"Loins Girt About with Truth" (Belt of Truth)
Our Prayer: Let's Pray
Heavenly Father, Your warrior prepares for battle. Today we claim victory over Satan by putting on the whole armor of God! We put on the girdle of truth! May we stand firm in the truth of Your Word so we will not be a victim of Satan's lies. We put on the breastplate of righteousness! May it guard our hearts from evil so we will remain pure and holy, protected under the blood of Jesus Christ. We put on the shoes of peace! May we stand firm in the Good News of the Gospel so Your peace will shine through us and be a light to all we encounter. We take the shield of faith! May we be ready for Satan's fiery darts of doubt, denial, and deceit so we will not be vulnerable to spiritual defeat. We take the Sword of the Spirit! May the two-edged sword of Your Word be ready in our hands so we can expose the tempting words of Satan. By faith we warriors have put on the whole armor of God! We are prepared to live this day, this week in spiritual victory! In Jesus' name we pray, AMEN.
Our Scripture: Let's Read: Ephesians 6:10-18
10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; 18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints.
This is where our armor really begins: with the truth.
Ephesians 6:10-18 Spiritual strength and courage are needed for our spiritual warfare and suffering. Those who would prove themselves to have true grace, must aim at all grace; and put on the whole armor of God, which he prepares and bestows. The Christian armor is made to be worn; and there is no putting off our armor till we have done our warfare, and finished our course. The combat is not against human enemies, nor against our own corrupt nature only; we have to do with an enemy who has a thousand ways of beguiling unstable souls. The devils assault us in the things that belong to our souls, and labor to deface the heavenly image in our hearts. We must resolve by God's grace, not to yield to Satan. Resist him, and he will flee. If we give way, he will get ground. If we distrust either our cause, or our Leader, or our armor, we give him advantage. The different parts of the armor of heavy-armed soldiers, who had to sustain the fiercest assaults of the enemy, are here described. There is none for the back; nothing to defend those who turn back in the Christian warfare, but there are breastplate for the back too. Truth, or sincerity, is the girdle. This girds on all the other pieces of our armor, and is first mentioned. There can be no religion without sincerity. The righteousness of Christ, imputed to us, is a breastplate against the arrows of Divine wrath. The righteousness of Christ implanted in us, fortifies the heart against the attacks of Satan. Resolution must be as greaves, or armor to our legs; and to stand their ground or to march forward in rugged paths, the feet must be shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace. Motives to obedience, amidst trials, must be drawn from a clear knowledge of the gospel. Faith is all in all in an hour of temptation. Faith, as relying on unseen objects, receiving Christ and the benefits of redemption, and so deriving grace from him, is like a shield, a defence every way. The devil is the wicked one. Violent temptations, by which the soul is set on fire of hell are darts Satan shoots at us, and hard thoughts of God, and as to ourselves. Faith applying the word of God and the grace of Christ quenches the darts of temptation. Salvation must be our helmet. A good hope of salvation, a Scriptural expectation of victory, will purify the soul, and keep it from being defiled by Satan. To the Christian armed for defense in battle, the apostle recommends only one weapon of attack; but it is enough, the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. It subdues and mortifies evil desires and blasphemous thoughts as they rise within; and answers unbelief and error as they assault from without. A single text, well understood, and rightly applied, at once destroys a temptation or an objection, and subdues the most formidable adversary. Prayer must fasten all the other parts of our Christian armor. There are other duties of religion, and of our stations in the world, but we must keep up times of prayer. Though set and solemn prayer may not be seasonable when other duties are to be done, yet short pious prayers darted out, always are so. We must use holy thoughts in our ordinary course. A vain heart will be vain in prayer. We must pray with all kinds of prayer, public, private, and secret; social and solitary; solemn and sudden: with all the parts of prayer; confession of sin, petition for mercy, and thanksgiving for favors received. And we must do it by the grace of God the Holy Spirit, in dependence on, and according to, his teaching. We must preserve in particular requests, notwithstanding discouragements. We must pray, not for ourselves only, but for all saints. Our enemies are mighty, and we are without strength, but our Redeemer is almighty, and in the power of his mighty we may overcome. Wherefore we must stir up ourselves. Have not we, when God has called, often neglected to answer? Let us think upon these things, and continue our prayers with patience.
