Armor 1: The Belt of Truth

Well, we are into our third week of this series, / / Be Prepared, and we are finally going to look at our first piece of armor in a series on the Lord’s armor!

We’ve taken a couple weeks to set the stage, give a bit of backdrop and context as to why Paul would be writing about armor and using military terms and what it all means to be in a war that first of all we’re not really fighting, and it’s really not against the issue that we see in front of us.

So often what we are seeing is the fruit of a tree that has roots that go deep into people’s lives.

Jesus actually says in Matthew 7:15-20, / / Beware of false prophets [pseudoprophetes - pretended foreteller or religious impostor] who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves. You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act. Can you pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit. A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit. So every tree that does not produce god fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire. Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions.

So, yes, absolutely beware false prophets, those who would come to you and say, “This is what God is saying...” and then tell you something that God is actually not saying, or taking what he is saying so far out of context that it is no longer the word of the Lord.

Also, that word meaning religious impostor, those who say they follow God and know what bible says and then tell you things that don’t line up with the word of God. This is why it is absolutely critical to know the bible for yourself.

But read the last verse again, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions. He doesn’t say pseudoprophetes again, he says people. This is more than just those who would speak false prophetic words, but the truth that we all, every single one of us, have fruit in our lives that grows from the tree of our life, and it shows what’s really going on in us.

The fruit you experience from someone’s life is often the product or produce of years of belief, years of experience, of anger, shame, hurt, pain, distress, depression, trauma and so much more, and all of those things produce bad fruit. Notice that Jesus doesn’t say the person is bad, he says the fruit is bad because the tree is bad.

Now, the same is true about good fruit! We get to experience the fruit of someone’s joy, pursuit of Jesus, pursuit of healing, time spent in the word of God, time spent in prayer, the forgiveness they have learned to give, the love they have received, the truth they have embraced. Good fruit!

Another scripture that Jesus talks in this manner is in John 15, he says, / / I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more… Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit.

So, good fruit vs. bad fruit, and it is the fruit of our lives that shows what’s going on inside of us. So Jesus clearly in both of these scriptures is pointing to a better way. Being connected to him, allowing the Father to prune away what is no good, uprooting the trees of our hurt and pain so that the garden of our hearts can grow healthy and strong!

And there is a great element of that in what Paul is warning us of here, you aren’t fighting against the person! Yes, the person may be the one handing you the fruit, but the fruit is not the true issue. As I said last week, we are faced up against the influence the enemy has had in their lives that is producing fruit they probably don’t even want.

So, context of our situation, and then the fact that the enemy is real, he’s out there, he’s doing his thing, as Peter says, he’s prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Paul says in Ephesians 6:11, / / Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil.

Again, that term stand firm, or stand against is a military term meaning resist the enemy, hold the position and offer no surrender!

And then in vs 13 he takes that terminology a step further and explains it, / / Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm.

He just defined “stand against” - you’ll resist the enemy, you’ll be standing firm, or holding your position, offering no surrender.

And then he gets to this armor he’s been referencing. Ephesians 6:14-18, / / Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.

Alright, over the next few weeks we’re going to look at these particular pieces of armor, because each one is an entire book of information here. Paul is making a statement, and giving an overview to things that he’s been teaching. Remember, he is writing this to the church in Ephesus where he spent time. He lived there it’s believed to be from about 53 - 56 AD, but in this letter he says that he wrote it to the people in Ephesus while he’s in prison. He makes reference to being a prisoner three times. 3:1 says / / he’s a prisoner of Christ, which maybe he’s talking metaphorically about his submission to the authority of Christ, but he also says in 4:1, / / I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, so, that sounds a bit more like he got in trouble for preaching... and then in 6:20 says, kind of proving without doubt, / / I am in chains now...

So, it’s believed he’s probably in Rome at the time and it’s roughly 5-6 years after he had lived in Ephesus - it’s around 60-62AD. So think of that, Paul spent nearly 3 years there teaching them about the Good News of Jesus Christ, equipping them, teaching them, training them. Even if he just preached once a week that’s 150 messages…and they got together as the church a whole lot more than that… so he’s given them a LOT of content. So by the time he’s writing this letter, he’s writing it in reference to what he’s already taught them. So he doesn’t have to go into each piece, he’s already given them that while he was with them.

