Паулу удалось отряхнуть змею: как вера помогает преодолеть страх перед жизненными испытаниями

As I write this, I’m embarking on a holiday to the beautiful island of Malta. July 16th is World Snake Day, which immediately reminded me of one of the Bible’s most remarkable accounts. The book of Acts records that subsequent to being shipwrecked in Malta, the Apostle Paul was gathering firewood when a viper bites and fastens itself onto his hand. People watched him carefully, expecting him to swell up or die. Instead, Paul simply shook the snake off into the fire and carried on seemingly unaffected by it. Today Malta has four species of snakes yet none are considered to be dangerous or poisonous. Whether Paul had received a miraculous healing from poisonous venom or whether the snake was only presumed to be poisonous, it reminds us that so often fear can presume the worst and stop us dead in our tracks. Fear can abort a project before it has germinated, let alone grown to its potential. In such circumstances, we can lose focus, self-confidence and the resolve that an endeavour will succeed. The apostle Paul however was not paralysed with fear when the boat was shipwrecked, nor when being bitten by a snake because he was utterly convinced his destination was Rome, to share the greatest message of hope with the Roman Emperor, the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and therefore he shook the snake off and carried on with this in mind. Hebrews 11:1 (GNV) states: ‘To have faith is to be sure of the things we hope for, to be certain of the things we cannot see.’ Our faith truly is a determining factor when experiencing a shipwreck moment or a snake bite, giving hope, vision and strength. Many Christians believe the greatest and most deadly poison is sin causing havoc in the world and the wages of it is death. The Gospel that Paul was so eager to share deals with sin and reconciles us to God. Through Christ’s death and resurrection, He offers forgiveness, a new beginning, and the promise of eternal life to all who put their trust in Him. Paul wasn’t fearless under fire because of self belief. He had confidence because of his relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. Today Jesus still gives vision, keeps fear in check and bestows strength. Today is an opportunity to discover the one who gives vision, resilience and certainty like Paul had, through faith in Christ. Today, may faith fuel your future. Whatever has bitten you in life that seeks to instil fear, it does not have to define your future! May we all shake off the snakebites, and continue unabated in purposeful pursuit.