The Devil After the Dove
From Matthew 3:17-4:1 we read these words, “And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.”
THE DEVIL AFTER THE DOVE. As you strive to live for the Lord, serve Him in ministry and share your faith each day, the Enemy is always planning his next and most effective attack on your life. He is relentless. The Bible says, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary (enemy) the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8). The devil doesn’t sit around hoping that we will fall into temptation by chance. Like a lion, he’s on the prowl daily. He thinks through the conditions of the battle. He carefully works out the timing of his attacks. To help us prepare our hearts, the Bible reveals five different times we can look for Satan to come against us:
#1. JUST BEFORE A GREAT BLESSING. Right before we experience some of the greatest blessings of our lives, Satan works overtime to derail our trains of blessing immediately before they get to the station. Don’t let him cause you to miss that blessing around the corner! Stay faithful!
#2. WHEN YOU ARE EMOTIONALLY, MENTALLY AND PHYSICALLY DRAINED. Lack of sleep, long hours at work, and mental stress can make us too tired to stand against temptation. Watch for the enemy to come against you when you’re emotionally, physically and mentally exhausted.
#3. WHEN YOUR ARE WAITING ON THE LORD. Waiting on the Lord is probably the hardest lesson to learn in the Christian life. Why is it that waiting on the Lord can be so difficult? He reminds us, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD” (Is. 55:8). His thinking is for greater than ours! From His heavenly viewpoint, He’s considering how things will affect us in light of eternity, not just the here and now. Someone has said, “When you can’t see His hand trust His heart.” Romans 8:28 assures us, “For we know that ALL things work together for good to those who love God and are the called according to His purpose.” Satan knows this and will tempt us to take the shortcut. He’ll tempt you to get ahead of God by trying to fix the problem yourself, but only making things worse. The results? We miss out on God's answers to our prayers.
#4. WHEN YOU’RE AT CHURCH. When we attend worship on the Lord’s day, our hearts are open to the Word of God and to His teaching. Satan knows how important the worship and the hearing God’s Word is to our spirit. So watch out for his distractions and excuses to keep you away from church. Then even after you’re in church, he’ll attempt to distract your mind away from truly worshiping the Lord and hearing His wonderful Word that helps you grow in your faith in the Lord (Rom. 10:17).
#5. SHORTLY AFTER A GREAT BLESSING. The last way I’ll mention, as to when our enemy will attack us, is what I believe to be his most effective. It’s been called, THE DEVIL AFTER THE DOVE PRINCIPLE. Notice in our verse for today “when” the devil tempted Jesus. Jesus had just been baptized. The Spirit of the Lord descended upon Him like a dove. His Father said, “This is My beloved Son in Whom I am well pleased”. This was a very important and blessed time in Jesus’ life. He was about to begin his earthly ministry. That’s when we read, “Then was Jesus…tempted of the devil” (4:1). When did the devil come against Jesus? Just after one of the highest points of His life. He was tempted just after a wonderful experience. *After the Spirit came down like a dove, the devil came in! But Jesus resisted and was victorious over Satan. In doing so, Jesus set the example for us to follow when Satan comes against us.
BE ON GUARD AFTER A BLESSING! Why? Think about it. It’s so true. It’s not intentional, but this is a time we feel least dependent on God. It’s when we feel least in need of Him and we risk forgetting how desperately we need His strength at all times. We must guard our hearts carefully against temptation, especially, when it seems life couldn’t be better! If the devil tempted Jesus after His moment of blessing, how much more will he come against us when we’re on our mountaintops? Remember Jesus’ example and look for the devil after the dove. When the Lord opens the windows of heaven to bless us, the devil will open the doors of hell to blast us. But by following Jesus we can be ready and resist him!
THANK GOD FOR HIS WORD! The Bible exposes the devil’s tactics against us. Satan's strategy is not new. From the beginning of time until now, he has tempted man at the same times, in the same ways. However, God has promised that He will provide a way out so we can overcome the temptation (see 1 Corinthians 10:13). Be aware of Satan's big five! Watch for his opportune times and look for the way out the Lord provides. Follow Jesus’ example and look to Him when the devil comes. Remember the promise, “Greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4). The Bible says, “…in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us” (Romans 8:37). Think it over…