When Opportunity Knocks

"And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time."

I'm always looking for an opportunity to ride my bike. I thought I would have more of them after I retired, but since I am now working part time again it seems as though the schedule is as tight as it ever was. In fact, I've found it harder than ever to find an opportune time to hit the road this summer. In the past, winter was the tough time to ride, so I would set up a trainer in my house and ride indoors to avoid the rain in the Pacific Northwest. Now however, the heat in San Antonio makes it nearly impossible to ride in the afternoon, or to set up a trainer in the garage, and since I really don't have anyplace to put a trainer inside, I'm not getting the miles I would like.

In the Word for Today reading, Luke tells us that after the devil had thrown everything he had at Jesus in the wilderness, "he departed from him until an opportune time." The devil is a lot like me. Just as I'm always looking for an opportune time to ride my bike, the devil is always looking for an opportune time to tempt us to sin.

What are those opportune times? They take many forms. Sometimes it's in the midst of conflict, when he will tempt us to say or do something we will later regret. Or perhaps it is a time when we've gone somewhere we shouldn't go, someplace we know we are prone to sin, whether that be in the real world, in cyberspace, on TV, or just in our own minds. Sometimes the devil finds an opportune moment simply because we are emotionally or physically exhausted and too weary to resist.

The main thing we need to remember is that because the devil is always looking for an opportune moment for temptation, we must be vigilant to resist him. Peter says: "Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith." (1 Peter 5:8-9)

What a great formula for victory. Be alert! The devil is. He is alert for the opportunity to tempt us. Be self-controlled. If we exercise self-control temptation is a lot easier to overcome. Resist him. This can take some effort, since the devil is persistent when he finds an opportune time. There's a saying that goes, "Opportunity knocks but once, but temptation leans on the doorbell." Therefore, Peter tells us to stand firm in the faith. This is where our knowledge of Scripture comes in. Armed with the sword of the Spirit, we have the weapon in hand that we need to defeat the enemy.

So remember, even if you've just overcome everything Satan can throw at you, he may leave for a time, but he always looking for an opportune time to tempt you again!