Adventures for Transforming Men

Transcription

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2 The Sportsman s Seasons Adventures for Transforming Men By Charlie Goodman and Edgar Pierce Season One

3 The Sportsman s Seasons Copyright 2010 by Charlie Goodman and Edgar Pierce All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced, stored in any retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any electronic means, mechanical, photocopy, or any other without the prior permission of the author. The exception is for brief quotations in reviews. Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from the King James Version. Scripture quotations marked ESV are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked HCSB are been taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible Copyright 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Holman Christian Standard Bible, Holman CSB, and HCSB are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers. Scripture quotations marked NASB are Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE(R), Copyright (C) 1960,1962,1963,1968,1971,1972,1973,1975,1977,1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. Scripture quotations marked "NKJV " are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scripture taken from The Message. Copyright Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group. Cover Design by Edgar Pierce. Camo pattern is God s Country Camouflage ( late season pattern. Used by permission. ISBN Printed in the United States of America

4 The Sportsman s Seasons Outline of the Adventures: Introduction to the Season... 4 Meet The Sportsman s Seasons Authors... 5 Contact Information... 6 Season One 1- Preparing for the Season (Edgar) He s Alive (Charlie) Feed, Seed or Weeds (Edgar) In the Way (Edgar) What a Drag (Charlie) Panting for God (Edgar) The Chipmunk Deer (Edgar) Sportsman s Devotional- Ready or Not What Am I Forgetting (Charlie) Chigger Magnet (Edgar) Looking our Eyes Out (Edgar) Blood Trail (Charlie) High and Dry (Charlie) The Man-Eater is Coming (Charlie) Hunting for Answers? Season One

5 Introduction to the Season: Welcome to Season One. The seasons of a sportsman s life take many paths, trails and streams. Some hunt only one type of game, others hunt anything that walks, flies, crawls or runs. Some fish for anything they can get to bite. You may recognize this man, or you may be this man, if so you know about seasons. There are also seasons in life. Many of you may be in the beginning of your outdoor adventures; others are now in the middle of the seasons of life, and some of you are in the mature years. One thing that you will probably agree upon is that being in the outdoors hunting and fishing crosses all ages from 8 to 108. There is a comraderie among those who dress in camo and hang on trees. Those that have white eyes where their sun glasses rested during a day on the lake, throwing a plug or spinner bait. We are all part of these seasons. One part of this material is the adventures called Campfire Stories. These are stories from our lives. They are modeled after the way Jesus used stories in the parables. A common theme that runs through all the studies is Bible Binoculars. We chose this name because binoculars are used to bring things up close so they can be examined. Our intent is a strong Biblical presence, not just stories. Our purpose is that the Word of God transforms our lives and those that we come in contact with. This material is intended to foster friendships among men as we share our outdoor experiences with others and challenge each other in the faith. Bring a buddy along on the adventure. Also, you will find reflective questions called The Checking Station scattered throughout and/or at the end of each lesson. You will find Limiting Out at the end of each lesson for review and further spiritual application. Other things you will have at the end of each lesson are a Field Tip and a Season of Growth. If you have a suggestion, a comment, a testimony or a story to tell please send it to us at support@thesportsmansseasons.com. Enjoy the season. 4 Charlie and Edgar

6 The Sportsman s Seasons Meet The Sportsman s Seasons Authors: Charlie Goodman (B.A., M.R.E.) is a pastor who has served churches in VA and KY. He is currently the pastor of Macedonia Baptist Church. Charlie is also the founder and president of On Target Sportsman's Ministries. Through this ministry he works with numerous outdoor companies and serves on Pro-Staff with many of them. Charlie has filmed and produced as well as hosted Christ-centered hunting videos. He is the author of the sportsman's content in the Outdoor Bible Sportsman's Edition KJV. Charlie has also authored many articles and devotions. He has spoken in sportsman and nonsportsman venues across the country. Charlie's educational endeavors have allowed him to study at Clear Creek Baptist Bible College, Luther Rice Theological Seminary, and Covington Theological Seminary. He and his wife Rhonda have one daughter, Taylor. Edgar Pierce (B.A., M.A, M.Div., D.Min) is cofounder of Harvest 365 Outdoor Ministry. Originally from Elizabethton, Tennessee he has pastored churches in East Tennessee, and the delta and mountains of Arkansas. He is now pastor of East Union Baptist Church in West Tennessee in Jackson. He is a certified TWRA Hunter Safety Instructor. He has appeared on Inside the Wild Side TV show on several occasions and was host of a weekly TV show while he was pastor in Arkansas with a segment, Wild About Arkansas. He studied at ETSU, Liberty, Carson Newman, and with a Doctor of Ministry from Southern Baptist School of Jacksonville, Florida. His personal ministry website contains a multitude of his theological writings as well as many hours of lectures. He has been married to Joyce for over thirty years and they have two sons, Daniel and Cody. 5 Season One

