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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