After ten years of civil war the residents in Sierra Leone have returned to their homes in some remote villages and towns. This week they have asked the government to send troops and fire brigades to aid them in repealing another invasion. This time it is not rebels or soldiers, these people want to take back control of their police station that has been overrun by hundreds of poisonous snakes. Snake charmers have attempted lure the snakes from the building, but their efforts were in vain. Most of the almost four hundred snakes are cobras and vipers; some of the most deadly serpents on the planet. The police have tried to ‌smoke them out‍ and still the snakes remain fortified in the police station. Folks wanting to report crimes have grown too afraid to enter the building. One officer has said, ‌Even during work time when statements are being taken, these snakes come out in dozens. Inhabitants have found it difficult to report cases to the police.‍ The next attempt by soldiers and fire fighters will be to ‌flood‍ the snakes out, and hopes are that the snakes will be forced to retreat back into the dense forests.
Dear family, we have invaders in our life much more deadly than cobras and vipers; the poison of sin creeps in and once there it is impossible to remove by our own efforts. It seems that our sins, like the snakes, just keep multiplying. Yet, there is hope. We can call on the only source to remove the plague of sin. Jesus is the answer to our sin problem. The woman at the well was beaten down by sin in her life, but one encounter with Jesus and her life changed for an eternity. How many ‌snakes‍ have invaded your life, heart, and soul? Dearest friend, the only way you can have them ‌flooded out‍ is by the power of Jesus and His sacrifice. He has told us through the pen of faithful men; ‌Arise and be baptized washing away your sins.‍ So if you have ‌snakes‍ in your dwelling place; call on the rescuer to come and free you from their coils. Jesus will come if only you call.