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TOPIC: Gordon, Samuel Dickey - Quiet Talks About the Tempter (Other Topics in this Collection)
SUBJECT: 078. Overcoming Armour
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Overcoming Armour
Paul gives a fine picture of the overcoming man. It is in the last chapter of the Ephesian Epistle. (Eph_6:10-19.) He describes first the foe against which we are to fight. Then follows the description of God's fighting man. The overcomer must be a fighter. The victory comes only through conflict. Notice God's fighting man—"having girded your loins with truth." That is, a clear, simple grasp of God's truth as revealed in His Word. It means such a grasp of it as grips the life, girds the loins, and puts you into fit shape for vigorous action.
Then follows this: "Having put on the breastplate of righteousness." There must be a clean pure life. The truth has girded so tightly that the advance of sin has been fought off. "And having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace," or having the gospel as a sure footing in your fighting. That is, a clear grasp of the essence of the Gospel, namely, that salvation is through the blood of the Lamb, and only so—this is the only sure footing for this fight. Any other will fail you in the thick smoke and din of the battle.
"Withal taking up the shield of faith." A strongly simple, childlike faith in God is the sure defence against the attacks of the enemy. "The helmet of salvation" is a clear unshakeable assurance of one's own personal salvation. There can be no effective fighting while any doubt of this lingers. "The sword of the Spirit" is the good strong grasp of the truth, for the enemy, when he tries the Wilderness tactics on you, as well as for your service among men. And the description closes with the chief emphasis on prayer.
Leaving Paul's armour figure aside, those seven things might be put into this simple shape. First, dependence upon the blood of Jesus Christ, which is the whole of the gospel of peace. A continual claiming of the power of His death and resurrection. Second, a pure, holy life. Third, obedience based upon an intelligent grasp of the Word. Fourth, fearless aggressiveness both in attack and defence. And then underlying and overlapping, and breathing through all the rest, a spirit of quiet confident praying. This sort of a man will be an overcomer. There will be sure victory for him at every onward step of the way. He will fight and he will win.
And mark you keenly, all of this is entirely practicable and possible through grace. The Holy Spirit is living in you and me, wherever the door has swung for Him. He has come in, partly, to make us good fighters and overcomers. He can be depended upon to do it, too. Our part is to yield intelligently and actively to His generalship.
There is great need for more overcomers, and our Lord earnestly calls from the glory for men to follow in His steps and His strength. He won the decisive victory over our enemy. But every man must make that victory his own on the battlefield of his own life. And in Jesus' great Name we can, and, please God, by His great sweet grace we will.