An Opportune Time
Luke 4:13(NLT) When the devil had finished tempting Jesus, he left him until the next opportunity came.
Luke 4:13(AMP) And when the devil had ended every [the complete cycle of] temptation, he [temporarily] left Him [that is, stood off from Him] until another more opportune and favorable time.
Introduction Welcome to another wonderful time of refreshing from the Scriptures. I pray for everyone, enemy will not triumph over you and your family in Jesus name. As we continue our journey towards eternity, we shall overcome the wicked one.
🛑 Some years ago, my wife and I were attending a Christian midweek home fellowship with a wonderful elderly couple as our host. The couple were attending different local Assembly from ours. Their own house fellowship style then was to gather their household for Bible study and there may be other invited guests from other denominations. There was no collection of offerings for remittance, it was just for Bible study. It was a wonderful time where 3 families gathered together after work to study Bible. One day, my wife met our host’s house girl on her way to fellowship and she told my wife how the father of the house was touching her buttocks in the kitchen whenever mummy was not around. They got the girl through Church member, and the girl had Christian teachings to know that the action was inappropriate. She told the wife of our host, i.e. her madam which eventually led to her exit from that house.
This father of the house was an elder and Sunday school teacher in his church with deep knowledge of the bible and love for God. We initially couldn’t believe the girl but later found out it was true. We looked at age disparity between the man and the girl and other factors such as education and finesse, we couldn’t fathom what led to that misdemeanor then.
🛑 In another instance, my wife coincidentally heard a woman blogger whom incidentally we knew some years ago. She spoke of her experience as widow when one of her married late husband’s friend started lusting after her. She at the same time had good commendation on another friend of her late husband with integrity in all his dealings with her, without taking advantage of her as a widow in need.
❓Do you think the Devil wouldn’t have asked him to also lust after this widow at Opportune time? I thank God because I know this man with good commendations from this woman, if he had moved lustfully towards her also, his name would have been mentioned too. He didn’t allow enemy to group him among lustful friends. I immediately pray that God will uphold him to the end.
🛑 Now we know that our adversary the devil, is walking about, seeking whom he may devour at an Opportuned time.
1 Peter 5:8-9 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.
I know most women will get angry at the first man’s behaviour but do you know our adversary looks for an Opportune time to bring us down when we let our guard down?
Several times we ignore biblical instructions and follow our human nature to respond to issues of life.
Since all sins are equal before God, Satan can take opportunity of that little sin to destroy the vine.
1 Corinthians 10:12(NLT) If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall.
🛑 The Devil wants to fight or resist our steadfastness in Christian faith, therefore waiting for an opportunity or favourable time to move Christians to disobey God.
Devil doesn’t put much pressure on unbelievers to disobey God or commit sin, unbelievers are his captives and he uses unbelievers at will.
2 Timothy 2:26 (NLT) Then they will come to their senses and escape from the devil’s trap. For they have been held captive by him to do whatever he wants.
🙏 I pray that the word of God will set free anyone being held captive by the Devil in Jesus name.
Therefore, an Opportune time we are talking about today is not for unbelievers or Lukewarm Christians who are subject to Devil’s manipulations all the time.
Devil watches out for faithful Christians who have made up their mind to serve and obey God to the end. In fact, Satan is present anywhere children of God gather with watchful eyes to take opportunity.
Job 1:6 Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan came also among them.
The philosophy of my late mother in-law is that where there’s a man and a woman in a secluded place, the third person is Satan. Therefore, she would not allow her son and daughter to be alone. Do you blame her?
🛑 An Opportune time for Devil in the life of faithful Christians is the convenient time that is most likely to lead to success for him in bringing down faithful Christians.
For Adam and Eve whom God gave power over all that God created including Devil himself, Satan looked for an Opportuned time to make Adam and Eve disobeyed God thereby cut them off from God and put them under his bondage. All Devil needs is to convince you at an Opportune time that you are okay, and that no harm or death will occur.
Genesis 3:4-6 “You won’t die!” the serpent replied to the woman. “God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil.” The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it, too.
She was convinced that “Sin” was beautiful, delicious and also can give wisdom. Any sin or disobedience to God’s word committed in secret is usually sweet but dwellers of hell are lurking around.
Proverbs 9:17-18 Stolen waters are sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant. But he knoweth not that the dead are there; and that her guests are in the depths of hell.
❓Do you know that because you have denied the Devil access into your life and family to freely operate, he has to look for that Opportune time, when your spouse is not around and give a pictorial bad attitude of your spouse and present good aspects of house girl, colleagues in office or business, counsellor or pastor to convince you?. You’ll then blame your spouse for his/her bad attitude and you’ll put up the attitude of “God understands” while you go ahead to commit sin.
I heard about a Christian couple who often had quarrels and the wife ended up sleeping with their pastor who was their counsellor after prayer vigil.
