I pastored at church in West Texas. It was a good church, but limited on funds. After purchasing equipment and having been trained by a church member, I started trapping. Ahhhh, money for missions! My trainer warned me about being chased by angry steers and to watch out for mountain lions and poisonous snakes. However, he never mentioned anything about Hogs, those wild Havalina or wild partial breeds. As I ran my traps, I would often see distant herds of twenty to forty massive hogs accompanied by their little piglets.

I really didn’t think much about them until one day when I was asked if I carried a .44 or .45 caliber handgun when I trapped. “Those hogs are extremely dangerous and there are no trees to climb around McCamey.” I just passed his advise off as the rantings of an old oil field hand and carried on as usual.

About a month later, at coffee time, the old oil field hand pulled up to the DQ in his new Ford pickup and everyone was shocked. It was beaten to a pulp. It had holes, rips, gouges, dents, slashes all the way around. No front bumper. All four tires were flat, laying in the back of the pickup along with a 350 pound hog. The pickup was totaled. While getting a closeup view, he commented , “My pickup got between this sow and her three piglets. Maybe you will heed my warning now?” I did heed the warning by taking a .44 caliber Magnum handgun which he offered me the use of starting the next day.

We also need to heed the warning of God’s Word. Scripture gives us warnings (varying in strength). It is important for us to grow spiritually. We are not to continue to be babies, who are unable to tell the difference between good and evil. The writer in the book of Hebrews, the fifth chapter says, “12. For though by this time, you ought to be teachers, instead you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. 13.For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. 14. But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use, have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.“

Making a wrong decision means we fail to understand some of the “life principles” of His Word. As one matures spiritually, it means fewer wrong decisions. Reading the Word is good, but meditating on it is better. Take the time!