Author: Scott

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. Please stay with me through this one. A hunter’s bloodtrail is awesome because at times it is the only thing that connects us 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. So let me summon this whole devotion up: Jesus is the way. The only way. You must believe he is our Lord and Savior to receive what he has for you. You can follow the path all you want. But if you don’t believe, you will not receive. The Bible makes it very clear. Believing is the key.

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. For Veterans Day, our veterans were involved with school assemblies, 3 parades, presentations, booth displays, and various meals in the area. Our Operation Whitetail events continue this weekend. All told, we will host more than two dozen veterans/active duty personnel. Including our first ever couples deer Whitetail event. 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.” During this time a year ago, we spent 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 were doing. Just working on it. I wasn’t serious. Just ready for it to be done. Because, we knew that what was, and is, going to take place out there is going to be awesome. Serving God by serving others. And that’s exactly what the last few days 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 Missouri Firearms Session I. 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. 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. What does that mean? I believe it means that we are “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. All of this means that we are trying to reach those that do not believe in Jesus. Because believing is the key for them to receive eternity in heaven with him. 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. 

Last year, 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. What I mean is, I think we can honor the sacrifice by serving other people. 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 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.

I was talking to one of our veterans about what they saw during combat. Believe me, it wasn’t pretty. I cannot imagine having gone through something like that. Hearing stories like this really emphasizes that what we do is so very important. Many of us, if not all of us, have seen or done things that beat us down emotionally and spiritually. Things that we can’t seem to let go of. Things that can take us to dark places. Things that lead us to points of anger. Even to points of rage. Or maybe to points of extreme anxiety or depression. We get caught in the downward spiral and we find ourselves in places we cannot handle, and then we react or respond in ways that are not rational. 

Satan is good at using this tactic against us. But as good at this as he may be, our Lord and Savior is even better at what he does. He has this covered. He has already defeated our enemy. He has already taken our times of emotional turmoil and cast them aside. He has beaten Satan back. He did that for us. He is beating him back now. And he will continue to do so. 

But why? Why does God allow these times in our lives? I believe he allows these moments so we can turn to him. We can pray to him. We can ask for his help. And when we do, we get to witness the awesome power and glory that only his grace provides. His love for us is beyond all reasoning. And these are moments we can learn from and build our faith stronger on. Then just think of the testimonies we will have to share with others. We will be able to witness to them because we’ve been through it. Oh isn’t that incredible! God’s plans are beautiful. And going through tough times are part of his plans. And the reward of eternity is awaiting us who believe in Jesus. Because God loves us. Always has. Always will.

The Government Shutdown is still going on. Congress at its finest. Don’t you just love politicians playing politics. Pointing fingers at each other. Bickering back-and-forth. Right this…Left that. Oh wait, that’s us. That’s the American people. Me included. I just am tired of the ugliness. I’m tired of the people this country, allowing those on Capitol Hill to influence their thoughts. Believing what their Senator believes. Or their Representative. Or the President. I’ve said it many times, the divide between DC and the American people is far and wide. So unfortunate. I wonder how quickly they would pass the budget if their salary was tied to it. 

Here is what I think about this. No…these are just my opinions. What we are thinking impacts our lives. Our thoughts do. If they are healthy, they can positively affect our lives. If they are toxic, they can negatively affect our lives. Our relationships. Our everythings. I’m not saying that what you are reading, watching, listening to, etc., are bad. What I’m saying is that “how” you take all that in can be. How you let them impact how you think can be. It’s no secret that I am a 1980s hair band fan. Def Leppard. Motley Crue. Metallica. But they are simply entertaining to me. I don’t let them control how I view things. How I see things. How I think things. How I do things.

I’m not trying to tell you what to listen to or watch. I’m not trying to tell you who it is you should let yourself be influenced by. It’s not my place to do so. But I am saying this…If you find yourself allowing what you hear, read, watch, or listen to impact your thoughts, maybe you need to be careful. If you find yourself allowing DC impact you enough that you are celebrating in the anxiety of those around you, maybe you need to be careful. What I am trying to tell you is that our thoughts do matter. They matter more than we realize. They matter because they are important in determining who we are. Who we become. How we act. What we believe. They matter because they can keep us from God‘s truth. And that’s where the danger lies. Toxic thoughts can destroy us. Without us even realizing it. They can tear our lives apart. They can ruin our relationships. So, maybe it’s time to analyze our thoughts and see how they are directing us. Maybe it’s time to take inventory on what we allow ourselves to be impacted by. Or even more importantly, maybe it’s time to let God‘s word take over and let God take control of our thoughts. If we do that, he will take control of our lives. And how awesome will that be!

This time of year, our yard is covered in leaves. Especially out at the new farmhouse. A month ago, our yards were still dirt and grass. Then the acorns began dropping. And the leaves. Now, you cannot see the ground. Temperatures have change as well. We go from 90° to 50° in what seems like overnight. Clearly a sign that Fall is at hand. Winter is just around the corner. The seasons are changing. And just as there are seasons that we live through on earth, there are different seasons that we go through in our lives spiritually. Let me explain.

For 15 years of my life, I was an educator in the high school system. I worked daily with kids trying to figure out and navigate through their teenage years. During a time of development in their lives. Not only was I teaching them the curriculum put in front of us, I worked on trying to show them how God could use them. Not only after high school, but while they were in high school. That season came to an end for me in for me in 2011. In 2006, I began a private basketball program for junior high and high school age. We used basketball to teach morals and values of being young Christians. Basketball was the tool to bring us together. But the purpose was to show God’s glory. That season ended in 2021. It ended because the season that I’m in now is Charlie 22 Outdoors. It requires my attention. And the purpose with it is not much different than the seasons before. Just where and who I work with is the difference. 