7 Contact Info: Websites and s: s: Website: You can order additional seasons as they become available at the website. Be sure to sign up for alerts when the next season is released at the website, as well. Authors other websites:

8 The Man-Eater Is Coming Equipping for the Battle (Focus Passage 1 Peter 5:6-10 KJV) Purpose- Preparing Against the Enemies Attacks 1 Peter 5:6-10 KJV Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time. 7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. 8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour. 9 Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.10 But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you. The Sportsman s Seasons I- Predator or Prey? The light of my small hand held flashlight bounced off the leaf covered forest floor, as I made my way down the unfamiliar ridge to the tree that I had hung my climbing stand in the evening before. The crunching sound of my feet moving through the woods was like that of someone eating extra crunchy potato chips. The thought that today would be one of those early fall days when you would hear them before you see them immediately lodged in my mind. As I started my 20-foot ascent up the old red oak, I began to ponder the possibilities that this new day in the woods could hold. One of the things that I love about hunting and fishing is that element of the unknown, and the thought that today might be the day when a monster of the Creator could appear. After reaching my desired height in the tree; retrieving and hanging my backpack and bow, I sat into the comfort of my treestand. Minutes dragged by like they often seem to do when I am waiting for first light. As the first shard of light began to illuminate the majesty of God s marvelous creation, I was reminded that the thickness of the cover 79 The Man Eater is Coming

9 80 would cause my prey to be in bow range before I could see him. Maybe the unusual dryness of this fall and that it made moving in the woods so noisy could warn me of an approaching animal. I double-checked the wind and it was blowing perfectly in my face, as a matter of a fact the slight breeze was an oasis for me since the climb had caused me to get a little warm. Now all that was left for me to do was simply wait and see what this day would bring. Along about 9:30, I began to hear the unmistakable sounds of something coming up the ridge. This new and ever increasing sound jolted me from my peaceful mode and placed me on high alert. I could already tell my heart rate had begun to elevate and some adrenalin was beginning to flow through my veins. As I reached for my bow, I commenced to think about what was the owner of those footsteps that was drawing ever closer. Could it be a doe with her fawns? I strained my ears trying to decipher as much as I could. I was pretty sure this was a single animal by the cadence of the sound. That ruled out a doe and fawns, but that also ruled out a group of bucks running together like they often do this time of year. Maybe this was a big and burly old buck that was so dominate and physically imposing no other buck could tolerate him. I resolved I would just have to wait and see. As I stood there perched in that tree with my bow in hand, I was straining to see what was coming. With heart in full-blown runaway mode, I was starting to think that the anticipation was going to kill me. Then I saw a flicker of movement coming up the ridge to my left. I shifted my feet ever so slightly to position myself for a shot if it presented itself, and that is when I saw what was responsible for the sound. It was a big red coyote, which like me was on a hunt. However, that predator was about to become the prey. As he continued to move, like they often do, I came to full draw and when he presented an easy shot at about 18 yards I settled the pin and instinctively touched the release; smack was the sound that the arrow made as it disappeared through the lungs of that coyote, which was not all that Wiley on this day. The coyote could not make it far with both lungs deflated and he crashed just out of sight from me. I hung my bow back up, and thought about the destruction the coyote had intended for turkeys; or maybe a fresh rabbit was on his mind. It could have been that he was looking for a rodent or a squirrel for breakfast. Maybe he was seeking a fawn that could be his

