Snipe hunting

When I was a young boy, my older brother, David, told me about a little bird called a snipe. He described it as colorful, friendly, easy to tame, and a wonderful pet. He claimed that it was easy to catch down by the river with a little help from someone who could flush them out for me. All I needed to do was stand on the trail at night, holding a flashlight and an open paper bag, and I would easily catch one. I believed his exciting story wholeheartedly and couldn’t wait to go after the snipes!

That night, he and his friends took me to the river with a flashlight and a paper bag. They told me to wait while they went to flush the birds out. So I waited—and waited. Eventually, I realized they had left. The funny part is that when I finally went home, I was still unaware of the prank and wanted them to take me back to try again. When they finally revealed it was a joke, I didn’t believe them at first. I really wanted to believe in the snipe.

Changing the way you think

“Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus…” (Phil. 2:5 ESV)

Strongly believing something, only to change your mind after receiving new information, is a common part of growing up. Exposure to new information constantly shapes our thinking. However, if you’ve already formed a strong opinion on a topic—like I did with snipes or like many do with politics, sports, or religion—you may resist changing your mind, even when presented with compelling evidence. As the saying goes, “A man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still.” Many people fall into this pattern, which is why they remain stuck and fail to grow. Our thoughts ultimately reflect who we truly are.

“As a man thinks in his heart, so he is” (Prov. 23:7)

What to do

Therefore, in order to get unstuck and move forward, growth begins with a willingness to change and a plan to transform your thinking. The Bible has a lot to say on the topic.

• Renew your mind

Read and study the Bible daily to change your thinking from the world’s way of thinking to God’s way.

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Rom. 12:2 ESV) 

• Study the Bible daily

“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." (2 Tim. 2:15 KJV)

• Take every thought captive

“We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ…” (2 Cor. 10:5 ESV)

• Set your minds on things that are above 

“Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.” (Col. 3:2 ESV)

“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” (Phil. 4:8 ESV)

Therefore

“Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.” (Prov. 4:23 ESV)

“Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” (1 Peter 5:8 ESV)

Quote:

“The Mind can think only one thought at a time. If your mind is occupied by a meaningless thought, you block a meaningful thought from entering it.” - Unknown

“…we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ…” (Eph. 4:15)

Growth defined: to spring up and develop to maturity; to become larger, greater, or bigger; expand or gain.

In his book, “Life is Tremendous,” Charlie “Tremendous” Jones shares a remarkable experience that left him astonished. During one of his business success seminars, he spotted a renowned and affluent business magnate sitting in the front row. Intrigued and honored, Charlie approached him during a break, expressing his surprise at the presence of such a successful figure in his seminar. “I should be learning from you, as you have achieved so much more than I have!” he remarked.

The man chuckled and replied, “Let me share a story that explains my presence here.” He began, “As a young boy, my father, a successful businessman, had a passion for gardening. One day, while he tended to his garden, I stood by his side. He asked me, ‘Son, what do you notice about my garden?’ I looked around at the vibrant flowers and ripe vegetables and exclaimed, ‘What a beautiful garden!’

My father then said, ‘I was hoping you would notice something far more significant: when things are in full bloom and ripe, they are nearing their end and will soon decay. However, when they are still green, they are in the process of growing!’ He stressed that life, particularly in business, is a continuous journey of growth. Therefore, in whatever you do, always see yourself as green and growing. I took his words to heart. Therefore, despite my success, I make it a priority to keep growing and remain vibrant. In fact, he added, ‘Today, at your seminar, I gathered a few fresh ideas that I am eager to implement in my companies.’”

The same thing can be said about growing spiritually!

You must not stop but always move ahead!

• If you don’t grow you will become weak and dull

“About this we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.” (Heb. 5:11-14 ESV)

• Grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus

“But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.” (2 Peter 3:18 ESV)

• Grow on to maturity

“Therefore let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, and of instruction about washings, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment.” (Heb. 6:1-2 ESV)

Therefore…

“And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” (Phil. 1:6 ESV)

“So as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.” (Col. 1:10 ESV)

Quote:

“Complacency is a deadly foe of all spiritual growth. Acute desire must be present or there will be no manifestation of Christ to His people. He waits to be wanted. Too bad that with many of us He waits so long, so very long, in vain.” - Aiden Wilson Tozer

“Have this attitude in yourself that was also in Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 2:5)

In his book, The Winning Attitude”, John C. Maxwell describes going for a ride in a small aircraft piloted by a friend of his. From where he sat, he could see all the dials on the instrument panel and watch how his friend flew the plane. He noticed that the pilot consistently focused on a dial in the center of the panel. John asked what it was for. “It’s the attitude indicator,” he said. And he went on to explain what it did and why it is important. He explained that when the plane's nose was pointing above the horizon, it was in a "nose up" attitude, meaning it was climbing. When the plane's nose points below the horizon, it is descending and in a "nose down" attitude. He then said, “Pilots are concerned about the attitude of the airplane because that determines its performance.” He then said there is an instructor's manual on “Attitude Flying” the relationship between the aircraft’s attitude and its performance.

