Shaking Off Serpents

"After we were brought safely through, we then learned that the island was called Malta. The native people showed us unusual kindness, for they kindled a fire and welcomed us all, because it had begun to rain and it was cold. When Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and put them on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat and fastened on his hand. When the native people saw the creature hanging from his hand, they said to one another, 'No doubt this man is a murderer. Though he has escaped from the sea, justice has not allowed him to live.' He, however, shook the creature off into the fire and suffered no harm. They were waiting for him to swell up or suddenly fall down dead. But when they had waited a long time and saw no misfortune come to him, they changed their minds and said that he was a god.

Now in the neighborhood of that place were lands belonging to the chief man of the island, named Publius, who received us and entertained us hospitably for three days. It happened that the father of Publius lay sick with fever and dysentery. And Paul visited him and prayed, and putting his hands on him, healed him. And when this had taken place, the rest of the people on the island who had diseases also came and were cured."
                                                           Acts 28:1-9




The waves of the ocean rocked back and forth violently as a hurricane ripped through it mercilessly. The apostle Paul was bound in chains, as he was being taken to Rome to stand trial before Caesar, despite the fact that Porcius Festus could find no real charges with which to accuse him. In actuality, it was never really Festus' decision to make, for God had already determined that Paul would go to Rome because He had work for him to do there.

So, as he was en route, accompanied with other prisoners, Luke, Aristarchus, and his guard named Julius, their ship encountered a massive storm. Paul had warned the crew of the peril that lie ahead, but they chose to ignore his warnings. Ultimately, the ship wrecked and they lost everything except their lives. Cold and shaken, the 276 men set foot on the isle of Malta where their adventures would  continue to occur.

The people of the island warmly welcomed them and built a fire to help them warm up. Paul assisted them and grabbed a bunch of sticks to throw on the fire. As he did, a poisonous snake that was mixed in with the sticks recoiled from the heat and bit his hand. Not only did the serpent bite his hand, but it actually held on and was affixed to him.

Immediately the people jumped to the conclusion that this was judgment against Paul, and that surely he had done something ghastly, like murder, to deserve such a fate. They did not offer him assistance, or a physician, or even a bandaid (or whatever they used for bandaids back then). They stood there gawking, just waiting for the conclusion of what they knew to be his terrible, horrible demise.

They waited and waited and waited. After all, what kind of despicable criminal deserves an horrific storm, shipwreck, and poisonous snake bite? Their minds were in a frenzy just trying to imagine the atrocities of this criminal while they waited. Except, the unimaginable happened. That is, nothing. They witnessed him shaking off the snake, while no harm came to him. They could hardly believe their eyes.

These same people that had rushed to judgment now decided that Paul was some kind of god. After all, who could successfully survive all these calamities? People can be so fickle!

At this point, I just wonder what in the world was going through the mind of Paul? Was he asking God for the reasons of these circumstances? Was his mind reeling from questions as to why these things were a part of God's plan? Did he question God's goodness? Did fear and trepidation come pounding at the door of his heart?

After all, God had already told him he was going to Rome. Could he have been confident of his destination, yet trying to understand the boundless obstacles along the way? It is the times like these that I have come to understand it is not the reasons that truly matter. These are the times we need a greater revelation from God to hold onto our peace. We need the revelation that the storm can arise against us, but also that God is holding the clouds. We need the revelation that the snake can bite us, but that God has already defeated that age old serpent.

We must learn, as believers, to remain undeterred in our mission when the enemy tries to sift or shake us. We focus on the mission at hand and trust God with the rest of the details. The Bible tells us not to worry about tomorrow, because we have enough to deal with for today (Matthew 6:34). We definitely cannot be swayed by the unsolicited opinions of those who change their minds at the drop of a hat. Especially those who do not have our best interest at heart.

We must learn to shake off every single serpent that would seek to attach itself to us in an effort to abort our mission. We shake off: discouragement, unforgiveness, worry, fear, apathy, tolerating sin (ours or someone elses), or anything else that would separate us from God's Holy Spirit. Not only shake the serpent off, but throw it in the fire where it belongs. Do not allow it to hang around, otherwise it will rear its ugly head again.

What happens next in Paul's story really captures my attention. He went and stayed with a man named Publius, who had a father who was extremely ill. Paul laid hands on him and prayed for him and God healed him. In fact, the very same hand that the serpent had bitten was now used by God to heal others. This healing led to other healing until there was a full-fledged revival on the isle of Malta.

The same will always be true for us. However the enemy bites us or stings us can be turned around on his own head if we allow the Holy Spirit to first heal us so then we can minister to others in that same area. There is an anointing that comes when we have been bitten. And that anointing is always for the greater good. It is always for the multitudes that are suffering. It is only God's compassion that allows us to be bitten so that the many can be healed.

What ultimately happens when we cooperate with the Holy Spirit, is that we receive power. God gives us the authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and over the power of the enemy (Luke 10:19). Jesus goes on to say that when this happens that "nothing shall hurt you". We recognize the enemy, show up for battle, stand with authority, and surrender to the power of Jesus. This is how we overcome the enemy and shake off every serpent that seeks to harm us or our families.


                                         "Never wound a snake; kill it."
                                                Harriet Tubman