day no. 14,995: surprised by coy

"By surprise we mean a state of disorientation resulting from an unexpected event that degrades the enemy’s ability to resist. We achieve surprise by striking the enemy at a time or place or in a manner for which the enemy is unprepared. It is not essential that we take the enemy unaware, but only that awareness came too late to react effectively. The desire for surprise is “more or less basic to all operations, for without it superiority at the decisive

point is hardly conceivable.” While a necessary precondition of superiority, surprise is also a genuine source of combat power in its own right because of its psychological effect. Surprise can decisively affect the outcome of combat far beyond the physical means at hand."

2 Corinthians 2:10-11

Anyone whom you forgive, I also forgive. Indeed, what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, has been for your sake in the presence of Christ, 11 so that we would not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs.

God does not want us to be surprised by Satan's schemes. God is omniscient, Satan is not. We are not. So God reads Satan's mail to us so that we know what to expect from him. 

One extremely common tactic Satan uses to erode individual souls is unforgiveness and bitterness. This he then leverages into eroding relationships with others: marriages, families, neighbors, friends, communities, local churches, workplaces, etc... 

This is not new information. This is how that always works. So we should be on guard and ready for it and prepared for it. This removes the element of surprise from it. When we feel the temptation to be embittered, we should not be wearing our shocked faces. We should not be undone by the presence of this temptation thinking, "I never imagined I would be tempted to be so mean-spirited or unforgiving." You should have imagined it and been preparing for it. The problem isn't the temptation, it is giving in to it or being surprised and unprepared for it because you failed to see the possibilities God was clearly warning you about ahead of time.