CHRISTIANS EMPHASIZE BEING GENTLE AS DOVES, BUT OFTEN FORGET TO BE WISE AS SERPENTS

Mat 10:16  Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.

I've always loved this verse. Christians are constantly emphasizing the latter part about being peaceful and gentle (which is terrific,) but equally necessary is the ability to understand and comprehend the schemes of the wicked, lest you fall into their traps. 

To achieve this, as awful as it may sound, you need to be able to think like the sociopaths of the world. You need to be able to put yourself in the shoes of someone with no remorse or compassion and ponder questions like: 'how would I rob someone if I were a criminal?' Or 'how would I deceive someone to steal his money?'.

As an example, I've heard people express amazement when someone like a pastor, scout leader, counselor, or school teacher turns out to be a pedophile. "He seemed like such a nice guy, who would've ever thought he'd be capable of something like this?". Right there is the first mistake. There are people in this world you walk by every day, who - based on appearances - may look like they just escaped from a maximum-security prison. And for certain, this may very well be the case; caution should be taken. That said, some of the nicest people I've known didn't exactly look the part. 

On the other hand, when people are charismatic, personable, and live in the nice part of town, it's very easy to do the opposite and just give them a pass. In both cases, we have the same problem: appearances can be very deceiving. Instinct exists for a reason, so when someone doesn't look or feel quite right, it's important to keep your guard up, just in case. What is far more prevalent, is that when we encounter a person whom (at first glance,) appears to be harmless, we drop our guards when we shouldn't, which is how we get into these 'never saw that one coming' situations.

Earlier, I mentioned some of the positions in society that people equate the most with caring for and protecting children. If just for a second, you think like a serpent, a position like those mentioned are the absolute perfect camouflage for the child molesters of the world. Like a lion chasing a heard of wildebeests, the predator can carefully select a vulnerable target from among the group and may do so in the light of day, as his very job involves frequently interacting with youth. For a predator, this is like being a kid in a candy store. We obviously can't foresee every act of evil, and that isn't the point; it's more a matter of simply remembering that many wolves roam around in sheep's clothing, as Satan himself often appears as an angel of light:

2Co 11:14  And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. 

Another example in modern times are all the telephone and computer scams that exist. Deceiving people out of money is a multi-billion-dollar industry. There are people in this world who lack the mental capability to see through deception and manipulation, and I am most definitely not referring to them. They are victims in the truest sense of the world, and society should do everything possible to protect them from the wolves. 

That said, the majority of us should be able to see through most of these scams, which typically involve either promises of wealth or romance. For example, someone gets an e-mail where the sender (typically in poor English,) says he needs money to escape his current situation, and if you send him $300, he will pay you back $10,000 when he is free. After the fact, the typical victim of this kind of scam will say that he felt bad and was just trying to help the perpetrator. In reality, his actions were much more likely inspired by greed and the illusion of the free lunch, than charity. This is why people traditionally thought of as being intelligent, like doctors and lawyers, are not immune from falling prey to such scams.

So while it's absolutely essential to be gentle and caring, it's also important to contemplate and examine the tactics of the world's serpents, lest you unnecessarily become one of their victims.