The Privileged Life: Snakes in the Grass

“Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made.” Genesis 3:1a

We have snakes. In our yard. Which is no surprise, in light of the considerable vole population (field mice) sharing the turf and pocking it with lots of little vole holes.

Snakes are out there, in the grass and culverts, slithering along, mostly minding their own business. I don’t need to see them or bother them, as long as they stay there…in the yard, that is, and away from our house.

I’ve seen lots of snakes on our mountain trails, too, including large rattlesnakes and copperheads. Those are the scary ones, and I give them a very wide berth.

Recently, I listened to noted editor Larry Leech during a Christian writers’ Zoom conference as he talked about hindrances to our writing. His first point? That the “enemy” is always out there, lurking nearby, working to discourage us—to keep us, at all costs, from doing any writing at all.

Right after his comments, I strolled out onto our driveway at dusk, and there it was…a gray-and-black snake crossing my path. Fortunately, it was only a rat snake, non-venomous, as are most of the snakes in our area. Yep, it was probably heading toward a meal nearby.

But this little snake was a great reminder. Satan and his minions are always nearby, ready to deceive us. Ready to slither “harmlessly” across our path. Ready to whisper lies.

With the ease of a snake’s saunter, our enemy is a smooth operator. Rather than full-on assaults, he likes to use subtle lures, twisting truth into desirable lies. Lies that entice, deceive, and eventually destroy. Lies. Lies. All lies. Especially the ones that tell us we’ll never measure up.

Praise God, we have a Warrior King to protect us! Jesus Christ has conquered the enemy, who is merely a fragile gadfly before His great power.

You know how the Bible ends…how Christ returns, to defeat Satan and his entire army:

“So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.” Revelation 12:9

What’s so wonderful about this news? That we don’t have to battle the enemy alone. The war is already won, even as we deal with skirmishes in the meantime.

Yes, the devil still likes to devise strongholds in our lives. But when we’re covered with the full armor of God (see Ephesians 6:10-18), we are protected against his snakebite. And we have a direct line—through prayer—to the Commander-in-Chief to defend us.

When Satan assaults you…through trials, temptations, and difficulties…you can run to our Friend and Savior. Call upon His name, and counter Satan’s lies as He did in the wilderness, with Scripture. Pull out your Bible and pray through the Psalms, the epistles of Paul, and especially Jesus’ own words in the gospels.

And, as He has so often said in His word, be not afraid. He loves us, and He will never let us go from His care. Snakes or not!

Savior and Lord, how grateful we are for Your protection from the enemy. Please stand in the gap for us…when we fall prey to Satan’s whims, rise up to defeat him. We praise You for Your victory! Amen!

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