Isn’t it nice to know there is armor we can put on for the spiritual warfare? But what does that mean? This devotion looks at the belt of truth, which is the foundation of the armor.
Nuggets
- Because the gospel is true — and we believe it is true — we can build a foundation on it.
- If we took off that part of the armor, we wouldn’t be genuine.
- The battle in which we are engaged against Satan in his attempt to make us sin is an internal battle.
“Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil” (Eph. 6: 11 RSV)
In the last devotion, we gave an overview of the armor Paul talks about in Ephesians 6. We said we have to put on the whole armor.
We made three main points. 1) With God, it is all or nothing. We need to put on the whole armor. 2) If we leave one thing out, we are exposed. 3) We need to pick the armor up, put it on, and keep it on until we have victory.
A couple of months ago, we had a devotion that looked at the armor of God. I wasn’t totally happy with how it turned out.
So, I want to take another stab at it. But I want to look at it through the lens of the following question: How are we exposed when we take off this part of the armor?
Truth
“Stand therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness” (Eph. 6: 14 RSV)
God calls us to gird ourselves with truth. Having listed this first, Paul is telling us that it is really important.
That is where it should be, if you really think about it. If the gospel would not be true, what would we gain by believing in it? We would not need to go on to the other armor.
Because the gospel is true — and we believe it is true — we can build a foundation on it. When we consider that gird means encircle, the truth of the gospel encircles everything else.
We have to really believe the gospel to be true. It has to be more than just knowledge. We have to truly believe God sent His Son Jesus to die for our sins, raised Him from the dead, and brought Him back to heaven to live with Him.
If we took off that part of the armor, we wouldn’t be genuine. If we make a profession of faith in the One true God, and later not follow His laws and commandments or cave to societies’ pressures to change God’s laws and commandments to be more acceptable, we would be saying the gospel is not true. We would not be genuine in our profession.
The battle in which we are engaged against Satan in his attempt to make us sin is an internal battle. It is a battle of wills. Will we follow God’s Will or will we follow Satan?
Gouge made some good comments. This is an important battle that is just. We engage with an enemy that is “… spoiled, whose weapons are blunted, [and] whose power is limit[ed].”
Still, we need to ensure we stay in accord with God. We want to “… [gird our] loins with truth …” (Eph. 6: 14 RSV). Who is the truth? Jesus told us. “… I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me” (Jn. 14: 6 NLT).
This goes back to what a Paul said earlier. “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children” (Eph. 5: 1 RSV). We should desire the truth as it makes us like God.
Gouge also said that, “the more truth is opposed, the faster we should cling to it.” Don’t disciples need to hear that today!
Think about how Satan is still telling us “… You will not surely die” (Gen. 3: 4 NKJV) when we sin. You won’t die if you don’t follow God’s sexual morality laws and commandments. No, you won’t die if you don’t follow any of the laws and commandments.
Remember, Jesus called Satan a deceiver. “… He [Satan] has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies” (Jn. 8: 44 NLT).
All the newer translations called this the belt of truth. Let’s look at it as armor for a second. Think about outfits of the day. They were loose, so soldiers needed the belt to make sure they weren’t inconvenienced by their clothing. Alford said that this would be custom made for the soldier.
Sorry, folks. It’s been a long day. The thought that popped into my head was wrap them up in a cocoon.
But don’t we want to be wrapped up in the truth? Don’t we want to be encircled by what is true and right?
We don’t have to question whether we are being played. We don’t have to worry about something not being consistent, because truth is always consistent.
Making the Connections
Look at the first word of this verse. “Stand …” (Eph. 6: 14 RSV).
Look at the last word of Ephesians 6: 13. “… stand” (RSV).
In the last devotion, we said that we need to stand for the duration, whether it is through the battle or the war. Don’t run. Don’t fall. Don’t call a truce. Stand.
It is easier to stand in truth. When objectives, tactics, and strategies are built on lies, the foundation isn’t there. They can change without notice.
“God is not a man, so he does not lie. He is not human, so he does not change his mind. Has he ever spoken and failed to act? Has he ever promised and not carried it through?” (Num. 23: 19 NLT).
We’ve talked about some of the promises God has given us. This is just a partial list.
God’s Promises
- Answers prayer (Ps. 37: 4; Jn. 14: 13)
- Deliverance (Ps. 34: 17; Ps. 50: 15)
- Eternal life (Jn. 3: 16; Rev. 3: 5)
- Faithful (Jer. 29: 12; Rom. 4: 21)
- Fight for us (Ex. 14: 14)
- Knowledge and wisdom (Jas. 1: 5)
- Love (Ps. 145: 9)
- Peace (Isa. 54: 10; Phil. 4: 6-7)
- Presence (Deut. 31: 8; Mt. 28: 20)
- Prosperity (Mal. 3: 10; II Cor. 9: 8)
- Protection (Isa. 43: 2)
- Provision (Mt. 6: 31-33; Phil. 4: 19)
- Salvation (Ps. 27: 1; I Jn. 1: 9)
- Strength (Isa. 49: 29-31; Eph. 3: 16-19)
- Transformation (1 Jn. 3: 2; II Pet. 1: 3-4)
To read a related devotion, click the button below.
Look what Foster said. “God has promised to be with His people in, to carry them through all their trials, and to make them more than conqueror.”
So, we have God’s promises. We are encircled by God’s truth. We don’t have to have any doubts whether we can believe the the promises or not. We can.
How Do We Apply This?
“Pray at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints” (Eph. 6: 18 RSV)
How do we gird ourselves with truth? We pray to the Almighty God to encircle us.
When? “Pray at all times …” (Eph. 6: 18 RSV).
How? “… in the Spirit …” (Eph. 6: 18 RSV).
With what? “… with all prayer and supplication …” (Eph. 6: 18 RSV).
Prayer is our line of communication with the One Who is in control. He knows the past, present, and future.
While we are praying, we need to be watching. Satan is a wily opponent. He is going to try everything he can to get us to deny God, not do what he tells us, or just make us doubt.
We’ve got to be careful. That is why we need to be rooted and grounded.
“… prayer and supplication …” (Eph. 6: 18 RSV) has always thrown me. Why does God want us to beg?
I would guess that the meaning of the word has changed slightly over the years. I would say God means that we have to be consistent in our prayers.
We can’t just pray once and always expect God to jump right on whatever we ask. We may have to pray many, many times over many, many years before God answers our prayers.
I think God wants to know this isn’t a passing fancy. I think he wants to know that we trust that He will answer — even when it appears like He won’t.
But Paul wants us to get off just praying for ourselves. We need to pray for other disciples. We need to pray that they will have the strength to withstand their temptations.
To read a related devotion, click the button below.
We need to make sure we are as close to God as we can be. We have to stand.
Loving Father. You know how difficult it will be for us to stand up to Satan. One reason You sent Your Spirit to live within us was so that we would not be alone in those moments. Still, we struggle living for You. Forgive us when we sin. Help us to learn the lessons we need so that we can withstand the temptation when it comes again. Amen.
What do you think?
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