What does it mean to be fully alive? What does God want to communicate from the cross? Living Life at the Point of Impact…If you think about what this title could mean, we can see we must live life right in the middle of where God is working. The point of impact at any crash is where the most force and damage occurs. If we live from the center of where Christ has impacted us, we truly will be alive. For example, let’s look at the life of Elijah.

After Solomon’s death, a civil war broke out and the kingdom was divided—Israel in the north and Judah in the south. Israel had 19 rulers during 200-year period, and all were wicked. Israel would be conquered in 722 BC by the Assyrians. Judah had 17 rulers during 300 years, eight of whom followed God. The southern kingdom ended with destruction and led to Babylonian captivity.

God has criteria for choosing people to use, but we need to be willing to be used.

You must ask yourself several questions: What is your metal? Of what are you made? Who are you?

Metal as defined by Webster is an elementary substance possessing opacity, conductivity, plasticity and a peculiar luster. The molecular makeup of a particular metal also tells you for what purpose it can be used. We also are made for a purpose. We have a certain spiritual makeup. We are conductors that can flow with prayer as we communicate with God, and we have a certain glow when we have been in God’s presence. Elijah was no different.

Elijah was from Tishbeh, a city the ruins of which have not been found. God chose to use Elijah although he came from what appears to be an insignificant place. God called Elijah at a critical time when the worship of Baal threatened the very existence of the worship of the God of Israel. Idolatry was the religion of the day. Baal was a god that had risen in prominence. Baal means owner, master and husband. Baal worship included a magical ritual of sacred marriage to ensure the earth’s fertility, as well as included sexual immorality and child sacrifices.

Why does use God people to accomplish His purposes? God does not need us to help Him, but He wants us to comply with His will for our lives. In Acts 1:8, Jesus said, “But when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, you will receive power and will tell people about Me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” He chooses to use us to spread the gospel throughout the world. If we are to be used to our utmost potential and have our greatest impact, we must be strong, malleable and resilient.

If we are truly to make an impact and have the life God intended us to have, we must be willing to be shaped to serve Him. Just as a blacksmith takes a piece of metal and heats it to purify it, we also must go through the fire to be purified. Webster defines purify as the process of making something pure. We must be willing to be purified to be useful to God.

A blacksmith also pounds metal into shape to be the most useful for the task he has in mind. God shapes us through our spiritual gifts, passions, abilities, personalities and our experiences. God uses all these things to help us make the most impact possible.

Elijah went through a very similar process. He had confronted King Ahab and then left. God would use the time following to put Elijah through a training camp to prepare him to be the prophet God had in mind. God sent him to Cherith. Here he would begin his basic training. He learned that he must rely on God for his provision and care. We also can learn a few things from Elijah.

First, we must be willing to be set aside as we are being used. We must be willing to wait for awhile until God is ready to use us.

Second, God’s direction includes God’s provision. If God is going to call us, He will provide for us.

Third, we have to learn to trust God one day at a time. God is not bound by time. Time was created to help us while on earth. We cannot put stipulations on God. He will do His will in His time, not ours.

Finally, a dried up opportunity is often a sign of God’s pleasure, not a disappointment in your life. When God closes a door, He will open another. We must be so in tune with God that when we see the door beginning to close, we begin looking for an opening.

Once Elijah had completed his basic training, God moved him on to his advanced faith training. God sent him to Zerafath, where he encountered a widow. Elijah heard her story and knew he had to do something. What he did had a huge impact on the widow and her son. He helped the widow see that what God intends is not always what we expect.

We each face trials that seem to affect the force of the impact we can make for God. The Bible tells us in James 1:2-5 that we must count it all joy that we suffer trials. Through the trial, God shows us His sovereignty. Trial in the Greek is peiramos, which means test. If we are to pass the test, we must know the following things. Elijah knew he was there by God’s appointment, was in God’s keeping, was in God’s training and that God would show him His purposes in His time.

We make the most impact when God uses us to serve someone else. Elijah was used to impact the life of the widow. God uses us to serve if we express willingness and surrender to what He wants to do through us. We must see where God is at work and join Him there. We must follow God’s guidance, not make a list and ask Him to bless it. We must be obedient to the call He has placed on our lives. Each believer is called to fulfill the Great Commandment and Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 1:8). If we truly are to impact our world, where do we begin? We must first understand God’s purpose and tap into God’s plan.