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A Time for PRAYER!
[New Hope Community Church]
08/15/2010
By Rightmire, Melissa
Welcome to "A Time for PRAYER!"
New Hope Community Church's Online Prayer Community
- This blog offers a range of prayer requests, scripture discussion, personal and corporate prayer needs and much more.
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August 15, 2010
The Belt of Truth Ephesians 6: 14
For a long time I thought that “putting on the armor of God” was something I could do in the morning as I got dressed and just like the rest of my clothes I would be wearing it for the day. I thought that the way I put on the armor was to pray it on. Something like this, “Lord help me to wear the belt of truth today and the breastplate of righteousness and the shoes of the gospel of peace. May I hold the shield of faith to extinguish the arrows of the devil. May I wear the helmet of salvation and the hold fast to the word of God.” There, now I have on the armor and I’m ready for anything! Isn’t that right?
My most recent study of Ephesians and the armor of God has taught me that while it may begin that way, there is much more to it. I have a responsibility in these areas of my life in order to truly wear the armor all day long and all pieces in every situation. Paul is telling us that these areas, truthfulness, righteousness, knowing the gospel, faith, being sure of our salvation, knowing God’s word, and let’s not forget praying in the spirit on all occasions are areas we need to focus on. We can only be protected if we understand what this means in our lives.
Let’s look at the belt of truth. It’s the first piece of armor that Paul tells us to put on. What responsibility do we have in order to wear the belt of truth? There are several thoughts on this. In the days of Paul, the warrior would wear a tunic under all of the other armor. Without a belt the tunic would just hang and that would hinder their ability to fight if the loose ends were not tucked in and it was securely in place. So, the belt represents tying up the loose ends in our lives and being sure that we live a consistent life and are truly devoted to the battle. If we have given Christ a portion of our lives and have not surrendered everything, we will not be wearing the belt of truth. We can’t be Sunday Christians and be a warrior in this ever crucial battle. In fact, not only will we not be a warrior, but we will be a tool in the devils hands.
Some say the word is better translated “truthfulness”; ‘gird up your loins with truthfulness’. Building on the previous comment really gives us the context of being truthful in everything. It may sound easy, but let’s think about what loose ends we could have in the area of truthfulness. Do we “speak the truth in love” to our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ or do we hold onto grudges never talking to the person that offended us and even worse talk to others about it without talking to them? Paul says that grieves the Holy Spirit, that we need to lay aside falsehood and speak the truth remembering that God put us together to be His Body, the church (Eph 4:25-27). When we are not truthful with each other, that gives the devil a foothold and that means we just let the enemy into our camp! We, as individuals and the way we live our lives are responsible for a creating a vulnerability in the church!
That is quite a responsibility! The church is supposed to be the fullness of Christ (Eph 1:22-23). We cannot be the church if we don’t have a foundation of truthfulness with one another and in every area of our lives. In Romans (Rom 12:9), Paul says our love must be without hypocrisy and can only be done if we “abhor” (that means hate) what is evil. We do that by clinging to that which is good, which is found in Christ. Christ is the Truth, so He once again is our model.
There is more that can be said about protecting ourselves and the body of Christ, which is the church, by beginning with truth and truthfulness. I’d love to hear what you find when you search God’s word about truthfulness in our lives. Thanks for reading this week! I’d love to hear from you! And until next time, I am praying that your life as well as mine may be filled with truthfulness and in no way would either us be responsible for a vulnerability in our precious Church!
Proverbs
[Regeneration - A Young Adult Ministry]
02/11/2010
By Wyatt, Britney
Beginning March 1st: 31 Days - 31 Chapters...
Author: Primarily King Solomon and other wise men
Audience: The people of Isreal
Date: Primarily during Solomon's reign (970-930 B.C.)
Theme: Proverbs describes the importance of living wisely and in the fear of the Lord as opposed to following the seductive path of folly.
Vituous Woman 'Shattering the Superwoman Myth' Group 2
[Regeneration - A Young Adult Ministry]
12/05/2009
By Wyatt, Britney
- Contact Britney Wyatt for details: ebemm28@yahoo.com
- Begining December 28, 2009
- 6 Week Study of Proverbs 31
Virtuous Woman - Shattering the 'Superwoman' Myth
[Regeneration - A Young Adult Ministry]
10/18/2009
By Admin, Admin
Laddies Latte of Regeneration - "A Young Adult Ministry"
Hey ya'll! Excited about the new blog - Virtuous Woman - Coming 11/2/09
If you have any questions or would like to get a workbook, email me (Britney Wyatt) @ ebemm28@yahoo.com
