Verse of the day: Ephesians 6:13-14
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,
The terms that the Apostle Paul
uses here are warfare terms. His instructions to the church at Ephesus is that
they are to be ready to withstand and overcome the attacks on the days when
they are assaulted with temptations. Any one of us knows that every day we are
tempted in one way or another. Therefore, we must be prepared to stand our
ground and do our best to have victory over whatever temptations the enemy
throws at us. We know that there is nothing new under the sun in the realm of
temptation for each of us; and God has made a way of escape with each
temptation (1 Cor 10:13). This is why it is of utmost importance that we stay
grounded in the Word and prayer, continually working on renewing our mind with
the truth of God’s Word (Rom 12:1-2). The assaults launched against us are for
the purpose of knocking us down, and ultimately making us useless for the cause
of Christ, just as Satan wanted to do with the Apostle Peter in trying to make
him as useless as wheat chaff that blows away in the wind when sifted (Lk
22:31). It is for this reason that we must be diligent in putting on our
spiritual armor as describe in this chapter. The Apostle Paul likens our
spiritual armor, most likely, in the same way as the soldier’s uniform that was
tasked with watching over him while imprisoned, and writing this epistle. He
first tells us to put on the girdle of truth (or belt of truth). The
application of truth here applies to both an inward and outward truth. Knowing
the truth contained is God’s Word is imperative; but knowing it and not
applying it is only head-knowledge, and of no use to us as a defense, if not
applied to our lives (Jm 1:21-25). The truth that is a useful defense is one
that affects our everyday life. First and foremost it reveals whether or not we
are in Christ, and leads us to Him for salvation. It shows us who we are so
that we are not deceived into thinking we are someone or something we are not;
helping us to avoid pride and conceit. It is the truth of the Gospel that
reassures us that we are sealed and belong to Him, and that nothing can change
that. It is the truth that comes to the forefront of our minds when we are
under attack and reassures us of God’s presence and the fact that He will never
leave us and is our Defense and Help. The truth of God firmly planted in our
minds and hearts is what brings peace, joy, and a calm spirit during the most
trying of times, and helps us to demonstrate an outward peace that will open
opportunities for us to share Christ with others. Outwardly, truth is
demonstrated, not just by the peace others see, but also by our honesty in
dealing with others, and our choice not to deceive and cheat another,
regardless of whether it is an unsaved person or a brother/sister in Christ.
Next the Apostle tells us to put on the breastplate of righteousness. Righteousness
has more to do with who we are before God. Although we know that it is the
righteousness of Christ that has been imputed unto us and has made us
acceptable to the Father (Rom 4); we must also live righteously, in Christ,
before God. In other words, we choose to do what is right before God when no
one else is around to see it. We are called to be faithful to God above and
beyond anything else, and our concern in falling to temptation is that when we
sin, we are primarily sinning against God, and for that reason our sin should
bring us to a place of mourning, repentance and getting right with Him. Note
that the breastplate was used to cover up the area of the chest which contains
the heart. How important it is to have our heart guarded and protected with
righteousness. It is so easy to deceive the heart because it is so easily
driven by emotion, and our own desires (James 1:13-15). Yet, if we have the
truth of God in our hearts and protect it by applying God’s righteousness, it
will be more difficult for the enemy to get the advantage and cause us to
stumble with lies, and twisted versions of God’s truth. Too many of us forget
that Satan knows the truth, but will twist it in such a way that he can easily
deceive us using false teachers (if we do not know it in its context). He tried
to do this in his failed attempts to tempt Jesus in the wilderness (Matt 4). We
must be vigilant, and diligent. When we stand firmly in God’s truth and His
righteousness, the enemy has no offensive he can launch against us that will
cause us to lose our footing.
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