In Acts 28: 1-9, Paul ended up on an island called Malta. He was welcomed and he was helping the natives by building a fire on the island, because it was cold and rainy. When he was going to gather sticks for it, a viper crawled out looking for the heat, and ‘fastened itself’ onto Paul’s hand. Paul just shook the creature off of his hand into the fire, and suffered no ill effects. He went on about God’s work, and laid his hands on the sick and healings kept happening.

To the believers out there going after the things of God, going after the things He has called us to, whether it be a call to ministry or a call to motherhood, let me ask you, how often do we get ‘snake bites?’

What ends up being our reaction when we get bitten? Does it put us out of commission for a week, even two? Does it make us question our call? Does it slow us, shake us up, or try and stop us?

Be encouraged with me today from this story. Paul was just helping some natives who welcomed him by gathering sticks for a fire. He was helping people, he was where God wanted him, and he got bit.

What ‘bites’ us? Raging emotions unharnessed? A feeling? A ‘no’ when you wanted a ‘yes?’ A friend who turns their back on you because of your yes to God? A negative comment from someone? An unexpected injury, or diagnosis?

Walking with God doesn’t always mean you walk through a field of tall beautiful sunflowers on a day of clear skies with a cool breeze. It doesn’t mean you won’t run into things, sometimes hard things, following in Jesus’ footsteps.

You don’t have to let the bite slow you down from what God’s called you to do. Keep God bigger by keeping going with God. Keep trusting, keep stepping. God knew the snake was there, but He didn’t worry about it, so you don’t need to either. Remind yourself that God is bigger than any snake bite, diagnosis, injury, or someone’s perceived opinion of you.

Shake your snake off into the fire, and don’t think another thing about who, what, when, or why that snake bit you. Just go back to doing God’s work.

He will take care of you.

---

“Once we were safe on shore, we learned that we were on the island of Malta. The people of the island were very kind to us. It was cold and rainy, so they built a fire on the shore to welcome us. As Paul gathered an armful of sticks and was laying them on the fire, a poisonous snake, driven out by the heat, bit him on the hand. The people of the island saw it hanging from his hand and said to each other, “A murderer, no doubt! Though he escaped the sea, justice will not permit him to live.” But Paul shook off the snake into the fire and was unharmed. The people waited for him to swell up or suddenly drop dead. But when they had waited a long time and saw that he wasn’t harmed, they changed their minds and decided he was a god. Near the shore where we landed was an estate belonging to Publius, the chief official of the island. He welcomed us and treated us kindly for three days. As it happened, Publius’s father was ill with fever and dysentery. Paul went in and prayed for him, and laying his hands on him, he healed him. Then all the other sick people on the island came and were healed.”
‭‭Acts of the Apostles‬ ‭28‬:‭1‬-‭9‬ ‭NLT‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/116/act.28.1-9.NLT