Words of Inspiration - Snake Talk

[00:00:37] Welcome to The Bible Speaks with your host Elgin Carelock.

[00:00:42] The Bible Speaks is a daily podcast dedicated to sharing the good news of Jesus Christ,

[00:00:49] rightly dividing the word of truth, and learning how to apply it to our daily lives.

[00:00:55] You may contact Elgin at the address given at the end of the broadcast.

[00:00:59] And now, here's Elgin.

[00:01:02] Brothers and sisters, I welcome you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,

[00:01:09] to another edition of Words of Inspiration.

[00:01:14] And today we're continuing in our series, Don't Look Back.

[00:01:19] And I'm joined by Dr. Ovidya Rulak for an episode titled, Snake Talk.

[00:01:27] We're diving into a crucial truth inspired by Genesis, Chapter 3, Verse 1a, which says,

[00:01:37] Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made.

[00:01:44] This verse introduces us to the deceptive nature of the enemy.

[00:01:48] In the Garden of Eden, Satan used cunning words to sow seeds of doubt and dissatisfaction in Eve's heart.

[00:01:57] And he hasn't stopped.

[00:01:59] Even today, he tries to manipulate us by focusing our attentions on what we don't have,

[00:02:06] rather than God's abundant blessings.

[00:02:09] As we prepare for the new year, let's talk about how to recognize the enemy's deception and stand firm in joy, peace, and faith.

[00:02:21] In Genesis, Chapter 3, we see how Satan deceived Eve.

[00:02:26] His first tactic was to twist her focus.

[00:02:31] God had given Adam and Eve access to every tree in the garden, except one.

[00:02:37] But Satan zeroed in on that single restriction saying,

[00:02:41] Did God really say you must not eat from any tree in the garden?

[00:02:48] Notice how the serpent exaggerated the prohibition and planted doubt.

[00:02:54] Instead of focusing on all the blessings God had provided, Eve began to question God's goodness and fairness.

[00:03:02] Isn't that just like the enemy?

[00:03:04] He whispers snake talk in our ears, reminding us of what we don't have or the mistakes we've made.

[00:03:12] He tries to magnify our dissatisfaction and make us feel like God is withholding something from us.

[00:03:19] Think about the past year.

[00:03:21] Have you found yourself feeling frustrated about what you lack, rather than grateful for what God has already given you?

[00:03:29] If so, that's the enemy trying to distort your perspective.

[00:03:35] Satan's strategy hasn't changed.

[00:03:38] He knows that if he can get us to doubt God's goodness, he can distract us from our purpose.

[00:03:44] He uses our past mistakes, disappointments, or unmet desires to make us question God's love and provision.

[00:03:53] For example, maybe you're reflecting on the past year and thinking,

[00:03:58] I didn't achieve my goals.

[00:04:00] I don't have the job, relationship, or lifestyle I dreamed of.

[00:04:05] Why hasn't God answered my prayers?

[00:04:09] Those thoughts are the modern equivalent of Satan's question to Eve.

[00:04:14] Did God really say?

[00:04:17] They're designed to sow doubt and dissatisfaction, pulling you away from God's truth and blessing.

[00:04:24] But here's the good news.

[00:04:26] When we recognize these tactics, when we recognize these tactics for what they are, lies, we can reject them.

[00:04:36] Just as Jesus rebuked Satan with scripture in the wilderness, we can use God's word to silence the snake talk in our own lives.

[00:04:46] And with that, I'd like to invite Dr. Odey to give us your insight on our discussion today.

[00:04:54] Well, thank you, Brother Algen.

[00:04:58] As I said, it's always a blessing to be able to sit at your feet in these interesting conversations that we share.

[00:05:07] Um, snake talk is a term that God gave me some years ago.

[00:05:14] And it basically involves making one doubt what God has said concerning them, whether it's health, finances, family.

[00:05:30] Anyway, his snake talk is going to always be contrary to what God said.

[00:05:38] And that's exactly what he did to eat.

[00:05:42] He began to make her question and even doubt what God has said.

[00:05:49] So he's there to fulfill his role.

[00:05:52] Um, oftentimes the snake talk is doubt about what God has said about your marriage.

[00:06:00] What God has said about your health.

[00:06:03] He always want us to doubt what God has said.

[00:06:08] I always talk about shut down the snake talk.

[00:06:12] Anytime we are believing God for something.

[00:06:16] When we have thought the scriptures and what God says about our situation, that's where our faith has to come and grow to.

[00:06:29] So snake talk comes in to make us doubt what God said about the situation.

[00:06:36] And as I was reflecting over what you were saying, focusing on moving forward, focusing on the fact that we are in the last two or three days of 2024.

[00:06:48] So many people are walking around with anxiety, fear.