Verse 14. - Stand therefore, having girt about your loins with truth. The "stand" in ver. 13 denotes the end of the conflict; this "stand" is at the beginning. Obviously there must be a firm stand at the beginning if there is to be at the end. In order to this, we must fasten the girdle round our loins - truth, here used in a comprehensive sense, denoting honesty; sincerity of profession in opposition to all sham, levity, hypocrisy; and likewise the element of "truth in Jesus" (Ephesians 5:21), the substance of the gospel revelation. We are to gird ourselves in truth, establishing ourselves in that element, wrapping it round us, literally, "girded in truth." And having put on the breastplate of righteousness.
The Full Armor of God:
Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand firm therefore, HAVING GIRDED YOUR LOINS WITH TRUTH, and HAVING PUT ON THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, and having shod YOUR FEET WITH THE PREPARATION OF THE GOSPEL OF PEACE;…
Cross References
Job 29:14
I put on righteousness as my clothing; justice was my robe and my turban.
Isaiah 11:5
Righteousness will be his belt and faithfulness the sash around his waist.
Isaiah 59:17
He put on righteousness as his breastplate, and the helmet of salvation on his head; he put on the garments of vengeance and wrapped himself in zeal as in a cloak.
Luke 12:35
"Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning,
Romans 13:12
The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.
Ephesians 6:13
Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.
1 Thessalonians 5:8
But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet.
1 Peter 1:13
Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming.
Treasury of Scripture:
Ephesians 5:9 "For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth"
Isaiah 11:5 "And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness …"
Luke 12:35 Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning;
2 Corinthians 6:7 "By the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armor of righteousness …"
1 Peter 1:13 13 Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; The [thorax,] or breastplate, consisted of two parts; one of which covered the whole region of the thorax or breast, and the other the back, as far down as the front part extended."
Isaiah 59:17 "For he put on righteousness as a breastplate, and an helmet of salvation …"
1 Thessalonians 5:8 But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate …
Revelation 9:9, 17 "And they had breastplates, as it were breastplates of iron…"
To put on the "full armor"--and enjoy a daily and eternal love-relationship with Jesus Christ, thank Him for what He has shown you in His Word. Know the Scriptures behind your prayer so that your words and faith are grounded in the authority of the Bible.
Let's look at our study books now!
Day 1: "Strengthen Your Core"
A strong core helps with your balance, your stability, your resistance to injury, your stamina over time and under pressure. In fact, as the aging process sets in, a weak core could mean the difference between being able to walk upright or being relegated to a chair. The condition of your core affects everything. Truth is your core support. It provides the essential backing you need when you're in the midst of spiritual war.
For today read these scriptures (Ephesians 6:13-14; 2:13-17; 4:14, James 1:2-4). Truth becomes your starting place, and then everything else begins falling into a much better place. We must stand for the truth no matter what! It's the core of our strength in the Lord.
Day 2 "Truth Checkup"
Your enemy is looking for weaknesses-for loopholes in your resolve that he can take advantage of and exploit. But if you aren't even aware that your commitment to truth in some areas is flimsy, we don't even have a way to do sit-up, much less a way to keep standing up. Let's look at signs of a weak core now. Number one, poor posture, two, injury prone, and three, body fatigue. When the core isn't well supported, it's unable to supply the level of strength you need for other body movements. We are talking about truth!
Listen to this, when you are standing firmly on the truth of God as revealed in His Word-when His truth is at the core of your existence-strength flows into every other area of your life daily. All your movements and activities (work, school, ministry, relationships) bear witness to the power of God at work in you. Glory to God! They become a beneficiary of divine favor and wisdom. Your firm confidence in His promises gives you not only a holy courage, but also the spiritual muscle to carry out whatever He calls you do. So even when facing a challenge, you still feel the full weight and wind of God's Spirit reverberating behind you. Please read more of this book to get more out of it, "The Armor of God" pages 49-51.
