Last Thursday, in the introduction to this series, we saw that in order to get through life, in order to withstand the temptations–addictions, trials, etc.–, in order to “stand strong”, we need to be wearing protective armour. But just what is that armour and how do we put it on?
The first of the six pieces of armour we are told to don is the “belt of truth”: “Stand firm therefore, by fastening the belt of truth around your waist…” (Eph. 6:14 NET).
I have many belts in my closet, and they all serve different purposes. I have belts for holding up my pants. Not all of my pants need one, mind you, but for the ones that do, I certainly wouldn’t want to go without one. I also have belts that go around some of my sweaters. If I don’t wear a belt with these sweaters, they will flop open and be in my way all day, and they certainly won’t keep out the cold. I have belts on some of my dresses as well. Decorative? Yes, but they also ensure that the dress lays smoothly and doesn’t slip up or down…
Isn’t it interesting that the first piece of equipment at our disposal is called “a belt”, something that is responsible for making our other clothing beneficial to us? This may be pure supposition, but I believe that this first item is called a “belt” because without it, the rest of our spiritual armour would not be of maximal help!
So where can I get one of these belts? At the store? On Amazon? E-bay, perhaps? Or?
Fortunately for us, the “belt of Truth” is much easier to come by than an Internet order or spending the day at the mall, for Jesus defines this “belt of Truth” for us: “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6 NET).
This “Truth”, then, is none other than Jesus Christ Himself. When we are told to put on the “belt of Truth”, we are, in essence, being told to “put on” Jesus Christ, to wrap Him around our waists.
Sounds good. But how do we do that?
The Christmas season is nearly upon us, that time of year when we begin to think of Jesus’ gift for us and all that it entails. He came to give us Salvation, yes; but also healing, peace, wisdom, love, joy, etc (See Isaiah 9:6, 11:2, 1 John 5:4; 1 Cor. 15:57). When we are told to wrap Jesus Christ around our waists, we are being told to encircle ourselves with all of Jesus’ Christmas gifts for us: with His healing power, with His peace, His wisdom, His love, and with His joy.
Notice that the “belt of Truth” isn’t something that naturally comes wrapped around our waists when we accept Jesus into our hearts. Rather, we are told to put it on. This means that we must fully embrace the various parts of Jesus’ sacrifice for our lives. We must encircle ourselves with His peace. We must take for ourselves His joy. We must let His love hold us up. We must use His wisdom to hold us together. We must allow His power to keep the “cold air” of our circumstances from affecting us. We must remember that the same Jesus who is the “belt of Truth”, is also the Light, the One who brought this world into being (See John 1, Gen 1), and that “light”, which is Jesus, cannot be extinguished (see John 1:1-5). If we choose to put on the “belt of Truth”, Jesus will carry us through–temptation, trials, illness–whatever the devil throws our way. He will carry us through, no matter what!
I encourage each of you to spend some time with God today, thinking about what it means to put on the “belt of Truth”. Ask yourself if you have truly put it on–if you have fully embraced that Jesus’ gift on the cross brings us not just Salvation, but also joy, peace, love, wisdom, etc.; if you truly believe in Jesus’ power. Then wrap this “belt of Truth” around your waist by spending time accepting each of these gifts for yourself. I guarantee you that if you do, you will walk away from your prayer chamber changed, empowered, protected, ready to march bolding through life…ready: “…to resist the enemy in the time of evil” and then, “…after the battle you will still be standing firm.”
Join us on Tuesday to learn about the second piece of Spiritual armour: The Breastplate of Righteousness.
In His love,
Lyn
Lynona Gordon Chaffart, Speech-Language Pathologist, mother of two, Author — “Aboard God’s Train — A Journey With God Through the Valley of Cancer”, Author and Moderator for The Nugget, a tri-weekly internet newsletter, and Scriptural Nuggets, a website devoted to Christian devotionals and inspirational poems, with Answers2Prayer Ministries. Follow Lyn on Twitter @lynchaffart.
(To access the entire “God’s Armour” mini-series, please click here.)