Our Fire-starter comes from 2 Kings 13. Our Fire-starter thought is: you
brought that on your own self!!!
Our Fire-starter verse is verses 18-19.
Have you ever done something that you regretted later and then said I
had that coming?
Maybe it was a short cut to fixing something and you said I will
probably regret this but I need to get it done.
Here in our text we read about a man by the name of Joash. Joash has
come to see Elisha and Elisha tells him to take a bow and arrows and
smite the ground. We know that the man of God did not tell him how many
times to smite the ground but we know Joash smote the ground three
times. Elisha says something in verse 19 that really stood out to me it
was, ….thou shouldest have smitten five or six times….

See had Joash smote the ground more he would have destroyed Syria
completely but he didn’t.
The problem with us is we bring alot of heartache on our own selves
although we had the opportunity not to.

Alot of us are a testimony to the title of today’s devotional, you
brought that on your own self, when we wouldn’t have to deal with the
problems we deal with.
Sometimes someone says something an we make a smart remark and then we
say you were asking for that response or they didn’t do something right
in fixing something, you brought heartache on your own self.

Friend, a spiritual application to this is alot of heartache spiritually
that we go through we bring upon ourselves. What do I mean? Psalm 119:11
states
Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.

If we do not hide God’s word we are just putting ourselves to sin why?
Because sin will keep you from the Word of God or the word of God will
keep you from sin.

Prayer is another reason we bring alot of heartache to our lives. What
do I mean by this? Have you ever not sought God about something and you
did it your way? It didn’t work out did it. We bring upon ourselves what
we are due for simply because we do not pray. Over in 1 Chronicles
15:12-13 is a good example of this. When we do not seek the Lord we will
get what we are asking for for ourselves and that is failure!!!!
Last but not least, Hell is a place for those that bring punishment upon
themselves. You say, how does a loving God send someone to Hell? He
doesn’t those that reject him send themselves there. You say I don’t
believe that look at John 3:16-18. Jesus did not come to condemn but to
save and if you read verse 18 it talks about those that are condemned
and those that are not condemned. People say God brings that upon us.
Technically, people bring that upon themselves.
I want to encourage you this morning, the God of Heaven is a gracious
God as we find according to Verse 23. He had mercy on Israel and he has
mercy on us when we do things to bring things upon ourselves. Remember
he loves you this morning, and has a plan for your life!!!!

2 Kings 13:1-25 KJV
In the three and twentieth year of Joash the son of Ahaziah king of
Judah Jehoahaz the son of Jehu began to reign over Israel in Samaria,
and reigned seventeen years. [2] And he did that which was evil in the
sight of the Lord, and followed the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat,
which made Israel to sin; he departed not therefrom. [3] And the anger
of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he delivered them into the
hand of Hazael king of Syria, and into the hand of Ben-hadad the son of
Hazael, all their days. [4] And Jehoahaz besought the Lord, and the Lord
hearkened unto him: for he saw the oppression of Israel, because the
king of Syria oppressed them. [5] (And the Lord gave Israel a saviour,
so that they went out from under the hand of the Syrians: and the
children of Israel dwelt in their tents, as beforetime. [6] Nevertheless
they departed not from the sins of the house of Jeroboam, who made
Israel sin, but walked therein: and there remained the grove also in
Samaria.) [7] Neither did he leave of the people to Jehoahaz but fifty
horsemen, and ten chariots, and ten thousand footmen; for the king of
Syria had destroyed them, and had made them like the dust by threshing.
[8] Now the rest of the acts of Jehoahaz, and all that he did, and his
might, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings
of Israel? [9] And Jehoahaz slept with his fathers; and they buried him
in Samaria: and Joash his son reigned in his stead. [10] In the thirty
and seventh year of Joash king of Judah began Jehoash the son of
Jehoahaz to reign over Israel in Samaria, and reigned sixteen years.
[11] And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord ; he
departed not from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made
Israel sin: but he walked therein. [12] And the rest of the acts of
Joash, and all that he did, and his might wherewith he fought against
Amaziah king of Judah, are they not written in the book of the
chronicles of the kings of Israel? [13] And Joash slept with his
fathers; and Jeroboam sat upon his throne: and Joash was buried in
Samaria with the kings of Israel. [14] Now Elisha was fallen sick of his
sickness whereof he died. And Joash the king of Israel came down unto
him, and wept over his face, and said, O my father, my father, the
chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof. [15] And Elisha said unto
him, Take bow and arrows. And he took unto him bow and arrows. [16] And
he said to the king of Israel, Put thine hand upon the bow. And he put
his hand upon it : and Elisha put his hands upon the king’s hands. [17]
And he said, Open the window eastward. And he opened it. Then Elisha
said, Shoot. And he shot. And he said, The arrow of the Lord’s
deliverance, and the arrow of deliverance from Syria: for thou shalt
smite the Syrians in Aphek, till thou have consumed them. [18] And he
said, Take the arrows. And he took them. And he said unto the king of
Israel, Smite upon the ground. And he smote thrice, and stayed. [19] And
the man of God was wroth with him, and said, Thou shouldest have smitten
five or six times; then hadst thou smitten Syria till thou hadst
consumed it : whereas now thou shalt smite Syria but thrice. [20] And
Elisha died, and they buried him. And the bands of the Moabites invaded
the land at the coming in of the year. [21] And it came to pass, as they
were burying a man, that, behold, they spied a band of men ; and they
cast the man into the sepulchre of Elisha: and when the man was let
down, and touched the bones of Elisha, he revived, and stood up on his
feet. [22] But Hazael king of Syria oppressed Israel all the days of
Jehoahaz. [23] And the Lord was gracious unto them, and had compassion
on them, and had respect unto them, because of his covenant with
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and would not destroy them, neither cast he
them from his presence as yet. [24] So Hazael king of Syria died; and
Ben-hadad his son reigned in his stead. [25] And Jehoash the son of
Jehoahaz took again out of the hand of Ben-hadad the son of Hazael the
cities, which he had taken out of the hand of Jehoahaz his father by
war. Three times did Joash beat him, and recovered the cities of Israel.