Message in a motorboat
For a summer and a half I had the privilege of working at Ranger, a primitive camp across the lake from the main camp where I was a counselor for six summers. The boys and girls at Ranger slept on opposite hillsides in tents and lean-tos and met in a central valley between the two hills for cooking, camaraderie, jumping into the lake off of a huge two-story diving tower we built ourselves, and for massive games of flashlight capture-the-flag under the night skies.
The most memorable session at Ranger was a year and a half before I got saved. Two of my co-counselors that session were Gordy, the Ranger director that summer, and Carla, both of whom were bold, born-again Christians.
The first time I ever prayed out loud to the God of creation was after jumping off of the Ranger diving tower while taking a midnight dip with Carla.
“Let’s pray,” she suggested.
“Here? Now?!” I asked, incredulous at the non-religious setting.
“Sure! Hi, Jesus! It’s so fun to swim with You under the stars tonight. I love You, Lord…” and on she continued as we swam in the star-illumined, midnight water.
I talked to Him, too, telling Him how cool it was of Him to make nature and summer and camp and freedom. I didn’t ask Him to be my Lord that night, but how could I ever despise a God who listened so attentively and lovingly to two teenage girls swimming in a starlit lake at midnight?
A big deal that summer was the copperhead infestation at camp. As more and more of the snakes were discovered, it became a badge of honor among the guy counselors to catch a copperhead with their bare hands. Even one of the female counselors caught one. I was secretly envious of her; I wanted nothing more than to say I had captured a copperhead with my bare hands, but alas, I had already been bitten by three non-poisonous snakes that summer at different times while holding them. I knew something was off with my snake-handling technique, and therefore, catching a copperhead—although awesome—was a risk I wasn’t willing to take.
Gordy did catch one late in the summer, though, and holding it, asked me to drive him across the lake in the motorboat so he could release it way back in the woods. (We didn’t believe in killing copperheads back then. We all thought that “the children and the flowers are our sisters and our brothers”, a la “Rhymes and Reasons”, a John Denver song. That included copperheads, too.)
Gordy sat in the bow of the boat facing me with the copperhead in his hands. I pulled away from the Ranger dock and motored toward the other side of the lake.
“He’s trying to get away. If he does, he’s mad enough to bite one of us before flopping out of the boat,” Gordy observed.
“Well, don’t let him go!” I demanded, one eye to the lake and the other on the snake.
After a while, the snake stopped lashing around—and that’s when Gordy started preaching a message I’ll never forget. “He’s relaxing. His muscles are not tensed up beneath my hands. He’s just like the devil. If Satan can’t beat you by fighting, he’ll bide his time and seek a different strategy, just like he did with Jesus when he left Him for a more opportune time.
“You see, this snake is very aware of my grip. He’s testing me, I can tell, just like the devil does. He thinks if he backs off, I’ll get lulled into complacency. He’s waiting for my hand muscles to relax. And if they do, he’s ready. He’ll swing his head back and latch onto my arm!
“If a believer stands his ground against the devil, then the devil will back off—but he won’t give up. He’ll bide his time and watch for the Christian’s guard to drop and his life to get sloppy—and then, just like this copperhead, he’ll swing back and strike!”
I didn’t even believe in a literal devil at the time, but eyeing that copperhead as it went through its stages of fight and relax, fight and relax, everything Gordy said in that boat made total sense to me.
You certainly do have an enemy over whom you have authority—the devil. Resist him, firm in your faith, and according to the Word, he will flee from you (see James 4:7). But once he flees, don’t drop your guard; live not only harmlessly, but also shrewdly (see Matthew 10:16), armed with God’s Word every day of your life. That way, when the enemy seeks to return for a more opportune time—and he will—he will find you alert, ready in season and out, and without a single toehold by which he can slither back into your life.
Dorothy
And do not give the devil an opportunity. Ephesians 4:27
Read MoreThe rattlesnake
Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field…Genesis 3:1a
A well-known fable is found in American lore. The Cherokees told of a little boy and a rattlesnake. In other American folktales, a little girl encounters the rattlesnake. The story even made its way into 1960s rock ‘n’ roll when Johnny Rivers wrote and sang “The Lady and the Snake”, with an encore 45 record of the same tune sung by Al Wilson.
Due to recent international events, I have decided to share this fable. When we place our trust in those who have a history of deception, treachery, and violence, the outcome is fairly predictable.
