WISE AS SERPENTS INNOCENT AS DOVES

Survival in a hostile world requires both sharp strategy and a soft heart.

In this episode, we unpack Jesus’ paradox “wise as serpents, innocent as doves.”

 Learn how to set boundaries, spot wolves, and face hidden agendas without losing your peace, purpose, or integrity.

Chapters

• 0:00 Snakes, Satan, and a Paradox
• 2:22 Boundaries and Matthew 10:16–17
• 3:46 Politics in Church and Workplaces
• 7:02 Live as a Sent One
• 9:58 Sheep Among Wolves: Human Nature
• 14:22 Tough Love for the Empathetic
• 17:19 Surviving Wolves Without Hardening
• 18:56 The Strategy: Wise as Serpents
• 22:23 Balance: Innocent as Doves
• 24:50 Why People Seek Power and Territory
• 28:09 Betrayal, Scourging, and Masks
• 31:44 The Spirit Speaks When Delivered Up
• 35:12 Final Charge: Stay Soft, Stay Sharp

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 0:13

Jesus once told us to behave like snakes. I know that sounds almost contradictory, especially when we remember that Satan the devil himself is an actual snake. I know folks think that Satan is a man, but no, he's not. He's a shapeshifter and he oftentimes projects the image of a suave, handsome gentleman, but he's really nothing like that. Rather, he is a slimy old snake. In fact, Revelation chapter 12, verse 9 says, He is the great dragon that was cast out, that old serpent called the devil and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world. He was cast down into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. And also Revelation chapter 20, verse 2 says, And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the devil and Satan and bound him for a thousand years. So, what did Jesus mean when he said we should behave like snakes? Was Jesus somehow commending Satan? Of course not, but it raises an important question: what wisdom do serpents have that Christians are called to emulate? And how do we apply this wisdom in everyday life? If you've ever been serious about your faith and you found yourself disillusioned somehow by the behavior of people that you have once admired, you know, they could be your parents, they could be your bosses, they could be older Christians or even pastors, then this episode is for you because Jesus understood exactly what it feels like to live in a hostile world and he described it this way he said, Sheep in the midst of wolves, and then he gave us his disciples a surprising strategy. Be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. Hello everyone and welcome to DIY Salvation. Today we are pausing our cosmic edition series to share an important word from the Lord. This message was inspired by a conversation that I had with my sister Stella. We were, you know, discussing boundaries in relationships and how that as Christians it is essential for you to set boundaries in your relationships and you have to make sure that you honor them. And if your boundaries are ignored or broken, you must be firm enough to enforce the consequences so that you don't end up being taken advantage of. So, in that conversation, somehow, Matthew chapter 10, from verse 16 to 17, which is our anchor text for this episode, it came up and it couldn't be more relevant. And that's the reason why we are talking about this today. Matthew chapter 10, verse 16 to 17 says, Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, Jesus speaking. So be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. Then he adds and he says, Beware of men, for they will hand you over to the councils and flog you in their synagogues. Now let's unpack this loaded message. You see, this passage gives us a blueprint for you to navigate politics, power struggles, and human agendas without losing sight of God's call on your life. For me personally, I have not been in the center of politics playing. Rather, because I'm a pastor and mostly a leader, people politique around me. Do you get? So, what happens is that I developed a rule whereby if you come to me and tell me something about somebody else who is also someone that I'm leading, right? I would ask you straight up, because I do not entertain gossip, right? So I would ask you straight up, this thing that you're telling me now, can you say it in the presence of that person? And you say yes, you will. We would have the conversation another time where the person will be present. So I do not encourage politiquing because I believe that as a leader I'm responsible for everyone, and I do not appreciate factions under my governance in quotes. All right. But then I have been in a situation where I've worked in an office where politician was so much, and I'm telling you that you know, some of the things that I know now came from me being in that environment because I came into that environment. Let me tell you, it's a church environment. Okay, so I came into that environment with a mindset of, oh, everybody is as you know, they I mean they're all Christians, they believe in God, they believe in working in the spirit, you know, being led by the spirit and things like that. But in fact, what should have given me a clue from the beginning was during my interview, the very first question uh no, one of the first questions I was asked was, What if I I like to engage in politics? And I said, No, it's not really my thing. You know, I'd rather just focus on my work and make sure I get my work done. And so, but then I was advised after I got the job that I needed to be more political, so to speak. Later I found out that some leaders actually thrive in the so-called politicking, they like it when there are factions, and then you know, this person comes to tell them something about this other person. In fact, they encourage the gossiping in quotes. Okay, so it makes this the the