Weekly Devotion August 7,2023

This Devotion was written by Sportsmen Devotional and posted with permission

Bible Study Verse: James 5:16 Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results. NLT. 

Thoughts: A good friend of mine who’s an in-the-money tournament bass angler has given me some solid advice on how to catch big bass when the temps warm up. Big bass will hunt a cool spot as the sun is beaming down and the heat is on. They often hide under thick mats of grass and vegetation. It’s challenging to get a lure in front of them. The best method is flipping a weighted jig through the vegetation. Sometimes the grass mat can be thick, and it takes something special to punch through and get the lure in the bass’s face. A titanium or tungsten jig is the trick—both are dense and heavier than lead. They are made smaller, enabling them to punch through grass mats easily. They drop faster and fish heavier and will get to the big bass. Then the angler can begin the presentation. 

Action Point: Do you know someone that needs Christ who may be challenging to reach? Maybe they are hard to talk to, refuse to listen, or are so far away from the Lord that it would seem impossible. You need something special to punch through and reach that person. You need to pray. Prayer is by far the most powerful thing a believer can do. It’s far more effective than anything you can do or say on your own. Take it to the Lord. When you pray His will, your prayers and petitions are spot on. And it is the Lord’s will that no one would perish, read 2 Peter 3:9. Your prayers can open the door for you or someone else to have an opportunity to reach that person you know who needs Jesus. A born-again believer can have confidence in praying. Remember that the prayers of the righteous are effective, as clearly stated in today’s Bible verse. Keep in mind, though, that none of us are righteous—Romans 3:10. Any righteousness we have comes from the Father imputing the righteousness of Christ to us, and He has declared us righteous. Praise be to the Lord! 

Sportsman’s Tip of the Day: If you fish for bass by flipping a heavy jig and punching through thick grass, remember that you will get the initial strike when the lure first punches through and falls. A good lure is the Strike King Hack Attack Flipping Jig, which can be purchased in your color of choice. Anglers can also buy a variety of titanium or tungsten jig heads and dress them up with different skirts. If you plan on fishing this method, using braided or heavy fluorocarbon line with a heavy rod is recommended.