Shake It Off And Get Over It

shake off the past.. you have a destination to reach, so get over whatever happened becase it wants to poison you, and ultimately destroying you.

Acts 28: 1-6

The Apostle Paul is certainly someone everyone can learn from. Especially when trying to move forward. Rather in ministry, a better life, a better future. In todays lesson, we find the Apostle Paul in a boat along with some other prisoners on their way to Rome. Acts (25;10-12) lets us know that Paul had to go to Rome to appeal to Caesar. So off they go to Rome, Paul and other prisoners were all in the same boat. Some for different crimes no doubt, but yet all prisoners. Here we are in church all together, all used to be’s, but we’re all sinners saved by grace. What am I saying? We are all in the same boat, supposedly heading in the same direction (Heaven). And in knowing this, we should be kind, loving, respectful, caring one to another. Why? Because Heaven is a prepared place, for prepared people. That’s not my message. *Im on my way through.

When you read the 27th chapter, Paul and some other prisoners are on their way to Rome. They started off fine, but after some time they could never seem to get it going. They sailed for days, and ran into contrary winds. They switched ships, did everything to try and get to Rome. But when its not time for you to do something, its just not your time. You’ve got to slow your roll. Stop trying to make something happen before it’s time. Paul tells them (vs 10) that if they continue on its going to be much loss and disaster. You ever notice the more you try to do something God told you not to do, the more complications you run in to? So they pull off anyway and a fierce storm arises. And during this storm the Bible says that for many days neither the sun nor the stars appeared. They did all they could, emptying cargo to free up the ship. They were beat up by the storm and all hope of survival was lost.

We all face storms in our lives that dictate to us that we cant go on. Death comes, (storm) Failing health (storm), Loss of employment (storm), Foreclosure or evictions from your home (storm)! When you can’t see your way out. When you’ve prayed & cried all night long and it’s still dark. But God is not the type of Father to leave us hangin like that. He knows just when to send a word. Paul stands up in the midst of the storm and encourages everyone on board saying there shall be no loss of life just the ship. And I come to tell somebody whose in the middle of a storm that you not gone lose your mind, youre not gone worry yourself sick, God got something designed just for you but you’ve got to trust Him! And in order to gain trust with someone that means you’ve got to spend time with them. You gotta make up ya mind you gone pray, study, you gone come to church more. You gone give God a good try this time. And while you’re in the midst of your storm, learn to encourage someone else. Get ya mind off your problems and learn to serve Gods way. The text says, There will be losses,….but you wont lose your life. Some stuff we need to lose. but dont lose your faith in God! Paul was on his way to Rome! And you’re on your way out of this but baby, Just make it through the night! Don’t give up, don’t jump ship, because joy is coming in the mornin.

So we know that the waters rise up again, the ship breaks in half and everybody had to swim for land. But guess what? They all made it. The Bible says, Some made it on boards and some on broken pieces, but they all made it safely. And you know folks will come out of a storm and instead of being humbled by it theyre angry. Upset. After God has blessed and delivered theyre mad cause they got wet, they suffered loss, they got sick. But when people are not kind to their own, when folks ready to kill their own peoples (name, reputation, hopes and dream) God will always lift you up. Didn’t He say, I’ll never leave you, nor forsake you? When we turn the page to Chapter 28. ( some of y’all missed that. You should be running around this church praising God that He turned it!) That He brought you out. That He gave you another chance…

The natives here on the island made a fire and showed lots of kindness. But how many know that everybody is not going to be happy that you came through a storm... That God brought you out. That youre a survivor! ….Even though they're getting by on your prayers, theyre still angry, jealous. But theyre still sitting by your fire! They rolling theyre eyes, but theyre still at the fire. Talking bout you…

A. God is working on your anointing. (Anointed ppl go thru stuff and make it look easy) I’m not saying it’s easy when you’re the one going thru it. But some stuff you survived others didnt make it! The text here tells us that it was the fire (anointing) that caused the snake to be exposed. This venomous beast here seeks to attach itself to the one that is anointed and serving. See, you have to understand that the anointing doesn’t only attract good things, but bad things as well. The anointing attracts good things but also attracts things that will try to trick you into looking like its good, but for real for real it’s a set-up from the devil to get you off track. So stop worrying about why they trippin on you! Tell somebody its because of your anointing!

Vs 4- Some of the people thought Paul got bit because of some sin he did. And you have some people now that think when people go through stuff. When they go through trials & tribulation, they’re reaping what they have sewn, or something they had done in the past. But something dropped in my spirit. Just because im broke doesn’t mean im not paying my tithes. Just because im going through some situations, it doesn’t mean im not saved. It doesn’t mean that I’m out of the will of God. But that’s alright. They don’t understand that the sufferings of this world cant be compared to the glory which shall be revealed in us. So I find myself like Job when he said but He knows the way that I take, and when He has tried me I shall come forth as pure gold! So im willing to go through whatever I have to go through in order to get wherever I need to get and be in the Lord. It may take a shipwreck, it may take some loss, I may get bit by a snake, but I’m coming through! *Im coming thru! Watch this…

So here in verse 4 they were all at the fire and saw Paul get bit and the ppl didn’t so much as offer him a band-aid. But we see here that the people talked amongst themselves but not to Paul. And people will talk about you from sunup to sundown, but will never approach you in your face about anything. They talked about Paul here. They call him a murderer when he was bitten, but when Paul shook off the beast it puzzled their minds. Why? Because they were expecting Paul to swell up and die.

