My family and I have just begun watching the BBC made "Life" program on DVD. We had previously watched and adored the series they made called "Planet Earth" so when we saw that this series was available, we jumped at adding it to our DVD collection. The cinematography is amazing and the shots that the camera people were able to capture are just stunning. I am constantly amazed by the creation and find myself wondering over and over how any thinking individual can believe that this is all some cosmic accident? Anyways...evolution vs. creation is not my main point in this particular blog...the main point that I am heading towards is the one that Paul points out to us in Romans 1:20 For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities--his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God."
As I sit on my couch taking in the literally amazing spectacles within nature, spiritual truths are resonating in me and I find nature preaching to me! Case in point, the Komodo dragon. I learned that this is the world's largest reptile and it is a carrion eater. (So it likes dead flesh...there's a whole sermon in that but...I digress). The Komodo dragon is not strong enough to take down a buffalo by it's size and strength. It just doesn't have the ability to overpower it by sheer force, so instead, it bites it's prey, releasing some type of toxic poison into the animal it seeks to devour. Then it waits. It will follow it's wounded prey for WEEKS waiting for the poison to slowly but surely, disperse to all areas of the wounded animal. This one poisonous bite will eventually kill the huge and powerful water buffalo. The Komodo will follow the animal, and as it waits patiently, other Komodo dragons enter into the scenario. They begin to follow the wounded beast until it finally succumbs to the poison of that first lethal bite. Then, all of the dragons who have jumped on this bandwagon of death, attack the dead buffalo and within 4 hours, the dragons will have stripped the animal of it's flesh...to the bone. Some of you reading this will immediately understand the spiritual application of this...but for those of you who don't, let me break it down for you as it was broken down for me.
In life, we are in a battle. Christian or not, we face circumstances and situations that are hard. It is in these moments when satan, (that great dragon) sees that we are vulnerable. It is then that he strikes with his venomous bite. Perhaps that bite entails a lie we believe, perhaps we encounter hardship like the loss of a job, perhaps we fail in some area, perhaps some harm has been done to us emotionally or physically, perhaps it's a sin we have caved to. Whatever that "bite" is, we can become infected with it's poison. At first, we may simply feel the sting of that bite but it seems like only a simple bite, a little inconvenience, and so we keep on moving with our lives. Soon, that poison begins working it's way into our lives more and more. The results of that infected bite are beginning to slow us down and weaken us. When that happens, sure enough, as if on cue, more and more dragons show up in the way of bad thoughts, negative reports and let down after let down. It seems that poison has gotten it's way with us and the carrion eaters have claimed us. Despair sets in. We give up. Finally, we lay down and die figuratively. When we give up the fight, when the poison has overtaken us and weakened us, the dragons jump on us and we are devoured.
Have you felt this way? Have you had something so horrible happen to you that you just gave up? The poison of that first bite morphed into more and more dragons surrounding you and taunting you until you just lost the ability to even try? The Komodo mirrors how satan works in the spiritual. He wants to destroy and devour you, and he is willing to wait it out. He knows that if he can just get that one bite in, he can harass you and surround you with his demons until you finally have no fight left. Then, he pounces and all that is left is bones. Has one thought ever become so powerful that it invades your life? Has one action turned to addiction and made you feel you will never be free? Has one time of being hurt morphed into a lasting unforgiveness that surrounds your heart? Has some sickness invaded your body and made you fear death every day? This is the system of the great dragon. Bite once, wait, harass, surround, harass, pounce. The sad part of this story is how many of us end up like the buffalo, devoured. In nature, the buffalo has no defense to this type of attack. Once bitten, there is no recourse for him. The same is true for the unbeliever, when satan attacks, they have no hope of rescue. That poison goes unchecked and the dragons keep on coming.
I am here to tell you though, that believers are different. We have Jesus. We have a Savior. We have a hope beyond the bite. Although we do get bitten from time to time, we have a loving God who will step in and save us if we only trust Him. We fight that poison with the Word of God and the promises of Jesus who says He will NEVER leave us or forsake us. When we cast all that upon Him, we can have peace in the midst of an attack. Though the dragons encircle, they will not be able to feast on us! We can have HOPE! Perhaps you have sinned. The devil got in a bite. Don't ignore the bite, go to the Healer! Think about Jesus taking your sin on his own body at the cross. Get forgiveness and get back up! Have you been hurt? Satan got in that first bite...don't let it fester into unforgiveness, bitterness and anger...go to Jesus and think about His forgiveness towards you! Soon, you will find your pride melting away and true forgiveness replacing the hurt. Is your body sick? Are you in fear of death? Remember that Jesus body was broken for your healing, that he became a curse for you so that you would no longer be under a curse. Don't allow thoughts of death to overwhelm you. See yourself healed and see yourself healed ultimately in heaven. Even if your body should die (which we all will someday) you yourself will never die! This is how we OVERCOME! This is how believers can live victorious lives even when the great dragon bites!
If you are an unbeliever reading this and you are feeling like that buffalo, poisoned, helpless, surrounded...your hope today is in accepting Jesus as your Savior. He is willing to help you in your time of need. Think about Him dying to save you. If He was willing to die for you when you didn't care about Him, won't he be willing to save you now? If God was willing to give up His own Son for your salvation, won't He be willing to accept you? Reach out and grab the lifeline that is being offered.
Am I saying bites never happen again? No. I am I saying that the dragons give up altogether? No. But they WON'T overcome. They won't devour and their poison will not end in death!
Thank God!
Thank God for his Word, thank God for his creation and for the lessons we can learn about Him when His Holy Spirit leads us into all truth.
