Luke 4:13 And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time.
After Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit and led by the Holy Spirit from within into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil He came to a temporary place of victory and respite. That last phrase is a bit troubling. It says that the devil departed from him until an opportune time. Jesus had won this battle and He would ultimately win the war on the Cross but this would not be the last temptation of Christ. Satan would dog his every step trying to stop the mission of the Lord. He would always be looking for that "opportune time." What does the Scripture mean when it says, "an opportune time?" One of the Greek definitions for this is, "the time when things are brought to crisis." A crisis is the point in a process of events that will determine the outcome good or bad. Certainly our daily lives and the events in our lives are no different than that of our Lord. Because He abides in us we are targeted for battles by that same ancient enemy. We must win as He did but not by our own efforts or our own goodness but by His power and might. When will these attacks come against us? There is no way to know for sure but they will come! What would constitute an opportune time for Satan? Very good times and very bad times would be times when an attack might be launched against us. Good times may find us too casual and spiritually lethargic to be prepared. Jesus always warned to be alert as one in combat. Too much ease can cause us to lose our focus of spiritual things and our Kingdom position. Difficult times are equally important to guard against. While we may be alert in hard times we are also apt to get weary. Depression and surrender are temptations of difficulty. We can never give up!
The answer is certainly not that we need to live in fear and anxiety. We need to live in the joy of the Lord while remaining steadfast in faith and mission. We never stop our purpose in the Lord and His Kingdom.
1 Corinthians 15:58 Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.
