Characteristics of the Archer

Introduction

— introduce self and different roles

— Explain love for hunting and archery, and before ministry wanted to be a wildlife biologist

— Used to work on hunting ranch

— Was a sponsored sportsman

but God called me to the ministry so here I am

When writing a message, we start with a passage of Scripture and work through that Scripture, we exegete it and write and exposition, but with a devotional like this it is a little more topical

— later today we are going to shoot some bow and arrows so we are going to talk about the characteristics of a good archer and have a little bit of training

1. Strong Stance

— When shooting a bow, a strong stance is necessary in order to use your strength and stay steady.

— Your stance, is your foundation for shooting your bow.

Matthew 7:24–27 KJV 1900

Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.

1 Corinthians 16:13 KJV 1900

Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong.

— In order to be able to invest in our students to the best of our ability. We need to have a strong, biblical foundation.

— bible reading, prayer, church

— You cannot pour from a cup that’s empty

2. Anchor Point

— After you have your strong stance, you can pull back your bow, and you need to have an anchor point

— This anchor point will insure that you are aiming at the right target

— What is your target? What are you aiming for? What are your goals for yourself this school year? What are your goals for your students this school year?

Philippians 3:13–14 KJV 1900

Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

— Paul is focused on that mark, he is focused on that target because he realized that he has a high calling from God

3. Stamina

Before going on a hunting trip, man you really have to work out and get in shape, especially if you’ll be walking a lot.

— Explain backpacking and spot and stalk hunting

— Explain how it takes strength to pull back a bow

— When you are holding the string back, you may have to wait for the right opportunity for an open shot, you might end up holding the string for a while

It takes strength, endurance, and patience to be able to draw back the arrow, and when your holding that arrow back, it feels like your holding it for an eternity even if you’ve just been holding it for a few minutes.

— a school year can feel like a long time, a quarter can feel like a long time, a school week can feel like a long time, a school day can feel like a long time, a single period can feel like a long time

It can be a struggle during those times. Sometimes little things can easily set us off.

Especially when the devil begins to attack.

mosquitos bothering during bow hunting while drawn back

Responding vs reacting

Because he has his own army of archers too.

Psalm 11:2 KJV 1900

For, lo, the wicked bend their bow, They make ready their arrow upon the string, That they may privily shoot at the upright in heart.

ephesains 6:16 also tells us that the devil shoots his fiery arrows at us.

But when those fiery darts come, have patience, have endurance, have the Stamina to withstand those arrows.

Galatians 6:9 KJV 1900

And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.

Conclusion

So the archer needs to have a strong stance, their foundation. We need our own foundation in order to build others up. Our foundation is the Bible, we need to be in the Word, DAILY.

The archer needs a correct anchor point in order to focus on the target and have good aim. What are you aiming for this school year? What are your goals for your students?

The archer needs stamina. A combination of strength, perseverance, endurance. When the devil tries to gnaw at you, will you respond in the spirit or react in the flesh?

One last thought, about the arrow. Vance talked about the process of making the arrows straightening, sharpening, and shooting, but there’s one last step in this whole process.

Before you take that arrow out of the quiver and load it into your bow, you want to do one last quality check, because if there are any imperfections in this arrow, if it has some sort of knick in it or it has a small structural crack, then this arrow will shatter into hundreds of tiny pieces. It will hurt the archer, people around the arrow, and it will destroy the arrow. Make sure, that when were sort of on that home stretch, when were loading the arrow into the bow, we are 100% sure, 100% confident that that arrow is ready to be shot down range and that it will hit its target.