When he says, Put on the belt of truth, they get it, “Oh right, remember when he told us about Jesus saying he was the way, the truth, the life… and how the truth will set us free? This must be what he’s talking about, so, I guess we need to put that on everyday...”

So, we’re going to take some time to look at each piece here and really break down what it means to put this armor on, and use it. In fact, that’s exactly what he’s saying. Ephesians 6:13, in the ESV says, / / Therefore take up the whole armor of God. The word for ‘take up’ in the original written language of greek is / / analambano and it means to take up a thing in order to carry or use it.

He’s not just saying, truth is like a belt, put it on, but he’s saying, put this on, and learn to use it. The NLT says, / / Put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy....

…so you will be able… there’s an action that follows the putting on. We put it on for a purpose, not just put it on and forget about it. This isn’t clothing, this is a suit of armor, and you don’t put that on unless you’re in danger of being attacked, or about to go attack something or someone.

I don’t sit at my computer with my work gloves on, that’s ridiculous, it’s the wrong tool for the job. This whole idea of armor and thinking in the context of a war, a battle, and really, thinking of yourself as a soldier is a really thought out way of describing our lives as Christians. And Paul talks about this in his other letters, when you become a soldier you are in service of the ruler of that army, and that’s not always to fight. Soldiers keep the peace, soldiers do whatever the king asks. Think of how many times we have heard in movies and tv shows the phrase, “I serve at the pleasure of the president...”

Paul talks about himself in that way. A servant to Christ, one who has given his life to the service of God. He says in 1 Corinthians 4:1, / / …look at Apollos and me as mere servants of Christ who have been put in charge of explaining God’s mysteries...

He’s saying, listen, if you are a Christian, you are in the service of God, we do His will, we seek His desire. Even Jesus says in John 12:26, / / Anyone who wants to serve me must follow me, because my servants must be where I am… we have been called into His service.

I serve at the pleasure of the King of Kings...

So, let’s jump in here. Today we are going to look at just the first piece of armor that Paul talks about. Ephesians 6:14 says, / / Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth...

Something we can notice right away and want to remember as we are looking at this scripture is that we’re looking at two things. Constantly in this passage of the bible, Ephesians 6:10-18, Paul is writing two things.

/ / 1. Physical Representation

Looking at the very first one here, putting on the belt of truth. Is he telling us to put on a physical belt? No, but he’s using this physical representation to explain not just a spiritual aspect, but WHAT to do with it.

But, why armor? Is Paul a soldier? No, he was a pharisee, he was a tentmaker, he was an apostle, a preacher, a church planter. He wasn’t a soldier, but, remember he has told us three different times in Ephesians alone that he’s a prisoner. He’s probably had plenty of time to just sit there and look at a roman soldier in their armor. And the way he describes things and the pieces of armor that he talks about, even the order that they are put on… it’s all got meaning.

/ / 2. Spiritual Discipline

The second thing is the actual Spiritual Discipline we’re talking about here. We’ve read this before, I love this scripture, James 1:22 says, / / …don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.

Each of these things is not just something nice to read through, but they are important spiritual disciplines we must apply to our lives in order to live in a world where we are in a battle we can’t see. We’re talking about armor we can’t see, for a battle we can’t see, against an enemy we can’t see, or at least not in the physical sense.

Whether by divine inspiration or simple wisdom, Paul’s writing of this scripture and explanation of armor as these strong biblical and spiritual ideals and disciplines is brilliant.

So, we are putting on the belt of truth this morning.

And there’s this progression even in how he is talking about what we are doing here. He says in Ephesians 6:11, / / Put on all of God’s armor..., and that word, / / put on, is endyo, which means to sink into, put on, clothe oneself. Get dressed. Put on your armor, there’s a battle going on, don’t step onto the battle field without it, that would be foolish.

Then, the next time he mentions getting dressed he says in vs 13, / / Therefore, put on every piece, or as we saw in the ESV, Take up the whole armor, which is that word - / / analambano - taking up a thing to CARRY or USE it.

Don’t just get dressed, but make sure you’re wearing the right stuff and you’re going to be using it!

