Full disclosure: I hate snakes. My aversion to these slithery creatures comes from my childhood and is probably best suited for another blog. We’ve also likely heard the standard, “They’re harmless” explanation, but that’s not entirely true—snakes that inject venom can be uber deadly. And there are primarily three classifications of snake venom:
- Neurotoxic: affecting the nervous system to create paralysis and other problems. Cobras and mambas have this kind of venom.
- Hemotoxic: affecting the blood and disrupting clotting abilities. This venom causes internal bleeding and organ damage. Rattlesnakes and vipers have this kind of venom.
- Cytotoxic: affecting specific tissues to create localized damage and pain. Cobras and sea snakes have this kind of venom.
Clearly, we want to avoid these venoms, and I suggest avoiding snakes altogether! I’d like to point out that with regard to the whole snake-venom thing, the devil is his own kind of snake with equally deadly venom. I’m making this connection because of the serpent in the garden of Eden who talked with Eve, injecting venom into her thinking, with his deadly words.
The serpent’s venom in the garden of Eden was deception and distortion. Consider what he said to Eve that was the beginning of his venom. Genesis 3:4-5, “You surely will not die! For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” We also know that Satan’s native language is lying, based on what Jesus says in John 8:44. In thinking about this, one of Satan’s venoms—the lack of truth and the presence of deception—can be very deadly to the design that God has put in each of us!
Another type of venom the enemy uses to create pain and destruction in our life is disordered love. I’m suggesting this because of the route Judas took, which led to his betrayal of Jesus. We ultimately know that Judas betrayed Jesus for thirty pieces of silver. But it’s interesting to note that Satan entered Judas’ heart before he betrayed Jesus, which we read about in Luke 22:3-5.
Furthermore, we know that money was a struggle for Judas, as we read in John 12:6, “Now he [Judas] said this, not because he was concerned about the poor, but because he was a thief, and as he had the money box, he used to pilfer what was put into it.” I think that Judas’ love was disordered because he loved money more than Jesus. Whenever we love something or someone more than Jesus, it is a venom that Satan uses to bring pain and destruction.
Finally, I think that Satan tries to use suffering, loss and pain to inject venom into our life in an effort to disconnect us from God. You can see this venom strategy affect Job’s life and in the conversations that Satan had with God about Job in the first few chapters of the book of Job. Satan said that Job would curse God if he experienced enough suffering, hence the loss of his wealth, the death of his children and the physical suffering he experienced. When we experience hardships, Satan’s venom attempts to make us angry at God and hurt enough to pull away from Him, rather than pushing deeper into God. The suffering-venom can be deadly.
As we think about these venoms, let’s recognize that just because Satan tries to poison us with his deadly strategies, we don’t have to fall victim to his devices. Let’s be on the alert to recognize these venoms and Satan’s methods such that we live in vibrant connection with God and deeply embedded in His love for us!
