Acts 28:3 Paul gathered a pile of brushwood and, as he put it on the fire, a viper, driven out by the heat, fastened itself on his hand.
Paul rattled the pile of brushwood and out came a viper from the cold sticks and clung onto his hand with its fangs. Snakes and vipers curl around piles of twigs as it gives the body frame greater rigidity while crawling. This natural phenomenon of snakes coiling to damp wood is a vivid metaphor to the loads of bad memories, childhood traumas, cynical conversations or crucible circumstances that accumulate in our memory bank. Soon the clutter will attract snakes and vipers that will loop into the damped stream of thought patterns, poisoning the soul and piercing the heart.
Paul did not just stop with rattling the pile, he threw it into the fire. When we are wrecked by the painful memories of the past, throw them into anointing fire. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire (Matthew 3:11b). The fire of the Holy Spirit will burn the venomous vipers that are buried in the sad memories. Rattling the cage of our soul is like spring cleaning. Remove the clutter and get rid of the litter. In the process of cleaning we will encounter vicious attacks by lethal vipers. But Paul shook the snake off into the fire and suffered no ill effects (Acts 28:5). The only way to overcome depressing, demeaning and distressing thoughts of the painful past is to shake it into the fire of the Holy Spirit. If we don’t fling it into the fire immediately the poison will penetrate through our system as anger, resentment and bitterness.
Rattle the cage of your soul and shake the toxic thoughts into the fire:
1. Erase: Rattling the cage could resurrect past stinging memories. These memories can be erased only by the fire of the Holy Spirit. If we don’t shake the throbbing toxic thoughts into the fire, it will poison our bloodstream. Rather than fighting to overcome those thoughts with human techniques, replace them with the promises of God. As we read the Word of God, fire will be kindled and burn the vipers down.
2. Eject: Rattling thrashes the poisonous snakes that are hidden in the cold thoughts. Resentment and revenge that was coiled in the distressing thoughts will come back and bite us fiercely. Eject the imaginary arguments with the offenders in your mind. There are many hours wasted by battling with the wrongdoers in our mind. Eject the vain arguments that pollute the mind.
- Enthrall: Rattling the cage enlightens the soul and enthralls the attention of non-believers. 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 (Acts 28:6). When we allow the fire of God to cleanse our whole beings, we will shine bright and preach the gospel even without uttering a word.
God rattles the cage of our soul to purify us and glorify His name through us.
Acts 28:10 They honored us in many ways.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, teach me to rattle the cage of my soul to spring clean the piles of ungodly, resentful or toxic thoughts. Be glorified in my life. Amen.
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