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Snake! I was reminded today of some friends who had
an interesting experience with a snake, a creation lesson.
The lady of the house was working in the garden in the cool of the day (well, maybe not so cool) and heard the unmistakable and unnerving rattling of a big rattlesnake. The danger was far too close to ignore. Her husband arrived on the scene and the creature was quickly beheaded. The snake kept striking at him, trying to poison him, even though it didn’t have a head. It left him with a powerful image rooted in biblical truth. As the Lord said to the serpent, the devil, in the garden, “…he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel” (Genesis 3:15b). The enemy is already defeated for those IN CHRIST, but he will still strike even with a crushed head. Christ triumphed over the devil at the cross. “And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross” (Colossians 2:15). However, the devil is still very active. My friends experienced a powerful truth as a parabolic visual aide. Even though he was beheaded and crushed, the snake was still able to strike and make his rattling noise. The sound was intimidating. The enemy seeks to terrorize us, like the roaring lion described in 1 Peter 5:8. The snake was also able to move and respond to stimuli. All of this caused my friends to fear and recoil at the movements. A serpent with no head was putting fear in them. This is what the enemy does to us. He was crushed at the cross, but he still threatens and intimidates and seeks to bully us with fears. One final thought….shame on us if we try to pick up and play around with the dying head of the snake. Playing with poison is deadly. Walking in the place of sin can put us in grave danger of stepping on the fangs and into the evil jaws of the enemy of our souls. The antidote? One of many truths, regarding submission and fearing God alone in reverential awe and humility…..“Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” (James 4:7) May your life be abundant in Jesus, full of joyful gardening, without snakebites! Home / Back to Main Devotional / More Devotionals |