Where’s My Belt?
From The Armor Series
“Stand, therefore, with truth like a belt around your waist.” Ephesians 6:13a CSB
It was Sunday morning, and like always, we were rushing around like crazy trying to get out the door on time to go to church when my husband asked me, “Rachel, where is my belt?” After a series of questions and jabbering back and forth about why it wasn’t in his closet and why we had to take the time to search for it when we really didn’t have the time in the first place, we finally discovered it lying on the floor of his closet. It had slipped off the hook after the last time he took it off. Whispering a “thank you” to the Lord, we grabbed the belt and rushed out the door in a panic.
Normally it wouldn’t have been a big deal if we didn’t find his belt in time. I mean, he has gone to church before without a belt. But this particular Sunday his pants were a little looser than normal and he was struggling with keeping his shirt tucked in and his pants up. Thank the Lord we found the belt – we certainly didn’t have time for a new wardrobe change!
As daughters of the King, we can experience the same panicked, overwhelmed, anxious, and defeated craziness when we begin our day without putting on the belt of truth. Paul wrote about the armor of God as he was chained to a guard in prison. His surroundings gave him the perfect visual to layout in such detail each piece of the armor and why each was necessary for victory. From where Paul was sitting, he was able to see in detail why it was so important for that solider to have his belt on. As we discussed previously, the belt added strength and support to his core. The solider was useless without a strong core. It also gave the solider freedom. How did it do that?
Culturally, it was custom for a man to wear a long tunic. We can only imagine how restrictive that could have been for a solider. Imagine going into battle and getting all tripped up on the long garment. Goodness gracious – that would never do! So, they would tuck their tunic into their belt to keep from tripping over it. But that wasn’t all the belt was good for. The belt also secured several other pieces of armor and kept them in place.
So, how do we put on this belt of truth? How do we make sure that we don’t leave home without it? How do we keep from misplacing it?
Priscilla Shirer, in the Armor of God study, says this about how to put on the belt of truth:
1. Uphold and affirm the standard – the truth and boundaries set by God in scripture. Commit ourselves to them and resolve to teach them to our family.
2. Daily, systematically, repeatedly begin letting God help you align your decisions and responses, even your attitudes and ambitions alongside His benchmark of truth.
3. Continually learn about the character and purposes of God – both from the Bible and from His Spirit. Then unapologetically synchronize our convictions, even when we find it hard or unpopular to do so.
4. Filter every circumstance, personally and culturally, through the prism of His Word instead of merely leaning on our feelings, political correctness, or the opinions of others.
Dear friend, we must remember that truth is our starting place for everything. God’s truth. Period. It’s the only path to freedom and victory.
Dear God,
Thank you for teaching me how your truth needs to be my starting point. And God, truth is defined as your opinion on the matter and not mine or anyone else. Help me to never leave home without it. In Jesus name, Amen.
Dig Deeper:
Ephesians 4:14 CSB
“Then we will no longer be little children, tossed by the waves and blown around by every wind of teaching, by human cunning with cleverness in the techniques of deceit.”