Suit up for battle!

The day you believed in Jesus was the day that the real battle began. For just as surely as there is a God who loves you, there is also a devil who hates you.

It has been said, “Conversion has made our hearts a battlefield.”

So we have a choice in this spiritual battle. We will either win or lose. Gain or lose ground.

You can’t be a “spiritiual pacifist.” To fight a spiritual battle, you need spiritual armor. It’s time to “man up” (or “woman up”) and put on the whole armor of God.

Paul’s words about spiritual armor

The apostle Paul lays out the components of our spiritual armor in Ephesians 6:13-18:

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.

Every piece is important

Paul uses the various pieces of armor that a Roman soldier would wear to make his point. Having spent a lot of time being chained to them, he probably asked a lot of questions, and had an excellent working knowledge of ancient weaponry and warfare.

Each piece of the Roman soldier’s armor is interconnected to the other: all of it must be used. In the same way, it is not for us to “pick and choose” what pieces of armor we want or don’t want to wear.

Let’s consider the various pieces of armor we are to wear and what they mean:

The utility belt of truth

First, you need to put on your “utility belt of truth.” As Verse 14 says, “Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth.”

When I was a little boy, I remember being amazed by Batman’s utility belt. It was yellow in the comic books, but became black in the films.

Batman’s belt had his Batarangs, Batcuffs, rebreather (for breathing underwater), night vision goggles, and much more. All the things that the “Caped Crusader” needed to fight crime.

Problem is, both it and he are not real, so let’s consider the belt of real crime fighters–policemen.

A cop’s utility belt

Officers refer to this belt as their “Sam Browne.” It consists of their radio, handcuffs, holster and gun, Taser, chemical spray, flashlight, holder for extra magazines, baton, etc.

The officer needs that belt when he is out and about, doing his duty, and the same was true for the Roman soldier.

The belt was essential. Why? Because the breastplate, and the sword’s sheath were attached to it. It also held up his tunic, giving him freedom of movement. If the Roman soldier’s belt came off, his breastplate would fall off, along with his tunic.

What does it mean?

So what does it mean to “gird your waist with truth,” practically speaking? The utility belt of truth represents a life and mind that is pulled together
and is ready to serve for the Glory of God.

The utility belt of truth speaks of having integrity, truth in your “heart of hearts.” David said, “Behold, you desire truth in the inward parts (Psalm 51:6).

The opposite of integrity is duplicity. Duplicity is hypocrisy, trying to lead a double-life.

The person who tries to lives this way is a “sitting duck.” But a true soldier of Jesus Christ cannot live that way. Paul wrote in 2 Timothy 2:4, “No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier.”

I encourage you to put on your belt, and live truthfully.


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