OUCH! The sharp edge of the axe struck deep into my right leg, about 6 inches above the ankle. At age 12, one of my evening chores was chopping wood, the source of fuel for our heating and cooking. I knew well how to handle an axe, but lost focus momentarily one night and hit the wrong target! 

“If the axe is dull and one does not sharpen the edge, then he must use more strength; but wisdom brings success” (Ecclesiastes. 10:10 NKJV).

First, Sharpen the Axe, Then Swing it Wisely!

Yes, I’ve written on this subject before. But this is a revised edition. As Bishop Owens taught us, “God does not give you a message to preach only one time.”

One of my favorite Abraham Lincoln quotes is: “Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.”  Solomon, in Ecclesiastes 10:10 and Lincoln with this quote, are saying essentially the same thing. To get the job done successfully, first, make the necessary preparations. 

Sharpening the axe is the time spent in prayer before you go into an important meeting, or before you attempt to chop down the “trees,” the obstacles and obstructing structures the enemy has erected in your path of progress. Sharpening the axe may require communing with God in the wee hours of the morning while others are sleeping. Or going on a 21-day fast of giving up something to prove that you want Jesus more than that thing, more than you want Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok. Or more than you want coffee, beef ribs, cornbread, collard greens, candied sweet potatoes, and chocolate yellow cake.

Swinging at Satan’s “trees” with a dull axe might make a dent, but you will be totally exhausted with little to show for it. You simply must Sharpen your axe before you preach a sermon, by praying fervently, fasting sincerely, and studying intensely. Sharpen your axe before you write the next chapter of your book, before you counsel someone, and before you post your “wisdom” on social media.  Sharpening the axe may mean getting back in school or taking some essential courses, but it always means spending time at the feet of Christ.

“If the issue is not the issue, then the solution will not be the answer.”

You can keep swinging with a dull axe until your strength is depleted, but the wisdom of sharpening the axe brings success! That same wisdom admonishes us to focus our attention on the right targets when swinging the axe. One of my favorite sayings is, “If the issue is not the issue than the solution will not be the answer.” Make sure you are not swinging at wrong target. Jesus told his disciples not to stop someone from driving out demons just because they were not a part of their group (Luke 9:49-50).  They were swinging at the wrong target. And when we strike the wrong target, we harm ourselves. I still have a scar to prove it! So, sharpen your axe and swing it wisely! I’ll leave it there.

Focus Quote: “Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity but hasty shortcuts lead to poverty” (Proverbs 21:5 NLT).