From Called to Chosen: Empowering Women to Answer God's Call
Jul 22, 2025Summary
What does it mean to be called by God—and what does it take to truly become chosen? In this thought-provoking episode of Arise, Women of God podcast, Tamara K. Anderson and the Women Warriors of Light advisory board explore the powerful difference between being called by God and being chosen by God, inspired by Matthew 22:14: “many are called, but few are chosen.”
You’ll hear deep, practical wisdom on how God often sends the same calling to many, but it’s those who receive, act, and walk with Him who become “chosen.” Through candid conversation and vivid analogies—like the “bum lamb” who knows the Shepherd’s voice and the parable of the ten virgins—you’ll discover why being chosen isn’t about perfection or qualifications, but about obedience, willingness, and a heart that puts God first.
This episode tackles overwhelm, spiritual resistance, and how insecurities try to hold us back. Dive into inspiring stories and dreams, including being lifted from darkness by Jesus, and learn how every call is a personal invitation to rise, shine His light, and lift others.
Ready for actionable spiritual insight and encouragement to step boldly into your God-given purpose? Listen in, be equipped to start with small steps, and see how you, too, can move from called to chosen—God’s way, God-strong.
Takeaways
- The distinction between being called and being chosen by God is profound, as it involves not only receiving a divine invitation but also actively responding to it with faith & action.
- Receiving God's call demands a heart open to divine direction, where we acknowledge His guidance and choose to walk in obedience, paving the way for fulfilling our unique purpose.
- A crucial aspect of being chosen involves maintaining humility and ensuring that our actions continually point others towards Christ, rather than allowing personal success to overshadow our divine mission.
Host & Guests
Tamara K. Anderson @tamarakanderson
Tamara, founder of Women Warriors of Light, is a dynamic speaker, award winning author, and a podcaster. She is driven by her Christian faith to inspire faith in Jesus Christ. Alongside her husband, Justin, she navigates the joys and challenges of parenting four children with autism, ADHD, and mental health hurdles. You can find out more about Tamara on her website: https://www.tamarakanderson.com/
Wendi Christensen @wendichristensencounseling
Wendi is the co-founder of Women Warriors of Light. In addition to being a wife and mother, she is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with over 30 years of experience. Wendi is an intuitive counselor helping individuals release pain, renew hope, and restore light through forgiveness. You can find out more about Wendi on her website: https://wendichristensencounseling.com/
Tiffany Fletcher @tiffnyfletcher
Tiffany is a member of our Women Warriors of Light advisory board. She is an author, wife, mother and an example of faith & courage. Through her life experiences she shares hope in coming from a place of darkness to light and love. You can find her on social media @tiffnyfletcher or on her blog: motherhadasecret.blogspot.com
LeMira Wheelwright @launchwithlemira
LeMira is a member of our advisory board. She is a speaker, coach, and educator who is passionate about helping women heal insecurities, discover their divine potential and shine God's light through their gifts—especially helping them refine their message and marketing. https://launchwithlemira.com/
Holly Yates @yateshy3
Holly Yates is a purpose-driven leader with over 20 years of experience in organizational strategy, talent development, and culture building. She is known for driving growth by cultivating high-performing teams and aligning people with purpose. Holly brings a collaborative, values-centered approach to the Women Warriors of Light Advisory Board.
Leisa Watkins @leisawatkins
Leisa's mission is to help people break through barriers, avoid roadblocks in life, and cultivate an exceptional life - despite the struggles. In addition to being a wife and mother, Leisa is a speaker, author, and life coach who is particularly interested in assisting those with chronic illness. Find out more about Leisa at https://cultivateanexceptionallife.com/
Transcript
Tamara K. Anderson
00:00:01.520 - 00:00:14.640
What does it mean if you feel called by God? But more importantly, what does it mean to be chosen by God? Today, we're going to discuss this because it is an important difference, so stay tuned.
Intro/Outro
00:00:17.920 - 00:01:10.420
Are you a woman who knows God is calling you to something more, but you're unsure where to start or how to grow it into something impactful? You are not alone, and you're in the right place.
Welcome to the Arise Women of God podcast, a show for Christian women who feel called to shine his light and step into their divine purpose.
Each week you'll hear stories of faithful women, both from the Bible and today, who heard God's voice and chose to say yes even when it felt uncomfortable or uncertain, to step with faith into the unknown. You'll walk away with encouragement, spiritual insight, and practical steps to follow those holy promptings in your own life.
So let's arise together as women warriors of Light. Let's do it God's way, God's strong.
