God's Armor, Not Ours - Part 3 (Belt of Truth)

A word about belts - they hold things together and things can be held from upon them. Now-a-days cell phones and other gadgets clip to our belt for easy access. Our belts today are also used to keep some of our pants up around the waistline. When Paul examined the Roman soldier, he noticed the belt held the breastplate firmly in place, the shield and sword were stored on the belt when not in use and there was even a notch for a lance/spear to rest. Mr. Rick Renner in his book Dressed To Kill, supports this notion by saying,

"Only the loinbelt will hold everything together for us, both as individual believers and as the corporate Body of Christ." (p.266)

"When you affix the loinbelt of truth onto the center of your life and faithfully ensure that it stays in place, everything else comes together." (p.268)

The soldier can remove his/her helmet shortly to shine it up so it blinds more enemies on the battlefield. The soldier can remove his/her breastplate to fix chinks in the armor. The soldier can do likewise with the shield, shoes and sharpening of the sword and spear in down-times. However, there are few times when the soldier can take his/her belt off completely. 

With the belt being the piece that holds things together and from which weapons are held, the belt is crucial for the soldier's organization, management and sustainability throughout his duty. 

For the Christian this idea remains true and who The Belt of Truth represents is critical in the believer's daily battles. 

Jumping ahead to the Sword of the Spirit a moment, I have seen and heard many teachers and preachers wave the Bible in the air and proclaim Christians need to use their Sword more to do battle in life when referring to The Sword of the Spirit or Bible, but this is an incorrect rendering of the original Greek. The original Greek for "Word of God" when referring to the Sword of the Spirit is Rhema or Revealed Word of God, while the Belt of Truth is God's written or declared Word of God - the Logos, The Bible. 

So the strong encouragement for all believers in Christ is know thy belt, know God's written Word, His Scripture before wielding a word of knowledge that is based on and in The Bible. Mr. Renner elaborates by stating -

"But if you lay aside your Bible (your 'loinbelt of truth'), in time you'll begin to lose your sense of righteousness. Lay aside that loinbelt of truth, and you will slowly begin to lose your sense of peace. Lay aside that loinbelt of truth, and you will feel the joy of your salvation begin to deplete. If you toss that loinbelt of truth out of your life, you will begin very quickly to lose your ability to believe God and to walk in faith.

You absolutely cannot function as a believer without the Word of God having an active and central role in your life." (p.265)

The red letters in John 14:6 tells us that Christ told us He is The Truth. He is not a truth or one truth among many - He is The Truth. He is the exclusive rights holder from eternity past to eternity future on who and what is true. The Old Testament, Deuteronomy 6:6-9 instructs believers to have God's truth on our hearts, impressed upon our children, talked about everywhere and at all times of the day and written on your hands, foreheads, doorframes and gates. This Truth, this Logos, this Word of God that is accessible to us as written instructions directly from the heart of God is then updated as a piece of armor in the New Testament that Christians can wear daily known as The Belt of Truth.

God's Armor, Not Ours - Part 2 (The Breastplate)

The Roman breastplate was meant to protect the heart and all other vital organs in that vicinity. Scripture does not picture the human heart very kindly to begin with (Jeremiah 17:9), so when Christians have supposedly changed their ways and are attempting to live the Christ-like life, the Breastplate of Righteousness or right-standing with God that guards our emotions, makes sense. Believers should desire to preserve their right-standing and favor with God by thanking and praising Jesus for securing what He could only acquire - our righteousness.

Something to notice with this piece is that Paul specifically calls it a "plate" not breast-mail. This is because by then the Roman army had updated to this segmented breast piece of armor from chainmail. While chainmail allowed flexibility of movement, it was extremely heavy and labor intensive to manufacture.

The segmented armor that Paul gazed at when mentioning the Breastplate of Righteousness was quicker to make, provided the best, updated protection and was much lighter than chainmail. The con was the that maintenance took up too much time and resources.

