Weekly Devotion December 1 2025

This Devotion was written by Sportsmen Devotional and posted with permission

Bible Study Verse: Psa 139:23-24; "Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." [NIV]

Thoughts: My brother and I were tracking a deer I had shot just before sundown, following blood sign, when a blizzard hit just as the sun crossed the horizon. We had thought it was going to be easy to find and would be super quick, so we didn't grab all our gear and weren't paying close attention to our route in, because we had plenty of light to see. That's when we found ourselves in a blizzard in the dark, completely lost with just light pullovers, no hats, no gloves and no gear. We wandered around completely lost for about four hours. I've never been that close to dying in my life and the slow build towards what seemed like an inevitable end was terrifying. Our dad saved us by driving our truck to the top of a high hill and shining a spotlight up into the air, yelling and honking the truck's horn. We had literally been going in circles a few hundred yards away from our truck. Once we saw the light and could hear our dad's voice, we walked straight towards him and made it out alive.

Action Point: As a man, I often wrestle with humbling myself and asking others for help and ESPECIALLY in areas of my emotions and character. Men are great at hunting predators, hucking themselves off cliffs in squirell suits, engaging in all kinds of terrifying adventures by their own choice and call it fun...but would rather walk around in circles in destructive life patterns for years, watching their lives descend in a slow pattern of inevitable death, rather than to turn to the Father or his people for guidance. Blessedly, we always have the immediate privilege of turning to our Dad in heaven and saying, "Search out where I'm at and lead me forward into your Way everlasting." If you're wandering around, don't know what's tripping you up and feeling lost, turn to our Father, look for the Light and follow the sound of his voice. Keep in step with the Spirit today, and he'll lead you in the way everlasting.

Sportsman's Tip of the Day: Prepare, prepare, prepare is the model of the true scout! Don't pack for your fears, that will just weigh you down with unnecessary gear, but do be prepared when you're out in the wilderness. Know the weather conditions, the topography, and what gear you need so that if you do get in a tough way, you'll have a plan of attack to keep yourself reasonably safe.