The Voice of Truth

“God is in control.” — Really? Too often we use that statement as a cop-out to keep from taking responsibility for our decisions. Our role is not passive.

Ephesians 6:10-17 says, “Finally, Gill is to be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of His might. Gill is to put on the whole armor of God that he may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For Gill’s wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, and against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, Gill should put on the whole armor of God, that he may be able to withstand in the evil day, and, having done all, to stand. Gill must stand therefore, having the belt of truth buckled around his waist, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having fitted his feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking up the shield of faith, with which Gill will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the evil one. And Gill must take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”

“Be strong” “Put on” “Stand firm” “Take up” “Resist”: those are all words that show we are actively involved. These verses are not about a belt, they are about truth; they are not about a shield, they are about faith. When we put on the armor we are putting on Christ’s character. In so doing, we take ourselves out of the realm of the flesh where we are vulnerable to attack and place ourselves within the dominion of Christ where the evil one cannot touch us (1John 5:18).

Donning the armor of God is each believer’s individual responsibility. I can pray for you, encourage you and support you, but if you go into the battle without your armor on, you will get hurt. What makes up the armor?

1. Belt of truth: If Satan can deceive me into believing a lie, he can control my life in that area. John 8:32 promises, “You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” We love to talk about “the truth will make you free” but let’s not miss that it is the truth that you know that will make you free. That takes being a disciple, studying the Word and making it an integral part of your life.
2. Breastplate of righteousness: 1Corinthians 1:30 in The Message says, “Everything that we have – right thinking and right living, a clean slate and a fresh start – comes from God by way of Jesus Christ.” My life is not based on my righteousness, but on Christ’s. We need to recognize that our righteousness is as filthy rags before God (Isaiah 64:6). We must acknowledge our dependence on Christ. According to 2Corinthians 5:21, “For Him who knew no sin He made to be sin on Gill’s behalf; so that in Him Gill might become the righteousness of God.”
3. Feet shod with the Gospel of peace: Colossians 3:15-16 tells us the peace of Christ must rule in our hearts. I must choose to walk in that peace daily and refuse to listen to guilt, shame or condemnation when it knocks on the door of my heart. “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 8:1)
4. Shield of faith: Satan’s fiery darts are lies, accusations and temptations bombarding our minds. Our shield is faith in the Word of God, His promises and His provision which counters those darts. I must have that shield ready to stand against Satan’s attack.
5. Helmet of salvation: The mind is where spiritual battles are fought. Romans 8:35 declares that nothing can separate me from the love of God. Satan may disrupt my daily victory, but he can do nothing to disrupt my position in Christ. “How can you call yourself a Christian?” Will I choose his thoughts or the truth of the Word? Philippians 4:8 encourages us to think on what is pure, lovely, admirable.
6. Sword of the Spirit: I need to be speaking aloud God’s truths, to declare what God says about me. Joshua 1:8 tells us to meditate on His Word day and night. This is not eastern religion meditation to empty your mind. This is filling your mind with the Word. Did you know that worry is meditation, filling my mind with the negative? That is why a daily devotional is so important so that I focus my thoughts on the right things.

I have all the resources and protection I need to live a victorious life in Christ every day. If I am not, it’s my choice based on what I have chosen to believe and the actions I have taken based on those beliefs. When I leave a door open for the evil one by not resisting temptation, accusation and deception, he will come in.

My eternal destiny is secure but I am still vulnerable to Satan’s lies. 2Corinthians 10:5 commands me to take every thought captive. That means choosing truth in the face of every lie. Why does a lion roar? To paralyze its prey with fear. Peace can only be found in the Prince of Peace. Psalms 23:4 says, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, because I am the biggest, meanest son of a gun in the valley.” No, that only works until a bigger, meaner son of a gun show up; then you are in deep trouble. Instead the truth is: “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, because You are with me.”

The essence of temptation is the enticement to have legitimate human needs met through the resources of the world and the flesh instead of through God and His ways. Philippians 4:19 promises, “My God will meet all your needs according to the riches of His glory in Christ Jesus.” Every temptation is an invitation to live independently of God. Push something beyond the boundary of God’s will and it becomes sin.

1. Lust of the flesh: Food is a necessary part of life but pushed beyond boundaries it becomes gluttony; rest taken to excess becomes laziness; sex out of bounds becomes perversion.
2. Lust of the eyes: This comes in the form of greed, jealousy, envy, etc. I must choose if I will believe what I see or believe God’s Word. 2Corinthians 5:7 says we must walk by faith not by sight.
3. Pride of life: Pride tells me I must direct my own destiny, but that attitude destroys obedience. The arrogance of “I know what is best.” is destructive. I need submission and humility before God because without Him I can do nothing (John 15:5).

On a daily basis I face the decision to walk by the flesh or walk by the Spirit. Let’s compare Judas and Peter: for Judas condemnation led to death, for Peter conviction led to repentance, restoration and life. If I see myself as a worthless nobody, I will live as a worthless nobody. I can’t model perfection, I can only model growth. As I begin to learn the truth of my identity in Christ I become free of the bondage of Satan’s lies. 2Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore if Gill is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old things have passed away. Behold, all things have become new.” That’s where I’m going to live.