Devil is still very much in his crafty habits to steal, kill and destroy the Redeemed of the Lord in every given opportunity.
When Devil could not kill Jesus at birth, he waited till the beginning of His earthly ministry when Jesus was hungry and badly in need.
When Devil tried all that he could and failed, the Bible says from the Amplified version of our text; he [temporarily] left Him [that is, stood off from Him] until another more opportune and favorable time.
Among others, another notable time was when Jesus was getting closer to offer Himself as sacrifice for our sins. Devil came as Angel of light through Peter to oppose God’s plans for our salvation.
Hear the Scriptures in Matthew 16:21-22 From then on Jesus began to tell his disciples plainly that it was necessary for him to go to Jerusalem, and that he would suffer many terrible things at the hands of the elders, the leading priests, and the teachers of religious law. He would be killed, but on the third day he would be raised from the dead. But Peter took him aside and began to reprimand him for saying such things. “Heaven forbid, Lord,” he said. “This will never happen to you!”
Hear the reply of Jesus Christ our Saviour whom we are to follow in Matthew 16:23(NLT) Jesus turned to Peter and said, “Get away from me, Satan! You are a dangerous trap to me. You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God’s.”
Devil again lost the battle over our Saviour.
Hear what Jesus said when He was about to complete the work of salvation;
Hereafter I will not talk much with you: for the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me. John 14:30
❓How many times have you fallen into sin whenever the Devil appears as Angel of light to you?
2 Corinthians 11:14(NLT) But I am not surprised! Even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.
Many Christians are falling into enemy’s trap through his fanciful package of sin. Devil is not tired of waiting for that Opportune time. He waited for Moses, used anger which was his weakness and denied him of getting to the promised land.
❓What is that nature of yours that easily gets you out of God’s will? Do you allow enemy of our souls to colour sins for you as normal? What are you doing with that besetting sin that easily falls you down? Anger, lusts and other sins categorized as little sins can cause shame and destruction.
Hebrews 12:1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.
We are to deal with those besetting sins that easily trip us up and making us to fall every time before it destroys us and our ministry.
❓Do you think that the RCCG pastor whose nakedness was exposed on the social media while with another man’s wife started his adulterous relationship that day?
Devil will just wait for the Opportune time to cause shame and destruction to believers. No Christian that yielded to sin shall be justified before God because of the abundance Grace given to us through our Lord Jesus Christ Who already defeated the Devil.
🛑 The real truth is that whosoever allows Devil to make him/her sin for whatever reason belongs to the Devil.
1 John 3:8(NLT) But when people keep on sinning, it shows that they belong to the devil, who has been sinning since the beginning. But the Son of God came to destroy the works of the devil.
1 John 1:6(NLT) So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth.
🛑 Satan encouraged Judas Iscariot to pilfer from Disciples purse and waited for an Opportuned time to enter him for destruction.
John 12:3-6 Then Mary took a twelve-ounce jar of expensive perfume made from essence of nard, and she anointed Jesus’ feet with it, wiping his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance. But Judas Iscariot, the disciple who would soon betray him, said,
“That perfume was worth a year’s wages. It should have been sold and the money given to the poor.” Not that he cared for the poor—he was a thief, and since he was in charge of the disciples’ money, he often stole some for himself.
At an Opportuned time, Satan had his way into Judas life and used him for destruction.
John 13:2 And supper being ended, the devil having now put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray him;
🛑 Devil has ability to make man/woman glorious in this world to cause eternal destruction. Many Christians fall for it easily but Jesus Christ rejected earthly glory at that Opportune time.
Luke 4:5-8(NLT) Then the devil took him up and revealed to him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. “I will give you the glory of these kingdoms and authority over them,” the devil said, “because they are mine to give to anyone I please. I will give it all to you if you will worship me.” Jesus replied, “The Scriptures say, ‘You must worship the lord your God and serve only him.’”
Once the Devil sees you’re hungry for things of this world, he will take opportunity to give you an offer in exchange for your soul unknowingly.
✍️ Finally brethren, I want you to know that this world contains children of God and that of the Devil.
Matthew 13:38-39 The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one ; The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels.
Mind you, those referred to as children of the Devil are those who obey Devil’s suggestions, these are the tares living among us.
Romans 6:16(NLT) Don’t you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living.
Don’t be deceived by prosperity of the children of the wicked one claiming to belong to God, and the enemy use them to draw us away from the narrow path to eternal life. Determine to know and do the will of God at all times so as not to give place to the Devil looking for opportunity to bring you down.
Matthew 7:21(NLT) “Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter.
Be watchful and do not give place to the devil to take advantage of you at Opportune time.
Remember Jesus said in Matthew 10:22; And all nations will hate you because you are my followers. But everyone who endures to the end will be saved.
The Enemy of our souls is looking for an Opportune time. Beware.
✋ Maranatha
