Can You Hear The Hiss of the Snake?

Unspeakable Joy!


Do You Hear the Hiss of the Snake?

Loser. Has been. Failure. Pathetic. You've heard these words before. They're not new to you. But they hurt. They sting. Somehow, you manage to get on with your day. But it's still there. The hissing. The sinister echoing voice in the background. Whispering and harassing. Were this taunting coming from an actual person, you'd avoid them, turn away, tell them to get lost. But there's the rub...these accusations are coming from someone you can't see.

Can You Hear the Hiss of the Snake?

It's our human nature - we hear something long enough, we start to believe it. Whether the accusation stems from an incident in your past, something you did this morning or something you're considering doing in the near future, be assured that condemnation will come calling. Whether you're a child of God, a non-believer or somewhere in between, it will search you out.

 The Hiss -

"Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden'?" The woman said to the serpent, "We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, 'You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.'

"You will not surely die," the serpent said to the woman. "For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." 

Can You Hear It?  

When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked...they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden. But the LORD God called to the man, "Where are you?" He answered, "I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid."  And he said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not eat from?" The man said, "The woman you put here with me - she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it." Then the LORD God said to the woman, "What is this you have done?"

The woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate." (Genesis 3:1-5 & 6-13 NIV) 

Did You Hear The Hiss of the Snake? 

 Thousands of years later, generation after generation, that snake still uses the same vile tactic. Deception. With a trick and a lie, he was able to pull out the first foundational stone that led to the downfall of man; by taking a statement given by God to Adam and perverting it. The truth of what God said is found in Genesis 2:15-17:

"The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. And the LORD God commanded the man, "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die."  


But this is what the snake told Eve, "Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden'? You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."  


Do You Hear the Hiss?  

But now, it's no longer Eve. The snakes eyes are now set on you. Me. Us. Our families, friends and the neighbors on our street. His goal is the same of course - to continue pulling out the foundational stones to ensure the continual fall of man. Peter warned us of this in 1 Peter 5:8 (NKJV) "...your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour." 

And with the relentless piercing forks of his hissing tongue, he continues to accuse. To deceive. To devour. Are you listening to the hiss? Do you feel a tingling, cold shameful shiver slowly trickling through you every time the hiss makes itself known? It's fear. The same type of fear you would show if you unexpectedly encountered a deadly cobra or rattlesnake. You instinctively know that the safest way out is to crush the snake with a quick and decisive blow. But you hesitate. The snake has his eyes locked on you and you feel powerless to do anything about it.  

 So you quietly, though reluctantly...accept your fate. 

 No More Hiss

But here's the exciting news! Unlike the above scenario, you have not come upon the snake unexpectedly. He's already made himself known. He sought you out! But this time, you have no fear. Not anymore. You're familiar with the hiss now, you already know what it's going to say, "ssssss..." The shiver you're experiencing now is not from fear. It's from disgust. He's been exposed. You have recognized the messenger for the cunning, crafty and poisonous serpent that he is. And how were you able to do this? Remember, your adversary the devil isn't the only one searching you out. Christ is as well. He told us so. "For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him. (2 Chron. 16:9 NKJV) 

Satan whispers those condemnations to steal your joy, kill your faith and destroy your life. And he won't stop until his voice eventually becomes your own. He'll stick to the plan. He knows that once he has you believing it, the next step is you acting upon it. Eve listened to the snake. As a result of listening to him, she believed him. And once she believed him, she acted upon what she had been listening to. She ate the apple. And that was her point of no return. 

We no longer have to be held captive and left wandering the fields of fear, shame and hopelessness. When we give those issues to Christ, He'll not only walk us through them, but He will also identify the reasons we got there in the first place. And what comes after that you ask? Healing. 

John 10:10 says it all. We can continue to listen to the hissing (lies) of the enemy, but as the Scripture points out, "The thief does not come accept to steal, kill and to destroy." But Christ says, "I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly." (NKJV)  

The only question left to ask is, Who Are You Listening To?