“You can call the devil wicked. You can call him a liar. You can call him whatever you want to. But never call the devil stupid. The devil is not stupid. He is very strategic in his operations.” These were the words I heard from my spiritual father years ago. Those words positioned me for victory and dominion.
Friend, the devil is not stupid. Sometimes, Christians just throw words around without knowing or thinking about their implications. I believe the devil often laughs at the ignorance of a lot of Christians. He knows where and how to get them. This is why you must not give place to the devil (Ephesians 4:27, 1 Peter 5:8).
Someone who is stupid is someone who does not think right. He does not know what he is doing. But that is not the devil. He is strategic. He plans and thinks. He has a mission and works tirelessly (Luke 4:13). He often gets results. He is not stupid. Yes, the devil is wicked. He is a liar. He is doomed. But he is never stupid.
Calling the devil stupid will not help your alertness and seriousness in approaching life matters. In spiritual warfare, strategy is better than energy. The first description of the devil in the Bible is subtle (Genesis 3:1, Revelation 12:9). This speaks to strategic wisdom. No wonder he won over the first Adam.
Jesus, the last Adam, came with a superior strategy. He told us to be strategic as serpents and harmless as doves (Matthew 10:16). Most Christians fail, not for lack of integrity or character, but for lack of strategy. They go into career and business without strategy (Luke 16:8). They start a ministry without strategy. They step into politics with no strategy, etc.
The devil is only as powerful as your level of ignorance (2 Corinthians 2:11). How strategic are you? How do you plan to face the remaining days of this year? How do you plan to deal with issues in your life? How do you plan to stand against the wiles of the devil (John 14:30, Ephesians 6:11)? Let God give you the strategy to win in life and destiny (Ecclesiastes 10:15, 2 Corinthians 10:4). Amen!
‘Demola Awoyele
Lead Pastor,
Destiny Impact Church
Akure, Nigeria