Pastor Kent Christmas | What Does It Take For God To Use Us?

Every believer desires to be used by God, as this experience validates faith and provides assurance of God’s pleasure. However, being used by God is not automatic; it requires specific prerequisites and demands from us. God does not need human help, but He requires our willingness for Him to work through us, advancing His vision in the earth.

The ultimate source of spiritual work comes from God, as the Bible states: “For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do his good pleasure”. Anything that truly advances the Kingdom of God is ultimately done by God.

To be a vessel through which God flows, believers must meet several critical requirements:

1. Embrace Righteousness and Holiness

The first requirement for God to use or flow through a believer is that the believer must be righteous.

Alignment with God’s Nature

God demands, “Be ye holy for I am holy,” highlighting that holiness and righteousness are essential for fellowship. For God to walk with us, live in us, and flow out of us, we must be like Him.

• Being holy or righteous is simply coming into unity with the nature of the Lord.
• This requirement also ties into the way we live our lives, influencing what we watch, what we listen to, and what comes out of our mouth.

2. Prioritize God’s Kingdom and Vision

For God to use someone, that person must desire to see God’s vision and His kingdom come to pass.

Rejecting Personal Kingdoms

A major prerequisite is ensuring we are not focused on advancing our own goals or “kingdoms”. Many people in the church today want to use God to advance their kingdom, rather than allowing God to use them to advance His.

• Singular Focus: You cannot have a personal kingdom and advance God’s kingdom at the same time; there is only one Kingdom.
• Biblical Priority: When Jesus taught His disciples to pray, the first petition was, “Thy kingdom come,” emphasizing this divine priority.
• Goals vs. God’s Will: While human goals and desires are natural and even pushed into us by God, we must not become so focused on immediate goals that we lose sight of what God wants.

Alignment with God’s Timing (Kairos)

God’s will is often tied to geographical location, time, and seasons. This involves understanding the Kairos moments of God. If a personal kingdom is not in alignment with God’s season or His will, it will not succeed, even if it “looks good”. When a person is saved, they no longer have a kingdom of their own.

3. Make the Holy Spirit Feel At Home

Since the Holy Spirit is the part of the Trinity still active on Earth, making Him comfortable is absolutely imperative for God to work through us. Everything that advances the Kingdom of the Lord—including healing, operating in gifts, and giving increase—is done by the Holy Spirit.

Abiding Presence

Jesus promised that the Holy Ghost would not merely visit, but “shall abide in you,” meaning He will literally live inside the believer. Nobody wants to live in a house where they don’t feel comfortable or feel like they have “the run of the place”.

Avoiding Grief

When the Holy Spirit is not comfortable, God’s advancement through the believer comes to a halt. The primary reason for discomfort is when we grieve the Holy Spirit.

• Consequences of Grief: Grieving the Holy Spirit, as warned in Ephesians 4:30, makes Him sad and sorrowful, causing everything to come to a standstill.
• Physical Manifestation: Grieving the Spirit can sometimes be felt physically.
• Lifestyle Impact: Living in a way that respects the Holy Spirit involves careful consideration of our lifestyle, including what we watch, what we listen to, and what comes out of our mouth.

The Need for Stillness

The Bible instructs, “Be still and know that I am God”. Man can plant and man can water, but only God can give the increase.