“3. Now therefore take, I pray thee, thy weapons, thy quiver and thy bow, and go out to the field, and take me some venison; 4. And make me savory meat, such as I love, and bring it to me, that I may eat; that my soul may bless thee before I die. 30. And it came to pass, as soon as Isaac had made an end of blessing Jacob, and Jacob was yet scarce gone out from the presence of Isaac his father, that Esau his brother came in from his hunting. 31. And he also had made savoury meat, and brought it unto his father, and said unto his father, Let my father arise, and eat of his son’s venison, that thy soul may bless me.”

Isaac is on his death bed. His desire is for his son to go the field and take some venison. After he received the venison, his plan was to give Esau the blessing, since he was the first born. Esau had the blessing stole from him as he was out in the field. His brother Jacob slipped in while he was in the field and disguised himself as Esau. There is a huge problem in this passage of scripture that caused Esau to slip off into eternity without receiving the blessing. In Genesis 12:3 God was telling Abraham of this blessing, “And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.” This blessing is the prophecy of Jesus Christ. One day the Messiah would come and save all nations from their sin. Esau missed it! He was rejected because of his own pride! Hebrews 12:16-17 “Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright. For ye know that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.” Esau’s pride caused him to pass of into hell for all of eternity. Do you know that Esau returned from the field with success? When he went to the woods he was seeking success for his own prideful benefit. Esau didn’t go to hell for being a hunter, he went to hell because everything he set out for in life was for his own glory. Pride will send you to hell sir, or mam. Isaiah 14 gives us thee account of Lucifer and his pride. In verses 12-14 he says “I will” five different times. Satan wants us to make life about us. He wants our success in the field to glorify our own flesh rather that Jesus Christ. After Lucifer says “I will” five times, Isaiah 14:15 says “Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.” Esau missed the blessing because he refused to repent of his sin. His pride destroyed him. Everything he strove for in life was for his own glory. What are you seeking for this season? Is it for your own fleshy lust. Will your pride keep you from the will of God? John 6:40 “And this is the will of him that sent me, that everyone which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.” Esau missed the blessing! Its not because he was a hunter, but because he rejected Jesus Christ. Don’t be the hunter that Esau was. Esau is in hell right now because of his pride. The will of the Father is for you to believe on the Son. Have you received the blessing? Have you put your faith an trust in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ? Dont let your pride destroy you! Romans 10:13 “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Do you believe Jesus Christ died for you! If you truly believe in Him, today is the day of salvation! Make Jesus Christ real in your life by calling upon now! Repent and believe!

Memory Verse Week 10/19/20

John 6:40

“And this is the will of him that sent me, that everyone which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and will raise him up at the last day.”

“11. There is a generation that curseth their father, and doth not bless their mother. 12. There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes, and yet is not washed from their filthiness. 13. There is a generation, O how lofty are their eyes! and their eyelids are lifted up. 14. There is a generation, whose teeth are as swords, and their jaw teeth as knives, to devour the poor from off the poor, and the needy from among men. 15. The horseleach hath two daughters, crying, Give, give. There are three things that are never satisfied, yea, four things say not, It is enough: 16. The grave; and the barren womb; the earth that is not filled with water; and the fire that saith not, It is enough.”

Does this passage of scripture remind you of a generation we are seeing today? Is their anything in your life right now that would cause your life to resemble this wicked generation? Horseleach is simply a generic name for any blood-sucking annelid. It never has enough! Its always saying I need more, more, more. These four things that are never satisfied are a comparison to this wicked generation. A fire never has enough wood, it continually needs more to keep going. This passage of scripture brings to mind the place of the hunting nation. The hunting society has been feeding this thought into the minds of sportsmen now for many years. A new bow never satisfies for long, a new gun, a bigger buck, a bigger trophy room, a bigger piece of hunting land, etc, etc. Satan committed the first sin of pride within his own heart. Today, we all struggle with the same sin: self will! Its all about us. Its all about more, more, more, or give, give, give. Don’t take it the wrong way. There is nothing sinful in hunting or receiving/ buying new equipment, but that is not what life is about. What happened to just going to the woods and enjoying yourself? A lot of TV hunters are more concerned about the product they market than the actual hunting itself. Its a normal reaction to make life about us. Its a normal reaction to want material gain, but the truth is, Jesus Christ is the answer. Prosperity is causing a wicked generation to overtake the United States of America. As believers, we need to seek the face of God to save this country. If you set your affections on things on this earth, you will never be satisfied. You will always be desiring more! Nehemiah 8:10 “Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our LORD: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the LORD is your strength.” Where are you seeking your joy from today? If its anything other than Jesus Christ your probably living an empty, miserable life! Don’t be a part of this wicked generation. There is not one thing you will take out of this world with you, other than the souls you win to Christ! Is the joy of the Lord your strength or are you more like this wicked generation? Only you can answer that question.

