20 September 2026 - Joshua Barajas - Don't Stop Now

Second Kings 13 puts King Joash in a critical moment. Israel is surrounded by enemies, pressure is rising, and fear is trying to lead where the Spirit should lead. Elisha, lying on his deathbed, tells the king to take a bow and arrows, places his hands over the king’s hands, and declares “the Lord’s arrow of victory” over Aram. God speaks victory before the battle is finished.

The king then receives another instruction: strike the ground. The king strikes three times, then stops. Elisha’s anger reveals the tragedy. God was not offering partial victory. God desired total victory, until the enemy was destroyed. The king settles after receiving a word, and his stopping limits what he will experience.

The victories God has already given cannot become the place of settling. What God has already done cannot become the ceiling of faith. It has to become the floor for the next miracle. A saved life, a restored marriage, a growing church, or a blessing in business is not the finish line. God’s favor in one generation should become a foundation for sons, daughters, youth, families, and a city to go further.

The image of striking the ground asks a hard question: why do people stop? Faith often starts strong, but pressure, delay, betrayal, disappointment, and lack of visible results can make people slow down. Prayer stops. Serving stops. Believing for children, parents, marriages, and salvation stops. Yet God’s promises remain yes and amen, and God has not called His people to stop striking the ground.

The gold-mining couple shows how close perseverance can be to breakthrough. After years of digging, the couple sells everything, only for another man to find gold five meters later. Five meters separated them from the miracle. Frustration told them nothing was happening, but the gold vein was still there. Faith must persist one more step, one more prayer, one more attempt, and one more act of obedience.

Jesus’ question in Luke asks whether He will find faith on the earth. That faith is not merely a moment of excitement. That faith persists. That faith keeps going when heaven seems silent. God often remains invisible while obedience continues because obedience is by faith and not by sight. Prayer may not visibly change a husband, a child, or a circumstance today, but God is working in ways human eyes cannot yet see.

Purpose remains as long as breath remains. A whole family, business, city, and generation may be depending on one person’s decision not to quit. God has not said to stop. The call remains simple and profound: keep striking the ground.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Do not settle for partial victory [01:05:13] God’s desire is not merely to provide enough relief to survive a difficult season. Elisha’s rebuke shows that stopping early can leave enemies standing that God intended to defeat completely. Every victory should create hunger for deeper obedience, not permission to become comfortable. Faith honors God’s promise by continuing until His purpose is fully carried out. [65:13]
• 2. Let past miracles become the floor [01:09:28] God’s work in a marriage, family, business, or church should not become the ceiling of what believers expect. A miracle received today can become a foundation for sons and daughters to encounter God in greater ways tomorrow. Spiritual inheritance is not preserved by admiring yesterday’s blessing. Spiritual inheritance grows when each generation keeps moving forward in faith. [69:28]
• 3. Keep digging when progress feels invisible [01:18:03] The gold vein was only five meters away when the couple gave up. Delay can make faithful labor feel pointless, even when breakthrough is closer than expected. Frustration is a poor judge of what God is doing beneath the surface. Perseverance keeps hands on the tools while God prepares what cannot yet be seen. [78:03]
• 4. Obedience advances before sight confirms it [01:26:13] The king wanted visible signs after each strike of the ground, but God did not give him thunder, wind, or an earthquake. Faithfulness does not require immediate proof that prayer, service, fasting, or giving is working. God often works silently while His people obey steadily. The absence of visible change does not mean the absence of divine activity. [86:13]
• 5. Purpose remains while breath remains [01:22:46] Purpose is not measured by ease, age, or the absence of grief. The testimony of a father who lost his daughter points to a deeper confidence: every life can fulfill God’s purpose. As long as breath remains, God still has obedience to receive, people to reach, and faith to display. Quitting is not the proper response to pain when God still gives purpose.
  
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Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [57:55] - Introduction and Ministry Background
• [60:51] - Prayer and Second Kings 13
• [61:31] - King Joash in a Critical Moment
• [63:06] - The Lord’s Arrow of Victory
• [64:05] - Why Did the King Stop?
• [69:28] - The Floor for the Next Miracle
• [71:31] - What Happens When Faith Stops?
• [73:48] - The Gold Mine Story
• [79:07] - Keep Striking the Ground
• [81:17] - Purpose While Breath Remains
• [84:18] - The Faith That Persists
• [85:57] - Obedience by Faith, Not Sight
• [88:35] - Prayer for Perseverance
• [90:13] - Closing Blessing in Spanish

Bible Reading

2 Kings 13:15–19
“And Elisha said to him, ‘Take a bow and arrows.’ So he took a bow and arrows. 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. 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.’ 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. 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.’” [01:03:06]

Luke 18:8
“I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” [01:24:18]

2 Corinthians 5:7
“for we walk by faith, not by sight.” [01:26:13]

Psalm 110:1
“The LORD says to my Lord: ‘Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.’” [01:05:42]

Observation questions

1. What actions does Elisha ask King Joash to take before he tells him to strike the ground, and what victory does Elisha declare before the battle has happened? [01:03:06]
2. How many times does Joash strike the ground, and what does Elisha say would have been different if he had struck it five or six times?
3. What examples are given of areas where people may slow down or stop believing—such as prayer, serving, family salvation, or obedience? [01:23:38]
4. In the gold-mining story, what caused the couple to stop digging, and how close were they to the gold vein when they gave up? [01:18:03]

Interpretation questions

1. Why might Joash have stopped striking the ground after only three times, even though Elisha had already declared God’s victory over Aram? [01:24:57]
2. What does Elisha’s response show about the difference between accepting partial relief and pursuing the full victory God has promised?
3. Jesus asks whether He will find faith on the earth. What does persistent faith look like when prayers are not answered as quickly as someone hopes? [01:24:36]
4. How does walking “by faith, not by sight” shape the way believers respond when there is no visible change in a family member, marriage, ministry, or difficult circumstance? [01:26:13]

Application questions

1. Is there an area where you have become content with a past victory instead of trusting God for continued growth? What might it look like for that victory to become the floor for the next step of faith rather than the ceiling? [01:09:28]
2. What has made it hardest for you to keep “striking the ground”—delay, disappointment, betrayal, exhaustion, fear, or not seeing results? How can the group support you in one specific next step?
3. Is there a person for whom you have stopped, or nearly stopped, praying—perhaps a child, spouse, parent, friend, or coworker? What would faithful prayer for that person look like this week? [01:27:43]
4. Where are you waiting for visible proof before continuing to obey God? What simple act of obedience can you continue even if nothing seems to change right away? [01:25:40]
5. Think about the “five more meters” image. Is there a God-honoring commitment—prayer, Scripture, serving, reconciliation, generosity, or discipleship—where you sense a need to take one more faithful step instead of quitting? [01:19:37]
6. How could your faithfulness today become a foundation for your children, younger believers, family, church, or community to go further with God? [01:09:46]
7. As long as breath remains, God still gives purpose. What purpose or calling do you sense God inviting you to keep living out in this season, even if the season has been painful? [01:22:46]