Then [Paul simply] shook off the small creature into the fire and suffered no evil effects.
Acts 28:5 AMP
How many times do we make a mistake and confess it to the Lord, then continue to punish ourselves with guilt and condemnation? Psalm 103:12 tells us that God will remove our transgressions as far as the east is from the west.
When we make a mistake—and we all do—we should be like the apostle Paul. Immediately shake it off. Don’t worry about it or allow guilt to grow. God removed the sin and no longer thinks about it. Why should we?
By immediately shaking a snake off his hand, Paul avoided harm. The viper’s intentions were to infect Paul with poison and make him ill. Paul recognized the danger and immediately went into action, shaking it off. Afterward, he didn’t worry over it. Instead, he went about helping the people on the island of Malta.
Don’t allow your mistakes to so worry or condemn you that you can’t be helpful to others around you. The poison of stress and worry will harm us if we allow it to penetrate our hearts and minds. Follow Paul’s example: Shake it off.
Dear Lord, thank You for cleansing me of my sins. I will not worry or feel condemned any longer. Thank You, Lord, for helping me to shake things off and suffer no evil effects.
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Today’s reading was adapted from Daily Wisdom for Women: 2013 Devotional Collection with permission from Barbour Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved. Reading was written by Shelly Kucera Jones.