Armor of God | Truth

There are plenty of studies on the armor of God that do a great job on describing what the armor is. Yet, it's still challenging to get a good grasp of what the armor actually is and how to put the armor on. Let's come at this in a little bit different way.

Since the armor of God is such an important part of our walk, let's shift our thinking and look at it from a different perspective. Instead of starting with the what and how of the armor, let's look at the effect of the armor and maybe the what and how will make more sense.

The Effect of Armor

The most prominent place the armor of God is listed is in Ephesians 6:14-18 NKJV. Each piece of armor has an effect. Since it is spiritual armor, and we are physically oriented, it can be difficult to understand what is happening when we have it on.

One of the things we know about armor is that once we are in the battle, we shouldn't have to think about the armor. It will passively protect us and we shouldn't have to give it another thought. We inspect, test and repair the armor on a regular basis and ensure it is fitted correctly on us.

Now, there are probably many effects that we can identify but this study is simply to start the process. For our purposes, we are focusing on one effect but be sure to seek out more. If you find more than what is listed here, please add them to the comment section below.

So, let's look at the effect of each piece over the next few weeks. Today we are tackling the Belt of Truth!

The Belt of Truth

Having girded your waist with truth... - Ephesians 6:14-18 NKJV

Truth has an effect. The effect is liberty. It makes us free!

We now know one effect of truth.

Probably easier than you were thinking but let's walk through it. When we examine our freedom in Christ there awakens a whole new way of living and thinking that brings refreshing.

However, if we don't know the truth or how to get the truth, we will find ourselves ineffective as a follower of Christ and not walking in that liberty. Truth always works but we have to put it on, or as the scripture instruct, "having our waist girded with truth."

Now, how do we do that?

So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, "If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free." - John 8:31-32 NASB

There is an important understanding and process to putting on truth that unravels in this scripture. Let's work backwards on what Jesus said here and get understanding on how truth is equipped in our walk with the Lord.

4. The truth will make us free. (The Effect!)
3. We need to know the truth for it to make us free.
2. We must be a disciple to know the truth.
1. We need to continue in Jesus's word to prove our discipleship.

We have identified the what of this piece of armor, which is truth. We are now looking at the how to put it on, and how we think about truth matters. It's especially important since understanding truth is an essential aspect of being renewed in the mind.

To begin our process of girding our waist with the truth, we'll flip the previous list and we have a great place to start putting on truth.

1. We need to continue in Jesus's word to prove our discipleship.
2. We must be a disciple to know the truth.
3. We need to know the truth for it to make us free.
4. The truth will make us free.

Jesus said in John 17:17 NKJV, "Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth." What we have discovered here is a process of sanctification rooted in discipleship. When we put the elements of the Belt of Truth together we see a very clear process of sanctification that has the effect of liberty in our lives.

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Take Action!

How do I continue in God's Word? 

The answer to this question has a few very important but doable elements. It is a path of discipleship where we seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. The four steps mentioned above are the path, and here are a few more elements we will want to integrate into our discipleship:

• This first step is the most important to this process. Get help! Make every effort to find someone who is discipling and work with them.
• Raise your curiosity about your Lord and Savior.
• Read the scriptures daily.
• Study topics that you are curious about.
• Create a prayer list and hit it daily.
• Give yourself a real chance to grow in the Lord.

Here are additional resources to help develop your strategy:

• Prerequisites: Building Fortitude
• Study Like You Have to Teach It
• Willing To Learn
• Discipleship is the Next Step

Please, add your thoughts in the comment section.

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Concept

“The Belt of Truth has the effect of making us free.”

   

In The Cool Zone and More Life in My Day are sister websites dedicated to discipleship. They work in tandem, providing the teaching and coaching for growing in the Lord and becoming effective in our walk with the Lord.