'Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth,' - Ephesians 6:14
In a world and culture in which 'relative truth', 'post-truth' and 'your truth' is the norm of the day, it is important to know our authority in the absolute and objective truth that is God's word. I was recently branded arrogant and divisive whilst street preaching, because I asserted that Jesus Christ is the way, the truth and the life..(John 14:6) and that God's word as revealed in the bible is the truth. In our discourse, I explained that Truth isn't subjective or governed by our emotions, perceptions or worldviews. This is because in essence; truth - the WORD of God is the person of Jesus Christ himself (John 1:1-5).
In Ephesians 6:10-20, Apostle Paul teaches us about the full armour of God in the military metaphor of a first century Roman soldier. The first piece of this armour to be worn (and also of the traditional dress of the day) was 'the belt of truth' (Ephesians 6:14). The belt was fastened around the waist and this held together other pieces of the armour such as the breastplate, the sword and the entire robe. In other words, the belt is the central piece of the soldier's armour. In our context also, we are to battle having already armed ourselves with the belt of truth i.e. God's word, otherwise we will be defeated even before we've started. We gird ourselves with the belt of truth when firstly, we allow the word of God to penetrate our conscience in order to change and transform our hearts daily, as John 17:7 says, 'sanctify them by the truth, your word is truth.' David in Psalm 51:10-19 cried out, 'Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me'. Similarly in Psalm 139: 23-24, David asks, 'Search me, oh God, and know my heart, try me and know my thoughts, and see if there be any wicked way in me an lead me in the way everlasting.' This is like saying, 'Lord, shine the light of your word in my heart and remove all that stands in the way of you moving through me for your glory.' This prayer should be our first battle-cry before we seek to do battle with the enemy, so that we are assured of the victory that is already ours in Christ.
As believers, we understand that we have a battle in the unseen realm to tackle. Our ability to address this battle in the invisible sphere determines our victory in the visible. The good news is that the enemy doesn't have a say on the final outcome of this battle because he is already defeated! As a result, we fight from a position of victory through the shed blood and accomplished work of Jesus Christ on the cross. Our daily posture in trusting the truth of God's word and receiving the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit clothes us with the full armour of God. By this we overcome the schemes of the devil so the purposes of God for our lives and His glorious gospel are advanced throughout the world.
Dear God, thank you for blessing us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. Open the eyes of our understanding to know you more through the truth of your word. For it is in you we have the victory, in Jesus' name, amen.
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