We too have an attitude indicator

It’s found in Philippians 2:3-8. Christ is our perfect example to follow.

“Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves.

Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.

You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.

Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.”

Therefore

The next few verses tell how God elevated Jesus because of his selfless attitude described above.

“Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Phil 2:9-11 NLT)

Quote

“Ability is what you’re capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it.” - Lou Holtz, Notre Dame Football Coach

“Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.” (Heb. 10:23 ESV) 

Many years ago, during the "Jesus Movement," Christian coffeehouses began popping up across the country, run by converted hippies, gang members, and others. As a youth worker at the time, I became friends with several of these individuals. One of them was a large, loud, and charismatic former Hells Angel type of biker. He drew big crowds of young people and had a powerful ministry among them. However, over time, something went wrong. He lost sight of his original calling which was to love and proclaim Christ. His passion for ministry faded, and he began reverting to his old habits—reacting angrily, and using profanity. Before long, his once-thriving coffeehouse shut down. The last time I saw him, it was as though he had never been a Christian. He was angry, critical, and vindictive. What happened? The short answer is that he stopped putting Christ first in his life and ministry. He began to focus instead on other things. He started to waver in his faith, he lost hope, he became lukewarm, then cold, and finally he walked away; Jesus warns us to guard against this. He says, "I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place." (Revelation 2:4-5)

What to do

It was sad to see what had happened to this once-excited coffeehouse leader. I’ve watched the same thing happen to others over the years. They start off strong but eventually waver, lose hope, and fail. There are many ways you can grow cold in your relationship with Christ. You can stop praying, stop reading the Bible, stop fellowshipping with others, and stop attending church, just to name a few. The coffeehouse leader failed in part because he allowed other things to distract him from his primary mission. However, the passage at the top of the page offers another explanation: you must unwaveringly confess your hope because God is faithful. Why is that important? There’s another passage that says, “Hope deferred makes the heart sick” (Prov. 13:12). Another way of saying this is, If you put hope aside, your heart will become sick. Therefore, don’t waver in hope because it is critical to your relationship with God! Let’s look at some other Bible passages about hope to find out why it’s so.

• Our hope is in the living God

“That is why we labor and strive, because we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all people, and especially of those who believe.” (Tim 4:10 NIV)

• Hope will come through the encouragement of Scriptures

“For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” (Rom. 15:4 ESV) 

• We’re born again to a living hope

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” (1 Peter 1:3 ESV)

“So that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” (Titus 3:7 ESV) 

• God gives a future and a hope

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jer. 29:11 ESV)

Therefore

“Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.” (Rom. 12:12 ESV)

“The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.” (Lam. 3:24 ESV)

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” (Rom. 15:13 ESV)

Quote:

“The hope that God has provided for you is not merely a wish. Neither is it dependent on other people, possessions, or circumstances for its validity. Instead, biblical hope is an application of your faith that supplies a confident expectation in God's fulfillment of His promises. Coupled with faith and love, hope is part of the abiding characteristics in a believer's life.” - John C. Broger

“For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding…” (Prov. 2:6 ESV)

Woulda, coulda, shoulda

I asked a man in his 90s to tell me what the greatest thing he had learned over his long life was. He simply said, “Too soon, old, and too late, smart!” He followed with, “I wish I had known back then what I know now; I would have done a lot of things differently!” He looked sad. As the saying goes, “hindsight is 20/20,” and you cannot change the past. It’s far better to make wise decisions from the start. The Bible has a lot to say about doing just that.

The treasures of wisdom and knowledge are found in God

“In whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” (Col. 2:3 ESV)

“Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!” (Rom. 11:33 ESV)

Ask God for it 

“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.” (James 1:5 ESV)

Therefore

“Thus says the Lord: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord.” (Jer. 8:23-24 ESV) 

Quote:

 “Wisdom is the right use of knowledge. To know is not to be wise. Many men know a great deal, and are all the greater fools for it. There is no fool so great a fool as a knowing fool. But to know how to use knowledge is to have wisdom.” - Charles Spurgeon

“It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so he giveth his beloved sleep.” (Psalm 127:2)

When I was a young kid, I heard someone ask my older brother, David, if he ever worried about things. He said, “No. I don’t have to because Mike worries enough for both of us!”

