Romans 6:22 – But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. (NIV)

The other day when I was tramping through the brush to untangle one of the horses' stake lines, I found myself heaving such a sigh of pleasure and relief. Why? Because we don't have any type of snake in the far north. It's just too cold for them to survive, for which I am truly thankful. For out of all God's creatures, the snake is the only one which I abhor.

Knowing that most snakes are not dangerous and for many gardeners and farmers they are even helpmates in regards to eating insects and mice, I have tried to overcome this total aversion by handling and picking them up, all to no avail. They still strike total abhorrence and fear within me, causing my heart to curse their very existence.

What I find the worst is that when I am in a region where snakes abide, I have a habit of stepping on them while I am out walking the fields and pathways. Strolling along minding my own business, I feel something under my foot, and looking down, I behold one of these despicable reptiles, pinned to the earth, writhing beneath my foot as my weight crushes it. Indeed, I have lost count of the number of times that this has happened, yet the horror that I feel when it does never lessens.

I am not the only one who curses and crushes snakes, however. In Genesis, we read a prophecy concerning Satan, who took the form of a serpent in the Garden of Eden, and by deceiving Eve, unleashed the power of sin and evil into God's perfect world.

Genesis 3:14-15 – So the Lord God said to the serpent, "Because you have done this, cursed are you above all the livestock and all the wild animals! You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life. And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel." (NIV)

God cursed that snake, Satan, and let him know that one day, the offspring of a woman, would crush his head. That offspring would be Jesus Christ, the Saviour of mankind, Who would defeat Satan by His death and resurrection. The serpent's head would be crushed, and mankind would be freed from the eternal consequence of sin's power once and for all.

Yes, the power of sin is dead, through the work of Christ on the cross. This does not mean, however, that sin does not still exist. What it does mean is that through faith and obedience in Christ, we have the power to choose to resist and overcome it: to lead lives of holiness. If that isn't something to heave a sigh of pleasure and relief over, I don't know what is.

Prayer: Father God, thank You so much that we do not need to live in fear of the power of sin. Thank You that through the strength of the Holy Spirit within us, we have everything that we need not only to resist any and all temptations which Satan may place in our path, but also to overcome them. In Christ's name, we pray. Amen.

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About the author:

Lynne Phipps <lynnephippsatlin@gmail.com>
Tawatinaw, Alberta, Canada
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