Let’s talk about something that’s deeply important—especially in this generation where gifting is visible, titles are common, and platforms are easy to build.

A real call doesn’t start with: “I want to be a minister.” It starts with: God interrupts you—your plans, your comfort, your timeline.

And there are people who are truly called by God into His work and ministry…
and there are people who appoint themselves.

And the hard part is:
sometimes both can look similar at first.

Both can be gifted.
Both can be passionate.
Both can speak well.
Both can quote Scripture.
Both can gather people.

But over time, the difference becomes clear—because a real call from God doesn’t just show up in what someone says.

It shows up in what someone is.

Their life.
Their fruit.
Their spirit.
Their submission.
Their endurance.
Their humility.
Their love.

And for me, this is personal… because God Himself has called me. Not just with a desire… but with His own voice, confirmation through others, and His anointing.

So I want to lay this out carefully and clearly:

What a God-called man or woman looks like
What a self-appointed person looks like

How God Himself calls (including His voice calling someone)

How the anointing and power of the Holy Spirit fits into this
And what to do with prodigals and wilderness seasons—because yes, called people can backslide… and still be called.

1) WHAT A GOD-CALLED MAN OR WOMAN LOOKS LIKE

A God-called person isn’t perfect.
But they’re being formed.

They usually don’t feel like “a celebrity Christian.”
They feel like a person carrying something holy—with fear of the Lord.

What it looks like:
✅ Hidden faithfulness before public influence
They’re consistent when nobody sees. Their life doesn’t collapse when the lights are off.

✅ A life that can be inspected
Not sinless—just not double-lived. Not one person on stage and another person at home.

✅ Servanthood shows up naturally
They help, carry weight, show up, build, love, and serve—without needing to be announced.

✅ Becoming like Jesus, not building a brand
Their identity isn’t “ministry.” Their identity is sonship/daughterhood.

✅ They carry people, not just messages
They don’t “use” people as proof that they’re anointed. They genuinely shepherd hearts.

✅ They can sit under authority
They’re teachable. Correctable. Accountable. They don’t treat leadership as an enemy.

✅ Their close relationships aren’t constantly bleeding
Ministry doesn’t excuse neglect. A real call doesn’t give permission to wreck your home.

What it sounds like:
✅ More Jesus than self
Their words don’t keep circling back to their greatness. They point to the Lord.

✅ Clarity without manipulation
No pressure tactics. No guilt hooks. No spiritual threats.

✅ Truth with love
They can be direct without being cruel. They don’t confuse harshness with boldness.

✅ They can say “I was wrong”
That right there is one of the clearest signs of maturity.

What it feels like to be around them
This is one of the most underrated tests:

When you’re around a truly God-called person, you leave closer to Jesus—not dependent on them.

You feel strengthened, not drained.

Convicted, but not crushed.
Corrected, but not humiliated.
Clearer, not confused.

More hungry for God, not more fascinated with a personality.

A true called one doesn’t make you feel like you need them.
They make you feel like you need God.

2) HOW GOD HIMSELF CALLS SOMEONE (NOT THEM CALLING THEMSELVES)

Some people assume calling is just ambition with a Bible verse attached.
But a true call is different.

A real call doesn’t begin with:

“I want to be a minister.”

A real call begins when God initiates it.

God initiates the call
Often it comes as:

•a persistent burden you didn’t create
•a holy pull that doesn’t fade
•a conviction that won’t leave you alone
a “must” in your spirit that •remains even when it costs you

A true call often feels like:

“This didn’t come from me… this chose me.”

And sometimes… God calls with His own voice
And yes—this is real.

In Scripture, God calls people directly:

💥Moses (God speaks and commissions)

💥Samuel (“Samuel, Samuel…”)

💥Isaiah (encounter, cleansing, sending)

💥Jeremiah (identity + assignment)

💥Paul (encounter + commission)

❤️‍🔥The disciples (Jesus personally: “Follow Me.”)

And when God calls someone by His voice—whether audible, internal but unmistakable, through a dream/vision, or in a holy moment where it lands like a command—there are fingerprints that tend to come with it:

✅ Clarity (even if not every detail)
✅ Authority (not harsh—just certain)
✅ Weight (it feels holy, not casual)
✅ Purity (it pulls you toward holiness, not ego)
✅ A sense of being known (like God is speaking straight to you)

And here’s a key:

When God truly calls you, it usually doesn’t inflate you.
It humbles you.

Most genuine call encounters produce surrender, not swagger.

People come out saying:

“Lord, help me obey.”
“I’m not worthy.”
“Clean me.”
“Teach me.”
“Prepare me.”

Not: “Look at me.”

3) CONSECRATION + HIDDEN SEASONS (THE PART PEOPLE SKIP)

When God calls someone, He doesn’t only give them an assignment.
He begins to form the vessel.

That’s why so many true called people go through seasons of:

•pruning
•cleansing
•waiting
•obscurity
•serving in small places
•learning submission
•surrendering ego
•healing wounds
•building integrity

A lot of people want the platform part of ministry…
but not the altar part.

And most of the time the order looks like this:

Calling → Crushing → Cleansing → Clarity → Commissioning

People love commissioning.
But crushing is often where the oil is made.

4) THE ANOINTING: A TRUE CALLED ONE IS EMPOWERED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT

This is crucial.
God doesn’t just call people into work.
He anoints people for work.

The anointing isn’t a vibe.
It isn’t volume.
It isn’t charisma.

