Sit, Walk and Stand based on Grace and His Finished Work (10)

Put on the Full Armor of God (3) – The Belt of Truth

In Ephesians 6:10-18, Paul tells us to put on the whole armor of God that we may stand against the wiles of the devil. The pieces of the armor mentioned in this passage of scripture are the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit. At first glance, there appear to be 6 pieces of the armor here but Pastor Prince has preached in one of his sermons that there is a 7th piece (7 being the number for perfection, completeness and rest while 6 is the number for man). The 7th piece of the armor of God is found in verse 18 : “praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit…” ( v 18) . Praying in tongues or in the Spirit as Paul says it here in verse 18 is the 7th piece of the armor! In today’s post, I shall share on the first piece of the armor which is the belt of truth.

“Roman soldiers wore a linen undergarment next to the skin, covered by a woolen one–piece tunic that came down to the knees. It was shaped like a “T” with a hole at the top for the head. It was sewn on two sides and generally had half sleeves. At times they were dyed, but most often they were the natural color of wool. The colored tunic was usually reserved for army commanders, the wealthy or those of the government status.

Over the tunic they placed a breastplate. At the bottom of the breastplate they wore a heavy belt made of connected bronze plates and leather with a buckle very similar to what we use today. This belt had one function. It served as the foundation on which the sword, dagger and metal apron were attached.

This belt was foundational for battle. In short, it supported the weapons that allowed the soldier to fight. " ( Source : http://www.realarmorofgod.com/armor-of-god.html )

The belt of truth is a very important piece of the armor because it holds the rest of the pieces in place. Paul beseeches us in verse 14 to “Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, (KJV). Interestingly, 1 Peter 1:13 tells us “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;” (KJV) Where is the battleground? The battle is in our minds! Therefore Paul says we have to put on the belt of truth. What or in this case, who is truth? John 14:6 tells us “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” (NKJ) Truth is a Person! Everything about our Christian life revolves around the Person of Jesus and His perfect and finished work on the cross.

When the devil attacks our minds with depressive and discouraging thoughts, we put on the belt of truth by filling our minds with the consciousness of Christ and what He has achieved for us on the cross. For example, when the devil puts condemning thoughts in our minds telling us that we do not deserve healing in our bodies, we put on the belt of truth by standing on the victory of His finished work and meditating on the truth of what the Bible says His finished work has accomplished for our condition. God’s Word tells us in 1 Peter 2:24 “who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed.” (NKJ)

When we put on the belt of the unchanging truth, we are putting on Christ Himself by filling our minds with the loveliness of Jesus, His finished work on the cross and what that has won for us. “But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.” (Romans 13:14 NKJ) Similarly, Philippians 4:8 tells us : “For the rest, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is worthy of reverence and is honorable and seemly, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely and lovable, whatever is kind and winsome and gracious, if there is any virtue and excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think on and weigh and take account of these things [fix your minds on them].” ( Amplified Bible) I can only think of one who fits all these wonderful qualities and His name is Jesus!

Jesus is the Truth and He is unchanging. He is the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8) When our minds are plagued by doubts and defeating thoughts, we put on Jesus who is the solid, unchanging Rock.

“On Christ the solid Rock, I stand
All other ground is sinking sand.”

------------------------to be continued------------------------