Walk in Truth

 

    Walking in truth sounds easy, but sometimes it is not.  Satan's deceptions can be very convincing.  His goal is to have your believe the lie, fraud, illusion, manipulation without ever detecting it.  He tweaks the truth just enough to have you self-sabotage.  He is a wolf dressed as a sheep.  It takes intentional maturing in your Christian walk to be able to know where to go in the Bible to discover the truths that reveal his lies.

    Truth is not on a spectrum.  It is simple.  It is direct.  It is narrow.  It requires discernment at times.  Pray for wisdom and discernment to be able to see the truth from all the lies the world is telling you.  This is how you use the belt of truth.  God's truth will always reveal the lie.

    If you fall for the lie there are some indicators.  You will feel a loss in joy, life becomes boring, you feel empty, and you become vulnerable to distractions like addictions.  When the lie becomes your truth then sin becomes your lifestyle.  What may have seemed wrong once is okay because your situation is different.  That is buying into the lie and it will destroy what you love.  

    It is hard to step into the light when you have been living in the darkness.  It can feel overwhelming to have all your sins exposed.  However, it is better if you step into the light willingly and wanting to repent than to have the light brought upon you while you try to hide your sins.  Either way sin will be exposed eventually.  Come to God on His terms to find what you are really missing in your life.  

    The Holy Spirit will not lead you astray.  Trust the gut filling that He gives you.  It is an indicator that Satan is trying to pull one on you.  As you mature your conscience will become a stronger indicator that something is not right.  It will help you from willfully walking into a sinful lifestyle.  However, if you are in the sinful lifestyle, then you have tuned it out so much that it is no longer working properly.  Do not shut down the Holy Spirit.  He is your best friend and protector in this world.

    God's standard does not change.  That means you can find it at any time in your Bible.  Pray for understanding that will lead to discernment.  You are not perfect.  You mess up, but the point is to repent and turn back to God as soon as you can.  Trust the Holy Spirit to guide you even if it feels scary.  The more you walk in truth and faith the less scary it will feel.  It also reveals Satan's lies.  

Exodus 17:5-6, Numbers 20:6-13, Isaiah 30:19-22, John 8:12-32, Romans 1:21-23, 2 Corinthians 11:12-15, & Ephesians 5:6-14

Protection of Truth

 

    The belt of truth is protection.  Protection comes with strengthening your salvation through learning and obeying God's Word.  God's Word supports you as you walk with Jesus while making you stronger to carry the burden of truth.  The truth gives you security in your salvation.

    The truth is your protection because it gives you salvation.  Once you are a true Christian, then you have the security to follow Jesus no matter what the world puts in your way.  God's Word organizes the truth for you to make you secure in your Salvation which stabilizes who you are enabling you to walk confidently in life.  

    The truth found in God's Word teaches you righteousness, peace, faith, salvation, and prayer.  It teaches you how to use everything you have and who you are to defend yourself in confidence without doing evil.  The more you are in God's Word the more easily you are able to use it for good.  It takes some of the pressure off that you have to be perfect to be able to serve God.

    God's Word reveals the truth about your heart and right standing with God.  Jesus paid the heavy price for you.  You only have to be strong enough to walk with Jesus now.  If you have sin in your life, then the weight is heavier.  Repent your sin and following Jesus will become easier.  

    God's truth protects you where you can move freely in confidence.  Salvation brings freedom.  God's Word teaches you boundaries that protect your mind and heart.  God's truth is your weapon that can be used in every attack.  It can only be used correctly though if you are a Christian.  

    Without God's truth, you can't live up to His standards.  You are not truly free.  You will never understand how to self-regulate in a way that protects all of you.  You will never be a citizen of Heaven.  Your version of the truth is legalism.  It is not Christianity.  If you don't believe God's truth, then you will only be tripping over the truth trying to make it work for you instead of you submitting to it.

Psalm 119:105-112, Proverbs 30:5-6, John 8:31-32, 17:13-19, 2 Corinthians 13:7-9, Ephesians 6:13-18, 2 Thessalonians 3:1-5, 1 Peter 3:13-17, & Jude 1:3-4

Biblical Truth

 

    The truth can be hard to hear.  It may shock you to learn certain truths about yourself.  However, the truth is always better than a lie.  When you are delivering truth to people you need to do it in love.  That way you can meet them where they are like Jesus did.  You need them to hear the truth and not reject it before it is given.  Either way the truth will make itself known in it's own time.

    When you accept the truth it changes your course in life.  If you accept the truth that comes from the Bible it changes you from the inside out.  It changes your soul and perspective for the rest of your life.  It changes how you love.  It also makes Satan mad.  He likes you living in the lie.  He controls you and you don't even know it.  Once your eyes are open the truth become apparent.

