Electric Eels
“Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” [Ephesians 6:11]
Did you know that there is really no such thing as an electric eel? The electric eel is actually a knifefish that emits electrical discharges. This fish grows to be over six feet long and can weigh over 40 pounds. It has no scales and a square mouth. It is an air breather and comes to the surface for a gulp of air every 10 minutes or so. Even though it is called an eel, it is more closely related to the catfish. It lives in fresh water in the Amazon and Orinoco Rivers in swamps, creeks, and coastal plains. It mostly enjoys muddy bottoms in calm water and stagnant rivers.
The electric eel has special organs adapted for creating electricity. Groups of highly compact nerve endings in the abdomen make up fourfifths of its body. In small electric eels, a typical nerve-ending cell is about one-quarter inch long and has an electric voltage of 0.14 volts. The average small electric eel has about 1,000 of these nerve-ending cells per square inch of skin that are capable of developing more than 75 volts per inch. Discharges are emitted by electric fish in self-defense or to detect or stun their prey while hunting. The discharge organs of this fish include a small pilot organ that emits electricity continuously for navigation and a large, high-voltage organ that supplies most of the power for the occasional power zaps.
The most powerful discharge is emitted by the electric eel that is native to the rivers of the Amazon Basin. It is capable of emitting a discharge of 600 volts. This electric eel is even capable of stunning a horse with its shock. It can also be deadly for humans, depending on where the electricity travels through the body.
The devil also seeks to paralyze his victims before he destroys them! God warned the Israelites through Moses, “Take heed to yourselves, lest your heart be deceived, and you turn aside and serve other gods and worship them” (Deuteronomy 11:15-17). When we turn from God toward the things of this world, we become weak and vulnerable to Satan’s deceptions. But when we put on the whole armor of God, we are safe against the devil’s jolts.
