Daily Scripture 2016.09.26
Acts 28:3-5 3Paul gathered a pile of brushwood and, as he put it on the fire, a viper, driven out by the heat, fastened itself on his hand. 4When the islanders saw the snake hanging from his hand, they said to each other, "This man must be a murderer; for though he escaped from the sea, the goddess Justice has not allowed him to live." 5But Paul shook the snake off into the fire and suffered no ill effects.
After surviving his ship crashing into Malta, Paul is out collecting wood to build a fire, when a deadly snake bites him on the hand. To the amazement of the people around him, Paul shakes off the snake & goes on with his work. No complaining, whinning... nothing. The devil is like that snake, where he is attached to our hand, injecting his poison into our lives - insecurities, financial or marital problems, physical illness? He is crafty and his approach will more likely than not, appear "un-evil", so as to not cause spiritual alarm. And yet, look at Luke 10:19
"I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions
and to overcome all the power of the enemy;
nothing will harm you."
I have to laugh in confidence & love for God because He didn't show me a scripture that is somewhat general (true, but general) - "I have overcome the world", "have trust in me and I will make your paths straight"... This scripture perfectly encourages us in battling the snake attached to our hand! God has given us the authority to trample & overcome our enemy... and yet do we? We have lived our entire lives in fear & trembling against the devil, fooled for so long in not even seeing him as the cause of our frustrations (because he's that great of a liar!), that this ability to "shake him off" seems crazy! We most certainly need to exercise our god-given authority over our enemy.
Granted, struggles are necessary - They show us how powerless we truly are... outside of God. God uses them to refine us and draw us closer to Him. We will never have a life where we will live "struggle-free". But if we can get to a point where "bad things happen", where we can shake it off (bc Jesus is Lord) and continue on without it affecting our glory to Him, then we have overcome. And we serve a God where the "impossible" is possible - This difficult feat in "shaking off the devil" can be done thru the God, who has moved mountains, raised the dead, and freed His people. Believe that anything is possible because of the God we serve, and we can truly become free in Him.
