This week I had one of those
creepy stories told to me. It was of a Boa constrictor, yes those really
dangerous snakes that kill by asphyxiation. So anyway, I was trying not to die
as my friend explained the details….the said snake was actually a pet living in
a house, not in a cage-just roaming free. Ok why would anyone keep a Boa constrictor as a pet, knowing full well that it is not a herbivore?
The snake would sleep curled up
in a particular corner of the house daily, minding its own business, but this
one day its owner found it on his bed lying stretched out….he did not think
much of it and ignored the incidence. The next morning when he awoke, he found
the snake on his bed lying next to him…..gasp…..when I think of a snake lying
next to me, I think call the padre because this situation needs serious
exorcism. This alarmed him and he finally called the vet who urged
him to bring in the snake to put it down. Apparently, the snake’s appetite was
growing larger and the reason it slept stretched out next to him was to
determine his height and if it was possible to swallow him whole.
Being a true story, I shuddered at the thought of being swallowed in my sleep by my pet. How awkward it would be at the pearly gates explaining to Peter how I went out….and how about this snake that has ill intent and motive towards me, watching me daily and waiting for my most vulnerable time of day? That is just horrific.
Being a true story, I shuddered at the thought of being swallowed in my sleep by my pet. How awkward it would be at the pearly gates explaining to Peter how I went out….and how about this snake that has ill intent and motive towards me, watching me daily and waiting for my most vulnerable time of day? That is just horrific.
But as we continued talking with
my friend, he brought up a very significant point that hit home, and sent me
reeling inward for self-evaluation. He talked of the snake being secret sin in
our lives and how every time we feed sin its appetite grows and grows and the
more we feed it one day what we give it will not be enough. One day it will swallow
you whole and destroy you. Sometimes we may think that what we are doing has no
bearing on eternity. However, just because no one has found you out doesn’t
mean that you are safe. In fact I believe that secret sin is worse than sin
brought to the light of Christ’s love. It is much better to struggle with sin
than give up….for struggling means you have not stopped fighting.
Everyone has that thing that
easily besets them. Things that you are not comfortable talking about, things
if anyone found out, would reject you, but God has made a provision for your
deliverance. Granted, it is harder to break a habit than it is to pick one up,
and years of secret sin may take years of breaking mindsets and thought
processes but it is worth the fight. Get into the ring and fight for your life,
because your soul is at stake. Don’t be callous when you sin, don’t take sin
lightly. Just like you would not lie next to that Boa constrictor after
finding out its motive, in the same way, get out of the bed, and stop sleeping
with the enemy.
It could be your mouth, you just
cannot stop slandering and gossiping, it could be your heart, you are angry and
hide bitterness and unforgiveness. It could be your mind, and you know that
what you watched last night left you empty and feeling worthless. It could be
your feet- where you go is causing you to trip. Drop that remote, drop that
conversation; drop that bar soap, drop that relationship that does not bring
glory to God- don’t be afraid of being different. You were created to stand out
so stop trying to fit in. Swim against that current that has swept you in the
wrong direction for so long….don’t be afraid of doing it God’s way, it may be
hard but it is worth it.
How do you fight sin? One way I
have found that works for me is daily surrender. Waking up before God and
saying Lord help me, I have no clue how
to!! Secondly, reading the word and prayer. Whatever you constantly
meditate on becomes what you are. Thirdly the hardest and most essential is
telling someone you trust, someone who will not condone the sin and yet will
not judge or condemn you. That is hard to find but rewarding.
So what have you been sleeping
with? I suggest that it is time for you to find a different pet, one that will
not kill you!!!
image from deviantart.com