BUT, when we get to vs 14 and it says, / / Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth, that word for putting on, or as the ESV says it, Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth..., that word / / fastened, or putting on, is perizonnymi, it is a different word, this isn’t just to simply get dressed and put on, but it means to fasten garments with a girdle or belt, to gird all around. gird - prepare oneself for something difficult or challenging

Remember, we’re looking at two things here, a / / physical representation and a spiritual discipline. The physical representation of the belt alone is super important. Commentaries on this scripture show that the order of these pieces of armor is the order in which a soldier would put them on. This belt, or a girdle, was about six inches wide. Probably made of leather, and it was like a normal belt in that it held together the clothing underneath but it also that was holding the other pieces of armor in place, like the breastplate he mentions next, and it’s what the sheath for your sword would be attached to.

Think of this physical piece of armor as the utility belt that the rest of your armor depends on. Your breastplate alone would be quite heavy, so the belt helps distribute the weight. You don’t want to have to have your sword in your hand all the time, so you have the belt to help carry it. On the belt itself there would have most likely been what was called a “breechclout”, which was essentially an apron that helped protect the lower abdomen, and it possibly even gave strength and reinforcement to your back, you see a lot of people in warehouse work use a belt like that that helps reinforce the back itself.

Even how they wore it represented something. If the belt was tight, or as we see here, / / fastened, tightened, the soldier was showing he was “on duty”, he’s ready to fight. But it was slack, or loose, you were saying you were “off duty”. Paul is directly referencing this important distinction. Don’t just endyo, slip into, your belt, but put on all of God’s armor, endyo, get dressed, and then perizonnymi that belt, fasten that belt tight so you’re ready to go, so your armor stays up, so your sword is at the ready.

Paul is saying very plainly, as a Christian we must face every day “on duty”, with a fastened belt, not a slack belt, we aren’t ever off duty as Christians. Be on the ready. As Peter says in 1 Peter 5:8, Stay Alert! And so, as this physical military belt was the foundation of the soldiers armor, the truth is the foundation of the Christian life.

If the enemy, as we looked at last week, is given the name the Father of Lies, what is the very thing you need when lies come? Truth! Whether the enemy comes with lies, half truths or distortions of the truth, as we grow in our relationship with God, as we pursue wisdom and knowledge, as we read and study His word, we are filled with the truth, which is the foundation of our faith. And reading the bible is step 1, but if you’ve ever read in the gospels where the Holy Spirit leads Jesus into the wilderness where he is tempted by the devil, you have seen that even the enemy knows scripture, and will try to take it out of context and use it against you! Paul actually says to Timothy in 2 Timothy 2:15, / / Work hard so you can present yourself to God and receive his approval. Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the word of truth.

Work hard there is endeavor, to exert one’s self, be diligent. Don’t just read the word of God but be diligent, make an effort to truly understand what it is saying, because that matters.

We started today by talking about the difference between good fruit and bad fruit, and in John 15 where Jesus is saying He is the vine, we are the branches, in vs 7 he says, / / …if you remain in me, and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted.

We like hearing that ask for anything and it will be granted part, but what’s the key there? remain in Jesus, relationship, and his words, truth, remain in you. What He says about you should supersede anything that anyone else has ever said. He says in John 14:6, / / I am the way, the truth, and the life… that word truth means, / / what is true in any matter under consideration...

Paul is talking here about what we need to resist the strategies of the devil, and I believe his greatest tactic, his most valuable weapon is influence. I said this last week, if he can influence you, if he can get you to believe something contrary to the word of God, he’s got you. If he can get you to believe something about yourself, something about someone else, or something about the world that is outside of what God has said, or is a distortion of what God has said, then he’s got you right where he wants you.

/ / Our beliefs shape our world. What we believe about any given situation shapes our expectations, our actions, our processes and ultimately our experiences. And something in me wants to say, “No way, he’s not that powerful.” But it’s absolutely true.

Look at the world around you right now. We constantly hear a phrase that proves this to be true. “Well, that’s no MY truth...”

And what people really mean when they say that is that what they believe is different than you and you can’t tell them they are wrong. Problem is, you can believe a lie til the day you die, and it will never be THE truth.

