Last week my blog focus was Burger King’s new slogan – “Be Your Way”. For some time now, we have been enticed and appeased by our culture of comforts. It’s easy to buy into the concept that we can “Be Our Way”. According to the press release from Burger King, the new tagline “reminds people that no matter who they are, they can order how they want to in Burger King restaurants and that they can and should live how they want anytime.”
And so here we are…buying into this dangerous idea. We as a people have become self-absorbed. Self-focused. Entitled. And the days are growing dark. Right and wrong have become relative. Truth is buried. Night is upon us. We are being lulled to sleep. As I think of my own life and how I should live, my mind reflects on a verse from the Bible:
For you are all children of the light and of the day; we don’t belong to darkness and night. So be on your guard, not asleep like the others. Stay alert and be clearheaded. 1 Thes. 5:6
Yesterday, while out exploring with their friends, my kids found a garden snake. Now, I am not a fan of spiders the same way Mark is certainly not a fan of snakes. Snakes send a chill up his spine. He’s more than happy to keep a safe distance from snakes of any kind. So you can imagine what a treat it was to receive a text of this picture of our daughter, Sophie, holding a snake.
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Looking at the picture on my phone, I thought back to something I learned about snakes a while ago. I was watching Animal Planet with the kids and the show was talking about the world’s deadliest snakes. The #1 deadliest snake was not known for its size or strength. In fact, the snake that made the top of the list was there for its subtlety.
The snake listed as the world’s deadliest was called the Common Krait.
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia says: Kraits are nocturnal, so seldom encounter humans during daylight hours; incidents occur mainly at night. Frequently, little or no pain occurs from a krait bite, and this can provide false reassurance to the victim. During the day, it is sluggish and generally docile. It often hides. However, at night, the snake is very active and escapes by hissing loudly, or keeping still. If bitten by a krait while sleeping, a victim may not realize he has been bitten, as the bite feels like of an ant or mosquito. The victim may die without waking up.
In the book, The Snake Charmer, Jamie James says: No snake kills with more ruthless efficiency than the many-banded krait, which dwells in the jungles of India and Southeast Asia. Death comes when neurotransmission ceases: With no instructions to breathe, the muscles of the diaphragm are stilled, and the victim asphyxiates.
FactZoo.com says about the Krait: Part of the reason for the staggeringly high mortality rate of their bites can be attributed to their method of biting: kraits will bite and hold on for extended periods of time, enabling them to inject lots of their dangerous venom into their victims.
As I watched, I thought to myself…”Isn’t that just like Satan?”
- He thrives in the dark of night.
- He’s active and aggressive in the darkness.
- He is ruthlessly efficient.
- He provides a false reassurance to the victim.
- He attacks while the victim is sleeping.
- When he bites he holds on.
- His bite is painless and the victim may not realize he has been bitten.
- The victim often dies without waking up.
Are you sleeping? If you were bitten would you even know it? How many are already dying from his venomous bite? Satan doesn’t want us to wake up but as a people we need to.
Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. 1 Peter 5:8
With night upon us, and eyes growing heavy, I encourage you.
There IS Hope. His name is Jesus. He offers us abundant life. He is the anti-venom.
Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.” John 8:12
My prayer today is that God would use this simple parallel to cause someone to be stirred awake. Don’t be caught sleeping.
