Dead Snakes and Destiny | Joel Osteen

Years ago, there was a missionary in Africa. He was traveling by horseback down this narrow winding trail.
It was a hot Sunday afternoon. He was on his way to one of the little villages.
As he approached a sharp turn in the trail, the horse stopped and wouldn’t go any further.
It sensed that something was wrong around the corner. He couldn’t make the horse go.
He finally got off and looked around the curb.
There was a huge snake about 10 feet long, very thick curled up right in the middle of the past basking in the sun.
He had his head hidden under this small flat stone. The man’s heart was gripped with fear.
He’d been warned about how dangerous and poisonous the snakes were. He didn’t know what to do.
He didn’t have any kind of weapon. There was no way around the path.
Was stick with trees and brush on each side. After about 15 minutes, he got his nerve up.
He picked up the biggest rock he could possibly find.
He was going to throw it on top of that flat stone where the snake was hiding his head.
He moved very cautiously forward, trambling with fear, the back of his mind thinking, what if I miss?
What if I don’t kill him? Just making mad. He may turn around and bite me.
Amid all those fears with the adrenaline flowing, he hurled that rock on top of the snake with all of his might.
Much to his surprise, the snake didn’t move.
He got a little closer and suddenly realized the snake was already dead.
Someone passing that way before him had crushed the snake’s head and just left him lying in the path.
The good news is someone has already been down our path and cleared it of everything that could harm us.
When Jesus came to the earth, he went around doing good, healing people, showing mercy, but the religious leaders didn’t accept him.
Even though he had done no wrong, they put a crown of thorns on his head and forced him to carry his own cross to be crucified.
Hanging on the cross, he could have called angels to come rescue him, but he didn’t do it.
He hung there for you and for me, The nails didn’t hold him on the cross.
Love held him on the cross. It’s all a part of god’s plan.
The scripture says For this reason, the son of god came to earth to destroy the works of the enemy.
Jesus went before us and crushed Satan’s head. He took away all of his power.
Now we can live a victorious lie.
But I wonder if you’re letting a dead snake keep you from moving forward.
What’s in your path may seem harmful. Looks like you can’t get around it.
You’re afraid, can’t sleep at night, trouble at work, childish, off course, mistakes you’ve made, guilt, condemnation.
If you’ll start moving forward, you’ll discover the snake is already dead.
God didn’t leave you here on this earth with enemies that can stop your destiny. They’re already defeated.
But in order to see what god has done, you have to take steps forward.
You can’t let fear dominate. They’ve worried about your future.
Believe in the roar that the obstacle is too big, the addiction too strong, sickness too powerful, the mistake too great, yes, it looks intimidating, but it’s not what you think.
The head is already crushed. God is already taken care of what’s trying to stop you.
Don’t let a dead snake keep you from reaching your destiny.
Coming against you.
If you were on your own, it would be a problem, but you’re not on your own.
The most high god lives in you. Isaiah said, he goes before you and makes crooked places strength.
He’s already gone before you and defeated those enemies.
Jesus said in John 14, the prince of this world comes, and he has no power over me.
I’m not saying that you won’t have difficulties, things that are not fair.
The prince of this world will come. That’s the enemy.
But you can say like Jesus, he has no power over me. I know a secret, he’s already been defeated.
We didn’t defeat him. Jesus defeated him. But because we belong to Christ, his victory is our victory.
Because he lives, we can live. Because he rendered him powerless We can walk in freedom.
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