Belt of Truth
Well, Friend, I know it’s been a while. If you didn’t know, I’ve had to shift some priorities over the last few months to make sure my main focus is where it needs to be—on my family. God has been teaching me so much lately about ministering to those closest to me, and someday I’ll tell you more about it. For now, though, I’d love to keep talking about the Armor of God.
Like I said, I know it’s been a while. If you need a recap, you can see all of the previous emails here. But in a nutshell, we’ve had our pep talk. We know now who our enemy is. We know that God has already secured the victory—and that He gives us His armor to wear into battle. We’ve even been encouraged that our job not so much about advancing as it is simply (ha!) standing firm.
Now it's time to put on our armor and fight.
Over the next several weeks, we will look at each piece of armor. We’ll talk about the purpose each piece serves and why Paul connected these attributes to the corresponding items. As we do this, I’d love to encourage you to read this passage (Ephesians 6:10-18) every day. It’s only about 7 sentences, depending on your translation; and as you’ll see as we get into today’s email, immersing ourselves into God’s Word is vital in our battle prep.
So go ahead. Take a minute to read. I’ll wait here. (And if you’re worried about it getting stale, check out the Bible study tips at the end of this email!)
Shall we continue?
Today we start with the Belt of Truth.
If I were Paul, I think I might have gone with a head-to-toe order… or maybe toe-to-head… or even alphabetical. Something. But he starts right smack in the middle, with an article of clothing we normally put on last. And it’s no accident, either. Paul knows that the first piece of armor we need to grab in this war is the piece that will remind us—and our enemy—of exactly who (and Whose) we are.
Stick with me. I know that doesn’t seem to make sense, but that’s because you’re not thinking like a Roman citizen.
You see, in ancient times, only soldiers wore belts—and they wore them even when they were off-duty. Their tunics and robes were similar to everyone else’s; but if you saw someone wearing a belt, you knew: You were in the presence of a soldier.
When we gear up for battle, we grab our belts first, our key identifier. And our belt, the thing that sets us apart from everyone else, is the truth.
The truth. God’s truth. Not my truth or your truth or the subjective truth that runs rampant in our world today. (“Couples Retreat” anyone?)
When we strap on the belt, we are identified as Christ followers because God’s truth sets us apart.
So let’s look at what else Paul says about truth in this letter to the Ephesians:
- 1:13 – Truth led to us being sealed with the Holy Spirit
- 4:20-25 – Truth is in Jesus, shows care, and builds community
- 5:7-9 – Truth is connected to light.
I don’t want to rush past this, {{first_name}}. In order to be fully dressed for battle, it’s vital we have a thorough understanding of our armor. So at the bottom of this email, you’ll find a deeper study into the Scriptures that connect truth and light. And next week we’ll talk more about what God’s Word has to say about truth. Because it’s worth spending a little more time talking about it.
But for today, I will close with one last word of encouragement… In order to wrap the belt of truth around our very core, we have to know the truth. And knowing truth comes from abiding in Jesus. How are you abiding in Him? Are you spending regular time in His Word? Are you communing with Him in prayer?
What truth has God been teaching you lately? I’d love for you to hit reply and share it with me!
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Battle Prep
Throughout Scripture, we see lines drawn connecting light and truth. Let’s spend a few days looking at some of these passages and deepening our understanding of God’s Word.
Before we get started, let me give you a few of my favorite Bible study tips:
- Pray. This is always a great place to start in any undertaking, but especially when studying Scripture. Ask the Holy Spirit to open the eyes of your heart, to teach you something new about Himself.
- Read the passage a few times. Maybe read it in multiple translations. (The YouVersion app is great for this!)
- Summarize the key point(s) of the passage in your own words. Jot down a few observations. Do you see repeated words/ideas? (This happens less when we’re studying a few verses at a time, but it’s still a helpful concept to keep in mind.) Does it teach about any attributes of God? Note any key transition words (therefore, because, if/then, etc.). Write down any questions the text brings up for you or things you don’t understand.
- Seek to understand & apply the passage. Look up any cross-references that appear in your Bible. Consult a commentary. Ask yourself, “What does this passage teach me about God? How does it shape my understanding of him or my view of self? How should this change me?”
- Pray some more. 😉
So let’s take those tips and use them to help us study these passages:
- Psalm 43:3, 119:105
- John 1:1-9
- 2 Corinthians 4:1-6
- 1 John 1:5-7
- Ephesians 5:6-14
Each of these passages talks about the idea of light. As you read, think about how light is being used to represent truth, God, the gospel, etc. Why did God use light and darkness as metaphors in this way? How does this help us to better understand Him? How does it help us to better understand the belt of truth as our identifier?
Are you trying to understand why exactly God has you here? Are you looking for purpose in your everyday, ordinary life? Check out my new book, Life on Purpose, now available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble!
