Know Your Opponent

An excerpt from the sermon “Corruption: Part 1” by Pastor Rechab Gray

Throughout Scripture, what will happen is you’ll read in the historical books an introduction to a person. Whatever that introduction is, it’ll say something about that person that God the Holy Spirit wants you to know characterizes that person’s essence. You’ll read that Moses was the meekest man in all the earth. You’ll read that Job was blameless among the men of the earth. You’ll read that David was a man after God’s own heart. You’ll read that Josiah was a king who followed the law more closely than any king before him or after him. You’ll read that Ahab, the opposite end, was more evil than all the kings who had come before him. You will also read when you meet the Lord Jesus Christ, that his name will be called Jesus because he will save the people from their sins. Whatever that introductory statement, it is something that the Bible wants you to know that characterizes the essence of that person. And in the case of Jesus, his name means “Yahweh is salvation”. He wants you to know what characterizes him is saving people.

In this text, what is the thing that God wants you to know about your opponent? In Satan’s profile, God puts one word in there, crafty. Crafty. Cunning. Can I say it in a way that’s probably gonna throw some of y’all off? The way the writer of the Proverbs wrote it? The same exact word? Prudent. Insightful. Intellectual. Thoughtful. Methodical. Strategic. Friends, from day one, God wants you to know that you ain’t dealing with no dumb enemy.

from day one, God wants you to know that you ain’t dealing with no dumb enemy.

Think about all of the powerful world leaders who have done the most destruction in this world. You think Hitler was a dummy? This man was cunning, crafty, intellectual, methodical, hear this word, strategic. Friends, do y’all think Nero was a dummy? Crafty, cunning, prudent, intellectual, strategic. When Satan is working in somebody, really working in ’em, it is very smart work.

Now I want you to think about why he would enter a snake. Yeah, we’ve already talked about crafty. Think about the other characteristics of snakes. They are, listen to me, quiet. And camouflaged. They don’t have a roar like a lion. They don’t have the teeth of a tiger. But one bite from the wrong snake will do even more damage than that of a lion or tiger can ever do. This is what’s scary about the prey of a snake. See the antelope, they are usually caught at their demise. But the snakes prey, they’re usually calm at their own. Because most of the time the snake doesn’t have to chase his prey. It’s not even fast enough if it wanted to. Most of the time the prey of a snake is sitting in a place, not of running, but of rest. Because it doesn’t see it coming.

This is the profile of your enemy. And the scariest thing is that we don’t think the devil works like this. So we’re out here looking for tigers and he has been biting the church for years. Know your opponent. Know your opponent.

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