Gird Your Waist With Truth

Ephesians 6:14
“Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth”

The belt is one of the first items of armour that a soldier puts on before battle. It held up the tunic so he was prepared for action. It is a basic need for battle. So too, is truth in our spiritual battle.

God hates lies: “Lying lips are an abomination to the LORD, But those who deal truthfully are His delight” (Proverbs 12:22). Lying is unrewarding: “Getting treasures by a lying tongue Is the fleeting fantasy of those who seek death” (Proverbs 21:6). Truth is needed in order to be saved (2 Thessalonians 2:8-12).

Paul has been stressing in Ephesians the need to put off the deceitfulness that characterises the man of the world (Ephesians 4:15, 25; 5:6, 9). Lies don’t only characterise the old nature but also Satan himself. Jesus says in John 8:44, “[The devil] was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.”

Satan uses lies to attack God’s kingdom and His disciples. The fall into sin was debatably caused by Satan’s lie (Genesis 3:4-5). Satan was the one behind Ananias’ lie (Acts 5:3). Satan is referred to as the deceiver many times in Revelation (Rev 12:9; 13:14; 20:2-3, 10).

In order to combat this liar we are commanded to belt up with truth. Earlier in Ephesians, Paul tells us to “put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness. Therefore, putting away lying, ‘Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor,’ for we are members of one another” (Eph 4:24-25).

The lies of Satan produce lies of sinners. The truth of Jesus (Eph 4:21) produces truthful believers. By this truth we oppose and fight against Satan.

“The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness” (2 Thessalonians 2:9-12)

Don’t be one of those that gets sucked in by Satan’s lies. Don’t be one of those that perish because they do not love the truth. Put on the belt of truth and fight!