Tamara K. Anderson
00:01:14.740 - 00:04:02.970
Hello, and welcome to the Arise Women of God podcast. I'm your host, Tamara K. Andersen, and I am so excited to be with you amazing women today. And.
And I'm going to peel back some of the layers of a discussion we had last month in our Women warriors of Light advisory board meeting. We start off every advisory board meeting with a spiritual discussion, and it's usually based upon a Bible scripture.
And this past month, I'm going to let you peek at the discussion we had and then talk about how it applies to us as women called by God. All right, guys, I thought I'd kick us off this morning with a quick scripture discussion.
And it is a phrase we hear in the New Testament and other points in scripture. And it's a simple verse, and it's found in Matthew, chapter 22, verse 14. And it says, many are called, but few are chosen.
And I've had some huge epiphanies this morning kind of diving in to this whole concept of what makes us why we are called, but more importantly, what makes us chosen in the eyes of God versus simply being called. And so I thought I'll share a few thoughts while you kind of ponder that, and then we're going to open this up for discussion.
And so this is something that we're passionate about at Women warriors of Light. We want to minister to the women who feel called by God.
But as I've been pondering it this morning, more and more, we want these women to move from not only being called by God, but chosen by God. And the more I've thought about that, and the more I've kind of studied it in the scriptures, I think it boils down to this key principle.
Women are men who are chosen of God, are doing things God's way. Okay.
And I'm just going to pause there because I could probably do a whole hour speech on this and just ask for your thoughts because there are things that are going to, going to come to your mind about this that perhaps I haven't considered yet. And so I'd love to hear your thoughts about what you feel makes people move from being called to being chosen. Any thoughts?
Leisa Watkins
00:04:03.370 - 00:04:59.510
One of my thoughts when you first said that is action. Because people oftentimes get ideas and many people get the same ideas.
I, I did some work for a copyright, I mean, a guy who helped people copyright their materials and trademark them and trademark their inventions and all sorts of things. And, and he was telling me that, you know, so many people I had this idea, you know, but I never acted on it.
And, and somebody, you know, so it's very common, I think, for people to get to God to send that. For God to send the same idea out to many people. And many people just think, oh, that's a good idea. And they don't do anything to act on it.
I think so. I think that's also a key portion of it is, is just being willing to act. Being willing to, to be the person that says, oh, I'll, I'll take that.
Know, I think that's important. Facet of that. But I told. Yeah, I totally agree with you on that too.
Tamara K. Anderson
00:04:59.830 - 00:05:08.070
Yeah. Yeah, I love that. Thank you, Leisa. That I love that action. Any other thoughts on moving from being called to being chosen?
Tiffany Fletcher
00:05:09.030 - 00:05:52.300
I think along with what Leisa was saying, I think we have to receive the call. Right. Like, I think that sometimes, like God calls us over and over and over again. We're like, oh, that's a great idea.
Yeah, but we have to receive, receive it. And by receiving it, not just like, that's a great idea, but like in our heart. No, this is what God needs us to do.
And so I am going to be obedient to what he wants me to do. Like, we have to be willing to receive and walk through that door and do the work necessary to be his people.
Because the people that are chosen walk with him. That's why they're chosen, is because they're willing to receive the call and walk with him. So I think that's a really important thing to remember.
Tamara K. Anderson
00:05:53.100 - 00:06:02.620
I love that insight. That is beautiful. Thank you for sharing that. Anybody else have Any thoughts on moving from called to being chosen?
LeMira Wheelwright
00:06:03.260 - 00:06:57.180
I actually was gonna say something similar to Tiffany, and I feel like that's. We're chosen not because God says, oh, it's you. It's because we say, oh, it's me. And we say we choose. Just like Christ was the chosen one.
It's because we choose God first and decide that we are going to only worship him and that we are willing to take his message forth and do his will. And so that's why we're chosen is because I think it's more than just like.
Because when I first heard it, you know, growing up, you're thinking of like on the PE, you know, who's being chosen for teens. You know, that's the word you think of as. As a kid. That's where my understanding was. And like, no, we're chosen because we choose him first.
Tamara K. Anderson
00:06:59.340 - 00:07:19.990
Oh, I love that. I love that. It reminds me of that verse somewhere. I can't remember where it is in the New Testament right now, so somebody can think of it.
Tell me where it is. It's that we love Christ because He first loved us. You know, it's that same concept, right? So, so beautiful. What other thoughts?