Memory Verse Week 10/12/20

Nehemiah 8:10

“Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our LORD: neither by ye sorry; for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”

“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever.”

How is your fear today? The Bible teaches us that we don’t need to fear. Its always important to look at context when we deal with this matter of fear. Proverbs 29:25 says, “The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the LORD shall be safe.” So here we can see that fear is something we don’t need to have. God never wants us to fear man. He never wants us to have a fear in the work He has called us to do, such as, winning souls for Him! Psalm111 tells us that we do need to fear God. When we fear man we become ineffective for the Lord and for eternity. The Bible tells us here that when we fear God, its the beginning of wisdom. What kind of choices are you making today? Are they wise decisions? James 1:5 says, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.” God wants to give us wisdom liberally, but the beginning of that wisdom is fearing God. Wisdom is being able to apply the knowledge that you have about God’s Word. Psalm 111 directs us to keep “his commandments”. As an example we could look at Hebrews 10:25 “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.” Lets think about a born again believer for a moment. He likes to hunt! He typically goes to church in the off season, but when deer season opens up he chooses to go to the stand on Sunday morning rather than go to the house of God. As believers we need to fear God and obey Him because of the results that can come from disobedience. We’ve heard the scripture quoted many times, “…I will never leave thee nor forake thee”, but look at what II Chronicles 15:2 says “And he went out to met Asa, and said unto him, Hear ye me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin; The Lord is with you, while ye be with him; and if ye seek him, he will be found of you; but if ye forsake him, he will forsake you.” Why should you not forsake the assembly(that means going to church)? The Bible says God will forsake you when you turn your back to Him? That is why we need to fear God. Here is another thought concerning skipping church services to hunt; your children will grow up watching daddy serve the god of horns rather than The Creator God. Why would your kids love the Lord when you don’t? Your children, your spouse, your neighbors, your co-workers and so on, will die and go to hell if they don’t get saved. How could you possibly be a testimony of Jesus Christ if you don’t care enough about the house of God to even show up? The reason we go to church is so we can grow together with other believers, but most importantly because God has commanded us to. You should be afraid for the people around you that have never been saved. What are they seeing in you at this very moment? Are you living for the Creator or are you living for the creation? Again, wisdom is applying the knowledge we have about God’s commandments! We go to church Sunday morning, Sunday night, and Wednesday night because the Bible says, not to forsake the assembly. Do you know that God loves you? He will correct you for open sin and He will correct you for hidden sin. The Bible says “For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth…” Are you fearing God today? Are you following His righteousness from the Word of God. We must live by his commandments. Forsaking the assembly is just one example. There is a bad outcome for every sin we commit. What is keeping you from fearing God today? What is keeping you from being blessed with wisdom liberally? So, knowledge is knowing that we need to be in church on Sunday because of Hebrews 10:25, wisdom is being in church on Sunday. “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever.”

Memory Verse Week 10/5/20

Psalm 111:10

“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever.”

“18. Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall. 19. Better it is to be of an humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud.”

As a believer, its easy to look at those that get lifted within themselves concerning their accomplishments. A big buck, a new house, a job promotion, and wealth are just a few things that cause people to really think highly of themselves. Before you judge others in their pride, think about what’s going on in your life? What is causing you to be lifted up? Do you brag and boast about the great things God has done in your life? Its great to praise God for what He has done, but be careful about praising yourself! How is your bus route? How is your Sunday School teaching? How is your cleaning ministry or yard mowing going? How is your church growing? How is your preaching? How is the new job? How good was your raise? Is God truly getting all the glory? I believe its easy for us to take the glory for what God does for us! Be very careful! Proverbs 25:27 “It is not good to eat much honey: so for men to search their own glory is not glory.” Proverbs 27:1-2 “Boast not thyself of tomorrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth. Let another man praise thee, and not thine own mouth; a stranger, and not thine own lips.” Its a natural reaction to take credit for what God does for us, but remember Proverbs! “Pride goeth before destruction…” Where do you stand today? What accomplishments are lifting you up today? “Better it is to be of an humble spirit…”

Memory Verse Week 9/21/20

I John 5:13

“These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.”

