Take It By the Tail!
Today's Verse:
And the LORD said unto Moses, Put forth thine hand, and take it by the tail. And he put forth his hand, and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand: ~Exodus 4:4
Are you afraid of snakes? Does the thought of being bit by a venomous viper bring shivers down your spine? Moses was 80 years old at the time the Lord spoke to him. He had spent the last 40 years of his life as a shepherd. During this time, he mastered the trade of shepherding. He knew every variety and species of plant and wildlife in the desert. Foremost in all this, he knew what venomous vipers were, and he kept a good distance away from these creatures. Then, one day God transformed his rod into a snake and told him to take it by the tail. God was teaching him a lesson on faith.
There is the requirement for faith.
Faith is an indispensable part of the Christian life. Without faith, it is impossible to please God. We walk by faith and not by sight. The just shall live by faith. Jesus told His disciples, “Have faith in God.” Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. Faith is how we get saved. "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God." "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved." Faith is exercising sight in what we cannot see. Faith is trusting God when it seems so hard. Faith is letting go of our trust in ourselves and trusting only in God.
There is the risk in faith.
Faith is seeing the invisible and doing the impossible. God told Moses to take that slithering serpent by the tail. You never pick up a snake by the tail. If you pick it up by the tail, you run the risk of it biting you. You always take it by the head. However, God was in control of this situation for Moses just like God is in control of our situations. God told Moses to take it by the tail. He was telling Moses to have faith in God’s protection. He was telling Moses to have faith in God’s power. He was telling Moses to have faith in God’s plan. He was telling Moses to take a risk by exercising faith. Exercising faith will entail risk-taking. If we want to start churches, we must take risks. If we want to see more people saved and added to the church, we must take risks. If we want to reach the world with the gospel, we must take some risks.
There is the responsibility in faith.
Moses needed to put forth his hand. God never asks us to do anything that is beyond our reach. When God places an opportunity in front of us that looks bigger than us, our responsibility is to accept the challenge before it slithers away. Faith is the belief that God is in control and will enable us, even when we think it is not possible humanly. God wanted Daniel to have faith in Him when he was sentenced to a lion’s den. God wanted Elijah to have faith in Him when he was outnumbered on Mount Carmel. God wanted Moses to have faith in Him when a venomous viper was within arm’s reach.
There is the reward of faith.
Moses took the serpent by the tail, and it became a rod again. Moses saw at that moment that God was in control. That rod was the means by which many great works of God were repeatedly done. That rod was stretched out over the Red Sea and those waters parted, enabling the Israelites to cross over. That rod was held above his head as Joshua fought with Amalek, and the Israelites prevailed in battle. That rod smote the rock, and water came gushing forth. God makes the impossible possible. Moses had to have faith in God.
Take it by the tail! Let’s take our area by the tail and win it to Christ. Let’s take our problems by the tail, and watch God prevail. Let’s take it by the tail!
Have a faith-enriched God Morning!
Bible Reading Schedule: Numbers 3-4