Christian Living
WHEN YOU LEAST EXPECT IT
My sister just called and reminded me of something I totally forgot about. And it’s been rolling around in my brain ever since!
It seems like eons ago! Our family lived in Florida during the majority of my growing up years. This event took place when I was around 15 or so…like I said, eons ago!
Dad and I had been trying to find the time to go fishing. It was one of our favorite things to do! So, the time came. We took my new boyfriend Randy (who I met when ordering pizza at the local pizza and ice cream parlor). I remember He had beautiful blue eyes! My younger sister Lori came along too but she had to be only five or six at the time. (She always did have a good memory!)
We loaded our stuff and headed to Myakka River. Once there we grabbed our poles and bait, and started wading in the river. And yes, there are alligators in that river! We look back now and think…how stupid was that?!
Dad and Lori teamed up, and Randy and I partnered together. Off we go. I don’t have a clue if we actually caught anything or not, memory escapes me as time goes by!
(In between now and the gist of the story, Randy literally PROPOSED to me…what was he thinking? That relationship didn’t last long, let me tell ya!)
As we were fishing and wading we caught up with Dad and Lori. They were on opposite sides of the river than us. Now mind you, this river isn’t like the Ohio River…deep and wide. It’s more like a big creek. We could talk to each other from opposite shores.
All of a sudden Dad yells to stop! I freeze in my tracks wondering where the gator was. Dad said to slowly turn to my left and keep my eye on the log. Slyly sitting there undetected until that moment was one of the largest water moccasins Dad ever saw! And he had his beady little eyeballs zeroed right in on me. Not a good feeling.
Dad always took his pistol along on trips like this, “just in case”. I’m so glad he did! And I’m so glad he’s a good shot! Military training and hunting came in handy that day…
One pop and down he went. Randy was beside himself! He was in snake heaven. Boys. He ran right over and snatched that sea serpent right out of the water.
Dad and Randy had a “brilliant” idea. “Let’s coil him up and place him in the driveway of the next cabin and scare the occupants when they get home!” Oh yeah, GREAT idea, guys.
So, the boys won. They did it. We watched and waited and sure enough, here they come driving up the road. They never even saw the thing! Walked right past it. Well, now. Dad and Randy thought they were simply party poopers! What’s the fun in that?
But. The next moment revealed the miracle in that little ordeal. The mighty moccasin was not dead after all! He reared up his ugly little head and looked right our way as if to say, “You can’t kill me, I’m king of this river!”
Uh, he made a dash our way. You should have seen the look on Dad and Randy’s faces! Total shock. But, Mr. Good Aim got him again.
Randy took his machete and pinned Sneaky Snake to the ground this time. We went on about our business, shaking our heads in disbelief. Back to the fishing hole. So we thought…
Needless to say, when we saw that slithering sidewinder pulling away from the knife, we went cold! There is NO way on God’s green earth that snake should still be alive. But he was! He just wouldn’t give up. He was totally relentless…determined to succeed!
We eventually DID kill that thing. I think…who knows. But I’m so glad Lori reminded me of that tale because there’s such a message in it!
Yep, the “sneaky snake” has a name. Satan is known as “the ancient serpent” in biblical terms. He’s been around a very long time, and thinks he’s “king of the river of life”. But he’s not.
How many times in our Christian walk do we suddenly come to a knowledge that he is there close by with his beady little eyeballs focused on us? He slithers into our hearts and minds at times and whispers little lies to us that make us doubt or fear, or even turn away from God.
He is a relentless thief. He steals our joy. He steals our hope. He steals our confidence. The list goes on and on. He is determined to succeed…if we let him.
I could have just stood there, Dad could have just stood there and accepted “fate”. But Dad was on MY side! He denied that moccasin his glory.
That’s just like our Heavenly Father…He is always on our side, always standing ready to help us defeat the enemy.
That snake finally met his match after several attempts. He was defeated. Same with Satan! When Jesus rose again on the third day, Satan’s glory was killed! He HAD to succumb to Jesus’ authority. And because Jesus was Victor, we are too when we are His children.
Don’t think that because we are God’s children that Satan won’t try to attack us. He will! More than once. Many times. When we least expect him to, Satan will rear his ugly head and aim in our direction. That’s when we take aim with the Word of God. Let the Holy Scriptures be your weapon of defense. It’s powerful, and it cannot fail.
Do not accept Satan’s lies. He is not king of anything. He’s prince of the world for only a time. Only God is King overall!
So next time you’re wading in the river of life, keep your eyes peeled. Satan may just be around the next bend, sitting slyly by, waiting to attack where you least expect him to. Be prepared, and be ready to take aim! Your Father has His eye on you…and stands ready to help.
Revelation 12:9-10
“The great dragon was hurled down, that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth and his angels with him. Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say, ‘Now have come the salvation and power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ. For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before God day and night, has been hurled down. They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony.’ ” (NIV)
Lucy Cain
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