Author: Scott

Next week is Thanksgiving week. A week where we will all celebrate with annual customs with friends and family. A week that includes meals prepared by hands of those who love us. And we cannot forget that there are football games and Black Friday shopping frenzies. I’m certain that there are other customs. Think about what you and your families do. What your friends do. Is there something that is uniquely yours? I bet there is. These are just what come to mind. 

There is nothing inherently wrong with any of these. In fact, I’d like to suggest that we all find ways to bring our loved ones together. Whether it be by food, football, shopping, etc. Being together is important. It can strengthen the bonds we have. It gives us the opportunity to reflect and remember times from our younger years. Maybe times that included loved ones no longer with us. Or maybe times that were the beginnings of traditions we now have. 

But as the week begins, I’d like to also suggest that we truly think about what we are thankful for. What is it that really rocks us to our core? This might include things we never really thought about. Or maybe things we have forgotten. Let’s take a few moments to think about this question: What are you truly thankful for? And I’m talking about what it is you are really thankful for. Maybe it’s something that would change your life if you didn’t have it. Something that is that important. Then let’s go one step further. Let’s pray of genuine prayer of thanks. Go to our knees and open our hearts and be thankful. I am not going to make suggestions on what you should be thankful for. I am certain that you know what they are. I am simply saying let’s give thanks to our Lord and Savior for these things. Let’s be sincerely thankful. And while we do so, let’s be sure to be truly thankful for his love and grace. Because if we’re truly honest, that’s what really matters.

Here’s an interesting question: “How can something we can’t see control so much of who we are, determine what we feel and what we do and what we say or don’t, dictate how we move or sleep, and inform what we want, what we hate, and what we love?”

What we are talking about here is our thoughts. They have tremendous control over our actions. The good and the bad. And even more interesting to me is that even though they have so much “control” over us, we ultimately have the ability to shift the focus of them. We can decide what we think about. What an amazing gift that God has given us. 

In the Bible there’s an example of someone doing exactly that. The Apostle Paul. Talk about someone doing a complete 180. We know his story. Before converting, Paul was known as Saul. He worked on sending believers to prison. Men and women alike. While on his way to Damascus to arrest and extradite Christians back to Jerusalem, Saul was confronted by Jesus. And from that moment on, he shifted his thoughts to serving our Lord and Savior. Paul “chose” to live under the power of the Holy Spirit. We can do the same thing. The world tells us how we should think and view things. How we should believe. How we should agree with the masses. But the Holy Spirit gives us the same power that Paul had. This is the same power that raised Jesus from the dead. That’s the power to shift our focus. The power to take control of the battle in our minds. The power to serve God by serving others. Is today the day for you to take control? Maybe it is.

Who we surround ourselves with is very important in determining who we are and what we represent. Our relationships are very important. And often times, if not all the time, our thoughts and behaviors can determine our relationships. Therefore, it’s important for us to have a clear mind and think appropriately. Keeping all of our focus on God. Even in the dark times, we should strive to keep our focus on him. If we do so, he can help us keep our thoughts and our behaviors where they need to be. And that will help us keep our relationships healthy.

But what about relationships that are unhealthy that we want to keep? Like with family and close friends. And what about thoughts that seem to reoccur? Or behaviors? I would like to suggest that we spend our time trying to determine a way to fix these. That would require us to figure out what causes these. God can help us figure this out. If we pray to him for wisdom on how to work on unhealthy relationships, and how to keep our thoughts more pure, he will do it. 

And here is the good news. If we do this. If we focus our energy and our efforts on God. If we let him guide us in our thoughts and our relationships,  then we might be the light that leads those that don’t know him-to him. Wow! Talk about doing a 180. We can take our inner thoughts, our inner emotions, and turn them into tools to show others God‘s grace. And that might be what leads them to salvation. Instead of wallowing in despair of what we are going through, we can work through them with God’s unending love. Instead of allowing ourselves to live day by day in unhealthy relationships, we can strive to show others God’s unending love. And that’s awesome. So let’s try to take our thoughts captive. Let’s try to work on our relationships. And let’s let God’s love take hold. Just imagine the testimonies that we will have if we do so.

Thanksgiving is less than two weeks away. Right around the corner. And that’s what motivates me for this devotion. Some of the best advice I was ever given, and that I can give, is to be thankful and give praise throughout all things. No matter the situation. No matter the outcome. Be thankful. They may be difficult to find, but there are blessings in everything that we experience or go through. I have an example for you. August of 2023, we had a serious health scare with our daughter after the banquet. Ended up in ICU. But the blessing that came out of that was finding a doctor that she can relate to and learn from. Not easy to find something to be thankful for when your 19 old daughter is going through something like that. But it was there. God saw us through.

