​Understanding the Armor of God: The Belt of Truth (Read time ≈ 5 minutes)
Ephesians 6:14a
Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth…
 
The belt of truth. The first part of the Armor of God that is mentioned. You know, belts are pretty practical. They hold up your pants, that’s useful! Now days, it’s not very common to use belts to hold things other than the occasional belt clip to hold a cell phone. But in the context of the Armor of God, and armor in general, the belt is also where you hang your sword. In this case, the sword of the spirit which is the Word of God (more on that later). Truth is a powerful thing. Sometimes it brings sweet freedom, joy and peace. Other times, it brings anger, frustrations, stress, and more… Which is why we love to say, “you can’t handle the truth!” because, lets be real, sometimes the truth is hard to handle. No matter how the truth makes you feel, you need the truth. The ultimate Truth being Jesus Christ. He is the way, the truth and the life, and no one comes to the father except through Him (John 14:6)! That is about as necessary as it gets! We want into heaven? We need the truth of Jesus Christ.
 
So, what does the belt of truth look like for us and how is it used? Well, like a belt, the truth has some very practical applications. Vocab lesson, here we go! The opposite of a truth is a lie. Boom! You’re welcome. So, if this belt is the belt of truth, then to have no truth in our armor is to have no belt i.e. lies. So, this ultimately leaves us in a bad spot. I hope this hasn’t happened to you, but imagine an unfortunate incident where you are going about your day, at work, school, church or whatever and… your pants fall down. I think there are fewer things that could happen that would be more embarrassing than that. Just as a belt holds your pants up and keeps you from being embarrassed, the belt of truth also keeps you from being embarrassed. Always keeping the truth fastened around you, living and walking in the truth. Sometimes the truth is difficult, but being caught in lies, is even more difficult, and certainly embarrassing. Living a life wrapped in truth is life that maintains dignity and righteousness. A life that gives you confidence to stand through all things knowing that you are firmly standing in the truth. Another element to the belt of truth is that, as mentioned earlier, it holds up your sword. In the armor of God, we are talking about the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God aka the Bible. The word of God is powerful, as you likely already know. I’ll save that for when we get there, but ultimately, the word of God is full of truth. However, throughout history, and perhaps more today than ever before, people take the Word of God and they manipulate it’s truth by hand picking certain words or phrases or verses to mean something that is not true (Romans 1:25). The word of God is a powerful weapon, but if it is not held up by a true understanding of its words, it can be used for evil lies to mislead people. Our understanding of our sword, our knowledge and expertise in this weapon must be hung on the truth. Seeking a full understanding of the true intentions of the Word of God.
 
When we fasten on the belt of truth, we are saying, I am going to walk in the truth, focus on what is correct and spare myself the embarrassment of being caught in lies. I am going to interpret life through the truth of God and I will use the Word of God to advance truth not my own agenda. I will wrap myself in truth and allow it to hold together all that I am.
 

​Understanding What We Are Up Against (Read time ≈ 5 minutes)
Ephesians 6:10–13 (ESV)
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13 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 firm.
 
                The Christian walk is not for the faint of heart. This isn’t a fluffy, happy go lucky, frolic through a field of flowers where there is only laughing, cheer and fun. It does come with plenty of laughs, joy and cheer… not sure about the frolicking through fields of flowers, but the Christian walk is full of great things. In fact, it would probably be quite difficult to frolic with armor on. However, just as much, if not more, the Christian walk is a war. It’s a fight and we on our own are very outgunned. It is crucial that we remember this, because as soon as we forget, we then begin to neglect the power available to us through our Lord. “Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of HIS might”! Where does our strength come from? It comes from the Lord who created the heavens and the earth (Psalm 121:1-2)!
 
                But what do we need this strength for? Why do we need to put on the whole armor of God? To answer this, we have to properly identify our enemy. This is a common Christian topic, and I think it’s because it’s common that Christians need reminded of this. Your enemy is not the person who makes you mad. It’s not the person who is attacking you at work. It’s not the person who is withholding things from you. In extreme scenarios, it’s not even the person who wants to kill you simply because you are a follower of Jesus Christ. No, you actually share a common enemy with those very people. The biggest difference is that they are captive to that enemy, and you are not. This is why we must armor up so we can stand against the schemes of the devil. Part of that scheme is him convincing you that people are the enemy and get the target off his back and onto souls that the Lord desires to see saved (1 Timothy 2:3-4). The devil delights in Christians fighting against people. But rather, we need to direct our focus in this warfare to “(spiritual) rulers”, “(spiritual) authorities”, “cosmic powers over this present darkness” and “spiritual forces of evil”. We need to direct our attacks, our spiritual wargame towards these things. Your enemy is not flesh and blood but rather the one who wants to drag both of you to hell for eternity. It is crucial that this Christian principal is not forgotten.
 
                It seems easy to defeat people. And sometimes, it is! But this should never be our goal. Rather, set your sights on the slave driver who has them in chains, and pull the metaphorical trigger! The word of God does not command us to put on the whole Armor of God so that we can slay people whom He desires to call His children. This is a rescue mission for those very people. It is not an assault on mankind, but an all-out attack on the Gates of Hell so we can see captives set free just like you and I have been. But this mission is futile and will result in failure if we do not put on the whole Armor of God (more on that next week) and find our strength in the Lord and rely on HIS might and not our own. Once we do this, this goes from us being weak and feeble, out-gunned and out-witted, to us routing the enemy and waving the flags of victory in the name of our Lord!
 

