Snakes everywhere

We love sitting out on our back patio in the summertime. We especially love the fact that we have a ceiling fan out there which helps to keep it nice and cool when there's no breeze. We also enjoy being around nature. As we sit looking over our wooded lot, we see all sorts of birds flitting to and fro. We love them! We've even put up several bird feeders and a bird bath to welcome them which they enjoy often. But one thing we don't like is the fact that when we're not outside sitting on our patio they like to rest on the back of our lawn furniture. And the longer they sit the more presents they leave. 

So I tried to come up with a good solution. After doing some internet research, I found that birds don't like snakes so I ordered some rubber ones from Amazon. Draping them over the back of the chairs, I had to laugh. I wonder what the neighbors would think if they saw snakes on the back of our furniture? Especially the neighbor on the right who is a member of the Assembly of God Church. 

We weren't sure the rubber snakes would work, but after a couple of days, we noticed birds were no longer lighting on our lawn furniture. We were happy about that! No more scrubbing bird poop off the fabric! 

This afternoon as I was sitting out there, I was also thinking about what we had seen in just a few minutes of the opening ceremony of the Olympics. It was disgusting and we turned it off. 

Facebook today has been filled with comments about the ceremony and the sacrilege that was displayed. I'm thankful I didn't see it. And that's when I began to think more about those rubber snakes. They're so symbolic. 

We are definitely in a world filled with spiritual darkness and constant warfare. As believers, we need to ask God to help us discern evil and stand against it. We know that we have no power in and of ourselves, but the Holy Spirit dwells in us and through him we are more than conquerors. 

Everyday it seems things get worse and worse. These are definitely signs of the end times and we are not one bit surprised because the Bible has warned us this is the way it would be just before Jesus returns. So all of this points to the fact that the time of His coming is closer than many think. 

I'm so ready to go home and leave this evil world behind. What about you? 

The evil is palpable. If we don't stand firmly against it, we will fall prey to it. That's one reason it's so important to know the Word. We need to be memorizing scripture and hiding it in our hearts. 

Be aware! Snakes are everywhere, both seen and unseen. And while snakes are only representative of evil, we know the god of the underworld, Satan, is very busy deceiving and blinding the eyes of all he can. 

The Bible tells us to stay alert that the devil prowls about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. Don't fall victim to the schemes! Guard your eyes and guard your heart.