And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness for forty days, being tempted by the devil. (Luke 4:1-2)
Jesus withstood these temptations, repeatedly returning to “It is written.”
And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time. (Luke 4:13)
The devil departed, but only until another opportunity arose.
Years later, Christians would be encouraged by the apostle Peter:
Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. (1 Pet 5:8)
The devil continues to prowl, looking for an opportune time.
The apostle Paul calls for all to be on the alert, humbly aware of our personal vulnerabilities:
Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil. (Eph 4:26-27)
What an important warning that I need to keep at the forefront of my mind:
- When I pick up my smartphone…
- As I move my wrist to click an Internet link…
- As I think about what to Google…
- When I’m itching to weigh in on social media…
- When I don’t get my way…
- When I’m angry…
- As I’m looking for a diversion from my frustrations…
- When I feel a pull in the direction of bitterness…
- As I’m packing my bags to head out of town…
- When I’m tempted to cheat…
- When it would be advantageous to lie…
- When the darkness is offering a place to hide…
…my Father in heaven has warned me: give no opportunity to the one who’s seeking “an opportune time” to devour you.
I can’t keep the lion from prowling, but I can refuse to give him an opportunity. My Lord withstood the temptations of this adversary. Today, he’s calling me to be strong in the strength of his might.