Get the Foundation Right: The Belt of Truth: Part 3- The Armor of God Series

Key Scripture: Ephesians 6:10–18

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.”

Paul tells us to put on the full armor of God. He doesn't tell us to choose the pieces we like or the pieces that are convenient. He tells us to put on the full armor because we are engaged in a spiritual battle.

This scripture gives us keys to winning battles, overcoming the enemy, recognizing his schemes, and remaining spiritually stable when life becomes difficult.

But as we begin exploring and looking at this armor, there is something very important that we need to understand:

We cant overlook the order in which Paul presents the armor in Ephesians 6:14 

He begins with:

• The belt of truth

• The breastplate of righteousness

Then he moves to:

• The shoes of the gospel of peace

• The shield of faith

• The helmet of salvation

• The sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God

And then he tells us to pray.

There is a reason I believe we need to pay attention to these first two pieces.

Why, becauseTruth establishes what we believe and
Righteousness establishes how we live.

We're going to spend more time on the breastplate of righteousness in Part 4, but before we can talk about the other pieces of armor, we have to understand the importance of getting these two foundations right first. And those are Truth and righteousness. 

So today, let's focus on the belt of truth.

1. Ephesians 6:14 says:

“Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist..

In biblical times, the military belt was not simply an accessory or a fashion statement for a soldier to say “look at me, I serve in the military”. It served an important function for the soldier. It helped secure and organize the armor and equipment that was necessary for battle.

Paul uses this imagery intentionally.

The belt was foundational to the soldier's equipment. Likewise, truth is foundational to the believer's spiritual life.

John 17:17 says:

“Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.”  So what is truth? God's Word is truth.

Jesus also said in John 14:6: “I am the way and the truth and the life.”

Truth is not merely saying whatever feels right to us,or what culture says, social media says, our emotions are saying or what the majority is doing.

Truth is what agrees with God and His Word

Truth is what agrees with God and His Word  

And that distinction matters because we live in a world where we can easily be influenced by what everybody else is saying, doing, believing, practicing and accepting.

But the majority does not determine truth. God does. 

And this is very very important when it comes to how you will personally determine what you deem as truth vs the truth in Gods word. This also may require some self reflection, if your intent is to grow and become all that you can be in Christ.

Also, we should keep in mind that our goal as Christians, whether through church or other avenues of encouragement in God's Word, like this one or anything else we are involved in that directs us to God, should be to gain something that helps us become better and grow. If we are only listening or participating to make ourselves feel comfortable about where we are, simply to check a box, then we are just wasting our time.

Our goal should always be seeking the face of God so we can be better, do better and ultimately be pleasing to God and operate in His perfect will for our lives. 

I thought it was important to point that out as we begin talking about “truth”..  

2. Let's talk about  TRUTH VS. A LIE because sometimes looking at the opposite of something helps us to really visualize and see what we are talking about. 

One of the enemy's greatest weapons is deception.

John 8:44 describes the devil as a liar and the father of lies.

The enemy doesn't always attack us with something that looks obviously evil.

Sometimes the lie sounds believable, it could be our own thoughts, it could sound like something that happened to us, what someone said to us or it could sound like what we have repeated to ourselves for years.

Lies will tell us the opposite of what God has already said about us. Things like we are not enough, things will never get better, or God has forgotten me, 

But the truth tells us we are fearfully and wonderfully made, God has great plans for us, He will never leave us or forsake us, He will restore, renew and make all things new,   and we are  a new creation in Christ Jesus.

Here is another important piece to understanding the truth of God. And that is there are also lies that can affect our morals, our values, our character, and the choices we make every day.  

This is important because if we say that we are Christians we should be mindful that we make every effort to also align our morals,values, character and choices with the truth of God in our personal lives. 

Because the enemy doesn't only want us to believe lies about who we are.  He also wants us to believe lies about how we should live.  

If he gets us to believe lies about who we are and how we should live, operating under the armor of God will be faulty and of no effect.  

Again, keep in mind that we are talking about foundational principles here to wearing the armor of God noted  in Ephesians 6:14..  And how we live is one of them.  

And this is where truth becomes more than something we simply just know.

Truth becomes something we choose to live by.

The lie will tell us that its ok to compromise; everybody else is doing it, do what it takes to get ahead, nobody sees me doing it so its okay to do it, I can say whatever I want because I have a right to express myself, If someone hurts me I have a right to hurt them back, as long as I get what I want how I get it doesn't matter, “I can call myself a person of integrity while making exceptions for myself.”

But truth tells us the opposite: 

• It tell us to not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, 

• I don't have to compromise my integrity to receive what God has for me, 

• God sees what is done in secret, and my character matters even when nobody is watching.

• My words should reflect wisdom, grace, truth, and love

• I am called to walk in honesty and integrity.  

  3. When Truth Becomes a Way of Life

This is where the belt of truth becomes personal.

We cannot look at what other people are doing to determine what we should do.

Again, if we say we are Christians, then our guide for how we live, what we believe, and the choices we make should be the Word of God. That is the truth we are called to follow.

People are human. They are at different stages of life, different levels of maturity, and different places in their walk with Christ. Therefore, we cannot use someone else's life as our standard for obedience to God.  I know we have our peeps and our homeys as they say but  other people are not responsible for the decisions we make in our own walk with God.

