I mow with an Ariens Apex 48” zero-turn that has a 23-hp Kohler 7000 series V-twin engine. On a good day and 100% dry conditions, I can mow all I need to mow in about two hours. I was able to get the mower back in 2021 and I have loved mowing with it ever since.
Until I don’t love it so much!
Last month, there were several things going on that had my schedule excessively tight. Usually, I’m mowing twice a week to keep up with the growth so that I don’t have to bale the yard! The weather was pinching my time and finally, I had a window where I thought I could get everything mowed.
I had mowed for about an hour and everything was going along great. The grass was flying, nothing was bunching, and I thought I might be able to shave off some time and get done sooner. Oh, nay, nay!! Without warning, the mower decides it has had enough and starts coughing, sputtering a bit at half-power, revving back to full power, then going back to half power. I shut the power clutch off to the deck and the engine went to full power. Putting a load back on the engine or driving it at full speed and it started having a conniption! As I limped it back into the barn, I fully admit to doing a bit of grumbling under my breath.
Changing the fuel filter didn’t work. Cleaning the air filter didn’t work. Changing spark plugs didn’t work. Talking nicely and begging it to behave didn’t work. Praying didn’t provide a miraculous healing. It’s time to call the mower doctor.
Now, a bit of pride creeps in and I’m thinking it’s going to be something so simple and I’m
going to be embarrassed that I couldn’t figure it out. Well, they spent an entire day trying to diagnose the mower and it took TWO guys to finally figure it out. One of the coil packs had gone bad. My ego wasn’t even dented by their discovery. If it took two engine repair guys who have been trained to figure this out, this amateur mechanic wasn’t feeling too badly about the situation.
The mower was fixed and returned in a couple of days. The maiden voyage after the repair showed me that the mower had been getting “sick” for quite a while but I didn’t realize it. Power was trickling away and I just chalked it up to imagining that it was happening. Hard starts seemed to be normal because it always would start.
Once the mower was fixed, it feels and mows like the first day I got it. All the power is restored, I have a smile on my face, and joy in my heart as I was able to get all my mowing done and I’m none the worse for wear.
If you’re still with me and are bored with small engine repair or my ramblings about the situation, let me share the “sermon” the Lord gave me while mowing with my newly fixed machine.
How easy is it for us to lose power in our Christian lives and not even realize it until the moment we come to a stop, unable to go any further?
Acts 1:8 says, “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” The moment we received Jesus as our Savior, the Holy Spirit indwelled us, bringing with Him divine power.
But, consider the warning of 1 Thessalonians 5:19. “Quench not the Spirit.” We are not to douse the flame of the Spirit’s influence within us. How do we do this? With sin and a little at a time.
One of the roles of the Spirit is to convict us of sin. If we ignore that conviction or don’t decisively act upon it, our sensitivity toward sin grows cold. Just as my mower slowly lost power, we slowly lose power in our lives, unable to be the effective witnesses we should be.
This usually happens over time. One day, we wake up cold and numb inside, wondering how did we get here. We’re in the midst of a problem and decide we should probably pray but the throne room of God seems to have a “CLOSED” sign hanging on the door.
Today, the Great Physician wants to deal with our sins and get us back to the place where we sense that amazing power from the Lord in our lives. James 4:7-10 gives us the instructions we need to get our lives back to where they need to be, running with full of power. Let’s put this into practice today.
“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. (8) Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. (9) Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. (10) Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.”
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