(AMP.) 1Cor. 16:9 “For a wide door of opportunity for effectual [service] has opened to me [there, a great and promising one], and [there are] many adversaries.”
The original word that I want to build on today is at the bottom of the page marked by several asterisks.
It is important to remember that when Jesus came under attack in the wilderness He had just experienced a baptism of the Spirit. All that was already in Him filled Him, but it was not released through Him until He first passed the test in the wilderness. Notice what it says at the end of the Luke account in Chapter 4:12-13; “and when the devil had finished every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time. And Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit and news about Him spread through all the surrounding district.” Having passed the test in the wilderness, the power that had been released in Him at His baptism, was now released through Him as His public ministry began. Again, don’t be surprised if after a fresh encounter with the Lord the enemy comes with fierce attack. He knows that you’re fresh encounter represents a new opportunity to accelerate in the purposes and power of God. He wants to steal at the beginning of this new thing that God is doing, so that it can’t be released to bring impact and influence in the lives of others. But again, it is so important that we realize that God allows this spiritual sequence to occur, because only after we have passed the test, and the test is almost always a familiar one, will we be able to move forward and realize fully, and release fully into the world around us, this new thing God has done in us. God’s fresh blessing in our life is never just for us, it’s always also for others. Here is an important principle in the things of the spirit: “A faith that can’t be tested, can’t be trusted.”
***One of the things I have noticed over the years is that when ever God does a new thing in a persons life, the enemy is always there to challenge it, trying to kill, steal, and destroy this new work of the Spirit.
In Luke 3, when the Holy Spirit came upon Jesus at His baptism, the Father said that He was well pleased with Him. Even though Jesus as the Son of Man, had a fresh encounter with the Holy Spirit, and the Father expressed His pleasure over Him, Jesus was suddenly led into the wilderness “to be tempted by the devil.” In the Luke 4 account we are told that after the temptations were completed during those 40 days, that the devil left Him until an {opportune time.}
I believe that there are times when the Holy Spirit does a new work in our lives that opens a door to walk in a greater anointing, and to carry and experience a greater presence. These are called “opportune times” in the Spirit. The enemy will always be at those open door “opportune times,” trying to steal the new thing that God is doing. It is significant that we understand that Satan will try to steal our breakthrough every time. Satan does not want you to experience the breakthrough that you’ve been crying out for. If he can’t stop the new encounter from happening, he will then try to destroy it at the “foyer” of your new experience. Even though Jesus had a fresh encounter, it would never been fully released unless He passed this test in the wilderness. This is always how it works. More about this tomorrow.