” 1. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2. The same was in the beginning with God. 3. All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made. 4. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. 5. And the light shined in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. 9. That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. 10. He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.”

Some states have opened already this season for the elusive whitetail deer. Many states will be opening in the near future for archery season. You are probably excited. So, will your end of season make you any happier than what you are right now? The devil likes to make us think that life is all about hunting, a filled tag, a new 4-wheeler, or even a new bow. Everyone in this world is born with an emptiness or void. A big buck this season will never fill the void. A new piece of hunting ground will not allow the happiness to last for too long. There are a lot of temporary joys that will make you feel better, but they all fade away at some point. Here is a very important question; If you died today, are you 100% sure you will go to heaven? Did you know that 70%, 85%, and 99% is not good enough. The Bible tells us that you can be 100% certain you will go to heaven when you die. The Bible also tells us that if we die in our sins we will pay the consequence in a lake of fire for all eternity. When we look at the scripture today we find some very important truths that are not taught in may religions around the world. Verse one says that God and the Word are the same in one. John 1:14 will tell us a little more about the Word, “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. If you are recognizing that Word is capitol, its because it referring to God in the flesh. His name is Jesus Christ. Here the Bible tells us that Jesus Christ is not just the Son of God, but also, that He is God. “All things were made by him;” Its sad to see the amount of sportsmen that set foot to the field, season after season, enjoying God’s wonderful creation that He gave to us, but then reject the most important truth that has ever been made known. Jesus Christ is the only way to fill the void! “He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and world knew him not.” Do you know Him? Do you know Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Saviour? Maybe this year you will kill the biggest buck of your life, but that’s still not enough. Enjoying creation and acknowledging God’s handy work is not enough to get you to heaven. The Bible says you must believe in the name of Jesus Christ! As hunting season begins there will be many that seek to fill the void again, but even if you kill a deer it will only be a temporary fix. Think about this for a minute; God created the world, it then became cursed because of Adam’s disobedience. Rather than man having to pay the consequence, God became a man(Jesus Christ) and willingly laid down His life to pay for our sin debt. Even as Christ hung on the cross, with His love and compassion He had for them He says, “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do.” He didn’t have to come, but He did because He loved you. Actually, this could be the best hunting season you’ve ever had, not because you kill a big one, but because you put your faith and trust in Jesus Christ alone. You can hope and think you may go to heaven, but any belief outside of Jesus Christ leaves you with no hope. Christ died to save you from your sins and fill the empty void that is in your life. You can make the decision at this very moment to be saved from eternal wrath in a lake of fire. Romans 10:9 “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” Repentance, faith and trust in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ is all it takes to be saved. Are you wanting to make that decision today? Pray and confess these things to the Lord before its too late. When salvation takes place in one’s life you don’t have to worry about eternity. You can be 100% certain that heaven is your home because God cant lie! I John 5:13 “These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.” Knowing means knowing, not hoping, not 99% certain!

Memory Verse Week 9/21/20

I John 5:13

“These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.”

” 7. God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be had in reverence of all them that are about him. 8. O LORD God of hosts, who is a strong LORD like unto thee? or to thy faithfulness round about thee? 9. Thou rulest the raging of the sea: when the waves thereof arise, thou stillest them.”