issues are relentless, like they're just always there, and so they have this policy of dividing and ruling. Everybody is trying, everybody has some kind of affinity towards the leader. So everybody has this competition amongst them where they are the closest to the leader, is actually a system of dividing and ruling. And I didn't understand it because these are people that I, you know, look up to, respected, and I'm watching them playing these games, and I'm like, is this Christianity? The things that God taught me from that experience is what I'm going to be unpacking today in this episode. Because I know that as long as you're working in an office or you're dealing with people, somehow navigating politics, power struggles, and human agendas, you know, they always come up, but how do you navigate them without losing sight of God's call for your life? This is very important. The number one thing that Jesus teaches us from this passage is that you must never lose sight of the fact that you are sent, sent in quotes. You're an apostle, sent in quotes. You see, people show up in life based on their worldview and their perspective. A worldview is a lens through which you see your world, and your worldview would inform you how you act, how you speak, and how you respond. But Jesus says, I sent you forth. That's the first key. You must know that you are a sent one in politicking, in navigating power struggles, in human agendas, always have this at the forefront that you are a sent one. This thing is going to help you to stay focused. This is how Jesus wants us to show up all the time as a sent one. This is what sets you apart. And it doesn't matter, even if the people that are engaging in or causing all this politician and power struggles actually are leaders that you look up to. It doesn't matter. Stick with what God told you that you are sent one. Do you understand? You have to live with that awareness. If you are sent one, you will have to understand that you should not get tangled up in the games, in the politics, and even in the manipulations of people or even the manipulations of your leaders, you have to find your path, you have to stay on course at all costs. Play the game of politics if you must, right? Otherwise, walk away. But no matter the choice that you make, you must stay the course. Every decision you make in life should be about enabling you to stay the course no matter what. And I'm telling you that in spite of all that is going on in the world around you, even in your office, you know, there's a lot of drama, there's a lot of issues here and there, you're trying to navigate it, you're trying to come out successful or come out as the winner and all of that. Let me tell you, what really matters is for you to stay on course. All of those things, none of them matters. Whether you won the last argument or you you are planning to win the next one, it doesn't matter. The only thing that really matters is for you to stay on course because the devil's strategy is distraction, he wants to pull you off your God-given assignment and he wants to taint your calling. That's the real reason why clarity of purpose is everything. If you don't yet know the path that God has called you to, you have to seek it urgently. Otherwise, you spend your life running aimlessly, chasing trends, you'll be following noise, you will never truly fulfill your stewardship because you know every one of us is a steward. You've been entrusted in something. It could be, you know, your singing, it could be your family, it could be a child, it could be your ministry, it could be your work, it can even be your work in the office. Do you understand? It could be a specific assignment, but your responsibility is not just for you to carry it well, you have to finish it faithfully. So the first thing you must note and stay with is have the mindset of being a sent one and stay on your course. The second point that Jesus teaches us in that passage is that we have to realize the nature of people, the nature of the people that we are sent to. Jesus did not sugarcoat it, he said it plainly. He said, They are wolves. And he said, You who has the mindset of being a sent one who has decided that I'm going to stay my course and finish this race, he says, You are the sheep. It's not a flattering picture. Being a sheep is not a flattering picture, it's a vulnerable one. You know, sheep's have no claws, they have no fangs, they have no natural defense. That's the reason why they always look up to the shepherd. Wolves, on the other hand, are predators. They hunt in packs. That's why you always have human beings, you know, in groups, in factions. Do you get so they are they are together and then they're gossiping about this person and gossiping about that and looking for ways to bring down this one and the other person. So they are wolves, they are predators, they hunt in packs. And when they hunt in packs, let me tell you what they do. They exploit weakness. You will not see a faction that would openly go and you know open fire at somebody who has power, in quotes. They would rather look for weaknesses. So they exploit weaknesses. That's the reality of the world that we're in, and we're also called to serve in. Be it your extended family, be it the workplace or even church, somebody dies in the family, all the extended family members come together, there is power struggle, there is drama, there is you know all manner of issues. Why? The same issues. Some people are trying to take advantage of the situation, others are trying to dodge the bullet, some people are deliberately trying to scatter the entire thing. If you are a Christian and you idolize celebrities or you know key figures or like you know great pastors or great men of