Here’s my version of the Cherokee tale:
One day as he was walking along a trail, a little boy came upon a very old rattlesnake.
“Little boy,” asked the snake, “would you please take me to the mountaintop so I can see the sunset for the last time before I leave this world?”
“No, Sir. You’d bite me if I picked you up and then I’d die,” replied the little boy.
The rattlesnake responded, “No. You have my word. I won’t bite you. Please, little boy. Take me to the top of the mountain!”
After considering the rattlesnake’s promise, the little boy reached down, grasped the snake, and holding it close, carried it to the mountaintop.
There they watched the lovely sunset together. Afterwards, the rattlesnake wanted to be carried home again. The boy carefully picked up the snake, held it close, and trudged down the mountain. He took the rattlesnake to his home, fed it and gave it a place to sleep.
The next day, the rattlesnake asked, “Please, boy, will you take me back to my own home now? Soon I will die, and I desire to be in my own home as I take my last breath.” Since the snake had kept its word to the boy all this time, he decided to do as the rattlesnake requested.
Carefully he picked up the snake, carried it close to his chest back through the forest to its home to die. And just as the boy laid the rattlesnake down, it turned and bit him in the chest. Devastated by betrayal, the little boy cried out, “Mr. Rattlesnake! Now I’m going to die! Why did you do that?”
Looking up at the little boy as it slithered away, the rattlesnake hissed with a grin, “You knew what I was when you picked me up.”
Trusting in a treacherous man in time of trouble is like a bad tooth or a foot that slips. Proverbs 25:19, ESV
Read MoreCrazy man! That’s a copperhead!
Although I was raised in the suburbs, my parents were determined to turn me into a country girl. Nearly every weekend our family drove two and a half hours to a place we had in the woods—a log cabin—on acres of rocky, creek-crossed Ozark land. No phones, no TV—just a place to get back to nature and leave civilization behind.
And when I was five, playing on the steps of the cabin without a care in the world, a jolt of terror shot through my frame. Slithering steadily toward me was a coppery-brown snake with the look of evil in its eyes. I was petrified.
“S-s-s-snake!” I whispered loudly through the screen door. Both Mom and Dad poked their heads out.
“Oh, look!” exclaimed my dad. “A pretty little corn snake!”
Yanking me off the steps, Mom blurted, “Crazy, man! That’s a copperhead!”
Word for word, that’s what they said. It’s etched in the gray matter of my mind forever.
Dad, ever the protector, did what any sane man unaccustomed to pit vipers would do. He picked up a large concrete block and heaved it down onto the unsuspecting creature. It writhed, but it didn’t die.
“Use a hoe!” my mom urged. She had been raised in the country; my dad had been raised in town. He didn’t know any better.
Soon the copperhead was copperhead-less. But to make sure that it really was a copperhead and not a harmless little corn snake like he first suspected, Dad proceeded to pry its mouth open with sticks. Sure enough, out came the telltale fangs.
I learned two lessons from this situation. First, the importance of accurate identification. Can you tell the difference between the poisonous and non-poisonous snakes in your life? Not many of us will ever need to distinguish between snakes (is that a sigh of relief I’m hearing?), but each one of us is called to discern between soul and spirit (see Hebrews 4:12) and between good and evil (Hebrews 5:14).
To paraphrase Hebrews 5:14, my mom—by reason of being raised in the country around snakes—was trained to discern between venomous and non-venomous snakes. My dad was new to identifying snakes because he hadn’t lived around them, but he didn’t remain undiscerning. He studied field guides about mid-western snakes after that to “show himself approved” when it came to the subject. He never wanted to demonstrate his ignorance about snakes in front of his family ever again.
You, too, must study to show yourself approved to God, a workman who does not need to be ashamed, handling accurately the Word of truth (see 2 Timothy 2:15). It is interesting to note that the tool by which you will not only be able to distinguish between good and evil but also to discern between soul and spirit is a Book—the Word of God. I remember seeing my dad pour over snake books to prepare for any chance copperhead encounter in the future. For you, a believer, the stakes are even higher; you are called to discern between good and evil, soul and spirit every day—practically every minute of your life! The one true handbook adequate for the task is the Word of God.