The problem with believing that we can all have our own TRUTH, is that we are denying what scripture says when Jesus says, I am THE TRUTH. God defines what is true in any matter under consideration. And so what may seem true, is not always the truth. What may be our experience and thus define our expectation, is not necessarily the truth.

Embracing MY truth that goes against HIS truth doesn’t set me free, it actually puts me deeper into bondage. And Jesus said in John 8:31-32, / / You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings.

Which means read, learn, understand, apply / do.

/ / And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.

Same word for truth as used in John 14:6, where says, / / “I am the truth...” - what is true in any matter under consideration.

/ / …faithful to his teachings…what He says, His truth. not mine, not what I want to define. Not what would make it easier for me, but His truth. His teaching.

See, the problem with belief is that, like I said, it shapes our world. I have shared this a few times, but a couple years ago I was in a meeting with a man named Steve Backlund, and he said, “In any area of your life where you do not have a great hope [confident expectation in a positive outcome] it is because you are believing a lie.”

And I didn’t ant to believe it, but as I looked at it, thought about it, I realized it’s absolutely true. Any area of my life where I don’t believe God can do something incredible, there is a reason I don’t believe that.

Is it because I think I’m not worthy?

Is it because I believe I am not good enough?

Is it because I believe God can’t use me?

Is it because I believe God can save me, but doesn’t work like that in this area of my life, he won’t deliver me, set me free, break addiction, pay my bills, find me a better job, help me lose weight, help me believe something new, help me feel loved?

Whatever it is, there is a lie holding me back from the truth of God’s word, which means the lie is holding me back from freedom, because it’s not the lie that sets us free, and it’s not defining a truth for myself to try and make me feel better, having “my truth” that sets me free, it’s having HIS truth, it’s THE truth that sets me free.

Romans 6:16 says, / / Don’t you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey? And that word / / obey means to listen, to harken, to give your attention to. Bible dictionaries define it as, “of one who on the knock at the door comes to listen who it is...” to harken to a command.

Essentially saying, when we listen to the words of the enemy, we become a slave to the enemy. When we give our attention, when we obey the command, or the belief, or the statement of the enemy, we are enslaved by the very thing WE have chosen to believe. Was it fair, no, the devil plays dirty, he tricks us, he manipulates and distracts, contorts and does all he can to convince us to believe the lie.

In a personal ministry context we call this an / / UNgodly Belief. Because the believe itself does not line up with God’s truth.

This is why Romans 12:2 says that we must be transformed by the renewing of our minds. / / Being transformed by the renewing of our minds is allowing, or inviting the renovation of Holy Spirit, for the complete tearing down of the “truth” we know, for a building back up of the “truth” God gives us.

So, why are beliefs so dangerous? Listen to this little poem that explains this so well:

/ / If you accept a Belief, you reap a Thought.

If you sow a Thought, you reap an Attitude.

If you sow an Attitude, you reap an Action.

If you sow an Action, you reap a Habit.

If you sow a Habit, you reap a Character.

If you sow a Character, you reap a Destiny. - unknown

This is what we call the / / Belief - Expectation Cycle

Whether it starts with an experience, that causes us to believe something, or the influence or suggestion of belief is given to us and we choose to believe, the result is that our belief builds in us an expectation. In turn that expectation dictates, or influences our behavior. I act a certain way because of what I believe, right, that’s not hard to understand, BUT, when we act a certain way because of our expectations which our built upon ungodly beliefs, we end up experiencing the very thing we don’t want that reinforces the belief we have.

And it’s all based on a lie, on the influence of the enemy to believe something contrary to God’s truth.

This can be really big, really deep things in our lives, and these can be small things we see all around us in life that seem to be just the way things work.

Sometimes it’s our experiences that form our beliefs, and sometimes it’s not anyones fault. This is why Paul says we’re not fighting people...When I was a kid, I remember this day, it was the middle of summer, it was hot, and my dad was sitting on the couch, he probably doesn’t remember this day like I do, because he didn’t do anything wrong. But let me tell you, I can remember it like it was yesterday. I ran to the couch and jumped up, to cuddle with him, and like I said, it was a hot day, he’s all sweaty trying to cool down and so he moved me off of him and said, “no son, it’s too hot”

He didn’t do anything wrong at all, but my little heart took that as rejection… insert the perfect opportunity for the enemy to come in and suggest my dad doesn’t love me, my dad doesn’t want to cuddle with me, my dad rejected me… Maybe that doesn’t completely change my expectations or actions right away, but a few of those types of situations, with some reinforced influence and opportunity to believe and what happens? Over time I’m not running up to my dad, I’m not trying to cuddle, I’m not sharing my heart.

