The Belt of Truth

Ephesians 6:14 - “Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth.”

The very first words spoken by our enemy in Genesis 3 are, “Did God actually say…?”

He is exactly who the Bible tells us he is. He is a smart, crafty deceiver who is set on stealing, killing, and destroying everything that belongs to God. He doesn’t always make it obvious as to who he is or what he is doing. He lives in deception, causing us to shift our sights ever so slightly until suddenly we are off the path God intended and on a path leading to destruction. He promises us a false bag of goods without ever showing us the actual cost of his promises. If we only knew the cost of what he sells us, we would be able to say no. But that is not how he works. He finds our weaknesses and he feeds into them, all with the end goal of the destruction of our soul, our lives, and the lives of those around us.

The enemy did not lead with a physical attack. He didn’t smack Adam and Eve in the face and force them to sin against God. He purposely misused the words of God to deceive them and draw them into sin. We even see him try this with Jesus. Jesus had fasted for 40 days after being led by the Spirit into the wilderness. Satan uses His hunger against him and challenges His status as the Son of God. Satan tells Him to turn stone into bread. Jesus answers with scripture. “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” Hearing this, Satan counters with scripture, but Jesus continues to call out his inaccurate and manipulative uses of scripture to prove that he is nothing but a thief and a liar.

So what does this have to do with the belt of truth that Paul writes about in Ephesians 6? Why is the belt the first piece of armor mentioned? These questions become increasingly important today when “my truth” dominates the lives of us all. Who do we think we are that we try to define what the truth is? What makes us the arbiter of what is true, good, righteous, and just? If not us, who or what should we look to as the source of truth? God is the source of truth because He is truth. His Word is our reliable belt of truth. Adam and Eve did not have this understanding and were left vulnerable and defenseless against the lies and deception of Satan. Jesus is the Word of God, and therefore was able to successfully fend off the attacks of Satan.

For a Roman soldier, the belt was the piece of the armor that held the entire uniform together. Without it, the tunic and armor would not remain in their designed place. Also, the belt is what the soldier used to carry weapons, such as swords and daggers, as well as other protective tools. The Bible serves as our belt of truth. It is God’s living word and our number one way to get to know Him, the source of truth. The Bible is the foundational component of our lives as Christians. It takes faith in Jesus Christ to become a Christian, but the Bible is what equips Christians for proper Christian living. You can buy a new grill but without the manual, you can’t begin to understand how it is supposed to be put together, how it works, or what to do with it. The Bible is that manual for Christians. There is a lot of information in it, but once we realize that it is simply allowing us to get to know our Creator and our Redeemer, we can begin to understand how to use it.

Like anything else in life, if we want to know more about God, if we want our relationship with Him to be stronger, if we want to know how to live better for Him, we must spend time with Him in prayer and in His word. Do we prioritize time in His word? Or do we spend more time scrolling Facebook finding out what everyone esle’s truth is? Or do we spend hours watching the news to hear everything but the truth told to us on repeat? If you read last week’s blog, I mentioned that we are not fighting a physical war. We are at war with a very real and spiritual enemy and his demons. If we neglect to prepare for battle, we are only allowing him to have his way with us and our families.

Equip yourselves with the knowledge and objective truth that can only ever be found in the word of God and stand firm against the devil. In a world where we are offered so many “truths” we need to stand firm on biblical truth and allow that truth to guide our lives as we live for Christ and His kingdom.

Below are some practical tips to help you get started with fastening the belt of truth in your battle against the enemy:

• Get plugged into a Bible-teaching local church - we aren’t meant to do this battle alone, Satan feeds on loners

• Just pick it up and start reading it - a reading plan is ideal but it is more important to just read

• Practice the things you read in the word - faith without works is dead (James 2:17)

• Replace your “truths” that are really just opinions (whether they are based in experience or beliefs) with God’s truth - let His truth guide your thoughts about life (Romans 12:1-2)

• Put off your old self and allow Christ to work in and through you (Ephesians 4:21-25)