Belt of Truth
Ephesians 6:13-14
13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to withstand on that evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. 14 Stand therefore, and fasten the belt of truth around your waist, and put on the breastplate of righteousness. (NRSV)
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When I search a word, “peaceful town” on the Internet, the result came with “safest and most peaceful towns …” That means the peace comes from the security. The security doesn’t come naturally. When we have more power and defeat the enemy, we can have the security and peace. For our safety, America has the strongest army in the world.
Everyone wants to live in peace, but many people don’t know we have to earn it. In other words, we have to fight against the enemy and secure the peace. When we are home, we can sit on the comfortable couch and eat popcorn while watching TV peacefully. That wouldn’t be possible unless the police officers in our town work hard to secure our safety.
To have the spiritual peace in our mind, it is similar but different. We cannot hire security officers to have the peace in my soul. Instead, everyone is responsible for fighting and protecting the person’s own soul.
For this reason, the Bible encourages us to be strong in the Lord by putting on the whole armor of God. Ephesians 6:12 says, “We do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”
That means the Armor of God protects us from the enemy’s attack and helps us to win the spiritual battle against the various temptations which lead us to sin. The devil, our spiritual enemy, throws the flares of the temptation at us and tries to destroy us with sin.
As I described before, when we lose the spiritual battle, we have no joy and peace in our daily life because we cannot have the peace in our hearts. That's why it is very very important to win the spiritual battle because that leads us to live a victorious life in Christ.
To defend us and fight against the devil, everyone should wear the armor of God. Apostle Paul gives a good analogy by using the armor of the Roman soldier.
Here is the Armor of the Roman soldier, which has the helmet, the breastplate, the belt, the shoes, the shield, and the sword. As we know, each part has`a special meaning and purpose.
Today, I am going to share the meaning of the belt of truth and why we need it.
- The purpose of the belt
The belt is to secure the pants. It allows a person to move freely and quickly. There are many kinds of belts depending on the purpose. Carpenters use carpentry belts to hold all kinds of tools handy. Without the carpentry belt, they may not be able to complete any jobs in time, and it would be very unproductive. Likewise, a soldier also needs a belt to secure his pants while holding many things - like bullets, a dagger, a water bottle, and other things to fight against the enemy.
- Fasten belt at the Passover
In the OT, the belt was mentioned during the exodus. God told Israelites how to prepare the Passover. Exodus 12:11, “… You shall eat it: with your belt fastened, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. And you shall eat it in haste. It is the Lord's Passover.” As we remember, the meaning of Passover is ‘the salvation through Jesus Christ.’
When God asked the belt fastened, we can find the following reasons.
a. We should not settle our life in this world; We must be ready to leave when God calls us.
b. When Christ calls us, we better be ready to follow Him.
c. We should not be lazy because we don’t know when our Lord will call us.
- The truth to put on the belt to fight the spiritual war – this is very important.
a. The truth of the Gospel (Jesus is the truth)
b. The faith in Christ as the Lord and Savior
c. The Holy Spirit filled assurance of the salvation
d. Testimonies to share the love of Christ
e. Word of God - memory verses
f. Merciful heart for the lost people
g. Money and time to help and serve people
Of course, it is not easy to hold all of these items in our spiritual belt. But, if we have them, it would be very convenient and effective to fight against the devil and guide the lost people to Christ.
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Stanley Tam is a Christian businessman from OH. He runs the US Plastic Company. He is a businessman but shares the Gospel wherever he goes. At work, in a hotel, on a plane, and even in a restaurant.
His a-mile-long business building has a big sign, “Jesus is the answer” which is faced to the interstate highway I-70. Because of his desire to please the Lord by sharing the Gospel, thousands of people came to Christ.
He can do that because he is fully equipped with the belt of truth. When he experienced the Holy Spirit’s presence in his life, he was assured of the faith and started sharing testimonials. He memorized many scripture verses, and have a love of Christ, and money to help people. I believe he is an excellent example of a man who is equipped with the belt of truth.
- Lastly, why should we wear the belt of truth?
We are the spiritual soldier of the Lord. When we fight the spiritual war against our enemy, we must wear the belt of the truth. The truth is the word of God, which is the essential ammunition. The following is three reasons to put the belt of truth.
a. Sharing the Gospel is to obey the Great Commission of Christ.
That means it’s not an option. But, to share the Gospel, we must have the assurance of the truth in Christ. For this, we must know and memorize the Word of God as the spiritual ammunition. Just like the carpenter, we have to remember and find the right verses to be a more powerful soldier for the Lord.
b. The truth is the foundation to fight against the devil
The soldiers build a strong foundation of the fortress to fight against the enemy. Likewise, we have to build our spiritual foundation with the word of God which is the ammunition to fight against the devil. Even, Jesus defeated the devil with the word of God.
c. The truth of the word of God gives us the confidence
Please try it and have the confidence in the truth, then you will know why. Isaiah 11:5 says, “Righteousness shall be the belt around his waist, and faithfulness the belt around his loins.”
Have you thought about the belt of truth before? If you have not, this is the time to put it on, which gives you the joy and peace in your heart. Let’s keep on reading and meditating the word of God and enjoy the victorious life in Christ.
As a spiritual soldier, let’s equip with the belt of truth in everyday life so that we can defeat the devil at no time. Amen.