God, so much so that you blindly trust them and you hang on their every word, stop it. Because you put yourself in a very dangerous position when you do that. Here's the danger. If you romanticize people, if you assume everyone has good intentions, you will eventually set up yourself for heartbreak, for deep disappointment, and in many cases, you may even risk your life. This is very, very important. Jesus doesn't want you to be naive about human nature. Jesus is giving us here a survival manual. As long as you carry a new idea, you know, you're smart, you're brilliant, you know, you have a divine assignment or you have a different perspective, people want that, but also people hate that. Let me tell you, people hate it. Especially when you shine more than them, and you that makes you a sheep amongst wolves. The challenge is for you to learn how to manage this reality so that you will fulfill your purpose without you being destroyed. But there's a good news, even if you've been eaten before, in quotes. That means if you've been betrayed, you've been rejected, you've been wounded, you can start again. And this time, you start equipped with wisdom. That's what this episode is about. Wolves are aggressive, they are territorial, know your enemy, and they survive by domination. On the other hand, sheep are gentle, trusting, and designed to follow a shepherd. You belong to Jesus, yes, granted. He's the good shepherd. And because of him, you're not defenseless. Jesus guides you, he protects you, he covers you. The problem is that you are taking this same mindset of sheep that you have towards Jesus and you are applying it to every situation or every relationship in your life. That is the mean wahala. Jesus is not saying that you should not be gentle, trusting, or designed to follow him as a shepherd. What he's saying is that listen, you cannot be that gentle and that trusting and that blindly obedient to every Tom, Dick, and Harry. How well do you really know the people that you are following blindly and trusting? Just because a pastor is preaching all the good things and it connects with your spirit does not mean that when you meet the pastor, you just cast yourself at the person's feet, defenseless, allowing them to, you know, shepherd you. They will not, they will take advantage of you. They will not, they will look for ways to use you. And at the end of the day, when you don't want to be used anymore, they will discard you. Because you're the one they were just there and you brought yourself to them. So what were you expecting them? They are wolves. Imagine a pack of wolves and a sheep just strolls into their den. What happens? What do you expect that will happen? That will be an early meal. If you've been truly maturing spiritually, you agree with me that the closer you get to God, the softer and more agreeable you naturally become. Back in the day when I was young, I was really an angry child. You know, I was an angry kid because the home front was really quite toxic, right? So, and I had really no one to actually talk to per se. You know, I I didn't even know God at that point in time, although I knew God early, but I had not yet learned, and there was nobody to teach me to walk with God because my family, we didn't attend church, right? So I was an angry child, I was an angry teenager, you know, and that's how I was. So many times before you could reach me, it was difficult for you to even get me to smile. A lot of people had not seen me smile for a long time, you know, and the days that they see me smile, it's it's like a blessing to them. It's like, you know, the the heavens have smiled upon them, you know. So I was cranky, so you had to do a lot to please me before I could even walk with you. I didn't really care much about you know friendships. I could walk away from any friendship because, like, you know, what is this? You know, so but the closer I got to God, I found out I got softer and softer and softer. So as a pastor, I really connect with people, and when they're telling me, you know, their stories or maybe in counseling, I really soak up a lot of their energies, which really depresses me afterwards. So, of course, that was something I had to learn. I had to learn to regulate myself emotionally around situations like that. But not just that. Found out, you know, quite late that my love for people, my you know, openness and you know, the way I was openly loving and all of that was a trap. And it made me suffer a lot of heartbreak. And I do understand. I was like, God, but you called me to this work, you know. So, but why is it like this and all of why are people like this? Why is it that the more I'm taking care of them, the more I'm loving them, that's the more they want to hurt me and to betray me. My point is that it is a gift for you to be empathetic by nature, for you to be softer and more agreeable because it shows your maturity. You feel deeply, you see the good in people. It's a gift, but it also makes you vulnerable. So you have to settle it in your heart that everyone you meet is a wolf until proven otherwise. Every single person you meet is a wolf until proven otherwise. Allow people to prove themselves. If people come to you for the first time and they say they want to be your friend, you need to give them space to prove themselves. If you are the one going into somebody's life and you want to be somebody's friend, you have to prove yourself as well. Then you must also learn how to survive among wolves. After you know that everyone is a wolf until proven otherwise, the next thing is that you must learn how to survive among wolves without losing your essence as a sheep. Think of it as wearing a mask. You know, you must learn how to look like a wolf, smell like