Vonette Bright
General

In his book A View from the Zoo, Gary Richmond, pastor and former zookeeper, described the day he received a telephone call from the head veterinarian.  They needed to perform surgery on the eyelids of a king cobra.

This was a physically demanding procedure that required several men.  It involved capturing the snake and holding it down on the table.  For twenty-minutes, the doctor would perform the tedious surgery.

A team gathered in the operating room and, together, managed to bring the snake down.  When uncoiled the cobra wad over six feet long.

Once they grabbed the snake, Gary was assigned to hold the snake by the back of the neck for the duration of the surgery.  For the entire procedure, the fangs of the cobra discharged yellow venom—enough poison to kill hundreds of men.

When the surgery was finally completed, the doctor looked at Gary and said, “You need to know that the easy part is grabbing hold of the snake.  The hard part is letting go.”

Sin is like that cobra, isn’t it?  It’s often much easier to grab hold of something very dangerous than it is to let it go.

In life there are many temptations.  Something may appear harmless on the outside, but once you have it in your grip, it becomes a habit.  Before long, you can’t let go.

My friend, be sure you’re not allowing anything to enter your life that you won’t be able to let go—whether it’s what you’re reading or watching, something you’re drinking or eating, or the friends with whom you are associating.

There’s nothing the enemy would like more than finding something that will capture your attention and take your focus off the Lord.  Give those issues to the Lord, and trust Him to give you the strength to resist.  He wants to help you.  And He will!

“You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the One who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world” (1 John 4:4).

Do you have anything in your life that has the potential to take your sights off the Lord—something no one knows about or that seems insignificant?  Friend, be careful.  Refocus your life on Christ.  Take time in prayer now to turn the temptation over to Him and begin to rely on Him alone.

 

By Vonette Bright, My Heart in His Hands

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