We are individually responsible for seeking God, studying His Word, and searching the Scriptures for ourselves.

At the end of the day, God is not going to hold someone else accountable for where we are in our relationship with Him. He will look at us. We each have a responsibility to respond to the truth that God has made available to us.

Now, are there leaders who can mislead Christians? Absolutely.

There are people in positions of influence who can teach incorrectly, misinterpret Scripture, or lead others in the wrong direction. People of influence are not perfect. What if one of the days they are teaching they are simply having a bad day and say something that may not be in line with the truth? 

That is why every Christian should be encouraged to read and study the Bible for themselves and not simply accept someone's word without examining it against Scripture.

And yes, those who teach and lead others are accountable to God for what they teach.

But ultimately, we are individually responsible for what we believe and how we live.

Paul makes this clear in 2 Timothy 2:15:

“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”

Notice that Paul doesn't say, “Study so your pastor can tell you what to believe.”

He says:

“Study to shew thyself approved unto God.”

That means I have a responsibility to know God's Word for myself.

I have a responsibility to seek truth for myself and examine what I hear and 

I have a responsibility to make sure that my life is being aligned with what God says—not simply with what someone else says God says.

The belt of truth is personal.

I cannot wear someone else's truth or live on someone else’s relationship with God, or their obedience.  

I have to know the truth for myself, believe the truth for myself, and choose to walk in the truth for myself. And that is why this foundation matters.

When we choose to walk in truth, we position ourselves to walk in agreement with God's ways and we position ourselves to be able to put on the full armor and be protected by the almighty God. 

4. What actually happens when we walk in truth?

Walking in truth does not mean that life will never be difficult.

It does not mean that we will never experience hardship, disappointment, opposition, or challenges.

But walking in truth means that we don't have to compromise our values or take shortcuts to navigate life.

We can trust God to lead us, provide for us, direct us, and take care of what concerns us.

When we choose God's way over our own way, we position ourselves to experience the blessings and benefits that come from obedience and living in alignment with Him.

Deuteronomy 28:2 says:

“And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, because you obey the voice of the Lord your God.”

This is not about trying to obey God so that we can earn His favor or manipulate God into blessing us.

It is about relationship, obedience, and alignment.

Sometimes, walking in truth means waiting on God while it appears that other people are getting ahead by doing things another way.

Psalm 37:7 says:

“Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways.”

Don't allow what you see happening in someone else's life to cause you to abandon God's truth.

Don't be tricked into looking at the lives of people who are not following God's ways and assuming that because they appear to be doing well, you should follow their path.

What looks successful is not always what is right.

And what appears to be happening for someone else does not mean that God has called you to follow their path.

Proverbs 24:19–20 says:

“Do not fret because of evildoers, nor be envious of the wicked; for there will be no prospect for the evil man; the lamp of the wicked will be put out.”

Stay with God. Stay with truth. Trust His process.

Think about what Deuteronomy 28:2 says:

“And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, because you obey the voice of the Lord your God.”

There is something powerful about knowing that when you choose God's way, you don't have to compromise who you are to get where God is taking you.

5. You Don’t Have to Follow the Masses

Proverbs 3:5–6 says:

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.”

This is important.

We don't have to take the path that everybody else is taking. God has a specific purpose for our lives. He knows what is best for us.

The masses don't know God's individual plan for our lives.

God does.

Let Him direct your path.

6. What Happens When You Don’t Know the Truth? 

If I don't know the truth, I become vulnerable to believing whatever voice is loudest. And if I cannot hear God's voice, the voice of truth, then how will I be able to wear the full armor of God? Remember, the truth is one of the foundations of the Armor. 

There are many voices competing for our attention. There is the voice of the enemy and God’s voice. 

John 10:27 says, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.”

This scripture gives us an opportunity to examine ourselves personally. It becomes a kind of spiritual self-reflection, allowing us to ask: Do I recognize the voice of God? Am I listening to Him? And am I following what He says?

We can use this scripture as a guide to honestly evaluate where we are in our relationship with God. And if our reflection reveals that something needs to change, we have an opportunity to make the necessary corrections.

That is what it means to operate from truth—not simply knowing what God's Word says, but allowing His truth to examine us, guide us, and influence how we live.

In closing the foundation must be right.

Before we move into the rest of the armor next week, I want us to stop and ask ourselves:

Am I operating from a place of the truth?

Am I willing to follow God's truth even when it goes against the crowd?

Am I willing to trust God enough to do things His way?

Because the armor of God is not just something we put on when trouble comes.

It is something we learn to walk in every day.

Here is a final picture.

Along with the breastplate of righteousness, think of the belt of truth as the foundation that holds everything together.

Truth tells us what is real, exposes lies, keeps us from being controlled by the crowd, helps us make decisions according to God's word, helps us walk in integrity, allows us to trust God instead of taking shortcuts, and truth leads us towards a life of obedience. 

Deuteronomy 28:2 reminds us that blessings come upon and overtake those who obey the voice of the Lord.

Psalm 1 reminds us that there is blessing associated with refusing ungodly counsel and delighting in God's Word instead. 

So these are just a few of the ways we experience God's guidance, provision, blessing, and protection when we choose to walk according to His truth. And when we walk in the truth of God we can be confident in being able to put on the whole armor of God.