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Thursday, October 16, 2014

This is War! Putting on the Full Armor (Pt. 3)


Part 3

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.”

                                                                                                            Ephesians 6:14-17

Before we can effectively defend our ground we must understand how the armor God has provided for us functions. The short and simple answer is this: Armor is put on for protection! This means that each piece of armor is significant in what it protects and how it protects.

So we want to begin our discussion on the full-armor of God by focusing, on what I believe to be, the single most important piece of armor provided and that is the belt of truth:

Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist.”- Ephesians 6:14

For the ancient Roman soldier this leather belt wrapped around his waist and was fastened securely into place by a buckle. The leather straps draping the front of the belt provided protection to the soldier’s vital organs: kidneys and liver.

However, the loin belt also had another very important function. The loin belt held all the other pieces of armor in place. Without it, everything would fall away or apart. The Apostle Paul referred to this belt in Ephesians 6 as the loin belt of truth. Truth, for every born-again believer, is the most important element of our armor. Like the Roman belt it ought to encircle our lives and be securely fastened as not to be moved. Truth cannot be a shifting part of our armor. Instability in its security will cause vulnerability with every other area.

So what is truth? Jesus defines it this way:

“Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.”-John 17:17

Truth is not our opinion, not what is culturally acceptable, and not what is politically correct. Truth is the word of God! The unchanging, unfailing Word of God!

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”-Psalm 119:105

It is this truth that David spoke of in Psalm 51:6: “Surely you desire truth in the inner parts; you teach me wisdom in the inmost place.” In fact Jesus told his disciples in John 8:31-32: “If you hold to my teachings you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.”

Truth is essential to victory! As a believer, you cannot live victoriously without the word of God having an active central role in your life. When we cease to read and apply the word of God on a daily basis it is only a matter of time before we fall to pieces spiritually. Our ability to appropriate and understand the rest of our spiritual armor rests on our knowledge of truth.

 

Pastor Scott Burr

Lead Pastor

Dayspring Community Church

 

 

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