Expect the UnexpectedSample

Don’t expect what happened to others to happen to you! Instead, prepare for the UNEXPECTED this year. In Acts 28, Paul is building a fire when he is bitten by a snake that fastened itself onto his hand. This year some unexpected events may occur like what happened to Paul while he was innocently attempting to stay warm. According to Acts, many “islanders” saw the attack and “expected him to swell up or suddenly fall dead.” Plainly put, they expected that what happened to everyone else would happen to Paul. However, he was able to just shake off the snake and behave so totally unexpectedly because of his trust in his Almighty God.

God had consoled Paul and given him clarity on his purpose in Acts 23: “The following night the Lord stood by him and said, 'Take courage, for as you have testified to the facts about me in Jerusalem, so you must testify also in Rome.'' Armed with this assurance from his Creator, Paul can handle it when a snake has bitten him, clinging to his hand. That's because he knows where God is sending him! Paul is an example to us of how to respond to unexpected attacks. “He, however, shook off the creature into the fire and suffered no harm.” I encourage you to not sit and accept the same results as everyone else, but let’s learn to trust God and shake things off when they contradict the Word of God.