Docile Serpents

DOCILE SERPENTS

LUKE 10:19

I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.

We had a tendency, as ministers, to escort our senior pastor as we carried his briefcase from the lunch hour sanctuary to his office or home, especially when he was not driving. We enjoyed his company and his advise as we shared on the wonderful works of Christ and our vision as a ministry.

One evening, as I accompanied one of the assistant pastors back from escorting our senior pastor, I saw a serpent crossing just a few steps before us. I shouted to warn my fellow minister against the snake. My warning call shocked him and he found himself skipping. Without realizing, he stepped on the back of the snake then suddenly he realized what he had stepped on it and jerked away from the serpent. I thought that the snake had struck him but came to understand that the back of the snake had been broken by the weight of being stepped upon, and no harm was inflicted on my friend. (Word of caution: do not go trampling on snakes and scorpions, as the above devotion is more of spiritual than physical).

I enjoy fishing since childhood. And when I went home for my holiday, my younger brother came with some fish and prepared them for us. We enjoyed the fish though they were extremely soft and tender which was unusual from my experience in fishing. I asked my brother where he had done the fishing and he told me that he had done the fishing from a fish pond which had been deserted by researchers. My wife enjoyed the fish as I promised to accompany my brother for the game fishing the following day. I prepared the line and the bait. Deep within my heart had an urge that I would not get fish for even getting the bait proved quite a hectic thing.

Then something surprised me as we approached the ponds: the fishing scene. Truly, there were fish in the ponds but my dear brother had not realized that what he was referring to as fish ponds were sewage ponds! All manner of ‘waste’ flowed into the tanks and I couldn’t understand why he never got sick since there was an outbreak of cholera at the time. He told me that for quite some time he had been introduced to the ponds and that he has really been enjoying the tugging! He even told me of one relative of ours who used to work in the area found him there but he never warned him of the danger of whatever he was doing. There were also several people who caught mudfish and sold it to unsuspecting people. So next time you buy fish, groceries you had better know their source lest you eat that which has been harvested in sewage drainage furrows!

It was then that I realized that the grace of God is sufficient at all times. He sanctifies what we eat and neutralizes the poisons that may in other ways suffocate us. The Lord protects us from danger even without our own knowledge as we daily face fatal situations and He moves fast to guard us against any harm or accidents. What I admire most from the above devotion is that Christ has given us authority. Authority is power. And this power is to put the devil under our feet and watch him decaying spiritually. We have the Lords assurance that ‘nothing will harm us with the devil and his demons under our feet.” Amen!