[00:06:56] They're worrying about 2025.

[00:07:01] When we fail to hear what God's word says about it.

[00:07:07] Basically, if we look at Isaiah 43, 18 and 19.

[00:07:14] He was saying for us to remember not the former things.

[00:07:17] We don't need to keep being stuck on what happened this year, what did not happen this year, what we thought may have happened.

[00:07:26] And I always kind of focus on three areas, whether it's in our family, our health and our finances.

[00:07:32] And I understand there may be other things.

[00:07:34] But to me, those are the three areas that really touches us the most.

[00:07:40] And so if God is saying to us, remember not the former things.

[00:07:45] Don't consider the things of old.

[00:07:48] Behold, look, we ought to be at this point in time having expectations for that new thing God is getting ready to do.

[00:07:58] He say he's doing it now and it's going to spring forth.

[00:08:00] But the snake hop enters in.

[00:08:04] And did God really say that?

[00:08:07] Is God really going to move the way he said he's going to move?

[00:08:10] Well, you know, he didn't do it last year.

[00:08:12] I was expecting him to do it this year, but he didn't do it this year.

[00:08:15] And that's where we have to rely on the word itself.

[00:08:19] That knowing that God's timing is not our timing.

[00:08:22] His ways are not our ways and his thoughts are not our thoughts.

[00:08:26] So trusting him.

[00:08:28] And trust is the option of doubt.

[00:08:30] And that's what the enemy does.

[00:08:32] He want us to doubt.

[00:08:33] Yes.

[00:08:34] He want us.

[00:08:35] Yeah.

[00:08:36] To worry.

[00:08:37] When God says that we should be anxious for nothing.

[00:08:41] But in all things, through prayer and supplication to let our requests be made known to him.

[00:08:46] Because I am a firm believer that worry, anxiety is what I consider antennas of fear.

[00:08:55] And God said, I did not give you the spirit of fear.

[00:08:58] Yes.

[00:08:59] But I gave you power, love and a sound mind.

[00:09:03] So the snake talk, when you hear anything that's contrary to what God has promised you through his word, we must know that we're entertaining the snake talk.

[00:09:15] Yes.

[00:09:16] Yes.

[00:09:16] You know, and I think one of the things that allows the snake talk to be effective in today's world is time.

[00:09:24] Because we are dealing with a God who is, was, and will always be.

[00:09:29] And so when he says to us that he promises us certain things, he is not bound by chronology.

[00:09:38] Right.

[00:09:39] Whereas we, when we ask him something at, at two 30, we expect by two 45 is here.

[00:09:45] And, and so by three o'clock, the snake talk start.

[00:09:48] Right.

[00:09:49] And he said, well, you know, if he was going to do it, I wouldn't have done it by now.

[00:09:55] Or how do we know that daddy heard you?

[00:09:57] How do you know?

[00:09:58] Let's, you know, you did do that thing last week.

[00:10:00] And I'm sure you'd probably blocking your blessings.

[00:10:02] That's why you're not getting it already.

[00:10:05] And, and just starts to work.

[00:10:07] And, and I was talking to a mentee yesterday.

[00:10:12] And I said to him, I said, you know, the way that you can identify snake talk is to, to ask yourself, is this consistent with what you know and what you believe?

[00:10:25] Is this consistent with God has promised?

[00:10:28] Is this consistent with what you have read and learned in the word of God?

[00:10:33] And if it's not, then you need to learn to rebuke it.

[00:10:36] If you let it fester, it will grow.

[00:10:40] And the ultimate goal would be inactivity because you don't believe you quit moving forward.

[00:10:46] Or it tries to convince you that you have to do something extraordinary in order to get God to do something for you.

[00:10:54] Not understanding that he's already defeated.

[00:11:00] He serves his purpose.

[00:11:01] Just like you said earlier, he has a role.

[00:11:03] But that role for us is to make it so that we willfully choose to believe God.

[00:11:11] That we willfully choose to trust in what his, what the word has told us and what he has promised us.

[00:11:17] And that is the ultimate goal.

[00:11:21] That is how we can put him behind us.

[00:11:25] Because a great example of snake talk is when Jesus said, get thee behind me, Satan, to Peter.

[00:11:33] And what he was talking to was the snake talk that was going on in Peter's head that caused him to ask the question that he asked Jesus.

[00:11:42] You know, it was something you were saying that I was, as I was thinking about, you know, will, how the enemy, he's so crafty.

[00:11:54] He is so crafty.

[00:11:56] And what I encourage people to do is, number one, no matter what the situation or the circumstance may be in our lives, the source that we must turn to is the word of God.

[00:12:14] Yes.

[00:12:14] And what I encourage people to do is, you know, when the doubt comes, because it's going to come, doubt, fear eradicate our faith.

