Neville Goddard on Acts 28:3-5 - Mystical Bible Interpretation

Read Acts 28 in context

Scripture Focus

3And when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks, and laid them on the fire, there came a viper out of the heat, and fastened on his hand.

4And when the barbarians saw the venomous beast hang on his hand, they said among themselves, No doubt this man is a murderer, whom, though he hath escaped the sea, yet vengeance suffereth not to live.

5And he shook off the beast into the fire, and felt no harm.

Acts 28:3-5

Biblical Context

Paul is bitten by a venomous snake, yet he suffers no harm. The crowd misreads him as doomed, but his safety shows appearances don't determine reality.

Neville's Inner Vision

Picture Paul as your I AM under a sudden inner assault. The viper stands for a fearful thought that bites at your attention when you are heating things with desire or trials. The crowd—the outer voice of judgment—whispers that you deserve punishment or misfortune. Yet Paul, the awakened awareness, does not wrestle the creature; he releases it into the fire. In your own consciousness, the 'fire' is the steady focus of attention on the I AM, the unchanging truth that cannot be harmed by transient venom. The venom may appear, but it does not alter the fact that you are alive, intact, and protected by divine presence. This is Providence: not an external miracle, but the inner alignment of awareness with its own immutability. When you feel the bite, reaffirm, 'I am the I AM; I cannot be touched by this circumstance.' The healing is a restoration of your inner state—the return to the warmth of the truth that you are shielded by God within.

Practice This Now

Imaginative Act: In a moment of fear, close your eyes, see the venom as a small serpent on your hand, and consciously shake it into the fire of your awareness. Then declare, 'I am the I AM, unmoved by appearances; I remain unharmed and guided by presence.'