January 22

Look closely at the label to see whether the armor you wear is the workmanship of God or not. There are many imitations on the market nowadays. It is Satan's game, if he cannot keep the sinner satisfied in his naked, lustful state, to coax him into some flimsy thing or other that by itself will neither do him good nor Satan harm. Perhaps it is church attendance, or good works, or some self-imposed penance by which he intends to impress both God and man. Do such impersonators believe in God? Oh, they hope they are not infidels. But what their armor is, or how they came by it, and whether it will hold up in an evil day, they never stop to question. Thus thousands perish who supposed they were armed against Satan, death, and judgment--when all along they were miserable and naked. These people are worse off than those who have not a rag of pretense to hide their shame from the world's gaze.

To most of us, a careful copy of a masterpiece looks quite as good as the original. But when the master himself appears, he can tell in an instant which is real and which the imposter. It is the same with that self-righteous hypocrite who is a pretender to faith and hope in God. Here is a man in glittering array with his weapon in his hand. With the sharp sword of his tongue he keeps both the preacher and the Word of God at arm's length: "Who can say I am not a saint? Name one commandment I do not keep, one duty I neglect!" he demands indignantly. Many are impressed by his seeming piety. It takes the Spirit's discerning eye to expose him, and even then it is harder to convict him because Satan has so cleverly tampered with him already. He must first be disarmed and unclothed of his own filthy self-righteousness, because God's armor can never be made to fit over the suit he has fashioned for himself.

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