Holly Yates
00:07:20.790 - 00:08:08.090
I think there's a level of, you know, the confidence and the mustard seeds, seed size, faith. Because, you know, I think I'm struggling right now with. And I don't know where it is in the Bible, but talking about that he equips a called.
Whereas we think that we have to have everything, you know, precise and ready and perfect. And when we trust and just give it over to him, then he will provide us with the skills and the message and all that we need to carry forward.
I love that he doesn't call the equipped. He equips the called.
Tamara K. Anderson
00:08:08.490 - 00:08:55.270
Yes. Amen. Amen. It is so, so true.
And it reminds me, I remember when we launched Women warriors of Light, Tiffany gave a little talk and she talked about us plus Jesus. We often think it's us and, and. And we have to be perfect to come to Jesus.
But she said, really, it's us plus Jesus equals us becoming that who we mean to be. And Tiffany, I probably slaughtered it, but I remember you teaching that. And I was like, wow, that is really well said.
So if you want to elaborate on that, you can think.
Tiffany Fletcher
00:08:55.270 - 00:09:20.070
Was it Wendi that taught that? Wendi, was it you that taught that or was that me? If it was me, it was because it was inspired by the spirit in the moment. And that's how things.
That's how I roll. Like when I Speak. It's like I prepare, and then God's like, this is what you need to share. And then when I'm done, I'm like, what did I say? I don't.
I don't remember. But I'm glad that. I mean, because it's true. It's so true. But, yeah, I agree.
Tamara K. Anderson
00:09:20.310 - 00:10:06.980
I love that. I love that. And I love that that you brought that up, Holly, because I think it's something we all strug.
We feel that the calling comes to us, and we're at, like, a total lack. We're like, I am not qualified to do that. But what Jesus is really asking us is, hey, I'm calling you to do this. And guess what?
I'm going to walk that path with you, and if you'll walk with me, you'll. You'll get it done. And you move from being called to chosen because you're walking with Jesus to do it. It doesn't mean you're perfect.
It doesn't mean you're 100% qualified. You.
It means that you're willing to take the steps and you're willing to walk with him and trust the path that he takes you on, as crazy and scary as that may be. Right, Wendy, it looks like you wanted to.
Wendi Christensen
00:10:06.980 - 00:12:01.000
Yeah, I was just watching. I got a video this morning from a friend. It was actually. Kari sent it, like, yesterday, I think, or I don't remember when.
I was like, oh, I just found it in my Instagram, right? And I was like, oh, this is final. Watch whatever this is that she sent. But it goes along exactly with what you're talking about.
And it's a story of a bum lamb. And they. What a bum lamb is. Is they're lambs that are rejected by their mothers. And when they're rejected by their mothers, you can't.
You can't give them back. You can't try. The mother will not take them back.
And so what they have to do is you have to feed it and you have to nurture that lamb until it gets big enough to where you can go and then add it to the flock. But in the beginning, you just have to nurture it and take care of it. And it was comparing it to Christ.
Like, when we are the bum lamb, right, he nurtures us. He takes care of us. He helps us in that beginning. And then what happens with, like, a bum lamb?
You introduce them to the flock, but whenever the shepherd comes to the flock, those bum lambs are the first ones to come.
They come running because they remember their shepherd and they remember him taking care of them when they were rejected and outcast and the mother didn't take them. They remember all of the being taken care of. And so it's not that. And they said it's not that those lambs are any more special to the shepherd.
They know the shepherd's voice because they've spent time with him and they've been with him and they know him, so they know his voice. So they're the first ones to always come running whenever the shepherd goes to the flock. And it was, you know, symbolic of us that we are the.
You know, the more we know our shepherd and understand him and spend time with him. It's not like we're any more special than anyone else. It's just we know our shepherd, and so we're the first ones to run.
And that's why you're called. You're the first ones there to get the job done. Because you know him, you recognize him, and you come to him.
Tamara K. Anderson
00:12:01.880 - 00:13:11.390
Oh, man, I almost got teary as you talked about that. That is so, so beautiful.
And what I've noticed, because in the stories of the women who are feeling called is that there has been a point in each of their lives where they have felt that abandonment or rejection or some kind of hardship pressed upon them that was too hard and heavy to carry on their own. And they got through it because they allowed the shepherd to help them.
And so now God is calling them to minister to the other bum lambs, you know, women who are in a similar situation that they were in. And he's saying, will you feed my lambs? Will you feed my sheep? Right? And so that's what he's asking us to do.
