Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist… Ephesians 6:14a
The Roman soldier’s wide leather belt held the various garments and pieces of
armor securely in place. Loose armor was not only uncomfortable, but also
unsafe. The belt also held the scabbards for swords and daggers. It was
foundational to keeping everything balanced and in place.
Truth secures everything in our spiritual life. We can’t know what is truly
right or wrong apart from truth. In this spiritual warfare we wage, we “put on”
Christ, Who Himself is the “truth” (John 14:6). This
is our positional application of the belt. Putting on Christ Himself who is the
truth enables us to talk, walk and “fight” proclaiming Christ, the truth.
On another application level, buckling the belt of truth around your waist is
more than just seeking truth to find out facts. The servant-soldier of Christ
who puts on the armor of God must be willing to overcome his own prejudices to
find out the truth. He must struggle against his pride, which clings to his
preconceived ideas and makes him unwilling to re-examine them and change his
opinions.
Second, to wear the belt of truth means binding one’s whole nature together
with inner integrity. The belt of truth refers to the knowledge of one’s own
inherent wickedness, weaknesses and propensity to sin (Matthew 15:19;
7:4). King David
said, “Surely you desire truth in the inner parts; You teach me wisdom in
the inmost place.”(Psalm 51:6). This
is why a servant of Christ must review the basics of having a humble spirit,
mourning to God, seeking His meekness and hungering for righteousness.
Truth directly opposes Satan, the father of lies. His first challenge to Eve
was to even question God’s truthfulness. When we know and walk in God’s truth,
it sets us free (John 8:32).
Wuillie Marcelino Ruiz, an attorney and an evangelical Christian, was wrongly
accused of and sentenced to twenty years at the maximum-security Castro prison
in Lima, Peru for the crime of “terrorist collaboration” by a special faceless
court. Growing up in a close-knit family, his mother’s death during the first
year of his imprisonment was a cruel blow for him.
During a visit by an Open Doors team, Wuillie said, “Not everything inside
the prison is sadness. Many of our fellow inmates are receiving Jesus Christ as
the deliverer of their souls... God is touching the hearts of the authorities in
Peru; here in the prison we are not treated so harshly anymore. As the
scriptures tell us, we are not confined because the truth makes us free.”
Jesus is the Truth. Truth is on your side. Truth will win over the enemy’s
lies. Fill your heart with truth and stand by it. Put on the belt of truth!
RESPONSE: Today I put on the belt of truth so I can stand strong against
Satan’s lies.
PRAYER: Lord, help me fill my heart with truth today for it will set me
free. May innocent Christian prisoners know that freedom also.