The Christian's time and attention to his/her spiritual breastplate will always be well worth the time, energy and resources. Remembering this is God's Armor, Not Ours - notice the name of this piece - the Breastplate of Righteousness. God's breastplate of right-standing with Him was purchased by Christ alone. Paul makes this clear as he states - 

"There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus." - Romans 3:22-26

Paraphrased in my words - Jesus demonstrated His right-standing with Father God by living the perfect life, cloaking Himself with humanity's rebellion and paying the wage for rebellion - death - so that whosoever has faith in Christ's finished work is also justified or found in right-standing with God.

Anytime our relationship with Christ comes under assault, allow The Breastplate of Righteousness, God's purchase of right-standing for us through Christ, to take the impact of the blow. His sacrifice on the cross and victory over death, Hell and the grave will be able to stand against any and all threats to the believer's righteousness. Christ's righteousness, the believer's right-standing with God is perfect, so Christian's can fully rely on The Breastplate of Righteousness.

God's Armor, Not Ours - Part 1 (Intro/Helmet of Salvation)

 

Ephesians 6:10-18 has been a well-covered passage of Scripture by many Biblical teachers and preachers. The verses are a call-to-action, a warrior lifestyle to embrace by wearing God's Armor, Not Ours. 

Christian's, as all humans, have all kinds of issues - mental, physical, financial, and so forth. But Paul places heavy emphasis of the source of many, if not all our problems, from the spiritual realm.

• "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." - Eph. 6:12

With this in mind, God equips the Christian with armor that supernaturally fits each of us. Paul had as his visual aid a Roman soldier near him as he was in a Roman prison writing to the believers in the city of Ephesus. 

Beginning from the top of the body, here are the names of these pieces of the armor of God - the helmet of Salvation, the breastplate of Righteousness, the belt of Truth, the shoes of Peace, the shield of Faith and the sword of the Spirit. There is an extra piece that is not named by Scripture but can be visualized through the Roman soldier's gear, which I will explore later, influenced by Rick Renner, in his book Dressed To Kill.

Interestingly enough, Paul notes the pieces in another order - 

1. Belt of Truth
2. Breastplate of Righteousness
3. Shoes of Peace
4. Shield of Faith
5. Helmet of Salvation
6. Sword of the Spirit
7. ? - Mystery Weapon or Unnamed Weapon

This could be due to how Paul was looking at the soldier and writing his thoughts down or how Paul saw the importance of each one or both. When studying the functionality of each piece I can see why The Belt of Truth is number one and I will dive deeper into my meaning on that later.

Taking my order of the Roman soldier's gear parts, there is a wonderful reason the helmet is called - the helmet of salvation. This helmet saves our thought-life by keeping God and things above at the forefront of our mind. Perhaps you have heard of someone saying, I had that word on the tip of my tongue. Well, the helmet of salvation keeps God's sacrifice and promises at the tip of our mind.

Another great benefit of the helmet of salvation is the offensive side to this piece of gear. Dark forces or spirits like depression, hate, bitterness and the like do not like when the light of Christ shines on them and exposes their location and action. This is pictured in the blinding, reflective nature of the Roman soldier's helmet. One soldier with his helmet on is bad enough for the enemy, but if you have the whole army fitted correctly - your enemy is not only discovered, but blinded also.

So, the helmet of salvation is not only a defensive piece of armor - protecting against blows to the mind and recalling God's love for us, but God's helmet is an offensive piece as well - spotting and blinding the enemy in our day as we keep our thoughts on Christ and His ways.

Remember, just as a soldier took his individual pieces of gear off to perform maintenance and then put it back on, so the Christian must "take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." The believer, with great intention must put on and wear the Helmet of Salvation.