He was right!

I was a big worrier! I would lay awake at night worrying about anything and everything! Maybe it was because I was in the foster care system and tossed around from pillar to post. I had so much uncertainty in those days and probably contributed to my tendency to worry. As I grew up, I continued my worrying habit and had trouble sleeping because of it. I would often lie awake at night worrying about things.

Eventually

I realized it did absolutely no good to stay awake worrying. It wouldn't change anything. All it did was make me tired and grumpy the following day and affected my ability to concentrate and work.

I found the answer in God’s promises.

No need to worry and lose sleep because…

·     God will take care of all my needs. (Phil. 4:19)

·      I can boldly talk to God about anything and everything at any hour of the day or night. (Heb. 4:16)

·      God will generously give me wisdom about things. (James 1:5)

·     I can give Him all my worries and cares! (Psalm 55:22)

·      God will work all things out for my good. (Rom. 8:28)

·      God will give me direction when I need guidance. (Prov. 3:5-6)

·      God is my rock and fortress. (Psalm 31:3)

·     God’s angels encamped around me. Psalm 34:7

·      God will give me sleep. (Psalm 127:2)

“In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.” (Psalm 4:8)

Therefore

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matt. 11:28-30 ESV)

 “I will bless those who have humble and contrite hearts, who tremble at my word.” (Isa. 66:2 NLT)

There is an old country song by Mac Davis with the lyric, “Oh Lord, it's hard to be humble When you're perfect in every way.”

Although the song was obviously meant to be humorous, it does reflect the modern “me first” culture promoted everywhere across the USA in one form or another to our young people as self-esteem programs. Nowhere can you find anyone talking about the importance of humility. In fact, if you ask young people what it means to be humble and why it even matters, they usually just give a blank stare and don’t have an answer.

Here are definitions

Humble: Not proud or haughty, not arrogant or assertive.

Humility: The state of being humble. Both humility and humble have their origin in the Latin word humilis, meaning “low.” Humility is to be meek, modest, unassuming, unpretentious.

Why humility is important

• God gives grace to the humble

“But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” (James 4:6 ESV)

• God restores and revives the humble of spirit

“For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in a high and holy place, and with the oppressed and humble of spirit, to restore the spirit of the lowly and revive the heart of the contrite.” (Isa. 57:15)

Therefore

“Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience…” (Col. 3:12 ESV)

“The fear of the Lord is instruction in wisdom, and humility comes before honor.” (Prov. 15:33 ESV)

“For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” (Luke 14:11 ESV)

“A man's pride will bring him low, but a humble spirit will obtain honor.” (Prov. 29:23)

“The reward for humility and fear of the Lord is riches and honor and life.” (Prov. 22:4 ESV)

Quote

“Do you wish to rise? Begin by descending. You plan a tower that will pierce the clouds? Lay first the foundation of humility. - Saint Augustine

“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” (Psalm 147:3)

There are broken hearted people everywhere. Some have lost parents, spouses, children, and or, close friends; it’s an inevitable part of the human condition. Jesus said He came to “bind up the broken hearted.”

“The Spirit of the Lord GOD is on Me, because the LORD has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent Me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and release from darkness to the prisoners…” (Isa. 61:1)

The Lord is close to the broken hearted 

“The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” (Psalm 34:18 NIV) 

God will not despise a broken and a contrite heart

“The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.” (Psalm 51:17)

Quote:

“You don't have to be alone in your hurt! Comfort is yours. Joy is an option. And it's all been made possible by your Savior. He went without comfort so you might have it. He postponed joy so you might share in it. He willingly chose isolation so you might never be alone in your hurt and sorrow.” - Joni Eareckson Tada

“Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 3:13)

One of the ways the devil attacks us is through regret

Everyone makes mistakes, and the devil will bring them up to accuse them and discourage them. It is easy to go back and relive memories about what we aren’t proud of. Regret can be devastating if not kept in check. If you do have regrets, give them to God in prayer. Ask Him to help you as you move through your regrets, and if you have not repented from something, do so now. If you don’t get things taken care of, the devil will have a foothold. “…and do not give the devil a foothold.” (Eph. 4:27 NIV)

Watch and recognize where the attack is coming from

“Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” (1 Peter 5:8)

Remember that God completely forgives when you ask Him to 

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)

Therefore…

“I sought the Lord, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed.” (Psalms 34:4-5)

“For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.” (2 Cor. 7:10)

Quote

“Never be a prisoner of your past. It was just a lesson, not a life sentence .” – Anonymous