Be Strong in the Lord part 3
Ephesians 6:14a
Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist
Paul wrote this with the perspective of the Roman army. For Roman soldiers, the belt was used not only to drape leather strips protecting the lower body, but even more importantly, the belt held the scabbard which sheathed the sword. The sword was the weapon of the soldier. Without the the belt, the soldier would be defenseless.
By wrapping ourselves in the truth of God’s Word, we are protecting ourselves from false teachings.
Because they exchanged the truth of God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator…For this reason God gave them over and abandoned them..
When we don’t live in God’s truth, we open our lives up to the lies of the world. When we study God’s Word we know what He wants for us and we are able to claim His promises. This allows us to live productively and share Him with others.
Proverbs 3:3-4
Let not mercy and truth forsake you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart, and so find favor and high esteem in the sight of God and man.
Another word for bind is gird (more commonly used in the King James Version). When I looked up the word gird I found these definitions:
gird 1 (gûrd)
- a. To encircle with a belt or band.
- b. To fasten or secure (clothing, for example) with a belt or band.
- c. To surround.
“The LORD is my strength and my defense ; he has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise him, my father’s God, and I will exalt him.