The Word is like a compass

[Chuck7]

Last Friday I went turkey hunting..
My plan was to go over 2 miles deep in the swamp and read the Easter account of the Word. 7:00 AM..another hunter is settling in right beside me.[&o]I move..

I hiked another 2 miles toward the north...but the trail ended like a big question mark. .and no gobbling going on..[&o]The WMA is 25 square miles and once my principal was lost there for 10 hours..Well, I didn't want to back track the question mark like trail so in faith I decided to go straight through shooting an asthmus eastwardly on my compass and I should be on the trail that would get me to my truck.
While I was walking back the south was much more tempting because it was open..To walk east was thicker than I imagined and so thick you couldn't see the sun shining...so my natural instinct was to want to walk south..and if i didn't have a compass I would have followed the easy way and would have been in seriuos trouble..

Often I would stop and make myself and make myself aim for a landmark eastward and walk there no matter how difficult it was ..all along the south was tempting me because it was much easier.The Lord reminded me that life is like that. The easy way is very tempting and sometimes doing the right thing can be confusing but that arrow on the compass was assuring ..just as the scriptures give us hope and encouragement..When buying a compass I always get one with a steady needle..God 's Word is steady and true.we can be assured that God's Word is steady and consistant..It has no errors..We can trust in His Word in any storm .

Sure enough in about 1 hour I was closer to my truck than I could have imagined.The Lord reminded me that I still needed to read the Word and prompted me to set up near the river. I've never hunted here yet..I set up a decoy about 20yds. in front of me and was planning to read the Luke account..I had only read Luke 21..when I heard I heard something ahead of me....Lo and behold there was a young Jake walking in back of my decoy..I grapped the ole870 and quickly got off a shot. The young bird dropped in his tracks..My only cell phone pic is blurry but at least I didn't strike out this year.[8D]or get lost..
God bless,
C7

[PastorJim08]

Congrats on the bird Chuck. You are absoloutely right about the word being our compass. Even when we don't see the way, it always points the way,it is never wrong, regardless of what we think we are seeing. Prov 14:12There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.

Blessings.....Pastorjim

[mudhead1s wife]

Awesome analogy and congrats on the turkey.

[Chuck7]

Thanks fellows,
Getting lost is very easy in the Green Swamp..A few times I've leaned my gun against a tree..hang my stand and then spend 30 minutes looking for my gun..Everything looks the same out there..and forget a GPS..most folks can't get a signal on them or their cell phones..

I was lost for about an hour last year and it's very frightening..Ever since then I don't go hunting there without my compass...Last Friday I just felt I needed to use it because I knew it would cut off a couple miles of backtracking.

..God has been really convicting me about getting in the Word..I used to get in the Word alot as a babe in Christ but here lately I've noticed my reading has been seriously lacking..I have a garden and he reminded me..your plants can not survive without water and John 15 says "apart from me ye can do nothing." ..John 14:23 says "He that loveth me keepeth my Word." and many of us have been a Christian for decades..and God still unfolds the scriptures to show us trues from His Word.. if we will just open up our Bibles..

Trust me..I was very concerned about getting lost.. even with a compass..[:-]I was expecting to come outto a field..there was no field..only more thick swamp trees and palmettoes..I kept stopping and forcing myself to go east..and east looked totally in the wrong direction..fact..my feet were trying to go south but my heart was focused on the east..I found myself walking side ways..When I came out I was only 1 mile from my truck..and very easy walking..My heart said..go toward the river and sit in a shady spot and read the Word..Luke 21 and 22. so I walked toward the river..found a clearing of oak trees..layed the 870 down and put out a hen decoy facing me and retired the idea of even seeing a turkey...when I saw the bird I just thought oh my goodness..WOW!!! I hadn't yelped or made any calls from my calls..I was going to after I read the Word..I have a hard time sitting still..so one reason I read the Word is because slowly chewing 2 gospel chapters is a good 30 minutes of being still

My mom quoted me something that her babysitter had written in her Bible back in the 40s..I like it;;It says,

"Sin will keep you from this book
and this book will keep you from sin."

[The Rev]

Nice going Chuck, there are many wondering around lost and not even knowing it.

I wish I had a place to get a gobbler, I'm in need of some feathers for my arrows, and I guess I'd eat the bird too.
Congrats, you've been in my prayers bro.

[Chuck7]

Thanks Rev,
And I mean that..when any of us gets out of the habit of daily Bible reading we are prone to fall...to wither up as a dead branch..to go back to the slop like a pig...The Word bringeth quick growth..Itcleans us...If we will continue in it..It will "Set us free indeed."

1 John 2 :14I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one.

[brkn arrow]

Thanks for sharing your day Chuck7 it is inspiring. I was wondering if you had gotten a bird yet ,congrats Also just wondering if ticks are bad down your way? their pretty bad right now here in Pa.

[Chuck7]

thanks brother,

No sir..I've never seen a tick down here in my whole life..and beleive it or not..I havn't used my thermao cell yet ..no mosquitoes yet either.THe weather has been unusually cool.

I got a life changing nugget this morning..I have to go to a special meeting in 15 minutes so I'll be fast..

I'ev been reading the Easter Account alot and a couple things really rang out to me..One was the account after Christ rose from the dead..Two men are walking with Jesus and didn't even recognize him till"He opened their eyes."

So my prayer yesterday was Lord please open my eyes up to the scriptures..and he did,,,Yesterday was a very stressful day..Although I 've learned not to retaliate it still hurts when folks offend you..

As I woke up the scripture rang out.."Father forgive them for they know not what they do." This is what I say now in my heart when I'm offended and it keeps "The weight of sin away." FOrgiveness is how we love others.."BLessed are the merciful for THEY shall recieve mercy..I mean who of us would ever hold a grudge against someone with Alzheimers..well we all see through a glass dimmly..none of us have perfect revelation so we should be able to say Father forgive them for they know not what they do." and I beleive this will free us from stress so we can really live the life God has intended us to live.

God bless ALL and have a wonderful day.
Chuck7

[PastorJim08]

Good word Chuck, thanks for sharing.

Blessings.....Pastorjim

[Snooky]

Chuck, If you really miss the ticks, redbugs, skeeters, and sand gnats, just spend a day in Gulf hammock WMA, you can even enjoy a few deer flies. Just some of the things I don't miss up here in these mountians.
Good word. I preach the same thing with a little twist. The Bible is our roadmap, with all the roads, trails, and paths portrayed. The holy Ghost is the compass which gives direction unto the map. When navigating uncharted waters on lifes' sea, we must notonly have a map to show the unforseen obstacles making it possible to avoid the pitfalls, snares, and traps alone the way, but a compass to show where we are at any point along the journey, but to give the map some meaning. Many read the map, but still have no sense of dirrection. The Golden Candlestick eluminates the Table of Shewbread. The bread must be eaten in the light thereof.