Lord, Just Speak Your Word

Many of my requests to God have changed from - Lord will you touch this or God will you reach down from Heaven and place your hands on this person or situation or Holy Spirit please move in this issue to - King Jesus just say/speak your Word over this. Not that the other ways mentioned are a lesser way of God to move on our behalf, just this is where I am in my faith journey with the Lord right now. 

Speaking is all God has to do - be it a resolution of an issue, reward of obedience or gift from His unconditional love. Knowing this, believing this and walking in this is based from The Faith of the Centurion in Matthew 8:5-13.

I hope I get to meet that centurion one day in Heaven. I desire to thank him for his inspiration of faith and much more as I give him a long, uncomfortable bear hug. 

The Scripture paints a sense of eagerness and possibly desperation by the centurion with Jesus just entering the city limits and the centurion meeting Him there - "When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him asking for help."  

The next word is important because this man asking for help in society is a high ranking soldier, the commander of one hundred roman warriors. His leading word was "Lord" or Master. Right from the beginning of the centurion's address of Jesus, the officer recognizes authority by declaring the Rabbi's title - Master.

The rest of the centurion's statement holds very interesting information also. Now that the ears of Jesus are perked because He hears this centurion call Him Master, the officer now declares not his wife, not his children, nor any member of his immediate or extended family is sick or in need but his "servant lies at home paralyzed, suffering terribly."

I am now going to make some assumptions that are not based directly on the Bible saying so, but on observation or reading between the lines. How did this important military man know to come to Jesus in the first place? 

Whether the knowledge of Jesus' miracles was by trusted sources to the centurion or by first hand experience as he traveled the countryside, other measures evidently did not or could not work for his servant - "paralyzed, suffering terribly". So the officer with a heart, his faith and recognition of authority remembered Jesus.

Now why in the world would Jesus ask this question? He asked the centurion, "Shall I come and heal him?" If I were the centurion, and were not so sold on the authority of Jesus, I would have responded sarcastically by saying something like - No Jesus, I just want you to stay in the street and ramble on and tell me everything is going to be alright in the sweet by-and-by and not visit. Of course this question was in direct response to where this officer was in his faith journey and the way he began his address of Jesus - "Lord". Plus, how did Jesus know the servant was a "him" when the centurion had not revealed that information that we know of? Jesus was already beginning to work and see the afflicted far off.

The response of the centurion was qualitative. He not only spoke about the authority that Jesus possessed but the kind of person and authority that Jesus was and had by using the word "deserve". 

"The centurion replied, 'Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word and my servant will be healed. For I am a man under authority with soldiers under me. I tell this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and that one, 'Come,' and he comes. I say to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it."

I do not hear of any other account of an official or military commander saying to a Rabbi or High Priest - "I do not deserve to have you come under my roof." This was the centurion's qualitative authority statment if ever I have heard or read one. Then he proceeded to support that statement with his recognition of authority in Christ by being a man of authority himself.

I imagine amazed was an experience few-and-far-between for Jesus, but we see here that this centurion's decision to trust Jesus with the health of his servant through not only faith but "great faith" in Christ's authority over all things was amazing.

"When Jesus heard this, He was amazed and said to those following Him, 'Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith.'"

The result? "Then Jesus said to the centurion, 'Go! Let it be done just as you believed it would.' And his servant was healed at that moment."

I feel confident believers in Christ may ask God to touch, move or answer in a variety of ways and those methods be pleasing to the Lord. I can see Jesus observing our faith and saying to the Christian "Go! Let it be done just as you believed it would." But just as Yahweh spoke creation into existence and here the centurion trusts in The Word of God made flesh, Christ Jesus, so I will continue to pray - Lord, Just Speak Your Word.

God's Fingerprints

God is in the details of everything good and I desire to be involved with that. I love to re-read the Bible. Why would I continue to read again stories I know the ending too? One, they are great events to bolster my confidence, trust and faith in God. Two, there is not a single account where God's intimate involvement is not detected. God's Fingerprints are everywhere, in every story from creation forward. Even at this point in my life, I can reflect and observe God's penetrating assistance at just the right times. 

