Daily Verse: Luke 4:13

When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time.

The text above is the last sentence in the story where Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert and tempted by the devil for 40 straight days. The part of the text above that jumped out to me is the part that mentions “an opportune time”. This provides evidence that the devil is a wily fella…he waits for moments when we are at our weakest and leaps at the opportunity to tempt us into sinful behavior. Take the example of Jesus above…the devil found Jesus in the desert…an inhospitable environment known to have little to sustain life much less provide for any sense of comfort…and he jumped at the opportunity to tempt Jesus into sin. It’s logical to think that Jesus might be weaker in the desert, more willing to give sin a try…his defenses might be dulled a bit by the elements and the fatigue and hunger that comes with spending 40 days in the sand and sun. Yet Jesus did not waver…he remained perfect…the devil failed. We experience a similar situation in our own lives…when we are tired, hungry, and stressed, we find it much easier and convenient to sin. Our defenses are weakened…our resistance is dulled…and sin comes much easier than it would when we are well-rested, well-fed, and relaxed. While we can’t be perfect as Christ was in this story, we can tap into the Lord’s strength and discipline. We can spend these trying times getting deeply rooted in the Word of God…praying continually for the Lord to build up the walls between us and the devil, so that we may not find ourselves overcome by his sinful temptations. So if in our world today things start to get frazzled and begin to unwind a bit, may we take it as a sign that it’s time to be with the Lord…soaking in His Word, and allowing the Spirit to provide the direction, strength, and discipline that we need…sending the devil on down the road much like Christ did! To God be the glory!