I went to the Little Rock Zoo over Thanksgiving break and saw this "little" guy:
This is a Gaboon Viper. Next to the exhibit was a plaque that read "Gaboon Viper: Six feet. VENOMOUS. The Gaboon Viper is the largest viper in the world and has the longest fangs of any venomous snake. They can measure up to two inches in length and can inject an enormous amount of venom (the highest venom yield of any snake). However, they are very sluggish and reluctant to bite unless seriously annoyed". I immediately wondered if these snakes knew how powerful they were. They inject more venom than any other snake and as if that weren't enough, have the longest fangs of any venomous snake, so its very easy for them to access that venom!
These snakes have so much power yet they are sluggish and don't use it until you almost force them to. I wonder how many of them have died because they just didn't quite feel like attacking or defending themselves. Other animals, and even us, should have great respect and fear for these powerful snakes, yet when I read that plaque I get the impression I wouldn't need to be too worried if I ran into one of them.
Does the devil need to be worried about you? We have the Holy Spirit inside us. We have God's armor at our disposal. We know we are on the winning side. God's Word tells us clearly how to make the devil flee. We have the Lord of the universe in our corner; but none of that matters if we are sluggish and don't bite unless we are seriously annoyed.
Satan doesn't want us to fight back. He wants us to be sluggish and not use the power that God has given us. So if he can keep us from getting too annoyed with him, he really has nothing to worry about, does he?
First Corinthians 3:16 asks "Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?" This is the same Spirit that rose Christ from the dead as Romans 8:11 tells us! We have this sheer, surging power in us all the time. Satan doesn't stand a chance against that if we intentionally use it when we are faced with a hard decision or when we talk to God. You are powerful because God is powerful. Do not let the devil convince you otherwise.
Ephesians 6 lists out the armor of God. Each one of these items are based on an area we need to strengthen spiritually so we can use it in battle. This armor is based perfectly on the armor God is described as having in Isaiah. It is HIS armor that He gives to His children to use. It is sitting there waiting for us to be bold and use it. That requires being ready for battle; not being sluggish.
Revelation wraps up God's story. It tells us, and Satan who wins in the end. According to James 2:19, Satan knows the scriptures and shudders. We should know them and rejoice. We should be confident in who we are and in who our God is. If we really, truly, understood that (which we probably won't until we get to heaven), we would not and could not be sluggish! We would be completely on fire for God, celebrating our victory and boldly living as though it was real.
Our God is so gracious. He wants us to succeed in spiritual battles. This is why He gives us scripture like James 4:7 which tells us to "Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you". How more clear can He be? We do not need to decipher this or ask a theologian how to make the devil flee, because God wanted you and me to know without a shadow of doubt exactly how to make him flee. We have this information that Satan so desperately wants us to ignore at our disposal. Just like the long fangs on the Gaboon Viper which make it so easy for them to use their venom; we have God's word sitting in our homes, holding all the power, wisdom, and knowledge we will really ever need.
As if that weren't enough, we are able to pray to Him. We can talk to Him about our struggles. We can ask for boldness. We can ask for wisdom. We can thank Him for the power He gives us through His word and His Holy Spirit; and He has the power to answer these prayers in His perfect timing and His perfect, loving way.
You and I have all of this. We literally can't lose. The battle is ours; but Satan is not sluggish, he will fight to pull you away from God. He will fight to distract you from the truth of the power you have in God. He will fight to make you be sluggish and not use the incredible things God has given you. These things are useless if we don't use them.
We know what the Gaboon Viper's plaque says. What would your plaque say?
