To be available, according to the dictionary is:”to be able to be got, obtained, used etc. It is to be capable of being used for the accomplishment of a purpose. It is to be readily obtainable”. Availability is what God looks for in a man or woman He chooses to use. This is because God ranks it over ability. What God wants to know of a man or woman He has called is if he or she is available, and not whether he or she is able. This does not imply that God considers our natural abilities as worthless, if we place them in their proper secondary position.
   For instance, Moses, David and Paul the apostle were all gifted with exceptional natural abilities. However, not one of them did God choose because of those, to fulfil His purposes. If anything, He ensured they never trusted in their abilities. They all had to subordinate their exceptional talents to the divine requirement of, “Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ Says the LORD of hosts”(Zech 4:6). This is consistent with God’s attitude to the exaltation of natural human abilities, as recorded in the following words of the Bible:”He does not delight in the strength of the horse; He takes no pleasure in the legs of a man. The LORD takes pleasure in those who fear Him, In those who hope in His mercy”(Ps 147:10,11). The moment the above-mentioned men understood and accepted this principle, then both they and their natural giftings were ready to be used of God. What was true of them,in this regard,   is true of us today.
   Man usually emphasizes ability but God always emphasizes availability. It is not usually what man prioritizes in a potential choice that God considers most important. For instance, God rejected Eliab as a choice of a king over Israel, even though Prophet Samuel had earlier on concluded within himself that Eliab was the next king of Israel: So it was, when they came, that he looked at Eliab and said, “Surely the LORD’s anointed [is] before Him.” But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have refused him. For [the] [Lord does] not [see] as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”(1Sam 16:6,7). Samuel’s mistaken assumption was based on his evaluation of Eliab’s appearance. However, God was more interested in the nature of Eliab’s heart, as the text above shows. ,
   Eliab did not pass God’s test for useability, because he was not readily obtainable to God. Though his appearance was impressive, the nature of his heart did not satisfy God as befitting of a king. For this reason, we can infer that what man is naturally inclined to consider as what it means to be  available to God, rarely matches God’s view of the concept. What qualities, then, does God see in a person and conclude that the man or woman in question is available for His use? They are the following:
   Firstly, anyone who would be available for God’s use must be born again (John 3:3). This concept, ofcourse, was unknown to those who lived in the dispensation before the advent of Christ. The faith of the Old Testament saints look forward to the atoning work of Jesus Christ, while the Christian’s faith in the new testament looks back at the atoning work of Christ. This makes the finished work of Christ the central basis of a relationship with God, whether in types and shadows, as was the case of the old testament saints, or in reality, as is the case in the New Testament. To be born again is to acknowledge and accept the finished work of Christ for you. If you do this, you become a child of God instantly (Jn 1:12,13). It is only those who have been recreated in Christ Jesus—born again— (Eph 2:10 AMP), that are available for God’s use for the service of the kingdom.
   Next, you need to yield to the HolySpirit, if you want to be available to God. This non-negotiable basis of service to God was made clear to Zerubbabel the governor of Judah, whom God had commanded to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem. To prevent him from undertaking the assignment the wrong way, God sent Prophet Zechariah to Zerubbabel with the following prophetic word: “This [is] the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ Says the LORD of hosts (Zech 4:6). The emphasis of the prophetic message was on the indispensability of reliance on the HolySpirit, as a requirement for the successful undertaking of divine assignments. It is noteworthy that Jesus commanded His disciples to wait for the promise of the Father—the outpouring of the HolySpirit in power —before attempting to preach the kingdom of God (Lk 24:49). In the same vein, we need to learn to submit ourselves to the HolySpirit. The extent to which we are yielded to the HolySpirit is the degree to which God can use us.
   Exercising faith in God is another determinant of our useability to God. The Bible is unequivocal when it says, “But without faith [it is] impossible to please [Him,] for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and [that] He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (Heb 11:6). It takes faith to walk with God. The eleventh chapter of the book of Hebrews in the Bible is faith’s hall of fame. However, it is important to note that all those recorded in that chapter of the Bible lived in a variety of geographic, socioeconomic, cultural and political circumstances across dispensations and generations, yet the common feature among them is faith. To be available to God, we must exercise faith in Him, “….for whatever [is] not from faith is sin”.(Rom 14:23).
   Faithfulness follows as a requirement for availability to God. Faithfulness in a person is a virtue God prizes. Several verses of the Bible attest to the fact. A few of them are as follows: (Matt 24:45-48; 25:20-23, Lk 16:10). If you look at the scripture references above, carefully, you will notice that they are all related to service to God, in one way or another. They not only prioritize God’s consideration of faithfulness in a candidate for His service, but also reveal  one of the foremost criteria on the basis of which He rewards for service. Faithfulness is important to God because it guarantees consistency, to a large extent. An unfaithful man or woman will not continue long enough to cross the finish line. Besides, it is faithfulness, on the part of God’s servants, that ensures that godly legacies are passed on to posterity( 2Tim 2:2 ).
   Last but not least, is humility. We cannot over emphasize the importance of humility in a person’s useability to God. God takes a dislike to pride. Pride was the sin that led to satan’s downfall. God values humility so much that He views its opposite (pride ) as a contest with Him. It’s for this reason that the Bible says that, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble (James 4:6, 1Pet 5:5). Since grace is what it takes to be, do and have whatever God wants for us, humility becomes indispensable to being readily obtainable to God for His purposes. Humility is the key to being repentant and teachable. Both qualities of being repentant and teachable were (in God’s estimation) a significant part of what distinguished king David from king Saul, as a better choice. Though David, like Saul, made terrible mistakes, he, unlike the later, was quick to repent of them and learn his lessons.
   In conclusion, therefore, let us in words of Psalm 105:4 (NIV): “Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always”, in order for our lives to made available to God. Shalom.