Called Out and Set Apart: My Journey from Emotion to Anointing

“And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out My Spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams.” — Acts 2:17

Earlier in my Christian walk, I was confused - and so were many of my sisters in Christ. They say hindsight is 20/20, and when I look back, I can see it all so clearly now. We boldly came to the altar Sunday after Sunday, crying and snottin’ as the preacher or another minister prophesied over our lives. We jumped up and down, fell out “slain in the Spirit,” spoke in tongues, ran around the church - and I’m not saying it wasn’t real. But for many of us, it was more emotion than relationship. We had church behaviors but not always a heart connection with God.

How do I know? Because when I look back at those same sisters now, many of their lives remind me of those “Child Stars: Where Are They Now?” TV shows. Remember those? The ones where the stars ended up on drugs, broke, or in jail? Sadly, some of my Pentecostal altar buddies ended up the same way - on drugs, locked up, financially struggling, or still waiting for someone to prophesy over them about peace, prosperity, and a man who’s “on the way.”

What happened to us?

The truth is, we were all chasing purpose. We wanted to know who God called us to be and what our role was in the Body of Christ. I wanted to know if God had called me to be an apostle, a prophet, an evangelist, a pastor, or a teacher. Would He use me mightily like He used His only begotten Son, Jesus?

I’m keepin’ it real - when we don’t have spiritual guidance, our minds will have us thinking we’re the second coming of Christ. But we don’t say it out loud because we don’t want people to think we’re crazy. That’s exactly how Satan tricks us - planting grand thoughts and prideful ideas in our heads. And if we never follow the advice in James to confess our sins one to another so we can be prayed for and ministered to correctly, we end up suffering in silence.

So, in my pursuit of knowing who I was in Christ, I had big dreams - center stage, saving souls, people clapping and thanking me for how much I’d helped them. Every time a pastor preached, I perked up, waiting for a word that said, “You’re going to be great in the Kingdom.” My heart was sincere - I wanted to know God, I hated my shortcomings, and I wanted to live a life worthy of Him.

But when I saw others being prophesied over and I wasn’t, I started to feel left out - like God had forgotten me. But the truth is, He wasn’t leaving me out. He was calling me out.

He was silencing all those other voices so I could finally recognize His. During that season, I felt lonely - sometimes angry, frustrated, and full of tears. I was surrounded by believers, but felt like I didn’t belong. What I didn’t realize was that God was preparing me. Man looks at the outward appearance, but God looks at the heart.

When I was finally ready to surrender, I started praying differently. I asked God to give me a hunger and thirst for righteousness. I told Him I was ready to exchange my thoughts for His thoughts, my ways for His ways, my so-called truths for His Truth. I made up my mind that if God said it, I would believe it, and I wasn’t going to let anyone talk me out of it.

I began chasing after God - not prophecy, not position, not praise. And once I truly sought Him, I received the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Then the gifts followed. The signs were there - maybe not obvious to others at first, and not even to me sometimes - but the Holy Spirit began to teach me, correct me, and guide me.

And yes, eventually others began to notice, but instead of celebrating me, some became jealous. Still, the Holy Spirit started showing me people’s hearts and motives. At first, I doubted what I was seeing, but then God sent confirmation every single time.

I can’t speak for everyone else, but I know this: no one who sincerely pursues God with a pure heart will be denied Him. If someone doesn’t find Him, it’s because there’s something they haven’t surrendered.

The Bible says the battlefield is in the mind - and it’s true. “We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ.” (2 Corinthians 10:5). We have to consciously control our thoughts and make them obedient to God’s will instead of letting negative or prideful thoughts take over.

Let’s be real - a lot of the thoughts we need to take captive come from what we feed on daily. Social media, gossip, “old wives’ tales,” and even well-meaning advice from people we love can cloud God’s truth. I was so radical for Jesus that if something my momma said didn’t line up with Scripture, I was taking that thought captive and making it submit to God’s Word.

A lot of people argue online because they’re still holding on to opinions - theirs, their grandma’s, their pastor’s - instead of God’s truth. The best thing we can do is pray for them and not argue. Because when you argue, you give weight to foolishness.

Now I know that God called me to be a Prophet - a calling many people romanticize but few truly understand. Prophets aren’t weak or arrogant; we’re just obedient. Some of the things God gives us to say may sting others, but we don’t speak from pride - we speak from love and the leading of the Holy Spirit. We have a deep desire to see people live right and truly honor God in spirit and in truth.

We’re not perfect. I’m still growing, still striving daily to be more like Christ - to stand on His Word and not shrink back when the truth makes people uncomfortable.

We are living in the last days, and Acts 2:17 is being fulfilled before our eyes. So if you are a Daughter of the King, and God is calling you in this way, know this - you are not alone. It will feel lonely at times, but cry out to your Heavenly Father. He knows.

People will misunderstand you and even persecute you, just like the prophets of old. Jesus said, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own country.” But He also said that “whoever gives a prophet a cup of water in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward.” (Matthew 10:41–42)

So bless those who bless you. Look down on no one. Remember that your real reward comes from God in heaven. Take care of yourself - because self-care for the prophet means sitting in the presence of God. Let Him refresh you, guide you, and use you as He sees fit.

Embrace your calling. And thank God not only for calling you out - but for setting you apart.