Ephesians 6:12-14


For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the…powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that…you may be able to stand…firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist… ~ Ephesians 6:12b, 13a, 14a

Yesterday, I wrote briefly on the armor of God which gives us the power to rebuke the devil in Jesus’ mighty name. Today, I am going into greater detail. The spiritual attack we face as Christians is similar, yet, dissimilar to a physical attack one may feel upon their body. A spiritual attack aims its arrow at the soul, at the unity of the body of Christ, at causing dissension within that body of Christ, and at doctrines which are not Christ inspired. They are heresy which enters the church. First, we must understand what heresy is. It is not the forsaking of all that Christ teaches, it is in fact concentrating on one aspect of Christ’s teachings while leaving other aspects out. Heresy is stating Christ died for our sins, the end. It is ignoring He was raised, resurrected from death in fact, to life, to conquer our sins and give us eternal life in Him. The evil one will use all kinds of schemes to break down the children of God, and there are many types flaming arrows the evil one will take advantage of in his fight.
We, therefore, need the full armor of God covering our spirit in our battle against the devil. The stance we take is to stand firm, and this is important. It is a military term meaning that we hold our position firm. There is no wavering, lack of balance, or hesitation. We are at the ready. When we let our guard down, the enemy has an advantage. We will not give him that when we stand firm. And, we will not only hold our position, but there will be no yielding of our position. We will be as a fortress on a hill, strong, well-built, well prepared.
Our first piece of equipment to don then, is the belt of Truth. The belt for a soldier was very important. He only loosened his belt when he was off duty. Soldiers in those days wore a type of A-line garment, a tunic, which went down to mid-thigh. It was baggy on the body, and not a good fighting garment. But when the belt was tightened around the waist, it held the garment close to the body and was not obstructive or a hindrance. The belt also held the breastplate in place, the important covering of the chest. From it the scabbard which sheathed the sword was also hung. Isaiah 11:5 describes Christ as having righteousness as His belt, and for us it is the truth not only of the Gospel, but of the truth of our inward being, which is indwelt by Christ. Our lives are based in the teachings of Christ and in living with the integrity of His teachings. Our very character is to show forth the character of Christ in our daily living.
The belt of a Roman soldier in Paul’s day was not a simple leather strap such as we wear today. It was a thick, heavy leather and metal band with a protective piece hanging down from the front of it. It is fitting that the belt of truth is the first piece of the whole armor of God. Jesus is “the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6), and it is only through Him that we come to God. Therefore, truth is of the utmost importance in the life of a Christian. Without truth, the rest of the armor would be of no use to us because we would not have the Spirit of truth (John 15:26).
Devotion by Pastor Julia

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