There are many things about this time of year that I enjoy: Leaves changing color, Thanksgiving, & Football just to name of few. But one of my favorite hobbies during this time of year is Deer Hunting.
In his book, "A Look at Life from a Deer Stand", Steve Chapman shares some wonderful analogies and devotional thoughts through the experience of deer hunting. One of my favorites is "Going Deeper." I don't actually own the book so I'm going to attempt to share what I got from this reading.
Steve was sharing about some of his earliest experiences in deer hunting. One of those experiences came from some frustration over his evening hunts. He had placed his stand near the edge of a field since most of the deer filter out of the woods to feed. However, the deer always got there too late to shoot. An older gentleman told him, "You need to go deeper!" What Steve found out was that if he placed his stand deeper into the woods then he would be able to see these deer before it got dark.
What's the spiritual application? I wonder how many people are simply frustrated in their Christian life because they aren't experiencing God any differently than when they started? You need to go deeper! If there is one thing that I have learned about my relationship with God is that it's always a call to go deeper: Deeper in the Word, Deeper in Prayer, Deeper in my Faith, & Deeper in my Sharing. It's like a lot of other disciplines in life. If you are trying to get stronger by lifting weights - eventually you have to add more weights. If you are trying to prepare for a marathon - then you can't run 1 mile a day and plan on getting to that place.
If you want to grow in your experience with God - you have to go deeper. Knowing God needs to become your greatest pursuit! I promise you this: It's not as hard as deer hunting. Why? Because God wants to be caught by you!
As you prepare for the weekend, I want to encourage you to set aside some time to read the Bible. Dive into it with the expectation that God is going to speak to you. Set aside some time for prayer. Don't get complacent here...it's far too easy to miss the intimacy with God in your prayer life. One other thing: Share your faith with someone else. Deer hunters love to share their experiences (even with those who may not hunt). In the same way, go out and share with others how God saved you, how He has blessed your life, and what you are currently learning from His Word.
Who knows...Maybe in your pursuit of Him, God will be able to catch someone that He has been pursuing!
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