“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power…stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist” (Ephesians 6:10, 14).
To be strong in the Lord and his mighty power, put on the full armor of God.
- Start with the helmet of salvation.
- Then the breastplate of righteousness.
- And thirdly, the belt of truth.
What does the belt of truth refer to? What does it mean to put on the belt of truth?
The belt for the Roman soldier had two main functions.
- The Roman soldier wore a loose garment. The belt functioned to keep the loose garment from being unmanageable. The belt kept the garment together so that it would not get in the way of the soldier when he needed to fight and defend himself.
- The belt was where he carried his sword.
The belt was not decorative. It was absolutely necessary to keep the soldier battle ready.
What does the belt of truth in the armor of God refer to? It has to do with character. Put on the belt of truth to protect your character.
Character is who you are when no one else is watching.
I appreciate what Mignon McLaughlin says about character. He says, “Character is what emerges from all the little things you were too busy to do yesterday, but did anyway.”
Character is something you commit to before the need for character arises. Character are those values and commitments that you predetermine to be committed to.
By the time you need character, by the time you need the resolve to stand firm, when you are in the midst of a battle with anger, jealousy, rage, lust, etc., it’s too late. That’s not the time you pray and think about whether you should be a person of honor and integrity. These are things that you commit to long before the need for them arises.
How do you put on the belt of truth? You predetermine now who you are, what you stand for, what you live for, and what you will die for long before you find yourself in the midst of a battle to prove your character.
The time to win your battle against anger, jealousy, rage, lust, etc., is before it starts.
That’s your belt of character.
Put it on. The belt of truth.
Praxis: Faith in Action 