Stay Alert for Snakes

"'Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit. Brood of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things." Matthew 12:33-35 NKJV

In a story titled "Runner bitten by copperhead on Ozark Trail" published by local news station Ozarks First last week, it was reported that, "A runner was bitten by a copperhead snake Friday, Sept. 19, on the Finley River Greenway Trail near the Ozark Career Center, according to the Ozark Police Department (OPD) in a social media post from the city. The following day, Sara Forhetz — a local speaker, journalist and podcaster — announced on her social media page she was the person who was bitten. “I was the one,” she said in a video, noting she’s doing “really good.” Forhetz said she’d been listening to the Bible on her phone when she stepped on the snake. “It bit me through my shoe — I had tennis shoes and socks on,” she said. “It hurt. It almost felt like a phantom pain.” Forhetz said the situation was one of her worst fears, but she’s OK.

In the post, the city reminded trail users to stay alert for wildlife, especially in wooded areas or near the river. Copperheads can be identified by hourglass-shaped crossbands on their bodies, resembling Hershey Kisses, and by their grayish brown to pinkish tan coloring, the city noted..."

"Now when the Pharisees heard it they said, “This fellow does not cast out demons except by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons.'" Matthew 12:24

And while the outside markings of a snake can be used to identify it's “type”, thereby making it easy to determine whether the snake is poisonous or harmless, venomous people aren't so easy to identify. Not at first anyway. This was something Jesus made clear when he called out the Pharisees for blaspheming against the Holy Spirit when they attributed the power by which Christ did miracles to Satan. By all outward appearances, these "spiritual men" seemed to follow God by strictly adhering to Jewish laws and traditions. But their "holier than though" facade was shattered by the words they spoke which showed the true condition of their hearts. Think about it… the Pharisees had just witnessed a demon-possessed man be healed. But they couldn’t find even one shred of goodness in their hearts to celebrate the life-changing miracle. Instead, they said,” This fellow does not cast out demons except by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons.” Hence the reason, Jesus called them a "brood of vipers!" and then asked the question, "How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks."

"Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God." James 4:4

Jesus made it well known that a person’s “type” is ultimately revealed by their fruits or their words, when he went on to say, "A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things." This means that, although a viper or evil person might be able to put on a show of piety for a little while, eventually their speech will give them away, showing them to be at enmity with God and, therefore, at enmity with all those who follow Him. And you can be sure that their words aren't so much the problem but the heart from whence the words came. 

You see, a venomous heart spews venom because the heart is full of poison. Which is the very reason believers should "stay alert for" and avoid people with a venomous heart —because nothing (and I mean nothing) good comes from being a friend with anyone who has made themselves an enemy of Jesus. All we do by associating with these “types” of people then, is put ourselves in a position to get bit.

So, be careful who you label as “good” my friend. Just as a poisonous snake can appear innocent until a close and thorough inspection makes known their “type”, those who appear to love Jesus could very well belong to the “brood of vipers” Jesus talked about. Therefore, you must inspect a persons fruit carefully over time, remembering that a facade of good is only a short-lived front, and that only a friend of God is truly a friend of ours. 

Heavenly Father, thank You for reminding us that there are vipers among your sheep. Help us to be ultra discerning in these ends days Lord that we might not be fooled by the facade of the enemy who masquerades as an angel of light and seeks only to steal, kill, and destroy. Knowing that people speak out of the overflow that is in their hearts, give us the discernment to tell good fruit from bad fruit and the wisdom to choose our friends based on the condition of their hearts. It’s in your precious name we pray Jesus. Amen.

Happy Running