Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place. (Ephesians 6:14 NIV)
The past few weeks we have discussed the importance of being strong in the Lord in spiritual warfare. In this life we must deal with the reality of spiritual battle. Paul teaches that our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the spiritual forces of evil. Paul instructs the church to put on the full armor of God, and to stand against the schemes of the devil.
In verse fourteen, Paul begins to list the armor piece by piece. The first piece that Paul mentions is the belt of truth.
I found some informative teaching about the belt of truth at MercyDrops.org. Here are a couple of excerpts from that article.
"All parts of this armor are a reflection of what is ours in Christ. All parts work in unity with the other parts. John Bunyan summed it up well when he said 'Christ Himself is the Christian's armory.' As you study the parts of the spiritual armor, keep in mind that these parts all reflect Christ. They are what we have in and through Him."This second excerpt contains some good background information on the clothing and armor of a Roman soldier of that day.
"The tunic was the primary piece of outer clothing that covered much of the soldier's body. It was a square piece of material with holes cut in it for the soldier's head and arms. It fit very loosely. As you can imagine, during battle the tunic could easily be a hindrance, getting in the way. The tunic was tucked into the heavy leather belt worn by the soldier. The belt also helped to hold other pieces of armor in place. It was actually an undergarment that was mostly hidden from view because it went underneath the armor and connected all the pieces together, so the soldier had both flexibility and a way of keeping everything tied together. Without this belt or girdle the armor would have simply fallen off! In the armor of God, Paul labels this important piece as the belt of truth."This background information indicates the importance of the belt. It holds everything together. Truth is the belt that holds our spiritual armor together.
Jesus said, "I am the way and the truth and the life." (John 14:6a NIV) Jesus is the essence of truth. Every word he speaks is truth. In John 17, Jesus prayed for his disciples. In verse seventeen Jesus prayed, "Sanctify them by your truth; your word is truth."
Meanwhile, Jesus told the truth about our spiritual enemy in John 8:44 as he spoke to some Pharisees. "You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies."
Jesus explicitly said to the Jews who believed in him, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." (John 8:31b-32 NIV)
Jesus is the truth. He speaks only truth. The Word of God is truth. If you hold to the teachings of the Word of God that truth will set you free from every tentacle of the bondage of sin. In verse 34, Jesus says that everyone who sins is a slave of sin. Everyone has sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, but the truth sets us free from the bondage of sin.
When the believer goes into battle with God's truth buckled around his waist, he can be confident in that eternal truth. He can stand in the heat of the battle knowing that God's truth will always prevail over every force of darkness. The believer stands in the freedom of Christ's liberty steadfastly refusing to submit to Satan's bondage.
There are two aspects of the truth that I want to examine briefly. First of all, God always speaks truth, while Satan always lies. Satan's mission is to kill, to steal, and to destroy. He desires to convince you that God's truth is a lie.
The first example of this scheme is found in Genesis when the serpent comes to Eve. Satan begins by casting doubt on the commandment of God. He says, "Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden?'" (Genesis 3:1 NIV)
Eve explains that God allowed them to eat from any tree in the garden, with one exception. God forbade them from eating from the tree in the middle of the garden. To touch that tree carried the penalty of death.
Satan responds by saying, You will not surely die." (Genesis 3:4a NIV)
Eve chose to believe the serpent, rather than believing God, and she convinced her husband to join her in the sin. Never allow Satan to engage you in a discourse. If he speaks to you, respond as Jesus did when being tempted. Respond with the truth of the Word of God! The Word of God should be your only response to demonic forces.
What was the result of Adam and Eve's sin? They both died spiritually instantly. They were born again from life unto death. Spiritual death opened the door for physical death, sickness, disease, fear, shame, condemnation, toil, anxiety, poverty, lack, and a plethora of other things God did not want them to experience. These were the consequences of believing the serpent rather than God. Satan tries to convince believers that God is withholding something good from them. But, God never withholds good from his children. God's commandments are always for your benefit, your protection, and your freedom.
In life it seems some people are inoculated against the truth. They choose to believe a lie, rather than the truth of God's Word. Always choose truth, and the liberty that truth will bring.
The second aspect of truth that I want to examine is the relationship between truth and the facts. For example the Word of God states in II Corinthians 5:20, "God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." (NIV)
The truth is that through the blood of Jesus, God has given to us the gift of righteousness. We stand before God clothed in the righteousness of Jesus Christ, as though we had never sinned. The facts are that we struggle with sin daily. And, Satan delights in reminding you of the facts.
How do we reconcile the truth to the facts? We must emphasize the truth of the Word of God. As a believer meditates on the truth, and obeys the truth, the truth will prevail over the facts. The truth will change the facts which are contrary to God's truth.
True freedom comes through knowing God's truth!
The truth of God's Word states the following regarding healing and health.
"He took up our infirmities and carried our diseases." (Matthew 8:17b NIV)
He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. (I Peter 2:24 NIV)
And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you. (Romans 8:11 NIV)
The truth is that God has made provision for healing and health for each and every believer. However, the facts may state that you are very sick.
What do you do? Emphasize the truth. Meditate on the truth, and obey the truth. Accept the reality of the facts. Don't live in denial for that is a dangerous state of mind. Rather determine to change the facts with the truth of God's Word. His truth will set your body free from sickness and disease.
The same principle holds true in every area of our lives. Don't deny the facts, but realize his truth is far greater, and will set you free in any and every area of life.
Satan offers lies and bondage. Jesus offers truth and freedom. Now that is an easy choice to make.
Wayne L. Williams
wayne@fotwm.org
Wisdom From the Word
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