Weekly Devotion July 21 2025

This Devotion was written by Sportsmen Devotional and posted with permission

Bible Study Verse: 2 Corinthians 7:1 

Therefore, since we have these [great and wonderful] promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, completing holiness [living a consecrated life—a life set apart for God's purpose] in the fear of God. AMP. 

Thoughts: There is a short time between deer season and turkey season, around six weeks, where I live and hunt. There’s a lot to get done during this period: pruning limbs, planting trees, moving cameras, and hunting shed deer antlers. But this year, there is an additional task at hand. There are a lot of nuisance trees and shrubs on our land that need to be taken out. I have tried the ‘hack and squirt’ technique of removing some sweetgum, the tree of heaven, Chinese tallow (popcorn tree), and Chinese privet. I targeted these invasive species that are scattered throughout stands of oak trees and have hindered the growth of the oaks and their acorn productivity. They must go. 

Action Point: Do you have something hindering your walk with the Lord? Maybe you have done something or are dabbling with something you shouldn’t do. We all have moments when we sin, and we should turn away from it, repent, and forsake sinful behaviors, whether big or small, secret or no secret. All these things must go—nail it to the cross. 

Sportsman’s Tip of the Day: A good way to eliminate invasive trees is by applying herbicides using the ‘hack and squirt’ method. Find the correct chemical mixture for your target tree and place it in a small spray bottle. Use a hatchet or machete to make a downward-angle hack into the tree trunk, breaking through the bark. Apply the herbicide directly into the cuts. This method allows one to target specific trees or shrubs economically