Topic: Be Wise as Serpents and Harmless as Doves [Archbishop Margaret E. Benson Idahosa] Above Only Daily Devotional 5 June 2020

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Be Wise as Serpents and Harmless as Doves

Matthew 10:16 (KJV) … I send you forth as sheep I the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.

Matthew 10:16 (GNB) .. I am sending you out just like sheep to a pack of wolves. You must be as cautious as snakes and as gentle as doves.

Matthew 10:16 (CEV) I am sending you like lambs into a pack of wolves. S be wise as snakes and as innocent as doves.

Acts 1:8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

Jesus wants us to remember that He is the One that has sent us into the world, just as the Father sent Him, John 20:21. We are ambassadors of Christ, saved to represent and reflect Him in every area of our lives and to reconcile men back to God. Maintaining the consciousness that God is who sends us will make us bold and confident as we depend on God for His empowerment and the resources to do all He has commissioned us to do. Jesus wants us to see every area of our lives as a channel to preach the gospel and reconcile men back to Him. As such, Jesus wants us to be wise as serpents and harmless as doves in every area of our lives.

To be effective in our lives and our divine mission, we need to be strategic (wise as serpents) and maintain the right attitude (gentle as doves) always. Apostle Paul said, “whatever a person is like, I try to find common ground with him so that he will let me tell him about Christ and let Christ save him, 1 Cor. 9:22b. That is being strategic. On our own, we cannot really be strategic and consistently maintain the right attitude as God would want us to. We need the help of the Spirit. That is why Jesus told the disciples to wait until they were endued with power from on high, Luke 24:49. The Holy Spirit is the spirit of wisdom and creativity. He was fully operational at the time of creation, Gen. 1:1-2. As you rely on the Holy Spirit, He will endow you with that innovative wisdom of God that was present in God at creation, Prov. 8:12 & 22. Gentleness is a primary aspect of the fruit of the Spirit, Gal. 5:22. This is why the Holy Spirit is often depicted as a dove. The Bible implores us to speak the truth in love and grow up into Christ in all things, Eph. 4:15.

Prayer Focus:

Pray in the Spirit now and receive the empowerment of the Spirit to be more strategic and to maintain the right attitude always.

Bible in one year reading plan:

1. 2 Chronicles 25-27
2. John 16