Day 3 "The Hanger"
This one is unique! The hanger! I must say, when I saw day three, I didn't understand it; but let's look into it for a minute. The Roman soldier's belt or girdle served several purposes. One was to add support and strength to his core, as we've already discussed. But another purpose was equally important: the belt secured several additional pieces of his armor and kept them solidly in place. The girdle did three things; gave support to the core, held and stabilized other key pieces of armor, and secured the tunic. Please read the book for more information. We've considered how truth acts as a "hanger," but in what other ways do you also think truth helps us bear some of the weight and responsibilities of the other spiritual virtues, as well? As with the soldier, the purpose of all this girdling was to get moving and avoid falling-to experience freedom of movement. Restricting the tunic released and freed the feet too. Read (John 8:32).
Day 4 "Walk This Way"
The thing about deception is that it's, well! . . . deceptive. If it'd just come out as the bold-faced lie that it is, we could much more easily detect it and deal with it. But deception is rarely outright. It's a lie cloaked in a tweaked version of truth. A fraud. An illusion. A wolf in sheep's clothing. It doesn't wear a sign on its back or badge on it chest. Just lures us toward it's sneaky, outstretched fingers until . . . Gotcha! All the more reason why girdling ourselves with the real McCoy of truth is so imperative. We need something guaranteed that can lift the guise of deception and reveal the slick-selling underside. We need a way to expose the one who "disguises himself an angel of light" (2 Corinthians 11:14). The light is what separates fact from fiction. The Bible also separate fact from the truth! Please read pages 58-62 for more information.
Day 5 "Strategy Session"
When Roman soldiers was being disciplined for inappropriate behavior, a superior officer would often punish them by "making them stand outside headquarters clad only in their tunics and without their belts so that they looked rather ridiculous in long tunics and deprived of the one item that marked them as soldiers." To be caught without their belts was embarrassing to them. Punishment, The belt, after all, marked them as soldiers. God's truth should be a banner that flies high on the flagpole of your life, and over those you love and share relationship with. The church, as His body and warrior against darkness in the culture, should be known for its commitment to the unchanging, unadulterated truth of our great God. Without this prevailing standard, we'll always be subject to falling for the enemy's dangling carrots. Truth, don't leave home without it! Read (Genesis 2:16-17, as well as 3:1-6). There will be questions at the end of the study.
Each Week Study "Overcomers" by Dr. David Jeremiah
Week # 2 Overcoming Falsehood with Truth
We overcome falsehood by seeking the truth; we overcome falsehood by speaking the truth; we overcome falsehood by living the truth. God's truth is so important to the Christian.
Week #2 Nuggets: Suit up Cards
Scripture: (Psalm 25:5) "The belt and the girdle"
Characteristic: certainty
Usage: Bind reality to the wearer, grants proper perspective
Armor Location: Waist
Arch Enemy: Falsehood
Enemies: Lies, Deception, Gossip, Half Truths, Counterfeits.
Charge:
Truth is not open to reevaluation or redefinition. Truth is a clearly defined entity, the ultimate reality, which resides in the God of the universe.
Questions:
1). In your own words explain each armor.
2). Why do you suppose truth is the first piece?
3). What is the reason to be girded with truth?
4). Read the cross references, and explain each one.
5). Read Ephesians 6:14-18, and Galatians 5:22-23.
6). When we put on this armor, what kind of relationship we have with Jesus Christ?
7). What does a strong core present in our life?
8). What are the signs of a weak core?
9). Name three things the girdle does to help you.
10). Read 2 Corinthians 11:14, why is this?
11). Explain God's truth in our lives today.
12). To be caught without our belt leave us in what condition?
13). In our suit up cards, what is the arch enemy?
14). Identify the steps you are taking to girdle yourself. (Overcomer study book).
15). Jesus used the Word against Satan when He was tempted (Matthew 4:1-11). Share some of them
16). Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, salvation, Word of God, and prayer; share how you use each one of these weapons.
17). What is your daily/weekly Bible reading plan?
18). How consistent are you in meeting that goal?
19). How often do you pray?
20). What Christian books are you currently reading now.
Remember This. . . .(Isaiah 54:17)
"No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord."
