He said, "Take the arrows;" and he took them. He said to the king of Israel, "Strike the ground;" and he struck three times, and stopped. The man of God was angry with him, and said, "You should have struck five or six times. Then you would have struck Syria until you had consumed it; whereas now you will strike Syria just three times." 2 Kings 13:18–19 WEB.

Israel had been invaded by Syria repeatedly, and King Joash constantly had to defend against their attacks. Their cities were taken and retaken. It was a never-ending struggle. So the prophet Elisha told the king what to do, but Joash did half as much as Elisha intended. The conflict could have ended earlier if he had just done what the Lord instructed a little longer.

When struggling with an addiction or bondage, we often stop just short of the end. We have it beaten. The desire is nearly gone. We are almost free, but then we relax, and it begins to grow stronger again. Soon, we will be struggling with it once more. Once again, we didn't see it entirely through to the end. You have to be ruthless, desperate, and relentless to get free of it. You can never let your guard down, never think you are immune to things that bound you in the past.

God will help you get free from things that bind you. He will guide you, but you must work with Him one day at a time. You have to continue to do your part until the end of it. It's like climbing a slippery hill. When you fall, get back up and take another step forward. If you lay there, you will slide right back down to the bottom and have to start over. So get up quickly and take the next step towards your freedom.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, please renew my energy and clear my mind. Help me see what could be. Refresh my hope. I want what You want. May Your kingdom come, and my kingdom go. In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen!

Note: Today is "Feel Good Friday" at the FAAD (Fight Against Anxiety & Depression) group! On this day, we uplift each other with posts of encouragement and joy! All are welcome to join and participate! As always, if you have a prayer need, we are here for you! We and the prayer team are ready to lift you up at our private prayer page: RHM Prayer Network. If you are interested in joining the prayer team, here is how to get started Prayer Partners.