Your Shrewd Enemy

Your shrewd enemy exposes the deceptive strategies of Satan and urges believers to stay spiritually alert and armored through God’s truth.

“Such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. Therefore it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness.”—2 Corinthians 11:13–15 NASB

The overconfident Romans were convinced they had subdued the Germanic tribes north of the Rhine River. But the Roman leader, Publius Quintilius Varus, didn’t realize he’d been deceived. A German noble, Arminius, had become a Roman citizen and was serving on Varus’ staff. Varus had been warned not to trust Arminius, but he ignored the warning, confident in his army.

In September of 9 AD, Arminius led Varus and three Roman legions into a trap in the Teutoburg Forest. The result was one of the worst defeats in Roman history. Soon the Romans abandoned their attempts to conquer Germania.

Varus had all the advantages, but he allowed himself to be deceived by a shrewd adversary. Many Christians make this mistake in their spiritual lives and are overconfident and don’t take their enemy seriously.

Likewise, many believers lack discernment and aren’t on guard against attacks. They fail to “put on the full armor of God … the shield of faith … the helmet of salvation … the sword of the Spirit” (Ephesians 6:10–17). So, they’re deceived as Satan disguises himself as “an angel of light.”

Don’t be a victim of Satan’s deception. Be alert, ready, prepared, and armed. Be on guard against deceit and the shrewd attacks and strategies of your enemy.

Reflection Question: Where might the enemy be disguising lies as truth in your life?