You Should’ve Kept Striking

Strike

Now Elisha had become sick with the illness by which he would die. And Joash the king of Israel came down to him and wept over him and said, “O my father, my father, the chariot of Israel and its horsemen!” ¹⁵And Elisha said to him, “Take a bow and arrows.” So he took a bow and arrows. ¹⁶Then he said to the king of Israel, “Put your hand on the bow.” And he put his hand on it, and Elisha put his hands on the king’s hands. ¹⁷And he said, “Open the window to the east,” and he opened it. Then Elisha said, “Shoot!” And he shot. And Elisha said, “The Lord’s arrow of victory, the arrow of victory over Aram (Syria); for you will strike the Arameans in Aphek until you have destroyed them.” ¹⁸Then he said, “Take the arrows,” and he took them. And Elisha said to the king of Israel, “Strike the ground,” and he struck it three times and stopped. ¹⁹So the man of God was angry with him and said, “You should have struck five or six times; then you would have struck down Aram until you had destroyed it. But now you shall strike Aram only three times.”²⁰Elisha died, and they buried him.
2 Kings 13:14-20

Elisha told King Joash, “Man you had more arrows than that, nobody told you to stop striking!” King Joash was supposed to shoot the rest of the arrows at the ground but He only shot 3, so the Prophet Elisha told the King, “3 victories are all that Israel is going to get against the Enemy.”

The prophet Elisha was angry because this was his last prophecy before He died and He wanted to die in peace, but that king didn’t have any faith. He thought Elisha was his only hope, but God would still be available after the prophet died.

Your faith can’t begin when you get to church and end when church is over. You have to keep striking those fears. You have to keep striking that doubt because it doesn’t produce faith. You have to keep striking those anxieties. You have to keep striking that anger when people get you so mad they make you want to punch them in the face.

The Apostle Paul said in 1 Corinthians 9:27 “No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.”

Another word used is hypopiazo in Greek which means to beat. You need to beat your body into submission. You have to wrestle those passions into submission.

You have to say body I will not give in to your reactions. You have to tell those thoughts of lust I loose you from my mind in the mighty name of Jesus. You have to tell yourself no, I refuse to watch pornography. I can’t do this anymore. That’s it.

Pray and Believe

Who told you to stop praying? Who told you to stop believing for healing? If you or the person you’re praying for is not dead yet you keep on praying. God knows the number of our days. You’ve got to keep striking!

Sometimes it’s too late to go back and try to do it over. What if the saints of God stop praying for God to deliver Peter from prison? He probably would’ve had to go through more trouble to stay alive.

We need to go to God and say create in me a clean heart and renew in me a right spirit. Help me to make up my mind to serve you with all I got. Ask God to fill you with the power of His Holy Spirit, so that you can live for Jesus.

If you’re weak the bible says, that He is strong. If you’re strong remember it’s because of God, not you.

People of God we have to be strong in these last days. I really want you to make it to the end. This is why Live Inspired was created. But this message is for me just as much as it is for you.

I put two links down below for those who are struggling with pornography. These Christian books are from the author Stephen Arterburn of the book series “Every Man’s battle.” This book series had separate editions for both men and women due to the prevalence of pornography addiction among Christians. For the cost of two cups of coffee, you can get on the path to freedom with this book. You will also find these books on Amazon.

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/every-mans-battle-revised-and-updated-20th-anniversary-edition-stephen-arterburn/1131757970.

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/every-womans-battle-shannon-ethridge/1103745572

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/every-young-mans-battle-stephen-arterburn/1101956289

Strike down the enemies in your life!

Salvation Plan

Today, if you have not received Salvation or you would like to rededicate your life back to Christ, say this prayer:

God, I know that I am a sinner. Right now, Lord, I turn from my sins, and I ask you to forgive me. Jesus, I believe that you died on the cross and rose from the grave, for me. I open my heart and life for You to come in, and I receive You as my Lord and Savior. Thank You, God for saving me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Read the Book of John in the Bible. Find out who Christ is, and how He loves you, yes you!

Come back and read through our Live Inspired articles, videos, and Today’s Devotions, to gain wisdom and insight into God’s Word. It is a guide to you as you read His Word, the Bible.

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We hope today’s message has blessed you! Testify how the Lord is working through your life in the comments below.

Love,

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