Devotions
Always on the Lookout
“And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time.” – Luke 4:13
An Unexpected Burn
I have some unusual habits, and one of them
is the way I make my tea. Every day, I use the same cup, add milk to the same
level, and heat it in the microwave for the same amount of time. It is part of
my routine. One day, something went wrong. Perhaps the microwave was not
working properly, but when I reached for the cup, I seriously burned one of my
fingers. The burn took time to heal and left a visible scar. After that, I
became very cautious whenever I removed my cup from the microwave. For several
days, nothing happened. Eventually, I stopped paying attention and convinced
myself that the burn had been a one-time accident. Then, seemingly out of
nowhere, I was burned again. After that second time, I thought, “This is how
the devil works: he waits until we are no longer paying attention, then strikes
when we least expect it.”
The
Devil Waits for an Opportunity
Last
week, we talked about the devil’s tactics. We said that when we resist him, he
will leave us, and that is true. The Bible says, “Resist the devil, and he
will flee from you” (James 4:7). But the devil does not leave forever. He
waits for another opportunity and comes back again and again, because he never
gives up.
In Luke
4, we read about Jesus being tempted by the devil in the wilderness. Jesus
defeated him three times until Satan had no more arguments to present. Yet
Scripture says that the devil did not surrender; he departed and waited for an
opportune time.
That
opportune time appears in the garden of Gethsemane. In the final hours of
Jesus’ earthly life, the Bible tells us that His soul was overwhelmed with
sorrow to the point of death (Matthew 26:38) and that He was in such anguish
that His sweat became like drops of blood (Luke 22:44). Though Scripture does
not describe every detail of the spiritual battle, we can imagine the enemy
whispering, “This cup is too heavy. You cannot drink it. Give up. Why should
You die for them? They sinned; You did not.”
Once
again, Jesus gained victory by remaining in God’s presence and surrendering
completely to the Father’s will: “Not my will, but Yours be done.”
Stay Watchful After Victory
As
Christians, we cannot afford to become careless. The devil does not take a
holiday, so we must remain vigilant against every attack. Complacency can open
the door for something we thought we had already overcome to return again.
This is
especially true after a victory. A victory today does not guarantee victory
forever. In 1 Kings 20:22, the prophet told the king of Israel, “Strengthen
your position and see what must be done, because next spring the king of Aram
will attack you again.” In other words, the king could celebrate the
victory, but he also needed to remember that the enemy would look for another
opportunity to attack.
The
Bible gives the same warning in 1 Corinthians 10:12: “So, if you think you
are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!”. Do not stop watching
after a breakthrough. Do not assume yesterday’s victory protects you from
tomorrow’s temptation. Do not allow hard-earned progress to slip away through
carelessness.
If
things are going well, that is all the more reason to remain alert. Stay close
to God, keep your guard up, and protect the victories He has helped you win.
Posted : Jul 13, 2026