Spiritual Warfare: Belt of Truth

Stand therefore [hold your ground], having tightened the belt of truth around your loins. Eph. 6:14a

Lies--a subtle yet effective system of deep, dark deception.
Nearly every commerical gives us a glimpse into some body's idea of what happiness is all about.
The real secret to happiness isn't anywhere in prime-time entertainment, of course. the key to a fulfilled life has nothing to do with fast cars, revolving partners, or this year's fashions. Those are counterfeits with which the enemy and the flesh conspire to tempt us. The solution, the number one defense against this deception is to clothe ourselves in truth.

-To a soldier, girding up was essential. He would lift up that long robe and tuck it into his belt so that he could move freely. An unbuckled belt and a hanging robe would mean one of two things: being punished by superiors or having a severe disadvantage to his enemy. Either way, the consequences were grave. When the battle cry sounded, a soldier would lift his robe and tuck it into his belt, exposing his sword. This is also where his sword and shield were attached. The word (sword) and his shield )faith) hung from his belt (truth).
-The word truth in this passage means candor, sincerity and truthfulness. I t is rooted in the objective reality of the truth of God's Word. Here it refers to the subjective, practical application of openness and honesty in all things with God and people.
-We are accepted by Christ, we are redeemed through him, adopted into his family, and sealed with his Spirit. These things are foundational, and they have all been done for us. But putting on the belt of truth is our job. We are to train our minds to see God, ourselves, and others through the clear lens of what he says is true.
-We're honest with God, honest with ourselves, and honest with others. We're open when the Spirit of God speaks to us. We don't allow ourselves to be deceived, and we don't rationalize our sins away under the disguise of ignorance, relativity, or blame.
-Our first piece of armor is a direct defense against the enemy's number one tactic. Do you recall from Genesis 3 what his first attack was/ Deception. Satan was the crafty serpent, dressing up his lies to make them appealing and then whispering them into Eve's ear. Satan takes truth and twists it, making sin look appealing.
-We can go to church on Sunday's, read the word in the morning, pray our daily prayers, and still unconsciously let the media so infiltrate our thinking that we raise our kids just about the same way the world raises their kids and handle our money the same way the world does.

When we are deceived, we are deceived. We think we are right on target. we are convinced we are doing the right thing for the right reasons and with the right motives. Eve didn't bite the forbidden fruit while thinking to herself, This is really going to be bad news.

Satan's first attack was deception, and humanity's first response after sin was hiding, denial, and blame shifting. that hasn't changed much either has it? We are very creative blame shifters. We attribute our sinful reactions to difficult circumstances, a depressed economy, an unfaithful spouse, or anything or anyone other than ourselves.
The remedy is the belt of truth.
You don't just put on the belt of truth in a quiet time some morning or with a quick prayer in the car. It's a process. It comes through long, significant seasons of being with God, not out of duty but out of longing to hear his voice. it comes when we stop that uncomfortable lack of peace, that disquieting voice in the back of our minds, and refuse to cover it up. Our tendency is to put on a movie or turn on some music whenever we're alone because God's voice is easier to ignore that way. We don't like to hear it because we're being deceived.