READY FOR THE OPPORTUNE TIME

[6-minute read]

Doctors rely on blood analyses to make medical diagnoses and decide on the best treatments for their patients. Like it or not, our bloodworks reveal scientific truths about our health that we can either confirm or deny. But what will reveal our spiritual health everyday? 

Much like bloodwork, there are great truths to be drawn from our reactions to everyday situations. Life, after all, has its way of breaking apart the carefully curated version of ourselves that we present to others. When tested, we will know how much of our character is rooted in Christ and how much of it still falls short and needs more work on. Yet, the next opportune time to redeem ourselves is closer than we think. But only if we are also aware that the Enemy is also on the lookout for the next opportunity to trip us up.

All of us are ever susceptible to the Enemy’s sleight of hand to defeat and wound us further. Think about it: whenever we feel discouraged and disappointed… lonely and forgotten…whenever we are preoccupied on our phones to escape from realities… passed over for some opportunity to advance… whenever we act self-assured and downplay others’ needs and feelings… when we are spiritually dull and happy to just going through the motions… when we insist on our way and actively avoid seeking God’s way. These are perfect conditions to strike for the devil, who's set on destroying every opportunity we have to make good.

And the devil never lets up. He never stops.

Luke 4:1-12 tells us that the devil had tried to taunt and tempt Jesus into submission for 40 days. He tried to turn the Lord’s physical hunger into a hunger for power and renown. But Jesus successfully stood His ground during that period of temptation. In successive rebuttals, Jesus struck down each temptation by saying, ‘It is written/said’. Not once did the Lord engage the devil by saying, ‘I don’t agree’ or ‘I don’t think you get it’ or ‘I’d argue that…’. Not once did Jesus let His opinion get in the way of His obedience to God. 

And neither should we! 

Finally, “When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left Him until an opportune time.” Notice that Scripture never suggested that the enemy left Jesus for good, once for all. In the same way that he was never done with Jesus, he is never done with us. He will keep up his scheming and strategies till you are totally defeated and either give up on living, or give up on Jesus. 

The Bible tells us that there are 3 things we can do to develop a default readiness to respond when the enemy confronts us through circumstances and situations to take us down.

1 - STAY ALERT

Soldiers are primarily trained to stay alert, and so are medical teams, especially in emergency medicine.

Like it or not, we have to be vigilant of an adversary who is ready to attack. Not only do we need to be aware of his tactics, we need to be very aware of our own vulnerability and weaknesses. It doesn’t help to downplay the devil’s ambitions or ourselves as his targets.

1 Peter 5:8 warns us: “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”

Like anyone, we will be caught off-guard in situations we are not prepared for. It can happen when we are falsely accused. Or when we find ourselves on the receiving end of professional sabotage. Or when we are facing so much stress in life that the smallest things can set us off. What will our reactions reveal about our faith, maturity and character? Will they confirm or contradict who we think we are? 

We may think that we know the enemy well but when we fail to know and manage our own vulnerabilities, we leave the back door wide open for the devil to walk right in! It is when we feel most vulnerable that we should stay alert and keep talking to God through prayer. 

It's a mistake to underestimate the value of prayer. You may not be able to change your feelings, your realities, or your circumstances, but you can certainly pray. And pray when you are happy, when you are healthy, when you are distressed and when you are exhausted.
“The thief comes only to steal, kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (John 10:10). Also, when you pray in the Spirit, you move from court sidelines to court centre - ready to respond.

2 - PUT ON THE FULL ARMOUR OF GOD

We cannot be spiritual cowards. We are not sitting at courtside watching the devil play out his game in our lives! We must certainly not be afraid of confrontation and conflict. 

How would this change things?

Well, you will no longer sit passively and watch the devil create alienation in your family. You will no longer let him live rent-free in your mind to replay self-loathing speech on a loop. You will no longer perpetuate unfairness or gender bias in your family. To do that, we must first equip ourselves appropriately. 

Ephesians 6:11-17 instructs us to, “Put on the full armour of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armour of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.”

‘after you have done everything’ means to submit all our fears, our concerns, and our desires to God. It means to unclothe anything unhealthy and unbiblical that has become second nature to us because they reduce our readiness and prevent the full armour of God from fitting us properly. 

Make no mistake that all believers must wear the full armour of God all the time! It is the full armour – not partial armour – that prepares us and warns us so we won’t be hoodwinked and outwitted by the schemes of the enemy. Keep it on all the time as you stand ready to take on the next challenge!

3 - STAND FIRM ON GOD’S WORD

The enemy is an expert in making sin look normal and righteousness look weird. Just pay attention to the conversations around you and on social media. As surely as the enemy returns with new strategies against us, we can equally return to the Word of God. The deeper the Word takes root in us, the faster it comes alive and responds even before our minds and emotions can react!!

But how? When you are feeling restless, resist reacting by resting in God. Memorize and visualize Ephesians 6:14-17. If it helps, draw a picture of it as you recite it. 

“Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled round your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” 

BEINREACH is intended to be a place to prepare people to be ready when tested. To be ready means to be open to self-revisions over resistance to change, and to mental renewal over ingrained ways of thinking and doing things that no longer work. Constantly evolving from before what we are, to what we should become should happen more naturally and become more normal to us. 

Get ready for the next opportunity to be tested. Your personal version update is within reach and waiting to happen.

This is a summary and reflection based on a virtual BIR Session held on 24 January 2026.