”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”… ”But Paul shook off the snake into the fire and was unharmed.“ (Acts 28:3, 5 NLT)
The Apostle Paul, being bitten by what the bible describes as a poisonous snake, went on unharmed. Considering the human nature and its response to such circumstances, surely the Apostle Paul should have dropped down dead after a few moments from being bitten. Even the people at the Island of Malta expected the same to happen, ”The people waited for him to swell up or suddenly drop dead… (Acts 28:6 NLT).
The question to be asked is, why did Apostle Paul not die? Why was he not hurt? There are three important truths that he was conscious of, which he fully lived in and functioned by.
This is the man who said the gift from God is eternal life (Romans 6:23). Thus, he was conscious of eternal life (The Life of God). He was conscious of the life of God in him as he also writes to Timothy concerning this very life, ”but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel” (2 Timothy 1:10 NIV). He knew and understood that the life of God in Him was not susceptible to infirmity or death!
Secondly, Paul was conscious of his oneness with the Lord. In Ephesians 5:30 (NKJV) he says, ”For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones.“ As a Christian, you’re a member of the body of Christ. You’re in union, in oneness with the Lord. This is the consciousness Paul functioned by and he understood that if he’s one with the Lord, no earthly circumstances or conditions could harm him!
And thirdly, the Apostle Paul was conscious of the indwelling presence of the Father in him! He was conscious that God lives inside him, therefore nothing in this world could cause harm to him for his body is God’s living tabernacle. Colossians 1:27 (NLT) explains, ”…And this is the secret: Christ lives in you.”. As a born again Christian, the fullness of God, the fullness of deity abides in you! You’re an exceptional, extraordinary and supernatural being.
Nothing about you is ordinary, for you have the life of God in you, you’re in an inseparable union with the Lord, and the fullness of God has its abode in you. What a wonder and a marvel you are! When there’s sickness, disease, infection, inflation in the world, none of these shall come near thee!
Confession:
I’m a peculiar being! The life of God is in me, I’m one with the Lord, and my body is the temple of the living God. No poison, sickness or disease shall cause any harm to my body for the Holy Spirit has His abode in me. Hallelujah.
Further Study:
Acts 28:1--6
Romans 6:23
Colossians 1:26-27