a wolf, or even move among wolves. But deep down inside, you remain who you are, a sheep that is under Christ's care. See, this is not about you being deceptive, it's about you walking in wisdom, you know, in how you present yourself. You know, it's all about the presentation. When people meet you the first time, they should want to look for ways to please you or to get into your good books. You should not be all smiley and all lovey-dovey from the beginning because that's already a trap because they see you as weak and easy to do or to take advantage of. So don't just give anything away for free. Watch as they do, watch what they do. Don't always believe what they say, always watch what they do. It's their actions that actually tell you the real thing. Timidity will not work. You can't survive among wolves by shrinking back. Sometimes you need to howl back, you need to raise your voice, you need to set boundaries to make it clear that you're not easy. Prey. You know, this could even result in you calling the police, for example, on folks. You could even result in lawsuits, you could even result in you administering, you know, proper physical punches at a bully. But while you demonstrate this strength outwardly, your heart must remain soft. Now, the third point is that Jesus adds, be wise as serpents, which is the crux of the matter. Snakes aren't exactly role models when we think of wisdom, right? In fact, most of the time in the Bible, serpents are negative symbols. So why would Jesus point to them here? Jesus is not celebrating evil, he's only highlighting qualities that we as his disciples would desperately need. He's not pointing to the corrupt conning of the devil, but rather, you know, the ability to discern, to move carefully and to avoid traps. He's talking about strategic intelligence. Think about how snakes survive in the world. Snakes don't waste energy. I feel that they're even too lazy to even want to waste energy. They stay hidden and they only they especially when danger is near, they stay hidden. They also know how to move quietly and when to strike decisively. So are serpents actually wise? Biologically speaking, snakes are not wise. They don't strategize like humans. Even some primates or or dolphins, even you know, strategize. But for snakes, their intelligence is survival-based, and it's that survival instinct that is the exact picture that Jesus is using. The fact that they are alert, they are always cautious, and when it's time to strike, they strike with precision, decisively. Proverbs chapter 22, verse 3 says, The prudent sees danger and hides himself, but the simple go on and suffer for it. One time I met a brother, you know, who he always behaves as if his blood is hot, you know? And he will just go blindly into you know fights and all manner of things. And one day I spoke to him and said, Listen, you're a Christian, but you should not do things like this. At this rate, you would easily be killed. You put yourself in a situation where somebody can pull out a gun and shoot you dead. Is that what you want? And he said, No. I said, You have to be smart, you have to strategize, you know, you have to think strategically at this point. It's not every fight that you want to fight. Do you get? You have to choose your battles. And that's exactly what Jesus is telling us. You have to be prudent. When you see danger, you hide yourself. But if it's the simple, just like this young man was, because I don't know if he's still like that now, you suffer for it. If you keep going on and on, you suffer for it. Jesus tells us to carry that kind of wisdom, to recognize danger early, to respond wisely, to be cautious without being fearful. He's not saying we should be afraid. To be strategic and yet without being corrupt. Then he adds, he says, you have to be harmless as doves. See, he didn't just stop at being wise as serpents. He adds the balance, be innocent as doves. Why? Because wisdom without innocence, when you have this kind of mindset of a of you know survival, survival instinct without innocence, it quickly turns into manipulation. When you are shrewd without having the purity of the spirit, you can easily slide into corruption. And this is not what Jesus wants for us. So, yes, be perceptive, be cautious, be discerning. But at the same time, you have to guard your heart, you have to work in purity. You cannot let your strategy compromise your sincerity. Paul captures this balance you know perfectly in Romans chapter 16, verse 19, where he says, Be excellent at what is good and be innocent of evil. James chapter 3, verse 17. But the wisdom from above is first pure. Whatever wisdom that you are exhibiting, it has to be from the purity of the spirit, then peaceable, then gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. See, wisdom that is not the way James describes it is narcissism. So you have to beware. This is the safeguard for your soul because in maneuvering through the politics, power games, and traps of this world, it's easy to let the methods of survival corrupt your spirit. And Jesus says, Don't let that happen. You have to stay sharp, you have to stay pure. Then he adds and he says, Beware of men. Hi. There's another scripture that talks about, and Jesus said he knew he knew men, he knew what was in their heart. You also have to know men. Beware of men. It's not just about unbelievers, you know. Sometimes it even applies to Christians. I told you my working place is a Christian environment, but the amount of politicking was just amazing. Because at the end of the day, all men wrestle with the same fallen nature. People are wolves by default. If you show weakness, you can be taken advantage of. If you are unaware, you can be consumed. Jesus doesn't