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Overcome Falsehood with Truth

In the time of the apostle Paul, the Roman soldier, outfitted in the armor of war, was the embodiment of the power of an Overcomer. Paul understood that overcoming is a spiritual issue, so he used this image of a soldier to instruct believers in Christ on how they needed to be equipped to stand against their enemy. He wanted them to understand how they could use each piece of the armor of God to protect themselves against every strategy of Satan.

Satan is the great deceiver, and his major attack against believers is falsehood. For this reason, when you decide to be a champion for God, you will often find that you are facing a lot of heat and criticism. But you can stand firm in your convictions when you know you are following the Lord. You can be like David when he faced Goliath—steadfast in knowing your power is in the Lord and your courage is a product of your faith. Without God, David was powerless. But with the Lord, he could overcome the fiercest enemy who confronted him. The same is true for you.

When it comes to preparing to overcome your enemy, the apostle Paul instructs you to begin by “[girding] your waist with truth” (Ephesians 6:14 NKJV). At first glance, it may seem strange that the belt is the first item in the Roman soldier’s equipment that Paul mentions. In fact, the belt wasn’t actually a piece of armor at all. But it served a vital function for the Roman soldier in that it held everything he needed for hand-to-hand combat—sword, rope, ration sack, darts. The soldier could also tuck his tunic into his belt—known as “girding one’s loins”—to free his legs for speed and maneuverability. The belt essentially held everything else together. 

Here is what this means for you today: truth is what fits you for the life of a Christian. Truth holds everything together and makes you ready. The Bible teaches that Jesus Christ was and is the communicator of truth, the witness to the truth, the origin of the truth, and the preacher of the truth. He is truth embodied . . . the final revelation of God to man. Truth is thus not a system or a philosophy but a Person. If you want to know the truth of God, you must come to know Christ, because He alone is truth. At the center of our lives we place “the truth [that] is in Jesus” (Ephesians 4:21 NKJV). Everything we do is drawn from that all-encompassing center.

Although Satan uses falsehood and deception, as a soldier wearing the belt of truth, you need not be timid about standing strong in defense of God’s reality. From that belt you will draw all the resources you need to combat a culture that promotes falsehood and attacks truth. When you stand in the truth, you will never speak from your own resources. Rather, you will speak from the truth as revealed to you through the Bible and the Holy Spirit.

As a believer in Christ, you are called to overcome falsehood with truth—and to know the truth, you must diligently search the Scriptures. The wonderful news is that your seeking after the truth will never be in vain, for God has promised, “He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6 NKJV). As you seek Him and find Him in the pages of His Word, you will be effectively putting on the belt of truth and be on your way to being an Overcomer. 

Respond

What are some lies that you have believed about yourself? About who God is?

What would happen if you faced your challenges in the name of the Lord? 

How can you ramp up your study of God’s truth on a daily basis? Who can help you?