Devotionals by Greg Laurie

Friday, October 2, 2026
Subtly Sinister

“But I am not surprised! Even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.” (2 Corinthians 11:14 nlt)

When I was a kid, I collected snakes. I’m not sure why, but I used to be fascinated by them. I had all kinds. I would read books about snakes. I would go out looking for snakes and bring them home. I was bitten many times. I discovered that you never really know what a snake is thinking. Snakes aren’t expressive creatures; they’re cold-blooded reptiles.

Snakes are nothing like dogs. You know where you are with a dog at any given moment. When a dog looks at you with his tongue hanging out and his tail wagging, you know he’s friendly. But if a dog bares his teeth and the hair on his back starts to stand up, then you know he isn’t happy. You always know where you stand with a dog.

But you never know with a snake. A snake maintains the same expression all the time. A snake will suddenly bite you, and you won’t even see it coming.

In Genesis 3:1, we’re told, “The serpent was the shrewdest of all the wild animals the Lord God had made” (nlt). He was shrewd because he didn’t make his intentions obvious. His approach concealed his true purpose. He didn’t show up and say, “Hi, I’m the devil. Maybe you’ve heard of me. I hate God, I hate you, and I want to destroy you. I was wondering if you wanted to hang out. I have some ideas.”

The Bible tells us that the devil was a serpent, but it doesn’t say that he slithered. He slithered after he was cursed (see Genesis 3:14). We don’t know what he looked like before the curse, but there seems to be something fascinating, interesting, and appealing about him. Perhaps he was attractive, and that made his temptation attractive.

The apostle Paul wrote, “But I am not surprised! Even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14 nlt). What could be less threatening than an angel of light?

Pop culture plays into the devil’s hands by depicting him as a red, cloven-footed, pitchfork-wielding monster. If that were the case, he would be an obvious threat. He wouldn’t be able to get close to us because our first instinct would be to run from him. We would have no trouble following James’ instruction, “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7 nlt).

The devil is able to get close to us because he is shrewd. He can hide his true nature. He can disguise his purposes and strategies. He can convince us to lower our guard and ignore our conscience. In short, he makes himself as irresistible as possible.

The devil may be wicked, but he isn’t stupid. He approaches us with a practiced subtlety. To resist him, we must stay close to God and His Word. He is helpless against them.

Reflection question: What subtle means might the devil use to tempt you?

Copyright © 2026 by Harvest Ministries. All rights reserved.

Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/Gearstd 

Greg Laurie is the pastor and founder of the Harvest churches in California and Hawaii and of Harvest Crusades. He is an evangelist, best-selling author, and movie producer. His latest film ‘Jesus Revolution,’ from Lionsgate and Kingdom Story Company, is now available on-demand worldwide.

For more relevant and biblical teaching from Pastor Greg Laurie, go to www.harvest.org
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