12/31/24
“And he shook off the beast into the fire, and felt no harm.” Acts 28:5 KJV. As soon as Paul recognized the viper which had attached itself to his hand, he had an immediate desire to get rid of it, so he shook it off. He saw that it was something dangerous and knew that it did not need to be attached to him. As we live our Christian lives today, many things will try to attach themselves to us much like this viper did Paul. Some will come suddenly like this viper while others may come very subtly. We need to be spiritually discerning so that we can recognize them for what they are. Far too many believers today are so spiritually shallow and biblically uninformed that they fail to recognize when something dangerous has attached itself to them. As a result, these ‘spiritual vipers’ become attached to them and bring damage into their hearts and lives. These come in many forms. It may be a bad habit or a bad spirit and attitude. It may be some legitimate thing that has gotten out of balance in our life, such as placing work or recreation before the things of God. But the purpose of the serpent is always the same, to bring spiritual ruin to our souls. By God’s grace, let us be vigilant to recognize when some ‘spiritual viper’ has attached itself to us and shake it off.