The kids had been playing all morning in the back yard around a pile of wood; not a care in the world, not a fear, not a worry. Having decided to build a wooden castle, they began moving and restacking the logs. I had just sat down on the swing to do a little reading when I heard a shriek of terror come from behind me.
“SNAKE!” screamed my six year old son.
“Mom, there’s a snake under there!”
Hurriedly I ran to where he was. “Where is it?” I asked him.
“Right there, right there!” he said jumping up and down.
Instructing him to back up, I went in for a closer look. Sure enough, right there underneath the log he had just picked up, lay a snake as still as a statue waiting for a little hand or foot to get close enough for him to strike.
Immediately I grabbed the phone and called my dad. After describing to him what the snake looked like he told me it was a copperhead and said he would be right home to take care of it.
Within a few minutes he drove up. Now, if it had been me I would have gone right over to see the snake, but he chose first to arm himself with the tools he needed to kill this very poisonous snake. Ready with some kind of hoeing contraption he rounded the corner headed to the wood pile.
I walked over to the pile of wood and pointed to where the snake lay motionless. One by one, he began removing logs from the pile in order to clear the way so he was able to get a good look at the snake.
Dad lifted the snake from underneath the log and sat him out in the open. As the snake stretched its body to full length, my dad talked with the kids about the importance of staying away from snakes. He explained to them that this snake was extremely poisonous and if it had bitten them, it could have possibly killed them. “Snakes are very dangerous,” he said. “Whenever you see a snake, you need to go the other way,” and with that he killed the snake.
After all the commotion, I sat down in the swing and it hit me how close my kids were to being bitten by this snake. They had played right beside it all morning. They had moved logs all around it. They had stood right beside it and had even reached their hands down by where it lay coiled up.
As I thought more about my children, I couldn’t help but think about the serpent who lies in waiting prepared to strike out at us when we least expect it. The enemy, Satan, greatly desires to wound and destroy the children of God. So many times we go about our daily lives unaware the enemy is even close by. We involve ourselves in activities that appear to be harmless. We move this log and pick up that log making our lives into what we desire them to be, never realizing the enemy could be just steps away waiting for the perfect time to strike causing our world to come crashing down.
Our logs could be a number of different things: an unhealthy relationship with someone who is not our spouse; an addiction to pornography, alcohol, prescription drugs, or an illegal substance; an eating disorder; an anger issue; and the list could go on and on. What we must realize is this- the enemy is waiting; he is waiting for that perfect opportunity to render us ineffective for God’s kingdom.
So what do we do? How do we protect ourselves from the enemy?
~When I saw the snake I knew it wasn’t your average garden snake; I knew it was dangerous and could quickly strike and do lots of damage. You and I must know and understand who the enemy is and that he desires to harm us. We must be alert at all times watching out for his schemes and traps.
“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks
about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.”
1 Peter 5:8, NKJV
~Before my dad went to the wood pile where the snake was, he armed himself with the tools he needed to kill the snake. We, too, must arm ourselves for battle with the proper tools before we go into battle against the enemy.
“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having GIRDED YOUR WAIST WITH TRUTH, having put on the BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTOUSNESS, and having SHOD your FEET WITH the preparation of THE GOSPEL OF PEACE; above all, taking the SHIELD OF FAITH with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the HELMET OF SALVATION, and the SWORD OF THE SPIRIT which is the word of God”
Ephesians 6:10-18a, NKJV (emphasis added)
~When I saw the snake my first thought was to call my dad. I knew he would be there right away to protect us from the harm the snake could do. Precious one, never forget that you can call on your Heavenly Father at any time and He will come running to help.
“He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble;
I will deliver him and honor him.”
Psalm 91:15, NKJV
