The Armor of God - Day 6 (The Belt of Truth - Session 3 - Part 2A-3)

[Rev. Dr. Dorothy E. Hooks, PsyD]

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II. The Whole Armor of God – Sessions 3-8 – Parts 2A-1 to 2F

A.  The Belt of Truth – Session 3 – Parts 2A-1 to 2A-3:

Session 3 – Part 2A-3 – Ephesians 4:13-15 teaches that properly equipped believers won't be like children who are tossed around by waves and winds of false doctrine, or by men’s trickery, craftiness or deceitful scheming. The one behind all these tactics is our enemy, Satan, who wants to lead us away from the simplicity and purity of God's Word and simple faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. This is why he disguises his servants and himself as angels of light.

When a believer is led astray, what should we do? Ephesians 4:15 says, " but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ—."

When we see Christians in our fellowship or circle of influence that are doctrinally wrong, we must refute their error. We do this in a spirit of unity, peace and love. Peace and love are key motivations. We must approach an erring brother with patience, instructing him in truth, with humility. We must avoid spiritual pride and arrogance, being sure not to fall into the same doctrinal error or one even worse. Galatians 6:1 teaches us to gently restore a fallen brother, thereby protecting ourselves from falling into the same sin. How do we put on or take up the belt of truth? Do we say a magical prayer or visualize picking it up and putting it on? NO!

Putting on the armor is not a passive action. The armor is not automatically put in place when we accept Jesus. It requires an act of doing, believing, embracing, responding to, and studying God's Word, and is accomplished over time.  This is the most basic foundational principal of spiritual warfare.

Ephesians 6:12 says, "we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." As it concerns each individual believer, the high places referred to here are between our ears. II Corinthians 10:5 says to bring every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. What does this mean? It means that we are to examine each thought that enters our mind, and compare it to the plumb line (inerrant truth) of Scripture. We ask, "Does this thought come from God or Satan? Is it a good or evil thought; the truth or a lie?"

Hebrews 5:12-14 says to quit feeding on the milk of God's Word and start to feed on the meat. We are to become mature in our walk with God. Verse 14 describes discernment, saying that we should exercise our senses to know the difference between good and evil. Exercising our senses implies hard work. Christian maturity requires discernment and obedience to the truth. It requires us to know truth to be able to recognize error. We put on the belt of truth by studying and applying God's Word to our lives.

James 4:7 says to "submit to God, resist the devil, and he will flee." There is a very specific order to this verse. It starts with submission. If we fail to submit and have sin in our lives, then the devil won't flee! How important is wearing the belt of truth? Nothing is more important if we desire to win at spiritual warfare and live a victorious, healthy Christian life.

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May the peace of God guard your hearts and minds ALWAYS!!!

Dr. Dorothy E. Hooks

 

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