AN OPPORTUNE TIME. There are several instances in Scripture that speak of a season of opportunity. There’s distinct seasons in our lives that demand a response. And if we do not respond correctly, that season can be lost forever. There is an opportune time to repent and avert destruction.
Jeremiah 46:17 “There they will cry out, “Pharaoh king of Egypt was all noise; he let the opportune moment pass.”
The above scripture has various explanations as to its meaning. Simply put, there was a time within which repentance might have averted the judgment of God; but this “accepted time” has been foolishly let slip and destruction was inevitable. I’m not just talking about salvation. For the Bible says, “Now is the time for salvation”. The cross demands a response daily. To avoid eternal destruction, you must repent, turn away from the world and turn toward the Lord, and be faithful until the end.
What I am talking about is a season of specific obedience to avoid a temporary destruction. Because God desires mercy over judgment, He will provide for us windows of escape when we are headed down wrong paths. I can look back on my life and see where the Lord provided a season of opportune for me to escape false friendships and evil connections. Sometimes I took the way out, sometimes I did not. When that window closed, I could only expect destruction. Now, it may not be as devastating as being invaded by the Chaldeans or the Babylonians; but it was still incredibly painful. It was a pain I could have avoided by taking God’s way out. That window of opportunity does not stay open forever. You can pass a point where you cannot escape your poor choices and destruction is coming.
Psalm 69:13 “But as for me, my prayer is to You, O Lord, at an acceptable and opportune time; O God, in the greatness of Your favor and in the abundance of Your lovingkindness,Answer me with truth [that is, the faithfulness of Your salvation.”
There is a distinct season for answered prayer. If you are anything like me, I want things right now. God will show me something, speak a Word to me, give me a promise; and I want it now. But it’s for a future season, an opportune time. I have to wait on the Lord. Not unlike David, who waited several years for the promise to be king. It’s in God’s time and His season, not David’s and certainly not mine.
God is a God of time. He has a perfect season for His plans. He needs His people to be ready to take their place in that season. David was no where near ready to be king when he was first anointed. He had some character developing to do. Most of us do not like to wait, yet it’s a Biblical requirement for God’s plan. He knows the right time and the right season. Only He knows hearts and minds. He knows when we are ready or not ready to go forth and take the land.
If I could give people one Word of advice it would be to wait on the Lord. You can fall flat on your face when you go up before the opportune time. Pray and wait. Seek His face. Wait on His timing. Wait for Him to open the door. He has an appointed season. Wait. Even if it’s lonely. Wait. You will know when to do go forth. The Red Sea will open before you.
Mark 6:21 “Now an opportune time came on his birthday, when Herod gave a banquet for his nobles, military commanders, and the leading men of Galilee.”
Luke 4:13 “When the devil had finished every temptation, he left Him until an opportune time.”
The enemy is always on the hunt for an opportunity to cause us to fall. He found a time to behead John the Baptist when Herod gave way to drinking and sensual lusts. Satan hunted for a time to betray and kill Christ through the greed of Judas. And guess what? Satan is looking for an opportune time to cause you to fall. This is why I always say, “Cover your crack”.
Don’t leave the enemy any opportunity to cause you to fall. I don’t get attacked everyday by the enemy, but I go through seasons. Most often, God will show me in dreams that the enemy is going to attack and in what ways he will attack. It’s sometimes in an area of disobedience that I need to repent of. It most often comes on the heels of a mountaintop victory. This is why Scripture tells us, “Let a man that stands, take heed lest he fall”. We can get prideful and too comfortable when we experience a victory. This sets us up to fall. Maybe I haven’t said or done something the Lord has told me to do. (Usually because of a lack of courage).
In my past, it was drinking alcohol. I told myself that a glass of wine was fine because I was not getting drunk. But God told me not to even touch it. Opened crack, opportune season, the enemy attacked. Disobedience in your finances- opened crack, opportune season. Unforgiveness- opened crack, opportune season. Bitterness, envy, greed, rebellion, disobedience, willful ignorance- all are opened cracks and opportune seasons for the enemy to attack. You may have a chance to repent and avert destruction, but not always. Why take the chance? The enemy is always on the prowl of an opportune season to attack and he’s ravishingly hungry.
Did you get something out of this? He that has ears better hear.
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