Weekly Devotion July 27 2026

This Devotion was written by Sportsmen Devotional and posted with permission

Bible Study Verse: 2 Timothy 1:6-7  6 For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. 7 For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline. (NIV©)

Thoughts: I am at a stage in my outdoors and shooting “career” that would best be described as being a mentor. Much of my time is spent instructing individuals on the safe and proper use of a firearm. I especially like to work with youngsters or new shooters. It’s always fun to watch someone that is a little timid or hesitant to fire the first round from a .22 rifle or pistol and to see both a smile and a look of amazement in their eyes that they did it! A few of times I’ve had youngsters or newbies freeze up and refuse to shoot a .22 rifle because they are afraid, primarily of recoil (I wonder where they got that idea…). In every case I was able to talk them into firing just one round and we’d call it OK. You can guess what happened next. I didn’t have to ask them if they wanted to shoot anymore. They were already reaching for the next round of ammo on their own so they could keep shooting!

Action Point: Many Christians are afraid to speak out about their faith in Jesus. Oftentimes they are afraid that whoever they are talking to will have questions they can’t answer. Sometimes they are in a group and are timid about sharing. Some may be afraid of a past that they think might come to light and are afraid that people will condemn them and not believe that they have truly been forgiven. My advice? Speak up anyway. Tell your story. Read verse 7 above. We have the power, love, and self-discipline that the Father has bestowed upon us. And, people might argue about a lot of things regarding your faith but, they can’t argue with you when you testify to what Jesus has done in your life, when you tell your story. Again I say, tell your story in Christ!

Sportsmen’s Tip of the Day: When working with a new shooter, always start with a low recoil firearm. .22 Long Rifle calibers are great. A .410 shotgun will work just fine. And, whatever else you do, do not tell them over and over again that the recoil is going to hurt! Be smart and start them off easy and with lots of encouragement.