The Belt of Truth

 Here is another post from my book on depression.  It is relevant to all of us, as we live in a culture that has completely abandoned truth.

Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground and after you have done everything, to stand.  Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.  In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.  Take up the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.  And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.  With this in mind, be alert and always keep praying for all the saints.  (Eph 6:13-18)

The Belt of Truth

            A belt is used to hold on the rest of your clothing (or in this case armor).  Without the belt, the remaining armor could fall off, becoming useless.  With this in mind, the truth holds up the rest of your spiritual armor. If you don’t cling to the truth, the remaining spiritual armor no longer holds its power to withstand Satan’s attacks.  Jesus knows that we must face the attacks of Satan and his demons.  He prayed for his disciples that they would be sanctified, or freed from sin, through the truth of God’s Word.  “My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one.  They are not of the world, even as I am not of it.  Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. “ (Jn 17:17-18) We must cling to the truth, as found in the Bible.  We cannot cling to our feelings, our traditions, or our society norms.  Only in the Bible can we find the truths that will enable us to be victorious over Satan in each battle, and ultimately for eternity.

            One definition of true that I have found very helpful reads “reality apart from and transcending perceived experience.”  In other words, the truth of the Bible remains constant even though our feelings, or perception may not see that truth. With this in mind, when you are up, you must strengthen your convictions about what is true.  While you are down make use of what you have prepared ahead of time.  Also, listen to those around you who can remind you of these truths!  This is one area that the enemy always attacks in a depression. Satan’s first attack on Eve in the garden was to challenge her to doubt what God had told her. 

                [The serpent] said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” 

The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say,        ‘You  must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’”

          “You will not surely die, “ the serpent said to the woman.

 (Gen 3:1b-4)

Because Eve gave in to Satan’s lies, she and Adam were forced to leave the Garden of Eden.  They did die, and now every one of us is subject to the law of sin and death.  Losing sight of the truth can have serious consequences!  If we let go of the truth, Satan can convince us to believe several lies -- “There is no point in trying to be a Christian.”  “We don’t need the church to have a relationship with God.”  “Our depression is a valid excuse for our sin.”  “We don’t need to repent.”  “Jesus is fed up with you.”      

            In a depression, Satan doesn’t even bother with being subtle.  He just attacks every spiritual conviction I have ever gained.  I doubt everything.  I doubt people’s love and friendship.  I doubt God's love for me.  I doubt God's desire to forgive me, thinking "He must be so disappointed and fed up with me."  I doubt that God answers prayer.   I doubt my ability to change.  I doubt people's love for me.  I doubt God's promises.  etc.  

            Even if you don’t suffer from depression, Satan will still attack you with lies.  You must cling to the truth of God’s Word or you will  not know what is from Satan and what is from God.

            To prepare for these attacks from the Father of Lies, create in a notebook two lists that can help you answer Satan’s attempts to make you doubt:  a list of answered prayers and a list of fulfilled promises.  Your convictions must be developed and deepened while you are up -- or at least on an even keel.

            Above all else, you must cling to the truth of God’s Word!  It is true regardless of how you feel -- regardless of what your friends or family may think --  regardless of the lies Satan is pouring into your head.

The Bible is the ultimate truth in this world!