While there are major events throughout history and in our world today that make us question -  why did God not intervene? I have to trust in an over-all design and divine plan, the option is there is no plan, therefore, there is no God and I refuse to believe that. 

In Job's life the devil was a major influence, but God was sovereign over all the details. God used the Behemoth and the Leviathan in His discussion with Job to display His power over everything. Pointing out the incredible, descriptive details about those creatures, God naturally asked Job and all of humanity - Who then can compare to me as The Creator and Sustainer? If humans cannot stand against such fearsome and awesome creatures as the Behemoth and Leviathan, what success does one think he/she might have with The Creator and Sustainer of these beasts and all creation?

Later in the New Testament, Paul would echo this strong declaration of Creator and Sustainer-God when he said - 

• "For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together." (Colossians 1:16-17)

We cannot escape the evidence of God in the details of creation and life. Scripture speaks to God being in the details of nature and humanity when it says -

• "In his hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind." - Job 12:10
• "For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse." - Romans 1:20
• "So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them." - Genesis 1:27

Only Yahweh is Omni or All. But God has always been and still is personally invested and involved with His creation. In the Old Testament, many of the God-fearing characters would erect altars, usually made of stone, every time God would move in their life on their behalf. 

The Christian today can do the same thing spiritually and create spiritual altars where we stop and remember or reflect on the goodness and faithfulness of Christ in our lives. Some believers use church retreats for this purpose and that is a great recommendation, but I would suggest not to wait for a retreat to activate a personal, spiritual altar time at home. Thanksgiving and gratitude are wonderful ways to cultivate the manifest presence of God in the Christian's life and family - the regular altar is a great step toward that end. Let us make a practice to observe, remember and appreciate God's Fingerprints.

God's Voice

Has your name ever been called from where you cannot see the caller for the moment, but just by the voice you recognize the person? Have you ever seen a person from far off and known who they are simply by the way they walk or their posture?

When I was growing up, I could tell you without looking, who was walking from one room to the other because of their cadence and who was literally talking behind my back because of their voice. All the times I have been on a team, in a job or part of a church family for an extended period of time - I knew them. Because I shared so much time in my relationships, I could distinguish the many voices in my life from one another – seen or not seen.

That is familiarity based on an established bond. This only comes with time spent with that person. Many instances the time is just the quantity that determines the familiarity of the bond, like going to work everyday therefore knowing your coworkers. Many more instances knowing someone’s voice, cadence, posture and the like come from quality time with that individual.

I have heard many pastors and teachers of the Bible say something like – “I heard God say to me…. Or God said to me….” I desire to interview those people and ask, “Really? You heard God speak? What did He sound like?” I have often pondered – what does the actual voice of God sound like? Many of us have associated The Voice of God with a good baritone or smooth bass voice, compliments of movies and t.v. with James Earl Jones and the like.

In 1 Kings 19:11-13 the voice of the Lord is described as “a still small voice” or “a whisper”. Thunder is often how God’s voice is depicted in the book of Psalms. There are some cute sayings we hear about the thunder in storms. I have heard some say, "That thunder is angels moving my furniture around in Heaven." I have also heard, "That thunder is the angelic host bowling." Whatever cute saying you have heard about the sound of thunder, Scripture equates the sound with God’s Voice leaving the recipient and the reader of God’s Word quite awestruck.

However, before any of us write off or reason away the thunder in Psalms as being poetic because of the nature of this book of the Bible, John 12:29 records –

“The crowd that was there and heard it said it had thundered; others said an angel had spoken to him.”

In other cases, God’s voice is powerful and certainly not quiet. Have you ever heard the crackle and sizzle of lightening bolts as they attempt to find their mark? David says God's voice “strikes with flashes of lightning” (Ps. 29:7).

Have you ever been in the presence of a strong trumpet blast or volley of notes? The writer of Hebrews states God’s voice is like a “trumpet blast” (Hebrews 12:19).

