Antivenom

Just to let you know up front, this is NOT a story from the ranch! Thanks be to God I have never been in close proximity to a rattlesnake, nor do I plan to be in the future.

If you are bitten by a snake, they pump their venom into you through their fangs. It can be deadly if not treated with antivenom. Antivenom is composed of antibodies that are injected in to you. It is traditionally made by collecting venom from the relevant animal and injecting small amounts into a domestic animal. The antibodies that form are then collected from that animal’s blood and purified.

It was first developed in the late 1800’s and became more common in the 1950’s. It is listed on the World Health Organization’s Essential Medicines.

The following is from www.howstuffworks.com

By all accounts, being bitten by a venomous snake is painful, dangerous and terrifying. But did you know it’s also astronomically expensive? In 2015, the treatment for one California man’s rattlesnake bite in the United States cost more that $150,000, with the bulk of that accounted for in pharmacy charges. That high ticket is because treatment for a bite from a venomous snake often requires six to eight vials of antivenom at around $2,300 a pop. The same year, a Missouri man died after being struck twice by a venomous snake because of his refusal to pay the high price of hospital care. But in an age where we’re able to mass-produce so many types of pharmaceuticals, why does it cost so much to treat a snakebite?

According to one 2015 study in the American Journal of Medicine, it doesn’t have to be this way. True, the process of making antivenom is a bit convoluted: it involves injecting sheep with snake venom and harvesting and processing the resulting antibodies made by their immune systems. And the treatment of venom injuries is a tiny field — combined stings and bites from venomous lizards, snakes, scorpions and spiders reported in the U.S. amount to fewer than 50,000 cases each year — which makes the manufacture of antivenom a bit of a boutique industry. And the field is shrinking, too, with companies halting production of once-common, lifesaving drugs. But the research group from the University of Arizona found that while a vial of antivenom made by the leading North American manufacturer could run a snakebite victim between $7,900 and $39,652 in a hospital in Arizona, someone across the border in Mexico would only pay $100 for a medicine made by the same company, in the same factory.

So our journey takes back to Genesis 3, where we discussed in a previous post that satan posed as a serpent/snake to gain access to Eve and deceive her. My guess is that since they were in a garden, him posing as a snake would not be out of the ordinary, and would not frighten her away from his evil intentions.

It also says that the snake will bruise our heels, but we will crush his head. (Gen 3:15) How do we go about preventing satan from injecting his poison into our lives? By injecting ourselves with the Holy Spirit. He is the best antivenom ever!

We are infilled with Holy Spirit when we accept Jesus as our savior. At that point Holy Spirit comes and lives in us! With His help, we have the strength we need to fight the poison of satan.

“Don’t you realize that you have become God’s inner sanctuary and that the Spirit of God makes his permanent home in you?” (1 Cor 3:16 [TPT])

In 1 Cor. 6:19 Paul refers to individual believers (our human bodies) as the dwelling place of God. In the Old Testament, God’s cloud of glory filled the temple. Now in the New Testament, that inner sanctuary is us!

And please note, the verse says He makes His permanent home in you. That means for ever and ever. For eternity. Close immediate access to the same power that hovered over the waters during creation. The same breath that was put into the first man and into your lungs upon your birth. The same power that rose Christ from the dead.

If that isn’t the best antivenom, I don’t know what is! And it doesn’t cost you $150,000. It is free upon asking Jesus to be your Savior.

What are you waiting for? Tap into it today!

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