It was E. M. Bounds who said, “While men look for better methods, God looks for better men”. God is always looking for vessels to use for His Kingdom agenda here on earth. Whether you make reference to the days of Isaiah where the clarion call was “Who shall I send, and who will go for us”, or the days of Ezekiel where God was looking for someone to stand in the gap, there is always a need for people to carry out divine mandates. Be that as it may, God will not go for all kinds of vessels. When Nebuchadnezzar was looking for those who would stand in his court to minister, he set out criteria. He sought for the brightest both in looks and intellect. We cannot expect any less from the King of kings. There must be minimum acceptable standards in order to be a vessel of honour in His hands.

One thing that stands out as His requirement is victory over fear. In our previous meditation, we learned that fear can be detrimental to one’s health. Well, it is not in all cases that fear kills its victim. Where a person under the grip of fear escapes with his life, his vision may not be that lucky. Fear can slay a vision and make it unproductive. Fear can also cause someone to miss out on God’s grand design. At the launch of Gideon’s campaign, 32,000 people volunteered for the mission. God asked him to announce that those who were afraid should go back. A staggering number returned – 22,000 persons! Fear robbed them of being in the army of the Lord. They lost their place in history to fear. Fancy what Les Brown said: “Too many of us are not living our dreams because we are living our fears”. I may as well add that too many people are not letting God use them because fear has consumed them.