What are Satan's Opportune Times?

Jesus was tempted in every way that we are (Heb. 4:15), so His wilderness temptation was not His only or final encounter with Satan. Luke writes that after this incident, Satan "departed from Him until an opportune time" (Luke 4:13). Satan looks for opportunities to tempt us when we are vulnerable, which is why we are admonished in the New Testament to "be on the alert," knowing that our "adversary, the devil, prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour" (1 Pet. 5:8).

What are these opportune times? The word “opportune” means fitting, timely, appropriate—in a word, opportune time means the “right” time. So what is the right time Satan is looking for? I’ve always thought the acronym used by Alcoholics Anonymous, HALT, is an excellent mnemonic for remembering the times when we are most vulnerable to temptation. The letters HALT stand for hungry/angry/lonely/tired. When you are any one of these, Satan will try to take advantage of you.

There are two things to remember during these times. First, we must be vigilant to "resist him, firm in our faith" (1 Pet. 5:9). God promises if you “resist the devil and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). Second, we must stand on God's Word. Since Satan is the father of lies (John 8:44), truth is our primary defense. His lies tell you that if you do the thing you are tempted to do, you will feel better. That was his strategy against Jesus, but Jesus resisted Satan by quoting scriptures that contradicted Satan's lies. We should follow Jesus’ example. But you cannot resist the devil using the Word unless you know it. What better reason is there to study and memorize the Word?