I’ve never had much success deer hunting in the pooring down rain. One season, years ago, I was taking my wife out for dinner! It was near the end of October as we drove toward the restaurant for a pleasant evening. The previous two days I was unable to hunt because the storms and rain were very heavy and not very probable for being in the stand. As we left the house, the storm had already stopped. We didn’t make it far and my blood began to boil as I saw the sun coming out with very cool temperatures. I couldn’t help but think, “I need to be in the stand.” I was beginning to tell my wife this is a prime night for killing a big buck because the deer have been sitting tight for the last two days. I no more than said that and my phone begins to ring. If I was a better husband I wouldn’t have answered the phone, but it was the end of October. My friend Chris is calling me at an unusual time. I’m thinking, “He needs to be in the stand, its prime time.” He’s kind of happy, but also kind of sad. He just arrowed one of his hit list bucks! It wasn’t the greatest shot so he decided to head back to the house and give the deer over night before trailing. By God’s grace he found the deer the next morning without any trouble! What a dandy! I did have a great date night with the wife too! Looking back to the Psalm there is some great application we can apply to our spiritual walk! First off, Satan hates me and he hates you. He loves storms, he loves the pooring down rain, he loves it when the waves nearly beat us to death, but notice how the Bible says “…who is a strong LORD like unto thee? or to thy faithfulness round about thee?” When storms arise in our lives its easy to lose focus! Its easy to feel like God is not there! God gave Joseph a great promise. He said one day he would rule over his brothers that hated him so much. Before Joseph saw the promise, he faced some storms that were way worse than anything we’ve ever faced. He was sold into slavery, then to prison for two years. Look at what Psalm 105:19-21 says, “Until the time that his word came: the word of the LORD tried him. The king sent and loosed him; even the ruler of the people, and let him go free. He made him lord of his house, and ruler of all his substance:” Lamentations 3:22-23 “It is of the LORD’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.” Maybe your in a place today that feels like the pooring down rain. You want to go hunting, but you cant. Your ministry is at a standstill and nothing is working. Your job is miserable and you just want to move on. Maybe your relationship with a spouse is not good at the moment, but wait! Psalm 89:9 “Thou rulest the raging of the sea: when the waves thereof arise, thou stillest them.” Did that sink in? “…thou—-stillest——them!”. Satan cant win! Amen! Storms don’t last forever! God still moves mountains! Marriages are being repaired! Jobs become much better! Your ministry will grow! Big Bucks are still getting killed every year! When the storm is calmed, God will move and show you His glory like you’ve never seen before! You will begin to experience great success! Stay faithful! Psalm 89:9 “Thou rulest the raging of the sea: when the waves thereof arise, thou stillest them.”

Memory Verse Week 9/14/20

Psalm 89:9

“Thou rulest the raging of the sea: when the waves thereof arise, thou stillest them.”

“8. It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man. 9. It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in princes.”

The word better is a simple term that is easily understood, but it is defined like this; having good qualities in a greater degree than another. Its amazing how God puts everything into place. Psalm 118:8 is the exact center of the King James Bible. In the very center of God’s Word the Bible says “It is better to trust in the LORD, than to put confidence in man.” Today we are seeing a great falling away. There is a division among believers like never before. Could it be that believers are not following the simplicity of the scriptures? Where is your confidence today? Is it in your preacher? Is it in your leadership? Is it in your marriage? Is it in your hunting season? How does hunting apply to this scripture, you might ask? We look to a lot of places for confidence, but one thing for certain is that everything and everyone outside of Jesus Christ will turn into heartache and failure. When you look to hunting for your confidence and security you may not be trusting in another, but you are trusting in yourself. The heart is empty, and though we try to fill it with the things of this world, it will always fail. Whether your confidence is in yourself or in another, please know that the Bible says that, “It is better to trust in the LORD…” Again, where is your confidence? Life is full of change, difficulties, and heartache. Some people you love and hold dear in your heart will sometimes turn their back to you. Maybe a spouse, a preacher, a child, or even a friend. Sometimes the hurt is harder and deeper than what it should be because we put more confidence in a person than we do the Lord Jesus Christ. Hebrews 13:5 “Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee nor forsake thee.” What a faithful God we serve! He is so good to us! Sometimes life leads you in different directions than what you think, sometimes relationships don’t end up the way you hoped, but our faithful God never fails! We must stop putting our confidence in other people, we must stop putting our confidence in ourselves. Remember that powerful verse we use in soul winning? Romans 3:23 “For all have sinned…” If everyone is a sinner, it doesn’t make any sense to trust in man more than God because we know that sinners always fail. How is your walk with the Lord today? Is all your confidence in Him? The Bible says, “It is better to trust in the Lord…” Stay faithful, He will never fail you! Memorize Psalm 118:8 today, its an easy one! “It it better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man.”

Memory Verse Week 9/7/20

Psalm 118:8

“It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man.”

