When Dealing With Snakes- It's Best to Stop, Pose and Smile!

When you come face to face with a venomous snake, how do you react? Do you shriek and run? Or do you remain calm knowing all the while that you ARE protected?

Today, I heard a terrific sermon about Paul's encounter with a venomous snake.

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, Justice has not allowed him to live." ⁵But Paul shook the snake off into the fire and suffered no ill effects. ⁶The people expected him to swell up or suddenly fall dead, but after waiting a long time and seeing nothing unusual happen to him, they changed their minds and said he was a god. ACTS 28:3-6

Modern medicine tells us that if we are ever bitten by a snake, it is imperative that we remain calm. If we become agitated, the poison will spread all the more quickly. And so it is in life. When faced with a tragedy, it is necessary to localize the effects lest it destroy you.

Here a venomous snake "fastened" itself onto Paul. And what was his reactioin? He did not panic. He shook off the snake, kept calm and continued on his way.

Notice that the people around him did not help him. The islanders opted instead to murmur among themselves. They questioned why God would allow this calamity to befall Paul instead of trying to assist their brother.

It is not unusual to face a difficult season with no friends, colleagues or fellow Christians to help. But isn't it good to know that God is always on hand?

The point is that we must put our trust in God not man, woman, position, money or possessions. We must keep our confidence in the divine and the eternal.

How?

Do what Paul did.

When evil attempts to fasten itself on you, remind yourself about the goodness of the Lord. Paul surely had a reason to trust God. Remember his transformation on the Road to Demascus? Remember how he was delivered from prison? Remember the ship wreck and how he survived by swimming to shore?

Do you feel yourself about to succumb to panic? Stop! Now remind yourself about God's perfect track record. Didn't God save you? Didn't He keep you in 2009? Didn't He meet your needs?

You may wonder why a tragedy has befallen you anyway.

Perhaps your trial, like Paul's, comes to teach others around you how to behave. In the passage above, Paul's trial caused the island folk to change their mind about God. Why? They saw that after Paul was bitten and survived, he did not panic. He did not die.

You may be the only Jesus some folks ever see.

So when you see a snake, remember you may be on candid christian camera. Don't panic. Stop. Strike a pose and smile, darling. You can't Lose!