Secondly, I saw that it was imperative to wield the proper weapon. If you are unaccustomed to using the Word of God in dealing with issues, you might try to take up the nearest concrete block you can find—the arm of the flesh—to destroy your foe. If this is the route you take, you may create a ripple on the enemy’s radar, but you won’t stop him—he’s likely to swing back and strike you with more vengeance than ever.
But good news! The Word of God is sharper than any two-edged sword (or garden hoe), and it’s sufficient to deal death blows to the strategies of darkness slithering toward your cabin door. Fill up on the field guide—God’s Word—and be prepared not only to identify your enemy when he approaches, but also to stop him dead in his tracks!
Dorothy
Read MoreAntidote for all venom
Have you figured out yet that life is not perfect? Paul the apostle figured it out quickly in his ministry. In his second letter to the Corinthians, he listed some of the hardships and attacks he had endured in ministering to Jews, Gentiles, and the church.
Here’s the list:
- Hard labor
- Imprisonment
- Beaten times without number, often in danger of death
- Given thirty-nine lashes five times
- Beaten with rods three times
- One time stoned
- Shipwrecked three times
- Spent a day and a night in the ocean waters
- Constant journeys
- In danger from rivers
- In danger from robbers
- In danger from his countrymen
- In danger from the Gentiles
- In danger in the city
- In danger in the wilderness
- In danger on the sea
- In danger among false brethren
- Suffering in labor and hardship
- Experiencing many sleepless nights
- Experiencing hunger and thirst, often without food
- Experiencing cold and exposure
- The daily pressure of concern for all the churches.
- Being weakened by others’ weaknesses
- Intense concern over those led into sin
- Escaping capture in Damascus by being let down in a basket through a window in the wall (Compiled from 2 Corinthians 11:23-33.)
Missing from the list is the Acts 28 experience of getting bitten by a viper and the subsequent withholding of care and first aid by those who had recently welcomed him with kindness.
Life wasn’t fair for Paul; life is likely not going to be fair for you, either. You may get a snakebite. Others may misunderstand your motives. They may shun you or speak evil of you. They may even get others to think you are foolish, subversive, or off.
Perhaps your passion for Christ is scorned. Perhaps your desire to serve in the Body of Christ is misinterpreted. Perhaps the dream and vision you believe God planted in your heart years ago mocks you in its utter lack of fulfillment.
Maybe you sit in want while others prosper. Maybe you, in desperate need of divine intervention, see miracles come to pass for your friends. Maybe you keep thinking it’s gotta be my time soon, and day after day, you keep hoping—yet see absolutely nothing.
You, my friend, are dealing with a viper bite, and the enemy who hates you is seeking to spread his venom throughout your system.
Let’s look again at what Paul did when that viper struck him. He saw it dangling from the skin on his hand and flung it with all his might into the fire.
He did not deny that the snake was there. You don’t have to deny that the things hitting you are horrific. But Paul didn’t leave the viper on his hand—he forcefully jerked his hand toward the fire and with that momentum, the serpent catapulted into the flames. You, too, will have to be forceful with any viper attached to you. You will have to put your foot down and say NO MORE to the wiles of the enemy invading your space, and forcefully, by the Word of God, fling it—venom and all—into the fire of God.
What happened after Paul shook the snake into the fire? The Bible says he “suffered no harm” (Acts 28:5b). What should you do after you fling a striking serpent into the fire? Suffer no harm. Venom or not, you have the Bible right to suffer no harm! This is where you get to walk by faith and not by sight. I heard that Smith Wigglesworth said it this way: “I don’t ask Smith Wigglesworth how he feels; I tell Smith Wigglesworth how he feels.” And above all, you trust God who said, “No weapon that is formed against you will prosper” (Isaiah 54:17a).
There is an antidote for all the venom the enemy can produce. And that Antidote was lifted high on the cross at Calvary. The blood that drained out of Jesus’ veins that day holds the cure for every human, throughout history and for all time.
In the last blog entry I asked, “What is worse—the poison of the viper or the venom of rejection?” Whatever difficulties you may be facing, whether fleshly, demonic, or the rejection of those who once held you dear, the worst attack is the one in which you forget that you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you (see Philippians 4:13).
Therefore, do what Paul did so long ago—shake that viper off. After that, refuse to be moved or boxed in by the faulty perceptions and judgments of others against you—and at the same time forgive heartily and hold no grudges. You can do it all by fixing your eyes on Jesus, the Antidote and the One who was lifted high for you. And then run; run with endurance the race He has set before you.
