Did God REALLY tell you to do that? How to discern purpose vs. pressure

First step: Decide whether you're a creative or a creator!

I suggest listening to the audio! You can download it to your device and change the playback speed! Just don’t forget to come back and comment! Enjoy!

Stephie’s Submission: “I feel like God has called me to social media and I’ve been struggling with posting on and off and can’t find any consistency. It’s become a huge burden and makes me feel like a failure. I’m completely unmotivated and I’m afraid I’m living in disobedience. I see that you stepped away from short form content on Instagram. Do you have any advice on feeling called to something but struggling to get anything done?”

Dear Stephie (and anyone in a similar situation),

Forgive me if I’m overstepping by first giving advice you didn’t even ask for, but I feel like it must be said: get clear on what God told you to do.

I say this because of what you said, “I feel like God called me.” In my experience, true clarity is led with confidence. I want you to know deeply and unwaveringly what God called you to do. Without this clarity, achieving consistency will be impossible. I speak from experience.

What helped me clarify what God wanted me to do was writing down everything I knew to be true, not what I thought. For example, I knew that God called me to teach and encourage. I knew that He had gifted me with the skill of storytelling. I knew that my testimony was meant to be shared. I wrote all of this and more down in my journal and then, during a season of fasting, I prayed:

“Lord, help me to see my assignment. Show me how you want me to use my devotion in the world.”

He revealed to me that I was too busy writing captions when I should have been writing books. And I think there are too many of us out here like this: too many creatives operate as creators and wonder why they feel misaligned. The difference is this: a creative makes art that outlives the algorithm; a creator feeds the algorithm that outlives the art.

The enemy will try to taint a good thing, so we don’t even realize it’s bad for us. Just because something is good to you doesn’t mean it’s good for you. Many people are blinded by their social media success and fail to realize that God wanted to give them global success. Don’t think so small, Stephie. Think of all the ways you can share your gifts with the world! It might be a ‘yes, and’ situation: yes, you can create for social media, anddd you can also do an artist residency in your city, secure a contract with your local library, or host workshops to teach others your craft. I’m not pushing you away from your calling! I want you to go full force, all in, courageously toward what God called you to! If that is social media consistency or full-time, I want you to do it without second-guessing!

In short, get undeniably clear on what God is calling you to do and who God is calling you to be. Are you, primarily, a creative or a creator? If you’re a creative, you’ll likely be better off treating your work like art and giving it the time it needs to develop and breathe! And that might look like creating slower, producing Instagram content at a different cadence than someone who identifies primarily as a content creator or influencer. Remember, we might expect a singer to practice their craft daily, but we’d never expect them to drop a song a day. Hopefully, that in itself helps you think deeper about your posting schedule, alignment, and productivity!

But, if it doesn’t, let me answer you directly. I do actually have advice on feeling called to do something. I like to create acronyms whenever I can, and I created this acronym (CALLING) below! I made it when I was trying to make sense of how to move forward with my next assignment (writing a novel), and I use it as an action plan that I refer to daily! It helps me wake up and take action toward achieving this goal! It’s specific to me, but I think it might be a blessing to you, too!

C - CLARIFY: Like I shared above, this is about clarifying everything that God called you to do. Pray, fast, ask questions. Lean, lean, lean on mentors, peers, and friends. Don’t rush this step; clarity is the foundation of everything that follows! It was during this step that I decided to step back from social media.

A - ALIGN: Once you know FOR SURE what your calling is, align it with your values, morals, and goals. This stage was actually pretty difficult for me because I realized just how CRAZY it was that God was calling me to write a romance novel! Lol These days, romance novels are plagued with cursing, sex scenes, and inconsiderate characters! None of which I want to write. I had to figure out how I could tell my story in a way that makes sense for my main characters to not have sex, while also not being explicitly preachy about celibacy, while also making sure it still falls in the romance category. This is where you get to really confront your convictions!

L - LIFT: My family’s motto is “lift as you climb.” Once I figured out how to align my goals with my convictions, I wanted to think about how to ensure that this assignment would lift others up. Your calling should be a ladder for someone else. When God elevates you, He’s making room for you to elevate others.

L - LEVERAGE: When I made this acronym, being a good steward of my resources and finances was top of mind. In this stage, I like to think about how I can leverage what I already have to bring forth my vision. Lean on Christ, your current knowledge, books, skills, friends, and community. Ignore the urge to buy unnecessary things (in my case, expensive writing classes when I had mentors willing to guide me for free!). God has already equipped you with more than you realize.

I - INVEST: Now, there are some things you do want to invest in. Invest your time, your heart, your money where it’s SMART. This is where I time-block my calendar, set aside budget for the right resources, and commit to showing up daily even when I don’t feel like it. Investment isn’t just financial: it’s the daily decision to prioritize what God has prioritized in your life. Wake up and ask: “What does investing in this calling look like today?” Sometimes it’s writing. Sometimes it’s rest. Sometimes it’s research. Be intentional!

N - NAME: Finally, NAME THIS PROJECT! I love giving myself challenges and naming the season God has me in or the assignment He has me on! Naming something makes it real. It gives you something to rally around, to pray over, to declare when the enemy whispers that you’re wasting your time. My current season is called “The Book Before the Buzz.” Lol. This might not be the book that skyrockets me to the top of the bestseller list, but it’s the one that is preparing me for that future success! What’s yours going to be? Give it a name that reminds you this is sacred, this is purposeful, this is God-ordained.

G - GO! Do your plan. Stop waiting for perfect conditions. Stop waiting to feel ready. Obedience doesn’t wait for readiness; readiness comes through obedience. You have the clarity. You have the plan. Now go and watch God move through your yes!!

P.S. You shouldn’t feel like a failure! One thing that’s helped me is reframing my thinking. Instead of saying “I’m failing,” I say “I’m trying.” Instead of allowing myself to spiral into struggling, I ask: “What’s the LEAST intimidating thing I can do today that makes progress toward this goal?” I know it’s cliché, but literally LIVING The Daily Yes IS how I get things done! Waking up every day and saying, “Today I am going to do one teeny tiny thing from my CALLING plan. Today, I’m going to say YES to one little thing God is calling me to.”

You got this. I believe in you, and I’m praying for you (even when and if you get tired of praying for yourself!)

Want to submit a question to the advice column? Each Monday, I’ll answer another question!

Until next week,

Isis