Serpent Killers

While indulging my curiosity about a particular biological topic of interest, I recently encountered a startling statistic.  According to the World Health Organization, it is reported (read here) that an estimated 20,000 people worldwide are killed by snake bites per year.  This information immediately piqued my interest, which of course spawned more research.  Even more fascinating to me was what I found out about how snake venom kills its victims.  Without getting too cerebral, our bodies are not equipped to metabolize the plethora of toxic proteins contained in venom.  One bite from a venomous serpent, can deliver enough neurotoxin to paralyze the muscles of our respiratory system, ultimately causing death by suffocation.

Though this is true, there are cases where people have survived snake bites.  Much progress has been made in the field of toxicology, as it relates to creating anti-venom.  By using the very thing that causes death, scientists have been able to formulate a remedy for what would otherwise be a lethal snake bite.

Though envenoming could mean certain death for us humans, amazingly, there are other species of animals that are immune to these deadly attacks.  I like to call them the “serpent-killers.”  You may have seen some of the viral videos of the honey badger, and how incredibly tough this dude is.  Snakes, bees, and many other vicious carriers of venom have little to no effect on this freak of nature.  This guy is so bad, he is able to withstand a deadly snakebite, then kill and consume the entire snake from head to tail.

How you may ask?  The secret is in its blood.

According to a study (read here) conducted by evolutionary biologist, Danielle H. Drabeck, the honey badger’s blood prevents the neurotoxins found in snake venom from binding to the receptors in the muscles.  This prevents paralysis of the respiratory system enabling the honey badger to metabolize the venom just like any other substance.

Of course, my mental wheels started to turn the more I digested this information.  Coming from a more spiritual slant, we all have been envenomed, because of sin.  It all started with a lethal dose of sin’s venom injected into humanity’s bloodstream by the initial “bite” from Satan, “that old serpent”~~(Revelation 12:9), in the Garden of Eden.  Satan and the seed of the woman (you and I) have been in an epic battle ever since.  Even though you and I didn’t experience the actual “bite” in the garden, because we were born in sin, we are still subject to sin’s venom.  The enemy awaits our entry into the earth via birth to try to envenom us as soon as he can with the pain of traumatic experiences and disappointments.  He knows that this will likely cause the paralysis and fatal abortion of our dreams and precious potential.

Much like an anti-venom, Jesus came to block the effects of sin’s venom in our lives.  The Bible says:

For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh (Romans 8:3, KJV)

When Jesus came to Earth, the Bible records that he came in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin condemned sin in the flesh.  God took the very thing that kills us, and created the anti-venom.  Jesus was bitten by the enemies of sin and death so that his perfect blood would contain the life-saving antibodies necessary to heal us of the venom that was coursing through our beings.  When we are born again by accepting the finished work of Jesus, we immediately receive a spiritual blood transfusion.  We are now immune to the effects of sin in our lives.

Our response to all these things, should be a sincere devotion to Jesus, and a commitment to honor God in the spirit of obedience.  When we honor God by seeking Him and His kingdom first, I believe God will honor us.  We are victorious through Christ who loves us, and we have been given power over all the power of the enemy, according to Luke’s Gospel:

Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you (Luke 10:19, KJV)

We have overcome Satan and his demons by the power in the name of Jesus.  One of my favorite scriptures is found in the book of Revelation:

And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, and prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.  And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.  I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.  And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death (Revelation 12:7-11, KJV)

Through the blood of Jesus and by the words that we speak, we are born “serpent-killers” through Jesus Christ our Lord.

We are VICTORIOUS!

AMEN!

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BE

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