You Got More Arrows In Your Bag

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Life has a way of wearing us down. The battles seem endless, the struggles repetitive, and sometimes we find ourselves going through the motions—still faithful, still showing up, but no longer expecting God to move mountains. We've scaled back our expectations not because we've lost faith entirely, but because being hopeful can be hurtful. When you've hoped for breakthrough after breakthrough only to face disappointment, it becomes easier to protect your heart by expecting less.

But what if the problem isn't that God has stopped providing? What if the issue is that we've stopped reaching into our bag?

The Game That Teaches Us About Warfare

Remember the card game "I Declare War"? When someone declared war, the game didn't end—it escalated. More cards hit the table, the stakes got higher, and suddenly what seemed like a losing hand could turn into victory. The game taught us something profound: just because you can't see your next move doesn't mean you don't have one coming.
Many of us quit that game not because we ran out of cards, but because our deck looked small and we lost confidence. Nobody forced us to stop playing. We simply decided the battle had lasted too long.

This is exactly how we approach spiritual warfare. When the fight intensifies, we assume we're losing. We scale back our prayers, lower our praise, and settle into survival mode. But here's the truth: the fight didn't intensify because you're losing—it intensified because you've got more left in you.

When the Prophet Was Dying But the Enemy Was Still Alive

In 2 Kings 13, we find the prophet Elisha on his deathbed, sick with the illness that would take his life. This was the man with a double portion of anointing, the voice that confronted armies, the hands that performed miracles. Now his voice was weakening, his strength fading, and his future closing.

King Joash came to him weeping—not out of honor, but out of fear. "My father, my father, the chariots of Israel and its horsemen!" he cried. Translation: "You've been like a one-man army to us. Without you, how will we survive the Syrian invasion?"

Elisha didn't waste words. He didn't ask the king to pray about it or make a sacrifice. Instead, he gave him specific instructions: "Take a bow and some arrows."

Focus Your Strength

The prophet didn't ask Joash to do something new or unfamiliar. He told him to pick up what he was already good at—archery. Sometimes God doesn't call us to develop new gifts; He calls us to focus the ones we already have.

In archery, you must focus to hit your target. Your feet must be balanced. Your eyes must be fixed. Your breathing must be controlled. You can't panic and shoot accurately. Many of us have been praying about everything while God is trying to get us to focus on the target.
Elisha placed his hands on the king's hands and told him to open the east window and shoot toward Aphek—toward the enemy's territory. With one arrow, Joash declared war. While that arrow was still in the air, the prophet said, "That's the arrow of the Lord's deliverance. Now take the remaining arrows and strike the ground."
Joash struck the ground three times and stopped.
The prophet became angry.

The Sin of Low Aim
"You should have struck five or six times!" Elisha exclaimed. "Now you will only defeat Syria three times instead of destroying them completely."

Think about that. The king was operating at only 50% capacity. He was halfway committed, halfway in, halfway out. In academic terms, that's a failing grade—yet God still allowed him to win.

The prophet wasn't angry because Joash tried. He was angry because his expectation was too low.

Here's what we miss: Elisha never told Joash how many times to strike the ground. God always gives us freedom according to our expectation. The king could have struck ten times, twenty times, a hundred times. But he stopped at three because he treated the moment like it was fragile instead of fruitful.

How many of us do the same? We show up to worship, we lift our hands for a moment, we whisper a prayer—and then we stop. We're obedient, but we're careful in our obedience. We do exactly what's required and nothing more.
But God is looking for people who bring more than what's asked. He's looking for creativity, innovation, and unlimited expectation.

Relief Versus Deliverance

Some of us are striking the ground like we want relief, but we don't really want deliverance. Relief is pulling over to catch your breath before getting back into the same situation God just brought you out of. Deliverance is striking the ground until that devil can't get back up again.

Unlimited praise brings unlimited victories. Unlimited praise brings unlimited healing. Unlimited provision. Unlimited breakthrough.
The question isn't whether God has given you enough. The question is: Are you reaching into your bag?

You Have an Arrow for Every Devil

When sickness shows up, reach into your bag: "I am the Lord who heals you" (Exodus 15:26). "By His stripes I am healed" (Isaiah 53:5).
When fear knocks, reach into your bag: "God has not given me a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind" (2 Timothy 1:7).
When poverty threatens, reach into your bag: "It is He who gives you power to get wealth" (Deuteronomy 8:18).
When people gossip, reach into your bag: "No weapon formed against me shall prosper" (Isaiah 54:17).
Your bow is your faith. Your arrows are God's promises. When you pull that bow back to your mouth and release the Word, you create the reality God has already declared over your life.

Shoot to Hit Something

Real archers don't pull the bow down low or hold it at chest level. They pull it near their chin, near their mouth—because it's what comes out of your mouth that determines where your arrow lands.

"You shall decree a thing, and it shall be established" (Job 22:28).
Stop whispering your prayers and start decreeing your deliverance. Stop asking if maybe, possibly, perhaps God might do something. Start declaring what He's already promised.
You're not shooting to miss. You're shooting to hit the target that's been harassing your life.

The View From the Tree

Hunters know they shoot better from an elevated position—from a tree. When you're lifted up, you can see your enemy more clearly. He can't camouflage himself anymore.
When you get caught up in Christ—the One who was hung on a tree—you gain perspective. You see the battlefield differently. The blood that covers you camouflages you in His righteousness, and suddenly you're not fighting from a position of weakness but from victory.

The blood still works. It reaches to the highest mountain and flows to the lowest valley. It has never lost its power.