The Spider Part 2

"What if we kill the spider?"

Why didn't that thought occur to me when I ventured out that night in the dark to take photos of the one caught? 
Yeah, I thought about saving the lightning bug- after it was too late. But it never crossed my mind to kill the enemy.
And because I didn't, here is the result:

Spider has been busy.

Not just one egg sac.

Three.

And one is hatching.

(BTW, notice the Halloween decor. It's cheap).

This picture is from a couple of days ago. Even more have hatched out since. 

And Spider is still busy. Earlier, I checked on her and it appeared she was continuing to work. I know that some spiders die after they lay eggs. Others leave their young to fend for themselves.

That's just like the enemy.

He gets us where he wants us, traps us, then leaves us with ruined lives and feeling like we are alone with no where to go.

But another part of this story that stood out to me, is that this spider has reproduced A LOT of young to follow after it. 

If only I had killed the spider........

Now, before any of you animal lovers- (like people who bring their pet snakes to Walmart- sorry, that's another blog), but before you get in a frenzy- I know that spiders do good. They kill bugs that eat up our gardens and all that- but for the sake of the illustration, 

KILL THE SPIDERS!

Just kill it. Put it to death.

Colossians 3:5-8The Message (MSG)

^5-8 And that means killing off everything connected with that way of death: sexual promiscuity, impurity, lust, doing whatever you feel like whenever you feel like it, and grabbing whatever attracts your fancy. That’s a life shaped by things and feelings instead of by God. It’s because of this kind of thing that God is about to explode in anger. It wasn’t long ago that you were doing all that stuff and not knowing any better. But you know better now, so make sure it’s all gone for good: bad temper, irritability, meanness, profanity, dirty talk.

Here's another:

Hebrews 12:1-3New International Version (NIV)

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles.

Hear me when I say this. I am that lightning bug. I have baby spiders that have hatched in my life because I did not kill the source of it when I should have. 

This morning, on my way to school, I turned the radio off and was praying. I was asking God to forgive me for being lukewarm. Then tonight, I went to see "War Room." Before it started, I silently prayed that the Lord would speak specifically to me, and several times it was mentioned being lukewarm.

I don't want that anymore. 

The things that so easily entangle me, and you perhaps, have to go if we want to be victorious in our walk with Christ. It was said in the movie, "Look at what the enemy is doing, and then put a plan in place to fight against it"

Look at where he is spinning the webs in our life. What traps are set around us? Look to see what baby spiders of sin have reproduced in us- even carried over in our families lives. 

It may be something that seems like a small web. But it may be just sticky enough that it ensnares us, and keeps us from shining as brightly as we need to.

The only way to kill the enemy is through the Word of God. The "Spider" knows his time is coming. He will die. Actually, he's already been defeated. All he can do is make us ineffective the same way other spiders do- setting traps and catching us so that we either don't shine brightly anymore or feel so defeated because we got caught.

Let's not listen to the lies anymore. We have a Rescuer Who

 has overcome. 

Psalm 31:4- Keep me free from the trap that is set for me,  for you are my refuge.

Lastly, if you are like I was this summer, and watched from a distance the one caught, reflect on this verse.  

2 Timothy 2:26- God’s servant must not be argumentative, but a gentle listener and a teacher who keeps cool, working firmly but patiently with those who refuse to obey. You never know how or when God might sober them up with a change of heart and a turning to the truth, enabling them to escape the Devil’s trap, where they are caught and held captive, forced to run his errands.

We all were trapped at some point. Some willfully get caught in the webs. This verse is full of hope. God is still turning hearts to His truth. He is still setting captives free. 

Grace, grace, God's grace; grace that is greater than all our sin.

Epilogue:
The spider is still in my window, along with it's enormous web and egg sacks. A small moth was venturing close, as Miss Spider reached for it. The moth got away, for now. I'm sure she sees the light from my kitchen window, and just wants to be near it. 
Will there be a part 3? Perhaps.
Watch for the webs, my friends. And snakes in Walmart.

The Spider Part 1

If you looked out my kitchen window, it would appear that I was decorating for Halloween a bit early. On the outside, (and maybe on the inside a little!), you will find a fairly massive spider web. It's not one of the pretty ones, like Charlotte's. Instead, it seems there is no rhyme or reason to it's creator's design. I've learned a little about spiders since teaching first grade. Not all spiders make the same kind of webs. This one seems to be a tangled web, or a cob web. Either way, they all serve a similar purpose: to trap their prey. 
Back in the summer, I was up late one night waiting on Peyton to get home, and as I walked by the window, I saw a little flashing light. It seemed to flash faster than usual for this particular light- one all too familiar on summer nights. It was the light from a "lightning bug." I went closer to the window, and realized it had been caught in the web. Its flash was like a cry for help, perhaps to its other lightning bug friends; or maybe one of pain, for it had been caught.

It's not a great shot, but you get the idea.

Soon, it's light had gone out, and it's captor had won.

I'm sure I was a sight trying to capture these pictures at midnight. But I knew a blog was in there.

So many times, the "Spider" has set a trap for us. And  whether we meant to or not, we often end up caught. I thought about times when myself or another has been caught in a web that we didn't "mean" to find ourselves in. I'm sure the little lightning bug had wished he'd not ventured off that night.

But then, I thought about the times that we see our friends caught (or maybe ourselves), and we are "flashing," crying out for help for someone to rescue us.

Instead of going out and taking pictures of the one "caught in sin," I could've rescued him. Yes, it may have been too late. The venom may have already been injected and maybe nothing else could've been done. Or maybe it wasn't too late.

Maybe he was screaming out "Help me!" as he flashed his light in the darkness. Instead, I take pictures.

How many times do we see others trapped in sin, or tangled up in a mess and instead of helping them, we gossip about it. They may be fighting for their lives. The may be on their last blink. The light may be fading. 

It wasn't long before that light went out, and the firefly was gone. 

That is the enemy's plan. If he can't have our soul, then he tries to take our light. So, he sets a trap. And so easily, we find ourselves all tangled up in it.

I was at my parents not long after this, and my daddy was preaching that Sunday morning. I asked him about his message, and it was about being a light on a hill. I told him about my illustration. 

He ended up using it in the sermon, but added to it. 

He said, "What if we just killed the spider?"

To be continued.....