Never again allow the vipers of life to hold you back.
Dorothy
As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life. John 3:14-15
Read MoreSwell up or die?
Can anything be worse than getting bit by a poisonous snake while you’re attempting to serve the Lord? Imagine—you, like Paul, have been saved from shipwreck, and others are rejoicing with you at the deliverance God has so wonderfully bestowed upon you. With relief and joy, you gather sticks to add to the fire so that you can share the warmth with everyone else. However, you unknowingly pick up a viper with the sticks you’ve gathered, and as you feed the fire, the serpent awakens and sinks its fangs into your hand.
Nothing could be worse than that, could it?
Something my pastor said in a message about this chain of events in the life of the apostle Paul (see Acts 28) struck a chord with me. He pointed out that as we serve the Lord, not only might we run into “vipers”, but we may also experience suspicion, disapproval, and rejection from others—even from those who once applauded our efforts. What is worse—the poison of a viper or the venom of rejection?
Not only had Paul just been bitten by a deadly viper, but the islanders who welcomed the group from the wreckage less than an hour or so before now eyed Paul with suspicion. “When the natives saw the creature hanging from his hand, they began saying to one another, ‘Undoubtedly this man is a murderer, and though he has been saved from the sea, justice has not allowed him to live’” (Acts 28:4).
Have you ever experienced a blow to your walk of faith, and when you seek for help you only find suspicion, mistrust, and cold shoulders from those who once sought your fellowship? What was more devastating? The blow to your faith or being shunned by your brethren? Unfortunately, at times believers can be fickle when it comes to one another; they can be wonderfully supportive one day, but the next—you’re blacklisted or invisible!
When someone stumbles, the Bible tells us exactly how to deal with it. “Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted” (Galatians 6:1, emphasis added). Short of a direct touch from God, nothing is more refreshing or healing than the loving restoration and open arms of a fellow Christian when you are devastated—especially when you have only yourself to blame.
However, this is not always the experience of fallen believers. Whether the fall from grace was via lust, anger, pride, or simply misinterpreting the leading of the Holy Ghost, so often the response is not gentle restoration. Unfortunately, where friendship once reigned, now suspicion, mistrust, and rejection rule, leaving the tarnished saint to feel isolated and invisible.
Paul, having experienced deliverance from death and welcoming kindness on the island, picked up a viper by mistake, and as he added his supply to the communal fire, it fastened itself to his hand. The welcoming kindness turned to suspicion. When a believer is bitten by a viper, all too often the response from those most equipped to help is not restoration but suspicious shunning.
In Paul’s case, the only interest anyone had in him at that point was similar to playing the odds in Vegas. “But they were expecting that he was about to swell up or suddenly fall down dead” (Acts 28:6a). Instead of seeking his recovery, they were trying to see if he would drop dead immediately or swell up first. All too often, believers (unfortunately, myself included) have wagered their dismal predictions about a fellow Christian who made a wrong turn along the way. Restoration? Heck no! He’s off! And away the righteous saunter, oblivious to the fact that not only has a viper attached itself to their own flesh, but it has now coiled itself around their soul, as well.
Let me ask again. What could be worse than being struck by a viper while attempting to serve the Lord? What is worse—the poison of the viper or the venom of rejection?
May God grip our hearts with the capacity to see beyond the viper!
Dorothy
My brethren, if any among you strays from the truth and one turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins. James 5:19-20
By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another. John 13:35
And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more. John 8:11b, KJV
Read MoreDealing with vipers
First, abandoning a ship as it slams against rocks; then getting bit by a deadly viper. You thought you had problems? This describes a single day in the life of Paul the apostle!
A few years ago my pastor taught a series from Acts 27 and 28—where this scenario is found—and preached from the circumstances surrounding Paul’s shipwreck. So much can be gleaned from what appears to be a series of haphazard events in the apostle’s life.
One thing in particular my pastor focused on was the viper that Paul picked up in the bundle of sticks he gathered for the fire. Here’s the context:
“When they had been brought safely through, then we found out that the island was called Malta. The natives showed us extraordinary kindness; for because of the rain that had set in and because of the cold, they kindled a fire and received us all. But when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and laid them on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat and fastened itself on his hand. When the natives saw the creature hanging from his hand, they began saying to one another, ‘Undoubtedly this man is a murderer, and though he has been saved from the sea, justice has not allowed him to live.’ However he shook the creature off into the fire and suffered no harm” (Acts 28:1-5, emphasis added).