    Living in the lies of Satan makes you weak.  You reject the truth for the more comfortable lie.  The lie allows you to live the way you want to live.  The truth directs you to uncomfortable change that leads to freedom.  Some people will choose comfort over freedom.  The truth gives you strength, but you have to go through discomfort to get there.  

    The truth comes with pressure.  It can feel heavy, but Jesus promised that would carry the majority of the weight.  Your load is a little compared to what he carries on your behalf.  You can endure for His name.  

    When you learn to love like Jesus you love in truth.  The truth can hurt at times, but it also protects you.  Your heart grows strong, but it doesn't turn hard.  You get a thicker skin and realize that some things are just people's opinions.  They are not necessarily true.  It they do speak truth that is hard, then you become grateful that they cared enough to be honest.  It opens the door to change and a stronger relationship.  Truth with love enables you to reject worldly jealousy, rage, hatred, and consuming anger that leads to bitterness.

    Biblical truth gives you direction.  When you get tired or fatigued, then Jesus will help you to keep going.  When your faith endures the truth gives you what you need to keep going.  The Holy Spirit in you will strengthen and protect you.  He will give you supernatural energy that no one can take from you.  God's truth gives you stamina.  When you embrace Biblical truth, then wont fall for Satan's lies that would destroy you.

Genesis 3:6-19, Numbers 20:6-13, Psalm 106:13-18, Jonah 1:1-6, Romans 1:21-32, 2:5-11, Ephesians 4:14-27, & 2 Timothy 3:6-9

Belt of Truth

 

    The belt in armor protects your core which is what connects all of your body.  Without your core no other muscle would matter.  The Belt of truth is God's Word.  God's Word is what makes you a warrior.  It connects the spiritual together to make you stronger.  

    When the armor of God was written, the armor was put on in a specific way to give maximum protection.  The first item to go on was the Belt, then the breastplate, sandals, shield, helmet, and sword.  In the armor of God the belt of truth is the foundation of your armor.  Everything builds the same way, but add on prayer to basically the glue that seals the protection.  

    The Roman army also went out in legions (thousands of warriors) to be strong.  Your fellow spiritual warriors is the church.  You need fellow believers to be strong.  Not everyone who claims to be Christian is Christian.  Do not allow a few people in a church keep you from accessing the strength you need in fellowship, prayer partners, wisdom, and more assets that can be found in a community of believers.

    The belt of truth protects your most vulnerable parts of your spiritual body: mind, heart, and soul.  The protection comes in the format of righteous living and choices that honor God.  The stronger your core belief is the stronger the protection is.  Faith in God's Word makes you more durable in the world because there is power in the truth.  The Truth is strategic in how it protects you.  It is the only thing that can fight deception.  

    The truth is what God says it is.  There is no personal truth that can change with what you want, how you feel, or the direction society decides to take.  There is only God's truth that can be found in the Bible.  The Bible is what will hold you together in spiritual warfare.  It is your core protection.  

    You use the belt of truth as protection by allowing the Bible to build and affirm your standards in life.  It is the source of boundaries.  You commit yourself to God's way of living.  You align your attitude and expectations in life by what you learn in God's Word everyday.   You allow your character to become like Jesus even when it makes you unpopular.  God's Word will only protect you if you are in it and use it everyday to direct your physical and spiritual life.  You decide how much protection you want.  

Deuteronomy 6:4-9, Psalm 119:153-160, Ephesians 2:11-18, 4:14-23, 6:13-14, & James 1:2-4

Prayer Stategy

 

    God has a plan for you.  Satan has a plan for you.  Do you have a plan?  Prayer and faith is your defense against Satan's plans.  It also makes it more clear of what God's plans are for you, even if He may only reveal one step at a time.

    Satan is the original schemer.  His plans are full of manipulation.  He is systematic on how he attacks your habits, activities, hobbies, mindset, and goals.  He will use discouragement to disarm you.  He will sabotage you in your blind spots.  He fights dirty.  You can't afford to be blind and hope for the best.  You have to be active in your spiritual life that carries into your personal life.

    It starts with faith and prayer.  The more precise and thought out your prayer life becomes, the more you are in the fight.  If you are not blind, then you can be prepared.  You may be deep in the fight, but you are still better off than the blind.  

    Your prayer strategy needs to be using the name of Jesus not a ward, but as your protective power.  His name activates your spiritual armor.  It provides the ability to have victory.  You have to be grounded in prayer to be grounded by Jesus.  

    Your strategy also needs to include thanksgiving, gratitude, intercession for others, direction, protection, future, dreams, request, and recognition of who God is.  When you are reading God's Word, use what you are reading to pray over your day.  There are many scriptures that are prayers, but you can create your own from what you got out of your Bible Study. 

