“8. I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye. 9. Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding: whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, lest they come near unto thee.”
Psalm 32 is a psalm of repentance in David’s life. We are not sure exactly where David is at, but we can take some great truths and apply it to our life. We encourage you to pick up your Bible and read Psalm 32 today. Verse 5 we see David coming to the place of repentance. “I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid, I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah.” God wants to direct all of us, but we must realize we cannot live with sin in our lives. At the end of verse 8 God says, “…I will guide thee with mine eye.” Many believers fail to see God’s will for their life because their too focused on their own eye sight rather than God’s. God has a wonderful life for every born-again believer, but many miss out, because they try everything their way. We tend to resemble verse 9 more than anything; A stubborn old mule that has to be lead with a bit in its mouth. We are thankful that God has called us to a unique hunting ministry in dealing with sportsmen and wild animals, but even in a ministry like this you can easily go the wrong direction if your not looking to God’s ways. Let me ask this question, “Do you have sin in your life?” David shows us in Psalm 32 that we must first repent before we can see God’s path for us! Get rid of sin in your life today! Repent and turn to the Lord! God has a great life for you! Are you looking to Him for direction? God’s ways are higher than our ways and God’s thoughts are higher than our thoughts according to Jeremiah. Wherever you may be in life today, be patient and look to God for your path in life! Look again at what God says to us once we get sin out of our life, “I will instruct thee…I will guide thee…” God is so good to us! Look to the Lord and trust Him!
Memory Verse Week 2/7/21
Psalm 32:8-9
“I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye. Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding: whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, lest they come near unto thee.”
“He that loveth pleasure shall be a poor man: he that loveth wine and oil shall not be rich.”
Are you a Christian? Are you married? Do you have children? Do you exercise love in any of these areas of your life? A Christian that loves God has a desire to know Him. As a result, you would spend much time praying, reading your Bible, going to church, and even sharing with others the precious gospel of Jesus Christ. When you love God, you desire to spend time with Him every moment that you can, just like your wife or children. They cross your mind often! You tend to put things aside at times so you can spend more time with them. Colossians 3:1-2 “If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.” Matthew 22:37 “Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.” The love we need to have in this life should always be toward the living God first. Looking at the proverb we can see that loving pleasure can become a very dangerous life. Loving wine and oil would be like loving the riches or high things of this world. What is hunting to you? Are you already consumed in the next hunting season that will come? Are You already thinking about the things of next deer season? When we love things, that’s all we ever think about. If we loved God, we would realize these earthly pleasures will all pass away one day. Maybe hunting is not even your thing. You know the pleasures in life that you desire. Are these things consuming your mind? Notice how the Bible says, “shall be a poor man…” Can being consumed in pleasure hurt your income? Of course it can. Today, you might say I have a good cash flow coming in, but what about spiritually? How is your walk with God? There are a lot of women that get sick of dad giving his life’s focus to a wild animal. The wife leaves, the home becomes broken! You could define that to be poor as well. Don’t let the pleasures and riches of this world be your love. It will make you empty, poor, and miserable. Make sure God is first in your life! He led His children across the Red Sea and gave them a land flowing with milk and honey. God loves you, He wants you to have His blessings, but don’t let the blessing be the love of your life. It will literally and spiritually destroy you. There may be some pleasures in your life that you need to totally get rid of, but it may just need some readjustment. Love the Lord, read your Bible, and let Him redirect your affections.
Memory Verse Week 1/31/21
Proverbs 21:17
“He that loveth pleasure shall be a poor man: he that loveth wine and oil shall not be rich.”
“1. If it had not been the LORD who was on our side, now may Israel say; 2. If it had not been the LORD who was on our side, when men rose up against us: 3. Then they had swallowed us up quick, when their wrath was kindled against us: 4. Then the waters had overwelmed us, the stream had gone over our soul: 5. Then the proud waters had gone over our soul: 6. Blessed be the LORD, who hath not given us as a prey to their teeth. 7. Our soul is escaped as a bird out of the snare of the fowlers: the snare is broken, and we are escaped. 8. Our help is in the name of the LORD, who made heaven and earth.”
