I can remember years ago when my uncle Tim (missionary in Malindi, Kenya) told me about an experience they had out in the Kenyan bush at a church near Malindi. They had gone to visit and worship with a church out in the bush where a man named Daniel Kahindi worked and worshiped. Sometime during the middle of that worship a spitting cobra accidentally slithered into the church up near the front. You can imagine the pandemonium as people were falling all over each other trying to exit at the back of the building and trying to flee the fearsome snake. In telling the story, my uncle also recalls the absolute fright of the snake as it tries to exit at the same place it entered. After the pandemonium subsided and the church goers began to discuss the events, many were to scared to enter the church again because of the snake but also because they felt that Satan had now cursed the building. Daniel Kahindi was beside himself with anger at this response and began to preach to those Christians about the work of Satan and the things he would do to dissuade us from worshiping and following Jesus. Eventually their fear subsided, their courage was renewed in the Lord because of the words spoken by Daniel and they returned to the church to resume their worship.
In the opening pages of the Bible we see the devil described as a serpent (Gen. 3:1) and that he was "more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made." He was the one who tempted Adam and Eve and caused them to be cast from the garden. In Job 1, we see where Satan convenes with the angels before the Lord. When God asks, "Where have you come from?" Satan responds: "From roaming through the earth and going back and forth in it." His sole purpose in meeting with the Lord was to receive permission to test Job and make life difficult for him. The Apostle Paul writes that you should "put on the full armor of God so that you can stand against the devil's schemes" (Eph. 6:11). And the Apostle Peter describes the devil as a "roaring lion looking for someone to devour" (1 Pet. 5:8). It is apparent from these Scriptures (and many others) that Satan is not in this world to make like easy for us, and especially for us that call on the name of the Lord.
I recalled this snake incident at the beginning of this article because we had a similar event take place here at the boys' compound in Kamulu. I was sitting in my 3rd floor apartment in the tower a few nights ago talking to Moses Okoth when there was a knock at the door. A few boys were standing there regaling us about this snake at the bottom of the stairs. We slowly walked down the steps with our flashlights illuminated searching every crevice, crack and obstruction we could see. After spotting nothing, we decided to push open the door on the bottom level and see if the snake had slithered under the door into the room. Sure enough we discovered an approximately 2 foot long snake of chocolate brown color (could be a black mamba which is highly poisonous). By this time we had a crowd of boys who were all anxious to kill a snake . . . but there was one problem. There is also a metal grate over the door that remains locked to keep thieves out and the nearest key was miles away. As we struggled with the right way either to coerce the snake out of the room so he could be killed or to contain him in the room until we could get the key the next day, I was reminded of Satan and the way he works. As the boys resumed the forced coercion of the snake, a missionary named Steve (from Agape Christian Ministry in Kisumu) walked up and asked us to pray about the situation first. We prayed for protection and that no one would be injured. We prayed for removal of the snake. And we prayed that Satan would have no impact or foothold to discourage in this event. Renewing their efforts, the boys were somehow able to coerce the snake out of the room and then they buried it under a pile of rubble and boulders. After removing the boulders, we were able to cut off the head of the snake and remove the threat from the boys compound. Crisis averted . . . normalcy returned!
The neatest thing about this whole episode was the boys' reaction after the death of the snake. Hollering, dancing, cheering, excitement! It was awesome. But what an amazing allusion to God's (and the angels) reaction when we defeat Satan in our lives! Satan will take any form to discourage and distress our walk in the Lord. Maybe in the form of a physical snake, maybe in the form of a relationship, maybe in the form of a temptation, maybe in the form of a test of faith. How will you achieve victory over that snake? Prayer, relationships, worship, meditation, fasting, God's Word! Most importantly, imagine your joy and God's happiness when Satan again is defeated in your life! I pray that you are encouraged by reading these words!
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