Don't Play with Snakes
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You know, I think I’ve spent more time in my yard this year than ever before just so God can show us all the creative ways He can use to teach us what He wants us to learn! With that being said, I was once again cutting my grass and was so close to being done. When I turned the lawnmower around to start the last section, I saw a snake slithering onto the driveway! Attempting to escape the power of the lawnmower, it was exposed for a period of time as it tried to find a new place to settle in.
My initial thought was to stop what I was doing, go get the hoe, and take care of the situation. Then I started to reason with thoughts like, “I’ll wait until he get’s closer to the middle of the driveway. That way it’ll be easier for me to capture him without him escaping. Yeah… and that’ll give me a little more time to finish cutting this last little section of grass. Besides, I need to go grab my phone real quick so I can get a picture.” (Don’t judge my life!)
So, I kept cutting the last section of grass and I would look back to observe the snake’s progress to the other side as I completed each row. “I still have time,” I kept telling myself. Until, after that one time I turned around and the snake was gone! It was like it had just disappeared! There was no way it made it all the way to the other side of the driveway that fast!
I immediately ran to the other side of the yard to look for it. It was nowhere to be found. I grabbed the lawnmower and went back over that entire section of grass, hoping to scare it out of hiding, all to no avail. I went and got the edger. I hadn’t even planned on edging the grass that day, but just in case it had snuggled in right along the boarder, I was going to try to force it to come out of hiding. Still nothing. I walked the property, shook the bushes, checked the street, and that snake was absolutely nowhere to be found. Then, it started getting dark. I had to go ahead and finish up the last section of grass so I could get inside. If that snake was still out there, I didn’t want it finding me in the dark!
It ended up taking me twice as long to finish what I needed to do because I didn’t take care of the snake when it was first revealed to me. By the time I got inside, my legs were all swollen and itchy from the numerous mosquito bites I sustained from being outside after dark. I was continuously bombarded with thoughts of, “I wonder where that snake is.” “What if I open my front door and it’s sitting there waiting to come in?” “What if I go out of my garage and don’t realize it made it’s way in while I was backing out?” “What if it lives in my yard and continues to grow?” “What if it has babies?!” All these unknowns, all these paralyzing thoughts, all this pain and suffering could have been avoided had I not reasoned with what had been revealed.
When God graciously exposes areas in your life where the enemy has been at work and you didn’t even realize it, don’t delay dealing with it. While you’re procrastinating, the enemy is busy plotting and planning. While you’re trying to finish what you were working on first, the enemy is finding a new place to hide. While you’re posing for a picture, the enemy has already started planting seeds of paranoia. You think you’re waiting for the right moment, but the enemy knows he’s keeping you wandering in the wilderness.
When the power of your prayers exposes the enemy, you have to be ready to crush his head. Don’t delay your deliverance. Don’t give Satan the opportunity to find a new place to hide in your life after he’s been exposed. Stop thinking your still have time. Take action immediately and don’t play with snakes!
Questions to Ask
· What snakes in your life have you been playing around with for far too long?
· What action will you take today to defeat this enemy in your life?
Scripture to Study
· Ephesians 5:13
· Matthew 6:13
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