walters DBA Spiritual Life Resources, All Rights Reserved
Reference
Butterworth, E. (2003). The Creative Life: 7 Keys to Your Inner Genius. Tarcher-Perigee.
Easton, M. G. (1897). Illustrate Bible Dictionary, Third Edition, Thomas Nelson as cited in Firmament, Bible Study Tools (2022) retrieved from: https://www.biblestudytools.com/dictionary/firmament/
Rohr, R. (2022). Jesus’ Alternative Plan: The Sermon on the Mount. Cincinnati, Ohio: Franciscan Media. ISBN: 978-1632534163
Zondervan NIV Study Bible (K. L. Barker, Ed.; Full rev. ed.). (2002). Zondervan.