Don’t Trip On Your Tunic

Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth.   Ephesians 6:14

Deception was Satan’s first scheme in the Garden. He confused Eve into thinking she was doing good when in reality she was disobeying God (see Genesis 3:1-13).

A woman spends her morning at Bible study, but when her husband comes home, she is cold and distant. She thinks she is pleasing to God because she’s studying the Bible, but she’s blind to the falling temperature of her marriage. A man is involved in ministry, but at work he is arrogant and irritable. He thinks he is pleasing to God because of his ministry, but he’s blind to the loss of his testimony.

Our enemy will be content for us to pray, study, and serve the Lord as long as we don’t discover what he’s up to. He hides his work in a fog of unreality, deceiving us into thinking ourselves spiritual, when actually we are living in defeat—at the very point where the enemy is waging the battle. That’s deception!

The only way to stand against deception is to put on the belt of truth. Paul is not referring to the truth of the Bible here; that comes later (see Ephesians 6:17). The belt of truth is what David was talking about when he said, “You delight in truth in the inward being” (Psalm 51:6, ESV).

Putting on the belt of truth is an intentional action. You must build self-examination into your spiritual life. Ask God to search you and show you your heart. Use the Bible as a mirror, and don’t lie to yourself. Learn to listen to close friends and counselors who will hold you accountable.

Regularly review your thought life: Have your thoughts become negative, critical, or self-centered? Do they reflect faith in God? Review your reputation: What would people say about your attitude? Your work ethic? Are you building others up?

In Paul’s time, a belt was used to hold up the tunic. Without a belt, the rest of the armor would be useless, because you could easily trip on your own tunic and fall without even being attacked. The picture would be comical, if it weren’t so tragic. Too many Christians are tripped up simply because they live an unexamined life.

For further reading, see Psalm 51