    Do not pray a general or vague prayer.  Be specific with what you want, need, or whatever else is going on.  Keep it authentic and true to your heart.  Do not try to pray like someone else or the way you think you need to pray.  Keep it real with God.  It is okay to be messy.  God will work it all out.

Proverbs 3:5-6, Isaiah 26:1-6, 2 Corinthians 10:3-6, Ephesians 6:10-19, Philippians 4:6-7, & James 1:5-8

The Target

 

    Satan is the master at deception.  He can't read your mind or know what you will do, but he can bait you to do what he wants.  He studies you and has a good idea of what you will do.  He also knows when you are more vulnerable.  That is normally when he will attack.  If you are strong, then he will try to wear you down.  You are his target.

    Satan is not above hitting below the belt.  He plays dirty.  He will go after past trauma that he caused to hurt you more.  That is why it is important to allow God to heal you completely.  If you are healed, then Satan does not have that trauma to hurt you again.  This is part of spiritual warfare: God trying to heal you and Satan trying to destroy you.

    Do not live in fear or anxiety because Satan will target it as weakness.  Trust God to take care of you and He can protect you.  If you refuse His protection, then you are facing evil on your own.  The more you lean on God the more clear Satan's tactics become.   You are able to start seeing his intention which gives you time to prepare.

    In spiritual warfare prayer is how you can be proactive and alert.  It makes Satan work for you to stumble.  You don't have to make it easy on him.  The more you mature in your Christian walk the more you become a threat to his plans.  He will come after you, but you don't have to allow him to affect your mind or heart.  

    Satan wants to make you insecure, doubt your faith, and cripple your walk with God.  When you know to expect it, then you are able to prepare for it.  He will hit you where it hurts most.  He goes after what you care about.  He tries to twist your passions, interest, and curiosities into something ugly.  If he can keep you vulnerable or beat down, then he wins.  

    Fear is a strong weapon in his playbook.  Fear will drive you to do things that you normally would never do.  Give it over to God and he can make you stronger.  He can help remove your fear and vulnerabilities.

    Remember Satan comes after your identity in Christ.  He will use your passions, focus, and relationships to trip you up.  He wants to break up the family leaving soul wounds.  He attacks your confidence and your calling to cause you to doubt.  He attacks your resolve to stay pure for God.  He interrupts your sleep and rest to weaken your resolve.  He will try to manipulate your heart to self-sabotage relationships or put ungodly people into your life to cause you to stumble.  This is His playbook to target you, but God has placed blockers in place to keep you safe.

Genesis 3:1-7, Deuteronomy 5:12-15, Joshua 14:6-9, Isaiah 59:1-3, Luke 10:18-20, Romans 12:1-2, 2 Corinthians 10:3-6, 11:12-15, Ephesians 1:15-23, 6:10-20, 1 Timothy 2:8, Hebrew 12:14-17, 1 Peter 5:8-9, & Revelations 12:10-12

Being Alert

 

    God and Satan are both real.  They both have an agenda.  God brings light and life into you.  Satan brings devastation and darkness into you.  They are both intent and active, but the motives and ways are different.  Satan attacks and tries to control while God loves and tries to direct.

    If you are a Christian you can't be destroyed, but you can get distracted, discouraged, disable your testimony, or get confused.  Satan wants you miserable so that you do not help God's Word spread.  He may even let you become comfortable so that you become complacent.  

    God commands that you stay alert, aware, and avoid Satan's attacks.  It keeps you clear headed and on your guard.  This means that you may have to spend seasons of your life being uncomfortable to be able to walk with Jesus faithfully.  It does not mean that you can't find comfort in God's presence.  

    Being alert is fighting against becoming apathetic, disinterested, spiritually lethargic, or run from fighting for what is good and right.  You fight for your pure relationship with God.  It means you live differently than the world and resist sin.  You fight to keep your passion for God burning bright and armor of God holding strong.  

    Embrace every spiritual blessing that God gives you because it makes life worth living.  God gives you gifts and responsibilities, but they are blessings.  You are already victorious because you abide in Him.  You know this because you know that He is victorious, so don't let the right now keep you from growing in your relationship with God.  

    Be strengthened by God's armor.  It comes from being intentional in your relationship with God.  You are consistently pursuing Him and faithfully spending time in His Word and prayer.  There is no retiring or days off from spiritual warfare.  You also don't have to be beaten down by it.  You just need to be aware, so get rid of your vulnerable spots in your armor.  Your Christian walk is strategic and intimate.

Matthew 24:42-44, Mark 13:32-33, 14:37-38, 1 Corinthians 16:13-14, Ephesians 6:10-18, Philippians 2:12-13, Colossians 4:2-6, 1 Thessalonians 5:4-8, & 1 Peter 1:13-16, 5:8-9