I’ve noticed something over the years in the body of Christ that is very disturbing. Many believers have traits similar to those of a freshwater species of fish that most everyone is very familiar with, and that is the piranha. The similarities come in the many methods of attack that I see in the churches and in the body of Christ today. Let’s discuss these traits in detail.
You see, piranhas have a reputation of being ferocious predators that hunt their prey in schools. According to one study, piranha attacks tend to peak in the dry season when food is relatively scarce and the water levels are lower, leading to a heavier-than-usual concentrations of fish in the water. According to research, most attacks take the form of individual nips and bites to extremities such as the feet and hands of their victims. Something else to note is that splashing the water tends to make piranhas more likely to attack. Also, often when an animal or a person is treading water with an open wound that is bleeding, these fish will be attracted to the blood.
Now, let me break this down in case you didn’t catch the similarities. You see, unfortunately, many believers, like these piranhas, like to bite and devour other believers. Most of the time, this type of people will gravitate to one another, leading to a group that will begin their attacks. These attacks usually come against the hands and feet of other believers. The hands can represent the outreach, the giving, the laying on of hands, the impartations and the work of the believer; while the feet can represent the walk of the believer. It seems as though every time you get on social media today, you see piranhas attacking a minister based on his walk with God or how he’s working for God.
Another thing to point out here is that just like the piranhas are more prone to attack in the dry season, when food is relatively scarce and the water levels are lower; you will notice this pattern in many churches today. When the church is dry from no moving of the Holy Spirit, and the rhema word of God is scarce, it creates a cannibalistic atmosphere where the members begin to do what the Apostle Paul warned of in the New Testament. They begin to bite and devour one another, resulting in being consumed by one another (Gal. 5:15). This is usually manifested in complaints against how the hands and feet operate in the body.
It’s also worth noting that “splashing” in the water is another one of the triggers that promote piranhas to attack. Have you ever noticed everything will be calm and quiet until someone gets too happy in the church? Someone lifts their hands during worship; they begin to jump for joy, shout or even at occasions take a lap to celebrate a victory. If this happens to take place in a dry and barren environment, it will result in agitating the school of piranha.
Finally, one of the saddest things to witness is how when a brother or sister in the body of Christ is wounded by another brother or sister, hurt by a ministry or even falls into some type of moral sin or failure, the piranhas come out of their hiding places, and they travel in schools. They see the blood of the wounded and come to finish off their prey. Instead of praying and interceding for this wounded brother or sister, they bite and devour them until they are finished and move on to the next victim. Perhaps this sounds all too familiar or even harsh, but to many, this will match the reality of what they have seen or experienced today.
Beware of your environment and who you swim with. You may never know who a piranha is until the first drop of blood comes or you enter the right environment to see them manifest. {eoa}
