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II Kings 13:14-2014 Now Elisha had been suffering from the illness from which he died. Jehoash king of Israel went down to see him and wept over him. “My father! My father!” he cried. “The chariots and horsemen of Israel!” 15 Elisha said, “Get a bow and some arrows, and he did so. 16 “Take the bow in your hands,” he said to the king of Israel. When he had taken it, Elisha put his hands on the king’s hands. 17 “Open the east window, he said, and he opened it. “Shoot!” Elisha said, and he shot. “The Lord’s arrow of victory, the arrow of victory over Aram!” Elisha declared. “You will completely destroy the Arameans at Aphek.” 18 Then he said, “Take the arrows,” and the king took them. Elisha told him, “Strike the ground.” He struck it three times and stopped. 19 The man of God was angry with him and said, “You should have struck the ground five or six times; then you would have defeated Aram and completely destroyed it. But now you will defeat it only three times.” 20 Elisha died and was buried.

Often, Israel looked to the prophets to help them know what their next step might be. There was an awareness and respect for that process.  Jehoash knew Elisha, could help, however Elisha was sick, very sick, deathbed sick.  Jehoash needed to get to the prophet quickly to gain understanding about how to protect the nation of Israel. It’s a good thing Jehoash knew where to go for help.  He went to Elisha to get a word from the Lord.

In order to align yourself with God for the victory you need, you need to ready yourself by seeking a Word from God.  When you need to know what to do, when your back is to the wall, when people are counting on you to get something right, to execute something well, before you do anything, seek to get a Word from God. You can constantly align yourself with God’s victory by constantly seeking a Word from the Lord. Keep your nose in the book!

Further, Jehoash was told to prepare, to get a bow and some arrows, to take the bow in his hands. Friends, the Word of God is your bow and arrow.  It is your weapon.  It is your arrows.  It is hard to shoot an arrow when it isn’t in your hand.  In fact, it’s impossible.  It’s hard to wield a sword when you never pick it up.  The Bible calls the Word of God the “Sword of the Spirit” in Ephesians 6:17. It is both and offensive and defensive weapon.  Learn to wield it by availing yourself to it.  Start somewhere.  If it is a verse a day, if it is a chapter a week, if it is a devotion sent to your inbox, if it is re-reading Sunday’s sermons which are on our website, if it is writing out a few verses to memorize, get into the Word.  Read it as often as possible.

When you plan to read the Bible, ask God to speak to you.  Ask Him to give you specific knowledge about what to study and as a result, ask Him what to do in your situation.

So, step one is to ready yourself by seeking a word from God.  Step number two is to focus your faith and aim at the right target. Elisha told Jehoash to “open the east window.”  Notice he didn’t tell him to open every window. There was one place he needed to concentrate his efforts. We need to quit trying to open every window and every door and quit trying to fire in every direction. You know you can get distracted trying to fight so many battles that you shoot at every target and hit nothing. 

Why the east window?  There were threats from other directions, but Elisha knew that Aram was the most formidable enemy.  He was instructing Jehoash to focus on his greatest enemy.  Where does God want you to direct your attention?  Elisha told Jehoash to take aim at the most pressing enemy.  What is your most pressing enemy?  Where do you need to focus?  Can we stop dancing around our issues in 2023?  Can we stop making excuses for things that need to change?  Can we receive some conviction that leads to some action and start moving out toward that which is coming against us?  Open the east window! You probably can’t effectively fight multiple battles at once.  What is your east window?  Don’t let anything distract you from the east window.  At what are you aiming your faith?

Get ready with a Word from God.  Focus your faith and aim at the right target, and third and finally, shoot by taking clear, ongoing action. After he told him to open the east window, he told him to shoot.  Jehoash did so.  Elisha had this to say immediately, “The Lord’s arrow of victory, the arrow of victory over Aram!” Elisha declared. “You will completely destroy the Arameans at Aphek.”The focus was on God giving the victory.  Elisha literally pronounced the victory before the battle even took place. You need to align yourselves mentally and spiritually with the victory God wants to give you and declare it from the onset.  Let your faith give you sight of the victory that is waiting! Get in alignment with God’s victory for your life!

Jehoash shot the arrow.  Elisha declared the victory.  What happened next?

18 Then he said, “Take the arrows,” and the king took them. Elisha told him, “Strike the ground.” He struck it three times and stopped. 19 The man of God was angry with him and said, “You should have struck the ground five or six times; then you would have defeated Aram and completely destroyed it. But now you will defeat it only three times.”

Commentators said that striking the ground three times was an indication that he actually shot the arrow out the window three more times and obviously it fell to the ground because at that point, he was shooting in the eastward direction, but not at any specific target.  So, read that as, he shot three more arrows and quit.  There were, however, more arrows available for him to shoot.  He lacked perseverance. He wasn’t fully committed to the victory.  He could have kept going.

Faith, accompanied by works, not good intentions, brings the victory. You need to act in faith and keep acting in faith.  You need to persist in faith.  You need to resist doubt and keep claiming the promises of God.  Don’t stop firing arrows of faith.  Sometimes we stop acting in faith, just short of the blessing.  Sometimes we stop believing just short of the miracle.  Sometimes we give up marching in faith when just one more time around will bring the Jericho walls down.  Don’t quit firing arrows of faith until you see the victory.

If you keep firing your bow at the right target in faith, you will get the victory.  Elisha told Jehoash that he was going to have to keep dealing with Aram down the road because he didn’t keep firing in faith when the word of the Lord was given to him.  I don’t want to battle stuff for a lifetime.  I want to get some stuff settled.  Anyone with me?  Faith takes us where feelings never can. Faith isn’t seasonal for the Christian.  We don’t pull it out on Ash Wednesday and Easter and Thanksgiving and Christmas.  We don’t flip on the switch of faith when our health collapses.  We walk by faith and not by sight.  Walking is something you do every day!  Fire your faith every day.

Jehoash started something, but he stopped shortly after he started.  Pray and keep praying, Church.  Stand in faith and keep standing. War and keep warring and worshiping in faith. Elisha rebuked Jehoash because he didn’t give his whole self to the task.

Keep shooting in the battle against sin.  Keep shooting for the attainment of spiritual maturity.  Keep shooting to grow your faith.  Keep shooting to do more for the Kingdom of God.  Keep shooting to see your family and friends and neighbors saved.  Keep shooting because the world, the flesh and the devil isn’t going to stop shooting at you.  The old saints used to put it this way, “Keep on the firing line!”

Let’s put away excuses in 2023. “Well, Pastor Melissa, I stopped shooting because I’m not a very good archer.” “I stopped shooting because the bow was too heavy.” “I stopped shooting because I was the only one shooting, and I wanted someone to shoot with me.”  “I stopped shooting because nothing happened with the couple shots.”  “I stopped shooting because I wasn’t in a shooting mood.”  “I stopped shooting because I got tired.”  “I stopped shooting because of Covid!”  Covid-schmovid.  Shoot!  Shoot! Shoot!  Fire in the hole!  Let it rip!  Send it out!  Get ready with a Word from the Lord.  Take aim at your most formidable foe.  Fire away with faith that you will see the victory!

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