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Shake It Off
Pastor Marcus Marshall

Growing up, I played lots of sports. There was a time I played football, and I was on one of the biggest lines on our team. I was a defensive end. I am currently 5’8, so you can see my dilemma! Most of the time, defensive ends are enormous, but that’s not the case for me.

Once, a running back came right at me, and no teammates were nearby. It was just an open-field tackle. He ran towards me, and as I went to tackle him to the ground, he walloped me. He ran me over, and I was so dizzy. As the trainers approached me, I remember taking a few moments and walking back to the sideline. While walking back to the sideline, the coach said, “Shake it off and get ready. You are going back out there.”

As we read this passage, Paul was stranded in Malta, but due to a storm, he was there and not in Rome. A snake bit Paul, and then it says he shook it off. Too often, who we are is determined by our place. If it’s a great season, then we are full of joy. If it’s a hard season, we are lonely and depressed, wondering where God could be. Paul didn’t allow his place to shape his ability to make a difference. The problematic situation shouldn’t shape us into a misshapen lump of despair. Instead, we should allow God to use the difficult place to shape us into who He’s called us to be.

I know there have been days that you thought that because life has beat you down and you have landed at a place in life you didn’t expect, maybe you have landed in a place you didn’t expect. When life is difficult, we need to shake off our feelings of where we should be and instead do what God tells us to do. It will affect our friendships, workplaces, and families.

You are stronger than the snake, more robust than the unforgiveness because God has called you and has a purpose for you.

As you go about your day today, shake off whatever has been attached to you that does not belong, and watch how God uses your courage.