Series on Spiritual Warfare
In this series of posts, we will discuss spiritual warfare and how it influences and impacts us as family members who have difficult situations in our families.
Part 6
Today, we begin our discussion with the first piece of armor Paul mentions in Ephesians 6:14, the belt of Truth.
14 So stand firm and hold your ground, having [a]tightened the wide band of truth (personal integrity, moral courage) around your waist
The Amplified Bible tells us to make sure this wide band of truth is tightened around our waist. It tells us it represents personal integrity and moral courage.
How can one stand firm in personal integrity and moral courage? What will give them the ability to face an enemy and not lose their personal integrity and moral courage? It is in knowing the Word of God and having the resolute conviction to live by the truth in the power of the Holy Spirit.
“In referring to the whole armor of God, Paul invokes the image of a soldier ready for battle. The belt of a Roman soldier in Paul’s day was not a simple leather strap such as we wear. It was a thick, heavy leather and metal band with a protective piece hanging down from the front of it. The belt held the soldier’s sword and other weapons. The belt of truth of the spiritual armor holds the sword of the Spirit, linking truth and the Word of God (John 17:17). The Word of God is truth.” (Got Questions Ministries)
Scripture says you shall know the Truth and the Truth shall set you free. (John 8:32)
What will it set you free from? It will set you free from the lies and deceits of the enemy. He is a liar and no truth is in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language. He is the father of lies. (John 8:44)
You might be thinking, but I do not belong to the devil, so why do I need to be set free from him? Let me ask you, have you ever lied? If so, you have agreed with the devil and the truth is not in you. There’s no condemnation here. The fact is, we all sin and fall short of God’s glory. We need to wear the belt of Truth to protect us from the lies of the enemy. And the Truth is the Word of God. “Whoever says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person.” Hence, we must know the Word of God and obey what He tells us in the Word. When we live by the Truth, we will be set free from the deceits and lies of the enemy.
Where does the enemy deceive and trick you and me? How about in our hearts? The Bible tells us the heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. (Jeremiah 17:9) This is the unregenerate heart. It is because the sinful nature we acquired from Adam is still in us. We can cry out like the Psalmist did and ask Him to keep on creating in us a clean heart and fill us with pure thoughts and holy desires, ready to please Him. (Psalm 51:10 TPT)
The heart and the mind are closely attached. If our heart is deceitful our thoughts are impure.
But He has given us a new heart and a new mind because of the blood of Jesus which took away all our sins.
It’s sometimes called the regenerated self. But we have something we must do to live from the place of the regenerated self, the place where Christ lives in us. Ephesians 4:23-25 tells us “And be constantly renewed in the spirit of your mind (having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude), And put on the new nature (the regenerate self) created in God’s image, (Godlike) in true righteousness and holiness.”
We put on the new nature when we put on the armor of God. The first piece of armor Paul tells those in Ephesus to put on is the belt of Truth. The belt of Truth is the Word of God. (John 1:1-3, John 17:17) And Jesus is the Truth. (Revelation 19:13) He is the way, the truth, and the life. As a matter of fact, no one comes to the Father except through Him. (John 14:6) We put on Jesus when we put on the belt of Truth.
How we put on the belt of Truth is by reading, studying, listening to, and meditating on the Word of God. We must be filled with the knowledge of His Word. Through feeding our spirits the Word of Truth faith grows and takes hold of our hearts and minds. The more Word you and I have in us, the stronger our faith; hence, the stronger our ability to stand against the wiles of the enemy. Faith comes by hearing (over and over again) and hearing comes from the Word of God.
The Bible says the Truth will set you free. (John 8:32) What does the Truth set you free from? It sets you free from being a slave to sin. And sin opens the door to the enemy. Hence, with the belt of truth buckled and firmly placed around your waist, you will know the Truth and be able to stand up against the attacks of the enemy with the Truth.
The belt also holds the sword of the Spirit and other weapons.
If we don’t have this belt around our waist, the truth surrounding us and holding us up, we lose our other weapons as well and we are left defenseless. We need the belt of Truth to hold up the other weapons, to keep us standing in the Truth, and to protect us.
A belt holds one’s pants up. Think about it for a moment. Would you walk around with your pants dropped? Of course not. I know this is a play on words yet to drop one’s pants would mean you wouldn’t be able to walk, you’d be exposed, vulnerable, highly embarrassed, shamed, even mortified. Without the belt of Truth, you would have a hard time walking in step with the Spirit or walking in the light. You’d be exposed and vulnerable to the enemy. The enemy would use your weakness in being embarrassed, ashamed, and mortified against you. He’d whisper thoughts in your ear that would be hard for you to combat because of your position of not having your pants on. He might say things like, “You aren’t good enough. You’ll never amount to anything. Look at you, you are worthless. Or your loved one will never change. There is no victory for you. God doesn’t love you. You’ve sinned too much. And on and on this badgering of lies can invade your thought life. You and I know, the enemy can be relentless in feeding you thoughts that will defeat you in the battle.
We must combat these thoughts with the Word of God. His Word is Truth.
Here are a few Scriptures to anchor this truth: “Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:32 “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:14 “Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.” John 17:17 “…Jesus said, “I was born a King, and I have come into this world to prove what truth really is. And everyone who loves the truth will receive my words.” John 18:37 TPT
The belt of truth must become who we are in every aspect.
- Therefore, we need to speak the truth. We must speak the truth in love and in this way, Scripture tells us we will become mature. (Ephesians 4:15)
- We must live our lives according to the truth. When we do, we are living in the light there is no darkness in us. And God wants us to walk in the light. When we do, we have fellowship with Him and with one another. (1 John 1:5-7)
Let us also protect the truth by studying it diligently. Then we can share the truth with others and lead them along the path that leads to life. This path is defined by the word of truth. (2 Timothy 2:15 The Voice) And finally, we must continue in the truth for we are leading the way and setting an example for our children to walk in the truth. I don’t know about you, but I have no greater joy than knowing my children (spiritual or natural) are walking in the truth. (2 John 4)
Also, a wide belt covers many vital organs. We need our vital organs to live. They are protected by being on the inside of us. Likewise, we need the belt of Truth to protect us to live a life of victory over the enemy. In this regard, the belt of Truth is a most important piece of defensive armor. It protects our souls (our mind, will, and emotions), our innermost being, against the enemy’s lies, deceptions, and trickeries.
Additionally, we need the belt of Truth to hold up other weapons, to keep us standing in the Truth and well equipped for the battles we face. “Put on truth as a belt to strengthen you to stand in triumph.” (Ephesians 6:14)
In my next blog post, we will look at the next piece of armor Paul talks about in Ephesians 6 which is the breastplate of righteousness.
Until then, my friend, do you have the belt of Truth strapped around your waist? How are you making sure that you are staying in the Truth, keeping your mind stayed on Him so that You can have His perfect peace and be protected from the lies and deceptions of the evil one?
Marlene’s mission is to bring the fire of God’s love to the hurting enabling them to find healing, restoration, and wholeness in order for them to be released into the fullness of their destiny.
Marlene has a unique combination of credentials. She is a Professional Certified Coach (PCC) with The International Coach Federation, as well as a BALM® Certified Family Recovery Life Coach. She is also certified in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania as a Family Recovery Specialist.
Contact Marlene to learn more about working with her, enrolling in one of her classes, or joining her prayer movement.
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