The Full Armor of God – Week 2, Part 2

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Concluding Thoughts on Chapter 2 – The Belt of Truth

As we talked about the belt of truth this week, we saw how it was linked to integrity. We talked about how walking in truth was different from simply knowing the truth.

The word integrity comes from the Latin word “integer.” You might remember that word from math class. It refers to a whole or complete number. It’s not a fraction, nor does it have a decimal point. It’s whole and complete. In other words, we shouldn’t be truthful 1/2 of the time or even 99% of the time, we should be walking in truth at all times.

Some synonyms for integrity are honesty, principle, purity, sincerity, and virtue. The way I look at it, integrity is all of those things wrapped up in one. It’s knowing what you believe and standing by that belief regardless of what comes your way.

Now let’s get back to truthfulness as I’m using these two words interchangeably. A truthful life isn’t dependent upon your circumstances. It’s the outward result of inward convictions. Clean water flows from a tap whether a house is in disarray or not, but if the stream itself is contaminated, then you have a problem that has to be fixed at the source.

Conviction is the Spirit’s way of leading us in truth, but if we ignore our convictions, we’re ignoring our faith.

In Luke chapter 19 we’re introduced to a wealthy tax collector named Zacchaeus. In those days tax collectors were despised by the Jews because they collaborated with the Romans for personal gain. By overcharging the Jews they gained a healthy profit for themselves. They were anything but truthful. Integrity was the farthest thing from their minds. And so, the Jews were angry when they saw Jesus going over to his house.

The day that Zacchaeus met Jesus however, he was deeply convicted of his sin. This wasn’t simply a meet-for-coffee kind of day. This was a life-changing event that led him to repentance.

Verse 8 tells us that Zacchaeus stood up and said to Jesus, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken anything from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold.”

Right there, we Zacchaeus fastening up his belt of truth. He’s not only convicted of his sin, he’s responding to his conviction. His eyes are opened by the Spirit, and immediately he recognizes the importance of integrity, honesty, principle, purity, sincerity, and virtue. He’s hungering for truthfulness so badly that he’s not wasting time.

Like Zacchaeus, we must be true to our conscience keeping it pure and clean at all times.

And finally, let’s review that verse from Corinthians again that I shared at the beginning of this lesson since it sums up this chapter so nicely.

I especially love the words “manifestation of truth,” as it perfectly describes the Belt of Truth and how it differs from merely knowing the truth.

Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not; But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God. (2 Corinthians 4:2, KJV)

Answer Key for Chapter 2:

Q. What is the meaning of “Sine Cera?”

A. The words mean “without wax.” The words “Sine Cera” represented honest and sincere merchants.

Q. According to the writer of the book of Hebrews, what are we to run with?

A. We are to run the race with perseverance.

Q. What is the meaning of the phrase “gird your loins?”

A. It means prepare yourself for battle. This was done by a soldier lifting up his tunic and tucking it into his belt so that he could move freely and swiftly on the battlefield.

Q. Where did the Holy Spirit lead Jesus to be tempted? In what 3 ways was Jesus tempted?

A. The desert. 1. Hunger 2. Testing God 3. Materialism

Q. If we want to live in fullness of life, abounding with joy, what must we protect?

A. Our hearts and our minds. We need to fight for our families, our faith, our marriages, and in fact, we need to fight for our joy.

Q. According to Hebrews 12:1, what is it that can so easily entangle us? And so, what are we to do?

A. Sin. We are to throw off everything that hinders including the sin that so easily entangles.

Q. When does a person’s integrity become hypocrisy?

A. When we don’t practice in secret what we hold dear in the light.

Free Printables

I’ve created some 8.5 x 11 high res images for you with some of the thoughts and verses from this study. I’ll have a few of them for you each week. Please click the images or the links below to view and print your copies.

Ephesians 6:14 – Click here

Philippians 1:10 – Click here

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Darlene Schacht and her husband Michael live in Manitoba Canada where the summers are beautiful and the winters are cold. Together they’ve come to learn that relationships aren’t always easy, but that marriage, the way God intended it to be, is a treasure worth fighting for.

She began her publishing journey about twelve years ago when she pioneered one of the first online magazines for Christian women, known at the time as “Christian Women Online Magazine.” After three years, Darlene left CWO to blog as a solo author at Time-Warp Wife Ministries.

It was also during this transition that she worked alongside actress Candace Cameron Bure to write the NYT Best-Selling book, Reshaping it All: Motivation for Spiritual and Physical Fitness. Reshaping it All was the winner of both the 2011 USA Best Book Awards and the 2012 Christian Reading Retailers Choice Awards.

Author of more than 15 books, Darlene continues to write and to minister to her readers through her blog at TimeWarpWife.com.