WISE DOVES
By JAMES THEOLOGIDIS
“Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves” ( Matthew 10:16) Our Lord Jesus prepared His twelve disciples with these words as He sent them out into the world to preach the good news. He warned the disciples ahead of time that persecutions would come. It was important, therefore, for them to understand the ways of the world. A world full of liars and deceivers. A world ruled by the dark prince, the father of all lies. However, it was also important for them to remain innocent. Sheep in the midst of wolves, called upon to be wise as serpents and harmless as doves. These great words were spoken by Jesus to minister not just to the twelve, but also to all believers until the end of the age. That is why they were recorded in Scripture. Like the twelve, we too are sent as sheep in the midst of wolves to “go and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19). We too are called upon to be wise doves. Welcome to this inaugural installment of Wise Doves - the first in a series of articles seeking to arm believers with an understanding of politics & power plays, and governmental mentality. Why? Well, several of the many reasons are: - Because “you will be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them” (Matthew 10:18); - So that you can “put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:11-12); and - “Satan…will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth…to gather them together to battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea” (Revelation 20:7-8). So, as we are God’s ambassadors we should endeavor to understand this world’s political maneuverings and machinations (be wise as serpents), to enable us to exert our influence as appropriate, in order to do our Father’s will (be harmless as doves). We do this knowing that Satan’s ambassadors are already active in the world, seeking to do their father’s will. “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). With this introduction Wise Doves takes flight, hoping, over time, to help your spirits soar. May we all, every one of us, be wise doves! © James Theologidis
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