I knew that God was leading me to write a series on The Armor of God, but I didn’t know its timeliness until this morning. There are a lot of people, myself included, who desperately need to buckle their Belt of Truth today as they endure the loss of their beloved doctor, friend and mentor Dr. Paul Warren on October 21, 2006. His beautiful death—went to sleep after a full day of ministering and enjoying relationship with his wife and woke up in heaven—has unearthed deep heartbreak and soul-searching doubt in many young and old hearts. God knows that what we most need to sustain us in the spiritual struggle of living in a fallen world is a dogged determination to believe in His goodness in spite of our spiritual anguish.

In Ephesians 6:10-20 Paul the apostle describes the armor of God. Paul wanted Christians to understand that there is much more than meets the eye when it comes to our spiritual lives. Part of the struggle in being who we want to be, or completely giving our lives to God, is a spiritual battle. He uses the metaphor of war to describe what it is going on around our souls.

It makes good sense to think of your soul at war, but a war that doesn’t involve explosives and tank trucks. The ammunition that is coming against you in this war is spiritual. Mainly you are battling flaming arrows shot by Satan—the father of lies (John 8:44). In this war soldiers are commanded to stand the ground that has been won for them. The main command given is to stand. This seems to imply that though the ground has been conquered the enemy is still out there trying to induce soldiers to give up the ground that is rightfully their own.

The very first piece of the armor mentioned is the belt of truth. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist (Ephesians 6:14). In the battle for your soul, the belt of truth can keep your soul unscathed, no matter what happens around you.

What is the belt of truth? It is the absolute belief that God is good. The reason that Adam and Eve got sideswiped by sin was because they considered Satan’s lie that God’s plan for their life without knowledge of good and evil was not the best. The Belt of Truth goes on first because it helps make all the other pieces make sense. You must be convinced that God is Truth and that He never lies, even when your life experiences lead you to think the opposite.

Have you put on this belt? Have you determined that God is truth and that He cannot lie? Do you believe that He is good? These are the beliefs that buckle the belt of truth firmly around your waist. The belt of truth is the core of your defense. All the other pieces of the armor of God are dependent on this essential defense.

When have you needed to be convinced that God does not lie? Numbers 23:19 says, God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill? In order to put on the belt of truth, you must become absolutely convinced that God does not lie. When you put on the belt of truth, you will protect yourself from the lies that attack you every day.

How many lies have you fought off in this day? Is Satan trying to convince you that God is good to sing to on Sundays, but not someone to talk to about the problem you are having with your boss, or the fears you have about your child? Has Satan convinced you that it is okay to rationalize not reporting that mistake on your bill because it was probably God’s way of blessing you anyway? Do you wrongly believe that God has abandoned you or does not care?

When you put on the belt of truth, you are confirming your belief that God is absolutely good and that you will believe His goodness, no matter that lies Satan throws your way today.