Did You Lose Your Effectiveness?

The story in 2 Kings 6 tells about a young and enthusiastic prophet-in-training under the tutelage of Elisha. It was a good day in Israel. After a repressive time under King Ahab and the notorious Queen Jezebel, the schools of the prophets were enjoying a time of expansion. Revival was happening in Israel mainly because of Elisha’s ministry.

In the middle of a planned expansion of the premises, one of the young prophets wielding a borrowed ax found himself in a dilemma. The ax head flew off the handle and landed in the River Jordan! He lost his cutting edge. One minute he had it, and the next he didn’t. 

He knew immediately something was wrong. (Why wouldn’t he?) He was no longer effective. Being a sensible young man, he went at once to Elisha and told him about his trouble. In those days an ax head was a very valuable instrument (like a computer today), and the tool had been loaned to him. “Where did you lose it?” the leader asked the young man. “Show me the place.” The young man did. Then God moved in. Elisha took a stick and threw it in the place the ax head was lost. The heavy iron floated to the surface of the water and the teacher told the student to put out his hand and appropriate it.

So how do we lose our spiritual edge? It can happen anytime, anywhere, at any place. It can happen to the best of us and the worst of us. Have you lost it? Did you have the joy of the Lord? Were you serving Him in the community of believers?

May I ask you the question? Where did you lose it? Your effectiveness. In what river? The river of willfulness, worldliness, bitterness, or forgiveness? Would you show Him the place? Show God the specific place you stopped walking with the Spirit, and began to listen to that other voice. The same old, same old voice Adam and Eve heard in the garden. His devices haven’t changed, you know. The evil one wants us to stop walking in harmony with God in the garden of our lives and begin to walk with the old snake, instead. He wants us to be our own God and do our own thing. It all depends on which voice we decide to heed.

Only God can work the miracle, of course. When we get around to being miserable enough (and, make no mistake about it, we can only be happy listening to and obeying God), and say as the young man said, “Alas, Master, I’ve lost it!” at the point of confession, He will forgive and restore us. One of the reasons we get dull and lose our effectiveness in the service of the Lord is because we get bored with our spiritual disciplines. 

3 IDEAS TO SHARPEN YOUR "SPIRITUAL EDGE"

1.  Devotional study

Get a plan. Ask your pastor, group leader, or friend who is just a little bit ahead in the Christian faith to help you. The plan should include personal Bible reading and prayer. People learn differently. Look at three different Bible study methods and choose one. Stick with it daily for three months before you change and try another.

2.  Topical Study

Get a concordance. Often there is one at the back of your Bible. Choose a topic of interest from the words listed: peace, fruitfulness, pain, perseverance, or purpose. Look the word up in the concordance. There will be a list of the word every time it is used in the Bible. Work your way through the list and write down what you learn about the topic from each verse. You don’t have to look up every one listed – unless you want to. Take as much time as you need to on each word. Get the context. Read around the verse. Think about what you’ve learned. Chew it over. Ask yourself: “What did I learn about peace, etc.?” Lastly, pray about what you learned and apply it to your life. Then go and practice it this week. This is a way you can involve the family, too. Take ten minutes, and do this exercise as a family. Share the verses around the table. Let all have a say.

3.  Prayer

Ask yourself, “Which part of prayer do you find hard? Intercession? Praise? Repentance? How to use silence and solitude in your prayer time? How do we hear God’s voice? Whenever you have a problem with prayer, pray about it! Ask God. He will help you!

Praying you will keep your spiritual edge.