The Armor of GodSample

A Roman soldier “girded his loins” with something more akin to a girdle than a belt. (A manly one, I’m sure.) Most scholars agree that more than any other piece of the soldier’s clothing or equipment, this girdle—with its intricate decor and elaborate buckles—distinguished a soldier from a civilian. It wasn’t some optional, secondary accessory, like the kind you or I might add to an outfit. It was a strategic, primary focal point of his attire. Think of those wide lumbar braces that UPS® and FedEx® workers wear around their waist when carrying heavy packages. The sturdy, leather girdle of the Roman soldier was made to reach around the torso and provide essential support while he performed the quick, demanding movements of war. 

Truth is your support. It provides the essential backing you need when you’re in the midst of spiritual war. 

Remember, the enemy’s overarching device is deception. He shades reality with enticing and alluring colors, seducing us away from black and white principles. He propagates fantasies, causing temporal and insignificant things to somehow appear immensely valuable and favorable. His packaging is so clever that unless we know what’s true—I mean really know it, know it at our core—we easily fall prey to his ploys. 

Truth—which we could basically define as God’s opinion on any matter—is our standard. Truth is who God is and what He says it is, which is best summed up for us within the Person of Jesus Christ. 

God’s truth. Biblical truth. Without concrete allegiance to and affirmation with this truth—with real truth—you’re left weak and susceptible to things that may look right and sound right yet actually aren’t right. But with the standard of truth in place, you can adjust everything else in your life—your ambitions, choices, and feelings; your mind, will, and emotions—until all of it lines up correctly. When you have a strong, stable, well-supported core, you can’t easily be led astray by the enemy’s clever lies. Gird yourself with truth, and you’re on guard from the word “go.” 

The real test will come when the ideals and philosophies of our culture swing in the opposite direction, and yet we choose to stand strong and firm on the unchanging standard of God. The time has come for us to be women girded in truth.