E72 - Hope’s Harbor Gritty Bible Devotions - Armor of GOD - Belt of Truth - 2 of 7
Hope’s Harbor
Gritty Bible Devotions
Episode #72
Title: Armor of GOD – Belt of Truth – 2 of 7
Date: September 19, 2022
Contact: info@hopesharbor.net
Key verse(s): Eph 6:14a – ‘Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth…’
Intro: In order to fully appreciate the need for spiritual armor we should look at the world around us today and what is happening in Western societies.
Evil is on the march. Just in my lifetime since I became an adult 50 years ago, evil is being accepted and promoted in ways and places unimaginable back then.
When praying recently I asked GOD if He is punishing our nation for the rampant sin being embraced by the majority of our people. I got the image in my mind of GOD stepping back with hands raised palms out and saying, ‘This is not Me. This is the human race without my influence of restraint.’
If you think about it, the only reason we have law and order is under the influence of GOD. Let me clarify. When I say law and order I mean that kind of law that seeks to protect us and enable us to have a peaceful order.
Totalitarian regimes have law and order, but only so far as to keep and maintain power. The power of total control over those souls trapped within such a system.
To be concise there are essentially 2 types of governments: Those of freedom and those of repression.
Likewise in the spiritual realm, there are two governing powers: That of GOD and that of Satan. The positive of this is Satan only has rule GOD allows. Now, why would GOD allow evil to exist in the first place?
Without trying to unravel a mystery that predates what we know about creation, the Bible teaches that sometime before the human race was created an angelic being in Heaven rebelled against GOD’s rule.
This being we know as Satan. He was cast down to the earth and currently wages war against us, GOD’s people. Jesus said in John 10:10 – “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”
The thief alluded to is Satan. He is here to kill, steal, and destroy. Hence the need for GOD’s armor.
Devotion focus: The Belt of Truth is Crucial to all other Armor
· - Why did GOD have Paul write in Ephesians 6:14 the belt of truth first instead of the belt of faith?
Now, this is my personal belief… Truth must come first, then faith. Also when thinking of the analogy of Roman armor as it applies to spiritual armor the Roman belt must have been put on first because other pieces of armor and weaponry attached to and hung from it.
Jesus said in John 8:32 – “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." He was confronting Jewish religious leaders and His implication to them is that they were in bondage. His truth is intended to free anyone and everyone from spiritual bondage in whatever form.
Here’s the thing, we must choose the truth and not only that but apply the truth much like putting on a belt.
A side-note here: I recently had a long conversation with an atheist and I met my match when it came to defending my faith against his claims. A difficulty for me was he has read the Bible all the way through more times than I have – 6 times vs my 3 times. This encounter has motivated me to learn and understand Bible truth more deeply than I have been doing.
As to armoring up, when GOD’s truth is firmly in place, only then can we put in place the breastplate of righteousness.
You see, GOD’s truth when lived by and applied to our everyday lives leads to righteous living. Righteous living means always doing what’s right. What is more right than being truthful, of being a person who is known for always telling the truth? Of always doing right by other people.
If I belt on GOD’s truth through daily Bible study and application then when difficult situations arise requiring I tell the truth, I don’t have to stall and equivocate. This is despicable by the way, for a Christian to pause when the need for honesty presents itself.
Now listen, I know there are times when we must be honest, knowing the truth is going to hurt. But if we live by GOD’s truth and have committed to being a man or woman of integrity, this is exactly when our practice of putting on the belt of truth becomes evident and we don’t lie to avoid consequences we fear.
The only thing to consider is how to tell the truth without crushing someone. One other despicable practice I hear a lot, and one I’ve committed before is to justify lying by calling it ‘a little white lie.’
GOD says this about those ‘little white lies’ in Proverbs 6:16-19
Proverbs 6:16 – ‘These six things the LORD hates, Yes, seven are an abomination to Him:
Proverbs 6:17 – ‘A proud look, A lying tongue, Hands that shed innocent blood,
Proverbs 6:18 – ‘A heart that devises wicked plans, Feet that are swift in running to evil,
Proverbs 6:19 – ‘A false witness who speaks lies, And one who sows discord among brethren.’
To paraphrase these verses goes like this: GOD hates lying as His enemy, something His enemies do. He finds lying disgusting.
Now I’ve had someone tell me once she was always honest but will lie when she can’t make it to an appointment or is late. GOD says this is disgusting.
Why do we do this? I believe it is because we don’t know enough of GOD’s truth and it can be traced back to a lack of Bible reading and study. I can hear the excuses now and in fact have used them myself: I don’t have enough time – It, the Bible, is hard to understand – I read devotions instead, they make me feel better.
Brothers and sisters, this is why Christians are so weak in Western societies. A lack of Bible truth. They are going out to try and serve the LORD with a crucial piece of armor missing.
Summary: To armor up with truth is an ongoing process. We need a strong belt circling us if we are going to go out and serve the lost souls with whom we come in contact every day. GOD’s truth leads the way. Are you walking in it? If not, why not?
Action to consider: Armor is not needed within safe confines. We don’t armor up to sit safely in church or at home while others fight the LORD’s battles.
Armor protects us as we go out, find the gates of Hell and crash them. Untold billions will go to Hell for all time, no escape, and once they are there we cannot rescue them. No, now is the time to put your armor on and it starts with GOD’s truth strapped on you so tightly no one can rip it away, not an atheist, not a cultist, not their master, Satan himself.
Next week’s devotion: The Breastplate of Righteousness – Part 3 of 7