What really is TRUTH?

April 24, 2022 No. 13
I rarely look to Being in Step with God, the book, for input into this blog. My incentive is completely related to a lack of real honest self-motivation that I am not interested in the old proverbial “reinventing the wheel.” So please accept this excerpt from my book as we move forward.
TRUTH is the topic today. It seems to me that achieving truth in any and all relationships used to be the goal of the majority of humankind. I sincerely believe that today’s society has abandoned the obligation of telling the truth for a desire to somehow evoke a type of flexibility on the road to a distorted pleasure to be able to make up the “truth” as they go along. It’s easier to make it up as you go along than to have to own up to what really happened, even if there are uncomfortable consequences at the end of the line.
Paul writes, “Use every piece of God’s armor to resist the enemy wherever he attacks, and when it is all over, you will still be standing up” (Ephesians 6:13 TLB). Paul eventually lays out for us what the pieces of God’s armor are. I’ve heard and read that there are Christians who do not acknowledge the character Satan. Well, I don’t like to dwell on Satan, but I certainly know that this evil character is spoken of in scripture. In fact, the Bible tells us that Jesus Himself was tormented and Christ resisted the devil. James 4:7 reads, “So give yourselves humbly to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you” (James 4:7 TLB). This is terrific advice—good counsel. I have sensed situations where Satan was trying to get into my head—no, sneakier, into my spirit! Here’s what I pray: “In the name of Jesus, through the power of the Holy Spirit, ‘Get thee behind me, Satan!’” (ref. Matthew 16:23 KJV). Immediately! Any remnant of the feeling of any evil presence is gone! Glory to God!
When Paul writes, “Use every piece of God’s armor to resist the enemy wherever he attacks, and when it is all over, you will still be standing up” (Ephesians 6:13 TLB), believe the scriptures here! Christianity is a way of life that takes time to become second nature for you. Believing is the first step. Seeing and experiencing His wonders will come as you give over more and more of your life to the Lord.
If you were a Roman soldier in Paul’s day, you would have worn a belt for the tethering of your sword, one of the weapons of choice, which was standard issue. Of course, the steel breastplate was likewise crucial to the protection of the body. So for Paul, the “Belt of truth” (Ephesians 6:14 TLB) lends itself as a metaphor to help us understand how God wants us to live our lives. Think of it—truth as a weapon fastened to the body of our personage, our reputation. And then the breastplate is God’s approval! For us to attain the approval of Almighty God, we need to wield the sword of truth!
One day, having the opportunity to speak with a student privately, I shared my chagrin regarding the generation he was a part of. I confessed my concern over the general behavior patterns of his generation. All too often, the young people today do not feel the need to be truthful. They will lie profusely and so easily rather than be truthful, even if it means having to face immediately negative circumstances.
Speedy shoes are talked about next. “Wear shoes that are able to speed you on as you preach the Good News of peace with God” (Ephesians 6:15 TLB). Unfortunately, this is probably, believe it or not, the weakest area in my walk with Christ. I’m not necessarily going to ignore my love of God, but there have certainly been times in my life where I could have been bolder for the Lord. Another Bible translation reads, “With your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace” (Ephesians 6:15 NIV). “Readiness.” Maybe this is where I can improve my CE (Christian effectiveness). I need to be ready for anything that God may put in my path for Him and His kingdom. My “readiness” will be improved as I “wear shoes that are able to speed [me] on as [I] preach the Good News of peace with God” (Ephesians 6:15 TLB). This all should be influencing you with the idea that every day is a day to be lived within the power of the Holy Spirit. I’ve said it before: walking with Christ is a way of life!
Back to the warrior’s armor. “In every battle you will need faith as your shield to stop the fiery arrows aimed at you by Satan” (Ephesians 6:16 TLB; italics added). Those “fiery arrows” can come from many and diverse directions. Since we don’t live in a “perfect world,” few of us are immune from the fiery arrows’ effects. Usually, the attacks are not foreseeable either.
OK, so what does Paul instruct us to do? He says, “Take up the shield of faith [in Christ Jesus as Lord], with which you can extinguish all the ‘fiery arrows’ of Satan” the Evil One (Ephesians 6:16 TLB; single quotation marks added). You see, although there might be many people, even potentially those close to us personally, we must allow ourselves to believe that because of the Evil One, Satan, even if these people don’t represent most of the originators of the fiery arrows, they might be used by the devil to get to us. Recall the metaphor of armor: the belt of truth and breastplate of God’s approval.
We might attest to the fact that anyone could create issues for us to deal with. Yes, even our loved ones can disappoint us and potentially alienate us to them at times. Do they necessarily stop loving us? No, I don’t think so. They are just not acting the way we wish they would. They become the shooters of the “fiery arrows” that Paul speaks of.
How are we directed to handle this? Put on the belt of truth, the breastplate of God’s approval, wear speedy shoes, and “in every battle you will need faith as your shield.” Wait! We’re not finished! “You will need the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit—which is the Word of God” (Ephesians 6:17 TLB). Can you be a Christian without reading the Bible? Yes! Yes, you can! But you won’t grow in the faith. Life doesn’t automatically get to be perfect or even all that much easier when you accept Christ as your Savior and Redeemer. I hate to burst your bubble in this one. Becoming a Christian guarantees you an eternal life in heaven. You need to begin to wake up to faith—putting your faith into practice as soon as possible. You will begin growing your faith in Christ and developing a relationship with Him.
Paul concludes his letter with what I consider maybe the most important advice. “Pray all the time. Ask God for anything in line with the Holy Spirit’s wishes. Plead with Him, reminding him of your needs” (Ephesians 6:18 TLB). I believe in prayer so much that I’ve devoted an entire section on it in my book.
My hope is that you will allow God to help you to always depend on the truth to guide you as you navigate life. God Bless…