In today’s sermon, our Global Lead Pastor, Pastor Shola Okodugha, begins a new teaching series titled “Serpents and Doves.”He first emphasizes the importance of valuing wisdom-filled messages that God sends to His church. Every sermon is not just about the power dimension but also about God’s wisdom. The Word of God is life-giving and directional. Wisdom is as critical as anointing, favour, and relationships for fulfilling destiny. Jesus Himself required four things to fulfill His earthly assignment:• The Anointing• Favour with God and man• Men (relationships)• WisdomIf Jesus needed these, so do we. Without wisdom, power alone will leave a believer frustrated and vulnerable.Matthew 10:16 says, “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.” Pastor Shola highlights that believers are sheep, dependent on the Shepherd, often defenseless on their own. The world system is full of wolves; predatory, political, manipulative. Our survival and success strategy is to combine:• The wisdom of the serpent (shrewdness, observation, strategy, timing)•The innocence of the dove (purity, gentleness, integrity)Wisdom is profitable to direct (Proverbs 4:7). Spirituality without wisdom equals irrelevance. God designed the earth to run by rules; ignoring them is not faith, but negligence. Shrewdness is not sin when guided by purity; it is maturity. Believers are called to do the Lord’s work in the devil’s playground and must therefore master both spiritual power and practical wisdom.Sheep are described as:• Led by shepherds• Defenseless• Easily frightened• Having sharp hearing and seeing• Intelligent with strong memory• Emotionally complexSerpents are known for moving with wisdom, being hard to predict, and operating with timing and strategy. Doves are gentle, pure, and upright in dealings.Practical lessons Pastor Shola highlighted include:• In career and business, believers must understand that politics and negotiation are part of the system of the earth. • In relationships and marriage, wisdom is needed with in-laws, especially during wedding preparations. Do not overshare or plant seeds of animosity. He also stressed that joint accounts are not a biblical command; every couple must choose the financial structure that truly works for them. Loyalty in partnerships or friendships must be mutual, not one-sided.• In decision-making, it is not enough to say “God told me.” Every decision should be tested against the Word of God and weighed by trusted, seasoned counselors who can serve as circuit breakers to help with timing, placement, and seasons.Key scriptures include Proverbs 1:5, which says a wise man will hear and increase learning, Luke 16:8, which says the children of this world are often more shrewd than the children of light, Exodus 4:2–4 where Moses’ rod becomes a serpent showing that God’s wisdom must swallow worldly wisdom, and Proverbs 30:18–19 which speaks of the way of a serpent on a rock as representing wisdom in movement.In concluding the sermon, Pastor Shola highlights that you will not survive earth’s wolf systems with innocence alone, you need serpent-level wisdom. Innocence without wisdom leads to casualty. OUR CREED"As sure as God helps us,We will not give upWe will not cave inWe will not quitWe will not failWe will not dieUntil our job is doneAnd victory is won"——Partner with us to spread the influence of God all over the world. Give - https://pay.squadco.com/TheNewglobal——BROADCAST DETAILSMinister: Pst. Shola OkodughaDate: 23rd September 2025——Stay ConnectedSubscribe to the latest content: http://bit.ly/subscribethenewliveWebsite: http://wearethenew.org/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wearethenew_global/#TheNewLive #SholaOkodugha