I have given you the power to trample on snakes and scorpions and to defeat the power of your enemy Satan. Nothing can harm you.—Luke 10:19 (CEV)

I’d never seen a snake in this town until recently. Surprisingly, there was a HUGE garter snake, about five feet long, on the sidewalk downtown. I got a friend to come out of his storefront to see the reptilian visitor slithering out onto the road. We watched as it retreated into a drainage pipe in the gutter. 

When I was trying to identify that snake so out of place on the downtown pavement, I learned about brumation. Brumation is a form of hibernation unique to reptiles. A natural science website says reptiles like to hide and burrow in, to stay safe and warm. This causes their breathing, heart rate, and temperature to drop—similar to what happens during hibernation. 

After a series of recent upsetting events, I’ve been in a state of brumation, lying low, trying to stay safe and warm. The real enemy in times like this isn’t a formidable garter snake. Rather, it’s the enemy of my soul, trying to steal my joy, to make me feel unsafe and defeated. But Jesus says He’s given me the power to trample on and defeat the setbacks and heartbreaks of this world caused by the enemy, Satan. Furthermore, Jesus promises that nothing can harm me—not grief, not despair—and certainly not harmless garter snakes. Now when I am feeling unsafe or defeated, I talk to Jesus, thanking Him for His power in me to defeat the enemy.

Faith Step: Are you feeling defeated by a recent setback or upsetting event? Ask Jesus to wrap you in His comfort and rest in Him.