Deuteronomy 25:17-18 “Remember what Amalek did to you son the way as you came out of Egypt, how he attacked you on the way when you were faint and weary, and cut off your tail, those who were lagging behind you, and he did not fear God.
The enemy strikes when we are faint, weak, and vulnerable. Families with young children and aged parents would have been the ones who were lagging in the tail of the Israelite hoard. The Amalekites ruthlessly attacked the tail of the entourage at Rephidim, (a barren location), near Mount Sinai. The enemy always waits for an opportune time. He(devil) left him until an opportune time (Luke 4:13). An opportune time for the devil is when we are tired, negligent or frail. The devil has no good day. He is ruthless, restless, prowling, growling, and waiting to devour and destroy us. He is haughty, fierce, cruel, deceitful, subtle, and powerful.
“There is no neutral ground in the universe; every square inch, every split second, is claimed by God and counter-claimed by Satan.” –C.S. Lewis. There is no vacant space. If it is not occupied by God, satan will usurp our mind, time, and relationships. He waits for the day when we are lazy with our prayer time, lethargic in our passion and exhausted in our body to rampage and ravage our lives with ugly temptations. The devil is not afraid of a dust-covered Bible.”—Charles H. Spurgeon. So be vigilant in your vision, cautious in your intentions and careful with your words, 24/7. We have an invisible enemy waiting for the opportune time to pounce and pilferage.
We are vulnerable when we are careless, carefree,or overly consumed with anxiety:
1. Frivolous: The Amalekites attacked the playful children who were lagging. Frivolous and frisky attitude will gravitate the demonic forces towards us. When we miss our time with God to spend time with friends or if entertainment steals our sleep and shortens our prayer time, we are unconsciously exposed to the attack of the brutal enemy. “Satan trembles when he sees the weakest saint on his knees”.
2. Faint: The Amalekites hurt the weak, aged and vulnerable. Physical weakness, sickness or a prolonged health issue can cause our soul to faint. Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life (Proverbs 13:12). Delay and long periods of waiting is the time the devil tries to junk us with disbelief. When you faint, start praising. “Satan so hates the genuine praise of Christ that his fiery darts of discouragement are not effective against us when we respond in praise.”–William Thrasher.
3. Flaccid: The Amalekites ambushed the Israelites who were dragging along with young families and large flock. The enemy fights us when our schedule is too tiring or when we are overwhelmed with fatigue. When busyness and fatigue outwits our appointment with God, our life is susceptible to the incursion of the evil one.“I am so busy now that if I did not spend three hours each day in prayer, I could not get through the day”– Martin Luther.
The invisible thief waits for an opportune time to pounce on us.
1 Peter 5:8a Be alert and of sober mind.
Prayer: My Divine Protector, you are my sun and my shield. May I never be frivolous or flaccid in my relationship with you. Amen.
Leave a Reply