Truth

“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.” Ephesians 6:13-15 (The Holy Bible, ESV, 2016)


Truth holds everything else together.  It is an indispensible part of our armor that protects us in spiritual warfare. Truth does not change just because we do not accept it.  Lies from the world around us can put us in a place of defeat, despair, and feeling a lack of worth.  We need the truth that God willingly reveals to us.

John 17:17 says, “Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.” (The Holy Bible, ESV, 2016)  At the fall, we lost fellowship with God and lost sight of the truth.  We chose to follow our own way instead of God’s way.  God wants to redeem us, not just for eternity, but for today as well.  He wants us to choose to live for Him and yield to His way of life. 

“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:16-17 (The Holy Bible, ESV, 2016)  We need to become familiar with God’s Word to learn truth.  God makes His Word come alive and changes our worldview and lives through the Holy Spirit.  We need to regularly let God reveal truth through His Word.


“When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.”  John 16:13 (The Holy Bible, ESV, 2016)


“these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God.  For who knows a person's thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.  Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God.”  1 Corinthians 2:10-12 (The Holy Bible, ESV, 2016)


We have the Holy Spirit living within us once we ask God to forgive us through Christ and invite Him into our lives.  God’s Spirit helps us understand His Word, convicts, helps us apply truth to our lives, and helps us realize who God is and who we are in relationship to God.


“It is through the work of the Spirit that we gain the ability to know God and the truth that can give us the capacity to walk in victory in our day-to-day lives.  Please note that we gain the ability to know God.  The Holy Spirit never forces us to know God or be restored by His truth.  But it is through the work of the Spirit that we are given the opportunity to exchange our viewpoint on a matter with God’s” (Evans, Victory in Spiritual Warfare, 2011)


There are many worldviews we are exposed to in our lifetime.  Truth cannot be found through just any path.  God has revealed truth to us.  He does not force us to change.  We choose each day whether or not we will allow God to be in charge.


“The truth is an objective standard of reality that stands outside our experiences and above our opinions.  That standard of truth is the Word of God.  The belt of truth is becoming more and more important because we live in a world that no longer accepts objective truth. … Truth today is totally relative, and ‘tolerance’ is the current buzzword.  That’s why you’ll hear people say, ‘What’s true for you is not necessarily true for me.’” (Evans, 1998)

“Truth is the great sanctifier. … (1) The truth about God.  Every attribute you behold engages your love, quickens your trust, makes you wish to serve Him.  (2) The truth about Christ, His work, love, humanity, Godhead, intercession, etc., is all quickening.  (3) The truth about man.  Oh, if we could have it, and see man in God’s light- something lovable in the worst, something saveable in the lowest- how it would take away our despair, engage our service, quicken our love.  Every error of life springs from an error of thought.  A lie is the root of all evil.”  R. Glover

We need to know the truth about God- who He is, what He has done for us, and how to be in relationship with Him.  2 Peter 1:3 says, “His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence,” (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, 2016)  We cannot do anything to earn our salvation or God's love.  Jesus has done it all for us, and we are part of God's family through Christ.  There is nothing that we can do that can separate us from His love.  It is important to know who we are through Christ and what that means.  Pastor Omar Zook speaks to this.

"Self-worth is not an issue of giftedness, talent, intelligence or beauty.  Self-worth is an identity issue.  Your sense of personal worth comes from knowing who you are: a child of God.” (Anderson, 1990)


“To be in Christ is to have a new identity.  Second Corinthians 5:17 declares: ‘Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!’  The only way to succeed in living the Christian life is to see yourself for who you really are in Christ. “ (Stewart, 1992)  “No person can consistently behave in a way that’s inconsistent with the way he perceives himself.  If you think you’re a no-good bum, you’ll probably live like a no-good bum.  But if you see yourself as a child of God who is spiritually alive in Christ, you’ll begin to live in victory and freedom as He lived.    Next to a knowledge of God, a knowledge of who you are is by far the most important truth you can possess.” (Anderson, 1990)


“Satan’s deception is reflected in the title we often give to ourselves: sinners saved by grace.  Yes, we were sinners, and we are saved by grace.  But we’re not sinners now.  That’s not our scriptural identity any longer.  We’re saints who occasionally sin.”  (Stewart, 1992)

It is important to realize that everything changes when we become a child of God.  We are living from a place of victory through Christ.  We are loved and forgiven and have a relationship with God.  When working with other Christians who are struggling in life, we need to help them realize who they are in Christ.  The truth is a powerful weapon.


“Generally speaking, our society isn’t one that takes strong, firm stands on truth.  Even the church, sadly, too often fails to hold clear views on right living and God-honoring choices.  Many people who call themselves Christians today don’t have a strong core belief system to govern their lives. They don’t frame their decisions around the truth of God’s Word, aren’t stable and sturdy in their convictions, are too easily injured and wounded by others, and buckle under pressure rather than standing tough and persevering.” (Shirer, 2018)

Our struggle is not against people, and we are not fighting in our own strength.  It is important to recognize lies and replace them with God's truth.  As we learn more about God and His plans, we can develop a biblical worldview.  Knowing who we are in Christ should change how we view ourselves, others, and how we look at life.  


2 Corinthians 10:3-5 encourages, “For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, (The Holy Bible, ESV, 2016)

Works Cited

Anderson, N. T. (1990). Victory Over the Darkness. Ventura, CA: Regal Books.

Babler, J. (2014). Biblical Crisis Counseling: Not if But When. John Babler.

Evans, T. (1998). The Battle is the Lord's. Chicago: Moody Press.

Evans, T. (2011). Victory in Spiritual Warfare. Eugene, OR: Harvet House Publishers.

Shirer, P. (2018). The Armor of God. Nashville: Lifeway Press.

Stewart, E. e. (1992). Breaking Through to Spiritual Maturity. Gospel Light.

The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. (2016). Crossway Bibles.