A long time ago, back when life was good, and things were as they were meant to be, there lived a man, a woman, and their God.
And a mouthy snake.
There were other reptiles, birds, and animals in the area, but since they aren’t the principle players in this story I won’t share any details about them.
Remember these characters: a man, a woman, their God…
…and a mouthy snake.
God didn’t create snakes to slither and slide all over the ground. Nor did He intend for them to be the conniving, manipulative, and utterly detestable creatures they generally represent.
But that mouthy snake let the devil get just a little too close. Next thing you know, the devil was putting words into the snake’s mouth.
And the rest is, as they say, history.
(I realize you may think the snake had nothing to do with the devil’s takeover. But things were different back then. And there was some reason why God cursed the snake. So…)
The same thing happened to the man and the woman. They let the devil get too close. Next thing they knew, they were munching on the forbidden fruit while doing something they’d never done before:
Hide from their Creator.
You see, every time we let the devil get a little too close, bad things happen.
Every time.
It doesn’t matter why, or whether we meant to or not; you give the devil an inch and he runs for a touchdown.
So why do we continue to pay attention to such a troublemaker?
Short memories on our part.
Smooth talking on his.
So what if we quit listening to the devil? Or better still, what if we kept him out of our garden?
Is it possible?
I believe so.
Let’s say our garden represents the things we sow, or allow others to plant, into our lives. As Adam and Eve were placed in their garden to tend and cultivate it, so God has given us the responsibility for our little plot of ground.
We have a say in what happens in our life. We are not entirely victims of circumstances or chance. We are caretakers of our destiny, of our Creator’s will for our lives.
And the devil is not part of the plan.
Neither is a mouthy snake.
So what should you do if a mouthy snake starts talking to you in your garden?
The same thing Adam and Eve SHOULD HAVE done.
“Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” (James 4:7 NKJV)
The snake didn’t resist the devil and was cursed for his part in the fall of man.
Adam and Eve didn’t resist the devil, and met a similar fate.
“So how can I expect to do any better?”
We have a little more arsenal.
“Really? What do you mean?”
We have their example of how to fail, AND Jesus’ example of how to win!
Our first parents lost because they got something mixed up. They became confused about who they were to resist, and Who they were to submit to.
Which allowed the devil to get too close.
They should have done what we’ve been instructed to do. At the slightest hint of a mouthy snake, or a crafty man or woman, SUBMIT to God.
Run to Father God, dig out His word (your bible), and find out the truth, the whole truth, nothing but the truth, the truth you need to tend to your garden.
THEN resist the devil and he will flee from you.
We have enough things to do in our garden without sitting and listening to a mouthy snake. We have God to pursue, and our destiny to fulfill.
And we cannot afford to allow the devil to even step foot on our turf.
Don’t you agree?
Jan Grace 