Your Struggle Becomes Strength
There is nothing quite like the sticky, invisible grip of a cobweb to snap you out of a "spiritual" haze. As I was wiping the silk off my forehead, I realized I was the first person on the trail that morning. I knew this because I was the one doing the "heavy lifting" of clearing the path for everyone else. This little incident, as annoying as it was in the moment, sparked a deep realization about how our lives often mirror that trail. We walk into unseen pitfalls, invisible traps that we didn't foresee, and we find ourselves entangled in things we never intended to touch.
Lately, I’ve been feeling that weight—the "to-do list" weight. Do you ever get overwhelmed by the sheer volume of "stuff" on your plate? You wake up and the list is already longer than the day is wide. I find myself trying to multitask, doing my Voxer messages during my prayer walks just to hit that 10,000-step goal. People tell me they can hear the buses and the dogs barking in the background, and I realized I wasn't even "smelling the roses" on the way to the preserve. I was so caught up in the "doing" that I was losing the "being."
The pain point many of us face is this sense of being "behind." We feel behind in our purpose, behind in our spiritual growth, and entangled in the same old iniquities that have plagued us for years. But there is a solution. What if the very thing that entangles you—that "beam" in your eye or that "serpent" on the ground—is actually the raw material for your future authority? Today, I want to share how we can move from the sticky traps of iniquity to the firm rod of God-given authority.
As I continued my walk, I did what any sensible hiker does after hitting a cobweb: I picked up a stick. I started waving it up and down in front of me as I walked. It was a simple tool, a piece of dead wood, but it became my "vanguard." It cleared the way. Every invisible web that would have ended up on my face instead ended up on that stick. And the Lord started speaking to me right there about the rod of Moses.
Think about Moses for a moment. He’s out in the wilderness, much like I was at the preserve, and he’s having this incredible, strange encounter with God at the burning bush. God asks him a very simple, almost mundane question: "What is that in thine hand?" (Exodus 4:2). Moses answers, "A rod." To Moses, it was just a stick. It was something he probably whittled himself, something he used to lean on and to guide sheep. It was a tool of his daily grind, perhaps even a symbol of his transition from a prince of Egypt to a lowly shepherd.
Then God tells him to do something terrifying: "Cast it on the ground" (Exodus 4:3 ). When he did, it became a serpent. Now, the Bible says Moses fled from before it. He didn't just step back; he ran. Why? Because that rod represented his life, and when it hit the ground under God's command, it revealed its true nature—a serpent. In scripture, the serpent often represents the devil, sin, and that "unseen door" that leads to iniquity.
We all have these "rods" in our hands—things we’ve whittled out of our own experiences, our own strengths, and even our own failures. But until we cast them down before God, we don't realize that there might be a "serpent" nature attached to them. Perhaps your rod is your intellect, your career, or even your ministry. But if it isn't submitted to Him, it can easily become a source of iniquity.
God then gave Moses a command that defied logic: "Put forth thine hand, and take it by the tail" (Exodus 4:4). If you know anything about snakes, you know you never grab them by the tail; that’s how you get bitten. But God was teaching Moses—and us—about authority. When Moses obeyed and grabbed that which he feared, that which had become a serpent, it turned back into a rod in his hand. But it wasn't just a shepherd's staff anymore. It became the "Rod of God."
This is the transition from iniquity to authority. Our iniquities are like those serpents—scary, dangerous, and something we want to run away from. But when we take authority over them through obedience to God, they become the very tools we use to lead others out of Egypt. Your greatest struggle, once overcome, becomes your greatest area of authority. If you’ve been delivered from addiction, you have authority to lead others out of it. If you’ve overcome fear, that "stick" in your hand is now a weapon against the spirit of fear in others.
Personal Reflections
I’ll be honest with you—this hit home for me because I still struggle with my own "invisible cobwebs." Sometimes it’s the spirit of fear. It’s a funny thing; I can talk to a stranger about a good pizza place or where they got their shoes without a second thought. There’s no fear there. But the moment the Holy Spirit prompts me to talk about Jesus, that old serpent of fear tries to rear its head.
I have to ask myself: "Conrad, why are you afraid? The Lord hasn't given you a spirit of fear, but of power, of love, and of a sound mind." (2 Timothy 1:7). I realized that in those moments, I’m standing at a door. Sin lies at that door, waiting to get in and rob me of my authority. It’s like what God told Cain: "And if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him" (Genesis 4:7).
