“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication.” Ephesians 6:10-18a ESV

In the middle of December 2022, I heard multiple references to the Armor of God from various written sources and speakers I heard online. Since the references kept popping up, I figured it was something I should learn more about, so I opened my Bible to Ephesians 6 and copied the pieces of armor on an index card and threw it in my work bag next to my phone. Little did I know how much I would need those copied words in the days to come. . . because the days leading up to Christmas break were filled with feelings of anxiety as I’ve never experienced before. I knew God was with me, but I felt like I was paddling for dear life by myself. Logic could not overcome fear.

I decided to meditate on one piece of the armor at a time, one per day. First, the belt of truth.

Belt of Truth

“Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth . . .”

Ephesians 6:14 ESV

Think about the purpose of a belt – its job is to hold things up (or in!). The purpose of a belt in relation to armor is to keep other pieces of armor in place, as well as to hold the sword.

It’s a support. The belt of truth holds us up.

What is the truth, straight from the Bible? The incomparable, indisputable truth?

I thought of a few promised truths right away: God loves me and God will protect me.

I played around with the order of words, and here’s where I ended up:

Truth #1: God loves me – God is loving me – You are loving me

• Colossians 3:12 (NIV) describes God’s people as “holy and dearly loved”.
• Ephesians 5:1 (NIV) describes God’s people as “dearly loved children”.

    The Oxford Dictionary defines dearly as “very much” or with much loss or suffering; at great cost”

Later that day, when I took time to listen to Christmas music and read “The Women of Christmas” by Liz Curtis Higgs, I read her words regarding Luke 1:13:

“But the angel said to him: ‘Do not be afraid, Zechariah;. . . ‘ The angel wasn’t scolding Zechariah; he was comforting him. ‘Fear not’, he said. ‘Calm down!’. I need these words embroidered on a pillow, framed on my wall, scribbled across my mouse pad – anywhere I might see them – to remind me that God is in charge, God can be trusted, and God does everything out of love. Fear not. Calm down. Why do we fear the worst from God, when he loves us completely and always gives us what is best?‘”

So, if God loves me . . . dearly . . . He wants to protect me.

Truth #2: God will protect me – God is protecting me – You are protecting me

• Psalm 32:7 (NIV) “You are my hiding place; You will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.”
• Psalm 32:7 (TLB) “You are my hiding place from every storm of life; you even keep me from getting into trouble! You surround me with songs of victory.”

I love the phrase “You are my hiding place.” My hiding place. When I hide while playing Hide-and-Seek, no one can see me, no one knows where I am. When I hide in God, no trouble can find me, trouble doesn’t know where I am. It’s a place of protection, and God invites me into hiding to protect me from trouble.

As periods of anxiety continued to plague my days, I began stating God’s truth as I touched my imaginary belt, focusing my thoughts on His truth.

What a good God we have!

What truths do you need to be reminded of today? Look in Scripture to find God’s promises and truths.

“Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth . . .” Ephesians 6:14 ESV