“1. And it came to pass, that, as the people pressed upon him to hear the word of God, he stood by the lake of Gennesaret, 2. And saw two ships standing by the lake: but the fisherman were gone out of them, and were washing their nets. 3. And he entered into one of the ships, which was Simon’s, and prayed him that he would thrust out a little from the land. And he sat down, and taught the people out of the ship. 4. Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught. 5. And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: neveretheless at thy word I will let down the net. 6. And when they had this done, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake. 7. And they beckoned unto their partners, which were in the other ship, that they would come and help them. And they came, and filled both the ships, so that they began to sink. 8. When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord. 9. For he was astonished, and all that were with him, at the draught of the fishes which they had taken:”

The word draught means that which is taken by sweeping of a net. Put yourself in Peter’s shoes for a minute. The Bible says he had toiled all night. The word toil means to weary or over labor. Peter has been trying for success all night, but now they have given up. They are washing their nets in frustration because its been a long night of absolutely nothing. Have you been there? Have you tried so hard at something that you have had success with in the past? Remember that Peter is a professional fisherman. Many times in our own lives we try so hard at success, but the end turns into emptiness and frustration because we walk away empty handed. Doing the ministry in our own power will never work out for us. Maybe your not in full time ministry, but if your saved you should be plugged into a ministry somewhere in your church. Soul winning, Sunday school teacher, bus worker, evangelist, missionary, grounds crew, etc. There are days when we try to do things in our own power, but yet we never get anywhere. The biggest problem of our failure is because we are not listening to the Word of God. We are not allowing Him to give the blessing. Notice how Peter responds to Jesus Christ when He tells him to launch out into the deep for a draught, “…Master, we have toiled all night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net.” Its like Peter is saying, don’t you understand Lord, we have been out here all night and there aren’t any fish in this area! Peter’s frustration caused him to disobey at Jesus’ direction. He let down the net, not the nets. Jesus said let down the nets! Proverbs 30:5 “Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him.” Are you truly following God’s direction today? His blessings are beyond anything that we could ever imagine. Ephesians 3:20-21 “Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.” Covid 19 has been a big hold up to those doing the work of the ministry. Does it feel like nothing is working? Have you stopped and thought, Maybe I need to seek the Lord about this! Maybe I need to listen to what God has to say about the matter and truly trust in His Word! Ezekiel 34:26 “And I will make them and the places round about my hill a blessing; and I will cause the shower to come down in his season; there shall be showers of blessing.” God is faithful! Don’t get frustrated! Look to the LORD! Even though Peter had a faithless response, God still blessed. God will bless us as well, if we would just listen and obey every word of God!

Memory Verse Week 8/24/20

Ezekiel 34:26

“And I will make them and the places round about my hill a blessing; and I will cause the shower to come down in his season; there shall be showers of blessing.”

“5. Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD. 6. For he shall be like the heath in the desert, and shall not see when good cometh; but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land and not inhabited. 7. Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is. 8. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.”

The first four words of this passage are very powerful. Its something that every reader needs to give full attention to. When God begins to speak we would all be wise to listen! The Bible says, “Thus saith the LORD…” How do you live your life as a believer? Is it according to these four words? As God uses Jeremiah to speak to the house of Judah, its unfortunate that God’s chosen people chose to follow the arm of flesh rather than the mercies of God. What exactly does the arm of flesh mean? One thing we know about the arm is that it can be full of muscles. Its where you will find strength! The Bible is telling us here that when you trust in your own strength, rather than God’s strength, you can expect a curse to fall upon your life. So let’s think about God for a moment; sinless, everlasting love, all knowing, all powerful, Creator, righteous, merciful, and many other things. Now let’s think about man; sinner, wicked, liar, thief, backbiter, self-willed, hater, proud, unkind, unfriendly, etc, etc. God’s way is always perfect and God’s way is always faithful! We have a lot of believers today thinking that our hope is found in the election, a religious person, or even a professional hunter or fisherman. What is consuming your life right now? Where is your hope? Is it truly in the LORD? Its a natural thing for us to follow our way or the way of others, but it leads to nothing more than a curse! That’s what the Bible says! Verse five tells us that when we put our strength in ourselves or other human flesh, our heart will depart from the LORD. God knew that Judah would not repent of their evil way, but He still sent Jeremiah to warn them. God is very long suffering, but He knows your end. He knows right now whether your strength is in Him or in man. The United States of America is turning away from God’s righteousness. Think about what we are seeing; school shootings like never before in history, historical monuments torn down, defunding those that serve and protect, murder in the womb like never before, hatred, burning Bibles, CWD, EHD. Look at verse five again, “Cursed be the man…” look at verse six too, “For he shall be like the heath in the desert, and shall not see when good cometh…” The word heath is referring to being left empty. Picture for a moment an empty desert! Now imagine living there. That’s exactly what life will be like to believers that trust in their own strength. Verse seven and eight reminds us of how God will take care of us, if we would just put sin out of our lives and trust in Him, “Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD…”, “For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters…” The word blessed means happy. Can you say today you are a happy man or woman? You must be trusting in God. Maybe your not happy, maybe life has been very difficult. Could it be that your heart has departed from the LORD? God is long suffering! There is still time to repent and recover from the direction you may be going. II Chronicles 7:14 “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” God knows who you are trusting in today. What will your end be? A desert, or a flourishing tree bearing fruit during the days of drought? Only you can decide!

