For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place,15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.
So, if we want to fight the enemy who is attempting to control the system we live in --whether it be our family system, the system in our local church, at our place of employment, or the church universal, we look to Ephesians 6 to tell us how to do that. Over the next few days let's look at how we are supposed to do that.
Stand firm with the belt of truth buckled around your waist.
I am in Michigan today getting ready for R3 Coaching where I learned about the graphic above. I am not stealing it from them because I am giving them free advertising :-) I'm sure they wouldn't care if I told you about this helpful little box.
I wish you were here in person for me to explain it because that would make it easier, but here's the basic premise. We all hold certain beliefs -- stories we have written about how we perceive the world around us -- and those are going to guide our actions. However, those beliefs aren't necessarily true. But our actions bring about results. So the best way to make sure that we get good results is if we have beliefs that are in line with the truth.
Let' me give you an example. Let's say that your belief is that if you work harder God will love you more. If that is your belief you are going to work really hard. In fact, you might work too hard and too much. Your actions (working too hard and much) lead to the results of an unbalanced life, physical problems, strained relationships etc.
However, that belief is not based on truth. The truth is that there is nothing that we can do that will make God love us more. He already loves us infinitely. Scripture teaches us that we cannot earn his love.
I could give several more examples, but I am sure you get the point. The apostle Paul wasn't off base when he suggested that we needed to have the belt of truth wrapped around our waist!
I challenge you, as you fight the enemy who is controlling your system, to base your beliefs on the truth. Silence the lies that have become part of your belief system -- things like "there is no hope" or "I'm destined to fail" or "I won't ever win." Get rid of faulty thinking like "this situation will never change" or "I just can't get this right."
If you want great results -- align your beliefs with truth and wrap it around your waist.
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