But Deliver Us From Evil (Ken Ellis)

Lord willing, I am in Can Tho, Vietnam. For the next 28 days, my writing platform will be manned (or womaned) by friends and relatives. Tonight's entry is from my very good friend, Ken Ellis, of Wichita, Kansas. Prayers for my work, please!

I live in a really squirrelly neighborhood.  No, I don’t mean my neighbors are squirrelly.  I’m talking about the furry little creatures that run through my flowerbeds burying things and then digging them up.  Recently, at dusk, I was attempting to repair some of the damage by hand when I reached down to scoot dirt into a hole.  To my horror I came within inches of touching the head of a slithering reptile. Quickly disproving the theory that white men can’t jump, I retreated to the safety of my house.  I admit that I’m an ophidiophobe (one who fears snakes). This is an irrational fear to many, but to me there’s just something chilling about a snake as it crawls towards you in the dirt.  

Why didn’t Eve fear the snake when it approached her in the garden?  Since it was one of God’s creatures, she had seen it before and probably felt at ease in its presence. It was then that Satan used its innocence for an evil purpose.  Oftentimes, it is the familiar things in life that, on the surface, pose no apparent threats or temptations. And yet, the opportunity for temptation lies quietly in the background, coiled and waiting for the chance to strike when a weakness presents itself.  You won’t know when it will come, but it will come, and like a venomous reptile, it will strike when least expected.  It may be a David-Bathsheba moment, a too close familiarity with a co-worker, a lonely motel room on a business trip, a purloined copy of a test at school, or a less than honest business opportunity.  I can take precautions against the snake that crawls on its belly; it’s the great Serpent that gives no warning that causes me the most problems. As God’s children, let us be careful and guard against the temptations that Satan is sure to place in our paths.

Applicable Quotes of the Day:

Temptation usually comes in through a door that has deliberately been left open. -Assorted Authors

Temptations are like tramps. Treat them kindly, and they will return bringing others with them.

- Dwight L. Moody

God bless, Steve Luke 18:1
www.hawleybooks.com
E-mail me at steve@hawleybooks.com