The Belt of Truth

Ephesians 6:14 (TPT)
“Put on truth as a belt to strengthen you to stand in triumph…”

God has not left us naked before the enemy; He has provided us with spiritual weaponry that has the ability to not only stand against but defeat any scheme that the devil would try to use against us. Jesus knows that in order for us to successfully fight the unseen powers that have been assigned against us, we must have His special supernatural power that He has provided for this fight.

Here is what we see in Ephesians 6:10-18 (TPT):
“Now my beloved ones, I have saved these most important truths for last: Be supernaturally infused with strength through your life-union with the Lord Jesus. Stand victorious with the force  of his explosive power flowing in and through you. Put on God’s complete set of armor  provided for us, so that you will be protected as you fight against the evil strategies of the accuser! Your hand-to-hand combat is not with human beings, but with the highest principalities and authorities operating in rebellion under the heavenly realms.  For they are a powerful class of demon-gods  and evil spirits that hold  this dark world in bondage. Because of this, you must wear all the armor that God provides so you’re protected as you confront the slanderer,  for you are destined for all things  and will rise victorious. Put on truth as a belt to strengthen you to stand in triumph. Put on holiness as the protective armor that covers your heart. 15Stand on your feet alert, then you’ll always be ready to share the blessings of peace. In every battle, take faith as your wrap-around shield, for it is able to extinguish the blazing arrows coming at you from the evil one! Embrace the power of salvation’s full deliverance, like a helmet to protect your thoughts from lies. And take the mighty razor-sharp Spirit-sword  of the spoken word of God. Pray passionately  in the Spirit, as you constantly intercede with every form of prayer at all times. Pray the blessings of God upon all his believers.”

Paul, by revelation from the Holy Spirit, uses the Roman soldiers' uniform to reveal the seven pieces of spiritual armor. We have been given this armor to deal with any amount of spiritual warfare we may undergo in this life. Please understand that none of these are worn separately from the rest. We do not just put on the Belt one day, then the next decide to carry the Sword. To put on the Armor of God is to put on Christ (Romans 13:14)! 

There is no mistake why Paul begins with the piece that ALL other pieces rely on and that is the Belt of Truth. Now does scripture tell us what “Truth” is? John 17:17 says “Your Word is truth! So make them holy by the truth.” So we clearly see that the Word of God is truth! In the original Greek there are two different words that have been translated as “word”.

1. Logos- the sayings of God; His commands, precepts, decrees, and judgments; God's moral precepts; doctrine/teaching. This is the written Word of God, the Holy scriptures, the Bible
2. Rhema- a word that has been uttered by a living voice; the spoken word. Many say this is just when someone speaks the written Word of God, but it is pointing to something more powerful. Rhema is the revelation word that is spoken. It is when we speak the Word of God from a place where the Holy Spirit has revealed the truth of it to our heart!

Now in John 17:17 we find it is the “logos” word, which tells us that the Belt of Truth is the written Word of God, the Holy Scripture, the Bible. So don’t be confused when someone holds up their Bible and says they have the Sword, because what they are holding is the Belt. It doesn’t become the Sword until it becomes spoken from a place of revelation!

Although the belt may not be the most beautiful, most noticeable part of the armor it is the most important! Without a belt we stand the chance of our pants falling down, and then we will begin to trip, stumble and eventually fall down… Catch this! As we will see as we continue through each of the pieces without a belt there would be no resting place for the Shield, or the Sword. Friends, the Belt keeps everything together! Another interesting point is that of all of the weapons the Belt of Truth is the only piece that has passed from the spirit realm into the physical, and is tangibly available to put in our very hands! So keep your belt near at all times!!!

So many in the modern church age have multiple Bibles in their homes, yet for the most part they are thrown in a drawer, or sitting on a stand covered in dust. They may have in fact read it all the way through and so they think they are done. The Word of God is alive and powerful (Hebrews 4:12), it is the Bread of Life (John 6:35), it is what our very soul needs DAILY (Matthew 4:4). So to lay aside our Bible will cause us to lose our sense of righteousness. We will slowly begin to lose our sense of peace, and the joy of our salvation begins to deplete. If we continue to toss it aside we will quickly begin to lose our ability to believe Jesus and to walk in faith! 