You get people when after the enemy attack you; they were looking for you to go back n forth with them. To say I give up. Uhn huh. I quit. Run away, stay home and not coming to church. But the devil is a liar! Tell that booger im back. I was a little woozy but im still here. You thought it was over for me…thought I wasn’t going to make it….thought I was going to be borrowing all my life….thought I was dead… but God has it all in control!

The text says that this kind of snake was venomous. It was deadly, and when Paul builds the fire the snake locks on to his hand. The snake by right was designed to kill Paul. It was designed to take Paul out. It was supposed to poison Paul so that he’d soon swell up and die. Medical science says you should have died. Every natural circumstance says you shouldn’t have made it out alive, it should have killed you,....*but I'm still here!

You should be in a mental institution or strung out on drugs, mad at God and mad at the world, but Im standing up in the middle of your storm with a Word from God to tell somebody that not only are you going to make it, but you won't look like what you’ve been through when God brings you out!

Somebody in here knows that, that car accident should have killed you. You know that sickness was supposed to destroy your body & kill you. That lie was supposed to destroy your family. You know that relationship was supposed to send you into a state of suicide. Those drugs were designed to make you lose your mind!!! But glory to God I can hear the prophet Isaiah saying “No weapon that is formed against me shall prosper.”

You have to see what God was doing for Paul here. God has a reason for taking us through certain things and how He takes us through them. It was a reason why you were talked about, why you don’t fit in with certain people, why you had to go through all that you had to go through. God took Paul through all of this, to open up a door of ministry for the people on the island. So what you saying preacher? You will never be effective in your ministry, your career, marriage, home if you don’t shake off some stuff. Not only that, but shake it off in front of people where everybody can see. you cant be crying and carrying on in front of people. Hollering, falling out and having fits. Talking bout it bit me….No, shake it off!

Paul shook the snake off into the fire and destroyed it. Why? So it couldn’t come back. Some of these things youre dealing with, mindsets that you should have been shook off. Some of these things you didn’t kill the first time and its coming back to haunt you. But you got to get it in your mind that I cant hang on to this mess. I cant get caught up in he say she say. Because what God has in store for me, I cant let my issues stop me from progressing. I cant let my attitude keep me from my anointing! I got to shake it off! Stop letting people pull you down. We allow situations to make us walk around with our heads down, we talk down, we look down, we act down, and some of us are just plain low down. But you’ve got to tell down im gone. There are some things not worth repeating, which is why were declaring today, im not making that mistaken again. Shake it off!

Speak over yourself! Encourage yourself! Tell your situation you kept me down long enough, but I’m shaking it off! You kept me from my blessings long enough…You kept me from my deliverance long enough…You kept me out of my anointing long enough…You kept me from my ministry long enough… Ive got to shake it off. I cant let my situations poison my life. I cant let my situations poison my ministry. I cant let the snake in my life poison my family, But ive got to shake it off!

Im gone bring this thing to a close and sit down, but some of yall need to go back to those people in ya camp fire. That said youll never make it, said youd never amount to anything, thought you wouldn’t be here today. You need to go and tell them thanks. Because had it not been for you talking about me, had it not been for you trying to set me up, had it not been for you lying on me, I would have never known how much of a wonder God is!

Had it not been for you, God would have never worked a miracle in my life. Anybody here that the Lord has made a way for…that want to praise him…that wants to shake it off… shake for ya family…shake for ya ministry…shake it off and keep on serving…and while you’re shaking it off, Be not weary in your well doing, for in due season youre going to reap if you faint not. But you’ve got to Shake it off! Anybody wanna reap? Shake it off! I see you in the Spirit shaking off depression, ..bad habits,.. hang ups. If you wanna walk in victory you’ve got to shake it off and get over the swelling.

*Conclusion of the matter

The devil is going to attack you because of your anointing, but God said that no weapon formed against you is going to prosper. That means whatever they do or conjure up, it simply wont work. It cannot and it will not work. That’s why you always come out on top!

What God has in store for you, you don’t have any more time to waste. Stop using the past and past experiences as an excuse. The hurts, the lies, the manipulations, etc..shake it off. You got to shake off the past and get to work.

You’ve wasted enough time having idol conversations, enough time gossiping. You wasted enough time.

We’re living in the time now that you’ve got to take responsibility for yourself and shake off the snake in your life. People don’t want to accept you, shake it off. They don’t want to let you in, shake it off. Aint nobody mad but the devil. He should have killed you when he had you, but hallelujah you got away. And because of God, You are a survivor. We have to realize that the night is far spent, the day is at hand. With all that’s going on in the world today that time aint long and soon and very soon we are going to see the king.

You tried to take me out but I got over. Designed to stop me but I got over. Tried to embarrass me with things from my past, but I got over. The Bible says that if any man be in Christ Jesus he is a new creature, old things are passed away, behold all things become new. If you are going to be effective for God, young or old, you’ve got to shake it off. Shake off the old man, you may even have to shake off some people who are close to you. Those who mean you no good, just taking up space. Tell them nothing personal, but I got work to do. I cant worry about that. God holds my future and because He knows the way that I take, He has it all in control. No matter what comes my way, my life is in His hands.