WEARING THE RIGHT BELT

Ephesians 6:14 NIV Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place…

Have you ever bought one of those belts that says it’s real leather but you discover it’s fake when you’ve used it for a little while? It begins to fall apart and it’s so disappointing!😊

God commands us to make sure we’re wearing the right belt each day because what we wear to hold our spiritual clothes up is important. He says to wear the belt of His truth and not some look alike, some fake truth someone has told us.

Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life. Jesus tells us His words are truth and that the truth will set us free. My question is, are we wearing the truth of God’s word to hold everything together in our lives? Is the truth we’re standing on straight from the word of God, or is it from man’s traditions, or man’s experience or from a report we have been told?

God wants His word to be the first and last word in our lives. If God says it then that’s it! If we don’t live by His truth our clothes will fall down round our ankles!😊 We often look at facts, or at what our experience has been so far, and we go by those so called ‘truths’. But God’s Word, His truth, is far more powerful than anything else we know. It changes lives and circumstances when we decide to believe it, and only it, because it is supernatural!

The truth is God loves us with an everlasting love, and has good plans for our lives regardless of what has gone before. The truth is God is as much our God in the valleys as on the mountaintops and His power is as real in one as in another. 

If we’re in a pit of despair God’s truth says He will lift us up and out, and put our feet in a broad safe place. (Psalm 18:18-19 NKJV They confronted me in the day of my calamity, But the Lord was my support. He also brought me out into a broad place; He delivered me because He delighted in me.) 

If we feel like nothing’s working or we’ve made too many mistakes, the truth is we are blessed going out and coming in, that we are surrounded by the favour of God wherever we go!

If we’re in financial difficulty the truth says God will provide all our needs. If our relationships are messed up, the truth is God can turn any situation around for our good. The truth is - nothing is impossible with God! 😊

Now, my question is, “Whose truth have we got belted around our waist today?” If we find we’re wearing a fake leather belt, let’s take it off and put on the real deal! Let’s deliberately make sure we’re wearing God’s belt of truth and know it will hold us safe, steady and secure through every circumstance of life. In Jesus name. Amen.

HOW TO DO THINGS

Isaiah 28:29 NKJV This also comes from the Lord of hosts, Who is wonderful in counsel and excellent in guidance.

We’ve probably all wished we were as wise as an owl at some point, but apparently they’re not as clever as ravens and crows, they just look wise!😊 

In verses 23-29, Isaiah has been talking about the wisdom of the way seed is sown and then harvested, and goes on to explain how it’s God who teaches the farmer.

What struck me is that God will come alongside us in our workplace, in our homes or wherever we are, to give us the wisdom we need, to teach us how to do the everyday things that need to be done. Even when things go wrong, if we’re listening for His nudge, we can ask Him to give us the right ideas as to how to make things work.

It’s like when we have to repair something at home, we know it’s good to pray first and ask the Holy Spirit for the best way to do it, or to lead us to the information that will give us the know how. We’ve often done that and suddenly things fall into place or God has led us to the information we needed. I’ve even laid hands on the fridge freezer and told it to stop making some weird noise and it’s stopped! 😊

God wants us to know He knows and cares about everything in our lives, whether it’s people or inanimate objects we have to work with. Jesus spoke to trees, He told Peter to go fishing and find their tax money in its mouth! He made extra wine for a wedding, He provided a picnic for 5,000 people when they were having time off to listen to  Him.

Whatever it is, relaxation, celebration, paying the bills, overcoming mountains, Jesus wants us to know and to see He can and will give us the counsel and wisdom we need for daily living. Isn’t that wonderful? We’re not muddling along on our own, we have Wisdom Himself living on the inside of us and He tells us to ask for wisdom and we can have it. (James 1:5)

I know I’ve probably missed it many times but God is merciful, and the important thing is to not give up but to keep asking and listening and we will have the victory. Let’s take advantage of His wisdom today. Amen.