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| JAMES LESSON #23 We�ve looked at the first piece of spiritual �armor� and found that everything hinges on �truth.� �Warfare is not a power encounter, it is a truth encounter.� The enemy wants to get you to think that it�s a power encounter because you�ll end up afraid. If you see that it�s a truth encounter, and risk looking at the truth while standing in a lie, the truth will set you free because it will expose the lie � to your own heart. The sick deception is that many times we�re convinced that a lie is truth � and become comfortable in it to the point where it�s too uncomfortable to face truth. The belt of truth is going to show me what is right and what is wrong. Ephesians 6:14 Stand firm, having girded your loins with �truth,� and having put on the breastplate of righteousness. What�s �righteousness?� It�s me living according to the way that God says live. God says, �Live according to the truth.� When we trust Jesus with our lives � we immediately move into a system of truth that tells us how we are to think and how we are to behave. If I don�t behave the way God�s truth says to behave, that�s sin. Sin is �unrighteousness.� When I put on the belt of truth, I learn and know how to act � I learn and know how to think � at that point, I put on the �breast plate of righteousness.� The word �breastplate� comes from the Greek word: thorax: - A breastplate or armor covering the body from the neck to the thighs. It consisted of two parts, one covering the front and the other the back. When a man is clothed in righteousness he is impregnable. Words are no defense against accusations, but a pure life is. We must live in such a way as to prove that accusations against us are lies. The only way to meet the accusations the enemy hurls at us constantly is to put on the belt of truth � position, balance ourselves in truth: God�s truth: - and put on the breastplate of righteousness � something positioned and held secure by the belt. Remember, this is GOD�S ARMOR: not yours. It�s a �joint effort opportunity.� It�s God�s strength not yours: you RECEIVE IT. He supplies the truth: You receive it. He brings about the righteousness: You �wear it.� All of these pieces of armor work together and fit together. Ephesians 6:15 -and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace � The word �shod� in the Greek is �hupodeo� and it means �to bind under� - as sandals. The word �preparation� in the Greek is �hetoimasia:� It means �firm footing.� -your feet shod with the preparation, (or firm footing for the foundation), of the gospel of peace. This declares the firm and solid knowledge of the gospel (that Jesus was born of a virgin, was crucified, died, was buried, and was raised to life again through the power of God, as payment for my sin in full) in which the believer may stand firm and unmoved like soldiers in their military duty. The Roman soldiers were furnished with shoes that had cleats on the soles for this purpose. Ok- so let�s look at how all of �God�s armor� works together � each piece relying on the piece previous � all leading back to the most ESSENTIAL piece, the belt of �truth.� IF � I embrace the truth (belt of truth) � what happens next? I will walk in truth: (breastplate of righteousness) � that makes me completely impregnable from accusations : IF I embrace the truth and walk in the truth, what do I automatically have? Peace. Why? Because I am �guilt free.� There is nothing between me and God. I not only have peace with God, I have peace with man. Someone may not be real happy with me for some reason, but if I am doing what God says is right their problem isn�t with me, who�s it with? God. The enemy will want you to think it�s your problem. Is it your problem? Are you walking in righteousness? Who decides what�s right? God decides what�s right. He decides what�s truth. Get it. Warfare is not a power encounter, it is a truth encounter. The most painful piece of armor to pick up is the most essential piece � the belt of truth. Why? Because in order to pick it up we have to let go of the lies that have made us comfortable, and risk trusting God�s heart with who we are. What if we won�t like the change? -goes back to the question, �Do you really believe God loves you?� If you do � you�ll trust His heart in the risk. Ever met anyone who�s spent countless hours in pursuit of truth � wrestling with is it found in evolution? Is it found in Hinduism? What about Buddhism? Eastern Mysticism? It�s a never ending spiral of confusion. What�s the problem? None of those things acknowledge that the Bible is �Truth.� Faith acknowledges what is real � but it does not create reality. Get that: Huh? In simple terms: Just because you believe something is true, doesn�t mean it�s truth. That thinking is even found in Christian circles. I can get well, if I simply believe. Strength and getting well, or becoming prosperous depends on my belief. It does not depend on your belief. We appropriate what God says by faith, but our faith does not make some thing real or not real. When you take up the belt of truth you embrace it and walk in obedience to it � resisting the enemy. When you don�t do that, you�re immediately in trouble. You�re a believer and you feel trapped � lost � confused- frightened- abandoned � alone: You�ve prayed and promised God the rest of your life if He�ll just set you free: you don�t have to promise God anything. You have the armor: What are you supposed to do? HOLD YOUR POSITION: AND RESIST THE ENEMY: take advantage of the �joint effort opportunity.� This, is where we fail. Sometimes we do not take that active point of �resisting.� We do not actively (flee from-more on this later) and verbally resist the enemy. How do you do that? You speak directly to whatever is happening using two things: The Name of Jesus, as authority: and the Word of God, as authority: In the Name of Jesus and with the authority of the Word of God I command you Satan to leave me now.