Cody Coots was bitten by a snake while giving a sermon and required emergency medical intervention to save his life. .

But in their Kentucky church, this is not the first time a snake handler has been bitten during a religious service. Coots’ father, Jamie Coots, was bitten by a snake and died after he asked that his fate be left up to God’s will.

Metro reports that Cody asked the same of his congregation. He told them if he is bitten, they should take him to the mountaintop for the Lord to decide whether he lives or dies.

But luckily, a few parishioners, including a man named Big Cody, defied him and sought medical attention.

“Most people bit in the face are dead in five, ten minutes. I mean, his own daddy got bit in the hand and within seven minutes was dead.”

Big Cody says he still remembers when Jamie Coots, the pastor of the Full Gospel Tabernacle in Jesus’ Name church in Middlesboro, Kentucky, died at age 42 after being bitten.

The church is compelled by the Bible verse, Mark 16:18: “They will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them.”

Cody Coots says after this experience, he’s going to rethink the practice of snake handling in his religious services.