And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the fence, and stand in the breach before me for the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found none. (Ezekiel 22:30)
Introduction: God always seeks men through whom he can perform his desires on earth. There are different needs in the world and Church; therefore any Christian who desires to be used of God and is willing to pay the price can be used regardless of his talents or gifts to his full capacity. (2 Tim 2:15). However, it is important to know that God has his criteria for the kind of vessels He would use. Sometimes he answers some people’s prayers of desire to be used; but finds it difficult to continue with them after some time. There are many characteristics that determine whether God will continue to use people or drop them after a while. (Ezekiel 22:30). Remember that the fact that someone is very thirsty does not mean he will use a potty to drink water. Please take note of the following characteristics in your life if you want God to use you continually.
Primary purpose in life is to please God.
In Rev 4:11, the bible says God created us for his pleasure. If someone gets an understanding of this and begins to align his life just to please God, he will continue to be relevant in God’s programme. Such a person dwells in God’s presence all the time, places his relationship with God above all others and his major goal is his assignment from God, all other things are secondary.
Surrendering all to God
You must place himself absolutely at God’s disposal. His spirit, soul and body must be fully surrendered to God. Someone who has surrendered his loved ones, time, money and properties to God to have his way all the time. (Rom 12:1&2).
Holiness
God does not use unclean vessel. Rom 12:1 says we should present ourselves to God as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to Him. If you are not holy, God will find it difficult to use you. In 11 Tim 2:19, 21, we are made to understand that if one shall purify himself from iniquity, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, serviceable to the Master, prepared for every good work. There are many Christians in our days that cannot stand the level of holiness of Nathanael even before he met Christ. (John 1:47). They are full of guile, hypocrisy, envy, jealousy, malice, worry, anxiety, discouragement, pride, anger, unfaithfulness and all kinds of sins. Many Christians are not reliable at all. They cannot go far with God. I once read a story about a man who wanted to sell a used car. The buyer asked if everything was working perfectly. He said yes. He asked again. Are you sure nothing had ever gone wrong with this car? He said ‘yes except that the brake has failed once’. That was the end of the transaction or what do you expect? How many people will like to buy a car that the break has ever failed even if it’s just once? The next time it will fail may be when you are at top speed on a highway. This describes the lives of many Christians, they cannot remain consistent in what they have promised to do for God; they can disappoint anybody or God at any time and yet they cry to God ‘use me Lord’.
God wants his vessels to be separated from the world system, he doesn’t want you to copy the way the people of this world operate. Even when God begins to use you, your motive for doing God’s work must be pure; it must be to bring people to him or help his people and glorify him. You should not be interested in glory, fame or money.
Holiness is given to us as a gift from God but we must maintain it. It’s like a white dress that must not be stained. It should be kept pure all the time. If you notice any stain, quickly repent and get back on track. Make sure it’s a genuine repentance; you are sincerely determined to turn away from that sin, never to do it again. If you want to live holy, you need to depend on the Holy Spirit, walking with him and obeying him all the time; you cannot achieve it by your power (Rom 8:4).
Prevailing in prayer and studying the word
Someone who will be used of God must love the word of God and prevail in prayer. Remember as you stay with Him in word and prayer, you are being changed into his own image from one degree of glory to another (2 Cor. 3:18). The more you are like him, the easier he finds it to use you because you will be more effective in representing him.
In Acts 6: 4, we are told that the early Apostles gave themselves to prayer and the word of God while others were delegated to do the other things. This shows us that prayer and studying the word are the major assignments of the Church leaders who have the responsibility of feeding the flock of God. The devil may want to distract you with other legitimate things like church building, counselling, settling quarrels etc. but always remember that your primary assignment is to be with God in prayers and studying his word. Other things can be delegated prayerfully and wisely.
Having a message
You must have a vital living message or assignment. In Matt 10:27, Jesus said ‘What I say to you in darkness speak in the light, and what ye hear in the ear preach upon the houses.’You should hear God’s voice telling you what to do and you should receive a revelation of how to do it. If you are called to preach or teach, you should receive a revelation on what to teach and not merely quote others. You should not be an echo.
A man of faith
You must believe in the efficacy of the word. God cannot use a man who doubts his word. You must endeavor to lay hold on everything the word of God promises. Remember that without faith you cannot please him.
A servant
If you want God to use you, you must be a servant at heart not just superficially. You are interested in serving God and his children. Jesus Christ the Saviour of the word bent down and washed the disciples feet in John 13:5 and in v 14 told the disciples to wash one another’s feet. This means that even those who would take the preeminent positions among them like Peter, James and John were expected to wash the feet of others. A call to God’s service is to humbly serve people and not the people to serve the leaders. In the world, the leaders usurp authority over others but in Christianity, it’s not so.
Anointing of the Holy Spirit.
Anyone who wants to be used of God should seek the anointing of the Holy Spirit. When you are baptized in the Holy Spirit, you are filled with him and he lives in you. That is ‘anointing within’. You should nurture your relationship with him and seek refilling often. Moreover, any time you have an assignment to perform for God, you should seek for the ‘anointing upon’. His anointing upon you will enable you perform that task better than if you did it ordinarily. (Acts 1:8). One sermon preached in anointing is worth a thousand in the energy of the flesh.
Conclusion: Surrender your whole life to God, place him above everything and everyone, live holy and seek the anointing so that he can accept your life and use you maximally.