Frazzled Fridays!

Dressing with the Armor of God
The Belt of Truth

Well, happy really, really frazzled Friday!  The closer we get to the blessed holiday of Christ's birth, the more frazzled I become.  And admittedly, that is not a good thing.  In my prayer time each day I ask the Lord to make Christ's birth first and foremost in my mind and, for the Holy Spirit to whisper this reminder as often as I begin unraveling the frazzleness (no that's not a word) of my nerves and attitude.  Basically constantly!

I was reading recently in my One Year Chronological Bible in Ephesians where Paul is writing to the Ephesians  to put on the armor of God .  This got me thinking about how our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit and therefore, we should dress it appropriately in, you guessed it, the armor of God!  And since there are so many pieces of this armor I will take them somewhat individually and do a series on it.  Whatcha think? 

Ephesians 6:10-17 (NLT)

"Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil.  For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.

  Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm.  Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness.  For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared.  In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil.    Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." (emphasis mine)

According to Matthew Henry, "Truth, or sincerity, is the girdle. This girds on all the other pieces of our armour, and is first mentioned. There can be no religion without sincerity."  The girdle referenced here is defined more as our belt worn in current fashion.  Truth in this passage refers to being filled with the knowledge of the Word of God, THE Truth.  Without continually studying, memorizing, and reading God's Word we can be rendered "less strong" in our stand against the evils of this world.  It is significant that the belt of Truth is the first piece of armor mentioned.  Most of the other body armor attaches to the belt. It is a foundation garment. Truth is what holds our faith together.  If this belt of truth is not securely fastened, the rest of our armor will be weak.


And knowing, reading and internalizing God's Word is not as hard as it may seem.  As I mentioned earlier I am reading through the One Year Chronological Bible.  This is my second year reading through the Bible and have learned so much more this year than last.  I intend to read it again next year and pray that the Lord will open my eyes even more this coming year!  It is written chronologically and is more in story form.  That's the way I would describe it.  I would encourage you to order your copy today!  Here is a link to the Proverbs 31 website which is one place you can order a copy.  Chron. Bible   My friend Wendy Pope has been doing a vlog (video blog) all year walking women all over the world through the Bible this year.  She will be teaching through her vlog again in 2011.  You should check it out - its fabulous!! 
 
(Sorry, it's Christmas time so I couldn't resist this photo! )

Belts.  Some love them and some don't.  If you are a body type b, you should not like them!  If you don't know what the whole body type reference is all about click here 

Belts come in all kinds of size and materials.  Belts can add so much to an outfit.  

For O body types "if" you tuck in your shirt make sure to wear a skinny belt.  However, if you are a little curvier you should avoid belts altogether so not to decorate the area you don't want to draw attention to.  Although you "could" wear a belt at an angle and slung low. 

For d body types belts look great on you as they accentuate your smaller waist.   Also those with an x body type can wear belts of all kinds and sizes, definitely a great accessory for you!

I will probably not post next Friday, so I wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas!  I look forward to hearing how your belt of truth has been strengthened.

Blessings!

Dawn