Skip to main content

An Opportune Time

 

This past year has been one of deeper spiritual quests and discoveries. I think the pandemic and long-standing guidelines have many digging deeper for spiritual truth. I am intrigued by many who have asked me some very profound questions.

One such inquiry involved the Disciple Judas and the meaning behind Luke 22:3, “Then Satan entered Judas, called Iscariot, one of the Twelve.” They want to know if Satan literally entered Judas or if this is simply a figurative statement.

Most scholars I’ve studied believed it wasn’t just a random satanic demon, but Satan, himself, who literally possessed Judas in order to use him for his dastardly plans. We need to remember how desperate Satan was in stopping Jesus from going to the cross.

Think back to the very beginning when Jesus started his ministry by spending forty days and nights in the desert. Why? The answer is in Matthew 4:1, “Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.” Satan threw everything at Jesus to try to get him to avoid going to the cross. He failed. Jesus was successful.

Satan, we must understand, does not take defeat lightly. He will not stop. He has no rules so he is relentless to try anything and everything to succeed (1 Peter 5:8). We find a haunting passage in Luke 4:13, “When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time.”

Did you catch that? Satan “left him until an opportune time.” Do you know when that “time” came? Satan was unable to stop Jesus at the beginning of his ministry, so he now decides to dismantle everything at the end of his ministry.

Satan found his one “opportune time” to strike out at Jesus one last time. That opportunity was….you guessed it….Judas! This is why he personally entered into Judas to use him to get at Jesus. He was successful at getting Jesus set-up, betrayed and arrested. However, as we know, he again lost as Jesus endured his suffering and obediently went to the cross, died for us and was resurrected back to life.

Satan is relentless. He stopped at nothing to tempt Jesus and to thwart his plans. I pray that we understand this tactic of Satan. The name “Satan” is Hebrew that means “Adversary.” He is our enemy and our opposition. He hates us with passion and wishes for nothing less than our destruction and complete annihilation.

Remember, Judas was one of the twelve disciples who spent three years living with Jesus as an eye-witness and recipient of all that he taught and lived. Yes, despite his time with Jesus, he still allowed his heart to turn far enough away to be used of Satan. We are no different!

We must stand guard! We must be on the alert! We must always live with the awareness that Satan is always looking for an “opportune time” to defeat us. 1 Corinthians 10:12, “So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall!”

Don’t ever take your faith for granted nor allow the world to lull you into inactivity, apathy, or selfishness. Satan knows your limitations and weakness. He will exploit them to the fullest. We must never give him that opportunity to strike.

James 4:8, “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.” Don’t ever stray too far from God. Nurture and deepen your relationship with him daily.

Live radically obedient. Never compromise. Reconcile each day in repentance and forgiveness. Cultivate a healthy prayer life and devotional time of reading and learning the Bible. Live your faith and share it with others. Nothing could be more crucial for us than to stand firm in our faith and to remember James 4:7, “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”

 

Popular posts from this blog

Learn from Lydia

  There are a lot of interesting mentions of women in the Bible. Whether it is the Old Testament or New Testament, there are many strong, yet oddly missed, lessons from women that we can familiarize ourselves with to strengthen our faith.   One such woman is named Lydia. She provides a very powerful lesson for us. We find one particular mention of her in the book of Acts. Acts 16:14 , says that Lydia “reverenced God, and the Lord opened her heart to accept what Paul was saying.”   Lydia is actually a significant person in the New Testament. She is described as “a dealer in purple goods” (Acts 16:14). Pointing that out is quite a clue. Dealing in “purple goods” was considered a luxury in the ancient world.   It is probably safe to say that she was both a woman of great financial means and able to deal successfully with the influential people of her time. She was also noted as having a great gift of persuasion.   I think she might have been the only perso...
Read more

Tetelestai!

Just before Jesus gives up His spirit on the cross, He utters a very powerful word. The word that He cries out is “ tetelestai” (tih-tellis-tie). When literally translated, this word means, “It is finished.” It can also refer to something completed or accomplished. The word occurs in  John 19:28  and 19:30 and these are the only two places in all of the New Testament where it is found. In the John19:28 passage, it is translated, “After this, when Jesus knew that all things were now  completed , in order that the scripture might be fulfilled, he said, ‘I thirst.’” Two verses later, he utters the word himself: “Then when he received the sour wine Jesus said, ‘ It is finished ,’ and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.”   Did you know that the word  tetelestai  was also written on business documents or receipts in New Testament times to show indicating that a bill had been paid in full? The Greek-English lexicon (by Moulton and Milligan) sa...
Read more

Asking "What" Instead of "Why"

Life is not easy and it is not void of struggle, challenges, pain, sorrow, loss, grief, and suffering. I am sure I can come up with more words than that, but this article would soon blossom to two to three pages in length. I am sure we are familiar with the trials and frustrations of Job in the Old Testament. Some of us might even be familiar with the words of Habakuk in 1:2 , “How long, Lord, must I call for help, but you do not listen?” When things don’t go well or something tragic or unfortunate befalls us, we are faced with the struggles of crying out to God, “why me?” “Why, God, did you let this happen?” Many times, we too, grow frustrated and angry at God, for how He chooses to work within our situations and circumstances. We sure do end up asking God a lot of “why” questions. I believe “why” could be the wrong word to be using. Asking “why” seems to imply a lack of faith, ungratefulness, and, somehow, that we think God owes us an explanation, an answer or reaso...
Read more