Psalm 124 is all about the Lord! Its about His power and control, but also his love to mankind. Notice verse 8, “Our help is in the name of the LORD, who made heaven and earth.” When you adventure to the back woods, you can see the mighty hand of God in every direction that you look. From the trees, to the streams, to every critter of the field(birds, squirrels, rabbits, deer, turkeys, fox, coyotes, etc.) The next time your in the forest stop and think for a moment about the mighty hand of God and all His work He has given us. What power! This is the God that loves us. The Bible says in I Peter 5:8 “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.” Looking back at Psalm 124 it feels like we experience verse 6 and 7. We feel like a rabbit that is still alive but in the mouth of the coyote with no hope ahead. Even the bird that has a snare around its leg with no chance of getting away. Satan hates us! He wants every believer to feel like there is no hope for the future. He is a liar, don’t believe that for one minute. God is a great deliverer! He is our strength and shield! Our strong tower! Notice how the Psalm starts out, “If it had not been the LORD who was on our side…” verse two again reminds us, “If it had not been the LORD who was on our side.” There are a lot of bad things listed in this Psalm, but none of these things happen to God’s people because He said He would never leave us or forsake us. Joshua 1:5 “There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.” Don’t feel like your situation is too tough for escape! God can, and will, deliver you. He will protect you from the enemy! He will release you from the jaws of the predator! He will break the snare! Keep your head up and keep trusting God! Read Psalm 124 again or maybe even two or three more times, then think on it for a while! Romans 8:31 “What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us who can be against us?”
Memory Verse Week 1/24/21
Joshua 1:5
“There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.”
“And other fell on good ground, and sprang up, and bare fruit an hundredfold. And when he had said these things, he cried, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.”
The last of the four seeds we find falling on good ground. It takes good ground to take good root and to bear fruit. This is the place every believer should be. Jesus gives us the answer to this final seed in the parable of the sower. Luke 8:15 “But that on good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.” This seed that hears the word is the one who keeps it. We know this is a saved person. Let me ask this question, have you been bearing fruit? If we dont bear fruit, we are not being used of the Lord. In our main verse the Bible says “…and bare fruit an hundredfold.” That means more seed is being planted and more fruit is being harvested. Are you a soul winner? What kind of believer doesn’t tell others about Christ? Seems like a pointless life! Live for yourself after salvation and take nothing with you when you die. God wants us all to bear fruit. Its not that hard to win others to Christ. It can first start with a personal testimony. What is your testimony today? Have you put your faith and trust in Jesus Christ. If you dont have your own testimony you will have trouble helping others find Jesus Christ. If your soulwinning, that is a wonderful thing! Give attention to verse 15, “…and bring forth fruit with patience.” This last seed usually has a great zeal for the Lord. Remember that it takes work before the harvest comes. When a seed is planted it takes a season to grow, which involves many months. There are a lot of young and even older Christians that struggle with this patience thing. Maybe God has called you to the mission field or even just a ministry in your local church. It takes time for things to develop and happen. Its not an overnight thing. Don’t ever get impatient with God. The Bible says that He is a God of patience! Try to do your best day by day in spreading the seed of the gospel, but remember that it’s God that gives the increase. Hunting wild animals can be really tough somedays. There are times when nothing is moving and nothing is happening, but then one day the woods come to life and there are wild animals waiting to be shot in every direction you look. It takes patience to be a good hunter, just like it takes patience in being a successful Christian. Maybe today God has promised you some big things for your ministry and service for Him. Take it one day at a time! Let God develop you into a strong man or woman of God. You may not see someone saved every day, but keep pressing forward. You may not have the finances you hoped for, but don’t worry, God is faithful and will take care of you. You may look at some people that have been very successful in serving the Lord, but remember, it didn’t happen for them over night. Stay patient with God, continue soul winning and serving Him, then one day you will see this parable of the sower in your life, “…and bare fruit an hundredfold.”
Memory Verse Week 1/17/21
Luke 8:15
“But that on good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.”
“And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprang up with it, and choked it.”
We see the third seed in the parable of the sower. Jesus gives us the answer to this third individual in Verse 14; “And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection.” Is this third seed in the parable a born again believer? Looking at the verse we see that is says when “they have heard, go forth…” We know this person is a believer because the seed takes root and springs up, however, it doesn’t bring forth fruit. If you are a born again believer you should have a desire to tell other people about Christ. Bringing forth fruit is witnessing and seeing people saved. Is it possible that you fit in this part of the parable? Many believers will never spread the gospel because they only care about themselves. Please don’t be that person that dreams about hunting 365 days a year. Hunting can become an idol to many believers. The truth is, you wont take one gun or one wildlife mount out of this world with you! How is your family getting along? Are you that dad that is always consumed in that extra dollar or one more opportunity in the field? Is money sinful? Absolutely not, but this is what the Bible says in I Timothy 6:10 “For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.” Is hunting sinful? Proverbs 11:1 “A FALSE balance is abomination to the LORD: but a just weight is his delight.” When was the last time you shared the gospel with someone? What is on your mind more than God’s work and will for your life? Could it be that your being choked among the thorns? I John 2:15-16 “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.” Don’t let the riches, pleasures, and cares of this world choke you out. Jesus Christ is our joy! Don’t you want to live a joyful life? “…for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”
Memory Verse Week 1/10/21
John 8:32
“And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
“And some fell upon a rock; and as soon as it was sprung up, it withered away, because it lacked moisture.”