As followers of Jesus Christ the Word of God must be central and active in our lives daily. We cannot rely on just what our pastors, or our favorite YouTube preachers/teachers, or our family or friends tell us the Word of God says. We must have a personal relationship where we fellowship in the Word of God, with the Holy Spirit who is our greatest teacher (John 14:26; John 16:13-15)!

One of the biggest things seen in the modern church age is how many are trying to build churches with a focus upon one single aspect and that does not produce the fullness that Jesus is looking for.

• Praise and Worship- this is a movement getting greater emphasis and although praise is a vital part of the life of a believer it cannot be the only focus. I am seeing where people are replacing time in the scripture with listening to playlists, this is not the Belt of Truth! This “sacrifice of praise” as many call it is replacing obedience to God’s Word, and scripture tells us “obedience is better than sacrifice” (1 Samuel 15:22). Jesus says, “You are permitted to understand the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven, but others are not. To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given, and they will have an abundance of knowledge. But for those who are not listening, even what little understanding they have will be taken away from them.” (Matthew 13:11-12). He also said, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:31-32). Jesus here again says “All who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and we will come and make our home with each of them. Anyone who doesn’t love me will not obey me. And remember, my words are not my own. What I am telling you is from the Father who sent me.” (John 14:23-24)
• Social gatherings- yes community and fellowship is another important piece, yet some try to build by an overemphasis on fun. Speaking only encouraging and uplifting messages that make the people feel good and scratches their itchy ears. Scripture clearly warns of this, wee see “For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear. They will reject the truth and chase after myths.” (2 Timothy 4:3-4)
• Prayer- this is a very crucial part, and one missing by far corporately, yet again cannot be the sole part that is built upon. Jesus cleanses the temple and says “The Scriptures declare, ‘My Temple will be a house of prayer,’ but you have turned it into a den of thieves.”

Does scripture clearly reveal to us what Jesus’ church is to look like? “All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer. A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders. And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had. They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need. They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity— all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved.” (Acts 2:24-47)

I find it interesting that the first key listed is all believers devoted themselves to teaching, and then we see all of the points listed above come in. The Word of God must be the foundation that a church is built upon. Only then will the full blessing of the Lord Jesus be upon it, and then He will multiply! 

What is your goal? Do you want to succeed spiritually? Do you want to defeat the enemy when he comes against your life? Do you want to be spiritually equipped? If you want to walk through life clothed in your spiritual armor, you must begin by taking up the Word of God and permanently applying it to your life. You have to give it full importance and authority in your life, because as we have seen it is what holds the rest of your weaponry together. The scripture must be the final say-so in your life!

For those who are unsure of where to begin, below is how I encourage believers to start. Always invite the Holy Spirit to teach you, to help you understand, to give you revelation of the Lord Jesus and the truth of His word!

• Proverbs- these are very black and white, they're not parables, and are easy to learn, understand and obey. They teach people wisdom and Kingdom disciplines!
• Psalms- there is so much richness and depth found in the Psalms. Although some may seem hard to grasp at the moment they will stir up your spirit man and in due time the Holy Spirit will awaken them to you! Many are written as songs and regardless of your voice try to sing them back to the Lord as you read them!
• Matthew, Mark, Luke, John- this is where you can really focus on the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ, from His incarnation, birth, life, crucifixion, burial, resurrection, and ascension. You can see His nature, His character, how He did life with His disciples, and how He ministered to others.
• Continue going through the New Testament- the rest of the books in the New Testament set forth how those in the Body of Christ are to live, move, and have their being in Christ.
• Old Testament- it is best to have some solid understanding of who Jesus is in order to really understand how He is revealed in the Old Testament. The more clear our revelation of Jesus, the better we see Him all the way through the scripture!