Can you imagine a teacher trying to face his class without properly
preparing in advance? Or a soldier going to war with just his bare
knuckles? They wouldn't have much chance of survival, would they? In any
profession and in any situation, not only do we need to be
well-prepared, but we also need to be well equipped!
In His
divine wisdom, God has given us amazing equipment with which to face the
stormy temptations that the devil directs our way. We will study each
one of these in turn, but today's devotional will focus on the first
one: The Belt of Truth! "Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled
around your waist." (Eph 6:14 NIV)
Have you ever had kids
squabbling with one another?
"Who started this?" You make the
mistake of asking.
"He did!"
"No she did!"
"No he
did!"
Who do you believe? Who is speaking the truth?
One
of the devil's primary offensive moves is to make you doubt. If you can
confuse your prey about what is right and what is wrong, then he won't
have a clue what to do! By whispering thoughts and images into the mind,
the devil leaves its victims confused and wanting. For example:
"Everybody does it!" In other words: "You're a loser if you don't!"
"Just try it once" In other words: "It's addictive and it will ruin
your life!"
"One more time!" In other words: "I've got you,
sucker!"
"Did God really say...?" In other words: "You must be
stupid listening to Him!"
"You went too far. God will never be
able to forgive you now!" In other words: "You are too close in finding
out how much God loves you, you need to back away!"
Have you ever
realized that every temptation is nothing but an attempt to make you
doubt God's love? What happens if you don't have Truth on your side? You
lose your pants! Truth is what holds up your dignity!
No one
would ever be tempted to go to the mall without a belt. Imagine the
shock and horror of those around you if you lost your pants right in
front of them? Embarrassing, to say the least.
It is also
embarrassing for Christians who are not properly equipped with the belt
of Truth.
God has granted us two indestructible sources of Truth
to guide us amidst confusion. The first is His Word, the Bible, a Light
in the darkness: "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my
path." (Ps 119:105 NIV).
The second is His Holy Spirit, who comes
to reside in your heart once you have accepted Jesus into your life.
"But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all
truth." (John 16:13 NIV) Sometimes His voice screams, warning us of
imminent danger, but so often we ignore Him, thinking instead of greener
pastures that lead to our own destruction!
How can we go wrong
with two such great sources of truth? It's simple! If we don't tie them
around our waists, we leave ourselves without a pure source of Truth!
Without truth, our shame will become evident.
Take the time to
get acquainted with God's Word and His awesome Holy Spirit, and discover
that you don't need to be confused any longer! You have allies who will
guide you to truth. You will behold temptation as what it really is and
what it really stands for: a vile attempt to alienate you from God!
"For, as I have often told you before and now say again even with
tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is
destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their
shame. Their mind is on earthly things. But our citizenship is in
heaven." (Phil 3:18-20 NIV)
"Where are my pants? Where are my
pants?"
"Better find your belt first!"
Without truth we
become easy prey!
Rob Chaffart