[00:12:26] And that's the purpose.

[00:12:28] To make us not trust God, not to rely upon him.

[00:12:34] But he'll cause us, if we're not careful, to lean to our own understanding.

[00:12:39] When we should be acknowledging God in everything that we do, and he will direct our path, he'll order our steps.

[00:12:45] But the enemy wants to make us not rely upon God, to doubt him.

[00:12:52] Yes.

[00:12:53] Because that's the option of trust again.

[00:12:55] So what I encourage people to do, because our faith can only be increased by hearing his word.

[00:13:03] That's right.

[00:13:04] So what's the word of God?

[00:13:06] I strongly encourage this.

[00:13:08] Right.

[00:13:10] Seek the word of God for your situation.

[00:13:14] Begin to, and I was sharing with our ministry just recently, you know, when we were talking about stopping recycling negative life experiences.

[00:13:25] That, again, that's that snake talk.

[00:13:27] The enemy keeps bombarding us with all these things that negative experiences, different things that we have been through.

[00:13:33] Yes, we've been through those things.

[00:13:35] And I don't think God want us to forget them because he wants to use that as a testimony of how he brought us through.

[00:13:42] So, but what he don't want us to do is to remain in that state that those negative experiences keep us from experiencing the abundance of life.

[00:13:56] So God, that King, that you may have life and have it more abundantly.

[00:14:01] Yes.

[00:14:02] So the key thing is, when the snake talk comes to make you doubt, to make you worry, to make you fearful, what did God say about my situation?

[00:14:15] I encourage people to go to the scriptures.

[00:14:17] And, you know, there was a time when I was coming up, you know, you had to go to your concordance.

[00:14:22] You had to go to the Bible.

[00:14:23] You had all these books out before you're trying to say, you know, the Internet system has made it so simple.

[00:14:29] That's right.

[00:14:30] To go in and pull up those scriptures that apply to your situation.

[00:14:35] And begin to read those scriptures out loud.

[00:14:40] Why?

[00:14:41] Because as I read them out loud, I hear them.

[00:14:45] And as I hear them, it helps block out that snake talk.

[00:14:51] Yes.

[00:14:53] Then I'm hearing the voice of God because I'm hearing his word and it's increasing my faith.

[00:14:58] It's eradicating the doubt.

[00:15:00] It's eradicating the woration.

[00:15:02] It's eradicating the fear.

[00:15:04] It's eradicating the frustration.

[00:15:06] All of these things come when we're listening to the snake talk.

[00:15:11] Yes.

[00:15:13] You don't want us to trust God.

[00:15:15] You don't want us to believe that, that God honors his word.

[00:15:18] Isaiah 55 and 11.

[00:15:20] He said, I'll watch over my word to perform it.

[00:15:22] God said, I guard my word.

[00:15:25] I protect my word.

[00:15:28] That that which I have promised you, it shall and it will come to pass.

[00:15:35] Absolutely.

[00:15:36] Absolutely.

[00:15:37] And we also need to shift our focus.

[00:15:40] You know, instead of dwelling on what we lack, let's celebrate what we have.

[00:15:46] Philippians 4 and 8 reminds us to think about whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right.

[00:15:54] Whatever is pure, whatever is lovely.

[00:15:56] And whatever is admirable.

[00:15:59] This mindset keeps our hearts fixed on God's goodness.

[00:16:03] And we also need to listen to the Holy Spirit.

[00:16:07] The Holy Spirit guides us in all truth and gives us discernment to recognize the enemy's lies.

[00:16:14] When we stay in constant communication with God, whether it's through prayer, worship and studying his word, we're better equipped to detect and rebuke snake talk.

[00:16:26] And then we also must not be afraid to speak the name of Jesus, especially out loud.

[00:16:33] There is a power in his name to silence the enemy.

[00:16:37] When you hear the whispers of self-doubt or dissatisfaction, start saying out loud.

[00:16:44] I rebuke this in the name of Jesus.

[00:16:47] And Satan has no authority over a believer who stands firm in Christ.

[00:16:52] You know, you were talking about in Philippians 4 and 8 about thinking upon those things that are true.

[00:17:01] What are seven things that appear lovely and have a good report to think about these things.

[00:17:07] You know, that's how we are guarding our thoughts.

[00:17:12] You must be intentional about what we allow to enter into our ear gates, to enter into our mind.

[00:17:21] We have to avoid all negative influences and focus.

[00:17:26] That's the key word you were talking about a minute ago.

[00:17:28] Focus on what uplifts us, what edifies us, what will align us with God's character and his word.

[00:17:35] And that's where we have to rely upon and prayerfully ask the Holy Spirit to help us bring our thoughts into captivity to the obedience of Christ.