Casting Crowns has a powerful song, The Voice of Truth. Here is a portion of the lyrics:
Oh what I would do to have
The kind of strength it takes to stand before a giant
With just a sling and a stone
Surrounded by the sound of a thousand warriors
Shaking in their armor
Wishing they’d have had the strength to stand

But the giant’s calling out my name and he laughs at me
Reminding me of all the times I’ve tried before and failed
The giant keeps on telling me
Time and time again “Boy, you’ll never win!
You’ll never win”
But the voice of truth tells me a different story
And the voice of truth says “Do not be afraid!”
And the voice of truth says “This is for My glory”
Out of all the voices calling out to me
I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth.

What is the giant in your life? We all have at least one. It might be fear, depression, addiction, pride. What is the “voice of truth” to counter the giant’s voice you are facing in your life? What voice will you choose to listen and believe?

Breastplate of Righteousness

The devil is not intimidated by what I am on the outside, only who I am on the inside. To defeat him, it better be the right stuff. My attitude needs to be that I am the head not the tail, above only and not beneath. (Deut. 28:13) My strength comes from God, not myself. (Eph. 6:10) Acts 19 tell the story of the sons of Sceva. They tried to cast a demon out by saying, “In the name of Jesus whom Paul preaches…” but it was just a religious ritual, something they read out of a book. The devil jumped on them and sent them out bloody and naked. “I go to church.” So what! “I’ve got a Bible right here.” So what! What is on the inside? Stand up for your position in Christ that Jesus died to give you. 

 My focus today is on the breastplate of righteousness. (Eph. 6:14) This is a message that changed my life. Most people serve God out of guilt. To them it is fire insurance. They see God’s acceptance based on performance. If I do everything right God will accept me, but I can never meet that standard. My righteousness is like filthy rags before God. (Isa. 64:6) All have sinned and fallen short of His glory. (Rom. 3:23) If I try to live based on performance, the enemy runs rampant in my life, bringing bondage and condemnation. When I grasped the revelation that in Christ I am righteous before God, my spiritual walk moved to a whole new level.

 Two Scripture verses you must have in your arsenal: First, Romans 8:1: “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.” I stand before God with no guilt or condemnation. Yes, I blow it. Yes, I have failed in the past and doubtless will again in the future. But my standing before God is not based on my deeds, not based on following a long list of do’s and don’ts. My standing before God is based on what Jesus did. I will never be more righteous than I am today. I will grow in holiness but righteousness was established when I made Jesus Lord of my life. I am His workmanship in Christ Jesus created for good works NOT by good works. (Eph. 2:10)

 We live in a works based society. When we meet someone new the first questions are: “What is your name? What kind of work do you do?” We tend to bring that into our relationship with God. Is the cross not enough? Abraham believed and that brought right standing. (Gal. 3:6) His righteousness was not based on a bunch of good works. No one is justified by the law. (Gal. 3:11) Works do not have the ability to set me free. I am a friend of God. (John 15:14) What the law could not do Jesus has accomplished. I am a new creation in Christ (2Cor. 5:17), not a dirty rotten sinner. Yes, I must deal with sin but the real me inside is no longer under guilt or condemnation.

 Second key verse, 2Cor. 5:21: “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”  That is the key. Don’t continue to rehearse sins of the past. We may still reap the harvest but that sin is under the blood. God is not bringing up past sin. Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow. (Isa. 1:18) We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. (Rom. 5:1) Work of righteousness quietness and assurance forever. (Isa. 32:17) That is the power of the Gospel. Every other religion is performance, do’s and don’ts. Too often Christian teachings are perverted to rules of performance. It is bondage. Religion cleans up the outside but misses the heart. Follow the path of the world; seek to satisfy the desire of the flesh; listen to the devil’s voice. Where will it lead?

 Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage. (Gal. 5:1) If I am in bondage I need to look at my beliefs. Don’t take on a yoke of religious bondage. Try to be justified by law and you are estranged from Christ, fallen from grace. (Gal. 5:4) The enemy wants to destroy your freedom. If I see myself on God’s bad list, I won’t try to come to Him. He is not a heavenly Santa Claus with a naughty and nice list. In Luke 15 the parable of the prodigal son shows us the character of the Father. Despite everything the son had done, the father was there with open arms, forgiveness and restoration. Get confident in your relationship with Him.

 The effect of righteousness is victory over accusations. (Isa. 32:17) “Who do you think you are? Look at your past.” No, remember what Christ has done. God is faithful to forgive and to cleanse. (1John1:9)  Let the guilt fall away and step into liberty. Is this too good to be true? Satan wants you to think so. It is time to put on the breastplate of righteousness and stand your ground. It is time to step out of the tomb of guilt, shame and condemnation. If God be for me, who can be against me? (Rom. 8:31)  Because of what Jesus has done, we can come boldly before the throne of grace. (Heb. 4:16)