THE HEADLESS SNAKE

Imagine walking into your kitchen, and being met by a giant snake, bigger than you! Singer and author Carolyn Arends tells the story of a missionary couple from Africa who faced that exact situation. As a child, they visited her church and shared how an enormous snake-- much larger than a man-- slithered into their home, and made its way into their kitchen. Terrified, they fled their house, and found a neighbor who proceeded to remove the snake's head with a machete. 

Assuring the family that the snake was dead, he informed them it would continue moving and twitching, until its nervous system stopped functioning. In essence, it would take time for the snake's body to "realize" it was dead. So for several hours, the family waited in the heat while the snake thrashed about, smashing furniture and flailing against walls and windows, wreaking havoc, until its body understood it had no head. (Source: Christianity Today, 3/25/2011)

When God banished mankind from Eden, he spoke these words to the "old serpent" Satan. "I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.” (Genesis 3:15) This is the first glimpse we're given of the cross, where the devil afflicted Christ ("bruised his heel"), but Jesus destroyed Satan ("crushed his head"). Hebrews 4:14-15 expands this, "He too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death."

If that's the case, then why does Satan still afflict us? He's like the snake in the story; thrashing about, headless, but still wreaking havoc in our world. The missionary family waited, knowing the snake was dead and that shortly they would return to their home. Likewise, we wait through this season of trouble, knowing that our enemy has been destroyed forever by the power of the cross. That's why the Bible nowhere tells us to fear Satan. Sure, he can do some damage, but because of Christ's victory at the cross and empty tomb, the devil's power has forever been destroyed. Walk in the victory of Jesus, knowing the "serpent" is headless!