“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. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness…” Ephesians 6:13-14 (NKJV)
“So use every piece of God’s armour to resist the enemy whenever he attacks, and when it is all over, you will still be standing up. But to do this, you will need the strong belt of truth…” (TLB)
The military belt is called a “webbing”. It is a very strong cord made from carefully woven fabric. Its purpose is to keep the soldier’s ammunition, pouches, bayonet (army knife), water bottles, and other equipment of war firmly in place.
Without this important belt, the soldier will be distracted by loose belt and thus he will be unfit for combat especially when he is required to fight most.
It is the same with us as soldiers of the LORD. The first piece of armour mentioned is the belt of truth. The purpose of a belt (in natural sense) is to help hold the trouser and clothes firmly in place. The tighter your belt is, the firmer your dress will be held in place and the freer you are to move around without worry.
“…But to do this, you will need the strong belt of truth.” In standing against the devil and meeting him eyeball to eyeball, the LORD said the first thing we need is to have TRUTH buckled around our waist.
The word of God is the whole truth. Anything outside it is a lie. *John 1:1, 14
I wondered why mention a ‘belt’ first and not a sword or spear or dagger. Like we stated earlier, satan is now completely powerless (this fact needs to sink into you); however, he is still a professional when it comes to error and deceit. Satan hates the truth so much, because it is only the truth that reveals him as he truly is; doomed, hopeless, helpless, impotent, and powerless.
Just as the human waist is the centre of the body and this is where our belt is buckled (because it is at the waist that the shirt or blouse is tucked into trousers or skirts), in the same way, our hearts and minds are the centre of our lives and they must be ‘buckled’ with the truth.
What then is the truth? The Word of God is the truth – everything outside it (no matter how logical or inspiring) are mere lies or at best, ordinary human speculations and erroneous opinions.
Jesus said:
“Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.” John 17:17 (KJV)
One basic thing the truth of God’s Word does is: SANCTIFICATION. It separates us from the rest of the defeated humanity. You cannot face satan if your heart and/or mind is not tightly BUCKLED with God’s truth. The reason is, he will confuse you. He will show you black and earnestly convince and make you see reasons why black is white.
Having our minds being ‘buckled’ with truth simply means being thoroughly sound in truth. Any man who is not sound in truth will ultimately be confused.
“And you will know the truth and truth shall set you free.” John 8:32 (AMP)
Our hearts are the centres of our lives. Once we permit our minds to wander about, it will pick up all manner of thoughts that are clearly not in agreement with God’s will.
Once we permit our minds to wander about, it will pick up all manner of thoughts that are clearly not in agreement with God’s will.
In reality, you don’t need anything to confront a liar other than the evidence of the truth. Once truth is genuine and authentic, the liar has no ground to talk again. Being sound in the truth always is what reveals to you what satan and his hordes are really like.
For instance, satan knows that he is completely out of your way and he is not a threat to your life, but he cannot afford you knowing that! Your knowledge of that simple but immensely deep truth will now begin to take effect and change the rules. Instead of him giving you orders, you are now giving the orders and he is COMPELLED to obey you.
This is the victory Jesus won at the cross – to take man back to his former position in God. Will you believe Him and go back?
Since our spirits and minds are the centres of our lives, they must be “buckled” with the truth. *Proverbs 4:13 (ERV, NLT, AMP)
May I ask you, sister, what do you really think is the truth? If “truth” to you are some philosophies you cooked up from an ideology, a book or something, then I am afraid for you.
Every word written by men about God are nothing but foolish human speculations and it cannot stand in anyway beside the Bible, God’s revelation of Himself to man. This is the example of a mind buckled with truth:
“For the weapons of our warfare are not physical [weapons of flesh and blood], but they are mighty before God for the overthrow and destruction of strongholds, [Inasmuch as we] refute arguments and theories and reasonings and every proud and lofty thing that sets itself up against the [true] knowledge of God; and we lead every thought and purpose away captive into the obedience of Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One)…” 2 Cor. 10: 4-5 (AMP)
The phrase “…we lead every thought…away captive into the obedience of Christ” simply means we bring into captivity EVERY thought to agree and conform with The Word – since the Word is Christ.
You put satan in a very difficult position when you reply him each time he comes with what God said. You become a genuine believer whose loins is “…girt about with truth…”
Like I said earlier, only a man who is sound in the truth can withstand satan’s error. And we are not to put on the belt of truth (or any other part of the armour) once in a while, but at once; and they must be on us all through our lives on earth. If you are ‘worded’, then you are ‘buckled’.
“…His delight and desire are in the law of the Lord, and on His law (the precepts, the instructions, the teachings of God) he habitually meditates (ponders and studies) by day and by night.” Ps. 1:2 (AMP)
This article is an excerpt from “The Disciple” category in the tracts series. Discover the seven other categories in this tract series and how you can register to receive them for free every month….by clicking here.
