When we get down and discouraged, we have to remember that this world is not perfect. Yes, God is perfect and He desires perfection, but we have choices. That’s precisely where the problem arises. We go all the way back to the garden of Eden and find two individuals living in perfection that were about to understand the consequences of making a wrong choice. Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” (‭Genesis‬ ‭3‬:‭1‬ NIV) The devil caused Eve to question God’s truth and exchange it for a lie. He struck Adam and Eve with a poisonous venom that not only affected them, but every generation to come after them. God knew if this “disease” wasn’t destroyed, it would bring death to individuals in the manner of permanent separation from Him. Individuals who were now plagued with what humanity had to offer needed an Antivenom to this poison that was never meant to be part of their makeup. This is where Jesus steps in!

I did a little research on snake venom. It contains neurotoxins that get into your blood and does all kinds of damage. If not treated, death is likely the outcome from these strikes. This is in the natural world. Spiritually speaking, if your blood is contaminated by humanity, which it is, spiritual death is certain if no Antivenom is injected. Fortunately, Jesus Is the perfect answer to this horrific dilemma. He Is the total antithesis to the serpent in the garden. The devil is a liar. Jesus is The Truth. The devil is a counterfeit, a fake, a fraud. Jesus is pure perfection and His blood was never tainted by the enemy even though He lived as a human. He lived perfectly for those of us that are not perfect. Then, doing the unthinkable, He died a death on a cross offering us his untainted blood. The Bible says, “For the life of a creature is in the blood.” (‭Leviticus‬ ‭17‬:‭11‬ NIV) So, the great exchange is offered. We can accept Jesus’ perfect blood instead of our contamination. How amazing is that? What a good God to give us an anecdote to a situation we literally could not get out of ourselves. “Come now, let us settle the matter,” says the Lord. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.” (‭Isaiah‬ ‭1‬:‭18‬ NIV) Wow! 

The fact of the matter is, that’s not all. Not only do we accept Jesus as our atonement, we also get the Holy Spirit to come live in us and direct our steps in life until we reach our heavenly home. This world is still broken and we’re still here. We need the guidance of the One who knows what’s up ahead. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth (John‬ ‭16‬:‭13‬ NLT).

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see (‭Hebrews‬ ‭11‬:‭1‬ NIV). The enemy wants us to stay focused on what we do see and bind us up in fear. Things at street level can be extremely scary if it were not for the sure promises of God. The devil wants to get our focus off of the Lord and get our attention on his counterfeit tactics. He wants to twist God’s Word just like he did in the garden all those years ago. He’ll whisper something like, “this is bad. There’s no way out of this.”  Then Jesus assures us, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” (II Timothy‬ ‭1‬:‭7‬ NKJV) Now which one sounds more comforting and reassuring? This is precisely where we, like Eve in the garden, have a choice to make. We fall for the lies or we stand solid on The Truth. 

Life is full of choices. Every choice point has an outcome. If you want to stay in peace, you’ll go with God’s Word. You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you! (‭Isaiah‬ ‭26‬:‭3‬ NLT) This is the only way to combat the enemy. He will try to catch you off guard and strike at you. If he does, remember, in Jesus he is a defeated foe. No set of circumstances can thwart God’s plan for you if you’re a child of The King. Jesus has already provided the remedy to everything that will ever ail you. He is The Antivenom.

Today’s writer is Brandi Crowe. A hairdresser for over 25 years, she is currently the owner of Brandi Crowe salon in Buford, GA. She loves hiking, a good cup of coffee, and spending time with family and friends. Brandi lives in a custom farmhouse with her husband Robby and cat Harold.