‘Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.’
Matthew 10:16 (KJV), Proverbs 28:1 (KJV)
‘The wicked flee when no man pursueth: But the righteous are bold as a lion. ‘
Bottom line: Act as a King.
Teaching
The kingdom of God comprises men and women filled with the spirit of God. As such, there are some distinctive features that anyone will observe in the life of someone who truly has and walks in and with God’s spirit. Some of these are:
Wisdom
Every child of God has received the spirit of God which embodies the wisdom of God. We have received divine wisdom (wisdom beyond human comprehension). This wisdom permits us to function at a higher level of glory. The Bible says:
19 For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell;
Colossians 1:19
9 For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.
Colossians 2:9
The fulness of the Godhead, i.e. the fulness of God’s power, wisdom, glory, and the entirety of God dwells in Christ Jesus.
Then the Bible still says:
30 But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:
1 Corinthians 1:30
Christ has been made unto us wisdom, hallelujah! This means through Christ Jesus, we have access to the entirety of the divine wisdom of God.
Jesus told his disciples:
16 Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.
Matthew 10:16
This means that though we have access to the divine wisdom of God, it is our duty to set this wisdom into operation in our lives. One way of doing that is getting God’s word in your spirit by study and meditation, and also by exercising yourself in praying in tongues (in the spirit).
Gentleness
Our proof text says:
16 Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.
Matthew 10:16
Another word for harmless in the above scripture is gentleness. A child of God must be gentle, especially in words, and must not display the character of a thug. Be gentle in speech and action. Let your words not cause division or pain, but let them be a source of unity, peace, and inspiration. This is the character of God’s spirit.
22 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!
Galatians 5:22-23(NLT)
Boldness
The Bible says in Proverbs 28:1
1 The wicked flee when no man pursueth:
Proverbs 28:1
but the righteous are bold as a lion.
The righteous have the spirit of boldness. We are as bold as lions. Lions don’t run away from a fight; they face every adversity. So is a child of God. We do not cop out. We face every mountain that rises ahead of us. We are fierce in battle.
7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
2 Timothy 1:7
7 Who art thou, O great mountain? before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain:
Zechariah 4:7
and he shall bring forth the headstone thereof with shoutings, crying, Grace, grace unto it.
We have the spirit of kings. We are wise, gentle yet bold. Hallelujah!
Further Study
- Isaiah 11:2 [and the Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD;]
Reflection
- When you reflect on your life, do you see any of the above traits?
- What do you think you can do to manifest these fruits?
Prayer
Dear Lord, I thank you for your Spirit which dwells in me. I declare that I walk in divine wisdom, gentleness, and boldness in the Spirit in the name of Jesus. Amen.
