If the iron be blunt, and he do not whet the edge, then must he put to more strength: but wisdom is profitable to direct. (Ecclesiastes 10:10)


Sharp instruments are always a joy to use. They are characterised by effectiveness, ease of use and getting jobs done according to the dictates of the user. A sharp knife takes stress off the woman in the kitchen, a sharp cutlass cuts and devours the grass with each skilful sway, and the work goes smoothly. The same is true for the vessel in whom God dwells, he is sharp and effective in the hands of the Lord, what a blessing it is to daily gladden His heart.

"If the iron be blunt..."

Bluntness is a normal occurrence, and it is bound to occur in the lives of sharp men who neglect replenishment, and do not submit to the rigour of re-sharpening. Due to continual usage of a once-sharp vessel without re-sharpening, the iron soon gets blunt. With every use and every duty performed even for the Lord, my sharpness reduces, my effectiveness decreases, my connectivity with the divine Source wanes, and beautiful things begin to drop off with every passing step. With each usage of life, virtue is spent, grace is depleted, even in doing spiritual things. My being on fire for God today does not guarantee that tomorrow, I will still be sharp.

If the iron be blunt, what sharpness ought to accomplish will be transferred to my hand, I will push so hard, I will use all my energy, and yet, nothing successful will be accomplished.

If the iron be blunt, all that ought to be done effortlessly in the power of the Spirit, will become the labour of the flesh. Preaching that ought to be the power of God unto salvation, will become a mere noise making. When my inner man is blunt, I will become a noise maker, a sounding brass, a tinkling cymbal, a parrot and a talkative, I will shout at the top of my voice to pass a message across, yet, they will all be efforts in futility, I will lose my voice and hurt myself, yet iniquity will increase.

Blunt knifes do not cut, neither do they pierce. The Word that was ordained as the two-edged sword that should pierce becomes a heavy burden to bear, it will never pierce men to conviction and conversion, rather, it will wound them to hardness and rebellion.

"If the iron be blunt... then must he put to more strength:"

If the iron be blunt..., then I must put in more strength to do the work, I will labour in my own strength and will never prevail [...for by strength shall no man prevail 1Samuel 2:9b ] , I will accumulate so much blisters on my palms, I will wear out so much energy, I will labour so hard from morning till night, yet, nothing tangible will be achieved, my output will be zero, in fact, I will only kill men because the letter killeth, what was ordained to give life soon becomes an incubator for hatching death.

Oh! the tragedy of blunt knives. I'm doing so much now, but it's all blunt knives the sharpness has finished, grace is gone there is so much activities, so much preaching, so much singing, so much evangelisms, visitations, vigils..., but grace has finished. I'm now substituting divine sharpness with human strength, I am going out as at other times hoping that the sharpness and power of God is still with me, but Oh, the sharpness is gone, my life is ebbing away in what I call the work of God, yet, the God of the work is saying "which work are you doing for me?, I can't see anything at all", it was all done in the flesh... because God was absent.

"...and ... whet the edge...wisdom is profitable to direct."

It is foolishness to continue to press on in the energy of your arms when the iron has become blunt. Many men may think you as wise, because they still see you active, they see the way you're jumping up and down, using everything within you to hold that iron knife, cut the grass vigorously, and engage in the activities of religion with so much energy and perspiration.

He is a foolish man, who concentrates only on labouring with so much energy, who prides in exerting so much strength without checking if the grass is even being cut or if the souls he's labouring upon are getting Christlike. If with so much activities, no glorious results are seen, and no matter how hard you push, ungodliness and iniquities are still the lifestyles of men, and rebellion is on the increase, then wisdom is profitable to direct on the need to cease all labours and re-sharpen your implement.

The place of replenishment and refreshment is the place of the closet, where sharpening takes place. It was not my forcefulness in handling the knife that cut the grass, it was the sharpness of the knife with a little skill from me, it was not my strength either that ironed the clothes, rather, it was the hotness of the electric iron that smoothened every roughness of the clothes. I need to cease every labour of the flesh, and get back to the place of sharpening and whetting, God is not so much interested in my numerous activities done in the flesh, than He is in getting me back to my sharpness again, my endless labours will only kill me and kill those I'm labouring on, it is never a substitute for effectiveness and spiritual success. To last, I must daily retreat to the bosom of the Father for refreshment and manna for the day, I must come by myself apart into a desert place from all the activities of ministry and church and rest a while by sitting beneath the fountain of living waters for divine freshness and pruning.

Prayer point:
- Sharpen me O God to be that effective instrument in your hands again!