I’ve had to learn to "grab the serpent by the tail." For me, that means opening my mouth and speaking even when my knees are shaking. It means submitting to the "mission of God." I like to think of submission as a "sub-mission"—like a submarine. You are coming under the mission of another. When we come under God's mission (the Great Commission), we find a covering.
I’ve missed it many times. I’ve focused on my "to-do list" more than the "to-be" list God has for me. I’ve tried to resist the devil without first submitting to God, and let me tell you, that doesn't work out too well. You can't fight a serpent with your own strength; you need the authority that only comes through submission. As I walked through those woods, dodging planes and listening to the cranes, the Lord reminded me that my "perceived" state of being behind is just that—a perception. When we are in His will, we are exactly where we need to be.
Biblical References
The concept of the "beam in the eye" is central to this transformation. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says: "Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye" (Matthew 7:5). We often look at this as just a warning against judgment, but there’s more to it. That "beam" is a heavy piece of timber—it’s iniquity.
When we deal with our own iniquity, when we "cast it out," we aren't just getting rid of a problem. We are gaining sight and authority. The very thing that was blinding us becomes the evidence of God’s power in our lives. Just like the rod of Moses, our "beam" once removed and submitted to God, becomes a staff of authority.
The Psalmist understood this struggle of keeping oneself pure from the internal bent toward sin. He wrote: "I was also upright before him, and I kept myself from mine iniquity" (Psalm 18:23). Notice the phrasing—"mine" iniquity. We all have that one area, that specific "bent" that tries to pull us away from God's presence. But the promise is that if we resist, it must flee.
However, the order is vital. We often try to skip the first step of James 4:7. The verse says: "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you" (James 4:7 KJV). You see, if you try to resist the devil without being under the "sub-mission" of God, you’re just a person waving a stick at a snake without any real power. But when you are hidden in Him, He becomes the shield about you.
Key Takeaways
- Your Struggle is Your Potential Authority: The area where you have faced the most "serpents" is often where God wants to give you the most authority to help others.
- Identify the Unseen Doors: Iniquity often enters through unseen doors like fear, procrastination, or "busy-ness." Stay alert to what spirit you are of.
- The "Sub-Mission" Principle: Real authority only comes when you are under God's mission. If you are struggling to resist the enemy, check your level of submission to the Father.
- Forget What is Behind: Just as the children of Israel had to let their "Egypt" nature die in the wilderness, we must let go of our past failures to embrace our new identity.
- The Word is the Way: Familiarity with the Word gives you discernment of the Spirit. This is how you navigate the "cobwebs" of life without getting entangled.
Conclusion and Call to Action
As I finished my walk at the preserve, I realized that the birds chirping and the planes overhead weren't distractions; they were just part of the environment. Life is noisy. There will always be "background noise" trying to distract us from the message God is breathing into our spirits. Whether it's a long to-do list or an old iniquity knocking at the door, we have a choice.
We can run from the serpent, or we can grab it by the tail in the name of Jesus and watch it turn into a rod of authority. Don't let the invisible cobwebs of this world stop you from walking your path. Pick up the stick of the Word, clear the way, and keep moving forward.
If this message has touched you or challenged you, I would love to hear from you. Have you seen an iniquity in your life turn into an area of authority? How is the Lord leading you to "grab the serpent" today? Please share this post with your friends and family on social media. Your support helps us reach more people with the "Rocks of Revelation."
You can find more resources, including my books OPEN YOUR EYES and Overcoming Night Terror, over at ConradRocks.net.
Action Items
- The "Stick" Audit: Take a moment today to ask God, "What is in my hand?" Identify one talent, struggle, or past failure that you haven't fully "cast down" before Him.
- Face One Fear: Identify a "serpent" of fear (like sharing the Gospel with a stranger) and intentionally "grab it by the tail" by taking one small step of obedience today.
- Audit Your Submission: Evaluate your current "mission." Are you working on your own to-do list, or are you in "sub-mission" to God’s Great Commission?
- Scripture Immersion: Spend 15 minutes in the Word today, specifically looking at the life of Moses (Exodus 3-4) or the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7), asking for discernment on your own "beams."
- Clear the Trail: Reach out to someone else who might be struggling with an iniquity you have already overcome. Use your "rod" to help clear the cobwebs for them.
Until we meet again, dig deeper and go higher. God bless you.verFear #StreetMinistry #KJV
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