The Belt of Truth
by Grace Bull
Do you remember the first time you deliberately told a lie? Or is there an incident which sticks in your memory when you tried to get away with telling a lie? If you still feel guilty, it’s not too late to confess and put the record straight, even though it can be painful to do something like that.
I remember writing to someone 13 years after the event to confess a lie I’d told. It wasn’t a big one, and the person probably guessed I was lying at the time. 5 year olds aren’t too good at covering up! But it was the first lie I remembered telling deliberately and the Holy Spirit was prompting me repeatedly to put the record straight. What a struggle it was for me to do that, but what a relief afterwards.
Why should it matter? Well today’s verse explains the importance of being right with God in this area. It says that truth is part of our God-given armour, for our protection. If we leave chinks in our armour, or let our belt hang loose, we are outside God’s protective covering in that matter, which leaves space for the enemy to attack us. And he will!
The “fact” that the lie you told yesterday (or are tempted to tell today) may not hurt anyone is a long way off the point. The important point is that it will hurt you. It will undo the buckle on your belt of truth. You won’t be protected. Truth is also a bigger, stronger thing than not telling lies or deceiving people. Truth includes the truth as God sees it, in the Bible. Jesus said, “I am...the truth” John 14:6.
Do you live in reality? Or are you afraid of reality? That is a good question to ask God: “Lord, am I afraid of reality?” It’s easy to think that other people would not like the real you if they knew what you were really like, so it can seem attractive to present a slightly false person, who you think people will like better. Perhaps you like that false person better yourself! So you pretend to be something else, someone more acceptable.
Jesus is the truth and the person He loves and died for is the real you. Not the ‘false but acceptable’ you. Remember the enemy can and does attack us wherever we are not accepting truth and in those places where we are believing and telling lies. Truth may seem dangerous and risky but, in fact, it is the armour God gives us for our protection.
Prayer: Lord Jesus Christ, thank You that You are 100 percent truth. I am sorry for the times I have not been truthful. Please help me to put those right. I want to embrace truth and reality in every area of my life from now on. Please would You help me? Thank You, Amen.
Grace Bull is a member of the Ellel Ministries team, working in course development and the support of Ellel centres worldwide, having previously been a full-time GP (family doctor) for 15 years. Her passion is relationship with God and doing anything that will help other people to find that close relationship too.
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