Like a Snake
Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.
--2 Timothy 3:12
The British preacher Charles Spurgeon said, "Satan never kicks a dead horse." The idea being that he will only attack someone who is a threat to him. If you were to say to me, "Greg, I can't remember the last time that I was persecuted or the last time I had any kind of spiritual attack against me," then I would have to check and see if you have a pulse. Because, quite frankly, if you are walking with God, there should be some measure of persecution you are facing--some form of attack.
As 2 Timothy 3:12 says, "Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution." Persecution is a reality, and the devil will approach it in two primary ways: outward and inward. Sometimes he comes at us like a lion. He will attack outwardly in the form of physical threats, slander, and so forth. But more often he comes like a snake, slithering in the back door.
When I was a kid, I had a great fascination with snakes, so much so that I actually aspired to be a herpetologist. I collected snakes, read about snakes, and even memorized details about snakes. And I also learned that snakes have the ability to get in and out of the tightest of spaces, having had a few of my own escape.
You may have all of your defenses up and be thinking, The devil will never penetrate this fortress. I am ready! But then he will come slithering through some little opening. That is why the Bible warns us, "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour" (1 Peter 5:8). So remember: Whenever God is working, the devil will be opposing.
