"lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices."
2 Corinthians 2:11 (NKJV)
It has been said that the shortest distance between two points is a straight line, and that is true. But it is also true that going somewhere in a straight line is not always the best thing to do. In many sports, going directly against your opponent is usually not the best way to attack and win, and the same is true in military and other situations. One of the best things that can be done is to go to the side, to flank your opponent, and look for a weaker area to attack rather than go against them head on.
The Bible shows us that we have an enemy, the devil. Here in 2 Corinthians 2:11, Paul talks about how we are not ignorant of Satan's "devices". The Greek word translated as devices here means purposes or even plans. Paul talks about our not being ignorant of the purposes and plans of Satan, the devil, but I actually think that many times Christians are ignorant and unaware of what the devil is trying to do, because people are expecting a frontal attack when the devil is trying to flank them.
Often people think the devil will attack them in some obvious way to cause problems in their life, and this does happen. But what will happen more often is that the devil will come with some small deception or some little distraction that will lead to a bigger problem. We need to be on guard against any attack of any kind, large or small, that may try to lead us away from God and His Word. We don't want to be unaware of how the devil will try to use little, sometimes not so obvious, things to bring trouble into our life.
2 Corinthians 2:11 (NKJV)
It has been said that the shortest distance between two points is a straight line, and that is true. But it is also true that going somewhere in a straight line is not always the best thing to do. In many sports, going directly against your opponent is usually not the best way to attack and win, and the same is true in military and other situations. One of the best things that can be done is to go to the side, to flank your opponent, and look for a weaker area to attack rather than go against them head on.
The Bible shows us that we have an enemy, the devil. Here in 2 Corinthians 2:11, Paul talks about how we are not ignorant of Satan's "devices". The Greek word translated as devices here means purposes or even plans. Paul talks about our not being ignorant of the purposes and plans of Satan, the devil, but I actually think that many times Christians are ignorant and unaware of what the devil is trying to do, because people are expecting a frontal attack when the devil is trying to flank them.
Often people think the devil will attack them in some obvious way to cause problems in their life, and this does happen. But what will happen more often is that the devil will come with some small deception or some little distraction that will lead to a bigger problem. We need to be on guard against any attack of any kind, large or small, that may try to lead us away from God and His Word. We don't want to be unaware of how the devil will try to use little, sometimes not so obvious, things to bring trouble into our life.
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