Just Another Afternoon of 102 Degree Weather

Hello guys!
I recently went hiking next to a lake and was overwhelmed at the wildlife that was out and about in this heat. Didn't they get the memo that it is 102 degrees outside? For that matter, didn't I get the memo. I don’t want to do anything when it is so hot, and it blew my mind to see the activity of these creatures.
Anyway, one of the creatures I saw on this day was a black snake. I think it was a black racer. He was about 3 ½ feet long and looked like he had recently eaten some lunch. He was far enough up the trail that I saw him in advance and was able to enjoy watching him without interrupting his quest. I was awed by this creature, but was quickly reminded of a recent encounter that wasn’t as pleasant.
I was hiking in a sandy area next to a river on a nice sunny day. It was hot, so I had decided to wear my hiking sandals. Like many times when I hike, I was just enjoying the day and may have even been singing out loud, I’m not sure. I just know that I wasn’t paying that much attention to the trail in front of me.
All of the sudden I was face to foot with a copperhead snake. He was as surprised to see me as I was him. He was about 4 feet long and ready to strike. My sandaled foot was only about 5 inches from his mouth. Fear gripped me, but then I started to talk to him. I know crazy, right? But talking to the snake calmed me long enough to send a prayer to my Protector. I realized that I just needed to keep moving. And move fast! I think my heart raced the entire time that it took me to get out of the woods and to my car.
My main reason for sharing this story is not really about me or about the snake. It’s about the fear that gripped me. Fear has always played a large part in my life I would make decisions about what I would or wouldn’t do based on fear. Fear has kept me from building relationships. Fear has kept me from being bold.
Let me just say that fear is one of the biggest tools of the enemy. Fear so easily creeps into our lives that most of the time we don’t even recognize it for what it is. The snake was easy for me to recognize, but fear is sometimes an automatic response, so it can be hidden from our conscience. The good news is that God did not give us a spirit of fear, but of love, power and a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7). He gives us peace! Just like in the way that I began to talk to the snake, we can and should rebuke the enemy and the fear that he wants to entangle us in. Fear is a creeper and it’s time to fight back and let peace fill our lives. Who is with me? Join this crusade of recognizing fear for fear and combating it with the truth, which is peace from our God.