want you to be naive, he wants you to be awake. Why are people like this? This is because of the fall of Adam. When Adam lost the glory, remember I've told you about the glory of God. I told you that the glory of God includes the beauty of God, it is the heavy weight of God. That is, everything in the universe came out of the glory of God. And you, if you have the glory of God, it means that your wealth and everything that you ever wish to be in this world is in you. It's not outside. Alright? So the glory is the it's what carries the heavy weight of God. Alright? And Adam lost the glory in the garden. That means he lost his territory. Of course, Satan took it over. He lost his beauty, he lost his wealth, he lost his power. And that is the origin of the scarcity that we see in the world today. And Satan championed that scarcity so well because things are not, see, there are there's nothing like scarce resources. Satan only made it scarce so that he'll be able to use it as a leverage. Have you seen some narcissistic husbands, you know, that make sure that their wife will not work and yet they would only provide for her based on some setting, you know, when they are in a good mood or when they are they use it to control, basically. That's what I mean. They use those basic needs that should be for children, basic needs that should be for your family. You use it to control the wife or control the children. You know, that is narcissism. That is how Satan operated, he made everything look scarce, in quotes, and then at the end of the day, only people who entered into a covenant with him, blood oath with him, where he's going to be able to be eating their children as they come and all manner of nonsense going on, then he gave those people wealth, and those are the people that we're looking up to today as the the richest people in the world. So, because of the fact that Adam lost the glory, since then, every human heart craves territory, craves power, craves fame, craves wealth. It's who we are, all right? We miss those things, we feel incomplete because we naturally had them before, before the fall. God gave it gave these things to us freely. We didn't have to work for any of them. Satan makes us work for it, God gave them to us freely. We lost it unfortunately, and now we have to work for it. Since then, man invented a fresh purpose for himself to chase after all those things and acquire them. These are things that were freely given by God. Now, all of the capacity of for dominion, you know, we know is now trapped inside a broken body and a fallen world. And that's the reason why people chase after wealth and power and they call it financial freedom. Why? It feels like full expression, it feels like being unbound. But let me tell you, without God, the hunger for territory becomes greed, and that craving for dominion becomes oppression. So even you find it even in love, in love, love relationships, love relationships become a battle of territory. Who leads? Who yields? You know, men are always talking about women submitting. What is the reason why? Do you understand? What is the reason why? The verse before it talks about being submitted one to another. Why is it that a woman's submission to her husband has become like the never-ending topic? Because of the feel the craving for dominion. The man wants to have dominion. When he knows that Jesus led by love, you have to lay down your life for your wife, led by love. But we're here, we are talking about submission, you know, looking for human beings to bow down to you. It is oppression. If you're not careful, one person can completely lose themselves in the name of love. And so Jesus wants us to be on guard, be careful in your dealings with men. Don't assume that your innocence will protect you. In fact, your innocence will put you in harm's way. It is often the purest and the kindest amongst us that often face betrayals, persecution, and harm. And you don't want to be that person. And Jesus says they will deliver you up to counsels and they will flog you in their synagogues. In other words, people will seek out opportunities to harm you, even using religious and political systems as weapons. When it benefits them, even those that you once trusted, even those that you admired, will hand you over. It's especially true in religious settings or religious spaces, churches and Christian cycles, they actually hide some of the most dangerous betrayers. The reason why is that religion gives people an extra layer of mask to wear. Everybody is already wearing a mask, but religion gives them an extra mask because they can hide malice under the cover of piety. You've seen it everywhere. Even in the home, you know, siblings deliver up one another to the council of parents. In the workplace, colleagues would throw each other under the bus before the board, right? In communities, you see people sacrificing friendships for social or financial advantage. It is human nature. The only way to end this cycle of betrayal is by covenant. That's the reason why, before you do anything major with anybody, make sure you sign a pact. Okay? Back then, it used to be about a blood covenant, but nowadays, people, even if they do blood covenants, you can you see people that they say they did blood covenants, they still break it. Because the days are getting darker and darker. People do not honor covenants anymore. So make sure you put it down in writing and sign it before the courts or in notary public. Just do the right thing. Okay, don't just take anybody's word for it. Make sure you sign a pact where each of the parties agree to lay down their sword and to stop competing for territory. This is the heart of marriage. Marriage is a covenant of mutual surrender. It's not just