There are two sections to Part 3.
Christians are waging a fierce war with Satan.
Our Enemy is strong, and his tactics are deceptive.
In order to claim the victory that Christ won for us at Calvary, we must stand up and put on the spiritual armor God has given us for the battle. Let's examine this armor and see how we can use it to ward off Satan's attacks. The first piece of the Christian soldier's armor is the girdle of truth:
"Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth" (Eph. 6:14).
The girdle that Paul was speaking of here was worn by Roman soldiers. It was not simply a strip of cloth around his waist or even a narrow belt. Instead, it was generally a leather apron that helped to protect the lower part of his body. The girdle was also used as a sheath for the soldier's sword.
What does the girdle of truth illustrate in the life of the believer? In the Bible, a girdle had the function of pulling things together. In the culture of that day, both men and women, including soldiers, wore flowing robes. When they wanted to move rapidly, the people would gather up their robes and tuck the ends in their girdle so their legs would be unencum-bered. Likewise, the Christian must prepare his mind and heart for battle, eliminating any thoughts or habits that would hinder his walk with the Lord.
Peter had this idea in mind when he wrote: "Where-fore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ" (1 Peter. 1:13).
The girdle of truth represents a life and mind that is pulled together and ready to serve for the glory of God. It speaks of integrity-truth in the inner being.
David described this kind of integrity in Psalm 51:6, when hearid," old, thou desirest techin the sword of the Spirit —the Word of God. The truth of God's Word must penetrate our lives so that our actions and motives are governed by integrity and truth. Paul had much to say about this truth in his letters. In Ephesians 4:14,15 he told the believers that instead of being tossed about by every wind of doctrine, they should speak the truth in love in order to become like Christ. Later he added that the truth is in Christ Jesus (Ephesians. 21). The truth that the apostle was speaking of in these passages is integrity that settled conviction of life that leads us in the right direction.
The opposite of integrity is duplicity. Duplicity is hypocrisy -trying to lead a double life. We try to focus our minds and hearts on God and on worldly pleasures at the same time. But this kind of double vision always leads to unfaithfulness. We cannot serve two masters (see Matt. 6:24). Only the soldier who has directed all his energies toward one goal — winning the battle — will be victorious. Paul had this singleness of purpose in his life. He stated, "This one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus" (Phil. 3:14,15).
Of course, Jesus Christ is our best example of a life of integrity. In describing the coming Messiah, the Prophet Isaiah wrote: "Righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins" (Isa. 11:5). Throughout His life on earth, Jesus had only one purpose and goal in mind: "My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work" (John 4:34).
If we are going to stand our ground against Satan and his forces, we must declare our allegiance to Christ and maintain our integrity. The minute we display any division or duplicity in our lives, we have given Satan an opening where he can attack us. Once he gains a foothold, his influence in our lives gradually grows until he finally controls us.
Let's examine the girdle of truth (integrity) and learn how we can apply it to our lives. In looking at this piece of the Christian's armor, we will also meet three winners and three losers in the battle of life. These winners in the Bible won because they put on the girdle of integrity, while the losers lost because they practiced duplicity.
The Danger of Doubles
What is integrity? I think one of the best illustrations of the difference between integrity and duplicity can be found in mathematics. In mathematics, a whole number is called an integer, while part of a number is called a fraction. Thus, integrity means a whole person —one who is complete and undivided.
In Matthew 6: 19-21, Jesus spoke to us about this matter of duplicity and integrity. He stated, "Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth,.. but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven. ... For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." Jesus made it clear in this passage that we cannot have a divided heart. We can't look for the pleasures of this world and for the joys of the Christian life at the same time. We can store treasures in only one place. God has given us all things richly to enjoy (see I Tim. 6:17), and He does want us to enjoy life; however, He doesn't want us to focus our hearts and energies on gaining all these temporary pleasures. Our heart can be in only one place, and that place should be with the Lord.
In addition to the danger of having a double heart, Jesus also warned us about having a double mind.
He said, "The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single [healthy], thy whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil (defective), thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!" (Matt. 6:22,23). In this passage Jesus was describing a person with double vision; someone who tries to look in two directions at the same time. Of course, when he attempts to do this, he can see nothing clearly. Spiritually, the eye represents our outlook. If our outlook is not healthy, then we are not going to be healthy inwardly. Our outlook determines our outcome.
Those whose minds and outlooks are divided will be unstable in everything they do (see James 1:8).
Not only should believers beware of having a double heart and a double mind, but we must also guard against having a double will. We cannot have divided loyalties. Jesus stated, "No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon" (Matt. 6:24).
What causes worry in people's lives? Duplicity.
They have double hearts. They love the treasures of this world while trying to love the Lord. They are double-minded. They have one eye on heaven and one eye on the earth. They want to have the best of both worlds. They are double-willed. One minute they're serving God, and the next minute they're serving their own interests. However, this kind of living does not work; it pulls your life apart.
The only solution for the problem of duplicity is integrity. How can we have integrity? By practicing the greatest of all commandments: "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength" (Mark 12:30). This is integrity. It means putting on the girdle of truth and saying, "I am totally devoted to the Lord. I don't have another master. I am looking only to Jesus, the Author and Finisher of my faith. I love Him with all of my heart; I listen to Him with all of my attention; I understand His Word with all of my mind; and I want to do His will with all of my will." It's so easy for us to have a dual alle-giance. Instead of building our house on the rock, we build a duplex. We have part of the house on the rock and part of the house on the sand, and then we wonder why things fall apart.
I hope you are enjoying reading these devotionals. I will continue releasing more parts to this devotional theme. Please continue reading this series.
I pray these devotionals will help you become a stronger Christian.
I would love for you to comment on or share this devotion.
All verses are KJV.
See past posts to find previous parts and sections.
Until Next Time………
Sincerely,
Nataly Russell
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