Just Kill the Snake

I killed a snake yesterday. I really did.  And it felt great!  No one was more shocked than me. Just a month ago, it would have been impossible for me to muster the courage to do such a thing. But yesterday…I mustered.  I felt empowered!  I was courageous! I was strong and fierce! “Don’t mess with me!” I boldly declared.  I most certainly unleashed my inner Redneck on him.

I had finally decided that I was sick of being afraid of working in my yard (which I love), while worrying about what may be lurking in the bushes, under the pine needles, or around the flowers. I was tired of being robbed of the joy of being outside.  I was weary of imagining myself being bitten.  I was sick of having visions of frantically calling 911, attempting to tell them about the attack, while desperately gasping for air, my very life hanging in the balance. I was done with these slithery vipers.  I’d had it.

It happened when I emptied out a large planter, with the intent of refilling it with proper drainage rocks, fresh dirt, fertilizer and new flowers.  No sooner had I began to scoop out the old dirt, than out came this slimy, uninvited intruder.   He was about 3 feet long (might has well have been 10 feet!), orange, black and white. I had no idea whether this snake good or bad.  All I knew was that he was a snake.

This joy-robber slowly slithered out from the dirt, down the planter, and into the grass, venturing into the back portion of my yard.  At first I thought I should just let him go.  I mean, he was probably a rat eater (which I hate even more than snakes). However, it only took me a couple of seconds to know I couldn’t let him go, as he represented much more than a mere snake.  He represented everything I’ve been fighting against these past months.  He represented death. He represented harm and sickness.  He represented fear and dread. He had to go.  I was sick of being scared!

With each whack of the shovel, which literally chopped him into countless pieces, I audibly heard a voice.  My voice. I boldly declared, “I’ve had it with you, Satan!  I’m done.  Leave my family alone.  You can no longer torment or even tease us.  You’re done. It’s over.” 

Whew! That felt good!

Now before you determine that I’ve finally lost it, I know better than anyone, a snake in my backyard technically has absolutely nothing to do with my current challenges. However, at that very moment, it seemed like he had everything to do with them.  Was I going to be a victim of a reptile that freaks me out in unimaginable ways, keeping me from doing what I love, or was I going to be a conqueror? I knew it was time to tell the enemy of my soul that I was done with him. He could no longer scare me. He could no longer even tease me. He could no longer cause me to fear, cause my chest to tighten with stress, or hold me captive to fear of disaster and failure.

So I rendered that sucker powerless and reclaimed my God-given power.

As unsettling as it may seem, we know God’s Word tells us that we have an enemy and his name is Satan.  As a child, when I overheard my parents talk about this, it scared me downright silly.  But now that I am an adult (or at least trying to be), I have accepted the fact that I am in a spiritual war and that I have one of two parts to play – that of the Conqueror or that of the Victim.  

In God’s Word we see the words “strong” and “courageous” coupled together no less than 10 times (depending upon the version). This pairing is first seen in in Deuteronomy 31:6, when Moses tells the children of Israel, “Be strong and courageous.  Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you.”  We also know "We are more than conquerors though Him who loved us." (Romans 8:37)

But how can you be strong and courageous, much less conquer anything, when it takes everything in you to put one foot in front of the other or just get through the day?

Perhaps we can begin by becoming fed up and taking a stand - deciding that we will not be a victim, but a Conqueror; telling whatever “snake” that has invaded our space to “Go! Scram! Leave!” or my personal favorite, “Go to hell!”  Could it be that we need to decide to just be done with it? Get fed up? Although I realize this is not the complete answer, I do believe it’s an important piece of the answer.

I don’t know what snakes you have in your life right now.  But I do know this…our God has a gigantic shovel.  And when we get fed up enough with having that serpent in our yard, lurking in our flowers and bushes; when we declare that we’re done, and that we are a Conqueror in Christ Jesus - He will chop that sucker into a million little pieces.  You won’t even be able to find that snake.  But God will certainly find you, and He’ll make it official…You are more than a Conqueror.  It’s done.