He's asking us, I helped and rescued you. Will you lead others to me so that I can help them too? It's just beautiful, Tiffany.
Tiffany Fletcher
00:13:11.950 - 00:13:57.895
It made me think about the. The parable of the 10 virgins.
You know, in this parable of the 10 virgins, they were all called to be, you know, the 10 virgins to help come out and light the way for the. The Savior to come into the. Into the wedding feast. But those who. Who forgot their oil or forgot extra oil, they had to leave.
And they didn't come out because, like, what. What they're supposed to do is to come out and meet the Savior and then light the way for him to come. And that's kind of how I feel.
Women warriors of light, we come out of the world and we go and we meet our Savior so that we can light the way for him and for others to him. Like, I had this dream once. And in this dream, I was walking up the stairway of heaven. And it was a glass staircase.
Tiffany Fletcher
00:13:57.895 - 00:13:58.010
And.
Tiffany Fletcher
00:13:58.240 - 00:14:26.035
And. And you could see below. Like, I could see as I was walking, I could see, like, the earth below.
And I was so afraid that I was going to fall, but I just. I could also see all the way up to heaven. And so I was just going to walk this staircase as best as I can.
And there, as you were looking up, there were, like, steps, and then there was platforms where you could just stop and rest. And all of a sudden, like, this mist of darkness came in, and I couldn't see anything.
And I was so afraid that I was going to fall off of the side of the staircase.
Tiffany Fletcher
00:14:26.035 - 00:14:26.150
And.
Tiffany Fletcher
00:14:26.540 - 00:15:30.780
And the spirit said. I cried out for help. And the spirit said, look up. And I looked up and I saw these hands reaching out of the. Into the.
You know, into me, out of the darkness, the dark cloud, and lifted me up to one of these platforms. And when I. And I stood up to see who my rescuer was, it was Jesus. It was just me and Jesus on this glass platform.
And I don't know why, because I'm not a dancer, but in my dream, I was just doing this beautiful dance because I was showing gratitude to him for rescuing me. And as I looked down, I saw all the other people down below, and I saw that they were struggling, struggling in the darkness. And I asked. And I.
All of a sudden, I got. Sudden I asked the Savior, what is it that you want me to do to help them? And he said, I need you to lift them just like I lifted you.
And that is what he's asking us, as women warriors of light to do, is to lift people out of the darkness and help them get to a place where they can see clearly, where they can see him clearly, where they can see their pathway to him clearly, and where we can overcome the darkness that. That we have in the world. So that's what I think of when I think of these amazing women warriors of light.
Tamara K. Anderson
00:15:31.580 - 00:15:36.140
Oh, that was. Yeah, go ahead, Holly.
Holly Yates
00:15:36.380 - 00:16:54.400
When you were just talking, I was thinking about, like, being in those dark places and, you know, God rescuing me and thinking about, like, standing in front of him and telling him, no, thank you, like, I'm not going to lift another woman up.
And that just makes me sick to my stomach to think that we put these selfish insecurities in front of us versus, you know, putting him at our feet and just worshiping and trusting and whatnot. And so thank you both for sharing just the rawness, you know, the beauty.
The rawness and the beauty in those stories because I think I needed to hear that today. You know, I think also, like, when we draw ourselves closer to Christ, there is a level of Satan that comes in and pushes us back to where we are.
And I have felt some resistance. And I can't fathom standing there looking at God saying, you know, no, thank you, or you. Saving me was to save myself. Like, that just makes me.
It just puts this pressure on me that just is so, so heavy and yuck.
Tamara K. Anderson
00:16:54.800 - 00:18:30.480
Yeah, I, I love how you, how you depicted that. It's. It's perfect. And I think you, you've perfectly summarized all of you, that coming moving from being called to being chosen is acting.
It is walking with the Savior, even though we feel so not qualified and so not capable of doing whatever he calls us to do. And it is that willingness to also turn and rescue others, to be his hands and to bring others to Him.
I, I love the phrase in the Scriptures, by their fruits ye shall know them. And I really think that is what being chosen means, is you will know people who are following Christ by how they act and how they treat others.
And I think that is, is such an important key that, that we're willing to overlook our insecurities and just say, you know what, with God, I am strong enough and I can do this even if it's one person at then. And that's okay.
You know, God is going to use us to minister to people and he's going to place special people in our path that perhaps nobody else could reach except for us. Right. There are certain people that only you can reach. And so he's going to lead you to those people. Oh, I love this. Any other thoughts?
