The Three Arrows
In prayer there is a connection between what God does and what you do. You can’t get forgiveness from God, for instance, without also forgiving others. If you refuse to do your part, you cut yourself off from God’s part. Matthew 6:14-15
We’ve been talking Joash coming to Elisha, who was on his deathbed, for a last word of advice as Israel was under attack. So back to Elisha telling Joash, the king of Israel to “strike the ground” with the arrows in 2 Kings 13:14-19 … Joash hit the ground three times with the arrows and stopped. “And the man of God was angry with him, and said, ‘You should have struck five or six times; then you would have struck Syria till you had destroyed it! But now you will strike Syria only three times.’”
Elisha got so angry with him because he was only whacking at the ground half-heartedly instead of giving it all he had. Because he didn’t give it more effort, Elisha said the Syrians would not be completely defeated by Joash. Complete victory was just out of Israel’s reach because King Joash did not take the prophet’s instructions seriously.
Is complete victory just out of your reach because you aren’t taking the arrows God gave you seriously? The 3 arrows we must concentrate on as Christians are: praying, fasting and giving.
In Matthew 6 Jesus says, “When you pray … when you fast … when you give.” The fasting arrow is the same arrow Jesus used when He came to a face-to-face confrontation with the devil. And He struck the enemy for 40 days with that arrow of fasting. The bottom line is you don’t go into fasting thinking, “Well, let me see how I feel, and if I feel okay, then I’ll probably do it.”
You have to grab those arrows and say, “There’s going to be some prayer. There’s going to be some giving. And there’s going to be some fasting.” These three arrows of deliverance are yours for the taking. Get intense about it. You say, “God, I’ve got my hand on that arrow and I’m not letting go until you give me complete victory.”
As you complete this fast, keep asking God for complete victory in your family, in your finances or in some issue on your job. God knows how to give His people complete victory over the flesh, the world, and the devil … over our body, soul, and spirit. Just keep those arrows in your hand. And keep your eyes on Jesus!
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