The anointing is divine enablement—the power and grace of the Holy Spirit to do what God assigned.

A true called one will, in time, carry real spiritual authority and power—not to impress people… but to serve God’s purposes.

What true anointing tends to produce

•People drawn to Jesus, not personality

•Hearts convicted into repentance
•The Word opening with weight
•Prayer carrying authority
Chains breaking (in God’s way, in God’s timing)
•Healing, deliverance, restoration (as God wills)
•Faith strengthened
•Holiness honored
•The presence of God resting on the work
•Fruit that remains

And here’s another key:

Real anointing doesn’t produce arrogance.
It produces fear of the Lord.

Because when you know it’s God’s power, you stop acting like it’s your greatness.

5) NOW… WHAT SELF-APPOINTMENT LOOKS LIKE

Some people don’t get sent.
They just go.

They don’t get commissioned.
They announce themselves.

And I want to be fair:

sometimes people are sincerely called but immature.

But there is also a real category of people who are driven by:

•identity hunger
•insecurity
•comparison
•attention
•control
•ambition
•bitterness
•desire for recognition

What it looks like

🚩 Skipping process
No training, no testing, no accountability—just titles.
🚩 Demanding recognition
They need to be seen, honored, celebrated, and treated special to feel stable.
🚩 Title chasing
They want to be called something more than they want to become something.
🚩 Platform obsession
Networking replaces prayer. Visibility replaces faithfulness.
🚩 Allergic to correction
Correction becomes “persecution.” Accountability becomes “haters.”
🚩 Using spiritual language to control “God told me” becomes a shutdown tool, not a humble witness.
🚩 Division follows them Everywhere they go there’s conflict—and it’s always someone else’s fault.

What it sounds like

•a lot of self-referencing (“my mantle,” “my authority,” “my enemies”)
•spiritual threats disguised as leadership
•pressure and guilt tactics
•constant obsession with being opposed
•“anointing talk” with no fruit and no humility

What it feels like

•you feel pressured, not pastored
•managed, not loved
•fear to ask questions
•confusion and heaviness after interactions

6) THE DISCERNMENT GRID: COMPARE AND CONTRAST

FRUIT

God-called: love, purity, humility, stability, discipleship

Self-appointed: chaos, pride, division, burnout, shallow results

SUBMISSION

God-called: teachable, accountable, honors authority

Self-appointed: uncorrectable, isolated, independent, defensive

MOTIVE
God-called: “I must obey God—even if it costs me.”

Self-appointed: “I must be seen—even if it costs others.”

CORRECTION

God-called: repents, adjusts, grows

Self-appointed: deflects, attacks, labels, retaliates

EFFECT ON PEOPLE

God-called: people become more grounded in Scripture and closer to Jesus

Self-appointed: people become more attached to the minister and their “movement”

7) RED FLAGS THAT SHOULD MAKE YOU SLOW DOWN

•constant need to be the center
•repeated broken relationships
fear-based loyalty
•anyone who leaves is “demonic” or “betraying the vision”
•honest questions treated like rebellion
•money/sex/power issues with no repentance
•“big ministry” but brittle character

One mistake is human.
A repeated pattern is a warning.

8) NOW THE TENDER PART: PRODIGALS + WILDERNESS SEASONS

This matters, because real life is messy.

Some people are truly called… and still go through seasons where they drift.

Some called people:

•get wounded
•get tired
•get proud
•get offended
•get tempted
•get overwhelmed
•medicate pain with sin
•isolate
•backslide

And yes—some become prodigals for a season.

Here’s the balance

A call from God is not a mood.
And it doesn’t disappear just because someone fell.

The calling can go dormant.
It can get buried.
It can be resisted.

But when God has truly called someone, He doesn’t casually erase it.

But—being called does not mean someone is currently safe to lead.

A person can be called and still be:

•unhealed
•unsubmitted
•compromised
•immature
•unsafe
•needing restoration, not a microphone

•What backsliding in a called person can look like
living off yesterday’s encounters instead of today’s obedience

trading intimacy for image

avoiding correction

private compromise while public gifting continues

bitterness, envy, comparison, hidden addictions

talking “ministry language” without maintaining the secret place

And here’s a sobering truth:

Gifting can still be visible while a life is drifting.
That’s why discernment matters.

How you know a called prodigal is truly coming home

Restoration has fruit.

You’ll see:

•real repentance (not excuses)
•humility returning
•confession + accountability
•willingness to be hidden again
•hunger for holiness
•patience with process
•repaired relationships (as much as possible)
•a changed spirit, not just changed words
•They stop demanding a platform… and start embracing process.

9) THE SAFEST CONCLUSION

We don’t “judge” someone’s calling.

But we absolutely must discern:

•fruit

•character

•humility

•readiness

•submission

•and whether the Holy Spirit’s power is being carried with reverence or used for ego

Because over time, the truth becomes visible in the one place that can’t be faked:
Character.

FINAL WORD

A true called one will be:

•initiated by God
•formed by God
•empowered by the Holy Spirit
•marked by humility
•proven by fruit
•and steady over time

A self-appointed one may look strong at first…
but eventually the foundation shows.

So don’t just listen to what people say.

Watch:

•how they handle correction
•how they treat the “small” and unseen
•what follows them everywhere they go (peace or chaos)
•what their ministry produces in others
•and whether Jesus is being magnified or the person is being marketed

Because a real call from God doesn’t make someone famous.

It makes them faithful.