Friend or Foe



Usually the most acknowledgment I get from people I pass on the path as I walk to work is an occasional nod of the head or an intermittent hello; however on one particular morning as a couple rounded the corner the woman was clearly excited and wanted to share her news with me.

She exclaimed that a snake had just jumped out (her words, not mine) from the tall grasses and was resting in the crack of the sidewalk. She suggested that I should be careful. Her husband on the other hand described the snake as a tiny little harmless thing. I assured them that I would be fine and that I felt certain that it was only a grass snake. In fact, I had been expecting to see the reptile since just a couple of weeks before I had spotted a shed snakeskin in one of the indentations in the walkway.

They were correct, just around the bend the snake was awaiting my arrival. The slithery creature didn’t move and could have been easily mistaken for a crack in the pavement or a streak of tar. He wasn’t bothered by me nor was I by him…thanks to the warning. 

The serpent had been lurking in the grass, just as Satan lies in wait for us to pass his way. And when we do, he is ready to slither out casually pretending to just be lying around in the sun, but unlike this little grass snake, Satan’s desire is to fool us into complacency. He wants us to think he is harmless, but his real desire is to destroy us.  The snake on the path was not dangerous, but beware; the serpent, Satan, is hazardous and must not be played with or even allowed to coexist with us. He is not our friend, but he is our adversary that we must wage war against daily in our hearts and minds.

It may seem that Satan is alive and well in the world today, but his time is limited. He is already defeated and condemned because of Christ and His work on the cross, so why give him any authority or power that he doesn’t deserve? 

Romans 16:20 The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.
www.hearthope.org

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