How is the belt of truth part of my faith legacy?
What is the Belt of Truth in the Bible?
The Belt of Truth in the Bible is part of our spiritual armor and only one part of the whole armor of God. The apostle Paul was in prison when he wrote about the pieces of armor God has given us for the spiritual warfare we are drawn into the day we accept Christ as our Savior.
We will talk about the rest of the armor in the upcoming weeks, but we will focus on the belt for now. I’m sure Paul was seated when writing the Book of Ephesians, and his “security guard” was probably standing. The Roman soldier’s belt would have been the first piece of armor that caught his eye as he was sitting there writing this letter.
What is truth?
The Billy Graham Training Center explains for us to wear our Belt of Truth “we need to understand the truth of who God is – His character, His faithfulness. We need to understand the truth of God’s Word.”
The Belt of Truth is the foundation of God’s truth and our faith. It is the anchor that holds our faith together when we are in the thick of a spiritual battle. God’s truth is what the Christian life is built on.
Why do we need the Belt of Truth?
We need the belt of truth, my sweet friend, because the devil is a liar. The Bible calls him the “father of lies” in John 8:44.
"For you are the children of your father the devil and you love to do the evil things he does. He was a murderer from the beginning. He has always hated the truth because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and tsee myselfer of lies." John 8:44 NLT
I can just imagine standing there, listening to Jesus saying this. I know as I read it, I get worked up about satan’s lies. I think about all the ways he attacks us and our loved ones with his lies. I hate being lied to, and the devil does it all the time.
Every time that little voice tells you that you are not good enough, smart enough, pretty enough, you can’t do that thing the Lord is calling you to, God doesn’t really have a plan for your life, or you are a nobody; it is a lie from the enemy.
Girl, you are fighting the spiritual forces of evil when those thoughts invade your mind. That is one reason why we need the Spirit of Truth to remind us what God says, and the way He does that is by us putting on our Belt of Truth.
How do we put on the Belt of Truth?
We put on the Belt of Truth by reading the word of God, which, by the way, is the Sword of the Spirit. Don’t worry, we will get to that too!
There is a song by the group Consumed By Fire called First Things First. WOW! When I heard this song, it hit me right in the heart. All I could think was, “Am I putting the first things first in my life?” As a teenager and in college, I was consumed by my passion for Christ and living for Him. As I got older, got married, and had kids, it seemed like the business of life took over much of my priorities.
I still read my Bible, prayed, and went to church. But was I putting Christ first in my heart and how I lived my life? Are you being intentional in putting Christ first in your life? The truth of the gospel will illuminate areas of our lives we need to lay down at the cross. It gives us the good news of peace when we surrender to Him.
Lately, God has been talking to me about leaving a legacy of faith for future generations. I want to be a mom and Gigi who points my kids and grandkids to Christ. I want them to look at my life and want what I have because I lay it all down for Christ and live for Him and like Him every day.
We put on the Belt of Truth by knowing God, and the best way to know God and His character is to study our Bibles and pray.
Our Heavenly Father is honored when we live our lives according to the word of truth. We can stand against the schemes of the devil and his flaming arrows when we stand in the strength of His might.
What does wearing the Belt of Truth do for us?
The Belt of Truth allows us to walk in peace regardless of our circumstances. Do you feel left out, abandoned, unloved? The Belt of Truth reminds us of God’s love for us.
The very son of God came to earth, was betrayed, abandoned by his friends and family, and felt unloved by those who were closest to Him. Why did He do this? Because He loves you!
From the garden to the grave, from the grave to the resurrection, and from the resurrection to today, He is pursuing your heart because of His great love for you.
The Belt of Truth gives us the power to defeat the lies of the devil. It is the ultimate truth of who we are and not who the enemy wants us to believe about ourselves.
You are a daughter of the King, and regardless of the enemy’s lies, you are loved, cherished, and wanted, and you have value beyond rubies.
The Belt of Truth allows us to live our lives as the mighty warrior we are through Christ Jesus. Like Esther, we are called for such a time as this.
Practical Application of the Belt of Truth
So, the big question now is, how can we discern truth from lies in our daily lives, and how do we apply this to our lives, our marriages, our relationships with our teenagers, adult children, or grandkids, and how do we apply this to our mental health when all we want to do is stay in bed?
1 Samuel 3:6-8 talks about how David was very distressed and why, but the end of verse 8 says, “but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God.” The Belt of Truth allows us to see through the enemy’s deceit and come into the presence of the true God who has warned us who our real enemy is. We do not fight against flesh and blood enemies.
So, the good news is that your husband and children are not your enemy, even though it may seem like it. When it feels like all of hell is fighting against you and the walls of your world are falling in around you, the first thing you need to do is encourage yourself in the Lord.
Remind yourself of the truth of God’s word and what He says. Then praise Him for His love and mercy, and plan for your life. Evil will not stay in the presence of praise.
Sometimes our family and friends can seem like enemies, but they are not. Your real enemies are “evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, mighty powers in this dark world, and evil spirits in the heavenly places.” Ephesians 6:12
These enemies want you to believe the problem is with your husband, children, or friends. But the truth is, the devil lies; he is a master manipulator, and he knows if he can keep your focus on your problems, then you won’t be focused on God and following Him.
Remind yourself of these truths:
- God loves you even when it doesn’t feel like it.
- Bad things happen to everyone.
- God will never leave you or forsake you.
- God has given you everything you need to defeat the real enemy of your soul.
Application:
- Apply the Belt of Truth to your mind by studying and memorizing scripture. Use Biblical affirmations and speak life and truth over yourself and your family.
- Ask God to guard your mind and heart from the lies of the enemy and help you know, understand, and apply the truth of His word.
- Pray for your husband, children, and grandchildren. Ask God to guard their minds and hearts as well from the lies of the enemy. Ask God to remove the veil from their eyes and the clouds over their minds. Ask the Holy Spirit to turn their hearts and minds toward Christ.
- Speak the truth in love. It is not our job to do the work of the Holy Spirit. We cannot save our family, but we can speak the truth of God’s word over their lives. We can explain why it is important to always tell the truth and know the truth.
How will you use the Belt of Truth in your life?
It takes practice to learn to recognize how the enemy is deceiving us and to apply scripture to those situations. To help you do this, I have created the Bible Verse Battle Plan just for you. Use it for any situation or to pray for any person. I pray it blesses you and helps you discover the power of God’s word in your life and His incredible love for you.