[00:17:48] Help us to cast down those imaginations and things that's exhausting itself against the knowledge of God.

[00:17:54] Bring in every thought into captivity to the obedience of him.

[00:17:59] Yes.

[00:17:59] And then acting upon his word, the truth.

[00:18:04] You know, the word tells us, you know, don't merely listen to the word and so deceive yourself, but do what it says.

[00:18:11] That's right.

[00:18:13] Put God's word into practice by aligning with your actions with his word.

[00:18:23] And this will help us.

[00:18:25] Our mind can't be renewed.

[00:18:28] Yes.

[00:18:29] That we can walk in whatever God has promised us that he's promised us.

[00:18:35] You know, when we think about something you're saying about, I was thinking about something we said in a conversation the other day.

[00:18:43] And it's the same thing with what you said a few minutes ago.

[00:18:46] We have to replace the lies because we know Satan is the father of all lies.

[00:18:51] That's right.

[00:18:52] We have to replace the lies with the truth.

[00:18:56] And John 8 and 32, and I got this from you and you shall know the truth.

[00:19:01] Excuse me.

[00:19:02] You shall know Jesus.

[00:19:04] Yes.

[00:19:04] And the truth, Jesus shall make you free.

[00:19:08] That's right.

[00:19:09] See, we have to be able to identify the lies that we have become to believe based upon the snake talk.

[00:19:18] The lies that he's told us about ourselves.

[00:19:20] We're not good enough.

[00:19:21] We're not worthy.

[00:19:22] We've done something so bad that God is not here.

[00:19:25] And that's why God hasn't moved on the situation or the circumstance.

[00:19:29] You know, the lies about God, you know, replace it is the key thing with the truth of the scripture.

[00:19:39] And I think that sometimes we forget the power of the Bible, especially if you've been saved for a significant amount of time.

[00:19:50] You say, but I've read the Bible dozens of times.

[00:19:52] But we forget that it is living and breathing.

[00:19:57] I mean, the word says that there's nothing new under the sun.

[00:20:00] So I don't care if it's 2006 or 2050.

[00:20:06] You can always go to God's word and there will be an answer.

[00:20:10] There will be an answer.

[00:20:12] There's never going to be a time that we face a scenario here that can't be answered by the word of God.

[00:20:19] And you can say to me, well, does the Bible address me losing my job to AI?

[00:20:24] It sure does.

[00:20:26] It sure does.

[00:20:28] So when we have those fears and we have those times when the snake talk is and, you know, one thought that just came to me is also why it's important to not negate the assembling of saints.

[00:20:41] Right.

[00:20:42] That you have people around you who support you from the Christian worldview so that you can have the ability to share times when the snake talk is a little overwhelming.

[00:20:57] I mean, yes, we all say, you know, we put on the whole armor of God, but there are days when it's a bit much.

[00:21:03] And so it is great to have a support system of people of God to help you move through those times that we can have two or more agreeing that God has been faithful, that he's blessed you beyond measure, even in ways you may not even recognize.

[00:21:26] The enemy wants to blind us about that truth.

[00:21:30] But we have the power to resist him.

[00:21:34] And instead of looking back with regret or looking ahead with fear, let's embrace joy and peace and anticipation of what God will do.

[00:21:44] When we trust him, we can be confident that his plans are for our good and his glory.

[00:21:52] And I thought it was wonderful that you mentioned Isaiah 43 verses 18 through 19, because it is the very scripture that our series don't look back is based on.

[00:22:05] Because I realized that God is doing a new thing.

[00:22:08] So let's step into the new year focused on his promises, not the enemy's lies.

[00:22:15] And when the snake talk comes, let's reject it and stand firm on our faith.

[00:22:24] And with that, I'll ask you to give our last comment before we wrap up.

[00:22:30] But I want to thank you in advance so much for enlightening us and to warn people about snake talk.

[00:22:40] I guess the final statement that I will make concerning snake talk is someone may ask the question, how do I recognize that it is snake talk?

[00:22:52] Anytime we allow our mind to be bombarded with unhealthy thoughts, with lies that's contrary to what God says to us.

[00:23:10] I think you will know then that it is snake talk.

[00:23:15] Because he wants to make us doubt what God has promised.

[00:23:23] Yes.

[00:23:24] Yes.

[00:23:25] Yes.

[00:23:26] And so, so long story short, stay rooted in his word.

[00:23:31] Listen to the Holy Spirit.

[00:23:33] And keep your focus on the abundant blessings God has already given you.

[00:23:40] Don't let snake talk steal your joy.

[00:23:45] I thank you for spending time with us on today.

[00:23:48] And I look forward to our time together on tomorrow.

[00:23:51] Until then, God bless.

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