As the wife of a true outdoorsman and the mother of three boys, I know more about the outdoors than this girly girl should know.
There is no doubt that I have heard more turkey calls than most and I have removed more ticks than I care to count. Not only that, the John Deere tractor slogan, “Nothing runs like a deer” is ingrained in my brain!
Camouflage? Why, I could fill an entire storage unit full of everything from camouflage boots to boats! You name it, and we probably own it in camouflage!
And did you know that male deer battle for dominance during the fall breeding season? Often, male deer go head-to-head, with antlers crunching together as they collide. When an antler is broken, the animal will usually suffer a defeat.
The heaviest deer, with the largest and strongest antlers, will most often triumph.
Therefore, the battles fought in the fall are won in the off-season when the deer eat continuously. This is why food plots are planted in the winter, so the deer have the nutrition they need to sustain their growth.
You see, nutrition and maturity play a big role in the length and strength of the antlers. The deer that consumes the best diet for growing antlers and gaining weight will be the favored heavyweight when the battles begin, while those who eat inadequately sport weaker antlers and have less bulk for the battle.
Why am I sharing all of this with you?
It is simple. In this life, we will all have battles to fight. When you and I have nourished our minds and our faith with the Word of God we will be strengthened for battle. We will become the favored heavyweight. We will become victors in the fight!
In Psalm 119:28, the Psalmist reminds us that when sorrows and trials begin to melt our soul it is God’s Word that strengthens us. Hiding God's Word in our heart is essential. It is what sustains us.
God’s Word is the spiritual nutrition we need to mature and grow in our faith. “Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation—” (1Peter 2:2, ESV).
I want to be a woman who craves God’s Word. I want be a woman whose soul pants for the Living God! I want to be like a deer consuming the best diet possible so that I am equipped for the task of living a victorious life that honors God.
I want to be a woman who triumphs in trial because God’s Word has nourished my soul.
If you and I are going to be women like that, we must ask ourselves how much time and effort have we put into reading, studying, and incorporating God’s Word into our lives?
What are you doing to prepare yourself for the spiritual battles that wait?
Are you living on a healthy and steady diet of God’s Word that will strengthen, sustain, and nourish your soul?
Proverbs 31 Ministries wants to bring God’s Word to the fingertips of women across the globe. The goal is to nourish and strengthen women with the truth of God’s Word each and every day.
Because of the personal growth and strength I receive in my life as the result of time spent in God’s Word, I am so excited about the First 5 mobile app that will be launched on July 27, 2015!
The First 5 mobile app is designed to help all of us develop a steady plan for reading God’s Word, aiming to capture our hearts in the first several moments of the day. It will equip us to live out God’s Word in our communities of faith.
This kind of obedient faith will mature and prepare us for life’s toughest battles!
And quite frankly ”Nothing runs like a deer!”
Prayer: Heavenly Father, I thank you for the truth of Your Word. You promise that when Your Word goes forth it will accomplish Your purposes and will not return void. I humbly ask that you would nourish my mind and my faith l as I spend time with You in Your Word today. May Your Word strengthen me and prepare me for the battles that wait. It is in the Nourishing Name of Jesus that I ask. Amen.
“As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God.” Psalm 42:1 (ESV)
Psalm 18:33, “He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he causes me to stand on the heights.” (NIV)
Habakkuk 3:19, “The Sovereign LORD is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights.” (NIV)