2 Corinthians 13:5 English Standard Version (ESV) Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test!

Because we are all different it is conceivable that there are many ways to answer the question “Am I called by God?” Our perceptions vary, our needs vary, and our personal understanding of what is going on in our lives vary greatly. It is possible that a call from God for one of us sounds and feels different for others. There are different ways it is expressed by believers primarily based on their own experiences. If it rings true for others it is a help to answer the call. If what others tell us about their call does not ring true, it doesn’t mean God isn’t calling us.

Something in those twelve apostles compelled them to answer Jesus’ call to follow Him and there are no explanations of why “follow me” was sufficient to cause them to leave everything behind and follow Jesus. If there was one answer given that would leave no room for the rest of us to recognize God’s call to accept Jesus by faith. No answer leaves it up to each of us to examine ourselves to believe we are called.

Then comes the testing of faith. Has it done in us what is promised? That depends on our understanding of the promises of God and the expectations we develop based on those beliefs. At some point we may ask ourselves if we do indeed recognize Christ in ourselves. This is why we covered the issues of Christ in us and coming to know Him in all the aspects of His character and personality.

We will struggle with this because we are human, imperfect, vulnerable, and in many cases insecure. The fact that we struggle is a good thing if we accept we haven’t given up and given in to our weaker nature. That is why we test ourselves. No one can answer that question for us.