Get Excited About What You Are Doing!

I've been thinking a lot lately about how easy it is to get into a rut. You start out on fire for God, full of vision and passion, and then somewhere along the way, you just go through the motions. You're still doing the work, but the excitement is gone. The expectancy has faded.

That's when God reminded me of a strange story in 2 Kings about a dying prophet, a half-hearted king, and a missed opportunity that breaks my heart every time I read it.

King Joash came to visit the prophet Elisha on his deathbed. Elisha was one of the greatest prophets in Israel's history, and now he was dying. Joash wept over him, calling him "the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof": recognizing that Elisha's prayers and power had been Israel's real defense all along.

Elisha gave the king a prophetic test. He told him to take some arrows and strike the ground with them.

So Joash picked up the arrows. He struck the ground once. Twice. Three times. Then he stopped.

And Elisha was angry.

Joash had just limited his own victory. He had the opportunity for total, complete triumph over his enemies. But because he struck the ground with such little enthusiasm, such half-hearted belief, he would only win three battles instead of a complete victory.

The prophet was angry: not at Joash's inability, but at his lack of passion and expectancy.

Here's what gets me about this story: Joash wasn't being disobedient. He did what the prophet told him to do. He struck the ground with the arrows.

But he did it without fire. Without urgency. Without excitement.

And it cost him everything.

How many of us are doing the same thing today? We're showing up. We're going to church. We're reading our Bibles. We're serving in ministry. But somewhere along the way, we lost the fire. We're just going through the motions.

We strike the ground three times instead of six because we've stopped believing that God really wants to do something big. We've lost the atmosphere of expectancy.

I know this because I've been there.

After over 50 years in ministry and 20 years as a missionary in Peru, I can tell you that one of the greatest dangers in Christian service is settling into routine. You can preach the same sermons, pray the same prayers, and do the same work, and never tap into what God really wants to release.

When I was fighting Stage 4 cancer and later COVID, I had to make a choice. I could go through the motions of treatment and hope, or I could grab those arrows and strike the ground with everything I had left. I could believe in God for total victory, or I could settle for just getting by.

Your level of excitement and expectancy directly affects what God can do through you.

Let me be honest with you. Several things rob us of excitement in our walk with God:

Disappointment. We've been let down before. We believed God for something big, and it didn't happen the way we expected. So now we protect ourselves by keeping our expectations low.

Routine. We've been doing the same thing for so long that we've stopped seeing it as a miracle. We've forgotten what it felt like when God first called us.

Fatigue. We're tired. Ministry is hard. Life is hard. And when you're exhausted, it's tough to get excited about anything.

Fear of looking foolish. We don't want to be the person who gets too excited and then looks stupid if things don't work out. So we play it cool. We strike the ground three times instead of six.

But here's what I've learned: God doesn't bless half-hearted obedience. He responds to passionate, expectant faith.

The call of this passage is simple but profound: Grab those arrows and strike the ground with everything you've got.

Stop holding back. Stop protecting yourself. Stop playing it safe.

If God has called you to ministry, throw yourself into it with joy and expectancy. If He's called you to serve, serve with your whole heart. If He's called you to pray, pray like you believe He's actually listening and ready to move.

That word "cheerful" means excited, enthusiastic, and eager. God loves it when we serve Him with joy and expectancy, not out of duty or routine.

I've seen this principle in my own life and ministry. The seasons when I've seen the most fruit, the most transformation, the most breakthrough: they've been the seasons when I was fully alive and expectant. When I believed God was going to show up. When I struck the ground with passion.

And the seasons when I just went through the motions? Those were the seasons of three victories instead of six. Of good instead of great. Of survival instead of a breakthrough.

One of the most important things we can do is create an atmosphere of expectancy around us. That means:

Talk like you believe God is going to move. Stop speaking of defeat and limitation. Start declaring what God has promised.

Celebrate the small wins. Don't wait for the big breakthrough to get excited. Celebrate every step forward. Every prayer answered. Every life has changed.

Surround yourself with people who are striking the ground. If everyone around you is half-hearted and cynical, it will pull you down. Find people who still have fire. Who still believe God for big things.

Remember your why. Go back to the moment when God first called you. Remember the passion you had. The vision He gave you. Don't let the years steal what God gave you in a moment.

I write about this kind of transformation regularly in my Substack newsletter and on my podcast Followed by Mercy, because I've walked through seasons of losing my fire and having to get it back. It's a constant battle, but it's a battle worth fighting.

If you want to go deeper into how God's grace renews your passion and frees you from performance-driven ministry, check out The Big Leap of Faith.

So here's my challenge to you: What arrows are you holding right now? What has God put in your hand that you've been striking the ground with half-heartedly?

Is it your marriage? Your parenting? Your ministry? Your business? Your calling?

Stop settling for three victories when God wants to give you complete triumph.

Grab those arrows. Strike the ground. Again. And again. And again.

Do it with passion. Do it with expectancy. Do it with the belief that God is about to do something bigger than you can imagine.

God is not disappointed in you. He's not measuring your worth by your consistency. But He is waiting for you to get excited again about what He's called you to do.

The dying prophet is speaking to you today: "You should have struck five or six times!"

Don't let this be your story. Strike the ground with everything you've got.

What does it mean to "strike the ground" in my own life?

Striking the ground means taking action with passion and expectancy, not just going through the motions. It means approaching your calling, your relationships, and your service to God with the belief that He will show up and do something powerful. It's about enthusiasm matched with obedience.

How do I recover excitement when I'm burned out or disappointed?

Start by reconnecting with your "why": the moment God first called you or gave you a vision. Then take small steps of obedience while choosing to celebrate every small win along the way. Surround yourself with people who still have fire, and give yourself permission to rest in God's grace, not your performance.

Does God really care about my level of enthusiasm?

Yes. God loves a cheerful giver and a passionate servant. Your enthusiasm isn't about faking it or hyping yourself up: it's about believing that God is who He says He is and that He rewards those who diligently seek Him. Your expectancy creates space for God to move in ways that half-hearted obedience never will.

#GetExcited #FaithInAction #ExpectancyInGod #BoldFaith #WAustinGardner