Leisa Watkins
00:18:32.480 - 00:19:19.490
I also believe that God will give us more ideas than he actually expects us to act on, because I've been given many ideas and I'm like, wait a minute, wait a minute. I'm overwhelmed. Because, oh, no. He goes, and, and I'm. And I'm like, which one of these do you want me to work on? You know, and he'll tell me, but.
But that doesn't mean those other ideas don't have value.
And so I actually just have a place where I have a someday maybe thing where that, like, okay, so the mere fact that I'm acknowledging that he gave that to me and writing it down shows that I'm listening and it's important. But he also allows us some freedom to also choose what Projects we want to work on as well.
And so I think that's an important part of that whole choose conversation.
Tamara K. Anderson
00:19:20.130 - 00:20:55.770
Yeah. And I agree with you that he often does. Sometimes he'll give us these magnificent things, and we're totally overwhelmed. We're like, ah.
And I love that you. And this is one of the question I encourage people to ask as they're starting and diving into the calling is, what thing do you want me to act on?
What's the first thing that I need to do? Because often we feel overwhelmed when he tells us this.
You know, I want you to write a book, and I want you to start a podcast, and I want you to coach, and I want you to. And all of a sudden you're just like, I can't. It's too much. It's too much. You know, And. And the. The. I love that. Write them down.
But then go back to God and say, where do I start? What is my first goal here? What is the first step? Because if we break it down, it's less overwhelming, right?
The calling is less overwhelming when we break it down and say, okay, here's. Okay, here's. He wants me to start a podcast. Okay, great. Step number one, what do I know about podcasting?
And what would be the first logical step toward moving into this? Right. And so. So then you can break that big idea down and say, okay, here's the baby step that I can take today. Right? I can do this today.
So it becomes less overwhelming, because you're right. Being called is overwhelming and exhausting. And. And I think Satan uses the fear to stop us.
Leisa Watkins
00:20:56.250 - 00:20:56.690
Yeah.
Tamara K. Anderson
00:20:56.690 - 00:24:09.510
He doesn't want us to move forward. Right? So love that. Leisa, that is beautiful. Thank you. Thank you. That was a beautiful discussion.
- I really appreciate the thoughts you have shared and for the vulnerabilities that you're sharing. I just appreciate that.
All right, guys, we have finished listening to that discussion that I had with our advisory board members, and I'd love to just share a few final thoughts and an invitation with you guys. First, going back to what I said originally, God calls people who are on that path. They're listening, and to move from being called to being chosen.
I've seen and experienced several good, good friends of mine who feel that calling. They act on it.
They move forward in faith, and then give them a couple years, and all of a sudden, the light goes from shining on Jesus to shining on themselves. And it's so crazy that they move from being followers of Jesus Christ to.
It's like they are their own idol, follow me for this, this and this and this and this. Versus I know with God we can do this. Do you know what I mean? And I really the more I've dived into the scriptures, this is one of the key components that I feel is important.
And this is the fruits part, right? This is the fruits. It's by their fruits you will know them. Do they keep pointing you towards Christ? Usually initially they do.
But do they keep doing it or do they get too excited by all the power and glory, which is what Satan starts wiggling in there and tempting them to do and all of a sudden it's all about them and less about God.
And so the key is not only doing it God's way to begin with, it's continuing to do it God's way to be humble, to acknowledge that the only reason you've gotten as far as you have is because of our Savior and He helped you get there.
And so if you're at the beginning of your calling and feeling called to God, I want you to remember to always do it with that eye what they call it single to God's glory that put him first. Always. No other gods before Him and you will be just fine. Keep that first and the second great commandment where they should be. God is always first.
Yourself and others are always behind God and you will be just fine. So choose today to put God first and keep choosing to put him first and you will move from being called to chosen.
Thanks for joining me today, and may you continue to walk God's way. God Strong.
Intro/Outro
00:24:11.350 - 00:25:06.890
Thanks for tuning in to the Arise Women of God podcast, brought to you by Women warriors of Light.
If you're feeling unsure how to move forward in your calling or just tired of doing it alone, visit womenwarriorsoflight.com you'll find resources, accountability, and a community of women who get it. Sometimes the calling feels bigger than you. That's when you need steady reminders of the powerful God who called you.
Subscribe now for weekly inspiration and the courage to keep going. Because with him, nothing is impossible. And you're not the only one. God is calling that friend on your heart right now. Share this episode with her.
Your small act of obedience could be the breakthrough she's been praying for. Until next time. May you arise, walk God's way and stand God strong.