As my pastor preached the message back then, I heard the Lord say to me, “This message is for your equipping.” Because of that, I took copious notes and spent several days praying over them. And as I prayed, that viper stood out to me, too, so I’m going to offer some thoughts that came to me about the whole viper situation. Here they are:
Paul had been walking around, picking up sticks to place on the fire. He was busy providing his supply. At some point, he picked up the snake by mistake.
I’ve had a little experience with the ways of reptiles in nature, so as I thought about this, I figured two things. First, it was probably dark out, making it difficult for Paul to discriminate between sticks and snakes; and second, it was cold. Reptiles are dormant in the cold; their metabolism slows down in the winter and they are sluggish on cooler days until the environment warms up sufficiently. The viper Paul picked up was likely in such a state of inertia, and therefore was unable to slither out of the stack of sticks—its muscles just wouldn’t cooperate in the cold.
This made me think about something. When we serve one another and provide our share of the supply, sometimes, unbeknownst to us, we pick up a dormant viper. We don’t choose to pick up the viper; we don’t know that somewhere within our supply a viper is hiding; but it’s there, nonetheless.
“How could a viper get mixed up in my supply?”you might wonder. It may have hitched a ride in habits you acquired way before you ever met Jesus. Perhaps it was hiding in thoughts that you never took captive to the obedience of Christ (see 2 Corinthians 10:5). Possibly the viper found its way into your supply via some thoughtless or hurtful remark directed toward you by others—possibly even by believers—and you never realized that, as a result, you picked up something venomous in your supply.
Snakes don’t move much when they’re in a dormant, resting state, and therefore often go unnoticed.
Because I know this about snakes, something else caught my eye. The Bible records that Paul was unaware of the viper he carried in his supply until he added his portion to the roaring fire—then out came the snake!
When you live an uninvolved, uninvested life, often the resulting unruffled season can give the semblance of “all is well”. But just step into the arena, seek to gather sticks for the fire so you can offer your supply, and then, more often than not, a viper gets stirred up due to the heat produced by your genuine service to God.
Vipers are primarily ground dwellers; they sleep among rocks and sticks, and even Paul, the man of God, accidentally picked one up. When God is using you or anyone else, be aware that if any venomous reptile is hiding within the supply, it will wake up when exposed to the heat. And here you are, stirring the fire by obeying God! That’s precisely when a viper will raise its scaly head—when the fire of God starts heating up through the obedience of His people.
A viper may strike out, either from your own or someone else’s supply, but don’t let that alarm you. The presence of a viper does not mean that the supply is deficient; it just means that somehow a viper slithered in undetected.
When a viper strikes in real life, the snake is usually killed and the one who is bit is cared for and given medical attention. However, sometimes among Christians, the victims of snake bite don’t fare nearly as well—sometimes we treat the victim as if he were the viper itself! Getting bit by a serpent does not make you a serpent! Have as much sense as a boy scout on the trail—kill the viper; care for the victim. Remember—the viper and the victim are two different entities!
When a venomous snake does strike, what is the proper procedure? Paul demonstrated the technique quite aptly. He shook the viper into the very fire that awakened it! Paul didn’t spend a minute berating himself for accidentally picking up the serpent; he did not lose his peace by wondering if other vipers were out there; no. He enjoyed the fire, received God’s healing from the venom, and went on with his life and ministry.
If you, like Paul, get bit by a viper as you provide your supply, shake that serpent into the fire of God’s power, grace, and covenant mercies. Let His fire consume the venomous pest that seeks to fasten to you as you share your supply, once and for all. And like Paul, you should not only shake that poisonous thing into the fire, but also refuse to berate yourself for bumbling into the viper into the first place. Above all, resist the fear of future vipers, and enjoy the fire of God and His wonderful healing, cleansing power. Know and expect that you will live a life full of obeying God and helping others with your supply.
You don’t have to be harmed by the venom of vipers unwittingly picked up in the course of life; when they strike, do as Paul did. Trust God and shake that thing, poison and all, into the fire!
May God bless you as you offer your supply!
Dorothy
No weapon that is formed against you will prosper…Isaiah 54:17a
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