Imagine yourself standing beside Niagara Falls and hearing that constant deafening roar of water. Both Ezekiel 43:2 and Revelation 1:15 attest to His voice like “the roar of rushing waters”.

Have you ever been in a large crowd and just stopped and listened to the murmur of the mob? Daniel had a vision of a mighty man that many believe is of Glorified Christ. In Daniel 10:6 the voice of God is described as “the sound of a multitude”.

In addition to these descriptions, the voice of God has been portrayed in Scripture to the breaking of Cedars (Ps. 29:5), the shaking of the desert (Ps. 29:8), the twisting of the oak (Ps. 29:9), the shattering of Assyria (Isa. 30:31), speaking from a cloud (Matt. 17:5), speaking from out of the fire (Dt. 4:12) and even His voice reaching the dead and they hear Him (John 5:28; John 11). The scale for God’s voice seems to be tipped more to the loud end of the spectrum then that of the whisper mentioned in 1 Kings 19.

However, if you were one of the individuals who lived during the time of Christ you actually got to hear the voice of God in human form. They heard the Word of God, the Logos, made flesh, speak. John says in his gospel – “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. (Jn. 1:1) “The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us.” (Jn. 1:14) That which Father God uttered as words now was flesh and speaking Father God’s very words to us.

Now-a-days I do not claim to hear God’s voice as loud noises, storms or even whispers. However, this does not stop me from stepping out on my front porch when a thunderstorm arrives, not only to assess the severity, but to listen to the thunder and watch the lightening and imagine it as God’s voice speaking to me. Remember I’m justified. God replied to David –

“In your distress you called and I rescued you, I answered you out of a thundercloud; I tested you at the waters of Meribah.” (Ps. 81:7)

So how can John speak about the sheep listening to Christ’s voice as The Great Shepherd in John 10:27? The actual verse reads, “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them and they follow me.”

God has a magnificent voice and has used it many times to acquire the attention and obedience of nature and humanity. Where God's voice was unmistakable in the past, His voice is a matter of faith, diligence in His Word and Godly discernment today. Especially since Christ's visitation, God's voice is built on a relationship with Jesus by accepting His sacrifice for our redemption and trusting in His Holy Spirit to guide believers.

For the Christian today, I believe God's Word and His Holy Spirit within the believer are how Christ mainly speaks. Not that God could not audibly, loudly or softly speak His words to the believer, but for all ages future of Christ’s ascension Jesus stated - 

• "But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you." (John 14:26). 

God’s communication to the Christian is more of a Holy impression, a Holy inspiration based from and on God’s Word. In Paul's second letter to Timothy, the word theopneustos (theh-op-nyoo-stos) is used meaning God-breathed or inspired to describe all Scripture -

• "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

This listening to and for God’s voice all begins by following Him or spending time in His Word and manifest presence. The original word used for "know" in John 10:27-28 - "My sheep listen to my voice; I know them and they follow me." - is ginosko, meaning to know absolutely; be sure; to understand in a great variety of applications and with many implications. The word implies an intimate, developing relationship that God knows everything about with the believer's part being to “listen” and “follow”.

God's voice will one day be undeniably unmistakable to all. As Jesus steps down from His throne in Heaven and pierces the thin cloak of invisibility, He will descend with "a loud command" (1 Thess. 4:16). This shout, this resounding utterance, this Voice of Thunder will be enough for all Christians to be transformed or glorified and the dead in Christ will rise first, then the remaining believers will meet them and Christ in the air to go Home.

Meanwhile, God says, if you are part of the family of God, you will want to and need to be listening for God’s impressions, His inspiration and discernments through His Holy Spirit. To help in this effort, remain a man or woman of integrity. Also, continue to pray to Him, allowing for some listening time. Permit the Holy Spirit and Word of God to guide you in all truth because this is God’s Voice.