​IDK (Read time ≈ 5 minutes)
Proverbs 3:7
Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD, and turn away from evil.
 
There is a common phrase in the English language. It is one that many people are afraid to use. They are afraid that they will let someone down… Afraid that they will look bad if they use it... Afraid they will be mocked if they use it… the list could go on. This phase however, is also one of the most powerful phrases in the English language, one of the most freeing phrases in the English language. One that if you use it, will bring peace, knowledge and wisdom and even healing to those who use it correctly. That phrase is… “I don’t know”. Scary, huh? Our pride and our ego make us resist those three words more than nearly any other word combination we could dream up. Let me tell you… Any hesitance to using the phrase “I don’t know” is unhealthy. Its damaging you, and it’s hurting others. Why? I thought you’d ask that. That’s because if we refuse to say, “I don’t know” then we are lying to ourselves and people around us. Often times, we try to mix up some word salad to sound like we do know. We try to blend enough information together to sound intelligent (it usually doesn’t work as well as you think). Ultimately, it is lying. Lying is a massive issue to God (Proverbs 12:22). Neglecting to be honest and professing “I don’t know”, will also cause further damage. If we act as if we know, when we clearly do not, it restricts yourself and those around you from further knowledge and growth. In a hunt for truth, the pursuit is put to a premature ending with a dishonest answer that falls on believing ears. Beyond that, when people hear you speak as if you know but it is evident that you do not, it damages trust and relationships and stunts your own growth in a situation where you could have learned, but instead you made yourself wise in your own eyes.
 
It's time that we embrace this powerful phrase, “I don’t know”. It is possible that using this phrase can let people down, but that’s okay. It’s time the world found out that you don’t know everything! However, we should also be careful not to use this phrase to dismiss things we don’t want to deal with (parents I’m talking to you! But…not only you). When it comes to things that are worthy, righteous and godly; as much as it is within our ability, the phrase, “I don’t know” should be followed up with the pursuit of that knowledge. This is how we grow and mature. We turn to Scripture, prayer, pastoral headship, good ol’ fashion research, to find the truth and grow in knowledge. You will be better off for this and so will the people around you. The phrase, “I don’t know” should be a launching pad into greater knowledge. At this time, I feel the disclaimer should be clearly stated, this only applies to things that are actually worth knowing. So, no, I am not telling you to find the knowledge when someone asks you about the latest celebrity gossip. We are talking about Kingdom business and honesty.
 
Something powerful in our lives happens when we let go of this false expectation of knowing everything. You feel better! Not only mentally, but physically. Yup, God said it! Take a look at the next verse, Proverbs 3:8, “It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones.”. No longer making yourself wise in you own eyes is like Holy Spirit stress relief! So, go ahead, say it with me, “I don’t know”. Didn’t that feel great? The first step to the pursuit of knowledge and wisdom is to admit that there is always more to learn. The next step is to search it out and learn it. “I don’t know, but I want to learn” Now, that is powerful! Let that free you to be able to advance in your walk closer to God.

​Holding it Together (Read time ≈ 6 minutes)
Colossians 1:16–17
For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
 
“I’m just trying to keep it together”. The phrase we say to mask our desperation when we lack the control that we wish we had over our lives. This can apply to so many things. Small, day to day tasks all the way up to life altering situations. We just try to hold everything in place the way we like it, the way we want it. Keep our face in place and life in check. We all have in our lives, various different domains, or kingdoms, if you will, that we operate in. Many times, several different ones over the course of one day. We live in a country with government and laws, etc. that is a kingdom. You go to work, that is your boss’s kingdom. Your home, should be your own kingdom, your fortress. Even within your home, you have a bedroom with which is your space even further… We each have very different kingdoms going on just within our own mind. Each of these kingdoms come with different structures, different authorities, different rules and so on. And we try very hard to hold our kingdoms together while also holding ourselves together within other people’s kingdoms, and even our own.
But, have you ever considered, not trying to hold it together? No, I’m not talking about just flipping out and going crazy. Although, maybe you hoped I was. Actually, have you ever considered, maybe it’s not your job to hold it together? Yes, we should have structure. Yes, we should act and behave a certain way. Yes, we need to be orderly and conduct ourselves as mature believers. But what if your job wasn’t to hold everything together but to operate within a kingdom that was already held together and will stay together, as long as you just stay within that very kingdom and its constructs? For some this type of news can bring great relief. For others, it just adds to the stress.
Colossians 1:16-17
“For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.”
                What a statement. All the kingdoms we operate in? Yeah, they were created by the voice of God. All the people in your lives? He created them. All the kingdoms in your life? He oversees them all. Why are you trying to hold together things that God wants to hold together for you? Why are you saying, “God, get your hands off that area of my life. I got this.” to the one who created your life and all things around you?
So, how? Well, the answer is simple but the application is difficult. The answer is, do things His way. Prioritize your life according to God’s Will and Word. Live your life according to His Will and Word. Change your life, according to His Will and Word. The difficult part about that… the laying down of your pride part. The letting go of things you think or wish you had under control and letting God take control. The submitting your kingdom(s) to His ultimate, eternal, all powerful Kingdom. Yes, that entails a lot of details not found in this blog. Need those details? The first step is acknowledging that you need to let God hold it together, not you. Then, check your Bible (daily). Pray(constantly). Make sure you’re at church(whenever the doors are open). Text/Call your pastor(regularly). It’s time to stop “holding it together” when you’re actually not. It’s time to stop playing god and let God do His part. The God who created it all with the power of His voice. Is the same God who holds it together.