Each one of us has a purpose. Ultimately, it is to serve God. But how we do so is probably different for each of us. And chances are, how we do so, probably changes as we go through our lives. Thus, the different seasons. And chances are also that while some of us may know our purpose, others are still trying to figure theirs out. I believe it’s because you are where you are supposed to be right now. Being prepared. God is preparing you for what is to come. Sometimes preparation is short. Other times it takes a few years. And that is fine. Don’t fret. Don’t worry. Just keep striving. Just keep asking for him to show you how he will use you for his kingdom. And he will. God will show you when the time is right. He will guide you through the different seasons of your life. But you must ask him to do so.

Sometimes we find ourselves holding on to things that we can’t seem to let go of. Sometimes we have a guilt of some thing that we have done. Other times we have hatred or despise others for what they have done. These are easy for us to do because we are human. Holding on can be detrimental. Holding on can hold us back. Our minds and our feelings can be dangerous places for us to go. Because they can keep us from being close to God.

Now, I am not saying that we should forget all of these type of things. Not at all. We just need to be aware of the snake lurking around. And that is that Satan will use our minds against us. He will use our thoughts and our feelings. That’s how he does things. He sneaks around behind the scenes attacking us without us even knowing it. Sometimes he uses our guilt. Sometimes he uses others against us. All in his plan to keep us from God‘s grace.

But there is good news. God has you. God has me. God has all of us. He is in our corners. Helping us fight these battles daily against the attacks that come from Satan. The attacks that come from inside our own heads as well as from others around us. Even better, victory has already been declared for us. The cross did that. The sacrifice was for us. As terrible as it must’ve been for Jesus, he did it for us. So we can grow closer to God. God will renew our hearts and our minds. He will take away all of the outside noise that’s keeping us from growing closer to him. All we have to do is let him in and help us fight this battle. What I mean is, all we have to do is believe. Believe that he is our Lord and Savior. I know these battles may not be easy. I have been through them. I still am. But God will see us through. And as we said earlier, the victory has already been declared. Remember that.

I imagine that every one of us has gone through times of heartache. If some of you have not, I’m going to bet that it’s going to happen at some point. Things happen that just seem to crush us. Maybe it’s a divorce. Maybe it’s losing a job. Or maybe it’s losing a loved one. Whatever the case, heartache happens. It’s part of being on earth. It’s part of us being human. It’s not easy. In fact, it’s very hard. But it happens. Broken hearts happen. And I’ve had my fair share of them.

Our hearts are also the center of our “physical” lives. It’s our pump to keep the blood flowing in our bodies. Without it, our bodies will not function. But what about our spiritual lives? There are some strong arguments that our spiritual lives are centered around our hearts. One of those being…It’s what is in our hearts that dictates how we live our spiritual lives. And since that is the case, we must strive to have Christ as the center of our hearts. No question about it. He must be the center. What I mean by that is…we must believe Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior. If we do this, people will be able to see Christ through our actions. That means, people will see Christ in all that we do. 

So here’s today’s challenge. Let’s allow God to continuously work in our hearts. Let’s allow God to continuously build us spiritually. Doesn’t matter where we work. Where we live. Nothing should block us from letting God work in us. Nothing! So today, let’s strive to commit our hearts to God. To commit our hearts to what God is calling us to do. If we do this, our hearts will remain pure. Then that will help us better serve him. I believe that as long as we are alive, our purpose is show the grace that only Jesus provides. We may be that one person, that shows that one person, that Jesus is our Lord and Savior. Read that again. And before we conclude this, I would like to ask everyone reading this to be praying for our country. Pray for our leadership. Pray that Jesus can guide decisions that are made at that level. Many would agree that we need him now more than ever. Our country needs to be united and heal. And I believe the way that can happen is by having biblical principles dictate government decisions. Now I realize that this may be easier said than it is to do. I get that. But it’s doable. And since it’s doable, we must strive to do it. And that’s because God loves us. He always has. He always will.

When we are saved in Christ, we are renewed. The old sinful person we once were has gone. It has left. But that doesn’t mean we are sin-free. It doesn’t mean we are not going to sin. Or not be tempted by sin. It means that the sacrifice on the cross has taken the burdens of our sins away from us. Read 2 Corinthians 5 and you will see what I’m saying.

But we must be aware that this “renewed” life comes with some responsibilities. We weren’t given a free pass when we were saved. We weren’t given a “get out of jail free” card. Our salvation has given us a path to follow. And the Bible tells us that path is narrow. And what that means is that not everyone is going to follow the path. That is so unfortunate. There are people that you know. People that I know. People all around us. People that are not going to be in heaven. Wow!

For me it was a struggle to remove the old sinful self. I had been living my own life far longer than I had been a believer of Jesus. I still face temptations. I still live in this world full of sin. We all do. But I know these truths: If I stay steadfast in my relationship with God, He will continually work in my life. He will continue to “renew” me. He will continue guiding me down the path to rid me of the stains of my sin. He will continue leading to the moment when I will see him and be in his presence for eternity. And as much as I know these truths are for me, I know that they are for you too. They are for everyone. Jesus didn’t pay the price just for me. He paid the price for all of us. The last time I checked, the word all means all. So that means everyone. And that one reason alone is enough for me to think we all should do what we can to serve him by serving others. No matter what we do. No matter where we are. No matter who we are. We should find ways to serve him by serving others. Because he loves us. Always has. Always will.