Joys of Obeying God

"Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but
his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night." Psalm 1:1-2

Finally, I got to go sit in my deer stand yesterday morning! I'd spent
some time with a friend developing my spots, setting stands, and
setting my cameras up. The only time I've been out there is with my girls to check the cameras to see what's been visiting my salt and mineral licks. I've got plenty of trails through the woods where the deer are traveling, but you never know their routes for sure until you get out there and see them for yourselves.

I know they are passing by one of my stands regularly at 7:00-7:30
every morning so I knew to be ready about that time. About 6:50 I
start hearing the worst sound when bow hunting, a deer getting a whiff of me and stomping. Looked west and saw three doe and the lead one was smelling me and stomping while the two younger ones were sniffing. Then I see their white tails shoot up and see them bouncing off back the way they came. This left me thinking through what mistakes I might have made on my way to my stand or maybe I had been moving when they came up on me. Then a few minutes later I noticed the North East of me, a bachelor group of bucks coming up on me. I stood up while they were behind some tree and had my bow ready when they too started getting a whiff of me and running off to the South. The deer had been visiting this area regularly without being alerted but when there was a predator in the area they were ready to catch a whiff and go another route leaving behind a place they used to be able to get a treat (Salt or Minerals).

I was reminded about my own life, when we "walk in the way" to follow the ruts of sinners we are like a deer who isn't aware of their
surroundings, they are walking right into the path of a predator waiting to attack. But, the man who does not "walk in the way" of
sinners or the wicked are more aware of wickedness when it's present. Those deer got a whiff of me because I was an abnormal presence. If wickedness is an abnormal part of our lives we sniff it out as wickedness very quickly and are prepared to run the other way when it presents itself.

My encouragement to you brother's is to live out what David writes in Psalm 1:1, be a stranger to the ways of wickedness so that when the predators of evil come to destroy you, you get a whiff of it and run the other way!
Stay faithful men!