“Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time.”
Luke 4:13 NKJV
When the devil, had ended every temptation, that he had at that time, He departed. You would think he would conceit defeat and wallow in shame and pain! Look at how consistent and unwavering this enemy is: until an opportune time. The Amplified version put it that he departed temporarily waiting for a more opportune time and favorable time. And the Message Translation says that he retracted temporarily, lying in wait for another opportunity. What a scoundrel! Holy anger kindled inside me as I read in emphasis on this tactic of our enemy.
As always, I do report on here things that the holy spirit was or is teaching me and this one is no different. An opportunity to turn stone into bread had presented itself to me and how timely! I was hungry. Did you hear what Jesus said, “Man shall not live by bread alone…” There is nowhere in this statement that bread is mentioned to be poisonous. On the contrary, to me, this verse means that bread is just not the only thing that can sustain life. There is something else that can sustain life. The only thing is that, that thing is far much better. It is in its far much ‘betterness’ that the need for and the importance of bread is swallowed up. It like having a tent and a mansion. While both could be used in providing a roof over your head, the mansion is better in every way. Therefore, man shall not live by bread alone…emphasis on alone. While I may ultimately need the better, the easy is always easy and readily available. Why not opt for the available while we wait for the better?
It is in its far much ‘betterness’ that the need for and the importance of bread is swallowed up.
(Until an Opportune Time, 2024)
I pushed my taste buds far from my want bread to my need for every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. Yet, I was in doubt of how long this trickery to myself was going to last. I was worried. My worry wasn’t about the next day, my worry was about the next minute. With every second ticking, my hunger intensified. The undoing of my taste buds only summoned my nostrils to smells and confuse this bumpy hard substance formed from mineral matter with the smell of fresh oven-baked bread. I had made just made a great choice a minute ago but my choice for the next minute was dependent on my stomach and that is no way to live! Slave to my body? Absolutely not!
The Helper brought these words to my spirit; Until an opportune time…In other words, you can’t keep your guard down! Every victory calls for more guarding than the claps of victory. Did you not hear that the enemy prowls like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour (1Peter 5:8)? The more the claps the more the guarding. The only reason that the man who had received deliverance got possessed again with seven spirits was because of less guarding. When the one spirit came back, the house was clean and swept and in order but no maximum guarding. A born again christian but always living on the fence; neither hot nor cold. A Christian loved by God but living Wordless and prayer-less. A daughter of a King casually playing with the devil. Swept? Yes! Clean? Yes! But no maximum guarding. He went and called for seven other spirts more wicked than himself. (Luke 11:24-26)
The accuser is on the move, he is a student of your weakness, patterns, and failures. He specialized in finding a weak spot and using that for his benefit. He used it in Judas; his love for money did not start while trying to sell Jesus. Even genuinely honest desires could be an opportune and more favorable time for him. Imagine if Jesus did not rebuke Satan in trying to use the love for Jesus in Peter to go against the will of God? While men slept…
Until an opportune time! I don’t know when he will find an opportune time with you, but my prayer is that you will be fortified. Take every weakness to God. Work out your salvation. Put on the full armor of God. Where is your belt of truth? Where is your helmet of salvation? How is your prayer life like? Resist the devil and he will flee. What I know is that we are more than conquers. In resisting the devil, the first step is submitting yourself to God. When that Is done, it is him that will flee! May you be found abiding!
Blessings upon blessings for the rest of the year.
