Use the Sword 101

Study 4

Belt of Truth

Before we start this week's study, I have a personal prayer request.
As some of you may know, we have just had a baby on Nov. 1st.
I am now working two jobs, 14 hours a day Monday through Friday and eight hours on Saturday, so that my wife can stay home with our baby.
My heart and desire from the Lord is to continue these studies each week, as well as being there for my family.
My prayer request is for strength and wisdom to do both ministries (my family and these studies and devotionals).
I have asked the Lord to provide a laptop computer so I can do the studies during my lunchtime at work.
The only way I can continue on with these studies is with the Lord's strength, wisdom, provisions and your prayers.
That's all I ask from you is your prayers for my family and me.

So let's get started in this weeks study.
Last week I told you we would be finally getting into the armor of God.
I also asked you to read Ephesians 6:13-17 and find out which piece of armor we would be starting with.
Did you figure it out? If you said the "Belt of Truth" then you get an "A" on your homework.
Let's read Ephesians 6:13-17 and see this piece or armor mentioned first.

  • Eph 6:13-17 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;


    • I know you don't see the word belt here, but if you read it in the NLT you will see it.

  • Eph 6:14 (NLT) Stand your ground, putting on the sturdy belt of truth and the body armor of God's righteousness.


    • Also the word "girded" means: to fasten garments with a girdle or belt.

    In the KJV it reads like this.

  • Eph 6:14 (KJV) Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;


    • With the word "Loins" meaning: 1) the hip (loin)
    1a) to gird, gird about, the loins
    2) a loin, the (two) loins
    2a) the place where the Hebrews thought the generative power (semen) resided.

    So what does this all mean and why do we need this Belt of Truth as part of our armor?
    This was a question Pilate asked Jesus before He was crucified.

  • John 18:37-38 37 Pilate therefore said to Him, "Are You a king then?" Jesus answered, "You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice." 38 Pilate said to Him, "What is truth?" And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews, and said to them, "I find no fault in Him at all.


    • First thing is God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit are called truth in the bible.

  • John 14:6 Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.


  • Isaiah 65:16 16 So that he who blesses himself in the earth
    Shall bless himself in the God of truth;
    And he who swears in the earth
    Shall swear by the God of truth;
    Because the former troubles are forgotten,
    And because they are hidden from My eyes.


  • John 14:16-18 "If you love Me, keep My commandments.16 "And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever-- 17 "the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. 18 "I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.


    • The truth is also believing. An example would be a child who believes what his or her parents tell them. Hopefully you're not telling your children any lies. Maybe you don't think you do, but what about Santa Claus or the Easter bunny? Have you told your children that these are true things? Are they expecting this big man in a red suit and a white beard to come to your home on Christmas Eve while they are sleeping?
    Sure there was a man called Saint Nicholas, but he was not what the world now calls Santa Claus. And there never was as big rabbit that laid eggs.

    But God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit are truth and we can trust them not to lie to us.

  • John 16:14 "However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.14 "He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you.


    • OK so what does that have to do with our armor?

  • Psalms 119:160 The entirety of Your word is truth,
    And every one of Your righteous judgments endures forever.


  • John 17:17 "Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.


    • As we get into the Sword of the Spirit (which is the word of God) it will help us understand a little more about how important truth is.

    But for now think about truth and God verses truth and the world.

    We know there is no truth in this world, or should I say we cannot trust anyone to be totally honest with us.
    You can go to a car dealer but do you really trust that the sales man is telling you everything about the car you are looking at?
    What about the commercials on TV, do you think they are telling you the truth about their product and the affects it will have on you?

    Think about cigarettes and how they were portrayed years ago as something great, but now we know they will, not can, but will kill you.

    So whom can you trust?
    Sad to say in this world no one, not even me. I always encourage everyone who reads these studies to search God's word to make sure I am teaching you the truth and let me know if I have not in any way!

  • Psalms 86:11 Teach me Your way, O LORD;
    I will walk in Your truth;
    Unite my heart to fear Your name.


    • Now others or I may not lie or mislead you intentionally, but it could happen. Even with someone you love or even your best friend.

    OK, I understand that, but still I don't get the armor thing here?

    Going through the studies on the armor of God, we see that it all has to do with protection and other then the Shield of Faith and the Sword of the Spirit, the remaining armor just stays there on your body protecting it against any attacks.

    So why is truth so important as a piece of armor?
    As we learned about our enemy last week, we learned that satan is a liar and the father of lies.

  • John 8:44 "You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.


    • satan will lie to you about your salvation and tell you that you messed up or sinned too much for God to ever forgive you. Sometimes he will even say that you sinned this same sin to many times and God has given up on you and wont forgive you.
    We may all felt at one time or another like God had left us or has forgotten about us, but then that is another lie from the devil.

    Are you starting to see how important truth is?

    Without truth protecting us we would believe the lies and just walk away from the Lord.
    Even when we don't trust the Lord we are calling Him a liar.

  • 1 John 2:22-23 22 Who is a liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist who denies the Father and the Son. 23 Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father either; he who acknowledges the Son has the Father also.


    • Also when we try to do more then trust in our salvation through the work that Jesus did on the cross, we are saying that God is a liar because even on the cross Jesus said.

  • John 19:30 So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, "It is finished!" And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.


    • "It is finished!" meaning the work Jesus came to do, which was to save us, every sin you committed was paid for on the cross by Jesus.
    So when we try to give money to God, or do any works to earn our salvation we are saying that Jesus lied on the cross and that it wasn't finished.

    So how do we know what is truth and what isn't?

  • 2 Sam 7:28 "And now, O Lord GOD, You are God, and Your words are true, and You have promised this goodness to Your servant.


  • Psalms 33:4 For the word of the LORD is right,
    And all His work is done in truth.


    • By being in God's word.

  • John 17:17 "Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.


    • As I said at the beginning of this study, God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit are truth, so by reading God's word you will see the truth and next time Satan tells you that you sinned to much or that God won't forgive you for that sin, or that God has left you, you have the belt of truth protecting you against the lies of the devil and of this world.

    When we get into the study on the Sword of the Spirit we will learn how to use God's word, which is truth not only for protection but to fight back.

    Next week we will study "the Breastplate of Righteousness".

    May God richly bless you as you stay in His word of truth!
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