YOU KNEW WHAT I WAS WHEN YOU PICKED ME UP

Several months ago, a speaker at church started his sermon by telling a story. Such a simple story with a profound message. I’ve found myself reflecting on it many times since I first heard it.

Here’s the story: A boy went down to a creek to go fishing. As he was standing on the bank, he noticed something rustling in the brush. He turned and saw a snake coming towards him. The snake rose up and spoke, asking the boy to take him across the creek. The boy refused, afraid the snake would bite him. The snake assured the boy that he wished him no harm. He just needed to get across the water.

After much pleading, the boy was finally convinced to carry the snake across the creek. The boy cautiously picked up the snake and took him across the water. Just as he placed the snake on the ground, the snake rose up and bit the boy on the arm.

The boy winced in pain and questioned the snake. “I thought you said you weren’t going to bite me. You promised!”

The snake, with a smug expression on his face, responded as he slithered away, “You knew what I was when you picked me up.”

Wow! Doesn’t that make you pause and think?

I’ve thought a lot about things that I’ve “picked up” in my life. Things that I knew that had the potential for harm, but I justified allowing them in my life.

I Peter 5:8 tells us to be alert to the schemes of the devil. We know his sole mission is to kill, steal, and destroy. There is no good in him. He loves no one but himself and will try anything and everything he can to cause us harm.

So what about the things in our lives that we have picked up? 

Is it okay to “pick up” witchcraft and wizardry in the name of entertainment?

You knew what I was when you picked me up.

Racy pictures?

You knew what I was when you picked me up.

Gossip?

You knew what I was when you picked me up.

Occult practices such as horoscopes, Ouija boards, and tarot cards?

You knew what I was when you picked me up.

Even with the best of intentions, opening doors to destructive influences in our lives can have devastating results.

Just because the boy believed that the snake was harmless didn’t change the fact that the snake was still a snake and did exactly what snakes by nature do.

Can you think of any “snake” in your life that you’ve “picked up?” Ask God to reveal it to you.

If you have identified anything, now what? 

Thankfully, God has provided a way for us to get rid of the “snakes” in our lives.  It’s called repentance. To repent means to ask for forgiveness, turn, and go the other way.

Every door we’ve opened in our lives to the enemy, with God’s help, we can shut.

If God has brought any “snakes” to your mind, ask Him to forgive you for allowing those things in your life and then stop doing it. According to Philippians 4:13, you can do all things through Christ who gives you strength. He will not leave you alone in the process, but will empower you.

Thank you, God, for your love and your power to do what is right!

Joy McLaughlin

As a co-founder of The Renewal Project, one of Joy's greatest passions is to help others walk in freedom, joy, and hope. When she is not ministering to others, she also enjoys writing, hiking, and spending time with her family and friends.

Always a Choice

As we all know, most children love candy! If we have a rule in our family that we don’t eat suckers, we wouldn’t keep suckers in our house. My children would KNOW that suckers are not to be eaten. Can you imagine my son walking in the mall and seeing a candy store? He may keep walking. He may look inside. He may choose to go inside. Now, say he walks in, he hasn’t actually eaten the sucker right? As he looks around, he sees all kinds of different colors, flavors, and shapes that look interesting, maybe good, maybe even delicious. But he remembers that we, his parents, have a rule to not eat suckers. “I’m not eating it. I’m just looking,” he thinks, “Maybe even touching isn’t so bad.” After all he’s just feeling them and seeing the differences between the squishy gel suckers and the hard as a rock ones, but then he remembers he has a dollar in his pocket. Would it really be that bad to try a sucker? “I’ll just try it one time, so I know what it tastes like. That blue one over there! That’s the one I want,” he persuades himself. He puts his hand on the sucker to grab it and looks back at the door to see if anyone is watching…

Temptation is not sin.

Temptations are opportunities to be faithful to God.

No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

-1 Corinthians 10:13

Sometimes our escape from temptation is the same door we used to walk in. We just need to walk out of the environment. Stop hanging out with that certain person. Close and get rid of that book or magazine. Put restrictions on our computers, TVs, and devices of what, when, and where they can be used, or maybe even to the point of getting rid of something.

Not only should we get out of toxic circumstances that have been continuous places of temptation and sin for us, but we have the choice to stay away from many temptations from the start. From the story, my son could have walked right past the candy store, and if he knew it would draw his attention too much, he could have taken a different route to the store he was going to. Sometimes we just need to say, “No” from the start and not walk in and “tease” ourselves with what we shouldn’t be doing.

How often are we like the child who looks back at the way of escape but for the reason of not wanting to be seen choosing sin. Instead, the view of the door should be seen as a welcome to come out of where you are, to not proceed to disobey God. Visualize this, if my son when grabbing the sucker looked back at the door and saw us, his parents, with arms wide open saying “Come on! You can make the right choice! I believe in you!” How much easier would it be for the child to make the right choice? That is what a “way of escape” is. God gives us an opportunity to turn to Him. To His outstretched arms willing to encourage and lead us into the right choice. God is faithful to us. Will we choose to be faithful to Him?

Disclaimer: I’m not saying eating suckers is sin, and although sucker intake is limited in our house, we do not have a rule against them altogether. :)

Reginna Luna

When she comes across a "mom break" (aka sleeping children), Reginna will most likely be found snuggled up to her husband, cooking, or reading. Being a co-founder of The Renewal Project, she loves the opportunity to minister life, love, and hope found in Jesus.