We see the second individual in the parable of the sower. Jesus explains to us this person in verse 13 of the same chapter: “They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away.” Matthew 13:20-21 also gives us an answer to this parable; “But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it; Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended.” We know the first seed mentioned is one that has never accepted Christ as their personal Lord and Savior, but we see the second as one hearing the Word of God and putting their faith and trust in Jesus Christ. The biggest concern we see here is that you can’t take root on stony ground. When you dont have a good root, you will fall very quickly. Think of that hunter for a moment that is brand new to the sport. He always see’s his buddies filling tags. He sets to the field thinking it will be easy and doesn’t put much time and preparation into the hunt. In a short time he is flustered and may not even hunt again. This happens to new hunters quite often. Can you really expect much success when you quit early with no preparation? A lot of people have this idea that once you get saved, life becomes easy, but that’s just not true. The earth is cursed. Its full of sin and disappointment. Jesus Christ died to save us, but also to lead us through the storms of life. Satan wants us all to stop serving God. He will throw tough situations in front of us so we will stop serving God, unfortunately this happens to many believers. They have no root! God will always guide us through the storms of life, but we must trust in Him. We must plant our foundation strong so we have root to stand when the winds begin to blow. How is your work place right now? Are you ashamed to say that your a child of God? Are you afraid that your family may not treat you well because you go to church on Sunday? Do your hunting buddies think your weird because you love Jesus Christ? Are you ashamed of the Word of God? Romans 1:16 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.” If the people around you don’t know that you love Jesus Christ it’s probably because your like the seed that fell on stony ground; ashamed and offended at the very Word of God. A believer with no root is like a young hunter that quits to soon. There will never be success in their future! Here is the big question? Do you want to live an unsuccessful life as a Christian? Plant your seed on good ground! Jesus Christ is the only joy in this life!
Memory Verse Week 1/10/21
John 8:32
“And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
” 1. AND it came to pass afterward, that he went throughout every city and village, preaching and shewing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God: and the twelve were with him, 4. And when much people were gathered together, and were come to him out of every city, he spake by a parable: 5. A sower went out to sow his seed: and as he sowed, some fell by the way side; and it was trodden down, and the fowls of the air devoured it.”
So what exactly is a parable? The word parable in Webster 1828 is defined as to compare to or against. Bruce Lackey said, “A parable is a comparison between material and spiritual truth, designed to teach doctrine and obedience.” The Bible parables have been called “an earthly story with a heavenly meaning. Looking at verse one of our context we can see that Jesus Christ is teaching the multitudes about heaven. He’s taking an earthly understanding and giving us an eternal meaning. There are four individuals that are listed in the parable of the sower. We will look at all four in our coming days, but today lets look at verse five; “A sower went out to sow his seed.” Does that sound like a deer hunter to you? How do you find success during the late season? Food Source of course! Have you ever tried to plant a food plot? Did it turn out good or bad? There is nothing worse than sitting over a late season food plot that had never sprouted. Sometimes the seed doesn’t get planted deep enough and many different factors will remove the seed from its location. Verse five; “…and as he sowed, some fell by the way side; and it was trodden down, and the fowls of the air devoured it.” The way side is not good ground. If you till up land to plant seed, you want to plant the seed in the fresh soil, not to the side. Horses, cattle, or even a walking trail is not going to allow the seed to take root and spring up. It will kill it! Birds are a problem too! They love seed and will certainly eat it up before it can germinate. So what exactly does this parable mean? You will find yourself as one of the four seeds in this parable. Jesus Christ gives us the answer to this first group of seeds that are sown. Verse 11 and 12; “Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. Those by the way side are those that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.” Have you ever heard the gospel of Jesus Christ? It’s sad that we live in a society where people hear the Word of Jesus Christ, but yet refuse to repent and believe. Satan hates you! He wants you to hate God and blame Him for every bad circumstance that has happened in your life. God loves you! He has given us His Word so we can know the truth! John 8:32 “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” John 14:6 “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” Jesus Christ paid it all when He died on the cross! That’s what the Bible says! That is the seed that is being spoken of in Luke 8. The Word of God tells us that Jesus Christ is our only way to heaven and our only way to happiness on this earth. Don’t let the devil rob you of Him! Are you this type of seed today? If you have never put your faith and trust in Jesus Christ the Bible says you must trust in Him before its too late! Acts 20:20-21 As he is talking to the church at Ephesus, Paul says, “And how I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, but have shewed you, and have taught you publicly, and from house to house, Testify both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.” You must repent toward God. Repentance is feeling sorry for what you’ve done and turning from it. Are you sorry for your sin? The devil is stealing away the seed out of your heart. He is a liar and will one day burn in the lake of fire for all eternity! Don’t believe him! Don’t listen to Him! Repentance brings you to the place of seeing who Jesus Christ is. He is God! He died, was buried, and rose again the third day! Confess and believe! Jesus will change your life in a moment! Its late season! If your food plot didnt take, your sitting over a field right now that looks empty, desolate, and worthless! No value! Jesus Christ paid it all! Salvation is a decision only you can make! Call upon Him now! Romans 10:13 “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” I encourage you right now, call upon the name of the Lord and trust in His death, burial, and resurrection.
