The Book Of Mysteries: 14-Day DevotionalSample

The Serpent's Blood

"Do you see it?" asked the teacher.
"Behind the rock," I replied.
It was a snake, brown and black, and slithering in the desert sand.
"What do you know about snakes?" he asked.
"I know to avoid them."
"Nothing more?"
"Not much."
"What you should know is that snakes are cold-blooded."
"Why is that important?"
"You're warm-blooded. And because you're warm-blooded, you can run and keep running. But a snake, being cold-blooded, is limited in its ability to endure, to keep going. Therefore, you can outlast it."
"That's good to know," I replied.
"In the Scriptures, the serpent is a symbol of evil."
"Why is that?"
"Not because snakes are evil in themselves but because they provide a representation of evil. They often move by twisting. And so the nature of evil is to twist. A lie is the twisting of the truth. The impure is the twisting of the pure. And evil, itself, is the twisting of the good."
"So then if snakes are cold-blooded, then, so, in some way, is evil?"
"Yes," said the teacher. "Evil is cold-blooded. What that means is this: Though evil may have its day, its victories, its time to move and strike - it remains cold-blooded. Therefore, it can never endure. No matter how powerful the evil may appear, no matter how triumphant and unstoppable it may seem, it cannot last. Deception is cold-blooded. Hatred is cold-blooded. Slander is cold-blooded. Oppression is cold-blooded. All evil is cold-blooded. And so the power of evil is only for the short-term and the momentary. Its days are always numbered. And in the long run, it always fails."
"But the good is not cold-blooded," I said.
"Yes," he said. "So, in the end, the good will always outlast the evil. Therefore, persevere in the good, keep going in what is true, keep standing for what is right, and you will overcome and prevail in the end."

The Mission: In the face of whatever evil, trouble, attack, or sin you're dealing with, don't give in. Don't give up. But press on in the good.