10 The Sportsman s Seasons provisions for a day or two. Whatever the case, it was almost as if I could hear the applause of all the prey of the forest;;for today they would not be his meal. Then the notion that there was a spiritual predator who desired to devour my life and discredit my testimony came to rest in my mind in a way that caused me to shiver. It is a chilling thought that someone intends that much harm to us as Christians. However, the man-eater is coming; Jesus told Peter that Satan desired to sift him as wheat in Luke 22:31. I have seen him chew up and spit out good men. Therefore, we must not kid ourselves, the man-eater is coming and his intentions are to kill, steal, and destroy. We must be prepared for the unannounced attacks of Satan, who is a man-eater. II- Bible Binoculars 1- The Preparation for the Battle 1 Peter 5:6. Preparation for spiritual combat with the man-eater must always begin with the act of us humbling ourselves under the Lordship of God. This is an act of submitting the totality of our being under the mighty hand of God. God s hand is powerful and mighty. Our submission is the placing of our life under his hand to expose us to the omnipotent protection that only God could provide. This protection is necessary in order for us to overcome the attacks of Satan. When we position ourselves under the divine authority of God, who is mighty and powerful, we unlock the occasion for God to exalt us in due time or at the proper opportune time. When is that time? Well, God only knows that perfect divine time. So we must keep our life firmly placed under the hand of God, through our continual submission to his absolute authority. In your opinion are you totally submitted to the Lord? What do you think God would say about your answer? 81 The Man Eater is Coming

11 1 Peter 5:7. In order to have victory in spiritual warfare, we must cast all of our burdens, worries, and concerns upon the lord. The result is a lightened load. In Matthew 11:30 Jesus said, For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. This releasing of our cares is also an act of faith on our part. When we give these things over to God, we are saying we trust the Lord more than ourselves. It is imperative that we trust in the power of God, much more than we trust in our own might. Through this, we will learn how much God careth for us, and to what length that He will go to make sure we are prepared and protected. Let s start casting cares upon the Lord because the man-eater is coming. Take a moment and write down some things in your life you need to give over to God Peter 5:8. We must possess a spiritual mind to avoid and overcome the attacks of the man-eater. Philippians 2:5 says, Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus. This mindset will lead us to be sober. That is a mind, which is not influenced or clouded by carnal things. The things of the world will often distract us to the point that we become spiritually impotent in the face of an attack. Therefore, we must be vigilant, or ever watchful and on guard for the tricks of the man-eater. Who is the man-eater? He is our adversary and the archenemy of Christians. He is called the devil; that is to say he is the one who seduces humanity to evil in every possible way. This man-eater roams the world looking for men to devour. What is left after something is devoured? Nothing! Satan and the sin that he is going to tempt you with, will take the strong man you think you are and will eat up everything you have and all that you have ever dreamed of. However, when we are submitted unto the Lord and our cares are released to him and our mind is on Him, we will overcome the man-eater. 2- The Plan for the Battle 1 Peter 5:9. Our plan for the battle is to submit to God and resist the man-eater. James 4:7 says, Submit yourselves

12 The Sportsman s Seasons therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. We resist him through our faith. It is easy to see that it is important we are continually growing in our faith. We must also realize Satan wants to isolate us and make us feel like we are the only one having to battle him. This could not be further from the truth, because all Christians will face spiritual battles. What are some ways you can grow in faith and implement the battle plan in your life? 3- The Purpose of the Battle 1 Peter 5:10. Why does God allow us to go through spiritual battles? That is a valid question that is asked by many Christians. The answer lies in the fact that God has a purpose in allowing us to face difficult times. You see, during these periods we learn how to fully trust in God and through this process he makes us more complete and settled in the faith. God also strengthens us with spiritual knowledge and power in the midst of the battle. III- Limiting Out 1- What is the right mindset for overcoming the man-eater? How will pride hinder your victory over sin? 2- What should our first step be in preparing for battle? Is it easy or hard to give your cares over to God? Why? 3- Looking back at previous spiritual battles can you see God had a purpose in them? List those purposes. 83 The Man Eater is Coming

13 4- From those purposes how did you learn God s truth? Can you use what you ve learned for future battles? How? 5- What truth in this study has had the greatest impact on you? Be prepared for the unexpected, you just might turn a predator into your prey. Becoming equipped to survive the attacks of satan is imperative for a growing Christian. 84

14 The Sportsman s Seasons 85 Hunting for Answers?