Grace World Outreach Church
Pastor Daniel K Norris
STRIKE THE GROUND
Immeasurably More
2 Kings 13:14–19 (ESV)
14 Now when Elisha had fallen sick with the illness of which he was to die, Joash king of Israel went down to him and wept before him, crying, “My father, my father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!” 15 And Elisha said to him, “Take a bow and arrows.” So he took a bow and arrows. 16 Then he said to the king of Israel, “Draw the bow,” and he drew it. And Elisha laid his hands on the king’s hands. 17 And he said, “Open the window eastward,” and he opened it. Then Elisha said, “Shoot,” and he shot. And he said, “The Lord’s arrow of victory, the arrow of victory over Syria! For you shall fight the Syrians in Aphek until you have made an end of them.” 18 And he said, “Take the arrows,” and he took them. And he said to the king of Israel, “Strike the ground with them.” And he struck three times and stopped. 19 Then the man of God was angry with him and said, “You should have struck five or six times; then you would have struck down Syria until you had made an end of it, but now you will strike down Syria only three times.”
Joash recognized a trustworthy voice was departing from his life. His tragic mistake is that he waited until the end to go and ask for help.
*** Too often wait until the last moment to reach out for wisdom ***
Success does not just come from simply doing the right things, but by refusing to stop doing the right things
THREE PROPHETIC PICTURES TO PREPARE YOU FOR A YEAR OF IMMEASURABLY MORE
FIRST PICTURE: THE STEADY HANDS OF MATURITY UPON THE STRONG HANDS OF YOUTH
vs 16 “Draw the bow,” and he drew it. And Elisha laid his hands on the king’s hands.
Everyone one needs someone in their life who has been there before and has the wisdom that only comes from facing down past trials.
This offers us PERSPECTIVE
WE LIVE IN AN AGE WITH AN ABUNDANCE OF INFORMATION BUT AN ABSENCE OF PERSPECTIVE
“And he said, “Open the window eastward,” and he opened it. Then Elisha said, “Shoot,” and he shot” (Vs 17).
“Security against defeat implies defensive tactics; ability to defeat the enemy means taking the offensive.” Sun Tzu, The Art Of War
Success eventually requires you to strike back at those things that are destroying you!
Wrong decisions today often mean defeat tomorrow.
Healthy Leaders & 7 Point Health Assessment
https://www.graceworldag.org/dreamteamleaders/episode-33-healthy-leaders
Grace World Leadership Podcast
https://www.graceworldag.org/dreamteamleaders
”And he said, “The Lord’s arrow of victory, the arrow of victory over Syria!” ( vs 17)
There is a big difference in going against the enemy alone or going empowered with a prophetic word and with spiritual authority
SECOND PICTURE: THE HALF-HEARTED KAMIKAZE
MAKE CONSISTENCY YOUR SUPERPOWER
8 And he said, “Take the arrows,” and he took them. And he said to the king of Israel, “Strike the ground with them.” And he struck three times and stopped. 19 Then the man of God was angry with him and said, “You should have struck five or six times; then you would have struck down Syria until you had made an end of it, but now you will strike down Syria only three times.”
The Key To WINNING IS CONSISTENCY
THIRD PICTURE: THE LORD’S ARROWS OF VICTORY
Some Seasoned Arrows which you can Strike The Ground In 2023
First Arrow: The Anchor Of Abraham
“Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness (Ro 4:3)
* I Will Make My Faith in God and His word unwavering
Second Arrow: The Insight of Isaac
And Isaac sowed in that land and reaped in the same year a hundredfold. The Lord blessed him Genesis (26:12,ESV)
* I Will Get Wisdom (Perspective)
Third Arrow: The Judgement of Jospeh
Prov 8:12 “I, Wisdom, live together with good judgment. I know where to discover knowledge and discernment.” (NLT)
*I Will Put Wisdom To Work
The Determination of David
44 The Philistine said to David, “Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and to the beasts of the field.” 45 Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 1 Samuel 17:44–45 (ESV)
* I Will Keep Moving Forward