Yesterday I was driving up the dirt road towards our house. As I rounded a corner, there it was- a very large rattle snake, stretched out, sunning itself. It was at least 3 feet long, with several inches of very noticeable rattles on its tail.

I hate to kill things, but it was too close to home for comfort. I put the car in gear, stepped on the gas and plunged forward, hoping to send it quickly to its death.

When I was sure I had passed over it, I put the car in reverse so that I could see it in the back up camera and make sure I had hit it. But no snake. I drove forward a little further in case I hadn’t gone far enough. Still no snake in the back up camera. I backed up way further than where the snake had been and moved forward slowly, checking for any sign of it. None.

I drove on to the house thinking of three possibilities. One, it had quickly slithered off the road and into the tall grass; or it had jumped and fastened itself onto the bottom of my car. Yikes! Lastly, I questioned if I had only imagined I had seen the snake. But no, I was pretty sure what I had seen was real; and while the second possibility was much less likely than the first, believe me. I was very cautious as I stepped out of the car!

This morning we went for a walk, and there, in the road where I had seen the snake, was its picked-over remains. All that was left were several bones and its death rattles. I was relieved to know it hadn’t hitchhiked home with me! One of my tires must have injured it before it escaped, and the vultures had come and finished it off.

Since I tend to see spiritual applications in things, this story is no different. So here we go.

In the Bible, Satan is compared to a serpent, and Jesus says that He gives us His authority to trample on serpents and all the power of the enemy! (Luke 10:19)

Just like I came across a snake on my driveway, we often become aware of one of those “serpents” in some area of our life. For me, one of the biggest was a spirit of Fear. Fear ruled my life. I couldn’t “do this” because of fear. I couldn’t “go there” because of fear. I had to “do this” because if I didn’t… And so on…

Then Holy Spirit revealed this serpent of Fear to me and I chose to trample it. I confessed that I had believed its lies and obeyed its cruel manipulations. I renounced it, it’s lies, and its power over me. I commanded it to leave in Jesus’ name.

Had it gone? I didn’t really feel much different. Just like I felt after running over the snake in the road when I couldn’t find evidence of it, I wasn’t sure. Doubts assailed me. Had the demonic serpent ever really been there? Was I imagining it? Had I crushed it? Had I injured and weakened it? Or had it just gone into hiding, waiting for the perfect moment to strike again?

Holy Spirit had been telling me to do something for several months that I kept refusing to do because of fear, and now, once again I heard His gentle voice nudging me. “Now Nancy, will you obey?”

I felt fear. I wanted to refuse, but I also had a knowing in my spirit. If I refused, I would be in disobedience and rebellion against God. I suddenly understood that I had indeed injured that serpent through my renouncing and it had released its hold on me. But I also realized that I needed to finish it off, to crush it under my feet through obedience to God (Romans 16:19-20). I knew that if I chose not to obey, that serpent would rise up and attach itself to me again. 

I experienced a healthy fear of the Lord that rose up within me and I chose to obey. I saw that the serpent of Fear had been causing a gap between me and my Lord, and I truly desired to be as close to Him as possible. So I stepped out in faith and obedience and did what the Lord said to do, and that’s when Holy Spirit gave me the strength, wisdom and ability to do what I had been fearful of doing in my old way of thinking.

Just like I had dealt a death blow to the rattle snake, I had finally killed the serpent of Fear in my life, and God had replaced it with the fear of the Lord that was born out love- God’s love for me, and my love for Him.

And yet! I know that I must be watchful, for that old enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion seeking to devour me (1 Peter 5:8). If not through fear, then by some other means. 

There are many more physical rattle snakes that live all around me, in close proximity to my house. We have killed rattlers in our yard under bushes, next to the water facet, and even under the back steps! Big ones and little ones. They say that the little ones can be even more deadly than the big ones! Even though I killed one, I must not let my guard down even for a moment. 

It’s the same in the spiritual realm. There are many more serpents that are waiting for an opportunity to hitchhike into my life on circumstances and situations, and to attach themselves to my thoughts and emotions. Some are big and some are little. I must never let my guard down. I must always be watchful for the enemy that hunts my soul, seeking to turn my thoughts away from Truth with his lies and deception; who tries to poison my emotions with fear and doubt, robbing me of Love; who attempts to destroy my relationships with Yahweh and others; who would love to kill my testimony of hope, healing and freedom in Jesus Christ; who lies in wait to devour me.

I am thankful that in Christ, I have overcome. And I will work at continuing to overcome through my trust in Yahweh and my obedience to Him.

1 John 4:4 “You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.”

1 Corinthians 16:13-14 “Watch, stand fast in the faith, be bold like men, and be strong. Let all that you do be done with love.”