Ephesians 6:13-14 NLT
[13] “Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. [14] Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness.”

The belt of truth…this is the most significant piece of armour to which every other piece is attached, holding each piece in place and protecting every vital part of our person from attack.

Unless we know, and believe the truth of the gospel, we have no protection against the devil’s subtle and convincing lies. Satan’s design is to cast doubt on what God has said and done in us, and to undermine our faith in His character, His faithfulness and reliability.

So, what God has said about righteousness, salvation, and all the benefits of Jesus’ death are written in His Word, and His Word in its entirety, is truth.

John 17:17 NLT
[17] “Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth.”

It’s only through God’s Word that we can be saved, made holy, and be protected from Satan’s onslaughts. Without God’s Word, we have nothing to keep us from falling away.

How can we “put on” the belt of truth? To put on means to wear as we would put on and wear our clothing. Wearing implies keeping the garment on to cover our nakedness and vulnerability.

We can only “wear” the belt of truth if we make it a permanent part of our spiritual clothing. Every day, we take off our used clothes, and put on fresh garments. So, we need, constantly, to “take off” and discard our old ways of thinking by replacing them with God’s truth.

Romans 12:2 NLT
[2] “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.”

Learning to think differently requires much more than reading the Bible. We must “put on” those qualities of which the Bible speaks.

We must read, then think about what we have read until we believe what God has said and act accordingly.

Colossians 3:2-3 NLT
[2] “Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth.
[3] “For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God.”

Thinking, then, must lead to application. If we have died to our old way of thinking and have read and thought about our new life in Christ and the way He lived out His character as, rife perfect Son, we must do as He did. We must put on the ways in which the Bible teaches us to love one another.

We will slowly become what we think and believe as we practise putting on love.

Colossians 3:10, 12-15 NLT
[10] “Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him.
[12] Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. [13] Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. [14] Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony.”

The outcome is amazing, the miracle of God’s nature slowly becoming part of us.

Now, the evidence of God’s nature in us is what Satan hates. He wants to lure us back into sin so that he can discredit God both to ourselves and to others.

God’s Word in us and practised in our thinking, behaviour and responses, will keep the other pieces of our armour in place. They will guard our vital organs by reminding us of the truths we believe, deflecting the lies that would lure us away from our safety in Christ Jesus. God’s truth must become so much a part of us that it will keep us in His will and out of harm’s way.

To be continued…

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