RIPPLES OF FAITH Acts 28:4-7

When the islanders saw the snake

Hanging from his hand

They said to each other

"This man must be a murderer

For though he escaped from the sea

Justice has not allowed him to live."

But Paul shook the snake off into the fire

And suffered no ill effects

The people expected him

To swell up or suddenly fall dead

But after waiting a long time

And seeing nothing unusual happen to him

They changed their minds

And said he was a god

It will interest you to know

That people are watching you

As you react to the odd events of life

As you behave during the time

When the unexpected showed up

You may not know but they have their

Eyes on you as you sail through your storms

They got their opinions too on you

They may even tag you names behind your back

And formulates many untrue odd stories

To justify why you are going through that trials

That situations and circumstances

That trauma and the hard knocks

But irrespective of what the issues may be

Never staggered at God’s promise through unbelief

Remain strong in faith giving glory to God

And be fully persuaded that

What He had promised He is able to perform it

As Paul shook the snake off into the fire

Learn to shake off the arrows of challenges

When you don’t let them get inside you

There will be no ill effect

So don’t let them get at you

Use the shield of faith for protection

Don’t be affected by the opinions of men

Nor be wounded by the venom

Of situations and circumstances

Surely they will come

You can’t run from life getting at you

Being a believer does not exempt you from the hit

The Snake fasten itself to Paul when he made the fire

So it will come at you too even when you are on fire

Prayer did not exempt Jesus from taking the cup

It will not escape you too from taking yours

But it can give you strength and courage to face it out

God will not only crown your display of Faith at the end

By giving you victory and testimonies over the challenges

But will also make ripples out of what you went through

He will make ripples of faith out of your display of courage

How if you ask me?

The answer lies in this verse

“But after waiting a long time

And seeing nothing unusual happen to him

They changed their minds and said he was a god”

After watching him goes through the hit of the snake

They waited to see him quit and die

But when he was still sanding after all the odds

They change their minds and called him god?

You will agree with me if I tell you

Situations and circumstances reveal who you are

But much more than that

God is in the business of shaping the world’s perspective

He wants to shape men’s belief and culture

He wants to impart faith into them

And He’s going to use you as Spectacles

While men watch you go through your own issues

And see you standing tall after it all

This will birth faith in their hearts too

That if you can go through that

They can go through theirs also

And this ripples of faith builds on and on

Then you begin to mentor people from afar

People you may never meet in your life

But will read about you and be influenced

That God never fails

He is always true to His words

So stand strong

As He makes you a role model

Sending forth through you

Ripples Of Faith, Hope and Love.

Shalom

Wale Oyebade