Luke 4:13 “Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time.”

We women of faith are strong. We are unshakable. We are mighty soldiers in the Lord’s army.

Unless. . .

We are hungry. We are tired. We allow the glitter of the world to steal our hearts.

Then we find ourselves weak, and vulnerable, and being drawn into Satan’s trap.

Is this a secret? Absolutely not! Satan is a formidable opponent on the continual prowl and patiently waiting for us to enter a vulnerable stage.

He did the same with Jesus. Concluding His forty days of solitary prayer and fasting, Jesus was physically drained, hungry, and weary. Surely the Son of God was vulnerable.

Enter Satan.

Using the wiles of his trade, Satan lay before the Savior everything to satisfy the needs of His humanness: food to fill his growling stomach, an expansive venue for displaying his deity, and a ready-made kingdom to jumpstart His ministry. Surely Satan never anticipated the power an exhausted and famished Jesus would access from God’s Word.

End of story? Far from it. Satan may close a door, but he never bolts the lock. This cunning demon simply awaits “an opportune time.”

So, instead of waving the white flag, Satan regrouped and set his sights on those in Jesus’ inner circle. With the knowledge that Judas’ weakness was greed, Satan dangled a bag of silver in front of him. Knowing Peter’s weakness was fear, Satan provided him words of denial. Aware of the chief priests and elders’ jealousy and pride, Satan connected them with powerful leaders unwilling to take a stand for an innocent man.

Sisters, when we find ourselves weary from the day’s battles, when our children obliterate any semblance of civility we have left, and when the duties of motherhood and sisterhood leave us drained, we open the door for Satan to make havoc in our homes, our marriages, our families, and our relationships. No doubt, when our words are used to hurt others instead of sharing our faith, Satan is mightily at work in our lives.

This deceiver finds great joy in our hardships. May we never give him that satisfaction. We must waste no time discovering our vulnerabilities, because rest assured Satan has already exposed them and is awaiting an opportune time.

Father God, open our eyes to the ways we are vulnerable to Satan’s attacks. May we ever remain close to your Word and strong in our faith. And, may we never provide Satan an opportune time.

Blessings,

Rita Cochrane