� THAT, is verbally �resisting.� Look at the progression: You step out of truth: You step out of righteousness: You have no peace :- you�re stumbling over your belt, not wearing it � too busy wondering what it is that�s wrapped around your ankles: your entire being is wide open to accusation and wounds � and you�re incredibly frustrated because you�re shoes are constantly slipping out from underneath you. Wrong thinking: wrong behavior: no peace. No peace with God and no peace with man. The peace goes back to the behavior, the behavior goes back to the thinking. Warfare is not a power encounter it is a truth encounter. What happens when I become a Christian? I come into �truth.� Before I am a Christian what am I called? I am called a �sinner.� When I become a Christian, I see the truth and the truth sets me free. I move from wrong thinking to right thinking. Turn to John 8:34. If I am a �slave� to sin, then I am �addicted to sin.� �Addiction:� To give up oneself to a strong habit. Like what? The usual first thoughts: Drugs, alcohol, pornography � what about codependency, work, food, computers, exercise, videos, arcade games, TV, internet, phone, sports, clothes and materialism, popularity, academics, (those of you who are teens, don�t even go there on that last one!) weight, boys, girls � If you get caught in the lies behind these behaviors (I need to these drugs to stop the pain, I need another drink to calm me down, I need to learn the �how to�s� sexually, I need to please this person or they won�t love me, the harder I work the greater I�ll become, the more I eat the happier I�ll feel, the less I eat the more they�ll love me, - and the list goes on: If you get caught in the lies behind these behaviors you�ll find yourself in an addiction. Look at John 8:35 If you are in Christ, are you a �son� or a �slave?� You�re a �son.� Slaves can be kicked out of God�s house, but not sons. When you become a son of God you will never get kicked out: why? Because the Spirit of God will dwell inside you and you�ll have the ability to �embrace the truth,� and say �No� to sin. READ John 8:36 If therefore the Son shall make you free, (from Satan�s lies and disinformation) you will be what? Free indeed. (from anything) So what happens? I am a sinner- I believe on the Lord Jesus Christ � I embrace truth. That truth, as I read it, study it, know it, walk in it sets me free from those addictive behaviors and brings peace. How? The truth changes my thinking because it �takes the lies captive,� by exposing them. (once a lie is exposed it no longer has holding power) Look at Ephesians 4:17 What�s �off� in this picture? THINKING is off. They are walking outside truth. The �belt� is critical. You say- well I don�t believe the Bible is the inspired Word of God- Go ahead- search elsewhere and tell me if you find peace. You won�t. Then, turn around, and embrace the Bible as truth for awhile and see what happens in your life. Look at Ephesians 4:18-20 Why were they �Excluded?� Because they didn�t believe truth. Why didn�t they believe truth? Because their hearts were hardened. What did they give themselves over to? Sensuality: (pleasures and desires of the body) remember, wrong thinking brings wrong behavior. They responded to the sensuality (things seen and heard that appealed to desire) of their surroundings and began to practice what they were thinking. Look at verse 20. But you did not what? LEARN. Do you see the �MIND� � the thinking � the truth here? READ ON verses 21-22 If indeed you have heard Him and have been taught in Him just as truth is in Jesus, that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside (this is in the �aorist� tense which means it�s already been done: this is not a command that you �do� � this was already done for you at Calvary) the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of what? DECEIT � the lust or desire in my body for deceit � the attraction to wrong thinking � the hunger for it � When you came to know Jesus Christ you laid aside the old self. The self that couldn�t say, �No.� You put on a �new man.� Putting on that new man is part of your breastplate of righteousness. You come to Christ filthy � what will set you free? Truth. Not you. You might be able to bring yourself under control occasionally, but you will not be able to set yourself free. The enemy knows that he can not �make you� unrighteous, but he wants to �convince you in your head� that you are unrighteous. If he can �undo� your shield �in your head� he will unravel your shoes as well and you�ll fall down. Without truth and righteousness you will not have peace. Look at Ephesians 4:22-24 He�s talking about a condition here � something that happened at Calvary. From verse 25 on he talks about your conduct � truth and your behavior. Look at verse 23: Be renewed where? In your MIND. THAT, is Satan�s primary target. As a man �thinks,� so is he. What�s the FIRST thing you need to do as a Christian? You need to bury yourself in the Word of God and study hard. You need to �get to know� your God. If you have areas in your life where you�re in trouble, the truth will get rid of those areas. We�re just getting warmed up in warfare. We�ll be camping here for a little while longer. More tomorrow. For today just remember: Satan�s primary target is your MIND � The belt of �truth� is what everything hinges on: As a man thinks: so is he: To embrace the truth, you have to let go of the lie that�s become comfortable � and risk the reach. Do you trust His heart? The truth, Will set you free. More tomorrow. Loving you, Robin �copyright 2001 Jim and Robin Hibschman |
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