The Belt of Truth...

I had a dream last night that I forgot my belt! haha!

Anyway, the idea stuck hard and fast... because as u know.. in Ephesians, it speaks also of the "Belt of Truth". So it prompted me to check up on the "Belt of Truth" Which perhaps I had forgotten.. and it was kinda like a message from God for me. I think perhaps I did indeed forget my belt! That's why i've been so frought in anxiety in my pursuit of doing God's work.

The article goes like this:

"Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might." (Ephesians 6:10)

Where will the believer find strength for warfare? Paul begins the paragraph on our Heavenly Armor with the word, "Finally..." Paul has spent the last 5 chapters going over everything we need to be successful in our Christian walk. Before we can STAND against the fiery darts of the wicked we need to realize that we must first --->

SIT with Christ in heavenly places (Ephesians 2:6-9)

and We must know how to WALK in Him down here. What does sitting do for us? Sitting is an attitude of rest. In the Spiritual realm, to sit down is simply to rest our whole weight, our load, ourselves, our future, everything -- upon the LORD.

Jesus said, "Come unto me all ye who are weary and heavy ladened and I will give you rest."

Our Christian life begins when we, like Mary (not Martha) have learned to sit at the feet of our Lord.

Jesus said, "IT IS FINISHED"Jesus is the VICTOR. Because victory belongs to Jesus, it is ours. GOD made it so.

It is only when we SEAT ourselves with JESUS that we can WALK.

Ephesians 4:1,2 -- "I therefore, the prisoner in the LORD, beseech you to WALK worthily of the calling wherewith ye were called, with all lowliness and meekness..."

Ephesians 5:2 -- "WALK in love, even as Christ also loved you, and gave Himself up for you."

Ephesians 5:8,10 --"WALK as children of light, ... proving what is well-pleasing unto the Lord."

In order to STAND we must make use of EVERY piece of armor given to us by GOD.

Ephesians 6:13, "Use every piece of God's armor to resist the enemy in the time of evil, so that after the battle you will still be standing firm."Use every piece of God's armor to resist the enemy in the time of evil, so that after the battle you will still be standing firm."

Who is the enemy?

1 Peter 5:8,9 "Be careful! Watch out for attacks from the devil, your great enemy ... He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for some victim to devour ... Take a firm stand against him, and be strong in your faith ... Remember that your Christian brothers and sisters all over the world are going through the same kind of suffering you are.

What armor has God provided and which part of the body does it provide security?

Ephesians 6:14, "Stand your ground, putting on the *Sturdy Belt of Truth*..." The belt was used to hold the soldier's clothing next to his body. This kept his clothing from flapping about and allowed him freedom of movement. The belt was also used to give strength and support.

What is God's truth that the believer is to put on as a belt?

Ephesians 4:24, "You must display a new nature because you are a new person, created in God's likeness -- righteous, holy, and true." ((my personal opinion, Oh God, may I not lead others astray in my opinions...))

Where does the SWORD rest while we are not using it?
In a special "sheath/belt" designed to carry it.

OK, let's make an application....In order to rightly divide using the Sword of the Spirit, the Word of GOD, we must first have had an encounter with the Gospel Message, the TRUTH of the Gospel, ((Belt of Truth)). Out of this encounter will come His Spirit who indwells us, giving us strength and support while instructing us in God's Word ((Sword of Spirit)).

Ephesians 1:13, "And now you also have heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit."

Another application to the belt of truth would be ((actually, this application will be a fruit of the other)): Since Satan depends on deceit to maintain his power, our first line of defense is always to be truthful. We must never distort or misrepresent the truth, regardless of any advantage we might gain by doing so. We are to live a life of truthfulness.

How can the "belt of truth" help us in our daily walk? (remember the purpose of the belt is to keep clothing from flapping around and to also give support and strength to the body)

It will keep us from "flapping around" from one belief system to another.

Ephesians 4:14, "That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine,..." Paul is very specific about our belief in Christ Jesus as the "only way" to GOD. If we have put on the Gospel message that Paul preached we will not be easily led into a false belief system.

It keeps us from getting all tangled up with the affairs of this life.

2 Tim 2:3-4, "Endure suffering along with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. And as Christ's soldier, do not let yourself become tied up in the affairs of this life, for then you cannot satisfy the one who has enlisted you in his army."

It supports us in our battles and trials of life.

Psalm 18:32, "It is God that girdeth me with strength, and maketh my way perfect."

Phil 4:13, "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me."I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me."

KNOW whom you have believe-ed!

My Life Application Bible says, "Satan fights with lies, and sometimes his lies sound like truth; but only believers have God's truth which can defeat Satan's lies."Blaise Pascal stated: "We arrive at the truth not by reason alone, but also by the heart."