“…with the belt of truth buckled around your waist”
-Ephesians 6:10
I don’t know about you, but when I am about to fight… the first thing I would grab is NOT a belt. So, I was very curious when the first piece of armor mentioned in this magnificent, awe-inspiring verse was…… a belt. Come to find out the belt was probably the most important piece of armor for the soldiers of the Roman Army. It connected everything else together, held on to the sword, and the leather straps that hung down from it to protect the legs. In conclusion , without the belt ,you would be running out into battle…. naked.
John 17:17
Sanctify them by Your truth. Your Word is truth.
So, now that we know why the belt is important. Why is truth? Well, like the belt, without truth everything else doesn’t make sense. You would not wear armor that does not cover your legs, or go into battle without your sword. NO, That’s just plain crazy. We are so lucky, because God has provided a whole, great, big Book of truth. If we did not have the Bible, we would not know what to believe. This sinful world that we live in is constantly telling you lies. It is vital to have God’s word as your foundation ….it is the glue holding it everything together, like a belt.
I firmly believe Satan’s biggest weapon against us is our thoughts. This is why knowing God’s truth, the real truth, is our first line of defense. Satan knows that the way we think affects our actions and our emotions. For example, if you are constantly thinking cuss words in your mind as you go about your day, one day one will magically rolls off your tongue. You did not mean to say it, but your thoughts provoked it. Satan uses our thoughts to get us off track. This is like when you walk up stairs to do something, but once you get up stairs you forgot why you went up stairs in the first place. This happens because your mind was wondering and not thinking about the task at hand. Satan gets in our heads and makes certain thoughts fester in our brain that should not be there. These thoughts distract us from the task the God has set in place for us. A big one is “ you would be happier if”… or “Look at how big that number is on the scale” or “you’ll never be good enough”… and the list goes on and on. Satan is very deceptive and he knows countless lies that can divert you from focusing on the Lord.
To fight, we need to firmly know what we believe and why. We need to know what the Bible says about our identity in Christ, God’s sovereign plan, and any other thing Satan could twist to poison your mind.
The next time you find yourself concentrating on negativity… ask yourself where did this thought come from? What does the Bible say about it? Find a verse that contradicts the negativity and write it down, memorize it, say it to yourself and others. Have it attached to you and buckled around your waist….like a belt.
“Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.” -Ephesians 6:10-18
