THE ARMOUR
[p. 174] THE ARMOUR
It is plain that we do not want the armour except in battle, and though Satan opposes and hinders all the way through, we find that he puts forth his greatest force when we come to take our place with Christ in heaven, that is with Him who is above all principality and power. We no longer wrestle with flesh and blood, our natural equals, but with wicked spirits in heavenly places.
Thus the place of our highest blessing becomes the scene of our greatest conflict. It is therefore evident that we must have accepted by faith the heavenly places as ours before we could be assailed by the wicked spirits which, in satanic malice, aim at our chief and highest blessing. You will notice all through Scripture that Satan directs his assaults against the truth that covers the most important blessing. If I see myself merely as a saved soul destined for heaven in the future - I can go in the current of things herein the domain of Satan’s power, and may seek to sustain them by good works, co-operating with men in supporting the world and its system - then there is little or no resistance from Satan.
But the moment I see by faith and in the power of the Holy Spirit that my place is with Christ in glory, and I in spirit take my possession there, then all Satan’s force, in every shape and form, is brought to bear on me. Glory is a condition, heaven is a place, and it is the power that has put me there which alone can keep me there. If the light which has reached my soul is not connected by faith and the Spirit with Him in glory, from whom it came, I shall fall into the order of things around me down here, and I am unhappy because I am not living my true life in Christ, while possessing a nature which is divine and belonging to Him. Everything in this world (”this time”) is [p. 175] conspiring to turn me aside. The same word in Ephesians 1: 19 is used in Ephesians 6: 10, the might of His strength - Be strong in the Lord!
Thus I am in the power of His life - the Spirit has made known to me the power of it, this is my strength.
But my security and means of preservation from Satan is by the armour. I must be girt about with truth, or Satan will trip me up. Confirmed and braced up by truth in knowledge and in heart, I must have walked righteously (the breastplate of righteousness), or I shall fear Satan. It is not here a question of my standing before God; it is practical righteousness, my conscience unsullied, not afraid of any charge which Satan can bring against me, my feet shod with peace, no element of disturbance and so on; finishing up with the word, the sword of the Spirit. That is the power by which the enemy is to be suppressed.
The armour is for preservation, but by the word which the Lord always used against Satan, the enemy is cut down and silenced. Satan would use the smallest trifles to turn my eyes from heaven, and to make my garments trail in the world, so as to make me feel that I could not belong to heaven, and this is the very thing that I must maintain, with loins girt about with the truth, for He has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.