There are three more seeds in this parable. We will look at them in the days to come. Please contact us through email or phone if you have questions about where you will spend eternity.
Memory Verse Week 1/10/21
John 8:32
“And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
“14. And the men took of their victuals, and asked not counsel at the mouth of the LORD. 15. And Joshua made peace with them, and made a league with them, to let them live: and the princes of the congregation sware unto them.”
What a bad decision for Israel. God has given them great victory over Jericho and AI. The inhabitants of Gibeon are now in fear of what Israel will do to them. Gibeon knows that God is giving them all their land. Joshua 9:24 “And they answered Joshua, and said, Because it was certainly told thy servants, how that the LORD thy God commanded his servant Moses to give you all the land, and to destroy all the inhabitants of the land from before you, therefore we were sore afraid of our lives because of you, and have done this thing.” The Gibeonites disguised themselves as people from a far land and convinced Joshua and the princes of Israel to make them servants. God wanted the promise land to be for Israel, not mixed and intermingled with people of wicked nations that were involved in idolatry.
Sometimes as believers we think decisions ahead are good decisions, but just like Joshua, we fail to seek the Lord on the matter. God always has an answer for us, but we must read the Word of God to make decisions in our life whether big or small. As we approach the new year why not start Bible reading part of your daily life. If you have intention to start better habits on the 1st you probably wont continue if you dont make an effort today. What decisions lye ahead? What big decisions or small decisions do you have to make? Are you looking for a new church? Has God given you direction to leave your current one? If you base these decisions on emotions and feelings be sure that the future will cause disappointment. Has God spoken to you about it? What about the out of state hunting trip next year? What about the new truck, job change, new house, or the man or woman you are about to marry? Have you been seeking counsel at the mouth of the Lord? If you haven’t, your making a big mistake. Prayer is very important in making decisions, but you must pick up your Bible so you can find peace from God that your decision is right. There are one of three things that God will say; Yes, that means He will direct you in your decision; No, that means dont do it; or Wait/Stand Still, a lot of Christians don’t do well with this answer, wait or stand still means to wait and do nothing until God makes things clear to you! You might even pray and not get any answer. What do you do in this situation? I Thessalonians 5:17 “Pray without ceasing.” This means to continue praying until God gives you an answer. God loves you. He always wants the best for you, but He cant help you on your journey if you don’t seek His counsel. Here is how most believers pray; “Lord, please let me buy a new house” or “Lord, Can I go elk hunting next year”, The next day or the next week the individual goes to the bank or books the hunting guide without even picking up their Bible to see what God has to say about it. You can’t just pray and then go do what you want. That’s not how it works! You must seek counsel from God. It might be that next year there are some unknown things that come up. Like a job loss or a death in the family that would keep you from the trip. God wants us to depend on Him in everything that we do. Please seek counsel from the Lord! It is the only way to keep out of trouble. Have you spent time in God’s Word today? Why not start now!
Memory Verse Week 12/27/20
Joshua 9:14
“And the men took of their victuals, and asked not counsel at the mouth of the LORD.”
"For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost."
Recent Memory Verse
I Timothy 6:17
"Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy;"
Previous Memory Verse
Romans 12:3
"For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith."
