Most of us have areas in our lives where we need a breakthrough. Maybe you feel like you are just spinning your wheels or that, no matter what you do, nothing seems to work out right. If so, please read on.

God wants you to receive everything Jesus paid the price for, and He wants you to recover everything that you have lost. Whether you need a breakthrough in your health, your finances, relationships or some other area, you need to know that He delights in making a way where there seems to be no way.

In Isaiah 43:19, God said, “Behold, I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth; shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.” It’s not time to give up. It’s time for a fresh start.

Lost…and Found
In 2 Kings 6:1-7 there is a rather obscure miracle involving the prophet Elisha.  He and a group of young prophets were getting ready to build an addition onto their school, when one of the men encountered a setback.

In verses 4-5 we read, “…When they came to the Jordan, they cut down trees. But as one was cutting down a tree, the iron axe head fell into the water; and he cried out and said, “Alas, master! For it was borrowed.”  

This might not seem like a big deal to you, but the fact that the axe head was borrowed made it an especially painful loss for the young prophet. The Jordan was a muddy and dangerous river and, in the natural, there was very little chance of the axe head being recovered. Not only that, but it was made of iron which was rare and valuable in those days. The young prophet couldn’t just go into a store to get a replacement.

“So the man of God said, “Where did it fall?” And he showed him the place. So he cut off a stick, and threw it in there; and he made the iron float. Therefore he said, “Pick it up for yourself.” So he reached out his hand and took it” (2 Kings 6:6-7).

Notice that when Elisha heard of the problem, he didn’t despair and say, “This is hopeless!” Instead, he cut a stick and threw it into the water. It was just an ordinary stick, but spiritually, it represented the cross. When the cross was applied to the problem, the iron axe head miraculously floated to the surface!

God’s solution is always the cross, and He wants you to recover everything you have lost. Whatever it is, when the cross is applied, you get back what you lost.

Wholeheartedly Pursue God
Did you notice that the young prophet had to pick up the axe head for himself? While the cross – the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ – is the provision for your recovery, you need to reach out, grab it and seize it by faith. You cannot be passive and receive all God wants you to receive.

That is why reading the Bible, praying, worshiping God, being actively involved, giving and serving in the local church are so important. They all have a part in your wholehearted pursuit of God.

Unless you are pursuing God with all your heart, you may be disappointed with Christianity. Why? Because Christianity is about losing your life so you can connect to the good life God has for you (see Galatians 2:20).

Jeremiah 29:13 records this promise from God: “And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.” Jesus spoke of having a wholehearted devotion to God when He said, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind” (Matthew 22:37). Indeed, Christianity was never meant to involve seeking God with half your heart.
How About You?
We saw that the stick Elisha threw in the water represented the cross, but do you know what the axe head represents? It represents God’s power. It is His grace and His ability operating in your life.

It is possible to lose the axe head but keep on swinging away, hoping that no one will notice that something is wrong. Maybe you are still doing some of the right stuff: you are still going to church; you are still with your spouse, but not loving him or her the way you should; you haven’t abandoned your kids, but you are not leading them; maybe you are throwing a tip in the offering plate, but you are not tithing.

Perhaps it feels like you have lost something, like something is missing and you want it back. You are swinging but nothing is happening because there is no power of God, no grace of God, no supernatural effect on what you are doing.

The question is: Where did it fall? When you identify where you lost it, you can apply the cross.

Where Did It Fall?
Maybe you entered into a wrong relationship or compromised your integrity by shifting a standard that should have been set in stone. Perhaps you participated in conversations that did not glorify God, or maybe you got discouraged and stopped reading the Bible and praying, stopped spending time with the Lord.

Is it possible that you got lazy in your church attendance and service? Perhaps God nudged your heart to do something and you said “no,” and now you aren’t doing the last thing God told you. Could you possibly have stopped walking by faith and started trying to figure everything out by sight? Or did someone treat you wrong, and you got bitter and won’t forgive them?

Maybe you started making decisions without consulting God. Or you may have surrendered to an addiction or stopped fighting a temptation. Perhaps you rebelled against a God-given authority, and now it seems there is no power of God in your life.

Did you believe the lie from the devil that there is no grace, no love, no more forgiveness for you? Or are you just not pursuing God with your whole heart, but instead seeking things first rather than seeking first the kingdom?

God Cares
If God cared about one man’s lost axe head, don’t you think He cares if you have enough to eat or not? He cares that you have enough money to make your house payment. He cares about your job. He cares about you if you don’t have a job and are looking for one. He cares if your house is cold or your tires are bald.

Jesus said in Luke 12:7 that the very hairs on your head are numbered. God not only knows exactly how many hairs you have, He also knows each one by number. If He is that concerned that much about your hair, you can be certain that He knows and cares about everything that is going on in your life today.

Take It Back
Lamentations 3:22-23 says: “Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.” Ours is a faithful God who specializes in recovery of the lost!

You may have lost the power, the grace and favor of God in the Jordan of your life, but you can apply the cross of Jesus Christ, and reach out and take it back by faith. When you do, your connection with God and His power will be restored.

1 John 1:9 tells us, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” God is a God of full recovery. No matter what you have lost, you can have it back. Just identify where you lost it, confess any sin God reveals to you, and turn to Him, praying:

Father, thank You that the gospel is the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes. Right now, by faith, I take the cross of Jesus Christ and apply it to my life. Thank you that there is forgiveness, that bondages are broken, that my heart reconnects with You, and that my passion for you is restored. Father, thank you that the things that have gotten between us melt away just like the mountains melt at Your presence, O Lord. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

(All scriptures are from the New King James Version of the Bible unless otherwise stated.)