Luke 10:19 Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.

I was just drifting off to sleep last night when a scorpion strung me in the underarm. I yelled in pain. It hurt me physically. It left a whelp. This morning even after having a poultice applied all night, I can still feel it.

So is Luke 10:19 true or not? I did not use the Lord’s name in vain. I did not curse. I did not cuss. In a past life I would have done that and more. I would have made everyone within ear shot uncomfortable. So in one sense it did not hurt me because I remained who I am in Christ.

The incident showed me that I really have changed. I am no longer that man I once hated within myself. I am a new creature, a new creation in Christ. I don’t often think about it. I am comfortable with who I am today. It was in the unguarded moment, when my faith shield was stacked against the wall that I was vulnerable and my true nature was revealed. That is a new nature for me, not of the old dead man I left behind.

Romans 6:6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.

Praise the Lord.