Many people go to Brazil for its tropical beaches and lush rainforests. One island, twenty miles off the coast, is forbidden by law to visit. Snake Island is inhabited by only one living creature: the Golden Lancehead.
The venom is five times more powerful than venomous snakes on the mainland. With one snake for every square yard, nothing else lives there. The last lighthouse keeper and his family never left the Island – alive!
One day a fisherman made a fatal mistake. He was lured to the island. Mooring his small boat, he climbed out, and stepped onto the rocky shore of Snake Island. Seeing nothing harmful, he climbed up a nearby banana tree. He grabbed a ripened bunch.
Suddenly a sharp, stabbing pain struck his neck. He quickly climbed down. His world became blurry. He was nauseated. Weakened, he barely reached his boat; he tumbled into it. He vomited.
The tide later rolled in, freeing his boat from the island’s rocky coastline. The Coast Guard found it drifting aimlessly in the Atlantic. He was dead. The Golden Lancehead’s bite was deadly within an hour.
This was a preventable tragedy. The warning signs were there. The fisherman should have known better. Though he saw nothing slittering on the sand or among the trees, his enemy was lying in wait to strike.
There are warnings all around us: speed limit signs, No Trespassing or Posted signs, “Do Not Climb This Waterfall.” One Vermont sign warns, “Warning: Many young lives have tragically ended on these slippery rocks.” There are even names listed, their ages, and the date of their deaths. They began climbing anyway, but didn’t go very far. Why chance it?
The apostle Paul recognized the very real threat of being lured into Satan's traps, resulting in tragedy. Paul wrote, “Be alert! Watch! The devil is your enemy. He is like a lion. He walks around, roaring and looking for someone to eat” (1 Peter 5:8). Someone has said, “When a lion roars, he’s ready to eat.” Please read in your own Bible that God is able to rescue you (See 1 Peter 5:6-11).
Paul also comforts the Christian, saying, “You have been tempted the same way all people have been tempted, but God is faithful. He will not allow Satan to tempt you with more than you can resist. No, when you are being tempted, God will also give you a way to escape, so that you can endure it.”
In Ephesians 4:26-27, Paul confirms the reality of the devil and his desire to disrupt our lives. Don’t be lured by his schemes. You will also find this in 2 Corinthians 11:3. Please also read Ephesians 6:10-12, where Paul presents us with the reality of “spiritual warfare“!
Please avoid a trip to Snake Island.