knife
I love to cook—when I’m in the mood, that is. However, since my kids have all moved out, I find myself less and less in the mood. My poor husband misses those good old days. Sorry, Scott. But recently I got a hankering for some homemade tacos and salsa. I’m from Southern California, after all. We love spicey! As I began to dice my tomatoes, peppers, cilantro, and onions (is your mouth watering yet?) I quickly discovered my favorite knife was extremely dull. I ended up cutting myself because of the amount of pressure I was applying to make up the difference for the dull knife.

My knife had gotten dull because I had not been maintaining the blade.

I had not been maintaining the blade because I had not been using the knife … because I had not been cooking much.
While bandaging my finger, I made a spiritual connection. Just like my kitchen knife,

If we are not careful, our spiritual lives can become dull.

I took a poll on Facebook back in March asking: Do you believed angels and demons are real? Wow! The responses kept coming for several days—almost 200 of them. And every single one was: yes.
Some people even commented that the Bible says angels and demons are real, therefore, they believe it.

You know what else the Bible says is real? Spiritual warfare.

Not only are demons real, Ephesians 6: 10-18 tells us we must battle with them. The passage also tells us to put on the armor of God, which includes the “sword of the Spirit.” Since we are wrestling with demonic beings, God has provided us with special weaponry.
We are human, but we don’t wage war as humans do. We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments. We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God. We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ.” 
1 Corinthians 10: 3-5

God didn’t just hand us equipment and leave us to ourselves.

As we get to know Him better through His word, prayer, experiences, and community—He expects us to train and sharpen our spiritual skills—with HIS GUIDANCE. Growth comes when we humbly cooperate with God’s agenda.
“Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come.” 1 Timothy 4:8

Christian, as long as we are on this earth, we are at war.

Let me say that again. As long as we are on this earth, we are at war. And since we are at war, we must maintain and put on our spiritual armor every single day. Interestingly, the sword is referred to as “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” But as we know, blades need to be maintained to hold their sharpness.

A dull blade is a dangerous thing.

Seriously, a dull blade could be the difference between life and death. My friends, Satan wants to discourage us, shut us up, trip us up, and literally take us out.
“Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.” 1Peter 5:8
Remember, when I was trying to cut with a dull blade, I had to apply so much pressure that I ended up cutting myself. In other words, relying on my own strength rather than the Lord’s is costly.

A dull blade represents a lack of sensitivity to the Holy Spirit.

When we place a higher value on worldly things rather than things with eternal value, we are in danger of becoming spiritually dull. This world and its cravings scream for attention. If we aren’t careful, the voice of the Spirit is drowned out. For example, many people spend more time with their face on a screen (T.V., computer, phone) than reading the Bible or helping others in need. Hey, I’m not judging. I have been guilty of spending way too much time on things that just don’t matter. By the way, a good self-check-up is to simply do an honest analysis of how you spend your time daily.

A dull blade doesn’t perform according to its design.

When a person becomes a Christian, he/she receives the Holy Spirit and all the gifts and promises of God. As I stated above, we are to build on those gifts by growing in our relationship with God as we get to know Him. Like all relationships, it takes regular effort. But the other component to our spiritual growth is that we are also to reflect God’s love to the world around us. But if we aren’t growing, we aren’t living the way God created us to.
“And now, just as you have accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him. Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.” Colossian 2: 6-7

We are created to shine. 

“No one lights a lamp and then hides it or puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where its light can be seen by all who enter the house.” Luke 11:33

Salvation is free. Maintaining a healthy relationship with Christ takes discipline.

After my dull knife in the kitchen epiphany, I’m determined to make sure my armor is in place and my sword is sharp every single day. How about you?
“I am determined to keep your decrees to the very end.” Psalm 119:112
Are there areas in your life where you see your spiritual blade may have become dull? I’d love to hear your thoughts and/or prayer concerns in the comments below. 

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