"Be strong in the Lord." You have no strength and no wisdom, but Christ is made unto us of God wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption (1 Corinthians 1:30).
Satan works in two ways-to get us to confide in our own strength, or in our own wisdom. The first of these is seen at Ai (Joshua 7: 3, 4). The spies said, It is only a little city; do not let all the people go wearying there; a few hundred will do. The Gibeonites demonstrate the second (Joshua 9:3-27). "They did work wilily"-as it says in Ephesians 6, "the wiles of the devil." They came and spread their old garments and moldy bread before the princes, and they were deceived. Had they laid some before the common people, they might have said, Let us ask the Lord about it. But the princes believed them, and a source of mischief was introduced which lasted until the days of Saul.
We need to have on the whole armor of God that we may be able to stand (Ephesians 6:11), for we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but our conflict is with the universal lords of the darkness of this world-against wicked spirits in heavenly places. Why do we often feel depressed? Why are we often cast down? It is the pressure of what is 'hove. What are we thinking about all day? Satan is seeking to draw us off by occupying us with the things around us, but God did not mean our minds to be a playground for Satan. It is an evil day we live in-a sad, sorrowful day-whose special characteristic is, "Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof."
The armor is not against God, but against Satan. The first thing in the armor is "truth." The loins are the place of strength. The truth is to be the girdle for the motives, the affections of the soul. "He that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one." Hebrews 2:11. "As He is, so are we in this world." 1 John 4:17. Do you believe that the Father's love rests on you as it does on His Son?
"The breastplate of righteousness" is next. This is practical righteousness-a good conscience. Paul said, "Herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void of offense toward God, and toward men." Acts 24:16. He could look up to heaven and say, "I know nothing by [against] myself; yet am I not hereby justified: but He that judgeth me is the Lord." 1 Corinthians 4:4. Beloved, we do not want to go on covering up sin. Have you little tricky ways in your business? If so, Satan will succeed in shutting your mouth. He will make a coward of you and put you out of the conflict altogether.
"Having... your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace." We are to let the peace of Christ preside in our hearts, and to have the peace of God which passeth all understanding keeping our hearts and thoughts. Should any one of us be a trial to our brethren? No; we should rather be full of graciousness and gentleness. We ought to be the best husbands and wives, the best parents and children, the best masters and servants.
When the Lord Jesus was on earth He was surrounded by a little company among whom were discontent and murmurings, envyings and strifes. On one well-known occasion they were walking by the way, and seemed to have lingered somewhat behind from following Him. I have no doubt He in His blessed grace waited for them, and when they came to Capernaum He said sweetly to them in the house, "What was it that ye disputed among yourselves by the way?" They were silent for they were ashamed; they had been disputing who was greatest among them, as they did afterward in Luke 22. And then He taught them a blessed lesson-that the way to go up was to go down, even as He Himself was doing, going down to the darkness of the cross; and God has exalted Him.
"The shield of faith"-what is this? It is not the faith that saves; it is trust, confidence in God, which is one element of faith. The fiery darts are infidel thoughts, but falling on the shield of faith they are quenched. "And take the helmet of salvation."
Then there is one offensive weapon, "The sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." The Word of God can only be wielded in the power of the Spirit. Cleverness will not do, nor intelligence. Satan will come to us with his "ifs" as he did to Eve in the garden of Eden. When Satan came to the Lord in the desert, and took Him up and set Him down on a high part of the temple, and said, "If Thou be the Son of God, cast Thyself down: for it is written, He shall give His angels charge concerning Thee," He said, "It is written... Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God." What a lesson to us! How often souls twist that passage.
The last thing is prayer. Do we pray not only for individuals, or for meetings near us, but for all saints throughout the wide, wide world? Paul said he had great conflict for the saints-"agony" is the word. When we are in our agony, is it not generally about our own little troubles and trials?