Three Angels Broadcasting Network Devotional. A Promise of Success. By Ian Vandervalk August 1st, 2026 How many times have we relied on ourselves and our own efforts, only to fall short of our goals? How many times have we only partly depended on God when He had already given us the promise of success? When we do this, we fall short of God’s blessings because we were determined to push through on our own plans, ideas, works, and ways, rather than completely surrendering to our Father in Heaven. God has given us a promise of overcoming, yet we fail to grasp the vastness and depth of it all. At times, we seem to fall flat on our faces by only partly overcoming sin, fear, depression, marital or relationship challenges, pride, selfishness, or only partial success in the Lord’s work. In 2 Kings 13:14–19 the Bible tells us that King Joash had the same problem. Israel had been oppressed by Syria for quite some time, and as Joash visited the dying prophet Elisha, his faith was tested. God’s prophet told the king to pick up arrows, which he called the “arrows of deliverance from Syria,” and strike the ground with them. Joash obeyed and struck the ground three times, but Elisha told him that if he’d struck five or six times, he would have had complete victory over Syria’s oppressive army! As we read further, we discover that Joash did defeat Syria three times, but never achieved complete victory, just as Elisha had told him. I once heard a preacher say that Joash received little because he expected little; and that he expected little because he surrendered little. I can completely relate to that! I can’t even begin to count how many times I fell short because I didn’t completely surrender myself to the Lord and fully claim His promises. It’s almost a symbiotic relationship, because God has the desire to give us success and wants us to have a loving, obedient, and trusting relationship with Him. He yearns for that! He calls us His children and even gave the life of His Son, Jesus, for that relationship! Now, I’ve shared what happens when we only partially claim His promises, but let me share what can happen when we do it fully. I was in my last week of basic training in the Army, and it was the last of a seven-day training exercise in the middle of nowhere. This was the culmination of everything we’d learned over the past ten weeks and our final test was a 10.2 mile “ruck march” back to our base carrying approximately 50 pounds of gear in our rucksack. Over the course of basic training, I’d developed pain in my knee. At times it was even difficult to bend it, but for some reason, I hadn’t had much trouble with it that week. Then came the ruck march. We began around 4:00 a.m., and two miles into the march, I stepped into a ditch and twisted that knee. I could no longer bend it, and the pain was so intense that I began to doubt whether I could make it to the end. You should know that I was not a Christian at that time, but I remembered Philippians 4:13, which says, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me,” so I repeated that verse over and over in my mind. Tears ran down my face from the pain, but I never stopped claiming that promise—and then came the hill. I truly thought I wasn’t going to make it to the top, however, since soldiers often help each other when they see one struggling, I felt the weight of my rucksack lighten, and a push to help me get to the top. As we started heading down the hill, I turned to the soldier behind me and thanked him for helping me, but he looked at me funny and said, “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I didn’t help you.” At the time, I didn’t understand what had just happened, but I now know that God must have sent an angel to help me. I claimed His promise in faith, reached the end of the 10.2 mile ruck march, and completed the final phase of basic training. As you go throughout this day, this week, or this month, ask yourself if you’re really claiming God’s promises over your sins, your struggles, or your battles. What weight are you carrying or, as was the case with King Joash, what is your “Syria?” Remember to surrender all, keep striking, and obtain victory through our Lord and Savior.