Memory Verse Week 8/3/20

II Chronicles 7:14

“If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”

“23. But this thing commanded I them, saying, Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people: and walk ye in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well unto you. 24. But they hearkened not, nor inclined their ear, but walked in the counsels and in the imagination of their evil heart, and went backward, and not forward. 25. Since the day that your fathers came forth out of the land of Egypt unto this day I have even sent unto you all my servants the prophets, daily rising up early and sending them: 26. Yet they hearkened not unto me, nor inclined their ear, but hardened their neck: they did worse than their fathers. 27. Therefore thou shalt speak all these words unto them; but they will not hearken to thee: thou shalt also call unto them; but they will not answer thee.”

Have you ever been rabbit hunting? Walking a fence row and jump shooting rabbits is still fun, but what really makes rabbit hunting exciting, is hunting with a good dog. You can easily walk past many rabbits without a dog or even have them run ahead of you and never know it. A dog or dogs make the difference! When the dogs go on track its like hearing the choir sing with joy and excitement in your heart. Now that’s what happens when you run good dogs, but when the dog is not so good, it causes a great deal of frustration and sometimes anger. There are some beagle’s that will run the rabbit backwards. Talk about frustration! You jump the rabbit. The dog goes on track, but after the dog gets away from you a bit he/she may lose the hot trail and begin to back track. At first you get excited because you think the rabbit is coming back to you for a shot, but then you realize the dog is on the same trail it left on. What tops it off is that the beagle is stubborn too. This can cause a great deal of anger, frustration, and even embarrassment in front of your hunting party. Have you ever stopped and thought about how God may feel when He see’s His children going backwards? Look at verse 24 again, “But they hearkened not, nor inclined their ear, but walked in the counsels and in the imagination of their evil heart, and went backward, and not forward.” God has been so good to Israel. They were delivered from Egypt and given a great land to dwell in, but in their prosperity they went backwards rather than forward. What is really sad about this passage of scripture is that Jeremiah is standing in the gate of the temple warning the religious leaders of the wrath to come. Jeremiah 7:1-2 “The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying, Stand in the gate of the LORD’s house, and proclaim there this word, and say, Hear the word of the LORD, all ye of Judah, that enter in at the these gates to worship the LORD.” We see this very direction in America today; God’s children and religious leaders are walking in the imagination of their evil heart. Worship is becoming nothing more than a religious gathering. How do you keep from going backwards? It must first start with the individual! A pastor once said that there are two paths in the Christian walk, either your growing or dying. What is your story? Are you growing? Have you passed out a tract today? Have you witnessed or made an effort to witness lately? How is your personal walk with the Lord in your prayer and Bible reading? How faithful are you to church? How is your faith? One thing certain is that the devil always tries to stop the work of Christ. Many Christians go through trials in life, they go through these situations they cant understand and in return they begin doubting the Word of God. Jeremiah is warning Judah that if they don’t repent and turn back to the Lord, God is going to deal with them in a very painful way. They never turned! God allowed the Babylonians to carry them away for 70 years and also burned the temple. How can you overcome the feelings, emotions, and difficulties you have been facing? How can you have a closer walk with the Lord? Stop worrying about what everyone else is doing and seek God about what He wants for your life. Jesus Christ showed such and incredible love by dying on the cross for us. That is all we need! Go to that place when He changed your life, then stop, and thank God for how good He’s been to you! Is God pleased with you? What is He seeing in your heart at this very moment? Let’s do our best to move forward and not backwards! James 5:19-20 “Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him; Let him know, that he which converteth a sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.”

Memory Verse Week 7/27/20

James 5:19-20

“Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him; Let him know, that he which converteth a sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.”