The Belt of Truth
By: Jamie Angell, San Antonio, TX
"Stand firm therefore, HAVING GIRDED YOUR LOINS WITH TRUTH..." Ephesians 6:14
On this battlefield called life, we are at war with a formidable enemy. He will use every weapon in his arsenal to attack us on every side. Since Eve's fateful bite in the Garden, the devil has been trying to convince us that God doesn't really mean what He says. Satan insidiously seeps into our homes through the internet and TV to assault us with a barrage of missiles from a modern culture that has rejected truth and righteousness. He tries to make sin look less offensive and to convince us to tolerate, or even glorify, what God has condemned. He wants us to doubt the love of God and believe that hell is not real. We should not be surprised as Satan was a "murderer from the beginning" (John 8:44) and a thief who "comes only to steal and kill and destroy" (John 10:10). He is a force of darkness and wickedness who wants to capture our very souls and those of our children and grandchildren. Terrifying, right?!
It would be terrifying, indeed, if we had been left to fend for ourselves against the evil one and his host of minions. But "though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses" (2 Corinthians 10:3-4). Our arsenal has been made mighty by the power of God Himself to annihilate our enemy! Knowing this, we can be emboldened to answer the rallying cry for battle.
Throughout the Bible, the order to gird oneself was a call to prepare for action. How fitting that we are first instructed to gird our loins with the belt of truth against a sinister enemy who is "a liar and the father of lies" (John 8:44). We begin with truth as the foundation of the armor of God because it is the very basis of our relationship with Him. Our loyalty as a soldier rests upon our conviction that God is who He says He is and that He keeps His promises. Because Christ IS truth (John 14:6), we can be assured that He has already secured our eternal victory over death by His resurrection. We stand firm because we know that we fight for a faithful Creator, the Most High God! Like Job, amid his unwitting battle with Satan, we can boldly declare, “As for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last He will take His stand on the earth. Even after my skin is destroyed, yet from my flesh I shall see God" (Job 19:25-26).
What happens when we abandon truth? Romans 1:18-32 gives us a very clear picture of descent. First, we see in verse 18 that the truth is suppressed in unrighteousness, denying what is evident. Evil is called good, and good is called evil (Isaiah 5:20). When we refuse to acknowledge God, our hearts become darkened, and we deceive ourselves (Isaiah 5:21). We begin to glorify our foolish ways and deny the power of God, at which point, God gives us over to the lust of our hearts (Romans 1:22-24). Then, the truth is exchanged for a lie, and we worship the creature rather than the Creator. Finally, in verses 25-27, we slip into total depravity. Society becomes completely shameless (Jeremiah 6:15), wickedness reigns, and the wages of that wickedness is death (Romans 1:32). Sounding familiar? Is there hope?
"The night is almost gone, and the day is near. Therefore, let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light" (Romans 13:12). Truth is the light that exposes the darkness, so darkness despises the truth (John 3:19-21). We are called to walk as children of light (Ephesians 5:8-11), but we must be prepared, because the truth is bound to offend those who walk in darkness. Should that silence us? Never! Not speaking truth gives power to Satan and leaves the sinner to die in his sins. We cannot be silent, but the truth must be accompanied by mercy, kindness, and love to be victorious in the battle for the souls of men. Proverbs 3:3 tells us to bind truth and kindness around our necks and write them on the tablet of our hearts. In 2 Timothy 2:23-26, Paul instructs us to refuse things that are not true but to be kind and gentle in correcting those in opposition so that they might be brought to repentance. In Ephesians 4:14-15, Paul again warns us not to be easily deceived like children but speak the truth in love. Truth must be accompanied by love and mercy!
In the American court of law, we are ordered to tell "the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth." We are not to distort, embellish, or compromise the truth. The truth cannot be based on emotion or opinion or theories. If God is our standard for truth, (since He cannot lie - Titus 1:1-3), truth is non-negotiable. Among the seven things that are an abomination to God in Proverbs 6:16-19, lying is mentioned twice! God will not negotiate the truth as we see from King Saul in 1 Samuel 15:10-23. Nor will He allow it to be diluted as Ananias and Sapphira tried with disastrous results in Acts 5:1-11. As the church, we must be the pillar of truth (1 Timothy 3:15). Therefore, as His soldiers, we must be diligent to show ourselves approved to God, being able to "accurately handle the word of truth" (2 Timothy 2:15).
Yet, if we do not live a life of integrity, it does no good to wear the belt of truth and wield the sword of the Spirit. A watching world will reject God's word if they can't see it displayed in us. We would then become imposters, with allegiance to the other side. God forbid! We are daughters of the King of Kings who have been enlisted in the army of the Lord of Lords! We must wear truth with love and obedience and discipline to be effective in warfare.
So, valiant princess warriors, cinch on that belt of truth with the sword of the Spirit tightly secured by your side and stand firm against the schemes of the devil! God has equipped us with spiritual weapons divinely powerful for the destruction of Satan's strongholds. We already know Who wins! The victory can be ours through our Lord Jesus Christ!