"On a tropical afternoon in 1965, I stopped to chat with a Nigerian carpenter. He looked tired, and, to my surprise, he told me about fearful spirits that had invaded his house the night before. 'Oh, come on,' I smirked. 'You don't really believe in spirits, do you?' Putting down his hammer and wiping his forehead, he looked me firmly in the eye and said, 'There are no small snakes.'"

That moment marked the beginning of pastor and author Gordon Dalbey's awareness of a world far outside the everyday-a world of demons, false prophets, hindering spirits, and all-too-human conflict. Part memoir and part confession, There Are No Small Snakes stares unblinking at one man's discovery of a shadow-war, with himself behind enemy lines. Dalbey warns us that we are creatures of flesh and spirit, and if we are not careful to let God nurture our lives, we may find ourselves in the thrall of dark and terrible forces.