Why do you need to understand the Belt of Truth?
To understand all you need to know about the Belt of Truth, we must first start with why. Why do you need a better understanding of the Belt of Truth? Having that better understanding will bring you closer to Jesus, it will prepare you for and protect you during spiritual warfare, and the Bible tells us to “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” Studying God’s Word is one of the most important things you can do as a Christian.
One Piece of the Armor of God
Grab your Bible, a notepad, and a pen as we learn and grow in God’s Word together. Ephesians 6:14 is the scripture that tells us to “stand firm, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist.” Reading the verses before and after this scripture will show you the entire picture. Start reading in Ephesians 6:10 and read all the way to verse 17. This is the full armor of God, which the belt is only one piece of. Apostle Paul wrote Ephesians, as a letter to encourage the Ephesians and to remind the Church to be in unity.
If the Belt of Truth is only one piece of the Armor of God, what are all the other pieces and what is their purpose? You can’t hold your pants up and have a place to put your sword without your belt. You wouldn’t run out into battle without your entire armor on. Let’s look at all the pieces to get a better understanding of the Belt of Truth. The Armor of God includes the “belt of truth,” the “breastplate of righteousness,” and “your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.” It also includes the “shield of faith,” the “helmet of salvation,” and the “sword of the Spirit.” These all work together to protect you, to keep you safe, and to strengthen you for battle.
Wearing the Belt of Truth
Now that you know what the pieces of the armor of God are, how do you put them on? You put on the belt of truth by knowing who the truth is, and that is Jesus Christ. You can’t put the breastplate of righteousness on yourself, nor can anyone else put it on for you. Only Jesus Christ can put that on you, and he does that when you are saved, as he washes away your sins. To put on your boots (the gospel of peace), you need to understand what the gospel of peace is. Gospel means good news–and the good news that the Bible is talking about here is the best news we have ever heard. That good news is Jesus is the Son of God, he died on the cross for our sins, and through our faith in Him are we saved. This knowledge of the gospel gives us peace and having that peace ensures you have your armored boots on.
Next, you hold firm to your shield of faith. The evil one, the devil, will throw all kinds of fiery darts your way but if you hold that shield of faith–none of it can harm you. Then, put on your helmet of salvation and lastly, you take up your sword of the Spirit. That Bible that is open next to you is your sword. And what a mighty sword it is! The Bible is the same sword that Jesus held as he faced the temptations of Satan in the wilderness. Every time the devil tempted Jesus with the same things we get tempted with today, Jesus quoted the Word of God. If Jesus can use the Word of God to defeat the temptations of the devil, so can we. Study God’s Word and commit its word to memory. When you face temptation just like Jesus did, you will be able to overcome those temptations and defeat the devil. You hold that very same sword today that Jesus held in the wilderness over 2000 years ago.
What is Truth
We see in John 17:17 that God’s Word is the truth. Jesus, as he prayed for the disciples, asked God to sanctify the disciples through God’s truth, His Holy Word. Sanctify means to purify or to free from sin. Think about that for a moment and let it sink in. The Bible is telling us right there that through God’s Word we are purified and freed from sin. So, how does putting on the belt of truth play into all of this? By putting on the belt of truth, or by studying God’s Word, God will free you from sin! Now that is some good news right there!
We now know that God’s Word is the truth, but Jesus is also the truth. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” We receive our salvation through faith in Jesus Christ and He is the one who gives us a path to the Father. He washes away our sinful nature. I am sure you have heard many lies in your lifetime, but there is one thing you can always trust, and that is Jesus Christ.
Why a Belt
Normally, your belt is one of the last things you put on when you are getting dressed. The same thing goes for a warrior during the time the Bible was written. The belt was meant to be one of the last things you would put on because it held all your armor together. Not only did it hold everything together, but it also kept things from falling off. Sometimes as Christians we backslide but if we have the belt of truth on, and if we continue to read our Bible and have a relationship with Jesus it makes it so much easier to keep all that other armor on our bodies.
The Bible says to “Stand therefore, having girded up your loins with truth…” You can stand strong, without backing down and without backing up if you have on your belt of truth. To gird up your loins means to prepare yourself and to strengthen yourself for what is coming. Trials and tribulations will come to every Christian; We are not immune to the difficulties of this world and we must face spiritual warfare. Jesus is telling us how to prepare for this warfare, how to be ready for the battle. We are to put our faith in Him, to study His Word, and to walk in our faith. If we have on the belt of truth when trials come, we will be able to face the enemy; It will prepare us for the battle.
If you put on your belt of truth, you are giving yourself a place to hold your weapon. The Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God is your weapon. What a powerful weapon it is. Strong enough to pierce through the hardest of hearts, and soft enough to comfort and show us God’s love when we need it the most. The Bible is more than just a book; It is the Christian’s sword. If you have your sword in your hand when the devil sends his lies flying in your direction, you can easily cut them down. The devil stands no chance against the Word of God.
Summary
The belt of truth is just one piece of the full armor of God, but it is such an important and powerful piece. With the belt of truth, you are securing all your armor; You are securing a place for your weapon, and you are preparing yourself for battle. Our relationship with the belt of truth has everything to do with our relationship with Jesus. Jesus is the truth, he is a friend that is closer than a brother, and His Word will never fail us. Through the darkest times in our lives, and through the best times in our lives, if we have on the belt of truth, we can face it all with Jesus by our side.
