Day Two

'Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist...' Ephesians 6:14

If we are going to 'stand firm' in our armor, then we need to understand the importance of each piece. Over the next few days we will look at each of the defensive pieces in more detail. Much of what I share with you is taken from Chip Ingram's book, 'The Invisible War'.

The first piece we will discuss is the belt of truth. It is not surprising that Paul mentions this piece first because the Roman soldier's belt was the piece of armor that all of the other pieces somehow hooked onto. Thus, it was the most critical piece of armor since it was central to every other piece.

Standing on God's truth regarding who we are in Christ is also central to our Christian walk. We must choose to put on the belt of truth and train ourselves to see God, ourselves and others as His word exhorts us to. It is important to realize 'training ourselves' is not something that happens overnight. It is a process that takes time and only results from spending significant amounts of time in God's Word and in prayer.

It is also not surprising that the enemy's first assault against mankind was against the belt of truth. He slithered into the garden and deceived Eve with a lie sprinkled with a bit of truth. His age-old tactics are still in full-force today...and our responses still involve hiding, blaming and denying.

Truly, our only defense against being deceived by the enemy is praying to the Lord as David did: 'Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me and know my anxious thoughts; and see if there be any hurtful way in me...' We must render ourselves bare and honest before the Lord, asking Him to reveal the truth about our sin. We must put on the 'belt of truth' and allow it to penetrate our heart so that it can break our heart. Only a heart of brokenness can become a transformed heart.

Dear Heavenly Father,

I pray that I will stand firm on your truth. May I believe that: I am a child of Yours; I am redeemed; I stand holy and pure on the cleansing blood of my Jesus. Thus, when You look at me You no longer see my sin but You see Your son in all His holiness. Thank you, Lord, for all of these truths! May I find my security in them! Lord, I also know that as long as I am a sojourner of this world, I will sin. However, if I confess my sins, You are faithful and just and will forgive me of my sins and purify me from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). Thus, Lord, I must continually be coming to You asking You to open my eyes to my sin. So I ask You right now: 'search me, O God, and know my heart; try me and know my anxious thoughts; and see if there be any hurtful way in me (Ps. 139:23-24). I want to be a Christian who takes her sin seriously. I want to have a heart like David's heart--a heart that can see my sin and truly be broken and repentant over it. May I buckle the belt of truth securely around my waist and wear it as You have designed me to. I pray that right now You are preparing the women's hearts that will be at Deeper Still. Soften their hearts so that they can hear Your truths, accept Your truths as their own, and see the truth regarding their own sin. Keep the 'father of lies' away from their ears; do not let him come in to steal, kill and destroy. Instead, may your truth reign once and for all!

In Jesus' Name,
Amen

Note: I have an amazing story to share with you regarding persevering in prayer! Be watching for this post later today or sometime over the next few days...