the woman that is surrendering, it's also the man that is surrendering. But sadly, many people enter marriage claiming to have laid down their weapons. Meanwhile, they are secretly keeping hidden daggers. Jesus didn't sugarcoat it. In Matthew chapter 10, verse 21, he says, brother will deliver brother unto death, and the father his child, and the children will rise against parents and have them put to death. And then he adds in Matthew chapter 10, verse 36, he says, A man's enemies are the members of his own household. The hardest betrayers do not come from strangers, it comes from the person who is closest to you. Because that person had clocked you, asks you questions, knows your deepest and you know your deepest desires, trying to find out things about you so that he'll be able to find how he can attack you. So you have to apply these principles that we're sharing in this episode from the grassroots, that means from your family, from your siblings, from you. know people that are closest to you your best friends check very well some of most of your friends don't even like you but you are stayed friends with them many times there's this silent competition between you why are you still friends with such a person someone who is openly jealous of you why are you still friends with the person someone who takes your your when you share your wins they tell you that you are just boosting why are you still friends with such a person jesus goes further he says not only will they deliver you they will scourge you now what's the difference between the person who delivers you to the council and the person who scourges you to be delivered up means that the people will betray you in the shadows they'll plot behind the scenes they'll push you into trouble without showing their hand you will you might not even know they are the ones that started it you might never know the person could be close to you but you can you might never know unless of course God shows you in a vision or in a dream or things like that. But to be scourged means they enjoy watching you suffer. They don't just betray you privately they will hurt you in public to your face. These are the sadistic ones they are the ones that will laugh when you cry you know something just happened just watch amongst your friends something negative happens to you they burst out laughing and you too you follow them and laugh. The ones that find joy in your downfall you know sometimes they are even your bosses because they think they've got you and they revel in exercising their their power over you know so they throw throw jabs at you you know like if you don't want to work again just better resign or better just leave you know things like that because they know that they've got you don't want to lose your job so they always use that to manipulate you. The scourging may not be just physical it may be verbal abuse it may be humiliation it may be manipulation it may be deliberate cruelty and sometimes it may come from family members. So what do you do when you're delivered up Jesus gives us the answer in Matthew chapter 10 from verse 19 to 20 he says when they deliver you up do not be anxious. He also talks about if you read the entire thing you see when he says do not even be afraid he says do not be anxious do not be afraid he says in that moment the spirit of your father will speak through you the Holy Spirit will talk through you. The only thing you need to do is just to depend on the Holy Spirit he will talk through you this is very very powerful because this is the first time that you actually see the Holy Spirit working in you or through you without permission from you. Hardly does he do things like this but this this particular verse of scripture says that the Holy Spirit will rise up in you and speak through you he doesn't need your permission he will just talk and let me emphasize this it doesn't always mean that when the Holy Spirit talks to you like this that the outcome will look favorable in the you know world's eyes for example the things that you start to say may even cost you your job it may cost you your position it may cost you your opportunity and you'll be like oh why did I have to say this and why did this have to but let me tell you it is still part of God's perfect plan. Me, I've experienced this several times in my life situations where I thought that you know the betrayal was so massive and I thought that oh the things I said at that time was wrong because it it resulted in me severing the relationship right and later on I found that it was God because it was just the best thing that could have happened to me. But there was no way I could have severed the relationship by myself if God had not intervened in that situation, right? So it may not always look favorable at that time but in the long run when you look back you'll be like wow have you had situations where maybe you lost a job and then it looked as if it was based on some things that you said like everything you said during the meeting sounded to be like the wrong thing right it sounded like it was the wrong thing because at the end of the day you resigned you left everything and that was it and you felt sad you know for days and then weeks later you get one kind of opportunity that would not have been possible if you were still at that job and then you'd be like wow was that God working all things are working together for my good yes that's what I'm talking about. So here's the summary know men but do not fear men. Take precautions but do not lose your innocence you must stay soft okay you must stay soft expect betrayal and cruelty no matter the level but don't be shaken because when you are delivered up when you are betrayed the Holy Spirit will not abandon you