Have you been snake bitten? (we all have)

“A thief comes only to steal and slaughter and destroy; I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10)

I must admit I am a sucker when it comes to horror or thriller movies. Some of them never seem to live up to the hype that surrounds them, but eventually I come across one that may not be the best movie I have ever seen but certainly has value when considering our spiritual life. As I was watching a movie on Netflix called Rattlesnake it occurred to me that it can be used to infer an amazing truth about sin and the holds Satan has on us.

I will not give any spoilers, but Rattlesnake is a movie where a woman is traveling in the middle of the desert with her 10-year old daughter when the daughter is bitten by a rattlesnake. The daughter is carried to this mobile home that seems to appear out of nowhere and the woman inside heals the daughter. However, as she goes to heal the little girl the woman speaks some ominous words that, if we listen closely, we have all heard those words from the devil in our life. “We will discuss payment later”. The mother eventually is told that because her daughter’s life was saved that she must take someone else’s life. If she does not kill another human then the little girl will die.

Sin looks so appealing. It seems so attractive on the outside and, most of the time, it is for the immediate gratification or satisfaction of some desire we have that it either outside the will of God or is trusting something else over trusting the Lord. As I watched this movie I started thinking that is how sin works. Satan lures us in during a moment of temptation or panic, lack of trust in the Lord and a weak prayer life, and then promises us everything will be fine. But that comes with a price.

If sin did not come with a cost, then the Lord would not have had to die on Calvary. We, too, suffer the debt of sin. We give in to a moment of weakness and view the external as opposed to focused on the internal of our life and we rush to allow sin to satisfy that desire. Adultery, fornication, lying, gossip, cheating, and pornography will all tempt us and then demand that payment is made for the satisfaction. Although sin, such as adultery or fornication, can lead to physical and worldly consequences such as divorce and broken relationships, it also leads to spiritual death.

The devil promises us a good and healthy life, but the price is death. Sin always leads to death. It destroys our relationship with the Lord, it rips apart friendships and marriages, it abolishes lives and tears away at your soul. One unrepented sin leads to another temptation, which leads to another sin.

Sin may look appealing, but there is always a price to be paid. The devil wants payment. He is not a gift-giver. He is a soul taker, and he demands the debt of sin, self-gratification, pride, arrogance, and turning from the Lord must be paid.

 “Be sober and vigilant. Your opponent the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” (I Peter 5:8)

He is looking for you. He is waiting in the shadows of temptation to bite you. He promises joy but delivers pain. He assures you of life, but only seeks death. He promises paradise, but only delivers hell. He brings many people to the eternal damnation of the fires of hell daily. He wants you to be next.

The best way we can avoid the debt of sin is to live a life of prayer, fasting, almsgiving, and the sacraments. Immerse yourself in the Lord and your relationship with him. Draw closer to Him and He will draw near to you. The closer you are to the Lord Jesus Christ, the farther the devil will stay from you.