Here at DeerCeption Faith is an integral part of our Outdoor Products business.  We hope to share our faith, and the blessings of the Lord our God and Creator, through experiences, stories, and the scripture.

Do you dress in bright colors and sit out in the open when you hunt? No…, why? We can sum that up with one word, deception!

We go to great lengths to deceive. We use camouflage, scents to attract the deer, scent eliminators to cover up our own smell, blinds to hide us from their view, you name it! All in the name of deception.

Sweat beads were forming on our brows as TJ, my camera man, and I headed toward the blind.  It was early, but it was going to be a hot one. We had positioned our ground blind near a water hole, hoping the weather would be hot enough to lure the antelope in.  Which way would they come in from, we had only to guess, but we made our choice and got into position. We went to great lengths to deceive those antelope.  We covered our scent with scent eliminator, used scent eliminating clothes, used a high quality ground blind designed to hide movement to make us virtually invisible.

There they were, of in the distance.  A large buck was herding his harem, guarding them from the other smaller bucks and keeping them from coming near the water hole. We were glassing them, praying and hoping that they would make their way toward us.  What was that, something caught my attention off to my left, a buck, at the water hole? He had to be close to 14 1/2 inches, right there, enjoying the cool water, with no regard to the danger that was lurking him.  I signaled to TJ to get ready as I pulled back my bow.  My elbow hit the camera as I drew back.  Quickly, quietly, we rearranged, a glance and a nod of the head told me to pull again.  I aimed my 20 yard pin on the white patch of hair behind the shoulder and let it fly.  Thud, I had him, straight up in air, a slight turn to the right and down in a pile.  The antelope was down! All of our attempts at deception had worked.

But antelope aren’t the only ones who are deceived.  People are deceived every day, in fact, there is a story of real deception in the Bible.

In Gen. 3:1-5 we read, “Now, the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘you must not eat from any tree in the garden?’” The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’” “You will not surely die,” the serpent said to the woman. “For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.””

Satan is still at work today. For example, he plants the thought “a little sin is okay”. First a little sin is not okay. God tells us to be holy as He is holy. And in James we are told that it is our own desires that lead us into sin and that sin leads to death. It was the antelope’s desire for water and the deception that the blind was okay, that lead to his death.

Another lie, “God won’t judge me because He is good and loving.” A second way we are deceived is by our own desire to believe that God won’t judge our sins because He loves us. It is true that He loves us, which is why He sent His Son Jesus Christ to pay the penalty for sin, if we trust Him. It is also true that God is righteous and just, and must judge sin.  John 3:36 states, “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him.”

A third lie, “I always have tomorrow.” The third, and probably most deceiving lie, is that we have tomorrow. The book of Hebrews tells us that today is the day of salvation. You are reading this today for a reason. Don’t be deceived into believing that you don’t need Christ or that you can wait for another day to trust Him.

So how do we come to God? Just as I did, 37 years ago, you can receive Jesus Christ as your personal Savior when:

First, admit that–despite any good deeds we have done, or any special talents we might possess–we hav all sinned.
“All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23)

Second, understand the consequences of our sin is death and eternal separation from God.
“For the wages of sin is death.” (Romans 6:23a)

Third, realize God’s provision for us is Jesus Christ.
“God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)

Fourth, accept Jesus into our lives to be our personal Savior.
“Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life.” (John 3:36)

You can use a prayer like this:

Dear God, I admit that I have sinned and ask that you forgive me of my sin. Jesus, I believe that you paid the penalty for all my sins when you died on the cross and that you rose again to give me eternal life. I ask that you come into my life and be my Savior. Amen.