When the devil had finished every temptation, he left Him until an opportune time.
Luke 4:13
Hmmmm…the devil is an opportunist. Temptation presents itself in the most vulnerable of times. Satan can and will take full advantage when all the conditions are right to knock you and me out; to break our will for the things of God; and distract us from our calling with lesser things.
Let’s investigate the SEASONALITY AND SPECIFICITY OF TEMPTATION…
The word for “opportune” is the familiar Greek word for SEASON or KAIROS. This is a word rich in meaning and application for the believer.
kairós – time as opportunity…is derived from kara (“head”) referring to things “coming to a head” to take full-advantage of… is “the suitable time, the right moment, a favorable moment” (DNTT, 3, 833).
Seasons can describe opportunities pregnant with God’s purposes (Gal.4:4). KAIROS can also be used to forewarn the Christian that Satan is attacking with hellish fury to thwart the purpose of God. Paul told the Corinthians he needed to “remain in Ephesus until Pentecost for a wide door of effective ministry had been opened, and there are many adversaries” (I Cor.16:8-9). We need discernment, like the sons of Issachar, “men who understood the times, with knowledge of what Israel should do,” (I Chron.12:32). 
A quick view of the history of salvation found in the Scripture will reveal several seasons or arenas temptation slithers into our immediate space and coils to strike us. Temptation is not only SEASONAL but SPECIFIC. In my home city of New Braunfels, TX, there is a tourist attraction called Animal World and Snake Farm Zoo. Our first neighbor was the owner of this zoo and my daughter babysat his kids. The Snake Farm has one of the most extensive collections of North American venomous snakes in the world. The spectrum of the scaly skin color of these reptiles is beautiful to observe. Like the Ancient Serpent of Old, there is a beauty and a charming hypnotic wonder about snakes. In fact the Agur, in Proverbs, draws attention to “the way a serpent” moves in the midst of its environment is extremely difficult to understand or trace (Prov.30:19). The New Testament teaches that the devil is extremely “crafty” and we should not be “ignorant of his schemes”, the strategies against us. Satan can promote himself as an “angel of light”. Jesus Himself, acknowledges that we should be “innocent as doves, but as wise as a serpent.” Jesus is certainly not advocating that we use deception and lies to promote the gospel. I believe what he is teaching is we need to recognize “opportunities” to do his work in such a way that draws as little attention to ourselves as possible. Jesus was so “wise” he was able to move and elude capture like a snake through the crowd that was ready to toss him off the cliff in his town of Nazareth. He often forbid his disciples to not reveal to others who He was. Further, he forbid some of those healed to make the miracle know. The underground persecuted church understands this call to be “wise as serpents” at a deeper level than the communities of Christ in a season of favor and popularity. In any case, we must be careful to not over promote ourselves in pride. I am convinced the temptation Jesus faced on the “pinnacle of the temple” was premature self-promotion through signs and wonders. The Father promised RESURRECTION from the dead after the CROSS. We need the power of God to flow in love and humility not for the sake of money and self-aggrandizement.
The whole temptation narrative in the Gospel’s can be described as DOWNWARD movements. The Devil wants to tempt us to get on the ground with him and slither through life.
The Devil wants to get you DOWN in excessive despair, unforgiveness, bitterness, anger, unbelief, pride and fear. These are some of his main weapons.
BEND DOWN and turn these stones into Bread…issue of Provision…
THROW YOURSELF DOWN…issue of Divine Protection in the midst of Obedience…
BOW DOWN…issue of the Father’s Purpose to worship and serve Him alone…
Temptation will always suggest a “short-cut” or “another way” to get you to God’s provision, protection and purpose.
I was raised around snakes in the prairies of Colorado. I had one venomous snake kill in my lifetime at the age of 12, a four foot Diamondback. My friends and I slew this mortal enemy with a trusty Cub Scout knife tied to a tree branch with a shoelace. Once we got it in the open we stoned it and then I cut its head off.
The Scripture says that the devil brought the FULL SPECTRUM of temptations to Jesus. Hebrews picks up this narrative and teaches,
Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. 16 Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (Hebrews 4:14-16)
We MUST embrace Jesus, the great High Priest, as our source of strategic wisdom to overcome the strategies of the devil. Our next blog will develop this truth more in depth as a STRATEGY to handle the inevitable and continuous nature of temptation.
The following grid is not exhaustive, but reveals a few different seasons and specific temptations the follower of Jesus Christ encounters:
Jesus teaches us to pray daily, “Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.” The Father will never lead us to fall or stumble in sin…never! The issue is LEADERSHIP. The Holy Spirit is given to us to LEAD US to the Father…to lead us into paths of abundant life and purpose. Satan comes to “kill, steal and destroy.” Jesus has come that the devils works of deception, sin and death would be destroyed. We need to reset our understanding that our heart can lead us into temptation because our heart is prone to being carried away with unhealthy impulses, thoughts and vain imaginations. My wife is an expert at “taking thoughts captive to the obedience of Christ.” She has taught me Forgiveness is a lifestyle based on our union with Jesus. We need to guard our hearts from being trafficked by the world, the flesh and the devil.
. As we allow the Holy Spirit to CONTINUALLY fill our heart with the love and power God we will be less likely to yield to temptation or tempt our brothers and sisters. God’s rich current love flowing in our heart will be less vulnerable to the temptations to carry out sin.
Father, we humbly bow before you to train us in the Holy Spirit to be led by You. We draw near to You in the name of Jesus who overcame every temptation presented to Him. We ask for strength to continue in the good work you have called us to fulfill. WE bow down to worship and serve You alone. Amen