God will see you through just as he did us. Through everything. Whatever causes anxiety, depression, anger, etc. God will see you through. But we must act to have that happen. We must bring all of our issues before him. Lay them at his feet. He knows what we’re going through. He has paved the way. Let’s humble ourselves and bring our concerns before him. He is waiting. He is capable. He can do what we cannot. His grace has us covered.

I would like to quote some thing that I read earlier. “Worship the Lord. Fix your eyes upon Him. Take your eyes off of yourself and off of your circumstances and set them securely upon your Lord.” As you worship him, always remember that he is God. He loves us all. His plans for us are good. No matter what we are going through, the plans are good. Our vision may be blurry. We may not see what the end goal is or his plans are. But he loves us. And he will always, always, always be here for us. All we have to do is go to him with open hearts. And don’t forget, the victory has already been declared. The cross did that.

Doing what we do, we get to work with veterans and their families from all across the country. It really is a blessing to us. Unfortunately, many of them are dealing with anxiety, depression, PTSD, and other emotional trials. Each day presents new challenges. Just knowing what they have to deal with can also cause a mixture of emotions. Can you just imagine? I can’t. I don’t want to. I don’t pretend to. What they saw while they served is beyond my comprehension. There’s nothing wrong with them. They just have stuff that they’re dealing with. But don’t we all.

Here is a quote from something that I read before: “Sometimes we feel like there’s something waiting to sabotage us. Waiting for that one moment to ruin our days. That one moment to ruin our lives. The feelings can actually lead us to believe that there’s something wrong with us.” I’d like to suggest that this is one of the tools that Satan uses. Makes us think that God has forsaken us. Makes us think that we are failures. And sometimes, makes us turn to solutions that are not going to work. Temporary solutions. Band-Aids. For example, substance abuse. Or other self-destructive activities. 

It’s easy to believe that there’s no hope. There’s no future. There’s no purpose. There’s no reason to live. Once again, tools used by Satan. Sometimes even believers can think this. But truth is, no matter how bad it gets, Jesus is always there. And he provides us hope. He provides a future. He provides a purpose. He provides a reason to live. He provides peace that only can come from him. And here’s something that I love about our Lord and Savior. Jesus provides strength and solutions to what we are facing. Read that again! Strength and solutions. The problems of the world are not going to go away. We’re gonna face them. But with him in our hearts, we can handle them. Trust God‘s word and keep your eyes on his love. Do these things, and you will feel a calm. You will feel a peace. Because God loves you. Always has. Always will.

This is a quote from something I read: “The next step in battling against your toxic thoughts is to replace those thoughts with God’s truth. The best place to find God’s truth is in His Word.“ Pretty straightforward. The truth is easy to find. It’s in the Bible.

Just as easy as it is to find the truth, it is easy to find the lies of the world. All you have to do is turn on the TV. We are being flooded with information that really is simply false. This is allowed now. If you don’t believe this, or follow this, then you are wrong. If you disagree with us, you are wrong. If you criticize or try to correct someone, you are wrong. Evil is now good. Good is now evil. Etc., etc., etc. I don’t recall a time in my life when a person was right and wrong at the same time. Not to this extent. No matter what you say or do, you are right and wrong at the same time. No matter what you believe, you are right and wrong at the same time. How did that happen? Why did it happen so quickly? I don’t know the answers. But I do know this, Satan is on the prowl.

And I know this too. There really is only one truth and one constant in this world. Jesus. He is the truth. He has remained steadfast. And he’s going to continue being the truth. He will never waver. He will always be here for us, no matter what the world says. Christ is our foundation. Christ is THE foundation. And as Christians, we can stand firm in this truth as well…The pain and suffering that we endure on this earth pales in comparison to the glory we’re going to receive for eternity in heaven. Simply awesome! So none of the lies that the world tells us will be able to sway us from the glory that God has for us. None of them. God has us. God loves us. Always has. Always will.

A dear friend of mine shared this with me. I find it very fitting since it is deer season. Even for those who are not deer hunters, this devotion should hit home. Because the blood of Jesus is for us all. What took place on the cross 2000 years ago is for us all. All of us! That includes you. A hunter’s bloodtrail is awesome because at times it is the only thing that connects us to to the animal that gave their life for us. If we lose the bloodtrail, we can lose the animal. If you get off the bloodtrail, it can take you through briars and thickets that just waste time. At times it is hard to follow and requires work, other times it is easy to see. Sometimes the bloodtrail takes you right through the briars, but it still leads you to the prize. Do you see where I’m going with this? Does any of this sound familiar?

In our faith, Jesus left a bloodtrail. When we lose sight of it, we can get lost. When we stay on the bloodtrail, even though the briars of life tear at us and tangle us up, we are making progress toward the prize. The bloodtrail leads to the lamb that gave his life for us. This bloodtrail leads right to the foot of the cross.

