The Antidote for Anxiety and Depression: Trust in Abba Father’s Care – Pt 33
Loinbelt of Truth – The Word of God
Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth…
– Ephesians 6:14
I realized that even though I gave my life to Christ at an early age in my youth and spent a lot of time reading the Bible, the Word of God wasn’t central in my life. The opinions of others about me were controlling my life. I so much wanted to be loved, accepted, and appreciated by others especially my family that what they said about me mattered the most. Often times when I tried to be assertive for my own good or said no to requests made of me that I genuinely couldn’t, I was told that I was evil, mean, selfish, and called myself a Christian, I was stupid, I shouldn’t talk and let others hear what I say because I was ignorant, I was a wet box of matches, just to mention a few. I believed all of those things for most of my life and they influenced how I lived my life – in isolation. I dared not let others find out all those things about me. I wanted to appear perfect in the eyes of others. After all, as a Christian shouldn’t I be perfect? This was my perception of a Christian as a youth, someone who is perfect. Thus, I questioned my salvation and tried very hard to be good. It seemed like no matter how hard I tried to be good the more I did everything wrong so I was always beating up on myself for not doing anything right and for being a failure.
There were times when others told me how selfless, kind and loving a person I am but I didn’t believe them. My adopted mother asked me all the time, “Joanne whose report will you believe?” “Do you believe what God says about you in His Word?” Even so it was difficult for me not to believe what man had said about me for so long because as I mentioned in a previous devotional, I tended to discount the positive and believe the negative.
Ironically, there are others whom I have ministered to as a teacher, counsellor, mentor and speaker who mentioned to me how their lives have been blessed and changed by the words I spoke to them but the very Word of God that I used to minister to them seemed not to have been working for me. I remember a friend telling me over and over that the same Word of God that I minister to others must also be evident in my own life. I needed to be armed and skilled in using the piece of weaponry called the loinbelt of truth which is the Word of God.
The Roman soldier’s lionbelt was the most important piece of weaponry in the entire armour. It was the central piece of weaponry. To it was affixed most of the other pieces of weaponry to hold them in place. In order for the Roman solider to effectively use the other pieces of weaponry was contingent on his lionbelt. If he had no loinbelt then his ability to use the other pieces of weaponry would be impaired. Having a lionbelt gave the Roman soldier security and confidence in battle.
As it is in the natural so it is in the spiritual. The Apostle Paul tells us in Ephesians 6:14 that the believer is furnished with a lionbelt of truth which is the Word of God. It therefore means that the Word of God is the most important and central piece of weaponry that holds all the other pieces of weaponry together. It is the truth of God’s Word that enables the believer to effectively use the other pieces of weaponry.
Once God’s Word is central in your life, you will have a sense of righteousness that protects your heart like a mighty breastplate. Once God’s (Logos) Word is working in your life, it provides you with the sword necessary for battle, as the Holy Spirit quickens the rhema word to your heart. Once God’s Word rules your thinking, it provides you with peace that shields you from the onslaughts of the enemy and preserves your mind like a powerful helmet. Once God’s Word is operating in your life, your faith springs forth quickly as a fantastic shield to extinguish all the enemy’s lies, unbelief, doubts, fears, anxieties, worry, vain imaginations, and all the other fiery darts of the wicked. Once God’s Word is central in your life, your steps will be ordered as you wear the shoes of the preparation of the gospel of peace. Once God’s Word is active in your life, you will be able to effectively pray in the Spirit with all kinds of prayers as a lance to annihilate all the attacks of the adversary.
Equally, once God’s Word isn’t central in your life, you will live a defeated life to the adversary because it’s the Word of God that equips you for battle in this spiritual warfare and gives you victory every time.
Is the Word of God central in your life? If not, would you make it priority today? Your whole life depends on it.
God bless you!
MY PRAYER FOR TODAY
Heavenly Father I worship You in the beauty of Your holiness. It’s the reason I live. Thank You for equipping me with the whole armour of God so that I can victoriously stand against my adversary. I especially thank you for the loinbelt of truth – Your Word that gives me power and authority and the ability to effectively use all the other pieces of weaponry. I boldly declare that God’s word is central in my life and I receive daily revelatory knowledge and insight of God’s heart and the secret things. Therefore, I am skilled in using every other piece of weaponry and I am more than a conqueror through Jesus Christ who loves me and gave Himself for me.. I pray this by faith in Jesus’ name with thanksgiving. Amen.
