The devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.” Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written . . .” (Matthew 4:8-10)
The phrase chink in one’s armor refers to an area of vulnerability. It has traditionally been used to refer to a weak spot in a figurative suit of armor. It is similar to an “Achilles’ heel,” the one point of vulnerability in an otherwise seemingly indomitable person. But when we speak of the armor that is worn by the saints of God, we are not referring to armor that is worn on the outside of the body, but rather what God gives us to wear on the inside.
Satan cares nothing about our outside. He does not mind if we are wealthy beyond words or popular beyond all praise. Do you remember his attacks on our Lord Jesus in the wilderness? The devil wanted to do his dirty work from the inside out. He wanted Jesus to be even more popular, more praised, more highly exalted as a miracle worker. But the evil one wanted all that acclaim to come at the expense of Jesus’ relationship with His Father in heaven. Satan believed that the chink in Christ’s armor was located inside, at a heart level, and his goal was to chip away at the Son’s allegiance to His Father.
We have a tendency to believe that the devil is satisfied with his work when he has us covered in dirt—the dirt of addiction . . . the dirt of poverty . . . the dirt of descending into the sins of the flesh. We’re mistaken when we think that way. The devil would much rather have us standing upright and in a place of acceptance from the world around us. This was his promise to Jesus, if Jesus would only bow down to him. And this is the devil’s goal for each one of us. The more moral and popular we are, the more the devil works to create a chink in our spiritual armor, which is formed by our communion and commitment to Christ. The devil loves it when we have a form of godliness, just as long as it does not have power.
The Achilles’ heel for the believer is not outside us; it lies within, and this is the place where the devil comes hardest after us. Satan loved the Pharisees, who were popular and successful in the eyes of the watching world in Israel. Satan knew that these men, who loved the adulation of the people around them, kept the outside of the cup clean while the inside was full of filth.
Regardless of how clean our outside is, if it does not correspond with the inside we are a delight to the devil, not to the Lord. Always remember how Jesus defeated Satan’s attack: by using the Word of God. When we remember what was written, we will know that it is because God has engraved His Word on our hearts. At this level of living, there will be no chink in our spiritual armor.
This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!
Grace for the Race 