The Belt of Truth:
Ephesians 6:14a
Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist… (New International Version)
What Does it Mean?
The whole armour of God is made up of six parts, and each part is portrayed like the armour that a Roman soldier would have worn. Remember that the Apostle Paul wrote this passage almost 2000 years ago, and the people that he was writing to would have been very familiar with the kind of armour that Roman soldiers wore.
Today, we’re looking at the first piece of armour of God, which, in the NIV translation of the Bible, is called the “belt of truth.” What does a belt do in a Roman suit of armour? It holds other things in the armour, such as the breastplate, together and can also be used for storing weapons, such as a sword. Like a physical belt, the spiritual belt of truth holds together other parts of the armour of God.
Truth is the key word here. Truth means honesty and integrity, and when we have a full understanding of the truth of the gospel, the truth of who God is and the truth of who we are in Christ, we can face the enemy (satan) without any fear. But it’s not just about understanding the truths of God – there is a practical application to the belt of truth. Satan is a liar, but when we base our lives on truth, we can defeat him. Often, however, we think it’s okay to tell little white lies, and we are experts at justifying to ourselves why we ‘need’ to tell a lie. But when we let lies into our lives, however big or small, we give the devil opportunity to attack. It’s like loosening, or even taking off, the belt of truth. And when we do that, everything starts to fall apart. In the Old Testament, King David lied about his sin with Bathsheba for a whole year, and during that year, nothing went right for him. Only when he stopped lying, and acknowledged and repented of his sin, did things start to go right in his life again. We need to make sure that our lives are built on the truth of God, and make sure that we live lives of honesty and integrity not of lies and deception.
Ponder-Points
Are there any lies in your life that you need to repent of in order to tighten up your belt of truth?
In what ways do you justify the lies you tell?
Think back to the list you made of the way the devil tries to gain advantage of you in battle. In what ways can the belt of truth be used against these attacks?
Prayer
Father God, we thank you for the belt of truth that holds together our spiritual armour and enables us to resist the enemy without fear. Help us to recognise any lies in our lives that weaken the belt of truth and give us a fuller understanding of the truths of who you are and who we are in you. Thank you that Jesus is the way, the truth and the life, and that when we stand firm on the truth of the gospel, no weapon formed against us can prosper. Amen.