Another example from my childhood:

I saw Ms St Hilaire the other day. She’s a great teacher up at Whispering Pines that Kaylee had the awesome opportunity to have last year. And we were talking about some struggles we’re having with Kaylee and her love for talking, which we love, but in a classroom setting that doesn’t always work, does it? And it was hilarious because she finished my sentence as we were talking, she knew exactly what I was going to say, I said, “When I was a kid, every single report card I got said the same thing, ‘Rob is a great student, but....’” and she jumped in, “but he talks too much…I had the SAME THING!”, and she said, “It’s a sign of intelligence”…

we had a good laugh about it now…but it sure wasn’t funny at the time.

To a 5 year old, 6 year old, 7 year old, 8, 9, 10, 12, 16 year old, I didn’t get that kind of response, “keep talking, it’s a sign of intelligence”.... I got, “why are you talking so much, you have to be quiet, you have to control yourself”

Are any of those things bad? no

Is learning time and place very important? yes

Is learning how to not be disruptive in a class setting important? of course it is

So how does this make something bad, and why is this spiritual warfare, and what on earth does it have to do with the belt of truth?

My teachers want me to learn how to live a good life.

My parents want me to learn how to behave and properly conduct myself in a classroom setting because we all know if we don’t learn how to respect and obey, things are more difficult later in life. These are foundational, fundamental things we have to learn.

BUT, the enemy, the devil and all his minions, the Father of Lies, sees this as an opportunity for influence.

See, no one wants to listen to you

You’ll always get in trouble for talking.

You talk way too much. And everyone just wants you to stop.

It’s better to just keep your mouth shut, don’t say anything.

I don’t know when or where, but hear those lies enough and soon you begin to believe them, and those beliefs effect your actions, your expectations, your behavior and your experiences.

I didn’t stop talking in class, or Sunday school or youth group, of which all of those situations I got in trouble for. But at home, where it matters most, I began to hold things inside and close my mouth. I didn’t know how to talk to my parents. I didn’t want to. I learned it was better to keep my mouth shut, because no one wanted to listen to me.

Now, was that true? of course not!!! My parents absolutely love me...

Funny, how God’s purpose and gifting on my life is to speak, and yet the thing I struggled with the most for years and years was being afraid to speak… And the longer it goes on, the stronger the cycle becomes because every scenario I go through reinforces my beliefs.

Ever hear the statement, “boys don’t cry”? Or maybe “Wipe those tears, Big girls don’t cry”?

What are we doing? We’re trying to help the person, but we’re giving an opportunity for influence that subverts the truth of God. Boys do cry. Emotions are beautiful. Even the ones we don’t always understand. Anger can be God given. A restlessness that moves us to action for justice and to do what is right. But when these things are shut down for fear of losing control, or out of our own inability to connect with those emotions. How is an emotionally shut down father supposed to connect with an emotional child? So we do the best we can out of our own hurt, out of our own struggle, and we try to help them by saying, “boys don’t cry, wipe the blood off the knee and get back on the bike” or “be a big girl, come on, wipe those tears, get back out there, you can do this...”

All of these situations, and not just as children, but as adults as well. The enemy is crafty, he’s deceptive, he’s subversive. He’ll do whatever he can to get you to believe his lies to block the truth and your experiences then become influenced by your beliefs rather than God’s truth!

I’m just stupid. I’m always late. I’m such a failure. I guess I’m just not that important. I’m damaged goods. I never win. I never get credit for the things I do. I am always going to be this way. I won’t ever be able to change. I deserve what I got. I’m worthless. I’m ugly, I can’t lose weight, I will always be fat. I have failed every time before, what’s the point of starting again? I’m too old to change. I’m too young to matter. I think different, they will reject me. I don’t understand this, I must be stupid. I struggle with this, I must be bad. I have these thoughts, how could God love me? I can’t relax, I have to keep working. I have to prove myself. I have to show I’m valuable. I just need someone to love me. I just need someone to tell me I’m important, or that I’m good, I’m valuable, I’m worth it, I did a good job. Please someone just tell me. I’m always going to have financial troubles. I can’t give, I need all I have. I can’t trust God. I can’t trust people. I can’t trust the church. I’ve been hurt before, It’s better to avoid relationships. I don’t want to get too close.

