A few days ago there was a snake near our front door. Our friends told us that he was a good snake because he was black. I said he was a bad snake because he was alive.
It made for some pretty funny videos (that will never see social media, by the way) as The B99 stepped in and tried to get him to leave. I tried to use a rake to move him, but I failed. Apparently, you need to be close enough to the snake to reach him with said rake, and that was probably the reason it didn’t work.
Eventually, we gave up and went in for supper and he left.
The next morning I opened the side door to go for a run and almost stepped on him. I slammed the door and called out to Jesus. I told Him that if He didn’t move that snake, my next call was going to be to a realtor. Eventually, the snake left and I went for a run.
The next day, every time I walked out that door, I made sure Satan wasn’t waiting for me. As a matter of fact, anytime I was outside that day my head was on a swivel looking for anything dark slithering on the ground.
Yesterday, I was out the door and in my car before I realized that I hadn’t checked before I’d crossed the threshold. It’s funny how that works, isn’t it? How I could be so aware of the presence of that snake at first but then so much less aware of it just a few days later. The Bible warns us through the writings of Peter:
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 NLT, emphasis mine)
We have an enemy who is always on the prowl, even when we don’t see him. We have moments when we are more aware of him, but he is always there, just like that black snake. And he is waiting for us to become less alert and less aware.
The Greek word for “alert” means to be vigilant. It means to be “keenly watchful to detect danger; ever awake and alert; sleeplessly watchful.”
Does that describe how we are about evil and the plans of the enemy? I’d guess not. For most of us, the enemy isn’t even on our radar, and that’s precisely how he’d like it to be.
I’m not suggesting that we walk around afraid — the verse doesn’t say to stay scared — but rather that we walk around aware. Aware of our enemy and aware of our authority. In fact, the next verse tells us that we can stand firm because of our faith and our family. We are not alone in this war against him, and so I say we should be vigilant together.
After all, if that black snake comes circling my place again, I’m gonna need to call someone, and I’ll need you to be ready.
