This enraged the king of Aram. He summoned his officers and demanded of them, “Will you not tell me which of us is on the side of the king of Israel?”
“None of us, my lord the king,” said one of his officers, “but Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the very words you speak in your bedroom.” 2 Kings 6:11-12
It must have been frustrating for the king of Aram to do battle against Israel when a known prophet of God, Elisha, was foretelling the shots for Israel. How can you compete against that kind of intelligence? Elisha’s reputation definitely preceded him. In that time period there was no internet or cable news. A person’s reputation was saved or sunk by word of mouth.
Does your reputation precede you? Of course it does. The question is, how is that reputation? There will always be naysayers and doubters and gossipers and slanderers who malign your name and reputation, but I’m not talking about those. What do your co-workers say about you? What does your boss say about you to her boss? What about your fellow churchgoers? What do they say about you? When I first became a Believer 25+ years ago, I overheard someone say (about me), “if Dave says he’ll be there, count on it!” It was a small glimpse into my own reputation.
A good name is more desirable than great riches… Proverbs 22:1