Shrewd as snakes

“I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.” Matthew 10:16
Earlier we read about false teachers being likened to wolves in sheep’s clothing. The same analogies are used by Jesus consistently here: sheep being believers (John 10) and wolves being antagonistic unbelievers. So when Jesus sends His disciples out into the world, they are likened to sheep going out amongst the wolves. They need to be on their guard. This is the situation that we find ourselves in today: we are in the world, but not of it. We will come across people who are vocally and/or violently opposed to Christianity. So how should we prepare ourselves?
Jesus says we are to be as shrewd as snakes and innocent as doves. The snake is obviously a symbol of Satan and of evil, beginning with Satan’s appearance as the serpent in the garden of Eden. We need to know how Satan operates, so that we will not be deceived or caught unawares (Eph. 4:27, Eph. 6:11, 1 Pet. 5:18). But at the same time, we are to be as innocent as doves, the dove being the symbol of the Holy Spirit (Mark 1:10). We are not to participate in the words of Satan. One application of this is to know how the teachings of the cults differ from the Bible. But we should not immerse ourselves in studying the cults to the extent our theology changes in their direction. We might want to minister to drug addicts, but this does not justify taking drugs in order to know what it feels like. Our number one priority in life is moral and spiritual purity and devotion to our Lord.