Oh the list goes on and on and on, doesn’t it?

Now, I have to ask this, is what we believe really holding us back from what God wants for our lives? I mean, isn’t he in control? Isn’t he all powerful? We read last week Matthew 28 Jesus says all authority has been given to him, The bible says every curse has been broken, every chain released, we are no longer slaves to sin, all of these great scriptures that I want to quote to make me believe that this can’t be true, it can’t be this simple that I’ve been influenced to believe a lie, and that lie that I believe is effecting my life in this way...

Paul writes to the church in Philippians 2:12, / / Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear. For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.

Galatians 5:1, / / So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don’t get tied up again in slavery to the law.

Jesus even describes this, about this battle we are in with evil. He describes it in Matthew 12:38-45, and I won’t read the whole thing, but essentially, he’s talking to a group of religious leaders, pharisees, those who think they are better than everyone else, and they have been asking him to show him a sign to prove his authority. Some miracle or something to show that they should listen to him.

And Jesus says, what’s the point? You’re not truly listening. Just like the city of Nineveh in the Old Testament, which was the city that the prophet Jonah was sent to, to tell them to repent and turn from evil. He says, / / “Now someone greater than Jonah is here - but you refuse to repent”.

And he then tells another story from the Old Testament, King Solomon, who was regarded as the most wise person ever to live, had a visit from a queen, the queen of Sheba. She traveled to see him just to hear his wisdom. Historians aren’t exactly sure where she came from, but it’s believed that she traveled somewhere around 1500 miles just to see him. This is how greatly the wisdom of Solomon was regarded, and Jesus says of these Pharisees and religious leaders, / / “Now someone greater than Solomon is here - but you refuse to listen.”

You Refuse to Repent, You Refuse to Listen...

Now, listen to what Jesus says next. which, almost feels off topic, but it’s not. Matthew 12:43-45

/ / “When an evil spirit leaves a person, it goes into the desert, seeking rest but finding none. Then it says, ‘I will return to the person I came from.’ So it returns and finds its former home empty, swept, and in order. Then the spirit finds seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they all enter the person and live there. And so that person is worse off than before. That will be the experience of this evil generation.”

So, reading this in context of who He’s speaking to and what He’s saying. Jesus never had any issues getting rid of a demon. He would tell them to go, and they would go, but he’s saying here, the problem is, if you don’t understand that the reason you’ve been struggling in this battle is because you gave them access to your life because they influenced you and you decided to believe their lies, you can’t stay free. If the belief doesn’t change, if the house stays empty, you’re just waiting for someone to come back.

And we’ve been doing this in our School of the Heart class on Thursday evenings, which we will be doing again in the future as well, but you look at your life and look at what belief you have agreed with that is contrary to the word of God, that has given the enemy access to your life, and you do what Jesus tells these pharisees they seem unable to do. Repent, and Listen.

The influence that the enemy has had in our lives can be broken, and not only broken, but removed for good! But it takes a bit of work. It might take a bit of commitment and consistency.

We don’t have to deal with the enemy and 7 of his friends coming back to try and take over again when we follow this simple path to freedom. / / Repent & Listen.

Do you see how the belt of truth suddenly becomes very important? If you don’t believe the truth about yourself, about God, about the people around you, about the world we live in, then how are you supposed to fend off the enemy? How are you supposed to stand in the midst of battle when you believe you’re a loser, when you believe you’ll never get it right, when you believe God loves someone else more than you, that you don’t matter, or that you’ll never find a friend who you can trust, or your marriage is doomed to fail, or you’ll always be insecure and not confident… It’s a losing battle at that point.

But, as I said earlier, we don’t walk around with a slack belt, we aren’t off duty, we are on duty - fasten that belt! The of truth is meant to wrap around you, so you can hold fast to that truth, because it is the truth that sets us free.

