Last week, my oldest daughter came home from school…dropped her backpack on the floor in the kitchen…grabbed an Izze and a bag of chips…threw her shoes off under the kitchen table and proceeded to her typical spot on the living room couch. Unfortunately, she never made it to her “chill out” zone. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw something move right outside the kitchen window. She walked over and let out a shrieking scream. “Is that a snake?” she yelled. Mind you, our kitchen window is high off the ground, equivalent to a second story. So, of course, I thought she had lost her mind. I walked to take a look for myself and rapidly shared in her hysteria.
How in the world did a snake get up here?
I’ll make it real clear–I do not like snakes. At all. They are hideous and scary all at the same time. If I happen to run into one, my gut reaction is to run the other way and find someone else to deal with the problem because there is no way (and I mean NO WAY) I’m gonna get close to that thing.
In scripture, the very first look we have at Satan is as a serpent in the garden of Eden.
He is described as “more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made.” The dictionary defines crafty as “clever at achieving one’s aims by indirect or deceitful methods.” Because Satan uses situations and circumstances to affect us–we easily forget that he truly is real. We may credit catastrophic events or the general sinful state of mankind to him. However, in our everyday lives, we tend to forget that Satan is alive, active and real. We are not prepared to think that he is a formidable, well-trained, well-equipped fighting force. Satan drops off of our radar screen and we no longer are on the lookout for him. We go about our business as usual, not even considering that the Enemy is nearby. We’ve become accustomed to his presence in the tv shows we watch, the conversations we carry, the music we enjoy and in the company we keep. We’ve grown immune to the presence of the Enemy because he is a part of our “normal.” Oh, how quickly we’ve let him slip in.
With Eve, we see Satan twist the spoken words of God Almighty HImself and place doubt and questioning in her mind. “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” (Genesis 3:1).
Satan is a master at placing doubt in our minds.
“Does God really know what is best for me?” “Does God really care for me?” “Does God really see what’s happening here? And if He does, why doesn’t He do something about it!” When doubts start creeping into our minds, take a step back, pause, and remind yourself where those thoughts are coming from. Who really is wanting to run this show called life?
“I [Satan speaking] will ascend to the heavens, I will set up my throne above the stars of God. I will sit on the mount of the god’s assembly…I will ascend above the highest clouds. I will make myself like the Most High.” Isaiah 14:12-14
When I try to take the reigns of my life into my own hands, in effect, I am trying to be God.
I’m trying to tell Him what to do and how to do it. Little do I realize, I am becoming like the master deceiver by attempting to “make myself like the Most High.” This is why we must be vigilant to be on the lookout for the Enemy. Don’t allow him to slip into the cracks of your home. I Peter 5:8 begins by saying, “Be alert and of sober mind.” In other words, be prepared to recognize that the Enemy is gonna try to mess with you. Why? Because he thinks he is gonna win. He is deceived too. And he wants to take you with him. “Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” (I Peter 5:8b)
I once sat in a sermon where there was an unknown object on the stage covered with a blanket. The pastor preached his entire message as usual, but near the end, walked over to the unknown object. He bent over and pulled out a huge boa constrictor that he draped around his neck. There were screams and shouts throughout the congregation. One woman went racing out the door. You see, everyone was fine and sat quietly when they didn’t have a clue the snake was there. Although, things changed drastically once it’s presence was revealed.
That’s exactly how I reacted to the snake out my window. I ran. I fled. If only I would similarly react to sin.
Sigh. Examine. Repent. Confess. Again.
I ran to find my 2 Haitian friends, Moliere & Cenofa, and loaded them up with airguns and pellets (Love that it was move in day for my new neighbors. Little do they realize such hillbillies live next door!). Their weaponry looked dangerous, but in actuality, it took about 30 minutes to dispose of the snake. In this instance, the serpent did not win.
