My wife, Carmen, ran outside one
morning last summer to grab our mail. When she
got back to the front door, she hollered about seeing a snake.
I ran outside to see it but it slithered away before I could spot it. At the time, we thought it had slithered away for good so we went back inside.
We went out that afternoon for a little while to run a few errands. Once we got back home, we had almost forgotten all about seeing the animal species I loathe the most.
But later, Carmen peeked out of our front door window only to spot the black creature again — this time lying next to our sidewalk.
We assume it was a black snake but it held its head up much like a cobra. For my own sanity, I will maintain it was just a black snake.
Anyhow, since it had slithered away earlier, we thought that if we tried to scare it, it might run away again.
So Carmen’s first attempt was throwing her car ice scraper that happened to be lying on the porch. The snake didn’t flinch.
Next, I got one of my work shoes and started slamming it on the porch, hoping that the loud noise would frighten it. That did not faze it.
Finally, Carmen got a bowl full of water to splash at it. Still nothing. And considering how hot it was that day, the snake probably appreciated the cool douse.
Carmen’s mom, Linda, was actually on her way over to our house to visit. So Carmen called her to warn her about the snake.
When Linda arrived, it was almost as if the snake knew trouble was coming so it slithered back across the sidewalk to a hole underneath our porch. We got a good look at it too, and it was huge for a black snake.
Since we had run out of weapons to attack the snake, Linda made a trip back to her house to get a shovel.
In the meantime, I was beginning to stress out about it. A lot of things don’t bother me too much, but if a reptile like that is loose in my house, it really disturbs me.
But Linda had returned with the shovel in hand. The snake was still tucked away in its Hall household hideout.
After about 30 minutes, though, the black demon resurfaced.
Linda grabbed her shovel, and the snake made a run for it.
It slithered across the yard and our driveway. Just as it was close to making its escape, it met its demise in the form of a shovel stabbing by my mother-in-law.
So even though the snake survived our heroic water and ice scraper attacks, it was no match for Linda — or “The Female Crocodile Hunter,” which is what my mother called her after hearing about this story.
A couple of days later, we found the hole where the snake was likely staying, loaded it up with snake repellent and sealed it off.
After all of this was said and done, however, I couldn’t help but think about the references in the Bible about the devil being a snake.
2 Corinthians 11:3 refers to the devil appearing as a serpent in the Garden of Eden.
“But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.”
And then in Revelation 12:9, the serpent gets cast out of the world.
“And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.”
Just like the way the black snake under our house caused me stress and worry and confusion, when we let Satan into our lives, we can become stressful and worrisome.
Only after the snake was cast out of its hole and filled with the repellent was I once again at peace.
Similarly, we can only be at real peace when we cast Satan out of our lives and fill our souls up with the spirit of the Lord.
Philippians 4:7 says “And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
The devil will try to slither his way into our lives when he finds any holes in our soul. But just like “The Female Crocodile Hunter” used her shovel to cast the black snake from our yard, we can use our Bibles and prayer to keep that snake called the devil out of our lives.
I ran outside to see it but it slithered away before I could spot it. At the time, we thought it had slithered away for good so we went back inside.
We went out that afternoon for a little while to run a few errands. Once we got back home, we had almost forgotten all about seeing the animal species I loathe the most.
But later, Carmen peeked out of our front door window only to spot the black creature again — this time lying next to our sidewalk.
We assume it was a black snake but it held its head up much like a cobra. For my own sanity, I will maintain it was just a black snake.
Anyhow, since it had slithered away earlier, we thought that if we tried to scare it, it might run away again.
So Carmen’s first attempt was throwing her car ice scraper that happened to be lying on the porch. The snake didn’t flinch.
Next, I got one of my work shoes and started slamming it on the porch, hoping that the loud noise would frighten it. That did not faze it.
Finally, Carmen got a bowl full of water to splash at it. Still nothing. And considering how hot it was that day, the snake probably appreciated the cool douse.
Carmen’s mom, Linda, was actually on her way over to our house to visit. So Carmen called her to warn her about the snake.
When Linda arrived, it was almost as if the snake knew trouble was coming so it slithered back across the sidewalk to a hole underneath our porch. We got a good look at it too, and it was huge for a black snake.
Since we had run out of weapons to attack the snake, Linda made a trip back to her house to get a shovel.
In the meantime, I was beginning to stress out about it. A lot of things don’t bother me too much, but if a reptile like that is loose in my house, it really disturbs me.
But Linda had returned with the shovel in hand. The snake was still tucked away in its Hall household hideout.
After about 30 minutes, though, the black demon resurfaced.
Linda grabbed her shovel, and the snake made a run for it.
It slithered across the yard and our driveway. Just as it was close to making its escape, it met its demise in the form of a shovel stabbing by my mother-in-law.
So even though the snake survived our heroic water and ice scraper attacks, it was no match for Linda — or “The Female Crocodile Hunter,” which is what my mother called her after hearing about this story.
A couple of days later, we found the hole where the snake was likely staying, loaded it up with snake repellent and sealed it off.
After all of this was said and done, however, I couldn’t help but think about the references in the Bible about the devil being a snake.
2 Corinthians 11:3 refers to the devil appearing as a serpent in the Garden of Eden.
“But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.”
And then in Revelation 12:9, the serpent gets cast out of the world.
“And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.”
Just like the way the black snake under our house caused me stress and worry and confusion, when we let Satan into our lives, we can become stressful and worrisome.
Only after the snake was cast out of its hole and filled with the repellent was I once again at peace.
Similarly, we can only be at real peace when we cast Satan out of our lives and fill our souls up with the spirit of the Lord.
Philippians 4:7 says “And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
The devil will try to slither his way into our lives when he finds any holes in our soul. But just like “The Female Crocodile Hunter” used her shovel to cast the black snake from our yard, we can use our Bibles and prayer to keep that snake called the devil out of our lives.
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