So, Jesus says, repent, and listen. So we’re going to do this this morning. And I want you to walk this process and come back to it when you need to. Maybe you’re sitting there this morning and something I’ve said makes sense. “Oh, ya, I’ve felt that way before…why do I believe that?” Maybe God has already been speaking to your heart this morning, wanting to draw out of you this lie that’s been holding you back from life.

So, first things first.

/ / 1. Identify the lie.

We obviously need to identify if there’s something we believe that’s a lie. And indications of that are evident as we continue to grow in the word, we recognize there are things we believe that aren’t lining up with the bible. As we continue to engage with God’s presence and learn to hear his voice we can hear him for ourselves as he shares with us what’s holding us back.

Like I said, maybe you’ve already identified something this morning that you recognize as a lie.

/ / 2. Repent

This next step is actually a couple steps. Remember, when Jesus is preaching “Repent for the kingdom of Heaven is at hand, that word repent means to change one’s mind for better. To think differently.

Romans 12:2 says we are transformed by allowing God to change the way we think. So, repenting is coming to God and saying, “I’ve believed this lie… And I don’t want to any more.”

In this we / / confess this to God as a sin. If Paul says we’ve all sinned because we fall short of God’s glorious standard, believing a lie instead of his truth is definitely that. So we simply say, “God, I confess my sin of believing this lie and living under its influence...”

And sometimes other people were involved, some intentionally hurt us, caused us pain that directly influenced these lies we believe. And sometimes, like the stories I shared with my childhood, my parents didn’t do anything wrong, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t hold some things against them. So I / / forgive them for their actions, even if I know they didn’t intentionally hurt me. I was hurt. And I want healing in my relationships as well.

That can all be internal as well. You don’t need to call up everyone that hurt you and forgive them. This is between you and God. Your inability to forgive has been holding you back, probably not them.

Next I / / forgive myself. Yup, we can be pretty harsh on ourselves. I’ve been there. “Why do I still believe this. I’m so stupid...” It’s a lie on top of a lie! Have grace for yourself in the process. Regardless of why you believe what you believe, forgive yourself for falling prey to being lied to. The devil deceived you, just like he did to Adam, Eve and all of humanity since (except Jesus)… Don’t beat yourself up, but understand that God loves you no matter what and is just waiting to heal you as we recognize that we have hurts and pains we want to deal with and allow him to work on.

Next we fasten the belt, make it tight, and intentionally / / renounce the lie. Get a little fierce with that one. Renounce is just a fancy word for formally declaring one’s abandonment of something, to reject and stop using or consuming. So, I am going to officially, formally declare that I no longer am going to use, consume, agree with this lie, I am completely abandoning it! I have believed it, but I will no longer accept it as my truth, I reject it AND the one who influenced me to believe it. Satan and any evil, demonic influence in my life pertaining to that lie, I break all of my former agreements with them. And I do so by the power of the holy spirit and the blood of Jesus Christ, shed for all my sin and shortcomings!

And finally I / / replace the lie with the truth! And this one takes a bit of work, and sometimes takes a bit of time. Spending time asking God what he says, spending time reading the word of God, doing a bit of research. If I believe I am unloveable, maybe I search for scripture that says God loves me. This isn’t just reversing the lie. I’m unloveable…Now I believe I’m loveable. WHY are you loveable?

Genesis 1:27, So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he crated them; male and female he created them.

Psalm 139:13-14, You made all my delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous...

Psalm 139:17, How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered!

Romans 8:38-39, And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love… not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love…and it is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

So, my Godly belief is: I am loved because God made me in HIS image, he created me from head to toe and knows every part of me and thinks I am wonderful, and because of what Jesus Christ did on the cross I can know that He loves me, and that no power of hell, no thing on this earth, no situation, or problem could ever change that.

Now, heres’ the on duty, fastened, not taking this belt off part… Statistically speaking it can take anywhere from 18-254 days for a person to form a new habit or belief, and an average of 66 days for that behavior to become automatic...

So, we take this belief, and we work it, we work our our salvation, we listen to the truth of Jesus, we get this word to abide in us, take up residence in us. It’s the new normal. It’s the truth. It is what is true in this given situation.

OK, let’s do it.