Full Rut

Full Rut
by bro

Deer hunters across the country live for mid-November. They save vacation
time, skip school, work, and a pile of other obligations to ensure that they can
be in the woods when the rut is in full swing in mid-November. I personally have come to know the week before Thanksgiving as the “Deer Hunters Holy Week”. It’s the one week of the year when bucks go absolutely
nuts! During this time, mature bucks will let their guard down and literally
show up anywhere. These once ghost-like bucks that would never allow themselves to be seen in the light day, now show up in some of the most visible places. 

Last year, during this sacred week, I remember watching as mature bucks chased
their ladies through our backyard, across four lanes of holiday traffic, and one
chased his prize past an antique shop on Mainstreet! You truly never know where
these guys will show up when they are in full rut. The lure of love has caused
them to let their guard down. This is the time when they are the most
vulnerable. This is the time that wise old bucks will die.

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There was another wise old buck that got caught with his guard down. His name was David. He was a king and mighty warrior. But when he let his guard down, he fell hard.

2 Samuel 11:1 says, “In the spring of the year, when kings normally go out to
war, David sent Joab and the Israelite army to fight the Ammonites. They
destroyed the Ammonite army and laid siege to the city of Rabbah. However, David stayed behind in Jerusalem.” The next couple verses go on to tell the dreaded story of how David allowed himself to be where he should have never been. When he should have “normally been out to war” he put himself in an unguarded moment. He was lured by love, and it ultimately led to the destroyed lives of many people. In a fleeting moment he went from a wise warrior king to an adulterer, murderer, and failure to his family. An unguarded strength easily becomes a doubled weakness.

When we let our guard down, we become very vulnerable. It’s the time when
satan loves to move in for the kill. Regardless of your circumstances today, be
vigilant as you watch for the attack from the great deceiver. It will come when
we least expect it. When we have our hearts, thoughts, and desires on other
things, our guard is down, and it is so easy to fall.

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