Jesus has paved the way. He shed his blood for us. He gave his life for us. We will see him if we stay on the trail. He’s waiting. Maybe today is the day for you to get back on the trail. Maybe today is the day for you too step onto the trail for the first time. Or maybe today is the day for you to accept Jesus into your heart and follow him. He’s waiting. He will always be there. His bloodtrail will never disappear. All you have to do is get on it and follow it.

Charlie 22 Outdoors has had quite the last couple weeks. We were in Branson all week at Veterans Village. Setting up there on November 4. Tearing down on November 10. Several veterans/volunteers helped set up and man the booth. They did such an amazing job. Hundreds of Veterans came by to visit. Veterans Day was Monday. We were involved with a school assembly, a parade, and a lunch. Our Operation Whitetail events begin this weekend. All told, we will host eight veterans/active duty personnel. They are coming from all over the Midwest. And we have one flying in from California. We are so blessed to be able to do what we do.

What does all of us have to do with the devotion? It’s really pretty simple. We can come up with one word. Serving! The ministry was built on the motto: “Serving those who have already served.” We have spent the last few weeks tirelessly preparing the farmhouse for the weekend. Many, many, many late nights. I told Barbara that I was beginning to despise the farmhouse because that’s all we are doing. Is working on it. I wasn’t serious. Just ready for it to be done. Because, we know that what is going to take place out there is going to be awesome. We’re going to be able to serve God by serving others. And that’s exactly what the last few weeks have been about. Serving. That’s it. Serving other people. Isn’t that what we are called to do? Didn’t Jesus say that we are to go and make disciples? I believe so. We are called to go out into the world and tell others about Jesus. To show his grace. To show his love. We are called to lift others up and serve them. Put them above ourselves. 

So today’s challenge is one that we have put out there several times. We do so, because it’s important. We do so, because Jesus wants us to do what the challenge calls for us to do. Today’s challenge is for us to find ways to serve others. So today, look for opportunities. Find ways to serve others. Keep an open mind, because it might take some creativity on your part. As you do so, remember this very important component to the whole process. Make sure you are serving to serve others through Christ. Keep that in your heart first. Don’t look to benefit personally. Don’t get caught in the trap of serving just to be serving. Make sure to keep your eyes on why you are serving. Keep Jesus the focus in what you do. And I promise you this, he will bless your efforts. And that means people will see his grace. They will see his love. And that is awesome.

This coming Saturday is the beginning of firearms deer season in Missouri. This is also the beginning weekend of our Operation Whitetail Events. I, along with many of my friends and family, will take to the hunting blinds or tree stands all throughout the state. Our volunteers and guides will be serving veterans coming in to each of our events. Hunting game that we anticipate and prepare for each year, just as soon as the previous season ends. This is a really important time for many, many, many people. There are school districts that actually shut down during these next few days to allow students help provide for their families.

We talk about being called to be fishers of men. We’re “fishing” for men that are lost. Men who need to know Jesus. What this means is that we’re called to go find those people (men and women) who don’t have a relationship with Jesus. And then to serve them in a manner that reflects God’s grace. The show them the hope that comes from Jesus.

With it being deer season, I’d like to say that we’re called to be hunters of souls. Just as we fish for men, we should be “hunting” for those with lost souls. Hunting for those that need to know the hope that comes from Jesus. Just as we prepare for the upcoming deer season, we should prepare for that one moment. Prepare for when that moment comes that we can witness to someone searching. We should anticipate it just like we do each opening weekend. Anticipate that God will send us someone who needs us to show who he is. And that’s really the “harvest” that matters. So let’s challenge ourselves to prepare for and anticipate so we can be ready when the time comes.

Over the years, members of the military have served our country. That means they have served us. Many of them have willingly laid down their lives to protect and defend, in wartime and peace, the Constitution of the United States of America and its freedoms. We can attend a church of our choosing. We can own a Bible. We have the freedom of speech. The freedom of assembly. The freedom of the press. We have the Second Amendment. We have these freedoms, rights, and more, all defended and protected by the members of the military.

Today, November 11, is Veterans Day. Today we celebrate all who have served. Today we honor and celebrate them. Today let’s take time to pause, reflect, and pray for our veterans and their families. Let’s thank God for all of them. Let’s ask God to put his cloak around them and protect them. 

Yesterday, I was blessed and humbled to get to speak to the congregation at our church. I emphasized three points that I want to share with you. First, because of Jesus, our hearts are made clean. His sacrifice did that for us. Second, thank you is not enough. Saying thank you is awesome. Don’t get me wrong. But we need to do more than that. Third, our responsibilities have increased. We are called to serve. The Bible tells us that. And I believe that the sacrifice on the cross for us, makes it a requirement for us to serve. So today, find a way to serve. Look for them. God will show you. And then when you find it, do it. Let me close with this on this most very important day: If you are a veteran, know that we love you. We thank you. We honor you and value you. Today we want you to know how much we appreciate you. And we are here for you. We love you. And God loves you.