The BattlePrøve

The Belt of Truth By Amy Cook Just as a well-trained soldier wouldn’t go into battle without armor, so God doesn’t expect you to face your enemy at a disadvantage. He’s provided you with everything you need, not only to survive, but also to be victorious in battle. God has given you a spiritual suit of armor to protect you in your fight against the enemy. “Below the belt” is a term used in boxing to describe the loins area where punches aren’t allowed to be thrown. A person’s loins represent a place of vulnerability. When people say, “That’s hitting below the belt,” they’re describing a comment or action that could be considered unfair. As a soldier of God, the first thing you must do to defend yourself against the devil is to gird up your loins with truth. In the Bible, shaking loins were a manifestation of terror (Daniel 5:6; Psalm 69:23). Several times throughout the Bible, the phrase “gird up your loins” is metaphorically used to say, “take courage” or “stop being afraid.” God told Job twice, “Gird up your loins like a man” (Job 38:3; 40:7, NASB). Your loins also represent a place of reproduction. When the seed of God’s Word is planted in your heart, faith is conceived. If you protect and water the seed, it grows until God’s promise is birthed into your life (Mark 4:2–20). On the other hand, fear springs from a lie of the devil that you believe. If you don’t uproot the lie, it eventually manifests its promise in your life (Job 3:25). Notice how many times Jesus told people to first resist their fear so that He could free them from the work of the enemy (Luke 8:50; 12:32; Matthew 14:27; Mark 5:36; Acts 18:9–11). When you accept the devil’s word over God’s, you allow fear to be produced. A liar doesn’t have any power until someone believes his lie. Like a cheap street magician, the devil wants you to believe he has power. His only trick is deception, and his only power comes from the authority you give him when you don’t resist him. When you receive a revelation about who you are, you become armed for spiritual warfare. You can dismiss the devil’s threats when you understand the powerful rank God has already given you. The devil’s lie says you are a victim, but God’s truth declares you are victorious! The Word of God assures you: “The Father has delivered and drawn us to Himself out of the control and the dominion of darkness and has transferred us into the kingdom of the Son of His love” (Colossians 1:13, AMP). Not only that, but “God disarmed the principalities and powers that were ranged against us and made a bold display and public example of them, in triumphing over them in Him and in it [the cross]” (Colossians 2:15, AMP). All the power of the enemy is under the feet of Jesus; therefore, it is also under your feet, because you are in Him (Ephesians 1:18–23). According to Ephesians 6:12 (KJV), you are involved in a battle against “spiritual wickedness.” The root of the word wicked means “twisted.” It is the same root word used for the wick of a candle, which is made by twisting cords together. Satan twists the truth. He twisted God’s Word to try to deceive Jesus, but Jesus knew His Father’s love and His Word too well to fall for the deception (Matthew 4:1–11). When fear attacks, you need to gird up your loins with the truth of 2 Timothy 1:7 (KJV): “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” When you recognize that fear comes from the enemy, you can expose Satan’s lie with God’s truth, like Jesus did. Then, as you believe and receive God’s perfect love, the spirit of fear will be cast out (1 John 4:16–18), and you will be courageous and ready for battle. ### Memory Verse God is our refuge and strength, an ever present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea. Psalm 46:1–2 (NIV)