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2 Kings 2:19-20 “the men of the city said to Elisha, “look, our lord, this town is well situated, as you can see, but the water is bad, and the  land is unproductive.” “Bring me a new bowl,” he said, “and put salt in it.” So, they brought it to him.”  

One of the things  that my oldest son Caleb and I love to do is watch basketball together. We are big Warriors fans, but we love watching our Chicago Bulls too. Although the team has not been on a winning system in the last couple of years, we are excited because a new coach came in this year. Sometimes a new system is what is needed in order to turn things around. 

In this story here, Elijah is told that the city is situated well but the land is unproductive. There has been no growth, no fruit, and the reason is that the water system is bad. The resource that is needed for growth is contaminated. Elijah knew that the old system was no good and so he requested for a “new bowl,” which literally means a new system, a new plan, a new source.  

Sometimes all we need to do is not change personnel but maybe just change the attitude or culture of where we are in order to get the results we desire to see in our lives. How is your faith? To Elijah, getting a new bowl was important but the salt was just as vital too. The short sprinkle of the Holy Spirit, on a new system or culture is more than enough to bring healing in those waters, and the same is for us too. We need God to heal our waters, not necessarily change them.  

What is the culture in your leadership or small group? What is the culture of your home? If we can just make the right adjustments and bring in the "new bowl,' that will change the culture, we are guaranteed to see better results than we have before.  Elijah was strategic in how he applied the salt with the new bowl. He went straight to the springs because this is the area that flowed the water to its greatest areas. We too must make sure that change always starts at the head and never the body. It always starts with new mindsets, new attitudes, and a new way of thinking.  

What mentalities or systems need to be changed in you so that you can see the God-sized results for your life and family. 

 Prayer: God, please help us be sensitive to those areas that need to change so that we can bring a new winning culture wherever we go. We want to make sure we honor your name always. Amen.