The Fight (Spiritual Battle) Part 13
Last week we started our discussion on the importance of the armor of God as we engage in spiritual battle. The week we will be looking at the armor piece by piece as we talk about the Belt of Truth.
Ephesians 6:14a (NIV)
14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, ..
What is Truth?
That seems to be the question in our society and culture today. Statements like that might be true for you but it is not true for me are commonplace. People want the truth to be whatever they want it to be. We have substituted what we think or want to be true for what truth really is. The truth is much more than an ideal. The truth is Jesus. Take some time to ponder the following verses:
John 14:6 (NIV)
6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
John 1:1 (NIV)
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
John 1:14 (NIV)
14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
John 17:17 (NIV)
17 Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.
How does Jesus being the Truth impact our daily lives?
We need to be people of integrity. When I think about integrity, I think about what I say I believe matching up with how I live my life. The old saying for this is “practice what you preach”. Every area of my life that doesn’t yet match up with what I say I believe, is an area where I am still lacking integrity. It would be great to say that I don’t have any of those areas left in my life, but that would be a lie and a lack of integrity. To keep pressing on toward a life of integrity and truth we need to focus on living lives that are pleasing to God.
1 Thessalonians 4:1 (NIV)
1 Finally, brothers and sisters, we instructed you how to live in order to please God, as in fact you are living. Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more.
This type of living is not possible without God’s help. We need to know that He is with us and for us. That He loves and forgives us. That when we mess up He will forgive us and empower us by His spirit to do the next right thing. The belt of truth allows us to engage in the spiritual battle as people of integrity and demonstrate the fruit of the Spirit in the world.
Steve Lawes is a church encourager and the lead pastor of Keys Vineyard Church.